Me Before You: The international bestselling phenomenon (Me Before You Trilogy, #1)

by Jojo Moyes

THE SIX-MILLION-COPY-SELLING NOVEL THAT IS LOVED AROUND THE WORLD, SOON TO BE RELEASED AS A FILM STARRING EMILIA CLARKE AND SAM CLAFLIN

The heartbreaking novel of the year from Jojo Moyes proves you're never too old or young to cry
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

The Author
Jojo Moyes is a novelist and a journalist. She worked at the Independent for ten years before leaving to write full-time. Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include Me Before You, The Girl You Left Behind and the Sunday Times number 1 bestselller The One Plus One. Me Before You has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and went to the top of the charts in 9 countries, including in Germany where it held the number 1 slot for 46 weeks. She is one of the few authors to have had 3 novels on the New York Timesbestseller list at the same time. A major film adaptation of Me Before You, starring Sam Clafin (The Hunger Games) and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones), is currently in production.

Jojo lives in Essex with her husband and their three children.

Praise for Me Before You
'Poignant . . . heartfelt . . . Me Before You, at it's heart, is about two people who properly listen to each other; it is something good' - The Independent on Sunday
'A disarmingly moving love story . . . a lovely novel, both nontraditional and enthralling' - Publishers Weekly
'A compelling novel of life and death decisions and unlikely affections. It's magical and heartbreaking, but doesn't shy away from difficult emotional realities. Waterproof mascara essential' - Marie Claire
'When I finished this novel, I didn't want to review it: I wanted to reread it . . . An affair to remember' - Liesl Schillinger, The New York Times Book Review
'This truly beautiful story made us laugh, smile and sob like a baby - you simply have to read it ' Closer
'Heartbreaking, soul-searching and utterly compelling' - Easy Living
'Compelling, moving and absorbing. It's also a real weepie' - Daily Express
'Destined to be the novel that friends press upon each other more than any other next year, it is a tremendous example of what commercial fiction can do when in the hands of an expert. Moyes does a majestic job of conjuring a cast of characters who are charismatic, credible and utterly compelling; Lou and Will are a couple who readers will take to their hearts as they did One Day's Emma and Dex' - The Independent
'Funny, believable and heartbreaking, this is sure to be the weepy of 2012' - Woman's Own
'Poignant and beautifully written, this book will stay with you long after you've put it down' - Star Magazine
'A compelling portrait of an unlikely couple' - The Independent

'Me Before You is a page-turner that sucks the reader into caring about the fate of the heroine . . . By turns funny and moving but never predictable. The plot contains a number of surprises and raises thoughtful question' - USA Today
'A perceptive and moving tale' - The Independent
'Funny, surprising and heartbreaking, populated with characters who are affecting and amusing . . . This is a thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining novel that captures the complexity of love' - People
'Beautifully written' - The Sun
'Another powerful love story. A deftly plotted narrative populated with likeable engaging characters . . . a bittersweet story about love, learning and letting go. It's a tremendous read and I loved it' - Daily Mail
'Keep the tissues close as Jojo Moyes returns with Me Before You, a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting tale about the relationship between an embittered quadriplegic man and the carer who is trying to give him a reason to live' - Good Housekeeping
'An unlikely love story . . . To be devoured like candy, between tears' - O, The Oprah Magazine

'Read it and weep: Heartbreak collides with humour in Jojo Moyes's Me Before You' - Good Housekeeping USA
'Jojo Moyes has done it again with this funny, touching tale that is impossible to put down. Make sure you have a box of tissues to hand!' - Candis
'At last, a new Moyes novel - and it's a triumph. Her story of love blossoming in the most unlikely of ways packs such an emotional punch, you'll need a box of tissues' - Elle

'Jojo Moyes's poignantly romantic tales have readers streaming their way through boxes of Kleenex . . . Me Before You is compelling reading...a profound, fundamental, thought-provoking conundrum lies at the heart of the story, a huge moral dilemma, explored with great fictional finesse. Devotees of Jojo Moyes and newcomers alike will settle into this entertaining book with gusto' - Sunday Express
'Romantic, thought-provoking tear-jerker than you won't be able to put down' - Woman & Home

• ISBN10: 0718177029
• ISBN13: 9780718177027
• Publish Date: 19 July 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 29 June 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Michael Joseph Ltd
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 512
• Language: English

Reviews

[melanchalina]

Одна из самых переоцененных книг нашего времени.

Плакала ли я? Да. Но, я вообще часто на книгах плачу. А тут автор выдавливала жалось из читателей просто всеми способами. Не спорю, Джон Грин тоже так поступает, но у него все получается естественно и не так бросается в глаза, а тут же....

[e_rodz_leb]

4.5 Stars

Find the original review here: Reading with ABC.

