You're The One That I Want

You're The One That I Want

by Giovanna Fletcher

Publisher: Penguin 

Publication Date: 22nd May 2014

Received from: NetGalley

Summary

Maddy, dressed in white, stands at the back of the church. At the end of the aisle is Rob - the man she's about to marry. Next to Rob is Ben - best man and the best friend any two people ever had.And that's the problem.
Because if it wasn't Rob waiting for her at the altar, there's a strong chance it would be Ben. Loyal and sensitive Ben has always kept his feelings to himself, but if he turned round and told Maddy she was making a mistake, would she listen? And would he be right?
Best friends since childhood, Maddy, Ben and Rob thought their bond was unbreakable. But love changes everything. Maddy has a choice to make but will she choose wisely? Her heart, and the hearts of the two best men she knows, depend on it...

Review

Lets begin shall we?

By now you lovely people know how much I love Mrs F's debut novel Billy and Me, so it's not really going to be much of a surprise that I had high expectations going into You're The One That I Want. First off I'll admit I'm not a massive fan of the love triangle. It's an over used plot line that can be monotonous and cliché. However, that being said, Giovanna has managed to produce a sweet, interesting and at times heart wrenching story that is just as good as her debut.

You're The One That I Want is told through two different character point of views. Firstly there's Maddy. The redheaded, photo-snapping centre of out little love triangle. You follow her story as she starts a new school and befriends our two book boys (Robert & Ben), as she falls in love, as her feelings are constantly challenged and as she ultimately finds the man she'll spend the rest of her life with. For Maddy it's a story all about love and the constant battle going on in her heart.

Secondly there's Ben. Oh, this poor sap. Ben is another point of the triangle (the third and final point being Robert) and he's one of the sweetest and unluckiest - when it comes to love - character's I've read in a long time. His part of the story shows how he deals with being in love with his best friends girl. How he tries to fix his heart when everything he knows is called into question. He has a fragile strength making him a refreshing change from most book boys. Even if he does make a couple of REALLY stupid choices along the way.

It really is a sweet story, a bit of a slow starter, but once it got going I couldn't but it down. I usually like there to be something more the a story that just the relationship, and with this there really wasn't much else going on. That being said, it was in no way boring, there were plenty of bumps in the road when it came to these three.

The story felt honest and raw. It didn't idolise any particular character or sugar coat they're personalities, and yet I think that it made them all the more endearing. I wanted to shake Ben at times and slap Robert at others. I wanted Maddy to see what was in front of her and I wanted her to chose differently. But I think the fact that I wanted all of these things is a testament to the writing, because it made me care about these three people. And maybe it's just me, but I think that's the most important part of a story.

Also can I just point out that when you read this - which of course you will - this is how you write an Epilogue! I'm not going to tell you anything about it because that would just be cruel and, you know, spoilers, but I wanted to get in on recored that THIS IS HOW IT'S DONE!

Overall I loved this book. You're The One That I Want was in no way a disappointment to my unrealistically high expectations. For the whole last quarter of the book my stomach was in knots. It will leave you with a smile on your face and an ache in your heart. It's the perfect summer read and I whole heartedly recommend it.

PS. The Doctor liked this one too!

**I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley to read & review. This is a 100% honest review.**

If you haven't done so already check out my review for Giovanna's debut Billy and Me by clicking on the cover bellow! 

WoW #4

You're the One That I Want
by Giovanna Fletcher

Paperback: 320 pages

Publisher: Penguin

Language: English

ISBN: 1405909978

 

"Maddy, dressed in white, stands at the back of the church. At the end of the aisle is Rob - the man she's about to marry. Next to Rob is Ben - best man and the best friend any two people ever had.
And that's the problem.
Because if it wasn't Rob waiting for her at the altar, there's a strong chance it would be Ben. Loyal and sensitive Ben has always kept his feelings to himself, but if he turned round and told Maddy she was making a mistake, would she listen? And would he be right?Best friends since childhood, Maddy, Ben and Rob thought their bond was unbreakable. But love changes everything. Maddy has a choice to make but will she choose wisely? Her heart, and the hearts of the two best men she knows, depend on it..."

Why I'm waiting...

Okay so I technically already have an advanced readers copy of this, but I haven't gotten around to reading it so I've decided it still counts! I'm so excited about this book. I adored Mrs Fletcher's first book Billy and Me and it's been the longest year of my life waiting for her second book. It has nothing to do with Billy and Me but Giovanna's writing style is effortless and her character's enchanting and I just can't wait until I get a chance to read this! Out on the 22nd of May for all you muggles!  

Check out my review for Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher by clicking the image bellow.

Billy and Me

Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher

Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary (From Back Cover)

Sophie May has a secret. 

One that she's successfully kept for years. It's meant that she's had to give up her dreams of going to university and travelling the world to stay in her little village, living with her mum and working in the local teashop.

