Life & Work with Kayla Kelly of Kansas City

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Kelly

Hi Kayla, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
My love of reading began in my teenage years. My Mom was constantly reading while I was growing up, so I think she was a big influence on reading for me. From the beginning, I’ve always been a sucker for romance and that is the genre I still enjoy most. Although I had always been an avid reader, life got busy when I had my son in 2022 and I stopped reading. In March of 2023, I had heard a lot about a series called A Court of Thorns and Roses (referred to as ACOTAR by the bookish community) by Sarah J Maas, so I decided to give it a try. That series helped reignite my love of reading and made me feel more like myself again. It really brought me out of the postpartum haze. Since then, I don’t think I’ve gone more than a day without reading. I started my Bookstagram (an Instagram account with book related content) in July 2024 after receiving my first ARC. An ARC is an advance reader copy of a book that has an upcoming release. The purpose of this is to get reviews before the release of the book and to help market it. It felt odd to post about the book on my own personal Instagram and I knew I’d want to continue to do ARC reviews and I loved watching and interacting with bookish reels, so I started my page. The name of my page is just as it seems. I’m truly just here for the book’s vibes. I am an easily entertained person, so my rating and reviews of books are solely based on the emotional impact the book had on me. If the vibes are there, it’s 4 or 5 stars from me! I’m reading for enjoyment, so it does not have to be a literary masterpiece to get a high rating and raving review from me. If I felt all the emotions the main characters did, cried, laughed, etc. then it’s a good book to me. What was supposed to just be a fun creative outlet for myself has turned into a community I never imagined! They say to make content you enjoy watching and one of my favorite things to see on instagram are funny, relatable reels, so that is the content I am trying to make. My Booksta is not aesthetically pleasing, I don’t have a fancy home library, I don’t own any physical books (I read on my Kindle and listen to audiobooks) and I’m honestly just winging it, but I hope to bring some laughs and fun conversations to the Bookstagram community. It has been so incredible connecting with other readers around the world!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Honestly, it has been way more time consuming than I imagined, but I am having so much fun. I am blown away that I’ve got the following I do in just a few months and I currently have a reel that has nearly 2 million views. It’s blowing my mind! I have found that by staying true to myself and showcasing my humor and personality, the right people find my content and engage in it. I’ve recently been asked to be brand ambassadors for some bookish small businesses and this is a huge honor to me. I have continued to be selected for ARCs and I am so grateful that authors trust me with their work before it is released.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My Bookstagram is my hobby, but I do work full time as a pediatric nurse at a local children’s hospital. I am also a mom and wife, so life is very busy! My Bookstagram content mostly consists of book related Reels. I also post book reviews and chat about current reads on my stories, but my main focus is making silly little reels that people who love to read can relate to. I just want to make people laugh! I also love interacting with other Bookstagram accounts and talking about books! Messaging with someone in a different country, who also loves a book as much as you did, is the coolest thing ever! Making new friendships over books has been the best part.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
There is so much going on in the world and reading has given myself and many others an escape from all the noise and chaos, even if it’s just for a little bit. Bookstagram is full of so many creative, funny and kind humans and I’m grateful they’ve all accepted me with open arms.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hereforthebookvibes?igsh=YmhuYzRocnhvc2I5
• Other: Goodreads Account: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/83913695