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Apprentie romancière cherche histoire d'amour
Tilly a toujours rêvé de devenir romancière, comme sa grand-mère, Beatrix Frost. Alors quand celle-ci, affaiblie par une maladie, lui demande de l'aide pour écrire son prochain roman, Tilly est aux anges !
Mais comment écrire une grande histoire d'amour quand on n'en a jamais vécu soi-même ?
Tilly pourrait bien craquer pour le nouveau du lycée. Il a tout pour plaire… Sauf que la vie – la vraie vie – ne ressemble pas toujours aux romances de sa grand-mère. Et elle lui réserve bien des surprises !
Mais comment écrire une grande histoire d'amour quand on n'en a jamais vécu soi-même ?
Tilly pourrait bien craquer pour le nouveau du lycée. Il a tout pour plaire… Sauf que la vie – la vraie vie – ne ressemble pas toujours aux romances de sa grand-mère. Et elle lui réserve bien des surprises !
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 3, 2018
11 people are currently reading
345 people want to read
About the author
Katy Cannon
22 books45 followersKaty was born in Abu Dhabi, grew up in Wales, went to university in Lancaster, spent a few years splitting her time between London, Hertfordshire, and an assortment of hotels across the world. She now lives in a little market town not far from Cambridge. She has a husband, two children, a goldfish, and far too many notebooks.
Katy likes to write stories about the importance of friends and family, and especially those friends who become family. She considers herself most fortunate to have been blessed with an abundance of all three.
As a teenager, Katy was constantly in trouble for reading when she should have been doing something else. These days, she mostly gets in trouble for dreaming up new stories when she should be writing the ones she’s already working on.
Katy’s debut YA novel, LOVE, LIES & LEMON PIES, has been translated into eight languages. Her next book, AND THEN WE RAN, will be released in April 2017.
Katy is represented by Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency.
Katy likes to write stories about the importance of friends and family, and especially those friends who become family. She considers herself most fortunate to have been blessed with an abundance of all three.
As a teenager, Katy was constantly in trouble for reading when she should have been doing something else. These days, she mostly gets in trouble for dreaming up new stories when she should be writing the ones she’s already working on.
Katy’s debut YA novel, LOVE, LIES & LEMON PIES, has been translated into eight languages. Her next book, AND THEN WE RAN, will be released in April 2017.
Katy is represented by Gemma Cooper at The Bent Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 2, 2018
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
DNF @ 31%
I can't actually explain how disappointing I found this book. I loved And Then We Ran when I read it last year and was so excited to be approved for this one but oh my word it's terrible.
One of my main issues with this was the element of blatant plagiarism- Tilly was going to write a book which would be published under her grandmother's name. Now I don't know if this is because I'm in the midst of writing my dissertation so I'm a but more sensitive to the issue at the minute but it really wound me up. In the 100+ pages I read, there was only one passing comment about this made by Tilly's best friend. Obviously, this may have been discussed later on in the book but I found it incredibly frustrating that this was ignored for the first 31%
Tilly immediately annoyed me with all her talk of 'I don't want a schoolboy I want a real man'. You are 16- any 'real man' you are after would be considered a paedophile. But then obviously along comes a sexy new boy and she makes the most ridiculous comment about him being the only boy of her age that she might stand a chance of being interested in. They didn't immediately enter a relationship but I got major instalove vibes from it- which is always a killer for me.
This is only quite a small thing but here is a quote that really wound me up: "Dad always had these lovely parenting ideas, which lasted until the twins actually got involved and Dad started trying not to swear. (Finn's first word was 'Pants')". On what planet is pants a swear word? I understand that publishers and some booksellers don't always like swearing in YA but pants!? Seriously!?
Tilly also made a lot of weird comments about SFF books, she consistently said that they were irrelevant and the only books that mattered were romance stories. It rubbed me up the wrong way- especially as most decent SFF has very human elements and the vast majority also include a romance at some point. Tilly's attitude towards SFF in general and her arguments with her schoolmate Drew were inane and irritating.
Also, all the talk of not being able to write a romance scene without having lived one seemed a bit off to me. There was a constant you-can-only-write-what-you-have-experienced vibe which I didn't like at all. If people only wrote about subjects they had actually experienced, literature would be nowhere near as interesting.
From what I read, I enjoyed Tilly's relationship with her grandma. It was sweet and supportive and the only good thing about the 100 or so pages I read unfortunately.
I do think that there are lots of people who will love this book- it's light and fluffy and clearly there's going to be a cute romance at some point. Unfortunately not for me, but I will still keep an eye out on Katy Cannon because I adored And Then We Ran so much.
DNF @ 31%
I can't actually explain how disappointing I found this book. I loved And Then We Ran when I read it last year and was so excited to be approved for this one but oh my word it's terrible.
One of my main issues with this was the element of blatant plagiarism- Tilly was going to write a book which would be published under her grandmother's name. Now I don't know if this is because I'm in the midst of writing my dissertation so I'm a but more sensitive to the issue at the minute but it really wound me up. In the 100+ pages I read, there was only one passing comment about this made by Tilly's best friend. Obviously, this may have been discussed later on in the book but I found it incredibly frustrating that this was ignored for the first 31%
Tilly immediately annoyed me with all her talk of 'I don't want a schoolboy I want a real man'. You are 16- any 'real man' you are after would be considered a paedophile. But then obviously along comes a sexy new boy and she makes the most ridiculous comment about him being the only boy of her age that she might stand a chance of being interested in. They didn't immediately enter a relationship but I got major instalove vibes from it- which is always a killer for me.
