Me Before You (Me Before You, #1) in Hype or Like Friday

Feb 08, 2015 Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer rated it really liked it

Shelves: stand-alone, imo-so-depressing-im-suicidal, g-t-contemporary, reviewed, g-c-british, g-c-life-out-of-the-ordinary, fiction-adult, book-club, stars-4, imo-wrongheaded-teaching

So I was rather taken aback by the prologue. If you don't read prologues then please make an exception and read this one! It will make the ending make sense even if you don't want it to. And despite having a few problems with this book I still gave it rather high rating because of the great storytelling happening right from page one of this story. It didn't make me like Will any, but you immediately understand him once you met him post accident. This is essential for you to get into the story an So I was rather taken aback by the prologue. If you don't read prologues then please make an exception and read this one! It will make the ending make sense even if you don't want it to. And despite having a few problems with this book I still gave it rather high rating because of the great storytelling happening right from page one of this story. It didn't make me like Will any, but you immediately understand him once you met him post accident. This is essential for you to get into the story and care about Will the way Lou cares about Will.

Lou I didn't know what to think about at first but I came to quite like her. You know right from the beginning that she with her poor background and lack of ambitions is not Will's sort of girl. We see why she came to be like this but not before we become as invested in Lou as Will does. I loved how flighty she was but how she was honestly hurt at the lack of honesty and the horrid attitude. I liked how her circumstances created a situation she would have normally fled from but because of things out of her control she had to endure. That to me is how life is and it made the story really easy to get into and you really started to care about Lou due to her present circumstances. Not because you related to her character or because of what happened to her in the past but because you understood she was in a tough situation in the present.

There was one passage of the story where I bawled my eyes out and another where I read fast and just had to grit my teeth and read through. I didn't particularly agree with Lou's point of view or Will's I would have acted totally different if I were either of them but I appreciated the journey. Some might say that Lou's journey was superficial because she change due to a man. I didn't see Lou as having changed because of Will so much as she was influenced by him. The him that still existed despite the accident. He was a wildly charismatic, dynamic man that a woman like Lou would never have met under normal circumstances. She was blessed to have met him but she made the changes herself. She went to the library and looked things up. She made the commitment to try to change Will's mind. She went to the University and applied and got in on her interview, Will was just the inspiration.

And that is what Will didn't understand. He never would have met or liked Lou whole. He loved her in as much as such a selfish, self-centered man could love because he could understand why she'd stalled her life...due to his own experience. And he could push where she needed pushing, listen when she needed an ear and inspire when she needed her horizons broadened because of what he lost! Her sister didn't help Lou, nor did anyone else of significance in Lou's life.

BOTTOM LINE: A good read if you ignore the hypocrite at the end.

**Mild Spoilers**
There are scenes I loved but to me I really loved the wedding scene. There is much to like about their adventures together but this felt like a turning point for Lou. It felt like the real reason she worked for Will.

I didn't so much like from the trip to the end. In fact I really hated it. I didn't expect Will to live. The prologue said that this man would not be able to live with his handicap because he was a selfish, self-centered, egotistical man and I don't really see his injury changing that. But I didn't appreciate how Lou was portrayed. As if she could go on knowing that the man she loved and who influenced her to change was a hypocrite. That with the fact he committed suicide would have totally changed how she saw the events in her own life. It would have made her question everything, it would have tainted their love. I get the upbeat end. But suicide effects not only the dead person, but those that love them. And it's not seen as an unfortunate death or a putting to rest either like an accident or natural death. It is traumatizing, perhaps worse than anything Lou had gone through before. This to me is not the right way to show suicide, that everyone gets over it and see it as the suicider sees it, because they don't!!

...more

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May 15, 2015 Marie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: heartbreaking

what this can't be the ending?!! This story was just beautiful and heartbreaking! loved it ...more

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Feb 21, 2016 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adult-fiction

Wow... Just wow. I don't want to write a review with spoilers. I refuse to. But, this book. I'm not one to cry in a book. It's honestly a rare event. But, I was a blubbering idiot and continued to cry after I put it down. I also rarely give 5 stars.

