You, Me and Tiramisu

by Charlotte Butterfield

Fall in love with the perfect feel-good romance for fans of Katie Fforde, Jill Mansell and Carole Matthews. It all started with a table for two… Life for self-confessed bookworm Jayne Brady couldn’t be better – she has a twin sister she adores, a cosy little flat above a deli and now she’s found love with her childhood crush, gorgeous chef Will. But when Will becomes a Youtube sensation, thanks to his delicious cookery demos (both the food and his smile!), their life of contentment come crashing down around them. Can Jayne have her Tiramisu and eat it? What readers are saying about Me, You and Tiramisu : ‘Lives up to the standards of Sophie Kinsella , Abby Clements and Carole Matthews ’ Being Unique Books ‘A wonderful debut : engaging, emotional and entertaining’ I am, Indeed ‘A lovely surprise of a read’ Books and Me

Genres: Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

Published March 9, 2017

Reviews

[Justkeepreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley, Harper Collins and Charlotte Butterfield for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance reader copy of this book.

You can find my review on both Goodreads and Amazon. On goodreads.com/karenwhittard and on Amazon under k.e.whittard from publication date.

Not bad but not great either. Not as good as I hoped or expected. It seemed to be a confusing whirlwind of a book. Which jumped in fast farward segments in each chapter. One minute the main character is meeting up with her best friend of twenty years then next they are in an intimate relationship that seems to have been going on for a while.

Then said love is an over night red carpet cooking phenomenon from a few weeks of uploading YouTube videos. Sure this could happen. But in only a few weeks. No way.

If you like chicklit and romance this could be the book for you. Let me know what you think.

Happy reading everyone

[Agi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yes, I'll be honest with you - it was the title and the cover of this book that caught my eye at first and I requested this story because of them. Shallow, no? But that's me. Not shallow, no, just a sucker for beautiful things, and those two perfectly correspond with this category.

"Me, You and Tiramisu" was a nice, light read that - sadly - didn't work for me as much as I hoped. It had a brilliant beginning, I laughed so much when reading it, and it had many laughable moments to be honest, but quickly it just went downhill for me, it felt too flat and too forced and there was nothing unique there. I loved the idea of the things working so well for Will, but it took so much time to get to this moment that it ended almost as soon as it started. I loved that Jayne was your typical plain English teacher, it made her feel so much more realistic and yes, there were many moments that I could relate with her and her feelings about her students.

There were moments that the story felt much too far - fetched and it made me roll my eyes - I love a little exaggeration but here it was taken to another level. I also had some problem with timing in this novel, for example Janey meets her long lost friend and in the next chapter they are suddenly a couple firmly in love, without nothing in between, and such things happened occasionally in this story throwing me off the course and wondering if my version of the book has some missing pages.

The writing style is lovely, it's flawing and the author can for sure tell a humorous story and there is such warmth to her voice, and it's not a problem to immediately settle with the flow. Even though the book didn't work for me so much, I can see that this novel is already gaining a lot of fans, which is a great thing, and I think what it is that convinced the readers so much is the humour and likeliness. It is light - hearted, it's a story that can really happen and with a pinch of salt handle the sudden fame.

Copy provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Sky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me, You and Tiramisu follows the story of quirky twins Rachel and Jayne who moved to London to escape their rather difficult mother.
Rachel works as a designer and Jayne a teacher.
The story more focuses on Jayne and we are taken on a journey with her after a trip to the dentist office sees her meet Will who ends up being Billy the girls childhood best friend.
Will and Jayne embark on a relationship together and we follow them as they find love and Will finds fame. Can Jayne handle Will's new found fame and does their relationship have what it takes to withstand all the obstacles in front of them?

I found this book to be a fun, enjoyable read but i did have moments where i found it to drag and little bit and would lose interest.

If you are looking for a light read then i recommend Me, You and Tiramisu.

A big thankyou to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review which I have been more then happy to give.

[Sharon Goodwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review coming soon.