This is only quite a small thing but here is a quote that really wound me up: "Dad always had these lovely parenting ideas, which lasted until the twins actually got involved and Dad started trying not to swear. (Finn's first word was 'Pants')". On what planet is pants a swear word? I understand that publishers and some booksellers don't always like swearing in YA but pants!? Seriously!?
Tilly also made a lot of weird comments about SFF books, she consistently said that they were irrelevant and the only books that mattered were romance stories. It rubbed me up the wrong way- especially as most decent SFF has very human elements and the vast majority also include a romance at some point. Tilly's attitude towards SFF in general and her arguments with her schoolmate Drew were inane and irritating.
Also, all the talk of not being able to write a romance scene without having lived one seemed a bit off to me. There was a constant you-can-only-write-what-you-have-experienced vibe which I didn't like at all. If people only wrote about subjects they had actually experienced, literature would be nowhere near as interesting.
From what I read, I enjoyed Tilly's relationship with her grandma. It was sweet and supportive and the only good thing about the 100 or so pages I read unfortunately.
I do think that there are lots of people who will love this book- it's light and fluffy and clearly there's going to be a cute romance at some point. Unfortunately not for me, but I will still keep an eye out on Katy Cannon because I adored And Then We Ran so much.
March 18, 2018
Check out my review at Reviews In Three
--
This is a YA contemporary for writers.
It actually encouraged me to get my notebooks out and get cracking on writing because inspiration! This follows Tilly Frost, the granddaughter of famous romance author Beatrix Frost, and her need to help her sick grandmother finish a long and well-loved book series. In that, she tries to gain inspiration for writing a romance by trying to have some romance, starting off with a first kiss.
This prompts me to the romance, which was fine and sometimes it's frustrating to know that the protagonist is blind to someone who is obviously not good. They learn the long and hard way, while you're waiting for her to realise that the other guy is better. Who, I absolutely loved by the way, I always seem to like that kind of character.
I think the characters overall were all a lot of fun, the quirky grandma was fantastic, and they all absolutely fit the bill of a fluffy YA novel.
The only thing that I didn't enjoy was how slow this book was at times. It did take a while for the plot to actually get going, and I did struggle one or two times to pick it back up again. I'm glad I did though - really liked it overall!
This novel is due for release May 3rd - thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for supplying me with a copy of this book!
--
This is a YA contemporary for writers.
It actually encouraged me to get my notebooks out and get cracking on writing because inspiration! This follows Tilly Frost, the granddaughter of famous romance author Beatrix Frost, and her need to help her sick grandmother finish a long and well-loved book series. In that, she tries to gain inspiration for writing a romance by trying to have some romance, starting off with a first kiss.
This prompts me to the romance, which was fine and sometimes it's frustrating to know that the protagonist is blind to someone who is obviously not good. They learn the long and hard way, while you're waiting for her to realise that the other guy is better. Who, I absolutely loved by the way, I always seem to like that kind of character.
I think the characters overall were all a lot of fun, the quirky grandma was fantastic, and they all absolutely fit the bill of a fluffy YA novel.
The only thing that I didn't enjoy was how slow this book was at times. It did take a while for the plot to actually get going, and I did struggle one or two times to pick it back up again. I'm glad I did though - really liked it overall!
This novel is due for release May 3rd - thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for supplying me with a copy of this book!
June 18, 2019
Tilly a toujours adoré les romans d'amour écrits par sa grand-mère et qui ont fait son succès. Celle-ci lui propose d'ailleurs d'écrire à quatre mains le futur roman de Beatrix Frost. Toutefois, Tilly manque cruellement d'expérience en matière de relation amoureuse - elle a toujours refusé d'avoir un petit ami au lycée car elle “mérite mieux” - c'est donc la panne sèche devant sa copie.
Tandis qu'elle élabore des plans pas possibles pour avancer dans son histoire, l'arrivée d'un nouvel élève met le lycée en émoi car Zach est aussi un comédien de séries TV et la coqueluche des adolescentes. Quand il débarque dans le cours de littérature en récitant du Jane Austen, le cœur de Tilly fait BOUM. Elle décide alors de provoquer le destin - cherche à séduire le jeune mâle en puissance - tout ça dans un but purement créatif. Puiser dans la réalité pour nourrir la fiction.
Mais voyons. On devine surtout que Tilly est aveugle et obsessionnelle - elle met du temps à comprendre que sa relation tendue avec son partenaire en bibliothèque veut dire autre chose. On ne s'étonnera donc pas du déroulement de l'intrigue. Par contre, on salue haut et fort la place qu'occupent les livres, le goût de lire et l'envie d'écrire dans cette histoire destinée aux plus jeunes. C'était sympa.
