Julie's Review: Me Before You

Summary: 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 hes 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? ~powells.com  


Review: Me Before You is one of those books that literally everyone has raved about. So much raving that one has to wonder if it will live up to the hype. Well know there are some books that do and some books that fall short of it. Well, I am happy to say that Me Before You does not fall short. It is an exquisite novel. One that makes you think. One that makes you laugh. One that make you cry. This cry is not a pretty one either.

Both Will and Louisa are complex characters. For me, I found Louisa, aka Lou, to be even more complex than Will. It is obvious why Will is surly, moody and bitter; he's in a wheelchair from a horrible accident. Louisa is hired to keep him occupied and company. Goodness knows those are two different things. Will isn't always pleasant to be around or kind to Louisa. Louisa soldiers on. She slowly begins to feel more comfortable around Will. Will becomes more comfortable around her. It isn't until Will gets sick and Louisa stays with him that they begin to bond. Will and Louisa are unlikely allies. There is nothing in their past and present that would make you think that they would find common ground. Just as it becomes Louisa's mission to show Will that life is worth living; it becomes Will's mission to show Louisa what her life could be like if she expanded her thinking. Will gives Louisa the confidence to have the life she should have and Louisa gives Will the love he needs to move on.

I loved Louisa's family. They provided much needed laughs at times when the book was getting heavy. They weren't exactly the most supportive family, but they obviously loved each other. Even though Louisa and her sister, Treena, didn't always get along, they did support each other when it counted.

I also loved how a few of the chapters were told from other people's points of views. It helped to gain some other insight to how both of them were viewed by other people.

Me Before You is a novel of hard choices and finding love in an unlikely way. It is beautifully written and powerful. It make you think about if it would be easy for you to let go and let someone find their happy ending, even if you didn't agree with it. Could you sacrifice your happiness for theirs?

I am thrilled that I read this novel. I can't recommend it highly enough. Do yourself a favor and buy it as your own Christmas present.  

Final Take: 5/5

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