Do You Ever Really *Want* to Love a Blog… But Don’t?

There are a few blogs out there that I really want to love. I want to love them because their blog designs are GORGEOUS and I want an excuse to visit it every day. Or I want to love them because everyone else loves them, and that gets me excited so I want to love them to. Or I want to love a blog because I adore the person behind it (maybe we’ve chatted on Twitter).

But sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I can’t bring myself to love said blog.

Sometimes it’s because we don’t read the same kinds of books. They read a lot of historical fiction, and I don’t. Or they read graphic novels and I don’t. You get the picture. Or sometimes it’s because they ONLY post reviews. Lately I’ve been avoiding blogs that only post review after review after review. In such mass quantities, they start to feel like memes (to me)—tiring and a bit repetitive. I get sick of them; I want variety. I look for a good mix of discussion posts and book reviews, and maybe a unique feature (or blogging tips or something!).

It really upsets me when I so desperately want to love and subscribe to a blog, but I just can’t click with it for one reason or another.

Have you ever really *wanted* to love a blog, but something stopped you?

(We don’t need to name specific blogs here! Don’t want to hurt any feelings.)

Photo of Ashley
I'm a 30-something California girl living in England (I fell in love with a Brit!). My three great passions are: books, coding, and fitness. more »

Don't miss my next post!

Sign up to get my blog posts sent directly to your inbox (plus exclusive store discounts!).

You might like these

39 comments

  1. Yes I do this! Quite a lot of the time surprisingly. I asked for blog recs a while back because my bloglovin’ feed was slow and it made me realise I’m REALLY picky. Most blogs I didn’t follow because I didn’t really love their design, or I looked at their ratings and they rated books almost the complete opposite to me (and despised my all time favourites). They also tended to have a ridiculous number of tours or promos. Sometimes I didn’t follow because I couldn’t find a follow button/widget anywhere πŸ™

  2. Yes, especially for the last reason you mentioned. When I like someone on Twitter, I want to like their blog too (obviously) but it’s so sad if they read and review completely different things than me. Because I like the blogger, I want to support them by leaving comments, but I can’t, because the books they review are so not for me. I cannot leave a comment saying that I hadn’t heard of the book before, but that it looks interesting (because to me it doesn’t). So I feel bad, especially if you regularly chat on Twitter!
    But then again, this is not something that happens often because most bloggers I follow on Twitter read the same genres as me. So most likely I like their blogs too.

    Kim @ The Nomadic Book Hoarder recently posted: Ten Books That Made Me Cry
  3. No, I don’t really have those blogs. I like reading reviews, so that’s not a problem. I sometimes have; I love their content, but there is something in their design that bugs me. I had one blog with awesome content, but the font was so annoying that I didn’t want to read it anymore..

    Mel@thedailyprophecy recently posted: My blogging methods.
  4. There have only been a few blogs that I wanted to like but didn’t, some because the design hurt my eyes or was too messy and cluttered.
    One blog I was recommended was ONLY showing tours and guest posts and promotional stuff that was pretty much copy and paste, even though they said they had reviews which I couldn’t even find at all. I follow blogs for the reviews mostly, and if I don’t see any reviews after looking at 5 pages of content, that turns me off. I love when there’s discussions or original stuff too, that’s a bonus, but just having constant promotional posts makes me not want to follow a blog.

    Kelsey recently posted: Question: To Wait or Not to Wait
  5. Sadly, yes. Sometimes I just. . .can’t enjoy the blog for some reason. I enjoy the person, I enjoy getting to know them, etc. But I really just want to take them to the side and say, “Okay, could you please stop doing this/start doing this?” What I really like is if I love a blog without ever really getting to know the person first. I have a few that I found years ago and was too shy to talk to their owners. Several years later, I still love those blogs and I doubly love their owners. Some people have got it, and some people don’t.