Tandis qu'elle élabore des plans pas possibles pour avancer dans son histoire, l'arrivée d'un nouvel élève met le lycée en émoi car Zach est aussi un comédien de séries TV et la coqueluche des adolescentes. Quand il débarque dans le cours de littérature en récitant du Jane Austen, le cœur de Tilly fait BOUM. Elle décide alors de provoquer le destin - cherche à séduire le jeune mâle en puissance - tout ça dans un but purement créatif. Puiser dans la réalité pour nourrir la fiction.
Mais voyons. On devine surtout que Tilly est aveugle et obsessionnelle - elle met du temps à comprendre que sa relation tendue avec son partenaire en bibliothèque veut dire autre chose. On ne s'étonnera donc pas du déroulement de l'intrigue. Par contre, on salue haut et fort la place qu'occupent les livres, le goût de lire et l'envie d'écrire dans cette histoire destinée aux plus jeunes. C'était sympa.
April 21, 2018
*ARC in exchange for an honest review*
To be honest with you guys, when I started this book I had some serious doubts. To comment on the last line of the summary, I never read Fangirl and I don't plan on reading it ever to be honest (maybe I should, who knows). So I was quite surprised by how big of a fan I became by the end of this book. It's a fast read and although it didn't blew me of my socks, it still was a really good book.
This book actually is about so much more than just dating and writing books. It was about friendship and family and I love a good book with many aspects. I also liked all the complex relationships that were portrayed so beautifully in this book. It's quite funny to read a book that is about writing a book but it was definitely a great idea. One thing that can often make me quite sad while reading a book is when I notice that the author had a great idea but didn't take the time to execute it well. I'm happy that I can say that that wasn't the case with this book *happy dancing*.
It was a long time ago that I came across a book that had so many unique characters For real. Every character in this book had their own story. They weren't just background noise but all had an important role to play. If I had only finished this book a little bit earlier, I would have certainly included it in my Top Ten Tuesday post: Side characters that made books better this book would have been one of my first picks for that list!
Tilly's best friends(Anja and Rohan), the new guy (Zach) and the strange boy in the library(Drew) were the most important side characters that weren't part of her family. Out of them, I definitely liked Drew the most. I don't really know but I liked hes grumpiness from the very beginning.
I'm an overall big big fan of Tilly's family, but her gran really stole the show for sure. They had everything I need to love a good book family. Two loving parents who love there daughter (and each other) to pieces but are also completely crazy. Insane toddler twin brothers who's only goal in life is making their teenage sister's life a living hell most of the time. And an amazing grandmother who is such an awesome mater famillias. If you hadn't noticed yet, the grandmother really made this book a winner for me. I'm TOTALLY fangirling over Tilly's grandmother!
One little point of critique though. The story was quite predictable and that made the book a little bit less good at some points. It wasn't hard to figure out what would happen most of the time, but, the author still surprised me some times so I guess I shouldn't be complaining!
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To be honest with you guys, when I started this book I had some serious doubts. To comment on the last line of the summary, I never read Fangirl and I don't plan on reading it ever to be honest (maybe I should, who knows). So I was quite surprised by how big of a fan I became by the end of this book. It's a fast read and although it didn't blew me of my socks, it still was a really good book.
This book really has a really great story line
This book actually is about so much more than just dating and writing books. It was about friendship and family and I love a good book with many aspects. I also liked all the complex relationships that were portrayed so beautifully in this book. It's quite funny to read a book that is about writing a book but it was definitely a great idea. One thing that can often make me quite sad while reading a book is when I notice that the author had a great idea but didn't take the time to execute it well. I'm happy that I can say that that wasn't the case with this book *happy dancing*.
It was a long time ago that I came across a book that had so many unique characters For real. Every character in this book had their own story. They weren't just background noise but all had an important role to play. If I had only finished this book a little bit earlier, I would have certainly included it in my Top Ten Tuesday post: Side characters that made books better this book would have been one of my first picks for that list!
Tilly's best friends(Anja and Rohan), the new guy (Zach) and the strange boy in the library(Drew) were the most important side characters that weren't part of her family. Out of them, I definitely liked Drew the most. I don't really know but I liked hes grumpiness from the very beginning.
I'm an overall big big fan of Tilly's family, but her gran really stole the show for sure. They had everything I need to love a good book family. Two loving parents who love there daughter (and each other) to pieces but are also completely crazy. Insane toddler twin brothers who's only goal in life is making their teenage sister's life a living hell most of the time. And an amazing grandmother who is such an awesome mater famillias. If you hadn't noticed yet, the grandmother really made this book a winner for me. I'm TOTALLY fangirling over Tilly's grandmother!
One little point of critique though. The story was quite predictable and that made the book a little bit less good at some points. It wasn't hard to figure out what would happen most of the time, but, the author still surprised me some times so I guess I shouldn't be complaining!
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March 9, 2018
I have never read a Katy Cannon book before but I think I would definitely pick up more in future. This was a cute and fun read. Any story involving writers and libraries I am down for.
The story follows Tilly who has always looked up to her Grandmothers talent for writing Romance and in recent years has slowly become more involved in the editing and creating of these books alongside Bea. Tilly is tasked with helping create the new idea for her grandmothers next book, until that turns into writing the whole thing!
Tilly realises the only way to write a romance novel, is to experience her own.