Oh my goodness! This book should come with a warning or at least a book of tissues! Now I need to tell you why I think this book was full of pure awesomeness.

I read this book during my winter vacation, while I was in Puerto Rico, and thus my whole family got to see me with red, swollen after I finished it. This, my dear readers, is a sure sign that this was a great story. What’s so great, you ask? Everything!

I loved these characters, most specially Lou. It is always so good to see so much character growth within the pages of a story. Lou has settled for everything in life, her job, her love life, family dynamics, and her beliefs. That all changes (eventually) when she meets Will. Even though Will can barely move physically, he manages to induce joy, awareness, and much needed change in Lou. It is so nice to see the interactions and the banter between the two of them.

Poor Will. Prior to the accident, he was so active and he had such a fulfilling and amazing life that he just couldn’t adjust to life after the accident. Nevertheless, it brought him a clearer understanding of what means to fully live life. I think that’s why he saw Lou’s potential and it bothers him to see how even though she’s whole, she wastes her life by conforming to what others think of her and limiting her potential. The overall character development is really good.

The plot is so good and unexpected. I have to say that while I was reading, I kept wishing for a miracle, for that magic pill or at least for Will’s attitude towards life to change. I truly understand his decision, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept. The writing is easy to read, funny, quirky and so insightful and heart felt. Me Before You is the first book I’ve read by Moyes and it will not be the last. It is a true gem.

To recap, Me Before You, is a story of finding inner strength, finding a purpose and not settling in life. It’s a story of reaching out to the sky and grabbing what you want. It’s a story of knowing when to let go.

About the cover: This cover really doesn’t to a lot for me, it’s probably the reason why it took me so long to read the book in the first place.

[lizarodz]

4.5 Stars

Find the original review here: Reading with ABC.

Oh my goodness! This book should come with a warning or at least a book of tissues! Now I need to tell you why I think this book was full of pure awesomeness.

I read this book during my winter vacation, while I was in Puerto Rico, and thus my whole family got to see me with red, swollen after I finished it. This, my dear readers, is a sure sign that this was a great story. What’s so great, you ask? Everything!

I loved these characters, most specially Lou. It is always so good to see so much character growth within the pages of a story. Lou has settled for everything in life, her job, her love life, family dynamics, and her beliefs. That all changes (eventually) when she meets Will. Even though Will can barely move physically, he manages to induce joy, awareness, and much needed change in Lou. It is so nice to see the interactions and the banter between the two of them.

Poor Will. Prior to the accident, he was so active and he had such a fulfilling and amazing life that he just couldn’t adjust to life after the accident. Nevertheless, it brought him a clearer understanding of what means to fully live life. I think that’s why he saw Lou’s potential and it bothers him to see how even though she’s whole, she wastes her life by conforming to what others think of her and limiting her potential. The overall character development is really good.

The plot is so good and unexpected. I have to say that while I was reading, I kept wishing for a miracle, for that magic pill or at least for Will’s attitude towards life to change. I truly understand his decision, but it doesn’t make it any easier to accept. The writing is easy to read, funny, quirky and so insightful and heart felt. Me Before You is the first book I’ve read by Moyes and it will not be the last. It is a true gem.

To recap, Me Before You, is a story of finding inner strength, finding a purpose and not settling in life. It’s a story of reaching out to the sky and grabbing what you want. It’s a story of knowing when to let go.

About the cover: This cover really doesn’t to a lot for me, it’s probably the reason why it took me so long to read the book in the first place.

[Leah]

Me Before You by JoJo Moyes has been on my to-read list since it came out. It’s been sititng on my shelf, waiting for me to pick it up, but it’s taken me a while. This book has been a phenomenal success, it has over 3,000 reviews on Amazon UK and most of those are positive. Critics loved it, it’s sold billions of copies, it probably has a film in the works and it has brought JoJo to the front of everyone’s minds. Her author level has gone stratospheric! That’s a lot of pressure to heap onto one book so I’ve always stayed clear. But, you can only steer clear of a great novel for so long and eventually you cave and read it. I knew exactly what I was getting in to when I started Me Before You, but I didn’t care, I just wanted to experience the magical novel everyone else has already read and discussed, and it was amazing.

Every so often a book comes along that truly blows you away, that’s so well written, you can’t believe you’ve just read a 450 page book in just one day, and Me Before You is that book. It’s special. So special that, despite the fact I knew pretty much the bare bones of the novel before I started it, it didn’t really matter. Because I just knew I was in for a stunning read, and it was. When Lou and Will are brought together, in the most awful of circumstances, Will after a motorcycle accident leaves him quadreplegic, and Lou after losing her job, it almost seems too good to be true when the man at the job center tells Lou there’s a position available, to be Will’s carer and the pay will more than help her parents stay afloat of their bills and stuff. She wonders what the catch is, why Will’s mother Camille hired her to look after Will instead of someone with way more caring experience, but it’s not the caring that Will needs, it’s the bright, bold Lou, to brighten up his days, and perhaps show him that despite his accident, there can be a way to live with his ‘now’ life.

