A review by maggiestraveledbookshelf
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

📖 Me Before You

📚 This can be read as standalone, but it’s technically the first book of a trilogy. 

✍🏻 Jojo Moyes

☑️ Contemporary Fiction 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨, 𝘾𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙠, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙥 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.”

Because this book came out over ten years ago and was then adapted into a movie, I don’t think it needs much introduction. But just in case…

Overview: 

•Heart-wrenching

•Opposites Attract

•Personal Growth

•Morality Dilemma  

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗶𝗱-𝟮𝟬𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.

🤍 I thoroughly loved this book!!!

Let me start with this: A few years ago, I watched this movie without knowing it was a book (Emilia Clark and Sam Claflin!!!! I love them both). I have read a few books this year by Jojo Moyes, so I figured I would try this one too.

Louisa Clark’s character jumps off the page from the very beginning. From the way she interacts with her sister to her growth journey, the writing takes you inside her head and heart in such an intimate way. 

Sometimes we don’t know how we’ll react to a situation until we are in it, and watching Louisa stand tall in who she is, fight for what she believes, and allow her perspective to be broadened was the highlight of the book for me. 

“𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙚𝙣𝙙.”

I have never been a caregiver, and I also have an Able Body. So I can’t speak directly to the accuracy of the representation of quadriplegic people nor the people around them. 

However, I found the way she depicted their evolving relationships and dialogue about Huge Decisions compelling and meaningful.

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙖𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙬𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙬 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚—𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩, 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚’𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙬—𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙖 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝙊𝙧 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙤 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚.”

The chemistry and connection between Will and Louisa were palpable. I loved the way they pushed each other, in their own needed ways. 

Their relationship felt so viscerally real, and even though I wouldn’t call this book a romance, it was still a beautiful love story.

𝙄 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡’𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙬𝙣. 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩, 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙛𝙡𝙮, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙, 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙨 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩.

I loved that we got an occasional chapter from side characters’ POVs!! Genuinely loved those chapters because it gave the story another dimension. 

Plus, with an ending like this one, I felt it was vitally important to have that “outside looking in” perspective.

“𝙄’𝙢 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙃𝙚’𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙨. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣’𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚.”

There were so many other smaller aspects I loved about this story! The depiction of sisterhood. The struggle of breaking out of habits. The importance of choice. The power of connection. 

Jojo Moyes wrote a book wrought with frustratingly realistic characters and a heavy moral question. It’s impossible to read this book without self-reflection and empathy. 

Even though I knew how this book would end (due to seeing the movie), I still found myself captivated by every page.

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.

This book stretched my heart. I cannot think of a single aspect that I didn’t appreciate.

Overall, I obviously recommend this book to anyone who wants a heavier story! 

✨ Read via Libby ✨ 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide