Book Review: Me Before You

Synopsis:
They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

TRB Book Review: 4.5/5 stars
This is a heartbreaking and emotional roller coaster that you won’t want to get down from!

Louisa Clark is a rambunctious young woman who has settled into her small-town, normal, and uneventful life. Will Traynor was a high-class businessman readily taking on the world when an accident ripped everything away from him. An unlikely career opportunity for Louisa and the need of a new caregiver for Will brings these two incredibly opposite characters together in a way that manages to simultaneously melt and rip open your heart.

My thoughts – I was hesitant to start this novel because I’ve never been big into the “Adult Realistic Fiction” genre before, but I can say that I was pleasantly surprised when it bordered on YA Fiction – a genre I can’t get enough of!

From the first page you are enveloped in everything Louisa, to include quirky sibling rivalry, dramatic family quips, and the struggle of a twenty-something. I had a difficult time following along in the beginning with the native tongue, but once I got a hang of the language (I may have Googled some British terms, don’t judge me) I couldn’t put it down! Not being a huge fan of first-person writing, it really surprised me that I found being inside of Lou’s head so completely fascinating!

She’s such a bubbly, quick witted gal that you cannot help but adore her. When Will comes into the picture you get his outwardly negative attitude (understandably so in his situation) and Lou’s hilarious (sometimes slightly cranky) internal dialogue. They compliment each other well, kudos to Moyes for pleasantly and hilariously bringing two terribly opposite characters so close to our hearts in such a short time!

I’d say that a good 70% of this book is built on Will and Lou’s relationship blossoming purely out of trust and respect for each other (if you ask me, this differs completely from how the movie trailers portrayed it as a love story from beginning to end). Over the course of the book, Lou falls in love with Will seeing beyond his malice tongue and disabled body, while Will slowly becomes enthralled in Lou’s wit, charm, and caring nature – leading ultimately to his love and compassion for her.

“So this is it. You are scored on my heart, Clark. You were from the first day you walked in, with your ridiculous clothes and your bad jokes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt.” -Will, Me Before You

The quiet giggles and stifled tears that Moyes extracts from her readers through the emotional 369 pages that is Me Before You are worth every single second. She enables the reader to picture each of Lou’s eccentric outfits, hear Will’s heavily weighted and pained breaths, and discover an entirely new world in such a small and fictional town.

Overall I think that this book is the perfect Sunday read for anyone who craves something different. By “different” I just mean this – I tend to choose YA fantasy and sci-fi novels quicker than most natural reflexes, but Me Before You was a refreshing take on a fictitious realm that involves realistic characters with feelings and thoughts, struggles and triumphs that normal people like you and I can relate to. If you’re looking for a quick read and an entirely gripping story about growing up, finding your way and learning to love, this is it and I highly recommend that you add it to the top of your “to be read” list immediately.

This review was in no way sponsored by the author, publisher, etc. The book was purchased by myself, for myself, for the sole purpose of reading for pleasure.

About the Author:
JoJo Moyes lives on a farm in Essex, England with her husband, journalist Charles Arthur, and their three children. She is the author of twelve critically acclaimed novels and has won the Romantic Novelist’s Award twice. The film adaptation of Me Before You starring Sam Claflin (The Hunger Games) and Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) was released in June 2016 and was a huge box-office success. The screenplay was written by Jojo.