Novel Review: Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher

Rating (Out of 5): ~2.5

Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books (St. Martin's Press)

Release Date: April 5, 2016

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells.

Teaser Tuesday. Wishlist Thursday.

Goodreads Synopsis:

In this utterly sweet and moving women's fiction novel, a celebrity comes to town and sweeps a young woman - who is used to being overlooked - off her feet.

Sophie May is content with her life in her small English village, working in the local coffee shop and living with her mom. But when famous actor Billy comes to town to play Mr. Darcy in a new film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, Sophie's quiet life is quickly turned on its head. Billy is adored by women around the world, but he only wants Sophie on his arm. But being with Billy comes at a price, and Sophie is thrown in the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy?

Brimming with humor, wit, and genuine warmth, Billy and Me is a book about taking a chance on life and on love.

The Cover:

I absolutely love this cover. I think it's adorable, and I love the art style of it. I think it shows the romance and the small-town essence of it. I love it.

Review:

I really, really wanted to love this book. So badly did I want that. I even went in thinking I would. I’m so disappointed.

Sophie is in her late twenties, living a content life sharing a house with her mother and working in a tea house/bakery in her small town. When she meets movie star Billy, she gets swept up and lets herself fall into his life.

I will say that the way that Sophie loses herself in Billy’s life is believable. I understood her reasoning for why it happened, even if it bothered me how fast it happened and how long she let it go on when she was unhappy. I liked the way that Billy tried changing some things to make their relationship better, too.

But near the end. When Sophie freaks out about what Billy agrees to do for a movie. It bothers me so much. Maybe I’m in the minority, thinking that she overreacted? And that the way that Billy agreed she was in the right bothered me? If they’d had some agreement for what she was okay with him doing for his career, if they’d agreed what was too far, maybe that would be one thing. But it was for his job. It wasn’t because he even liked the woman. Ugh.

Sophie as a character bothered me, though. She was a crybaby. She cried and freaked out over everything and it drove me crazy. But maybe that’s just cause I didn’t relate to her. Billy didn’t have much of a character, he didn’t stand out to me at all.

The writing was more tell than show. A lot of it was in Sophie’s head, but she told us more about things than was shown to us, than she showed she felt, even. That bothered me. Also, all the UK phrases and stuff were weird to me. Mind, that’s not really a complaint, because that’s cultural and understandable and should be left in there. Still was weird reading, though.

 I wanted to love this book, but by the end I was more annoyed with it than anything. I did like how Sophie’s job and living situation had changed by the end of the book, and I did like how things between her and Billy concluded. But otherwise I didn’t like it enough.

A review copy was provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for an honest review. Thank you!