Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Publication Date: December 31st 2012

I’d seen a lot of hype around this book for the past few months and everyone said how great this book is and lots of people told me over and over how much I needed to read this book right away. So I bought the book and it sat on my shelf for only a month or two before I had to see what the hype was all about. I’m so glad that I did.

Me Before You is about a 26 year-old girl named Lou Clark who has worked the same job for years and loves it. One day, she loses her job and has no idea what to do with her life. She ends up getting a job as a caretaker for Will Traynor, who is paralyzed from an accident.

I noticed right away from the first few pages how nicely written this was. It had a really great writing style that was both descriptive but not detail loaded. Moyes sets the scene but doesn’t overload you with details that don’t matter. It took me about 20 pages to really get into the story but once I did, I couldn’t put this book down.

The characters really surprised me with how well written and complex they were. Though out the whole book, I felt as if each character was complete. One of the best aspects of this book for me was how real the characters seemed. They didn’t feel fictional.

The plot, while at times as a little slow, it was never boring. I was so engulfed by the story and the characters that I seldom stopped reading to do anything other than eat and sleep. I didn’t check my phone, I didn’t get on the internet. I just read for two days straight.

This book deals with real events that are extremely relevant. It was very eye-opening to me and really had me thinking late into the night. And while I can’t relate to Will with his disability, I started thinking about what I would do if I was in his place. I mean, I really thought long and hard about it. I thought about what I would do in Lou’s place or Will’s mother’s.

And, sort of off topic, I hate that this book is labeled as “chick lit”. It’s not girly or full of fluff. This book is important to literature and doesn’t cater to any gender. If you’re a reader, this book should be on your TBR, regardless of gender.

Overall, this is such an outstanding book. With complex characters and a beautifully written story line, I couldn’t put this book down. It’s very thought provoking and kept me glued to each page. Very few books will stop me in my tracks and keep me thinking about it days, weeks, or even months after I finish it. But Me Before You did. This book is everything that I look for in a book and then some. I highly recommend Me Before You to everyone.