Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You 

by Jojo Moyes

Released: July 30, 2013
Publisher: Penguin Books
Series: Me Before You, Book 1
Followed By: After You
Page Amount: 369, US Paperback
POV: 1st Person (Lou)
Buy it here: Barnes & Noble•Amazon

OVERALL:

Plot-18/20
Characters-17/20

Creativity-20/20

Writing-18/20

Pace-7/10

Ending-10/10

= 90/100 A

★★★★/5

SUMMARY:

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never 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.-Goodreads.com

REViEW:

Like many people, I first heard about this book from all of the buzz surrounding the movie. I was immediately drawn to the romance between Will and Lou in the movie trailer and ended up disappointed when the book showed virtually no romance between the two. I do not want to say too much about the plot of this novel because I don't want to spoil anything. I was happy that the book focused on issues surrounding life and living with a debilitating injury, but I wish that I could have felt and seen more chemistry and romance between the two main characters. 

I believe the characters in this book are what made this novel fall flat for me. When I first began reading this book, I loved Lou. She was quirky and cute. I must admit that I laughed out loud during the interview scene. Lou seemed to be full of personality, but then a couple chapters later once she began working for the Traynors, she really fell flat for me. She seemed very two dimensional, leaving me unable to connect with her. On the other hand, Will had a strong personality complete with wit and sarcasm, yet I felt like I didn't see much of him. I really wanted to connect with all of the characters like I felt when I watched the movie trailer but wasn't able to.   

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed this book. Even though I wasn't that big of a fan of this novel, I did end up crying by the end of it. I absolutely loved the ending. It was very fitting for the book and the characters involved. I am curious what takes place in Moyes following novel After You, but I'm hesitant to read it because of how disconnected I felt towards Lou in Me Before You. Overall, I did enjoy this book, but I wasn't completely in love with it. I have a feeling this will be one of those rare times where I enjoy the movie more than the book. 

My Favorite Part: The interview scene towards the beginning of the novel.

ALL iN ALL:
Do I recommend this book? Yes, but I think I would recommend the movie more.

Will I be reading the next book? I'm not entirely sure.

It's a Book Thing
Review by Macy ♥