[Gaele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jayne and Rachel are twins, bonded together by birth and a rather difficult childhood with an absent father and rather difficult mother. As soon as it was feasible, the two headed off on their own to London: Jayne to teach and Rachel to work in design. A random meeting with a stranger in the dentist’s office brings Will back into their life: the former Billy was best friend and constant companion to the girls one summer when they were teens. All grown up Will is amazingly good-looking, just as nice and fun as before, and he and Jayne have that connection that just sparkles – laughing at corny references, enjoying their life, food and the little things.

As a person, Jayne is stuck in the ‘good girl” syndrome: always wanting to believe the best in people, she’s repeatedly disappointed by her mother’s jabs and jibes, and while Rachel, having built a skin of iron to withstand critique, Jayne prefers to ignore and retreat, letting things roll off. With Wil in her life, and her belief in his abilities and talents, she encourages his business expansion, offering cooking classes and posting ‘refreshers’ on the web for his students. When a video takes off from word of mouth in a Mom’s chatroom – the chase is on – and Will becomes an overnight star.

Oh this was fun and funny! Jayne was so ultimately sensible, if a bit too nice, and while the connection between her and Will is palpable, the pieces she doesn’t share with him, but dumps on her sister and best friend Abi are all rooted in her own damaged sense of self and worthiness. Stuffing all of that down and away to ‘get along’ and be her version of “good partner” have Jayne at a crisis point, and when the paparazzi, the pressures and even her own overactive imagination come to a fever pitch, and a quiet getaway and equally quiet engagement weekend lead to tabloid headlines, Jayne breaks. Spectacularly and completely – the only thing missing was fireworks – although flashes gratefully provided by photographer’s cameras.

With moments of drama, some new growth for Jayne as she adjusts (or aligns) her life to fit with Will’s newly adjusted priorities and dreams, plenty of secondary characters that shine brightly and bring issues and depth to the story and some truly wonderful surprises at the end- this book was a wonderful debut: engaging, emotional, and entertaining.

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
This review was originally posted on I am, Indeed

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doesn’t the title and the cover of this book just draw you in? This book is a wonderful mix of great characters, a lovely romance, books and a cookery internet sensation. There are heartwarming moments, moments of sadness and also very heart rending searches. Is Jayne able to cope with Will’s You tube success- does she want to try and live in that life- or does she want to curl up back in her cosy flat surrounded by her books.
It was a lovely easy writing style and I was wrapped up in the story and couldn’t wait to read on. I was sorry to come to the end.

[Karen Mace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely surprise of a read! It's the story of Jayne who is a harrassed teacher with a love of books, and who is in search of her true love and happy ending!

When her first love reappears on the scene she is beyond ecstatic to reconnect and can barely believe her luck that he even gives her the time of day as she's always too hard on herself and thinks she isn't good enough! she's not outgoing like her twin sister but it finally seems she has the perfect life that we all dream of.

But that all changes when chef Will becomes an internet sensation thanks to his cookery videos and both their lives change but is it for better or for worse?!

Really loved the characters in this story and enjoyed the way the story explored the good, and bad, sides of success on the internet and all that brings with it. It makes you aware of success changing people or changing peoples' perceptions of others because of what they see online and in the media and I found that to be very enlightening in the media obsessed world that we now live in.

Lots of fun moments too made for a very enjoyable read!

Thankyou to NetGalley and the publishers harper impulse for an advanced copy.

[Ellie-Louise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me, You and Tiramisu is a romance novel written by Charlotte Butterfield, it follows Jayne as she tries to cope with her partner Will rising fame on the internet.

I fell in love with this book from the first chapter, I just loved the story and I also love how it shows how quickly someone can get famous on the internet. I love the pace of the story, it didn’t go too fast and not too slow. The other thing I loved about this book is the twist, not a big twist but one that defiantly took me by surprise.

I loved Will and Jayne’s relationship, there is something very real to it and not fake. I also loved Rachel and Jayne’s relationship with their mother and their grandmother, you can defiantly see who brought them up.

The only thing that really got me about this book was I felt like there were some unnecessary characters, I found that they didn’t really drive the story.

This book is defiantly a good spring or summer read. A must pick up in a bookshop.
RATING: 5 STARS

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a title like Me, You and Tiramisu I was expecting a book full of food and to feel incredibly hungry. To a certain extent there is a good deal of food writing in there, which captured my imagination tastebuds. However as the heart of this fabulous, quick to read book, is a story that could almost be unbelievable, if it wasn't completely realistic.

