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Me Before You Jojo Moyes 9780718157838 Books

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Me Before You Jojo Moyes 9780718157838 Books

This review can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm ([...]).

Note: My sincere thanks to Ms Moyes, Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for providing me with this complimentary ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

My Thoughts: I can describe this book in two words: awesome and unputdownable. This is definitely one of those books that will stay with me for a very, very long time. First of all, I was surprised at how much emotion this book pulled out of me. Yes, even I (the woman who rarely cries) teared up and got more than a little verklempt. This book shocked me, touched me, taught me, and had me sympathize with what quadriplegics deal with on a daily basis.

Admittedly, I do not have a lot of experience with quadriplegia so I'm thankful to this book for educating me. Ms Moyes takes the reader inside the daily life of a 'quad' (a term used in the book) -- especially out in the public eye. We're shown, through Will's eyes, how a quadriplegic person feels when people stare or make assumptions and treat 'quads' as 'less than'. They see the wheelchair and the physical disability instead of the person. She also shows the dehumanizing effects on a quadriplegic when others take it upon themselves to decide even the simplest decisions for them.

The storyline is wonderful but it's the characters who truly bring this book to life. They are written so honestly and authentically that I found myself wondering about them when I had to put the book down -- which admittedly was as little as possible. These are no cookie cutter/one dimensional characters. You really and truly get to know Lou and Will.

Lou begins as a naive and rather dull young woman who has no goals in life. She has settled for what life's dealt her and doesn't desire to better her situation. She's not a pathetic doormat but a character who came off as just not knowing that she could have better. She's a tough girl when pushed and I love how we get to see her come into her own.

Will is the antithesis of Lou. He's lived a very full and successful life. He's a very complicated character and although he is brutal with some of his negative comments and could easily be considered an 'arse' (as Louisa describes him) you can't help but find a glimmer of who he really is underneath all the acerbic comments that he uses to protect himself. Together Lou and Will bring out different aspects in each other and that is what sold this book to me.
This book deals with a subject matter that isn't often dealt with and does it in an eye-opening, yet truly human way. I found myself putting my Kindle down just to think about what I would do in that situation, whether I was in Will's shoes or Lou's. I'm still not sure how to answer that question. This author doesn't go for the easy shock factor or the sappy tear-fest just to get her readers to shed a tear or two. Her writing is so much more subtle and the relationship between Will and Louisa is more complicated and deeper than I would have expected. The emotion between these two characters slowly builds at a realistic pace and I had to stop myself from skimming through several pages because I was that eager to know what would happen to them. Their love story was sweet and yet very deep. They 'got' each other.

Another thing that stood out for me with this book is the way the secondary characters weren't so 'secondary'. They weren't just used as filler and added tremendously to the overall storyline. Lou's boyfriend, her family and even Will's parents have their own burdens and issues which helped to make them much more than a typical supporting cast of characters. Even some of the snarky conversations and sibling rivalry between Lou and her sister were so authentic that I swear I had had similar conversations with my own two sisters growing up.

Jojo Moyes has written a brilliant book that is honest, real and so very, very heartfelt. It's a sad read but surprisingly uplifting at the same time. I found myself laughing at Lou and Will's banter but then tearing up and getting the biggest lump in my throat. A roller coaster ride of emotions to be sure! It's a book about learning to take chances and not letting one day go by without truly living life to its fullest. It's a book about unconditional and unselfish love and never taking anything for granted.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I'm giving it my very rare 5 stars. You simply must read this book!

My Rating: 5/5 stars


Tags : ,Jojo Moyes,Me Before You,Michael Joseph,0718157834

Me Before You Jojo Moyes 9780718157838 Books Reviews

4+ stars to Jojo Moyes's Me Before You. I saw a glimpse of the movie preview and had perused a few online reviews of the book when I added it to my "To Read" list. I had to read it before I could watch it which means moving it up quickly. It seemed like a good choice yesterday morning and soon it became my Saturday read!

Story
Will was hit while crossing the street ending the extremely adventerous part of his life and leaving him a quadriplegic. His friends slowly disappeared and Will was stuck moving back home with his parents living a very minimalistic life where he basically sat in his chair staring thru the window all day long. He comes to an agreement with his family about his care for a 6 month period where he will try to be a little more positive but afterwards, they must accept his choices.

Louisa was content with a simple life supporting her parents and sister but suddenly lost her job and had to find something to be able to help survive. She had very little hopes and dreams mostly because she just addressed each day as it came never really focusing on her own future. She accepts a job as a caretaker for Will where she's supposed to just try to keep him a little cheerful but fights with the decision to take on this type of role for a 6 month duration.

They of course mix like oil and water at first but in time find a way to tolerate one another. Their relationship eventually gains depth and learn they need one another to keep going forward. But Will's ultimate plans are not what Louisa expected, and she struggles with how to accept his choices. The story takes you on a path of romance, anger, hope and despair ending in a very emotional place but opening the door for a sequel to see what happens after this experience.

Strengths
For most readers, this book will take you away from your own life's troubles giving you something much more intense in which to immerse yourself. The pacing, timing, setting, character development and imagery will capture your attention and make you realize you likely have it pretty good in your own life. While you'll understand enough of the pain and barriers people with physical disabilities experience, you will also learn what it's like emotionally to handle such a huge change to your lifestyle and relationships. By the end, your problems will seem far less dramatic and you may even walk away from the book feeling energized to be more positive. (And yes, you'll spend most of the book crying and sad!)