I felt this book was extremely predictable but in a good way! Like Bea's books this story has you rooting for the characters you want together whilst misdirecting you. I related a lot to Tilly in a way I can't quite put my finger on and found myself frustrated with her as if she was someone I knew in real life. I also KNEW from the moment we had met all the characters who Tilly would end up with and thought we could have got to the point a lot sooner! I would have loved more scenes together with them.
Overall a cute romance and something that was super light and easy to read. Great for this time for this year! I just wish things were faster paced and that's what really let me down with this. Will definitely be picking up more of Katy's book in future.
3/5 Stars
The story follows Tilly who has always looked up to her Grandmothers talent for writing Romance and in recent years has slowly become more involved in the editing and creating of these books alongside Bea. Tilly is tasked with helping create the new idea for her grandmothers next book, until that turns into writing the whole thing!
Tilly realises the only way to write a romance novel, is to experience her own.
I felt this book was extremely predictable but in a good way! Like Bea's books this story has you rooting for the characters you want together whilst misdirecting you. I related a lot to Tilly in a way I can't quite put my finger on and found myself frustrated with her as if she was someone I knew in real life. I also KNEW from the moment we had met all the characters who Tilly would end up with and thought we could have got to the point a lot sooner! I would have loved more scenes together with them.
Overall a cute romance and something that was super light and easy to read. Great for this time for this year! I just wish things were faster paced and that's what really let me down with this. Will definitely be picking up more of Katy's book in future.
3/5 Stars
April 29, 2018
I loved this book, thank you so much to Stripes Publishing for sending it to me before the release date. This is definitely my kind of book, I love a good YA romance. I really connected with the main character of stilly because she has a passion for writing. She just wants to help her Gran out but she wants real experiences to write about to do so. It’s just a lovely story, I really enjoyed reading it and I hope others like it as much as I did.
September 4, 2018
If you buy this book, hoping to be swept up in the passion, confusion, tenderness and angst of first love, then you will be sorely disappointed.
Tilly Frost has been asked by her famous romance novelist grandmother to begin writing her next novel for her. Having assisted her grandmother with the task for years, Tilly is excited and willingly accepts. With no personal experience in the romance department, Tilly decides to break her “no dating” rule and pursue Zach – the hot new guy at school – and thus construct her novel.
Sounds like the perfect recipe for a beautiful teenage love story, filled with heart-flutters, daydreams, jealousies and first kisses, right? Wrong! And not just because there is clearly no chemistry between Tilly and Zach. Katy Cannon is clearly not a romance writer and this story is clearly not a romance novel. What it is is a heart-warming love story between a granddaughter and her grandmother. So if you’re not too annoyed that this story fails to deliver the heart-thumping, breath-taking, tingly feelings of first love, then you’ll enjoy Tilly’s crazy family, her friendship with Anja and Rohan (who have just hooked up, making Tilly the third wheel) and Tilly’s blossoming relationship with Drew – but don’t get too excited by this “love story”. It has all the romance of a dead fish.
The thread that keeps this novel together is the romance novel that Tilly is meant to be writing for her grandmother and her grandmother’s obvious (to the reader) decline into dementia. Katy Cannon has created a strong, intelligent, witty character in Tilly, and I enjoyed Tilly’s sharp observations on life and acerbic criticisms of the people and situations around her. But for such a seemingly smart character, I found Tilly’s obtuseness about her grandmother’s health, the affections of Drew and the lack of chemistry between herself and Zach to be frustrating to the point where I considered tossing this book aside.
But I am glad I persevered and followed this story to its (very predictable) end. Warm, tingly feelings of family love and friendships were able to assuage my unrequited desire for a teenage romance.
So publishers take note. Readers don’t want to be tricked into reading something that they weren’t expecting. Change the title and the blurb to truly reflect this story and Katy Cannon’s purpose.
Tilly Frost has been asked by her famous romance novelist grandmother to begin writing her next novel for her. Having assisted her grandmother with the task for years, Tilly is excited and willingly accepts. With no personal experience in the romance department, Tilly decides to break her “no dating” rule and pursue Zach – the hot new guy at school – and thus construct her novel.
Sounds like the perfect recipe for a beautiful teenage love story, filled with heart-flutters, daydreams, jealousies and first kisses, right? Wrong! And not just because there is clearly no chemistry between Tilly and Zach. Katy Cannon is clearly not a romance writer and this story is clearly not a romance novel. What it is is a heart-warming love story between a granddaughter and her grandmother. So if you’re not too annoyed that this story fails to deliver the heart-thumping, breath-taking, tingly feelings of first love, then you’ll enjoy Tilly’s crazy family, her friendship with Anja and Rohan (who have just hooked up, making Tilly the third wheel) and Tilly’s blossoming relationship with Drew – but don’t get too excited by this “love story”. It has all the romance of a dead fish.
The thread that keeps this novel together is the romance novel that Tilly is meant to be writing for her grandmother and her grandmother’s obvious (to the reader) decline into dementia. Katy Cannon has created a strong, intelligent, witty character in Tilly, and I enjoyed Tilly’s sharp observations on life and acerbic criticisms of the people and situations around her. But for such a seemingly smart character, I found Tilly’s obtuseness about her grandmother’s health, the affections of Drew and the lack of chemistry between herself and Zach to be frustrating to the point where I considered tossing this book aside.
