Book Review: Billy and Me

I'm going to hold my hands up and confess that before I read Giovanna Fletcher's 'Billy and Me' I had been expecting another run of the mill 'predictable' romance. Not that there's anything wrong with that don't get me wrong, but I've read my fair share and therefore have a tendency to get easily bored.
It takes something a little bit out of the ordinary to capture and hold my attention for what is usually about four hundred odd pages. However, because my friend Jody had sung high praises for this debut novel I decided to give it a go.

The blurb goes a little like this -

Sophie May has a secret that has mean't she's given up on all her dreams to instead stay at home with her mum whilst working in the local village tea shop. Then one day, she meets and falls for Billy - a hotshot actor who is about to hit the big time. Miles away from the life she's been used to, their relationship suddenly throws Sophie into the spotlight and into a world that is alien to her. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with dating Billy? And is she ready for her secret to be discovered and shared with the nation?

Let's get the bits that disappointed me out of the way first before I tell you all to go out and buy a copy! Which I am totally going to do btw! ;)

(SPOILER ALERT)

I wouldn't say that the opening paragraph really did it for me. If anything it felt unnecessary, (sorry Giovanna) and I wanted to skip straight to the part where Sophie enters Molly's tea shop. And truth be told, after the build up, I was expecting some huge dark and dirty secret that would tarnish Sophie's reputation for life, not the tragedy that actually unfolds in chapter seventeen.

That said, there was something special about this story that grabbed me and just wouldn't let go. It's so well written that the characters and environments literally spring from the very pages. I couldn't help but feel as though Sophie was an old friend and that I was living in her world. If the tea shop was a real place I'd be straight on a road trip to Kent tomorrow. And as for dear old Molly? She was an absolute delight of a character who I warmed to from the very beginning. You'll no doubt find yourself rooting for Billy and Sophie the entire way through, even though at times you may - as I did - want to give him a boot up the backside and to tell him to shape himself.

This is one to devour when you have some time on your hands because believe me, you'll struggle to put it down!

I don't want to give any more spoilers away because - well that would just spoil it for you wouldn't it? But I will say that any novel that gets such an emotional reaction from me gets a five star rating. So take it from me, go and buy or download a copy today!

And as for me... I'm off to hound Jody for the follow up 'Always with Love.'

Author Giovanna Fletcher

You can buy Billy and Me by visiting any of the links on Giovanna's website:

http://www.giovannasworld.com/booksbyme


Photos my own except Giovanna pic which was taken from Giovanna's website as below -


http://www.giovannasworld.com/about

Books I'm reading this month

It's not often that a book 'queue jumps' my TBR pile but Giovanna Fletcher's 'Billy and Me' has managed to do just that. My friend Jody highly recommended it so I have borrowed her rather well worn copy. Review to follow at a later date.
The story revolves around Sophie who has given up on all her dreams of going to university and travelling the world because of some earth shattering secret. Well, to be fair I don't know that it's actually earth shattering. I haven't reached the point in the book in which she reveals what the secret is yet, but I'm assuming it must be something pretty big for her to give up on all her hopes and aspirations. Instead she lives with her mum in the tiny village where she grew up and where everyone seems to know everybody else's business. Whilst working an average day in her local tea shop, she meets Billy - the latest heart-throb of an actor. After shying away from attention all her life, will Sophie be able to handle the spotlight that comes with dating one of the world's A-listers?
Giovanna writes very lovable characters who you warm to in an instant. I'm looking forward to seeing where the story takes Sophie next.

The second book that has also queue jumped my TBR pile was gifted to me by my lovely mum for my birthday.
'Sister, Missing' by Sophie McKenzie is the follow up novel to the AMAZING 'Girl, Missing.'
You may remember I mentioned loving 'Girl, Missing' in a recent post? If you haven't read this book then you must! I haven't actually started the sequel yet as I'm going to finish 'Billy and Me' first but it's safe to say that I am super excited to get stuck into this one!

Hope you're all having a fab week! Until next time... xxx





Images from relevant sites below (copyright not my own)

Billy and Me http://www.giovannasworld.com/booksbyme

Sister Missing http://www.sophiemckenziebooks.com/product/sister-missing

Catch Up...

Hello all and happy September! This is a catch up post really as I haven't done much writing this last fortnight. Sadly my granddad passed away on Monday. He was 92 and not really getting much quality of life so it was for the best, but to lose both grandparents in the space of a year has been hugely difficult. It is, as I keep saying to my family and friends, the end of an era. I do realize how lucky I was to have known them both as long as I did, but I'm just missing them at the moment.

Moving onto a brighter topic, Jemma of Dorkface hosted her very first Girl Gang event last week and she did us bloggers proud! Although I couldn't be there myself, it looks like an amazing day was had by all. If you have no idea what I'm on about then check out this link to read all about it - GirlGangEvent. I really hope to be at the next one!


Last Wednesday was my birthday and as you can see from the header image I got some lovely goodies. I've been after the movie 'When In Rome' for AGES and my sister kindly ordered it for me!! Huge thank you to everyone who made my birthday special and for all the lovely messages.

Lastly, I can't end this post without mentioning a must read book. You may remember recently I was whining that I hadn't read a real page turner in ages, not since All The Bright Places and Elizabeth Is Missing anyway. (Both absolute musts btw!!) So you'll be glad to hear that I adored thriller, 'Girl, Missing' by Sophie McKenzie. I picked it up when browsing in The Works. I hadn't realized at the time but it's actually a YA novel. This didn't put me off because I am an avid YA fiction reader and once I started chapter one I was hooked! I'm not going to reveal any spoilers but the basic story line revolves around 14 year old Lauren and her quest to find the truth behind her adoption. Enough said. You'll have to buy it to discover more. You won't regret it honestly!


That's it from me for now. Happy Friday feeling and happy weekend to you all. I'm off for a muchly needed glass of wine and no doubt another Grey's Anatomy session! :) xxx




All photos my own except the Girl Gang image. Copyright remains with Jemma of Dorkface.