Weaknesses
With full caution, I may not be aware of what life is like in towns like the one in this book and thus this may not actually be a weakness... however, Louisa's family and hometown seems a bit unrealistic. I get that she has two parents, a grandparent, a sister and a nephew living with her and times are tough financially. I get that parents sometimes tease their kids about life choices. But there's a clear love between the family at the same time as a clear favoritism for Louisa's sister over Louisa. Many pages are devoted to how intelligent and beautiful her sister is and why the family needs to spend more money and love on her. Louisa may act a bit plain and simple, but she's the one supporting the family. And then when the mother reacts to Louisa's choices at the end of the book, I was confused as to why she would be so divergent. Yet the scene where Will comes to Louisa's birthday party were incredibly touching to a point where I really liked her family. It felt a little bit yo-yo-ish for me.

Final Thoughts
To love this book, you have to love emotion. You have to be OK with crying and getting angry. You have to be OK with accepting how other people have a right to make their own choices. You have to realize people are different. You have to understand that yes, there are people in the world like this and just because you haven't met them or interacted with them much doesn't mean they aren't there. What I loved most about this book was the beauty and pain from which I am often sheltered. And when a book makes you get out of your own skin, you have to acknowledge its strengths.
I watched the film first, and loved it so much that I watched it every day for a week. I watched interviews of the two lead actors and their take on the characters journeys... and that's when I learned it was a book adaptation. Normally I don't like to read books after I've seen the film, but this one, I had to- and I'm so glad I did. It filled in so much more of the emotion the film could barely touch on. It painted a far more realistic picture and timeline, of things that went on outside the relationship between Lou and Will, with her family, with Pat... and though this is a book review and not a film review, I have to say you won't be disappointed in either, if you had read it first or seen the film first.

I couldn't put the book down, despite having watched the film several times, despite knowing the outcome... getting a little more insight into everyone's world was addictive. I only wish we could've heard a little more from Will's prospective.

Being American, some of the references and language was a bit hard to follow, but overall, the sarcasm and humor translated very well.
This review can also be found on my blog, The Baking Bookworm ([...]).

Note My sincere thanks to Ms Moyes, Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for providing me with this complimentary ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

My Thoughts I can describe this book in two words awesome and unputdownable. This is definitely one of those books that will stay with me for a very, very long time. First of all, I was surprised at how much emotion this book pulled out of me. Yes, even I (the woman who rarely cries) teared up and got more than a little verklempt. This book shocked me, touched me, taught me, and had me sympathize with what quadriplegics deal with on a daily basis.

Admittedly, I do not have a lot of experience with quadriplegia so I'm thankful to this book for educating me. Ms Moyes takes the reader inside the daily life of a 'quad' (a term used in the book) -- especially out in the public eye. We're shown, through Will's eyes, how a quadriplegic person feels when people stare or make assumptions and treat 'quads' as 'less than'. They see the wheelchair and the physical disability instead of the person. She also shows the dehumanizing effects on a quadriplegic when others take it upon themselves to decide even the simplest decisions for them.

The storyline is wonderful but it's the characters who truly bring this book to life. They are written so honestly and authentically that I found myself wondering about them when I had to put the book down -- which admittedly was as little as possible. These are no cookie cutter/one dimensional characters. You really and truly get to know Lou and Will.

Lou begins as a naive and rather dull young woman who has no goals in life. She has settled for what life's dealt her and doesn't desire to better her situation. She's not a pathetic doormat but a character who came off as just not knowing that she could have better. She's a tough girl when pushed and I love how we get to see her come into her own.

Will is the antithesis of Lou. He's lived a very full and successful life. He's a very complicated character and although he is brutal with some of his negative comments and could easily be considered an 'arse' (as Louisa describes him) you can't help but find a glimmer of who he really is underneath all the acerbic comments that he uses to protect himself. Together Lou and Will bring out different aspects in each other and that is what sold this book to me.
This book deals with a subject matter that isn't often dealt with and does it in an eye-opening, yet truly human way. I found myself putting my down just to think about what I would do in that situation, whether I was in Will's shoes or Lou's. I'm still not sure how to answer that question. This author doesn't go for the easy shock factor or the sappy tear-fest just to get her readers to shed a tear or two. Her writing is so much more subtle and the relationship between Will and Louisa is more complicated and deeper than I would have expected. The emotion between these two characters slowly builds at a realistic pace and I had to stop myself from skimming through several pages because I was that eager to know what would happen to them. Their love story was sweet and yet very deep. They 'got' each other.

Another thing that stood out for me with this book is the way the secondary characters weren't so 'secondary'. They weren't just used as filler and added tremendously to the overall storyline. Lou's boyfriend, her family and even Will's parents have their own burdens and issues which helped to make them much more than a typical supporting cast of characters. Even some of the snarky conversations and sibling rivalry between Lou and her sister were so authentic that I swear I had had similar conversations with my own two sisters growing up.

Jojo Moyes has written a brilliant book that is honest, real and so very, very heartfelt. It's a sad read but surprisingly uplifting at the same time. I found myself laughing at Lou and Will's banter but then tearing up and getting the biggest lump in my throat. A roller coaster ride of emotions to be sure! It's a book about learning to take chances and not letting one day go by without truly living life to its fullest. It's a book about unconditional and unselfish love and never taking anything for granted.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I'm giving it my very rare 5 stars. You simply must read this book!

My Rating 5/5 stars