Is it the greatest book ever written? No. But, it pulled so many emotions out me throughout that it deserved 5 stars, IMO. I laughed. I was frustrated at times. And, I cried. (view spoiler) ...more

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Jan 04, 2015 Nikki rated it really liked it

Shelves: favorites, almost-favorites, fictional-friends, love-stories, hard-to-read-but-worth-it, 2016-reads

4 stars. Many spoilers. Anxious for other thoughts.

What a strange, yet unique commentary on life and the way it should be lived. This book is many things, the main being the tragic reality and helplessness of our own limiting situations; however, more than that and even more tragic is how we cling to and wrap ourselves within those limitations, using those boundaries to create excuses that allow us to settle a life of safety, a life of smallness and meaningless comfort.

Will's father used hi ...more

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May 01, 2016 Savannah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: own

Check out my review on my blog here:
https://thebookprophetcom.wordpress.c... ...more

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Sep 17, 2016 Kirsty rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed, library-copy

After a terrible accident Will is left as a quadriplegic, with no use of any of his limbs. Lou loses her job after her boss decides to move to Australia. After a few dodgy jobs from the Job Centre Lou applies to be the carer of Will and eventually comes to care about him a lot despite Will being an absolute arse to her.

I reserved this book at the library because I wasn't sure if I would like it or not but wanted to check out what the hype was all about. Part of my uncertainty was that I'd seen a ...more

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Apr 20, 2015 Larkin (Wonderfilled Reads) rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary, reviewed-on-blog, own, romance, goodreads-nominee, stand-alone, movie-adaptation, viking

I can't even with a review right now. I'm too busy wiping my runny nose and trying to keep the mascara from running down my face.

Seriously, how can a book be so heartbreaking?! ...more

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Feb 24, 2016 Debby (Alwaysbooking) rated it it was amazing

I don't think I am emotionally stable enough to read the last chapter... so I'm stopping here. Will read the last chapter a different day. ...more

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Mar 27, 2015 Courtney rated it really liked it

Shelves: owned-books

Completing another book for the 2015 Reading Challenge, I had the opportunity to read Me Before You and was whisked through an emotional love story. Lou Clark is in her late-20’s and is getting by with her marathon running boyfriend, Patrick, and her employment at a local coffee shop. Will Traynor is a rich playboy who has it all, a successful job, spontaneity, risk, and a gorgeous casual fling named Alicia. Unfortunately, life throws curveballs to both as Lou has no other choice but to be careg Completing another book for the 2015 Reading Challenge, I had the opportunity to read Me Before You and was whisked through an emotional love story. Lou Clark is in her late-20’s and is getting by with her marathon running boyfriend, Patrick, and her employment at a local coffee shop. Will Traynor is a rich playboy who has it all, a successful job, spontaneity, risk, and a gorgeous casual fling named Alicia. Unfortunately, life throws curveballs to both as Lou has no other choice but to be caregiver to Will after a tragic motorcycle accident left him as a quadriplegic.

Lou has been charged with an enormous responsibility that affects more than just her own life. We follow her as she navigates through caring for the snarky Will Traynor, attempting to alleviate absent Patrick’s jealousy, and providing for her family as her younger sister Treena gets everything she wants in light of her circumstance.

Although a love story in the making based off the general plot and storyline, Me Before You took me through several emotions from beginning to end, inevitably leading to tears falling from my eyes. I honestly stayed up into the late hours of the night to read the last half since I was hooked and felt a part of Lou and Will’s lives. It allowed me to contemplate the sacrifices we make for the ones we love, how to embrace change and chase new adventures, how to not let one thing define us but be a part of who we are because we say so, not what others believe. We all hope for that classic happy ending, but sometimes we get something unexpected, but still an ending that we can live with and imagine what’s next in the character’s lives.

I thought about some of my experiences that hold me back from adventuring out and exploring new corners of the world. I sympathized with feeling pressured to be the sole person responsible for the fate of others and how stressful that can be. I am still speechless but in a reflective way, potentially a rare situation but applicable themes to our personal lives and battles we face that others may not see.

