Me Before You by Jojo Moyes {Book Review}

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After sharing my review of The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, one of my lovely readers {hi Anne!} recommended this book to me. I hadn’t read anything by Jojo Moyes before so I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I trusted Anne’s recommendation and ordered a copy from Amazon the day after she mentioned it.

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I’m usually attracted to fiction books with a realistic storyline that I can relate to on some level and this book fit the bill perfectly. Just to clarify, I don’t classify books like Fifty Shades of Grey in this category. I get why so many women loved the series but I couldn’t make it through the first one without losing interest. There is just no way that whole scenario would ever happen.

Brief Summary

Me Before You is the story of a 26 year old girl {Louisa Clark} whose life lacks a sense of direction and purpose. After losing her job at the local café, she is forced to seek a position as a caretaker for a 35 year old quadriplegic man {Will Traynor} who was once a well traveled, high powered financial executive that was later hit by a car and left paralyzed from the neck down. The beginning of their relationship is a tumultuous one and leaves Louisa yearning to leave her new position but since she is the main supporter of her family, she feels pressured to stay. Over time, their friendship develops and they come to learn things from one another that enrich both of their lives.

My Review {without spoilers}

After finishing this book, I can see why Anne would recommend it based on my review of The Fault in Our Stars. There is a noticeable parallel between the two storylines; they both deal with harsh realities that some of us are unfortunate enough to have to face, intertwined with touching love stories.

Although the very beginning of the book didn’t immediately drawn me in, it didn’t take very long for me to become intrigued by the narration. Moyes does a fantastic job developing her characters and she made me feel like I really knew the people that were relevant to the story.

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At first, I thought the storyline might be a little far-fetched but the author really connects you to Louisa emotionally and allows you to lose yourself in the story. As I got deeper into the book, I began to empathize with her love for Will as a person, regardless of his quadriplegia, and the love story became that much more believable to me.

I was also surprised to find that the book left me in suspense as she revealed new layers to each character and their interaction with one another. Usually, I can put a book down in the middle of reading it and not go back for weeks because other things in my life begin to take priority, but that didn’t happen once with this book. I found myself rushing to make it to bed every night with enough time to read because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

Overall, I loved this story and thoroughly enjoyed Jojo Moyes’ style of writing. It was witty, honest, and perfectly designed so that you will come back, wanting more. Similar to dealing with cancer in The Fault in Our Stars, the topic of quadriplegia is a tough one to swallow and it can make for a few sad moments but I personally feel it added depth to the story. Moyes allows you to really think about what it’s like to live as a quadriplegic and connect to the person behind the disability. I felt there were several important messages to take away from the story and I found that they really touched me as a reader. I thought it was a heartfelt and entertaining read and would highly recommend it.

I also plan to check out more of the authors work because I really enjoyed her writing style. Thanks again for the recommendation, Anne!

 

What are you currently reading?

Thoughts on Fifty Shades?

by Sarah on September 19, 2013  //  Uncategorized
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