Me Before You (Me Before You #1) by Jojo Moyes- Restarting May 3rd 2021

[T.J.]

Chapter 20 (80%)
(view spoiler)[
Okay. I now really have a stake in Will and Lou's futures. I was always hoping that Will would find reason to live, but I was skeptical. After the wedding, and after Lou spilled her heart about her traumatic rape, however, I have a genuine hope for these two to find a future together. I'm worried that Will has other plans, however. I'm pretty sure he put Lou in his will, which is why the lawyer recognized her name when she told him. And getting Lou's father a job? That was so sweet of Will.

I'm glad Patrick's out of the picture. I can understand his jealousy about the vacation, but he has been so self-centered for so long, and to now come and try to hinder Lou from saving a man's life? That is just too selfish. He should offer to go with them if he really were committed to Lou.

I still don't like the occasional viewpoint change. I don't mind multiple points of view, but scattered chapters -- one for Camilla, one for Nathan, one for Steven? It doesn't seem necessary and seems a little contrived. As if we need someone to tell us that Will has developed feelings for Lou? As if we need someone to tell us that Lou is genuinely a good person? I would have preferred that these chapters were left out.
(hide spoiler)]

[Helen 2.0]

TJ wrote: "Chapter 20 (80%)

Okay. I now really have a stake in Will and Lou's futures. I was always hoping that Will would find reason to live, but I was skeptical. After the wedding, and after Lou spilled h..."

Glad you're really getting invested now :)

[T.J.]

Finished
(view spoiler)[
I'm not sure that I by the concept that all the while Lou thinks she's helping Will, it's actually Will helping Lou. I think it's more of a mutual helping each other type of a thing. But it's an interesting prospect. We don't actually get to see inside Will's head to see if he is just humoring and/or helping Lou or if there were ever a chance that she could have convinced him to live.
(hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting August 25th 2016. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Abi]

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

Reading from the 8th of January 2017

***************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Tayla]

Anyone here?

[Sarah Elizabeth]

****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting February 3rd 2017. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
***********************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Bhavik (Semi Hiatus)]

yes..just few more days!!!

[Bhavik (Semi Hiatus)]

Gonna start soon :3

[Johanna]

Bhavik wrote: "Gonna start soon :3"

I'm going to start reading today!

[Bhavik (Semi Hiatus)]

Ooh enjoy! I will start in a day or two! :)

[Johanna]

Chapter 3 (view spoiler)[ Everything happens so slowly and there are a lot of seemingly unnecessary details. But it feels like the book is starting for real now!

Also, Patrick is seriously annoying, jeezy creezy! Please dump him already.
That sounded negative haha, but I do like her writing, and I'm looking forward to continue reading. (hide spoiler)]

[Johanna]

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ I don't know what I think about this idea. It's sweet, but it sort of annoys me that she thinks she can just "save him". (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 11 (view spoiler)[ Well, that was a disaster. I felt so bad while reading it. It's kind of sad that she put all this effort into it - but forgot to even ask Will what he likes and wants. I thought that Lou had learned to actually communicate with him, instead of just talk about him, but apparently not. (hide spoiler)]

General thoughts (I've read chapter 16): (view spoiler)[Patrick is annoying me more and more for every chapter. I laughed a couple times while reading about the birthday dinner, loved seeing him get jealous lol. Patrick is just so incredibly self-absorbed, and doesn't really care for Lou unless she does something he dislikes. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: D u m p h i m!!!

Lou's sister isn't exactly a relatable character either. I do like her mom lots though! She's so sweet, and I think she's depicted really nicely, especially her relationship with Thomas and how lost she seems after Katrina left.

Also, I would love if we would get to see more of Will's "bad days", in the beginning we got to read a lot about them but now, not so much. (hide spoiler)]

[Johanna]

Chapter 15 (view spoiler)[ Lou getting out of her comfort zone, wohoo! I love it. The tattoo sounds nice too. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 17 (view spoiler)[ I've been waiting for her to tell someone, so glad it finally happened! They're getting closer by the minute and it's making me both happy and afraid, because let's be real - he is going to die right? (hide spoiler)]

Thoughts about Louisa: (view spoiler)[ I really like Lou. I've realised that a lot of people are annoyed by her, but I think she's super sweet. Quite naive obviously, but she's having such a good development throughout the book! (hide spoiler)]

[Johanna]

Chapter 18 (view spoiler)[ Made me both smile and laugh! Glad and surprised it went by so well. A little bothered by Lou being so careless and irresponsible though.

I feel like her job puts her in a really hard position - she's supposed to be friendly to Will, but not too friendly because she's still supposed to be his carer. So I can understand it being hard for her, trying to find the right balance in their relationship. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 20 (view spoiler)[ Finally!! (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 22 (view spoiler)[ No no no no!! Not a good time. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 23 (view spoiler)[ Wow. This chapter was so... Long. And such a journey. I read it while in the car, and wanted to keep on reading, but I have a feeling that I'm going to cry soon, and that's not something I want to do in other places than my home.

It made me so happy, seeing Will get more and more comfortable, Lou relaxing and Nathan starting to see Karen. I didn't realise what an important character Nathan is to me until I got to see him that happy.

And then... The end of the chapter. Why, Lou? Will's not selfish, nor stupid. Stop making it about you for Christ's sake. (hide spoiler)]

[Johanna]

So, I've finished the book. (view spoiler)[ And I cried. A lot. It made me so happy that Lou decided to go to Switzerland, despite her mom acting so crappy about it.

I've liked her mom a lot during this book, she has seemed like such a loving person, but this bothered me a bit. I mean, I understand her not feeling good about it, and worrying about Lou, but saying that Lou won't be welcome home again if she goes to Switzerland? Really? Of course she gets desperate when Lou doesn't see it the same way she does, that's natural, but I feel like she took it way too far. I'm guessing (and hoping) that she came around eventually. (hide spoiler)]

So, I've read some reviews on this book, and a couple updates in this thread and I've realised that a lot of people see almost all the characters in this book as selfish. I beg to disagree.

(view spoiler)[Will, in his condition, has got all the rights in the world to be bitter. I've tried, but I can't even imagine how terrible it must feel to get your life taken from you like that - to suddenly have to depend on other people for everything. Sure, he's a bit harsh to other people, including Lou, but when people so seldom treat him like an actual person, rather than someone who they just feel sorry for, you can't really blame him.

Louisa - She is naive, doesn't seem like she's 26, and she isn't really living. Lou truly believes that she might be able to change Will's mind, and she tries SO hard to make it happen. She dedicates her life to him, trying to come up with plans, and activites they can do. Sometimes she fails (horse racing, art gallery) because she is so busy planning she forgets to ask Will about what he really thinks, but she seems human.

Lou makes mistakes, sometimes they're ridiculous and you wonder how she could ever think that way, but that's a part of what makes her feel real. She makes it about her when it's not on several occasions, (same goes for Will), but honestly, saying that either of them is selfish seems to me like exaggerating a lot. (hide spoiler)]

Going to write a review on it later, but I've got to say that I really, really liked it! Debating whether it's worth 4.5 or 5 stars.

[Sarah Elizabeth]

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting April 8th 2017. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
***************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Eesh]

Finished chapter 1, and I would very much like to introduce this book to a thing called imagery. Because so far, I've seen none of it.

[Eesh]

Chapter 3
(view spoiler)[I'm sorry, but am I supposed to feel bad for Lou because her job involves having a lot of free time and dealing with a guy who *gasp* uses sarcasm>?
I mean, all she's done so far is be fussy about her jobs while whining like a little girl. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

Chapter 7
(view spoiler)[Being in constant pain and never being able to do anything for yourself ever... I get why he wouldn't want to live. But what his sister's saying is right too. Making your parents do something like that would destroy them. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

Chapter 13
(view spoiler)[Can Lou just dump Patrick already? After how he behaved and that like, "How could I be jealous of a cripple?"
I wouldn't have just dumped him, I would have run him over with my car. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

Chapter 15
(view spoiler)[You know, I actually found myself agreeing with Gforce. It may be a selfish choice, putting your family through something like that, but to know for certain that you will never have any control over your own life and have nothing to, really, look forward to, to see no future for yourself. But mostly the pain, medication, humiliation of being taken care of by strangers... How many of us can say for certain that we'd make a different choice? (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

Chapter 20
(view spoiler)[So... they broke up, right? Because even though I felt tiny bit bad for Patrick at the end, I've been waiting for this pointless relationship to be over for ages. (hide spoiler)]

[Eesh]

Chapter 23
(view spoiler)[That was well-deserved. Because even though it's ultimately Will's choice, it's a shitty thing to say and do to someone. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

*************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting August 8th 2017. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
**************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Hailey]

I'm in for the 8th :)

[Becky]

How far are the people who started reading this on the 8th?

[Becky]

Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[ i think loiusa being so nervous is natural if she has never done the job before. I dont think she shouod give up though. Will seems very obnoxious. Its good treena is going back to university but it puts pressure on louisa i think. I feel sorry for will he must be deverstated about his friend and ex girlfriend getting married. (hide spoiler)]

[Becky]

Chapter 7 (view spoiler)[ i am finding this a really easy read to be honest. I think lou is getting good at understanding the job role. Im finally understanding why the job is only for 6 months. I suppose it must be hard to live the way will does. (hide spoiler)]

[Becky]

Chapter 11 - (view spoiler)[ treena has a good idea maybe lou can change wills mind about wanting to die. Lou makes a valid point about treena not needing the room. I wonder what activities lou comes up with for will
So lou picks horse racing for the first activity. I cant believe will throws it back in her face though she was trying to do a nice thing. Maybe she will have better luck with the second activity. (hide spoiler)]

[Sarah Elizabeth]

*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆

Date Changed. Restarting February 17th 2018. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆
*****************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Sarah Elizabeth]

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Date changed. Restarting October 5th 2018. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Abby]

Chapter 6: (view spoiler)[Christ, Mrs. Traynor is a nightmare! I know she's concerned about Will, but there's no reason to be so upset at Lou like that! (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Ill be reading this at work tonight.

[[deleted user]]

20% (view spoiler)[ I like how Lou has so much hope for Will even when he is so down, I like Nathan’s way of explaining to Lou how the Physio works, how it’s not to make Will better but to retain the movement he already has, even though Wills heart is not into it he still goes through it. (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

40% (view spoiler)[ That woman in that racehorse restaurant is a b***h! Lou should’ve slapped her! How dare she be so condescending? I liked that Will tried to keep his cool and I felt so bad for Lou trying to make the day nice for Will and then this happens… ugh… (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

60% (view spoiler)[ I love that Lou knows his quirks… I liked #6 specially, being a bloke, and doing blokey things! I also like the one about the wardrobe and the tights… (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

80% (view spoiler)[ I don’t know if they should be putting all their hopes and energy on Louisa I think it’s too much for them to think that if she fails on helping Will decide to not kill himself that it was their last hope and her fault. I also had hoped that he would decide not to go through with Switzerland and stay but really, I can’t blame him, what kind of life is that? (hide spoiler)]

[[deleted user]]

Finished… (view spoiler)[ Aww that letter makes me mad every time but at least he got to tell her what he really wanted for her and he was direct and he knew her well enough to know that she might resist on taking the money, I am glad that he told her that the money was not for her to feel indebted to him but for her to do something with her life instead of wasting it away and wishing it was different. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Chapter 13: (view spoiler)[Patrick is an ass! Of course he had to make Lou's birthday all about him. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Chapter 20: (view spoiler)[That trip sounds amazing! And I understand where Patrick is coming from. She's essentially going on vacation with another man. (hide spoiler)]

[Abby]

Finished: (view spoiler)[Ugh, that letter gets me every time. Go out into the world, Lou! (hide spoiler)]

[Saar The Book owl]

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************
★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★

Date changed. Restarting May 3rd 2021. Happy Reading ☺

★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★☆★
************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

[Leon]

Can i join this when it starts?

[Elena]

Sure! The more - the merrier! I decided to start earlier.

50%
First of all I like the language, it's so smooth and not overloaded - the best writing style for a romantic story.
Also though the time of the story is nowadays, it feels sometimes that the time span is somewhere in 1980s-90s. (view spoiler)[And when there is the line about tech thing they use like messaging or using a computer, it just knocks me back to now :D (hide spoiler)].
Usually I don't read stories with (view spoiler)[severe disabilities or some mental issues (hide spoiler)] but as I already owned this book, decided to give it a try. Though for now it's (view spoiler)[pretty cheerful, I'm afraid it's not going to end well, I feel the sadness through the lines (hide spoiler)]. And that's exactly why I don't pick books with such issues. I love fantasy or other 'unreal' genres and contemporaries with (view spoiler)[healthy people and happy endings (hide spoiler)]. I'm not a jerk, I just get too emotional about those things and can't bear all the sadness.

[Leon]

Since we are starting this today,
How many chapters are we planning per day, maybe 3-4?

[Elena]

Usually we don't have a plan for chapters and everybody reads on his/her own pace and post the thoughts here at the point when you have something to tell :)

[Leon]

okay, I will do that
thanks for replying!

[Elena]

@Joy You're welcome :) I'm looking forward to read your thoughts about this book. As soon as I have some free time, I'm going to share my final thoughts (as I've already finished the book).

[Leon]

I just started this, Chapter 1-3
(view spoiler)[I am not really liking the characters so far, I can say the character I kind of like is the sister, Treena who Lou seems to hate for literally no reason and that is why I don't like her most of the time. Will is just seems like an asshole ಠ_ಠ (hide spoiler)]