Reading: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

“I will never, ever regret the things I've done. Because most days, all you have are places in your memory that you can go to.” - Jojo Moyes, Me Before You

Title: Me Before You

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group

Rating: 3.5

I ordered this book immediately after watching the trailer, which is something I've never done before. It left me with a lot of mixed feelings and I was very unsure about how I feel. Having talked it out with someone these are the conclusions I've reached...

I loved the characters. Lou is the kind of quirky that isn't just fulfilling some bizarre male fantasy, her character has depth and meaning, and a method to her madness. The characters in the story were very human and that allowed for some delightful dialog and wittiness.

Will's plight in the story created a lot of tension within me, because my goal when I read (or live) is to try to empathize with absolutely anyone. I had a very hard time empathizing with Will because it was difficult to imagine myself in his position, losing the ability to move my own limbs and control my own life. In trying to understand him, I just upset myself and failed to understand him complexly.

This is the main reason why the book left me feeling a bit emotionally exploited. Was the story, the ending, all there just to make me feel sad? Or was there more to it? Sure, I think there was a beautiful lesson to be learned about living life to the fullest, and squeezing moments of joy out of it. But there was also a part of me that fought against the conclusion, which we were headed toward all along. I'm not petulantly upset with the sadness of the ending, I'm more upset that it almost contradicts the overall lesson in the book. But who am I to know? I can't begin to understand life as a paraplegic.

It's an easy read and the story development is well done, however, the writing itself isn't jaw dropping. That, and the questionable ending made it a 3 star. Liked, but didn't love.

#book #romance #nerd