BILLY AND ME

I know that Giovanna Fletcher's debut novel Billy and Me is most definitely not a film, so it may look a little out of place on my otherwise film-orientated blog but let's just ignore that. The book is about a normal girl, Sophie May and her relationship with Hollywood heart-throb Billy Buskin so that's enough of a connection to make it film-relevant... Right?

Anyways, when i received an advanced copy of Billy and Me in the post i literally squealed with excitement. The worst part of my daily life is the near three hours i spend on trains, tubes and buses each day as i commute to my job in Camden so new and exciting reading material is always a sure way to make those commutes a little less boring and i just knew that this book in particular would be something special.

I am not usually a chick-lit kind of gal, my all time favourite book is The Perks of Being a Wallflower (of which i have 5 copies of, including one sent to me by the phenomenal Stephen Chbosky with a beautiful message to me inside... And of course i have the DVD... And it's soundtrack... Plus a tote bag. Okay and maybe a notebook.. Shhh, we're getting off topic!) and although i love those rom-com films i never really felt the urge to divulge in romantic novels, Billy and Me definitely popped my chick-lit cherry and i'm sure the question on everybody's lips is was it good for you?

To which my response is: Yes. And a smiley face :)

Giovanna has this incredible ability to connect the reader to the story in ways i did not think possible. I felt like Sophie was my friend; having read the book on my way home, each time i walked through my front door i felt the urge to tell my mum about what my friend Sophie has been up to and you wouldn't believe what Billy did and did you see Billy and Sophie at the BAFTAs??? But then i would have to harshly remind myself of the fact that these people aren't actually real and are most certainly not my friends.

The plot itself is heartfelt and as a reader you feel a true emotional involvement. It isn't just a typical light and fluffy love story with perfect characters and happy ever afters. Each character has their flaws and this makes them so much more human and thus so much more relatable. I love realism in books and films, i love seeing characters respond to things in a way that i can understand and relate to. One of my biggest pet peeves when gorging on a work of fiction is when something so implausible happens that you are quickly swept back into reality and lose all ability to get lost in that particular fictional world ever again. Sophie and Billy and all the other wonderful (and not so wonderful) characters that we meet are real, and that makes you, as a reader, instantly connect with them. The story line itself isn't just mushy conventions; there's some real heartache and pain hidden beneath the surface and i will warn you from now that Chapter 23 in particular is very emotional and highly charged so maybe have some tissues at the ready for that one; the last thing i want is for you all to be blubbing on the tube during rush hour like i was (Cheers for that, Gi!) 

Read with caution!

Of course it's not all realistic doom and gloom because at the end of the day that isn't what we sign up for when reading romantic novels, is it? The ongoing essence of Billy and Me is ultimately heartwarming and feel-good. As a reader you can live vicariously through Sophie May as she fulfills every hot-blooded woman's dream of dating a sexy, rich and famous Hollywood actor. Even if it might not be all it is cracked up to be. I may have shed a few tears when reading and although some were sad tears, there were definitely some happy tears thrown into the mix, as well as a few laughs and a constant, beaming smile and thirst to read on.

Billy and Me is one of those painstakingly annoying and conflicting books that you want to read as much as possible because you can't find out fast enough what is going to happen next, but at the same time you want to read really, really slowly so that you can savour every lasting moment and put off the unwelcome but inevitable fact that it will actually have to end at some point. I don't think i could have dragged out reading those last few pages for any longer if i tried. I was reading and then re-reading paragraphs as i felt the lessening amount of pages i had left to read and when i did finally read the last word on the last page i felt that really heavy, lost emotion that you always feel when you come to the end of a great piece of fiction - whether it is a book or a film or a play, you know that it was good when that post-fiction hangover comes along!

Once you read Giovanna Fletcher's Billy and Me i think that it will become clear to all that Giovanna is 'not just' Tom from McFly's wife, 'not just' Mario from TOWIE's sister, 'not just' the pretty lady singing on YouTube with a beautifully vintage voice... She is Giovanna Fletcher; an incredibly talented author who is carving her own path as she prepares to take the literary world by storm.

One day Eddie, one day.

Billy and Me is a brilliant debut from a brilliant author, it entertained me, it emotionally drained me (cheeky rhyme - nice!), it kept me busy on the otherwise boring commutes and distracted me from the vast amount of nose-picking business men i normally see on a daily basis... And, most importantly, it gave me a little insight of what to expect when Eddie Redmayne finally realises his undying love for me and asks me to be his wife!

...Well... I can dream, right???

All in all I award Billy and Me: ★★★★★




Due for release on the 23rd May, you can pre-order your own copy here

Stay tuned for more reviews and follow me on twitter if you fancy it :)

Love,

Author Giovanna Fletcher, Emma Willis and Me