Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda

By Becky Albertalli

4.5/5

This book has been hyped so much on Bookstagram and I knew, no matter what, I had to read it. Yesterday was that day. I’d been hesitant about purchasing this book because of its length; I am a really fast reader and I knew it would only take me a couple of hours at the most to read so I felt it was a bit of a waste of money. However, I received a Waterstones voucher for my birthday and so was able to purchase the book without paying for it myself and now I am so happy to have this book in my life. It’s a really easy read that made me smile and laugh and even gave me butterflies with how utterly adorable it was. I read it one sitting because I just couldn’t put it down.

The characters are wonderful and vibrant; I am a big fan of Abby and Nick. Friendship is so important throughout this book which I love; Simon’s group of friends are as random as they come, with soccer players and those from the drama club but they fit together like a family and each individual character helps the others to grow. Family is also very important in this book and Simon’s family are as crazy as they come; his sisters are fantastic! You can’t help but smile at the romance in this book. The emails exchanged between Blue and Jacques (Simon) are endearing and are exactly what you would expect of two 16 year old boys getting to know each other. I was incredibly happy when Blue was revealed and the relationship that developed between the pair was beautiful.

I could gush about this book forever so instead of listening to me waffle on about how amazing it is, go and read it for yourself. You won’t regret it.

Always With Love

By Giovanna Fletcher

3.5/5

Always With Love is the long-awaited sequel to the beloved Billy and Me, Giovanna’s first book. Billy and Me follows Sophie who works at a little tea shop in the village of Rosefont Hill as she meets world famous actor, Billy Buskin, and discovers the highs and lows of dating an actor. Always With Love begins with a trip to LA for the pair to meet Billy’s family, but shortly after the couple face many bumps and struggles as Sophie travels back to England alone.

I really enjoy Giovanna’s work; she has a very honest style of writing that is both humorous and sensitive. I really enjoyed Billy and Me when I first read it though it wasn’t my favourite of hers so I was really excited when I learned there would be a sequel. However, I didn’t love Always With Love as much as I loved Billy and Me. I feel the book could have been considerably longer and gone into a bit more depth in some areas. I did like Sophie’s character development as we often caught her alone and not attached to boyfriend Billy. She really questioned her choices and made some decisions for herself which was nice to see. I wasn’t as keen on Billy in this book; I thought he was rather selfish at times and was purposely trying to cause tension and make things harder for the pair. It was lovely to be introduced to Billy’s family as we got to know Sophie’s family quite well in Billy and Me. I really loved Lauren’s character, she is the sort of person I would love to be friends with and I enjoyed how much she admired Sophie despite only knowing her a short while.

I would really recommend Giovanna Fletcher’s book, especially Dream A Little Dream! They’re really fun, romantic reads with a slight edge as they are Adult Fiction not YA. Her characters are relatable and as Giovanna is an English writer, her books are set in the UK which I really like.