After I had read Cecelia Ahern’s new novel How To Fall In Love, I was asked if it was very similar to Me Before You. I had no idea, of course, because I hadn’t read Me Before You. Now that I have, I can say that yes, they are similar. They are both about showing someone who doesn’t want to live that there is a life out there for you. Though, they’re in very different ways. Adam in How To Fall In Love, isn’t disabled. Will is. That’s a different kettle of fish right off the bat, but the simple premise of both novels is inherently similar, done in very differnt ways by two very different writers. Both books blew me away, both books amazed me in different ways. Inevitable comparisons will be made, but I just say: Enjoy both books for what they are because they are both really, really special.

Me Before You was just amazing, the whole entirely book just captivated me from the start. Lou was such a lovely, vibrant character and I so adored the way she dressed, and wished I could be more like her. I loved her enthusiasm, and felt quite sad that she had ended up staying stuck in the town she grew up in, because she was like a big fish in a little pond. Despite Will’s well-deserved bitterness about his situation, I loved him too. I loved how he let Lou win him around and came back to life, a bit more, page after page. How, soon, it was him telling Lou he wanted to go out and not the other way around, that gave me hope. It made me smile. I loved his and Lou’s relationship because she just talked to him like a normal person, not like he was an invalid or a nuisance, not that he was to be pitied. She gave him stick and he gave stick right back and it was beautiful. The book does feature other characters – and I really liked Lou’s family, with the exception of her sister Treena, who I found to be quite a selfish girl. I didn’t care for Patrick, Lou’s boyfriend, either. But, really, it’s Lou and Will and their interactions that make this book so flipping readable.

Jojo Moyes is a wonderful storyteller. Truly gifted, and she has many books to her name, and it’s going to be a joy for me to discover all of her other, fantastic I’m sure, novels. The one thing I knew for absolute certain when I started this book was that it was going to break my heart. Because it broke everybody else’s and that one little spoiler assured me of what I suspected all along. I knew the ending, I knew how it was all going to go down and that thought depressed me on and off throughout the novel; why continue to read a book when I know I am not going to get my happy ever after I always love to get? But, some books are worth the pain and the heartache and this is one of them, especially when it’s done so beautifully. It made me cry. Not as bad as some books have this year, but it made me cry nevertheless. I did feel heartbroken inside. On the other hand, if I found myself in a similar situation to Will, I’d be on his side every day of the week, so I could also understand it. This was an amazing novel, that blew me away in every which way. I adored it, I devoured it, and it made me laugh and broke my heart all at the same time, something a good book should always do and I can see why Me Before You has over 3,000 reviews on Amazon, because it’s THAT good and it really does get you talking.

[boghunden]

Bogen bliver fremstillet som en super romantisk chick-lit bog og intet kunne være mere forkert! Bevares, der er da romantik, men det spiller en overraskende lille rolle. Det handler mere om livet, når man er bundet til en kørestol, fordi man er paralyseret (frit oversat fra “quadriplegic”). Om de små glæder man har, om at gøre tingene, før det er for sent. Ja, tænk i PS. Jeg elsker dig. Det er lidt derhen af. Der bliver behandlet en masse forskellige temaer: søskendeproblemer, kæresteproblemer, problemer med at bo ved sine forældre som 26-årig, problemet når man vil redde verden, at bestemme over sit eget liv og sidst men ikke mindst at udvikle sig som menneske.
Bogen er hovedsageligt fortalt gennem Lous synspunkt, men enkelte kapitler bliver fortalt fra andre karakterer og det giver et dejligt break i bogen. Sproget der bliver brugt, er let som vi kender det fra chick-lit, men jeg må krybe til korset og indrømme, jeg ikke fik 100% fat i de medicinske terminologier, men det var ikke noget, der var forstyrrende for forståelsen.
Persongalleriet var herligt og let at finde rundt i. Jeg kunne dog godt have brugt lidt mindre pasager omkring Lous liv hos forældrene. Det føltes ikke altid lige relevant for historien.
Og lad mig sige det med det samme: Jeg græd. Gennem 25 sider sad jeg med papir og prøvede at undgå at søbe bogen til i salte tårer. Nøj, det er svært at læse når man græder så meget. Jeg kunne bare ikke lade vær’. Hvis I ikke vil kigges mærkeligt på, så skal I nok ikke læse bogen offentligt ;o) Så er det i hvert fald slået fast!