Book Review #31: Christmas With Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher

-
 
I reviewed 'Billy and Me' here, so check it out before reading this review if you haven't already! I am so glad that Giovanna decided to write a sequel to Billy and Me because I was really curious to see what would happen after the first book ended! As well as this, because it is a short story (60 pages long) it was really quick and easy to read, but still gave me a lot of detail from Sophie and Billy. If you haven't read the first book, I'll try really hard not to give any spoilers for it, but I'm really sorry if I do! The book carries on from the first so I think it's kind of expected that the person reading has also read the first book.
 
Sophie May is in a completely different place to where she was in the first novel. Mentally. Physically, she still works at Tea-On-The-Hill, appropriately re-named 'Molly's-on-the-hill', but her mental attitude has completely changed. Quiet, anxious Sophie is now confident and standing on her own two feet. With Billy by her side, life is great. Christmas is a magical time of year, particularly on Rosefront Hill, where Sophie lives. But a mystery person is trying to make it even more special. Sophie gets a mysterious email from someone asking her to propose in her shop. Being the romantic that she is, she jumps at the chance. But who is the mystery man who is making Christmas on Rosefront Hill so special? And who is he making it special for?
 
I don't think I've read many Christmas books, but I completely will after reading this! I have never been a huge fan of Christmas, which sounds really weird, but books like this really make me see how amazing and magical Christmas actually is!
 
Sophie's personality has really changed between the books. She is now so much more confident and self-assured, which is great to see. I've loved Sophie from the first book, but seeing her character change is kind of like watching her grow up, which I loved seeing. I also loved the fact that, rather than the romance of the story and  the characters being highlighted in a big way, like in the first book, this book is much more focused on the intricate detail, which I think made it really special, and a fantastic read!
 
What was good?
I find it amazing that, although the book is so small, the detail in it is amazing. While reading it, I really feel like I'm on Rosefront Hill with Sophie and the rest of the characters. As well as this, Giovanna really has managed to capture the magic of Christmas in her novel, which I found interesting because I have never really been able to see the magic of Christmas before.
 
What was bad?
Well, first of all, I wanted more! I know this isn't necessarily a criticism, but I really want Gi to turn this into a trilogy or maybe even a series because Sophie May is a character that I am completely obsessed with. As well as this, I have to admit that I did guess the ending of the book, but it was really enjoyable nonetheless.
 
Overall
If you need to get excited for Christmas, this book is the perfect book to read. But seriously, you can read this book in the middle of April and be really excited for Christmas, because it's just that magical. I would recommend this to anyone, as long as you read the first one first!
 
Thank you for reading.
 
Comment below your favourite Christmas book!
 

Comments

Post a Comment

Thank you so much for your comment xx

Popular Posts

Venom: The Last Dance | Film Review

-
Image
While on the run, Eddie Brock and Venom (Tom Hardy) are pursued by a dangerous military organisation. But when aliens from Venom's home world come to Earth, the pair have to make a devastating decision that will change their lives forever. I watched the first Venom movie when it came out years ago, didn't really like it that much, and subsequently didn't watch the second. But totally randomly last week I decided to re-watch the first movie, and ended up liking it enough to also watch the second. And as soon as I finished that, I went to the cinema to see this new one. I really liked this film - it was so much better than I thought it was going to be! My favourite thing about this franchise is the relationship between Eddie and Venom, and for me this film was the best version of the characters together. Because, while the comedic moments between the pair are still there, there's a lot more heart in this story than there has been previously, and this is especially evident
Read more

Smile 2 | Film Review

-
Image
After a harrowing accident, popstar Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is putting her life back together and embarking on a world tour. But after witnessing a suicide, she begins to experience strange occurrences - the strangest of which is a smile that seems to follow her wherever she goes...  Having absolutely loved the first film, I was so excited to see where this next one would take the storyline, and it seemed really promising! But my high expectations were probably why I ended up being so disappointed with the final result. I know that this is definitely an unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like this sequel. However, I did like how it began. It directly connects itself to the first film in a really interesting way, and that was fun to watch. Then it kind of went downhill. For me personally, I didn't love the character of Skye Riley. I didn't really feel connected to her, and it never felt like the film allowed me to get to know her that well. So as much as the events are
Read more

Book Review #138: Kill For Me, Kill For You by Steve Cavanagh

-
Image
  After meeting by chance one evening, Amanda and Wendy realise they have something in common - they are both experiencing grief and want to make the men who destroyed their families pay. Knowing they can never exact the revenge they crave, they come up with an idea: if you kill for me, I'll kill for you... The premise of the book is deliberately vague, but I think the main idea of it is enough to give you a flavour of what the story is about. I have mixed feelings about this book. There's so many things about it that I really loved, but there are also a few things that I could have done without. To start off, the first two chapters are absolutely riveting. I feel like it took no time at all to bond and connect with the characters. Not only are the chapters exciting, but they're also really visceral. You feel like you're living in the scenes with the characters. It would have been amazing if the whole book had stayed like this. The story is told from two points of view,
Read more

Lagaan | 100 Movies Bucket List

-
Image
Of all the movies I watched for the bucket list, this one was without a doubt the hardest to track down. Thankfully I managed to find it but it was looking impossible for a while! I ended up watching a version that didn't include the musical numbers, so I had to listen to the soundtrack separately, which felt really weird. But at the same time, I don't feel like anything was missing from the story by not having the songs in it. I'd never heard of the film before, but an almost 4-hour long movie about cricket wasn't exactly enticing. Thankfully the film is a lot more interesting than it sounds! There's a lot of underlying themes, and even when the scenes are about cricket, the game isn't really the most important thing. It was really fun spending time with these characters and seeing them interact. The one thing I didn't expect from this film was for it to be so uplifting. Even though it's not entirely sunshine and rainbows, you fall into step with this g
Read more

City of God | 100 Movies Bucket List

-
Image
At this point in the bucket list we start getting to the films that are a bit harder to find. I had never heard of this film before seeing it on the list, and I didn't look it up before watching it (beyond searching for a platform to watch it on), so I had no idea what it was about. Sometimes when I'm watching the bucket list movies I write a couple of little notes to remind myself how I felt about it, as I don't give them full reviews. For this one, the only thing I wrote was 'harrowing' and I think that describes it well. The film doesn't shy away from anything troubling or uncomfortable, and it doesn't try to sugar-coat what the characters are going through, or what their lives were like. Apparently it's loosely based on true events and that feels really evident. Because of that, these characters feel extremely authentic. Whether you're familiar with their lives or not, you empathise and sympathise with them because it feels like you're watchi
Read more