Title: Me Before You
Author: Jojo Moyes
Published: December 31, 2012
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, 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?
Five Stars
Live Life Boldly. Live Life Fully.
I’ve been
meaning to read this book for a long while. A few months ago a very dear friend
and I even planned to buddy read this book, but things got hectic, and she
ended up reading this before me. Then she kept nudging me to read it. Well, a
few days ago I finally took the plunge…WOW! What a brilliant, touching story!
Will Traynor’s
family hire Louisa Clark to be his caregiver. Will is a 35 year old
quadriplegic who is severely depressed, and his family really wants Louisa to
be his companion, someone who can be his friend and maybe uplift his spirits a
bit. Boy, does she have her work cut out for her. Will doesn’t make it easy for
Lou at all. What I loved about Lou is that she’s spunky and super determined.
She’s exactly what Will needs, but is it enough? A friendship blossoms and the
romance is slowly built in such a beautiful way. Spending time with Will
ultimately impacts her life, too, in a huge way.
I didn’t read
any reviews prior to reading Me Before
You. I had no idea the story was going to dive deep into a controversial
topic. I think Ms. Moyes did a wonderful job presenting different aspects and
emotions in this controversy and how the disabled are continually treated and
viewed. She made me FEEL all the good
and bad parts. Yes, the sad parts were literally gut-wrenching to read, but the
story is also uplifting as well. Thinking back to chapter 15, who knew that Lou
was such a rebel!
“You only get one life. It’s
actually your duty to live it as fully as possible”
I read the
epilogue three times and each time I couldn’t get through it without tears
filling my eyes. Me Before You has
quickly become one of my all-time favorite reads and will truly stay with me
for a very long time. Little did I know that Will and Lou would worm their way
into my heart, that their story would serve as a kind reminder to live life boldly
and fully.
Book links:
Author Website:
