Book Review #43: Always With love by Giovanna Fletcher

Hey Guys x

I finished reading this on Thursday but had to wait until today to review it, which gave me time to think about why I feel the way I do about it.

And not to leave you in suspense, I LOVED it!

Just so you know, this review will contain spoilers to both 'Billy and Me' and 'Christmas With Billy and Me' - so if you haven't read those, don't read this!

Sophie, Billy and all the other characters you know and love are back, and this time, there's more to love! Sophie and Billy have gone to LA to visit (and for Sophie to meet!) his family. At first things are great! It's hot, there's nice restaurants and Disney and paps and fans and everything to make it a great first introduction to LA for Sophie. And they're only there for two weeks, so even if Sophie does hate it, she gets to go home and forget all about it soon right? Wrong! Because when the holiday comes to an end, Billy decides to extend his stay. And when their comfy relationship turns into one of long distance and uncertainty, will Sophie and Billy be able to bounce back from this change?

This book, like all of Giovanna's books, was incredible. And I know I always say that, but this is the first book since 'The Fault in Our Stars' that I've read, and then had to have a little cry.

I cried because of the ending, but also because I held that book in my hands and imagined what it would be like to be mine, to be holding a book that I'd created, with my name and picture on, hopefully with a great publishing company on the back!
And I cried because of what an inspiration Gi is to me - and how much her books inspire me to write my own.

Anyway, back to the book.

I have to say, I thought I'd feel sorry for Billy and Sophie this time around - long distance relationships can be hard! But I didn't feel sorry for them - for good reasons!

Sophie is so much more independent this time around. She still has her moments, but she has grown so much more from the last novel and I think that's amazing - she's a much more likeable character than she was before, and I've warmed to her a lot more now. I don't know how Gi did it, but she grew Sophie exponentially in the space of half a book (aka Christmas with Billy and Me) and she did it so well! And Billy grew too! The introduction of his family completely changed him so realistically! He's definitely much more likeable this time around, and I can see why Sophie loves him the way she does - I love him too!

What was good?
Everything! Ok, but as I said, the character development was amazing - all of the characters grew so well and I was so invested in their stories! However, I also loved the additions of Billy's family, especially Lauren, I love her! I don't know what it is, but Gi is a genuinely good writer. Like, she uses words to create worlds and I only hope that I'll be able to do this, maybe, half as good as she does!
And I have to talk about the ending - what an ending! I'm not spoiling anything, but I was really pleased with it and couldn't have imagined it being any better. Especially because it leaves their world open for more books - and who'd say no to more books?

What was bad?
I would have liked to see certain characters a bit more, like Billy's dad and older twin sisters and brother, as well as Colin (Sophie's mum's fiancé), and I would love these characters to be given more screen time if Gi decides to bring them back for a third time.

Overall
If you've read the first book, definitely read this book! If you haven't, read Billy and Me before you read this! Just once is enough to completely get the gist and it'll make everything a whole lot clearer. However, no matter what, read this book - it's so good! If you've ever wondered what it would be like to date a celebrity... you're about to find out the truth!

Thank you for reading

Comment below whether or not you've read Always With Love!

Keep Smiling - Lou xx