But I am glad I persevered and followed this story to its (very predictable) end. Warm, tingly feelings of family love and friendships were able to assuage my unrequited desire for a teenage romance.
So publishers take note. Readers don’t want to be tricked into reading something that they weren’t expecting. Change the title and the blurb to truly reflect this story and Katy Cannon’s purpose.
February 1, 2019
I found this book took a while to get into as i found that there was quite a bit of irrelevant information that was told in the beginning which sort of put me off the book because it was quite boring however once you got into it i found it alright but i wouldn't personally reccomend this to anyone on my part.
March 19, 2018
Tilly doesn't date the boys in her school and has long thought of herself beginning to date when she's older much to the disappointment of her grandma who's a best selling romance author.
Ahead of her finishing her novel, Tilly's grandma Bea is struck down with pneumonia and unable to finish her work, Tilly tries to help her by finishing her work using her grandma's notes on the final book in her longest series so far.
Yet she never banks on her grandma approving so much of her work and she tasks Tilly to begin writing a book but Tilly has no idea where to start and so with her school being in full Valentine's celebration mode, sets about getting involved and inspired!
With her friends Rohan and Anja supporting her choice as they know it's her passion and desire to become an author, at school her book club helps her realise more about life and the way to develop her story as she realizes that newcomer Zach provides the perfect meet cute for Tilly that sparks her off into thinking up idea's. Drew, a fantasy book lover is always around just what is Tilly about to realize about love and boys? Also just what is happening to her grandma lately too? All the changes throughout the book and the journey Tilly goes on discovering about love is like most teens go through and health worries too are relatable and despite saddening the book, there's enough to enjoy and keep it fun and upbeat!
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
Ahead of her finishing her novel, Tilly's grandma Bea is struck down with pneumonia and unable to finish her work, Tilly tries to help her by finishing her work using her grandma's notes on the final book in her longest series so far.
Yet she never banks on her grandma approving so much of her work and she tasks Tilly to begin writing a book but Tilly has no idea where to start and so with her school being in full Valentine's celebration mode, sets about getting involved and inspired!
With her friends Rohan and Anja supporting her choice as they know it's her passion and desire to become an author, at school her book club helps her realise more about life and the way to develop her story as she realizes that newcomer Zach provides the perfect meet cute for Tilly that sparks her off into thinking up idea's. Drew, a fantasy book lover is always around just what is Tilly about to realize about love and boys? Also just what is happening to her grandma lately too? All the changes throughout the book and the journey Tilly goes on discovering about love is like most teens go through and health worries too are relatable and despite saddening the book, there's enough to enjoy and keep it fun and upbeat!
Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!
April 13, 2021
4.5
If you're a teen writer and a sucker for romance novels, this book is for you. All of the characters were developed nicely, the story was written well and the plot was consistent. I'd say it was a bit predictable but maybe that's because I've read too many romance books so I knew how it would end. The book had a few twists I wasn't expecting, however, and it definitely wasn't boring.
Sometimes in books where story-writing is such a prevalent theme, it can get confusing and not very interesting (ahem, Fangirl) but I think this book was executed nicely: extracts from the book Tilly is writing aren't actually included in the text, but quotes from both her book, Gran's books and other books that are relevant to the story are included at the start of every chapter, which I think is a cool aspect.
Also can I just say, I'm amazed at how many teens in this book happen to like reading. Tilly has even formed a non-nerdy Book Club in her school which people attend and enjoy. I think this is great, but unfortunately I don't think it's something many British 16-year-olds would be up for nowadays 😂
Recommended for: ages 12+. No swearing, mentions of kissing/snogging/fondling but that's all, overall it's a clean, fun read :)
If you're a teen writer and a sucker for romance novels, this book is for you. All of the characters were developed nicely, the story was written well and the plot was consistent. I'd say it was a bit predictable but maybe that's because I've read too many romance books so I knew how it would end. The book had a few twists I wasn't expecting, however, and it definitely wasn't boring.
Sometimes in books where story-writing is such a prevalent theme, it can get confusing and not very interesting (ahem, Fangirl) but I think this book was executed nicely: extracts from the book Tilly is writing aren't actually included in the text, but quotes from both her book, Gran's books and other books that are relevant to the story are included at the start of every chapter, which I think is a cool aspect.
Also can I just say, I'm amazed at how many teens in this book happen to like reading. Tilly has even formed a non-nerdy Book Club in her school which people attend and enjoy. I think this is great, but unfortunately I don't think it's something many British 16-year-olds would be up for nowadays 😂
Recommended for: ages 12+. No swearing, mentions of kissing/snogging/fondling but that's all, overall it's a clean, fun read :)
January 5, 2023
4.6⭐️
"Then he kissed me and I forgot all about fiction. It was time to enjoy the real world for a while."
This book took me in its world, I felt connected to Tilly and Drew and the way they behaved with one another. Tilly only ever wanted to be herself and throughout the book she was starting to find out more about herself — more than what she already knew.
Rachel was such an sweetheart. Anja and Rohan are top tier honestly. Rohan is so witty and Anja is determined. One character that intrigued me from the start was Drew. I liked him from the very first scene with him in it. There wasn't a description of how he looked, I fell for his words—and is extremely book smart. He annotates his books and is very critical about certain books.
