Me Before You (Me Before You Trilogy, #1)

by Jojo Moyes

[sstaley]

Like many of you I have seen the movie trailer for Me Before You, a novel that originally came out in 2012. I knew I wanted to read the book before seeing the movie coming out this June. I am late coming to this ballgame of reading this contemporary fiction novel. I've heard a lot about it and read many reviews that were positive and some negative. Like always, I like to read the book myself before forming an opinion.

I was taken in from the very beginning of this story. Moyes writing style is so engaging and entertaining. The story is told in first person narrative, all Lou's except for a few chapters from other people, which felt kind of strange throwing them in where they did. I'm not sure that they were needed.

I liked main character Louisa, Lou, from the beginning. She is a twenty-six year old woman who is living a very normal life in a common job working in a local cafe, she has been in a seven year relationship with her over-obsessed athletic boyfriend Patrick, and she still lives at home to help out her family- especially financially. Lou is quirky, bubbly, and eccentric, especially with her fashion style. She also is somewhat timid in the way she looks at life because of something that happened to her in her past. After her job ends she is in need of employment. Lou takes a job as a carer of Will a quadriplegic man. Throughout the course of the story we see Lou come to life. I loved the journey I saw her take as she became friends, and a little bit more with Will.

Will after being hit by a car has given up the desire to go on in his life. He had been living an adventurous, healthy life of many trips and adventures. Now Will is cold, in a lot of pain, and distant with most people, but underneath that cold exterior, there still lies a hidden layer of humor and the way he looks at life. Bringing these two very different people together at first seems like a mistake. Lou wants to call it quits quite early on as she learns how to take care of Will and putting up with his shifting moods.

The best part of this book are the interactions between Lou and Will. If you take each interaction for what it is, and not wondering if Lou can change Will's mind about ending his life, then you will enjoy this book so much more. No one can be in Will's head and understand what it is like living the life of a quadriplegic, unless you are living that life. That is why I hope readers don't judge Will harshly about his reasons and attitude of how he views his life now.

“You are scored on my heart, Clark. You were from the first day you walked in,with your ridiculous clothes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt.”

This book made me laugh and cry and feel every emotion under the sun. It's one of those books that makes you think of life and it's meaning to you. If you are not afraid of reading a book that will truly play with your emotions, then pick up Me Before You. This is a fast read that is so hard to put down. Once you get pulled in you must keep reading. I'm glad that I read this book and I can't wait to see the movie this summer. This book is recommended for older teens(17+ and adults.)

***Warnings: Infrequent swearing using British terms such as "arse" and "bloody, as well as "f--k" and its variations, social drinking, little sexual content, sketchy details of gang rape, but not described.***

Read an excerpt from Me Before You on my blog at http://whynotbecauseisaidso.blogspot.com/2016/03/me-before-you-by-jojo-moyes-review-and.html