When Jayne becomes reunited with Will after many years, there is no way the could have imagined the directions their lives were going to turn in from that point on. Will is a gorgeous chef, and owns a deli. In an attempt to gain more custom, he starts running cookery workshops, and when asked if he could put the lessons online so that people if they were on holiday wouldn't have to miss out, he agrees.

Well it turns out that if you are incredibly good looking, plus can cook, being uploaded to Youtube could have unimaginable consequences and in the case shoots him massively into the public eye.

Although the book is from Jayne's point of view, to me its as much about Will as her, for its his life that changes from extreme to extreme, and as his girlfriend, she has to go along for the ride....only he's been told to try to appear as though he may be single, thanks to advice of the publicist he hires.

Jayne on the other hand is completely different, she is a teacher, and is a twin, and has always struggled with her self esteem. She is clearly in love with Will but as their lives spiral out of control, I had to wonder just where things would go.

I really enjoyed both Jayne and Will's characters, as well as twin sister Rachel and best friend Abi. I loved the deli where Will was working and seeing just what overnight internet sensationalism can do to a relationship.

The story takes place over decent time frame, as its clear there are jumps forward in time, every now and then, which means you were always getting the action packed highlights of their lives and there was never a dull day for them. There are various bits that had me laughing out loud and generally I just loved this book.

Me, You and Tiramisu is easy to read, written by an author I definitely want to read more from, and is a brilliant year around story.

Thank you to Harper Impulse and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

[PrettyFlamingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished this book in my favourite restaurant last night and was offered tiramisu when the waitress saw what I was reading. It was very good, and so was the book. Though it felt a little jerky in parts owing to the time gaps between chapters and much of the development taking place “off screen”, on the whole it moved along at a good pace.

Jayne Brady is an English teacher who along with her twin sister Rachel is the product of a chaotic upbringing with a completely feckless mother and resultantly yearns for a stable relationship. When she meets up with her childhood crush Billy (in what I thought was an implausible scenario) they very quickly get it together. In the next chapter months have passed and they’re an established couple.

Will, having dropped the childish nickname, is now a deli owner and decides to run some cookery classes. When they hit on the idea of YouTube videos for class participants to catch up on missing sessions, they go viral and overnight Will’s hotter even than his oven.

The core of the story is the romance between Jayne and Will, but we’re shown how this is navigated alongside his insta-fame. Paparazzi, chat shows, magazine columns, appearances on This Morning and the dark side of fame all feature. Will is suddenly public property and Jayne is juggling her normal common sense attitude with increasing panic at being on-line bullied for daring to punch above her weight with the nation’s current hot property.

It’s an interesting read and I engaged with it throughout, though grown adults infantilising each other by the endearment “baby” drove me nuts. Charlotte effectively conveyed the great supportive relationship between Jayne and Will and showed how easy it is to have one’s head turned, even momentarily, and how shallow and fake fame really can be. It makes you think twice about being famous.

I did really enjoy it, as well as the tiramisu, but I do think that the speed with which events happened weren’t really believable in some cases. The ending was great though, a brilliant twist which leaves us wondering how things will turn out. Fabulous!

4.5

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was an immediate warmth to the authors voice right from the beginning and I settled into the story right away.

When Jayne Brady bumps into her teen crush, all of the feelings she had back then coming flooding back. Only now, Will has transformed into a hunk and Jayne still feels like her old awkward self. When Jayne and her twin, Rachel, move in with Will and their relationship blossoms, Jayne couldn't be happier. But then comes along an unexpected twist in their lives.

It all seems too good to be true and for Jayne, that becomes the case. Will's career is flourishing and the attention is drawn towards Jayne - and not in a good way. Will, an internet sensation, is now hot property and no longer her hot property. Everyone wants a piece of him. Suddenly everyone seems to think they have the right to point out her insecurities. Not only that but their not so perfect childhoods are thrown into the spotlight. This isn't the life Jayne wants. Can she still have Will and live happily ever after?

