And it's destined to be a particularly special one for Sophie May.
When a smitten stranger emails Sophie to ask her if he can propose to the woman he loves in her little teashop, the romantic in her finds it impossible to refuse. Even though Christmas is her busiest time of year she has her own sweetheart, Hollywood actor Billy Buskin, to lend a helping hand. How could she say no to making someone's dream come true?
As Sophie and Billy work together to plan the perfect fairytale proposal for this couple, excitement in Rosefont Hill is mounting. Who is this mysterious man? And who is the lucky lady he's about to get down on one knee for?
Giovanna grew up in Essex with her Italian dad Mario, mum Kim, big sister Giorgina and little brother Mario, and spent most of her childhood talking to herself (it seems no one wanted to listen) or reading books.
At thirteen she left Essex behind to attend the full-time Sylvia Young Theatre School, where she met her husband Tom Fletcher. Following SYTS she completed an acting BA (hons) at Rose Bruford – since then she's been acting, chaperoning mini actors and dabbling in a spot of freelance journalism.
Giovanna is a firm believer in the power of magpies and positive energy. To see what makes Giovanna smile, view her blog at www.giovannasworld.com, or her Twitter page @mrsgifletcher
Oh this was so cute! So cute! And Giovanna's writing style definitely seems to have come on between books - there's less exclamation marks and the writing just flows so well. SUCH a gorgeous little novella, so sweet and amazing, and oh God, I can't wait to dive in to Always With Love now!!! Sophie and Billy are just the cutest couple and this novella just made me die with happiness.
Although I didn't read the novel that Giovanna wrote with the same protagonists, I still loved this book.
Although I haven't read any other of the authors work, this one is still cute and quirky. The main characters are very sweet and you fall in love with them straight away. I'm not going to spoil it for you, but if you read it, you'll understand when I say you'll be rooting for billy in the book.
So I give this a 4 star review. Because I didn't read the first book I can't give it the 5 stars, though I still loved this short story.
Super short, easy read to lead into the next Billy and Sophie story. It was cute, but hopped immediately from event to event so there was no soft, peaceful Christmassy feel to it. It was a lot of tell, instead of show, in describing the actions of everyone as well as the settings. Saw the identity of the Proposer a mile off, but it was still sweet. The new characters are cute but I'm wondering how much they're going to tie in to the next book. Shall wait and see.
A cute little interlude to fit in between ‘Billy and Me’ which I loved and Always with Love which is next! I can’t wait to see what’s next for this relationship!
After reading Billy and Me, I wanted to get my hand on this short story that takes place after the end of the book and obviously, at Christmas. This little book maintains the charm of Billy and Me (and You're the One that I Want, Giovanna Fletcher sure know how to write charming novels and characters.) and adds a bit of mystery because someone wants to use Sophie's teashop to propose. It's not to difficult to figure out how is it but it's still cute and charming. I know, I'm using this word a lot but it's really the best suited word to describe Giovanna's writing. So, obviously, if you liked her other books, check this one out. It's just two quid, btw.
And I can't wait for her next book, she is such a delight to read.
Actually more like 3,5 stars, working with half stars would be so much handier. Anyway, turns out that my thoughts about what was going to happen were wrong. But it's still a very sweet and romantic story that left me with a warm heart and a big smile on my face. Also a great read on Christmas Eve, cause all I want to do now is sit around with my family and give them all big hugs.
Very sweet. An amazing follow up of the characters in the original book , Billy and Me. The ending was cute and romantic, definitely shocked me. I think this shows how much we want and need a full length sequel.
Sweet and lovely little story. The Christmas feeling is coming off the pages.Just like the love for each other and family and friends. Of course I was also guessing who was the mysterious person who wanted to do a proposal at Christmas Eve. I wasn't disappointed by who it was.
this was such a heartwarming story following the compelling first book, Billy & me. I loved every page of this book! The way the book was written as well of the great storyline set a few months after theend of the last book makes this book a perfect read for anytime of the day! this is a 100% a *****/***** rating! would recommend to anyone who has read the first book!
