Me Before You ~ Jojo Moyes

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?

Book Review:

I laughed hysterically. I cried uncontrollably. I was conflicted. I didn't know who's side I was on. And I cried some more. The point of this book for me, wasn't the love story,  though it was adorable and very interesting; the point was that sometimes the meaning of one's life is different from person to another person, sometimes you have to let the person that you love the most go and make their own choices, sometimes you have to accept those choices, even if they are the most painful decisions in the world. 

Louisa kind of annoyed me at first. She had no idea who she was, she had no ambition, and she just seemed lost. I didn't understand her. I didn't relate to her. But as the story progressed, as she took care of Will, as she found her purpose and realized her potential, I began to really enjoy her character. Moving onto Will, I found him interesting from the very beginning. He was such an intelligent, motivated, adventurous, and lively human before his accident. He seemed to have it all until he stepped out in front of a motorcycle. He became depressed and angry and mean as a quadriplegic. I understood his anger and pain, I felt for him, I really did, but at the same time, I yearned for him to just suck it up and make the most of his life. I thought that he was beginning to do that with Louisa.

Will and Louisa's relationship wasn't founded typically. She was his caretaker, he was mean. At first, she couldn't even sit in the same room as him. But eventually, they began to banter and then they began to talk, really talk. It really was love, even before it was declared. It wasn't always romantic but you could still feel the chemistry. It was beautiful. 

************************SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT****************************

When it comes to choosing sides, I have never been good at that. I'm one of those people who tries to understand both sides before I make a decision. In this case, I did the same thing, and then I couldn't come to a decision. After a couple of weeks, I still haven't made up my mind.

Assisted suicide, it's a controversial topic, just like abortion, there is the pro-life side and the pro-choice side. In Will's case, he no longer wanted to be dependent on people, but he would never walk again, he would never be able to feed himself again, or change his own clothes, or bathe himself. He would never be able to do the things he loved again, like climbing mountains and skydiving. Nothing would be the same. His family loved him, and would do anything for him; and therefore, they felt that he should live his new life. Louisa loved him, she loved everything about him, she loved their relationship, and he loved her; but even their love wasn't enough to keep him alive. 

I really did hope that he was becoming happier, seeing the potential of his new life, seeing the potential of his new relationships, as he and Louisa went on all of their excursions; but in the end it wasn't enough. And I cried like a baby who just got a shot. I cried like I had never cried before. 

Favorite Quote:

“You are scored on my heart, Clark. You were from the first day you walked in, with your ridiculous clothes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt.”