I'll confess to being drawn to this because of the title. Food and books are the perfect combination, right? This book proved that to be true. It's warm and funny and thoroughly entertaining. You can easily relate to the characters. Their lives seemed so wonderful and rosy, I wasn't entirely sure where the plot was going. Where was the conflict? And then it comes. In one of those you never know where life will take you ways. So all the smiles from the sister's banter and teen reminiscence fade away and it all gets serious. Which makes the ending even sweeter!

[Misfits farm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jayne and Rachel are twins of the non identical variety. When they meet up with a childhood friend inadvertently Jayne is more than happy as she had a crush on Billy as he then was. Now Will he runs an Italian deli and "cooks a bit"- an understatement. One thing leads to another and suddenly Will is the new internet sensation with all and sundry after him. From wondering how they will manage to red carpet overnight. But where does this leave Jayne? At best she is posted as "a Friend", at worst Will is posted as single as it improves his media standing. Is this all too good to be true. Chapters do jump a little in time so that it is not all the media glare and the couple do enjoy some normality- not every day is a media circus. This is a feelgood book. One that takes you to a happy place- albeit a realistic one- not everything is sparkles. The balance between stardom and reality and how it effects normal life comes across well. With friendships and cooking you can't really go wrong. I really did want some of the recipes. Who doesn't love pancakes and a treacle butter with honeycomb? A mother who is a nightmare and a little humour, this book has it all in the right proportions. I loved the ending. I won;t spoil it other than to say I had a tear in my eye, A truly wonderful read

[Clara C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would love to give this book more stars but I don't think we met on a good timing.
Jayne's P.O.V. is very easy to connect with, as are the other characters (by the way, there are more than 2 friend characters in this romantic book, finally!), and the writing flows very well. The time lapses/jumps unfortunately made things seem too easy for the characters when it would've been interesting to see how they unfolded.
The beginning is fun, the middle I felt lost its footing for a while as events could have started earlier and been more spaced out for realism. But also, hey, it's the book equivalent of a rom-com, realism isn't and shouldn't be a priority (but would've added extra flavour).
The ending really swayed me, though, so all is well. The plot twists were fun and emotional, and all in all it was really refreshing to have a romantic ending that was also mature of the characters. Seriously, I can't explain how frustrating most romantic stories are on this front for me.
Overall, I'm torn about this book and would've given it 3.5 stars if allowed and will pass it on to my friends who like this genre more than I do. Really sweet and funny.

[Sarah the reading addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this story, it was really amusing and also quite relatable. As an overthinker I often get stuff wrong, I don't often voice when I am overthinking so Jayne's situation is a little different but relatable all the same.

I love that she is such a book worm and shes bagged herself, her lovely man, Will. The thing is, will her overthinking personality cause trouble in her seemingly lovely life or will her mum's behavior mixed with overthinking shake her world.

That's for me to know and you to find out. It's a brilliantly written book and I thoroughly enjoy reading a book by a new to me author. I will definitely be reading Charlotte's other books. I love starting with the first book a new author writes and then get excited for the rest I have to read, which currently is another 4 yay.

[S.Q. Orpin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story with a great pace

I bought this book awhile ago because of the cute title and interesting premise. I finally got around to reading it on vacation and found it very entertaining. I enjoyed all of the characters and was thrilled Will maintained his good guy image without making the story unrealistic. The mother and sister were well-written and the author created an intriguing conflict with a perfect resolution.

[Abbie Real Dimaano · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a British chic-lit which I got from a book sale. It started a bit flat but got engaging towards the middle parts. I just felt that the heroine, Jayne Brady, was judged too much by her boyfriend, twin sister, and friend from feeling such. For me, her feelings are legitimate and not to be dismissed easily.

This is an easy-read. Ideal beach/summer read.

[Raluca Apostol · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought it because it had tiramisu in the job title and whilst it followed the structure of any chick lit: girl living average, girl meets boy, life becomes wonderful, something bad happens, back to wonderful for the end, it didn't quite captivate me as other chick lit books did.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story, and that’s what I needed this week. Nothing heavy or sad...just a well written love story about a young chef in London and his girlfriend who get caught up in the world of fame. Loved the ending.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely enjoyable read about showing dysfunctional families can work. A feel good read on
life is what you make it an ideal tonic.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book for what it is--light chick lit. It wasn't completely predictable, the London location was fun, and it kept me engaged to the end.

[Mandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

It just seemed as if I read this one before.

[Anna Morley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy, light read.

[Sierra Lirette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good ending to wrap up this somewhat silly story line.

[Frenchorchidea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very disappointed by this read. I was drawn by the cover, the title and all the nice reviews I found on Goodreads but for me the magic didn't happen... I had to give up the book in the middle, I didn't like the writing style and I felt myself bored. Maybe it was not the right time for me to read this book.

[Petra Quelch · Rating 5 out of 5]

In my opinion, Charlotte Butterfield has chosen the right profession. The authors sharp, witty and vibrant writing is oozing right out of the pages of her book Me, You and Tiramisu ( previously published as Very Nearly Perfect).
Me, You and Tiramisu is a scrumptious love story that had me hooked on every word from the first chapter right to the end.
The theme of this book is warm, bubbly and chock full of delightful cooking that is masterfully stirred with engaging characters.
I loved following Jane and Will's story. Their chance meeting at the dentist ( of all the place!) is prologue to a fabulous life story that sees them shooting to the stardom (mainly Will's handsome looks and crashing down to the lowest low ( Jayne) when she battles with Will's sudden appearance in the highlight.

While Will takes to celebrity status with the natural grace and hunger, quite a private Jayne finds it overwhelming and suffocating. It impacts on her personal life as well as professional one.

The supporting cast of characters pulls the whole story beautifully together. I adored fun and outgoing Jayne's twin sister Rachel. Both girls have not had it easy growing up which made their bond even stronger in adulthood. As well as Rachel I was taken by Will's right-hand man Bernard and the twins grandmother Helen and Jayne's best friend Abi. With their unnerving support and love Will, Jayne and Rachel learn what matters the most in life.

Me, You and Tiramisu is truly delectable and entertaining story based on love, friendships and a delicious dollop of drama. ​

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me, You and Tiramisu starts out as your typical chick-lit book. Jayne meets, and falls in love with, an old childhood friend. However, this standard chick-lit plot is only the first 10% or so of the book. After this story is where the book really shines. Jayne and Will's relationship is going along wonderfully will Will gains overnight stardom after an online video went viral. What follows is endearing, heartbreaking and hilarious all at once. Also, it remains surprisingly realistic considering the plot. A must read for anyone who enjoys a good romantic comedy.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Eve L-A Witherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a real emotional rollercoaster!

When Jayne bumps into Will, years after parting ways as young teens, by a chance meeting as she waits for her twin, Rachel she is thrown back in at the deep end of the emotional ties to him she has.
Jayne and Rachel always did everything together as kids, naturally being twins yet unidentical, though when it comes to guys Jayne never met anyone else other than Will or Billy as he was known growing up and Rachel likes to move on pretty quickly from any guy in her life.
After enjoying a meal out to catch up, they arrange to meet again and so on they go into a relationship. Both supporting each other through their own issues and working lives until Will's cookery school becomes so successful he decides to take it online and start a YouTube channel and so they face a new challenge as the fame starts to influence them.

Having seen how the media reacts to sudden fame it is a true representation of how that part of the world operates which is surely, as displayed in the book, bittersweet for certain people.

This book lived up to the standards of Sophie Kinsella, Abby Clements and Carole Matthews for example. My favourite scene especially was the cute idea Will has to surprise Jayne in the Cotswolds in the hotel bathroom and it's not an obvious expectation of taking place in the tub!

Hopefully that's intrigued you into picking up the book yourselves!

Thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this treat of a book and find a great new author in the process!

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Netgalley copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was intense, heart-warming, heart-breaking, sad, funny, all at the same time! I was a rollercoaster of emotions driven by a cast of very loveable characters, which I think is the best part of this story. It was a great read, fun and easy, and entertaining as well! I loved how realistic Will and Jayne's romance was, and how Charlotte Butterfield showed what fame can do to you - good and bad.

[Steph Hayward-bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice story about how a relationship can be affected by fame. Took me a while to get into it. Would make a nice summer read.