    Kelsey recently posted: White Space by Ilsa J Bick Review
  6. Oh yes. I had a discussion about this in private with a friend just a few weeks ago. Most of the time, it’s blogger friends I met who twitter who I LOVE. . . but I don’t love their blog. Most of the time, it’s because they may be very review focus on genres I don’t read. I do check out their blog on occasion and comment if a post catches my eye, but most of the time, I just don’t have anything to say.

  7. Although I think having a cool blog design is…well cool, I don’t really pay that much attention to it. I don’t think I have ever hated a blog, I usually look for the reviews and not what else is on there..though I do prefer to browse reviews that are more than a small paragraph in length, so if they are really really short reviews I might not browse them as much.

  8. I agree with Nathan. Reviews are my primary reason for being a blogger, although I love doing and reading other things as well. I only connect with bloggers after going to their blog, enjoying it and then following them on twitter. I’ve noticed that the blogs that I don’t connect with design – wise end up being bloggers who read completely different books than I do anyway, so it doesn’t matter.

    Tammy @ Books Bones & Buffy recently posted: Interview with Rachel Neumeier – Author of BLACK DOG
  9. The answer would be YES! I adore most book bloggers but sometimes.. their blog content is not the type I love reading. Like you, I want creativity and originality. While reviews can contain lots of personality, I get tired of the same old. Too many blitzes and promo tours turn me off too. Aside from these, if the blogger doesn’t seem to have the same book taste I do, more often than not, I pay little attention. The sad truth- you can’t love all book blogs.

  10. You are definitely not alone in this! There are some blogs I would love to love, due to their gorgeous design, or we’re friends on twitter, etc. (just like you said), but their blog content just doesn’t resonate with me for various reasons (just like you said). It makes me sad, but I figure that at least if we can be friends elsewhere, then that’s good. πŸ™‚

    Kelley (Another Novel Read) recently posted: TBR Tuesday – February 2014
  11. I’ve definitely had this happen to me! Mostly it’s because our reading tastes don’t align, or their content isn’t to my tastes – usually if it’s heavily biased towards blitzes and promos. Design is also a big thing: they don’t have to be professional, but they should be uncluttered and easy to read.

    I think it’s important to recognise that there’s nothing wrong with this though! Blogs are a personal thing, and just like we don’t (or at least shouldn’t – some people do!) chew each other out for our reading tastes, we shouldn’t be ashamed or feel bad for not liking certain blogs.

    Nikki @ The Paper Sea recently posted: Top 10 Books That Will Make You Cry
  12. Yes, I find this happens often. Like you, if someone is constantly promoting something I just can’t. Every now and then is fine. I also like quality photos and quality writing…too much of one or the other…or none on that note…and it’s hard to keep me interested.

  13. I definitely know what you mean! I feel like I’m one of those blogs that everyone finds boring because all I do is post reviews and I have like such a set schedule that it can definitely get repetitive. I agree, though, it gets annoying to always comment on reviews when I’m in the mood to read a discussion post or something like that. I definitely get that feeling, where I’m maybe good friends with a blogger and look at their blog expecting to find something awesome to reflect their personalities, but then I end up not liking it because something about it lets me down. Fantastic post, Ashley! <33

    Eileen @ Singing and Reading in the Rain recently posted: Tuney Tuesday: The Monster by Eminem ft. Rihanna
  14. Yep. All the time and I wish it weren’t that way. It’s usually because they read all the same types of books. My IRL BFF started a blog after I talked about mine. So excited and then remembered she only reads romance basically. I don’t read them and never have anything to say. That sucks.

    Dana (Little Lovely Books) recently posted: Adding to the Stacks #15
  15. I’ve felt precisely like this a couple of times! While I truly adore a blogger on Twitter or even enjoy their blog design, there are just a couple of blogs that I can’t bring myself to really “follow”. I mean, I’ll occasionally read their posts, but not all the time. It doesn’t mean I love the person any less though!

  16. Yes! So many times! And I have the same reasoning as you–either books read or too many reviews. I have to admit that I read a lot and post a lot of reviews, but I don’t post more than 3 a week (or I try), and if I do it’s because I want content for said day but I don’t want to do a meme, and I don’t have a discussion post idea.

