A Thousand Boy Kisses by Tillie Cole

Where do I begin?

I don't typically read YA. I don't typically read ugly cry books. But, with all the hype surrounding this book, I knew I had to give it a shot. And I wasn't disappointed.

Tillie Cole took me on an adventure. And it made my heart burst. Literally. It burst and shattered into a million little pieces.

A Thousand Boy Kisses tells us about the epic love story between Poppy Litchfield and Rune Kristiansen. Rune moves from Norway to Georgia when he was five years old. He then meets lively Poppy, his next door neighbor and soon to be best friend and soul mate.

I wish I could convey the feelings that this book made me feel. I really can't put it into words. I think this picture sums it up nicely

Seriously.

I won't sugar coat it. This book hurt my soul. It was beautifully devastating yet, I couldn't stop reading it. I kept telling myself, "STOP", but I had to keep going. When the end of the book came, I was happy it was over. Not because I didn't enjoy it. Because, I don't think my heart could endure anymore heartache.

I am making this really enticing right?

All the heartache and heartbreak was worth it. I hope that one day I have a love as epic as Poppy as Rune. I want Poppy's unbridled enthusiasm for life and Rune's unwavering love.

My advice for you is READ THIS BOOK.
Then go live life and love as much as you can. I think Poppy would agree with me.

Honesty

Well, my blog isn't even a week old yet. I have yet to review a single book. The whole point of starting a blog was for me to review books and do giveaways and BECOME THE BEST BLOGGER OF ALL TIME. Just kidding.

Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking when I started this. My first thought was "Oh cool I can sign up for ARCs!" Then I realized how awful that reason was. Truthfully, I could care less about getting books before other people. I have gone this long without getting ARCs so it really doesn't matter at this point. I used to be a little jealous of people reading books before the public could get their hands on them but then I was basically like, whatever. I am still going to read the book anyways! 

Then this thing happened. Everyone around me started writing books. Again, part of me got jealous because they were doing something so cool and I wasn't. I felt like they were in this cool little club that I wasn't apart of. 

Something I have struggled with my whole life is not fitting in. It's been ingrained in me that I was different. I wasn't good enough. I wasn't pretty enough. I wasn't smart enough. Nothing about me was OK. 

Being left out sucks.

For years, I had no friends. None. Zilch. The worst part was I was a little kid. When I got older, I finally found a group of people that embraced me for who I was. I went through a rebellious phase and blindly followed what all the cool kids were doing. Except I did all those things with my motley crew of friends. We had our highs, we had our lows, but we had each other. And I have never let them go. 

So what does any of this have to do with blogging??

I decided that I was going to try something different. I was going to step out of my comfort zone and start writing. Not to become popular. And not to go along with what everyone else is doing. I'm writing so I can be my authentic self and maybe reach a few people along the way. So even if this blog fails miserably that's OK. Maybe you were able to get something out of this. Or, maybe you think I am being a whiny asshole.

In the end of all this, I can say I finally tried something without the fear of failure or the fear of being judged. And that is the best feeling of all 

Alright, enough with the sappy shit now. I promise my next blog post will be book related. I have some fun things coming up. 

Stay Tuned! 

Getting to know me

Here are a few random things about me

- I love cheese

- I have a complicated relationship with Dunkin Donuts.

            

- LulaRoe is my latest clothing obsession

- I am a concert junkie

- Justin Timberlake is my homeboy and I am still hoping for the day he and Britney Spears get back together

- Some of my favorite artists are Kings of Leon, X Ambassadors, BØRNS, Cvrches, and anything in the indie/electronic/folk/pop genre

- I have a Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health and it's useless

- I watch the Food Network religiously. The Pioneer Woman is everything.

- My favorite reading genres are Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, M/M, and some YA. The angstier the better!

- I enjoy a good cocktail...or five

- Some of my favorite authors in no particular order: 

Penelope Ward

Aly Martinez

Mia Sheridan

Colleen Hoover

Rebecca Donovan

Jessica Park

Amanda Maxlyn

Kendall Ryan

 Now tell something interesting about yourself!

Books, Life, and Blogging

I’ve gone back and forth about starting a book blog. I am not the most dedicated reader. Some weeks I can read about 2-5 books, other times I go weeks and months without reading. I also question myself as a reader in this vast and crazy book world. Am I a big enough fangirl? Do I fangirl too much? What if I don’t like a book everyone else likes (GASP)!  Or what if, what if, I dislike a popular author!?!?!?

Where do I fit into all of this? 

I’ve tried my hand at writing and have failed miserably. I’ve tried being the fan that wants all her favorite authors to love her. Yeah, that didn’t happen either.

I’ve learned so much from readers, authors and bloggers alike.

Yes, it is possible to be a creeper. Authors don’t like it when you creep. Don’t do it.

Sometimes you have to be the vocal, die hard, I’ll do anything for you fan, just to get noticed.

Or maybe you have to be brutally honest and funny to be the “it girl”.

But wait! Don’t be too honest because then someone will be offended and run your name through the mud.

After having been in the “book scene” for a while, I have truly seen it all. I have witnessed selfless acts of kindness right down to mean and nasty fights.

I have met some of the kindest and most wonderful authors you can ever imagine. I’ve also met the complete opposite.

I didn’t start this blog to be popular. I started this blog for the rest of us.  For the fans and the readers who just love to read and are trying to find their place in this world.

Maybe you are lonely. Maybe you have a crazy life. Who knows, you could be the Queen of England and looking for a good book to read. Or you could be none of those things.  This blog is going to be a safe haven for everyone who is looking for something and hasn’t found it yet. We’ll talk books and beyond.

I’m a pretty blunt and vocal person. So you may not even like what I have to say. And that’s ok.

Our common bond will be a love for books and everything book related.

Books bring people together.

Reading is my escape. My calm from the storm. My solitude.

I can’t speak for other people, but reading helped me find my home. I have made close friends and have found unlikely friendships through reading. When you find “your people” you just know.

And then this sense of comradery and inclusiveness fills this sort of void you have been looking to fill. This may sound crazy and downright loony to those who aren’t involved in the world of romance, contemporary and new-adult. But, I haven’t seen such a tight knit group of people who have never met,  in all my life. And yes these people are friends!

But, Alessia how can people you’ve never met before be your friends? Isn’t online friendship for weird losers who have no life?

Nope. And screw you for thinking that.

Yes, I have actual in the flesh friends I have had for a majority of my life. No, I don’t spend my days trolling the internet causing fights on Reddit. I work, I go out, I have a normal life. But, books make up a part of my life. I have reinstated friendships because of reading. I have made new friends because of reading. My life actually became more rounded out because I started reading again.

Book signings have become a regular part of my life as well. I don’t think twice about driving to another state or even flying halfway across the country for a signing.

Why, you ask?

Well, at this point it goes so much more beyond the actual books. I went to my last huge signing and didn’t get one book signed for myself. I went because I wanted to see my people. Yes, meeting the authors was a plus, but this signing was so big I didn’t even get to see anyone I really wanted to see. I went with a close friend and we had a blast. And we made memories. And that’s what it’s about. Making memories with people you care about. 

While this blog will be about books, it will also be about life. Maybe I can introduce you to your next great read. Or maybe I can help you find your next favorite author.

I could write something you connect with. Or you could disagree with what I said and you want to tell me to fuck off (yes, I tend to swear like a sailor). I am ok with all of that. I started this blog because I am still searching for something. And I invite you to come on this journey with me.  

Perhaps we can find what we’re looking for together.

Alessia