I never quite understood why Tilly found him annoying but hay this was her story.
I'm glad with how the book ended. It's the way I've been ruiting for it to end the entire time. You only get to see what he looks like at the ending and it was the perfect book boy you could ever imagine.
Gran also thought me alot about writing. One of my favorite hobbies and she inspired me as much as thus book portrayed that falling in love is most definitely not like how it is in the books.
"Then he kissed me and I forgot all about fiction. It was time to enjoy the real world for a while."
This book took me in its world, I felt connected to Tilly and Drew and the way they behaved with one another. Tilly only ever wanted to be herself and throughout the book she was starting to find out more about herself — more than what she already knew.
Rachel was such an sweetheart. Anja and Rohan are top tier honestly. Rohan is so witty and Anja is determined. One character that intrigued me from the start was Drew. I liked him from the very first scene with him in it. There wasn't a description of how he looked, I fell for his words—and is extremely book smart. He annotates his books and is very critical about certain books.
I never quite understood why Tilly found him annoying but hay this was her story.
I'm glad with how the book ended. It's the way I've been ruiting for it to end the entire time. You only get to see what he looks like at the ending and it was the perfect book boy you could ever imagine.
Gran also thought me alot about writing. One of my favorite hobbies and she inspired me as much as thus book portrayed that falling in love is most definitely not like how it is in the books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 12, 2018
A new book from Katy Cannon is always exciting, and this was no exception. This is the story of Tilly, who is tasked with writing her bestselling romance author gran’s next novel, and decides she must fall in love for the first time in order to do this. It went right to the top of my TBR, and I read it in just a few days. It was so very readable: by which I mean that it practically turned the pages for me, as even though I worked out early on what would happen, I still wanted to see it play out on the page. I really liked Tilly as the narrator, and I identified hugely with her in quite a few ways. I also liked seeing her relationships with her friends (their dynamic was so fun), her romance with the love interest she ends up with and it was also interesting to see her relationship with her gran, particularly as it isn’t always positive. As well as the romantic ending and the humour, a final thing I enjoyed about this was how the book celebrated the idea that whatever type of book you enjoy most is valid, and that books percieved to be lighter aren’t something people should ever be looking down on. 4.5/5
May 26, 2018
This is a nice read.
Tilly Frost is the granddaughter of a famous romance novelist who she has been assisting to write her books since she was a kid and now her grandmother wants her to begin her own story while having no experience of love at all! Entertaining reading ensues.
I liked the characters, I feel like they could have been a bit more fleshed out in their moments, however how they all react to one another is really good. Particularly I found Tilly’s family who have a nice dynamic in the scenes they appear of this book - it feels right, it feels like a family and I like that in this book especially as it’s so rare to see the grandmother/granddaughter relationship in fiction, I liked the book for it.
The storyline is good, for quite a short book, this book takes a little bit of time to get started in my opinion however when it does pick up it really is good and the romance plot blossoms really well as the book goes on. I highly recommend for fans of books such a Geekerella or Fangirl.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley for a honest review).
Tilly Frost is the granddaughter of a famous romance novelist who she has been assisting to write her books since she was a kid and now her grandmother wants her to begin her own story while having no experience of love at all! Entertaining reading ensues.
I liked the characters, I feel like they could have been a bit more fleshed out in their moments, however how they all react to one another is really good. Particularly I found Tilly’s family who have a nice dynamic in the scenes they appear of this book - it feels right, it feels like a family and I like that in this book especially as it’s so rare to see the grandmother/granddaughter relationship in fiction, I liked the book for it.
The storyline is good, for quite a short book, this book takes a little bit of time to get started in my opinion however when it does pick up it really is good and the romance plot blossoms really well as the book goes on. I highly recommend for fans of books such a Geekerella or Fangirl.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley for a honest review).
February 8, 2021
Although the plot was rather predictable, it was still an enjoyable and fun read nonetheless. I especially liked Drew's character even from the start, however I did find Tilly's character a little frustrating at times. In addition I didn't like how the plagiarism wasn't properly addressed as in no one was angry about it for some reason. Another thing I'd like to mention is Tilly's obsession with stories needing to be about romance. Yes, I enjoy romances too (I mean clearly) but that is not the only quality to every story so it's quite frustrating to read, but of course Drew helped balance that out in some ways so maybe that's just how it was meant to be. Overall other than the frustrating elements, it was quite enjoyable so if you're looking for a quick, light read without anything complicated then this might be for you.
March 25, 2023
Although the plot was rather predictable, it was still an enjoyable and fun read nonetheless. I especially liked Drew's character even from the start, however I did find Tilly's character a little frustrating at times. In addition I didn't like how the plagiarism wasn't properly addressed as in no one was angry about it for some reason. Another thing I'd like to mention is Tilly's obsession with stories needing to be about romance. Yes, I enjoy romances too (I mean clearly) but that is not the only quality to every story so it's quite frustrating to read, but of course Drew helped balance that out in some ways so maybe that's just how it was meant to be. Overall other than the frustrating elements, it was quite enjoyable so if you're looking for a quick, light read without anything complicated then this might be for you.
November 18, 2018
Two words.
Absolutely Adorable.
I went into this book expecting just an average cheesy love story; and it was.
