Me Before You (Me Before You, #1) in What's the Name of That Book???

Nov 07, 2018 Candice rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I was surprised that I liked this book so much. Yes, there were some "typical" romance book themes in here, but there was so much more. I thought the book gave a good picture of what it is like to live as a quadriplegic. It's not just the inability to move the lower part of the body. There is the increased likelihood of getting an infection such as pneumonia. There is a decreased ability to regulate body temperature. And although you would think that someone who can no longer move those parts of ...more

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Feb 25, 2016 Esther rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: england, __borrowed, author-female, gag-me-with-a-spoon, library, romance, zz-2016

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. With writing people often say that finding a good idea or premise for a story is not enough you need to be able to carry it through, get the book written.
This book proves that the inverse is also true. Jojo Moyes has an enjoyable writing style, it flows pleasantly and she has a nice turn of phrase (although at times I felt she gave Louisa dialogue more witty and wry than it would ever be in real life).
But in an attempt to create a hybrid between 'Pygmalion' and 'Who's Life is it Anyway' our auth With writing people often say that finding a good idea or premise for a story is not enough you need to be able to carry it through, get the book written.
This book proves that the inverse is also true. Jojo Moyes has an enjoyable writing style, it flows pleasantly and she has a nice turn of phrase (although at times I felt she gave Louisa dialogue more witty and wry than it would ever be in real life).
But in an attempt to create a hybrid between 'Pygmalion' and 'Who's Life is it Anyway' our author seems to have dug up her narrative from the Mills & Boon classic cliché collection.

Some readers seem surprised by the ending but for such a light story in which people's actions are more often annoying than thought-provoking it was the only conclusion with any bite. And to be honest I did feel it was true to Will himself.
He was spoiled, arrogant and entitled, used to getting what he wanted and not understanding the meaning of compromise or 'making the best' of a situation. He didn't want to give himself a chance and was perversely determined not only to prove he could control his life but also that he didn't have to pay heed to the opinions of those surrounding him. At one point I began to wonder if he stuck so determinedly to the date, with no consideration of a delay for any reason, just because his pride was too over-powering to admit the possibility that he might change his mind, even for a short while.

Louisa and her family weren't any more endearing either. As much as they seemed to care it was mostly a superficial illusion as none of them showed much empathy. They were constantly interfering and self-involved. At times I wanted to send the whole lot of them off to Dignitas.

But one of my biggest hurdles in being able to take this as a book commenting seriously on a subject, rather that a trite romance draped over a situation calculated to produce maximum melodrama, was the fact that Will was so rich. An abundance of carers, fancy wheelchairs and luxury holidays are just not available for most of the world's disabled, even those living in the Western World.
If Louisa and Will's financial situations had been reversed this would have been a much more interesting story.
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Nov 04, 2013 Maria Elmvang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 4-stars, owned-ebook, 2013, fiction

A 4.5 star review.

I'd suddenly started reading about this book everywhere and people seemed to love it, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm glad I did - even with my high expectations I was very pleasantly surprised by it, and ended up loving it :) It started out fairly similar to the movie "The Intouchables" (looove that movie!), but quickly veered off, and actually became more of an exploration into a moral/ethical dilemma. Fortunately it totally worked with the plot, and much like "My Sister ...more

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Jan 15, 2016 Stacy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mc-book-club, books-read-in-2016

A bit formulaic and sappy but an incredibly engaging read.

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Jul 22, 2013 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A powerful book, I was feeling many emotions while reading it. You may need Kleenex....

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Dec 31, 2013 Lara rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2014

I think I would have liked this book far less if it was American. British novels, even light ones, always have an air of sophistication about them. While the subject matter was not light, I still considered this a quick, easy read and even though I thought I was prepared the ending still completely caught me emotionally off guard.

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Jan 15, 2015 Cheryl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A very good book, with some interesting twists to it - - but if you don't believe in having the right to choose death, it could be a tough read. ...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Lauren rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I liked this very much. Some parts are very predictable, others, less so.
Am I bad to say I wished it had a little sex? It could've, you know. ...more

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