Overall, Moyes did a phenomenal job placing us into the thoughts and lives of all the main characters – occasionally writing in a different character’s perspective but ultimately seeing the world through Lou’s eyes. Incorporating the sites of London, we are transported to a British suburb and exposed to the culture and life of the inhabitants. Beautifully written and well thought out, giving the reader a brief snapshot of how heavy our hearts weigh on each other in time of desperation.

Read Me Before You if you like the themes of:

Romance
Difficult life choices
Family
Feeling stuck
P.S. There is a sequel to follow in September of 2015! ...more

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Feb 16, 2016 Saida Sukman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: wishlist

This book has been in my TBR list since last year, when I was in a mood for sad/angsty books or books with mental illness, anxieties or injuries that changes people's life. But because other books were in the priority list, I didn't buy Me Before You until this year. Mainly because the movie just came out, and I wanted to read it before watching the movie.

My thoughts:

I think what I love the most about this story is the wonderful characters that Jojo Moyes wrote as well as the fact that it doesn' This book has been in my TBR list since last year, when I was in a mood for sad/angsty books or books with mental illness, anxieties or injuries that changes people's life. But because other books were in the priority list, I didn't buy Me Before You until this year. Mainly because the movie just came out, and I wanted to read it before watching the movie.

My thoughts:

I think what I love the most about this story is the wonderful characters that Jojo Moyes wrote as well as the fact that it doesn't really focus on the romance. I also love witty banters, and this novel is full of it.

(view spoiler)[
At first, Louisa annoys me slightly. She just endures things, and lives in her younger sister's shadow for almost all her life. I guess it annoys me because I can relate to it a bit. It may be unintentional, but being told repeatedly how silly you are by your own family do hurt. But I like that it didn't really affect her confidence.

When Louisa meets Will, and after the stunt Will pulled and how Louisa didn't falter, I thought I've got things figured out. I thought it'll be just like the other chicklit novels with the quick friendship and then falling in love with one another. But I was wrong.

Will and Louisa...they didn't start off great. Will wasn't really friendly towards Louisa at first. In fact, he was almost hostile. Never really talked to her, and most of the time Louisa had to make herself scarce. It took awhile before Will finally treats Louisa properly, and although their witty banter and his sarcasm never stopped, he was more friendly towards her.

The changes in Will and Louisa's friendship was gradual, but you could see when it starts to change. Louisa, of course was oblivious, but you could see it in Will's actions. Seriously, their friendship is truly beautiful. It made me laugh, and sometimes it made me cry. I like the fact that Louisa planned all these outings and activities to cheer Will up, and in turn, it also helped her expand her horizon and try new things.

Another thing I love about this novel is the families. I like how it the families are present in the novel. I like that they make mistakes, and they aren't perfect, but they care. I like that some chapters was in Mr. and Mrs. Traynor's POV, so we have an insight on how they feel. It was refreshing, because before that, although we know they love their son, it felt like they are somehow absent, and we didn't know what went through their mind.

There's just one thing that troubles me about this book. That is also the main argument about this book, I think. It's about how Will, who was a very active and love adventures before his accident, wanted to go to Dignitas to end his life via assisted suicide.

This is a sensitive issue, and something I didn't like to debate about but I really need to get this off my chest. Suicide, assisted or not, legal or not, is still taking your own life, and I don't condone it. I know I can't know how Will is feeling. I tried to imagine, and well, it's just depressing. But still, ending his own life because of it just doesn't sit right to me. But I can't ponder about it too much because it'll just give me a headache.

To sum it up, Me Before You is a really good book and is worth reading. The writing is beautiful, and it can bring forth all these emotions in you. It will make you laugh, cry, annoyed and frustrated. I know because that was what happened to me when I read it. I love how the book talks about sensitive issues, and although I don't condone the method, I like that this book is not the 'love-fix-all' type of book. I like that just because Louisa confessed that she was in love with Will, and that Will loves her too, it was just not enough to make him stay.

I rate this book 4.5 out of 5 stars, and highly recommend it to everyone who likes to read sad romance contemporary/ chicklit, or controversial fiction. (hide spoiler)] ...more

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