    I will have to work on this, lol.

    Tori @ YA Book Queens recently posted: Tori's Review: Me Since You by Laura Wiess
  17. Yes I have! There’s actually a lot of blog that I LOVE (mainly for their design), but the content (reviews, or the kind of books they read) are not the same type as me. I sometimes still visit those blogs every once in a while though, especially if they have great discussion/non-review posts.
    But also, there’s something about… the personality of the blogger that contributes to this aspect, too? While most of the people in this community are kindhearted and very welcoming, there are certain bloggers that give me the vibe as a… snobbish or “I’m better than you” type of person, and with these bloggers, no matter how I like their blog (design AND contents), I can’t bring myself to like them enough to ‘follow’. *shrug*

    Tirta @ I Prefer Reading recently posted: World After by Susan Ee
  18. I’ve been very lucky to receive a lot of review copies, that being said, I try to spcae out my reviews, but it can be hard when I’ve got 3 different books coming out on release date. I schedule close to RLS date, so yeah.

    For me, I try to follow a bunch of blogs that have ONE THING that I like at least. Then, when doing commenting rounds, I comment on posts I like. I don’t comment on reviews of books I haven’t heard of and only comment on YA book reviews (in terms of reviews.) I’m not too into memes because a lot of the time (TTT for example) everyone has the same TTT or at least a few options.

    Nova Lee @ Out of Time recently posted: ARC Review: Split Second - Kasie West
  19. I often find that I want to love a blog, because I love the person behind the blog, but I just don’t find anything that I connect with. I don’t mind when someone posts lots of reviews, but if they’re all for books I’m not interested in, then I have a hard time coming up with something meaningful to say.

  20. I totally understand you. There is this one blog where she has a super cool design, but her content is usually manga reviews or graphic novel reviews, but I don’t read those. The posts that turns me off and the reason why I won’t follow a blog is if they post too much memes and if they post too much book blitzes and cover reveals.

    Leigh @ Little Book Star recently posted: Review: Avalon (Avalon #1) by Mindee Arnett
  21. I have this problem too! There’s some I want to love because the design is freaking gorgeous: One in particular that only posts positive reviews (which makes me not want to read them, ever – I already know before I open it that it will say “I loved it” – *yawns*), and then a few others that either posted too many memes/tours/blitzes or didn’t review anything I was interested in.
    Then there’s a few bloggers I really love, but I either don’t care for their design, or they don’t post stuff that interests me. It makes me sad πŸ™

    Jessi @ Novel Heartbeat recently posted: Review: Fire & Flood by Victoria Scott
  22. Not really! I’ve come across one or two blogs that I didn’t click with – interestingly, one of them was a blog who only EVER posted reviews…like 7 a week, and that was just too much for me to try to keep up with. Before I follow a blog, I try to make sure I know the person and we’ve talked and I like their reviewing style/etc. I DO like to see blogs that post a good mix of content though, I’ll agree with you there!

  23. Yes, I have felt this way. You’re right. It’s just something that happens since people are different. And it’s a good thing to have variety. I keep visiting those blogs, but not as much as others. I always enjoy every post though. πŸ™‚

    Great topic.
    I wish you a beautiful day.

    1. Haha I know what you mean! I always have to have at least one graphic for each post.. For the longest time, I didn’t have a “default” discussion image, so my discussion posts would sit as drafts for aaages until I could be bothered making an image for them. But now I have a default discussion image, so I can just publish them immediately! Woo!

  24. Not really. I’ve seen a lot of blogs with amazing graphics and cool, funny, informative posts, lots of activity in it.. But I’ve never known one blog that makes me want to visit it everyday. To me, it depends more on a specific content so I could easily say “I love this blog post” but I probably won’t be able to name a blog that I love overall. Mostly, it’s an interesting topic i see in social medias that make me visit a site. Even I get tired of seeing the same things in MY OWN blog so I add random things in the mix πŸ˜‰

    Haraiah recently posted: Review: Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Recent Posts

    Random Posts