But holy heck was it one of the cutest and well written 'cheesy-love' stories I've read in a while.
Even though it had a predictable ending after all the characters were introduced, I still was surprised with all the little twists and little details in her non-love-life.
Also Drew Farrow reminded me of Min Yoongi and oh my (SPOILER ALERT)
I was very satisfied with the ending and how Drew and Tilly ended up with each other, the ending was so perfect and ohmy godddd its soooo cuuuuuttteeeeeeeee!!!
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, easy read novel: trust me, you won't be disappointed.
Absolutely Adorable.
I went into this book expecting just an average cheesy love story; and it was.
But holy heck was it one of the cutest and well written 'cheesy-love' stories I've read in a while.
Even though it had a predictable ending after all the characters were introduced, I still was surprised with all the little twists and little details in her non-love-life.
Also Drew Farrow reminded me of Min Yoongi and oh my (SPOILER ALERT)
I was very satisfied with the ending and how Drew and Tilly ended up with each other, the ending was so perfect and ohmy godddd its soooo cuuuuuttteeeeeeeee!!!
I recommend this book to anyone looking for a cute, easy read novel: trust me, you won't be disappointed.
February 11, 2021
‘Tilly Frost has grown up reading her grandmother’s bestselling romance novels – so when the one and only Beatrix Frost is taken ill, Tilly finishes writing her latest work. Then Tilly agrees to start the next book. But what is her gran hiding from her? And how can Tilly write a heart-pounding romance when she’s never been in love? Can she turn her school crush into something more? One thing Tilly should know is that the course of true love never did run smooth…’
This was a wonderfully sweet book.
I read this book whilst I was on holidays and it was the perfect holiday read. It was fun, sweet and completely entertaining.
This was one of those books that I picked up on a whim, and boy am I happy that I did. The story itself wasn’t anything new but it was easy to get lost in and I wasn’t once bored while I was reading it. I will admit that I did see some of the plot points coming but there were others that genuinely surprised me which I really enjoyed.
As for the characters in this book; they were wonderful. I loved Tilly and her crazy family and I really enjoyed her conversations with her friends. I found myself genuinely excited when scenes with Tilly and her friends came up. I also loved getting to hear Tilly’s inner dialog.
Another thing I loved about this book was the writing aspect. I loved they there were bits and pieces of Tilly’s writing as well as glimpses of other novels; albeit fictitious ones, scattered throughout the story. Given that this story was about writing a novel, having the various scatted sections of other novels in this book really added to the story that was being told.
Katy Cannon has done a wonderful job with this book. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. This is the first of Katy Cannon’s books that I have read, but now that I have read one of her books I am excited to get my hands on some more of her works.
How to Write a Love Story by Katy Cannon is a great little read that is worth checking out.
Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com
This was a wonderfully sweet book.
I read this book whilst I was on holidays and it was the perfect holiday read. It was fun, sweet and completely entertaining.
This was one of those books that I picked up on a whim, and boy am I happy that I did. The story itself wasn’t anything new but it was easy to get lost in and I wasn’t once bored while I was reading it. I will admit that I did see some of the plot points coming but there were others that genuinely surprised me which I really enjoyed.
As for the characters in this book; they were wonderful. I loved Tilly and her crazy family and I really enjoyed her conversations with her friends. I found myself genuinely excited when scenes with Tilly and her friends came up. I also loved getting to hear Tilly’s inner dialog.
Another thing I loved about this book was the writing aspect. I loved they there were bits and pieces of Tilly’s writing as well as glimpses of other novels; albeit fictitious ones, scattered throughout the story. Given that this story was about writing a novel, having the various scatted sections of other novels in this book really added to the story that was being told.
Katy Cannon has done a wonderful job with this book. It is everything I wanted it to be and more. This is the first of Katy Cannon’s books that I have read, but now that I have read one of her books I am excited to get my hands on some more of her works.
How to Write a Love Story by Katy Cannon is a great little read that is worth checking out.
Geramie Kate Barker
gemsbooknook.wordpress.com
March 3, 2019
While I loved 'Love, Lies and Lemon Pies', I don't think this one was for me.
I love Drew with a passion, but the thing that ultimately takes away from the book is the time spent on talking about Zach, the new guy. He doesn't interest me at all which I guess is kind of the point, but I needed more sexual chemistry between Drew and Tilly to make up for it. If the whole idea is for Tilly to end up with a particular character, then I would like to get to know them a bit more!
In saying that, I still loved the writing and the ending was exactly what I wanted, but I needed more of it, that's all!
I love Drew with a passion, but the thing that ultimately takes away from the book is the time spent on talking about Zach, the new guy. He doesn't interest me at all which I guess is kind of the point, but I needed more sexual chemistry between Drew and Tilly to make up for it. If the whole idea is for Tilly to end up with a particular character, then I would like to get to know them a bit more!
In saying that, I still loved the writing and the ending was exactly what I wanted, but I needed more of it, that's all!
July 15, 2022
This book was enjoyable, an easy read and relatable! I find that so many books attempt to be relatable but still add in the magical kisses and perfect romance when in reality, it’s not always like it. Yet the awkward, confusing aura of love was portrayed very well and left me giggling hysterically. Moreover, the constant comparison Tilly’s book and her actual life shows how much of a fail Zach was but how great Drew was- loved his character. Some great language used throughout and overall a good read. I just wish we could have seen a little more of Drew and maybe some drama not revolving around Bea and her dementia.
