Book Review: Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher

Billy and Me book coverTitle : Billy and me
Author : Giovanna Fletcher
Publication date : 23 May 2013
Publisher : Penguin Michael Joseph
Pre-Order eBook: Kindle
Pre-Order paper book: AmazonWaterstones
Rating : 5 out of 5 LeeLee’s!

When you’ve got the dream boyfriend everything should be perfect, right?

So why isn’t it? Wonders Sophie May. When Sophie and Billy met and fell in love, she thought she was living in a fairytale.

After all, Billy is an actor, a teen heart-throb adored by girls around the world – and he loves Sophie. She’s the only girl for him.

But being on Billy’s arm comes at a price. Their relationship has thrown Sophie right in the spot;ight after years of shying away from attention.

Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with billy? Most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be found out and shared with the nation?

My Thoughts

I liked this book instantly thanks to its cute cover design and typography I know they say you should “never judge a book by its cover” but I can’t help it, its one of those things that comes with being a designer and I have a soft spot for pretty things. The vector silhouettes in the design and the simple style used, combined with the warm gradient background attracted me to the book before I had even curled back the freshly printed cover. To me this was promising and I was hoping that what awaited me on the other side of the cover would be just as good, and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.

When Giovanna Fletcher revealed to the world that the secret job which allowed her to spend time working in her pyjamas surrounded by her cats had been her first novel I think everyone got excited, and rightly so! I found it hard to believe that this is her first book; it’s well written the story is fabulous and the characters feel real.

Billy and me is very much a story of love, it’s exciting and made up of everything you want a fairytale romance to be. The book follows Sophie a young woman who works in a quaint little teashop in a small village, the kind where nothing ever happens but if it did the local ladies would tell absolutely everyone about it!

When news spreads that the film of Pride and Prejudice is going to be shot locally the whole village is abuzz, everyone begins to guess which A-list celebrities are going to be gracing the cobbled streets of Rosefont hill but Sophie doesn’t seem overly excited about it all until the gorgeous Billy Buskin is in front of her and she cannot get enough of him. After shying away from almost everything in life after tragic events in her past it was about time Sophie put herself first and had some fun, and that is exactly what she does.

I felt I could really relate to Sophie and her life (sadly not including the heart – throb actor part *sigh*) a character that is so real I could have been reading about myself. She bottles up all of her emotions and it’s quiet far into the book when we discover what her secret actually is, its’ at this point I understood why she was so self contained and cautious and I found a new respect for her character.
Billy on the other hand is the complete opposite, he is a young Hollywood star who is known by everyone and can’t even go out for coffee without hoards of teenage girls swooning over him but at the same time he is very grounded and enjoys the simple things just like Sophie which I think it what makes them a perfect match.

The book has an array of fantastic characters from Sophie’s caring mother to Billy’s manager Paul who I didn’t take a liking to at all! My favourite character in the entire novel has to be Molly, she is so sweet and caring but also loves a good gossip. She is the one person who Sophie really trusts and confides in with all aspects of her life and without Molly I don’t think Sophie would have ever ventured outside of that teashop with Billy.

Verdict

Overall I really liked this book, there was something about it that kept me right there in the small village of Rosefont Hill, like a nosy neighbour trying to peer over a fence to see what’s happening next door. I just really wanted to know if things were going to work out for them and if Sophie was ready to be pulled into that spotlight with Billy. Could she handle having her past shared with the world and what would that mean for her in her new life with Billy. Not to mention it actually had me crying like a crazy lady on the train home from work, oh dear. This is a debut novel that anyone would be proud of and perfect for its genre. Warm, funny, and absolutely addictive!

If you’re going to pick up a copy of this book, which I think you should, I advise you don’t have any other plans when you start to read it. That’s not to say it is short or in any way something you should rush, you’ll want to read it slowly so the story never ends and undoubtedly lose track of time completely.

Put the kettle on, get a slice of cake and sink into the frantically romantic life of Sophie and Billy.

Billy and Me

Casting:
If I were to choose characters to play Sophie and Billy (not including Mr and Mrs Fletcher!) I would Select Anna Kendrick as Sophie, she may be American but that’s all a part of acting isn’t it? I think she would be a fabulous Sophie, she also looks great while baking! (and singing with cups)

I was in two minds about my choice for Billy and would easily have said Zac Efron, he has that quiff and the broad smile and who wouldn’t want him as their Billy? But after thinking about it I decided it would have to be Alex Pettyfer he has that British charm and doesn’t even look like he is trying!

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