Book Review: Me, You and Tiramisu by Charlotte Butterfield

"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?"

Rating: 5/5

I love finding debut authors, there's something uncovering a new voice in women's fiction that is very exciting, and that certainly applies to this new author with publishers Harper Impulse. This book is Charlotte Butterfield's debut novel, and I enjoyed it right from the beginning until the end. The book is a bit of a twist on the usual girl finds boy and pursues him story. This time, the girl, Jayne, finds her man, Will, right at the beginning of the book and it all seems perfect. However, when Will becomes a YouTube star, the pair struggle with his new found fame, Jayne in particular, as it seems the press would prefer him not to have a girlfriend. Will their relationship make it?

I liked the way this book started, and it made me feel very happy for Jayne right from the off. She bumps into a childhood friend in the first scene, and the pair hit it off again straight away, no games, and decide they want to be together. They seemed perfect for each other in every way, and it seemed like the perfect relationship in lots of ways. They were both similar people, a bit shy and preferred quiet nights in with Jayne's twin sister Rachel, and everything seemed perfect for them. But a spanner is thrown in the works quite quickly, and the rest of the book shows the strain Will's fame puts on their relationship.

I liked how supportive Jayne was of Will for as long as she possibly could be. She was the epitome of a perfect girlfriend, happy to pretty much stay in the background, and allow him to flourish, seeing how happy it made him. However, it of course started to eat away at her when vicious online comments started slating her, something all too common these days. People are willing to say such horrible things behind a computer screen, and it was heart-breaking to see Jayne crumble and her self-confidence diminish. However, it was very reflective of today's culture, and a sad realisation of how mean people can be to each other.

Butterfield's writing was really good, and had me hooked into the story. She created some very realistic characters, from Jayne, Will and Rachel, to their awful mother Crystal, one of the worst mothers I have ever read in women's fiction, and even Will's agent. They were all believable characters, and I enjoyed reading about what they were all up to, and it built up a great picture of Jayne and Will's lives together, before and after the chaos of fame. I loved that Jayne really was a normal woman - loved reading, was passionate about her job, and supportive of her family, even those who didn't deserve her support.

I really enjoyed this book from start to finish, and I think Charlotte Butterfield is an exciting new voice in the world of women's fiction. I loved how this book was a very different look at relationships, and the characters were brilliantly written too, with a realistic look at the price of fame, albeit sudden and unexpected. I will definitely be looking to read more from Charlotte Butterfield, and I would definitely recommend you pick this one up for a fun read!

Blog Tour: Author Article by Charlotte Butterfield

Today I am thrilled to be part of the blog tour for debut author Charlotte Butterfield's book Me, You and Tiramisu. I recently read the book and will pop the review for it later on today, it was a really enjoyable read! Please enjoy this author article from Charlotte about her journey to be a published author, it might inspire a few of you out there!

My journey to getting published

My Dad had a fax machine that printed things on a shiny roll of paper, and every page invariably had streaks of ink running down the centre of it. Nonetheless I made him photocopy my stories that I would then take to school to sell. I was about seven or eight and had already made up my mind that I was going to be an author. I dallied with the idea of being a marine biologist when I was a teenager as it sounded big and clever, but as soon as I found out it involved permanently wrinkled fingers and large sea creatures, I went back to Plan A of being a writer.

After finishing my English degree, I did a masters in Women’s Studies, and then got a writing job on my local magazine in Bristol that paid the princely sum of 75 pounds a week. I was rich! Fifteen years of being a journalist followed, until one day when I set myself the challenge of writing a short story. Which somehow turned into a longer story. Which then became a novel.

I’d read with terror about writers receiving enough rejection letters to paper a bathroom with, but who wants a hefty kick to their self-esteem every time they need the loo? So I decided to self publish. I was delighted when my friends and family gave me great feedback for my book, but then I figured, that’s what family and friends are for, so my head didn’t swell too much. On a bit of a whim I entered the Montegrappa First Fiction award at the Emirates Lit Fest in Dubai, where I live, and couldn’t believe it when I came second. The agent who was judging the competition signed me as a client and within three weeks I got my two-book deal with Harper Impulse!

It’s been an incredible year, from tentatively trying to see if I could write fiction to working with a living, breathing publisher, and actually seeing my name on the cover of a novel. I’ve yet to give up the day job of being a journalist completely, but I can say hand on heart, when I’m writing my books I’m dancing through the day.