But then she meets the gorgeous Billy - and actor with ambitions to make it to the top. And when they fall in love, Sophie is whisked away from the comfort of her life into Billy's glamorous - but ruthless - world. 

Their relationship throws Sophie right into the spotlight after years of shying away from attention. Can she handle the constant scrutiny that comes with being with Billy? And most of all, is she ready for her secret heartbreak to be discovered and shared with the nation?

Review

I'm going to start off by saying sorry, because this is going to be nothing but a gush-fest. I love this book, it's not strictly YA but every girl at one point or another imagined what it would be like to fall in love with a hansom movie star. Not to mention having him fall in love with you. It's chick-lit at it's best and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes a love story. 

The story's pretty much been covered on the back cover, Sophie May falls in love with Billy. Billy falls in love with Sophie May. Their whirlwind romance takes Sophie from her little village and drops her into the middle of Billy's celebrity bubble, and she's faced with the - sometimes harsh - realities that come with dating a movie star. 

The concept of a movie star falling in love with you may not happen to everyone, although the fight within Sophie is something I think most people will relate to. Her secret - which I wont give away - is something that's plagued her life and stripped her confidence, giving her nasty anxiety issues and a quite life she may not have always wanted. But when she moves to London to be with Billy she has to find a way to stay true to herself amongst all the chaos in his life. She doesn't want London to change who she is as a person. She doesn't want to get lost in Billy's life and not have one of her own.  

Now I'm no expert on dating an actor, although I like how Fletcher doesn't keep to the rose-tinted ideals we have of falling in love with someone famous. It's hard, not just because Billy's flipped Sophie's world upside down but also because the insecurities you have in a relationship are heightened. For example I have way too many friends who are constantly worried about their other half cheating, but what happens when those lines are blurred? It's Billy's job to kiss someone else, to act like he loves someone else, and even if you know it's not real it's going to drag on a relationship. Especially if your not used to it and if that someone else just happens to be the love of your life's ex! 

Billy. Can you buy him on amazon? Because I'd really like one of my own please! At times he's a bit of a idiot, but what boys aren't (at times)? But in all honesty I don't care, Fletcher's written my perfect man! That's all I have to say on my fictional crush really.

Overall it's a great book, well worth the read. It's not YA but I think any young adult reader will love this book as much as any classic YA's because the love story is so current and sweet. A great book to take on holiday with you, or just snuggle up in bed and read. 5 out of 5. Pretty impressive for a debt.

Giovanna Fletcher talks Billy and Me...

BABY FLETCHER

This is a quick post, I just wanted to say a BIG congratulations to Mr & Mrs Fletcher on the arrival of their baby boy. The Author and Mcfly/McBusted singer tweeted the good news yesterday.

AND that little boys name is... Buzz Michelangelo Fletch. 

If you didn't know then Giovanna Fletcher is the author a Billy and Me, not to mention the up coming You're the One That I Want (which I'm really excited about). So a massive congrats again to the couple, as well as a good luck for Mrs F's upcoming book!

Give Me A Love Story...

YA is such a wide genre, to the point where it can really be just about anything that a teenager would find interesting. The majority of the books i'm going to look at and review to start with are going to be more Fantasy based as those tend to be the ones I like to read. However, one of the core parts of any YA novel is a love story.

So as in case I don't get around to reviewing these for a while here is a list of some Romance books I've read and would highly recommend:

Billy and Me by Giovanna Fletcher 

****

Romance

Fallen by Lauren Kate 

***

YA fantasy

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks 

***

Romance

Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness 

****

Fantasy

Fault in our Stars by John Green 

*****

YA Romance

eReaders

eReaders vs REAL Books

I'm a huge technology fan, even if I don't know how to use half of it. However, the one thing I just can't seem to get behind is eReaders. I can see the plus sides to them of course. They're easy to transport, you could take our whole library out with you if you wanted and the piece is more often than not a lot cheaper. But does that really matter when you loose that new book smell?

When I was 11 my english teacher came up to me and a couple of friends when we were working in the library and started smelling our books. Now, at the time I thought she was bat s**t crazy, but as we're getting to a point where technology is making the printed page redundant I've come to love the smell of a good book. Or any book come to think of it. Not just that but, I think we'd all be lying if we didn't say cracking the spine of a new book is rather refreshing!

So I guess I'm just wondering how long we have left before publishers decide to give up churning out books when people are so tech-minded? For example you may have noticed Cassandra Clare and Veronica Roth both have short stories that you can ONLY get on your eReader.
Maybe it's just me, but I like waking up in the morning and seeing all my books around me. Makes me feel at home. I can see what worlds i've been too, and what universes I'm yet to discover. For instance I was wondering around my room this morning and out of the corner of my eye spotted Giovanna Fletcher's brilliant novel Billy and Me, which instantly made me smile thinking about Sophie May in her little village teashop.

I Guess I just wanted to voice my opinion on this, because I don't want it said that people don't still love their old paperback books.

***

Check out Billy and Me on GoodReads by clicking the image bellow: