ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes

Hi there!
Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

So, today we're talking about an "oldie" but goodie...oldie as in came out a while back, goodie because it is SUCH a great read.  Yes, we're flashing back to a 2013 release that I just now got around to reading and may I just say that I was not disappointed in the least; in fact, I think I fell in love with it just a bit more.  How so?  Oh, well now, it happened to be turned into a fairly popular movie that went by the same name (and which I adored!), and might I just say that the interpretation from page to screen was spot on.  Ready or not, don your own version of stripy bumblebee tights and join me as we discover...

Me Before You

by

Jojo Moyes

9780143124542

Penguin Books

About the book...

Louisa Clark is an ordinary young woman living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never 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?

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Honestly, it was just as enchanting, moving, and heartbreaking as the film...and that's saying something because Hollywood does not always get it right!

I had high hopes for this one after my love affair with the film.  I mean, I couldn't really see it being any better than it already was, but feeling the magic of the story, the connection of the characters, and weight of decisions made long ago by those that would forever stand firm...why, it was like reading a play by play of the theatrical production and yet still something more.  Author Jojo Moyes does a wonderful job of giving the everything such intense emotional depth.  When I read this one, it was so long after the storm-that-shall-not-be-named paused by rabid reading appetite.  My mood had been down, life certainly not as rosy, but I actually laughed out loud when I was reading this one...most unexpectedly.  There's a scene on page 67 that's really of no big consequence, but it just struck me as immensely funny and I just started laughing...it was my first since the storm, and a moment I won't forget.  If you have a copy of this one, turn to that page and have yourself a giggle.  Go ahead...

In the end, it's not this glorious tale filled with love, romance, and second chances that ends in a happily-ever-after...no certainly not anything that rudimentary. It is heart wrenchingly real, soul crushingly sad, maddeningly frustrating, and unequivocally inspiring despite it all.  For fans of the author, this is definitely a book for you.  For fans of the film, run out right now and grab yourself a copy.  For newbies to this author's work, do yourself the favor and get acquainted because the heart that beats here is true, the feelings more complicated than you'd expect, and the outcome so much greater than the painful loss endured.  Oh yes, there will be tears, but there is still the potential for love to come again.

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About the author...

Jojo Moyes is a British novelist.

Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. In 2001 she became a full time novelist.

Moyes' novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.

SITE  |  TWITTER

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Special thanks to me, myself, and I for the review copy as I repurchased this as one of the titles for the rebuild of my personal library.  Same said title is available now via Penguin Books, so feel free to scoot out to your local bookshop, box store, or click over to your favorite online retailer to snag your copy today!  Stay tuned for more fun with Louisa Clark as we explore the second installment VERY SOON!

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!