Jo Jo Moyes, Me Before You (book review)
Me Before You
Author: Jo Jo Moyes
This is the first book I have read by Jo Jo Moyes and I wasn’t disappointed. It made me laugh out loud and cry real tears. It’s not your general run-of-the-mill slushy romance and isn’t racy either. It is extremely thought provoking.
Me Before You is a beautiful modern love story, yes on the surface a slightly predictable story line; girl meets boy, girl is a little lost, loses her job and is unsure of her future until… but it is so much more.
Louisa is a young girl who lives with her family who are struggling for money, after losing her job in the local café she finds herself agreeing to a six month contract caring for Will, a paraplegic. Will, before his accident, was an adrenaline junky who embraced life to full, he and his family are wealthy but he too has lost his way. What follows is an enchanting story of two sides: a girl intent on making Will see that life is worth living and a man whose pain and suffering is too much and his life is just too hard.
Me Before You will make you laugh, there are some fabulous scenes, it will also make you cry, it dips in and out of the pain paraplegics suffer, from crippling physical pain and the constant threat of illnesses like pneumonia to the emotional pain.
The characters Jo Jo Moyes has created are really likeable and as you can probably tell, I loved this book. Not only from the shear entertainment value of sitting down and having a good read, but it also made me look at people with disabilities and their carers in a different light. It even touched a personal chord. I have a son with Epilepsy and as he grows into a young man I understand that I should listen to his needs.
I read an old review in the Telegraph where the reviewer Daneet Steffens finished it by saying ‘this is a story about two people who properly listen to each other, it is something good’. This is so true…
All in all a brilliant read and in my opinion worthy of five stars. I will definitely be reading a Jo Jo Moyes book again. Grab the tissues and enjoy the ride.
Me Before You
Jo Jo Moyes
Tip There are lots of spoiler reviews on-line so if you really don’t want to know what happens before you read it be careful with the reviews you read. Just buy the book!
Its a steal on Amazon at the moment, £3.50 or less for paperback or Kindle copy
Jo Jo Moyes – Me Before You – Amazon link