In this little Christmas book following on Sophie and Billy's life together now, we see how taking over the cafe Sophie gets a secret special request to fulfil in making the cafe a special Christmas hub for a romantic proposal to happen in!
But will the lucky woman say yes?
A fun short Christmas story with a surprise proposal I didn't see coming!
Aww I loved this short story but kind of a continuation of Billy and Sophie’s relationship. Billy is taking a year off to relax and get away from being a huge actor. Sophie is still running Molly’s cafe and together they will spend Christmas together with her mum and her mums bf and two kids. Just an overall sweet story.
I haven’t read any Billy and Me books before, but it is not necessary as most of the references of previous books are explained. It is a two-hour-reading story full of Christmas decorations. Recommended on a rainy December day.
This is a lovely Christmas story for the best time of the year, a quick read for a lost moment, tea and cake to accompany Christmas with Billy and Me is highly recommended since the cake shop and its friendly owners take centre stage
This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free I bought it in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.I purchased this book from Amazon quite a while ago but as soon as I finished Billy and Me I had to read Christmas with Billy and Me. This book is set a few months after Billy and Me and if you haven’t read that then Please do not read on as there are some spoilers ahead…
Sophie and Billy are happily running Molly-on-the-Hill and now it’s Sophie’s favourite time of year. This is the first Christmas without Molly and Sophie wants to make sure she’s doing her justice. So when she receives an email from an anonymous romantic wanting to propose in her teashop she had to say yes.
I guessed who the couple was quite early but I this didn’t ruin the story at all. I loved all the effort that Sophie and the others put into making this proposal perfect.
This is a sweet, romantic story with a dose of Christmas magic. Giovanna had me tearing up a few times. Giovanna’s character building is so well written that you feel like you know these characters as well as your own family.
Christmas is my favourite time of year and I really enjoyed this novella. I am looking forward to reading Always with Love in the near future.
Though it's not Christmas or even 'Christmas in July' - this book is still a beautiful love story and gets me ready for the new book!!! New Year in LA - yes please XD
First Read: December 2014 Yet another beautiful, romantic story from Gi Fletcher!!
'Life presents us with a series of patches, and from those little patches great things are made.'
The story sees us return to Molly's on the Hill at Christmas time. Six months have passed since the reopening of the tea shop, and Sophie and Billy have been approached with a secret proposal plan. The 40-page novella is filled with all the charm and beauty of 'Billy and Me' - a very enjoyable read for those who loved the book!
I loved this so much! I adored the original novel 'Billy & Me' and was so excited when Gi announced this was coming out. I was a bit disappointed that it wasn't longer and was hoping Billy was going to be the Proposer, but I loved it all the same and I'm hoping there'll be more follow up novels and that we'll eventually get a Billy and Sophie wedding!
Was so lovely to catch up with these characters at Christmas time. Billy and Sophie still madly in love and happy. The surprise Christmas proposal was brilliant and sounds like the ideal way to be proposed to if you ask me. A lovely little read!!
This was a cute little Christmas novella. Though slightly predictable, it makes you feel warm and cozy. The perfect addition to the Billy and Me series.
This was sweet and heart-warming, but there wasn't really much to it. Fletcher's narration is very hit and miss, with sudden asides such as the following:
'Sometimes words are unnecessary. Occasionally they can't match up to the mammoth feelings churning away through our veins. Every now and then, silence is best, for it speaks louder than any vowel, consonant or syllable ever could.'
This seems incredible forced and underwritten, it almost reminds of how students waffle just to up the word count of their assignments! I honestly found this excerpt in particular quite laughable, and much of the novella reads in the same way - as though it is more of a first draft than a finished copy.
The whole novella is also a lot of tell and absolutely no show. The story jumps around from event to event and the winter imagery is either overdone in two sentences or not mentioned at all, meaning that it lacks the peaceful, Christmassy feel it promised.
Overall disappointing - this would be much better if it was slightly longer and the author / editor had paid more attention to smaller details and taken the care to unfold the story at a slower pace. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reconnecting with the characters at Rosefont Hill.