Me Before You

This is my first read by Jojo Moyes.

A fellow writer said to read it for a good example of how to write romance. So, I ordered a copy and there it languished on my "to read" shelf for several months until my book club picked it. So, I read it.

If it was an example of how to fall in love very very slowly, then job well done. For a romance with a moral message it is well written and researched.

But I felt at times it was tedious. I could see the conflict regarding the ending far in advance and wanted to get to the resolution already!

The plot pivots on a timely question about life and death, choices, and living with consequences. That part of the story was well done and leaves the reader thinking about her own choices if put in Lou's or Will's shoes.

Patrick drove me up the wall. What was the point of him? I could've done without him entirely.

Plenty of side plots to keep things lively. Multiple character points of view, though most of the story is told from Will's perspective.

At the end I wasn't compelled to seek out the sequel.  There are other romances I enjoy more.

Me Before You

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 and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, 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?