4 stars!
4 stars!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 31, 2019
I've not read anything by Katy Cannon before but I really enjoyed this and will definitely check out her books in future.
Tilly is a great character and I really liked her narration. The story focuses on her friendships, love life and her relationship with her grandmother who is a bestselling romance author. It was full of really funny moments that made me laugh out loud and I raced through it.
It's a really heartwarming book and I loved that it was almost like a love letter to readers.
Brilliant!
Tilly is a great character and I really liked her narration. The story focuses on her friendships, love life and her relationship with her grandmother who is a bestselling romance author. It was full of really funny moments that made me laugh out loud and I raced through it.
It's a really heartwarming book and I loved that it was almost like a love letter to readers.
Brilliant!
Read
March 23, 2021Tilly zawsze chciała pisać książki jak jej babcia – autorka bestsellerowych romansów. Kiedy więc ta prosi dziewczynę, żeby napisała za nią kolejny romans, Tilly czuje się, jakby ziściło się jej marzenie. Problem polega jednak na tym, że Tilly nigdy się nie zakochała, nigdy nie miała chłopaka, nigdy się nie całowała. Jak więc może napisać coś prawdziwego?
Ma jednak plan:
1) Flirtować.
2) Rozkochać w sobie nowego ucznia – superprzystojnego i popularnego chłopaka.
3) Zapisać nowe doświadczenia.
Łatwizna?
Ma jednak plan:
1) Flirtować.
2) Rozkochać w sobie nowego ucznia – superprzystojnego i popularnego chłopaka.
3) Zapisać nowe doświadczenia.
Łatwizna?
August 27, 2023
zaczynając tą książkę miałam sceptycznie podejście, gdyż spodziewałam się czegoś oczywistego. tak było do czasu kiedy skończyłam ja czytać. książka została napisana w sposób prosty i przyjemny co zdecydowanie mi sie podobało, gdyż przebrnęłam przez nią szybko i sprawnie. wątek Drew i Tilly został napisany w sposób prosty ale zarazem urzekający. podobało mi się jak sprzeczali sie na temat książek w pierwszych rozdziałach i jakie uczucia w niej wyzwalal. na temat Zacha się nie wyrażę, ponieważ od samego początku ta postać mi nie leżała i zbyt odbiegała od idealnego bohatera romansu Tilly.
July 1, 2019
I liked the fact that this was a book about writing and writers as much about anything else. It's about a teenager, Tilly, who ghost writes for her grandmother, a famous romance novelist. When Tilly's gran asks her to come up with the premise for a new romance novel, Tilly decides that she needs to fall in love herself to be able to write about it. But finding love proves more elusive than she'd bargained for...
November 24, 2019
A good story, especially if you're an author as you will recognise yourself and all the problems faced by writers. Loved the hero Drew - wish there had been guys like him at my high school! Book would have been even better if Ms Cannon had bothered to find out how to spell the Swedish words she used and also not given a Swedish character a German name (but that's just me nit-picking because I'm half Swedish).
June 11, 2018
What a sweet story and an ideal romance that explores engineered and organic feelings. I love Tilly’s relationships with the two leading men, but my favourite partnership has to be the one she shares with her grandmother.
The familiar love is what brought the whole thing together for me and actually has me hoping there may be a sequel.
The familiar love is what brought the whole thing together for me and actually has me hoping there may be a sequel.
September 13, 2019
Lien vers la critique complète : http://sophielit.ca/critique.php?id=2228
C’est une lecture fort sympathique que celle-ci. D’abord parce qu’on est quelque part dans « l’envers du décor », avec un récit qui parle d’écriture, ensuite parce que l’autrice joue avec les codes des histoires sentimentales qu’écrivent Tilly et Beatrix pour créer l’histoire d’amour au cœur du récit.
C’est une lecture fort sympathique que celle-ci. D’abord parce qu’on est quelque part dans « l’envers du décor », avec un récit qui parle d’écriture, ensuite parce que l’autrice joue avec les codes des histoires sentimentales qu’écrivent Tilly et Beatrix pour créer l’histoire d’amour au cœur du récit.
September 21, 2019
I enjoyed this YA and liked the character development. Although the love triangle was quite obvious I was disappointed with how little of the story was dedicated to Drew even though he is the final love interest. The author talks alot of tying up loose ends in stories but i thought the book needed another chapter to tie up the story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2024
This book was incredible, usually I am not too much of a fan of love triangles but in this particular book I knew Drew was the correct option. (Not just because of the song teardrops on my guitar lol). I thought the characters were very will written and Anja and Rohan's romance in the subplot was also an incredible addition.
May 10, 2018
Loved loved loved this book! From start to finish I couldn’t put it down, wonderfully written and certainly a truly beautiful ending, it has what we all want our romance lives to be like, but as it says what we write and what actually happens is two different things... definitely worth a read :)
July 24, 2020
It was a very cool and unique concept, however I did predict some of the things that were going to happen, but maybe that’s what Cannon wanted us to do. I thought the ending was so cute!! It was a nice relaxing, lighthearted contemporary read.
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