Book Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I discovered Jojo Moyes’ Me Before You on one of the six million Pinterest lists of “25 Books You Must Read Before You Turn X-Age!” The description was as vague as the title, but it was enough to intrigue me.

I promise to summarize the novel without any spoilers:

The protagonist, Louisa Clark, is a broke twenty-something (sounds eerily familiar, huh?) in search of a new job to help support her family. Despite having no experience, she takes a position as a caretaker for Will, a quadriplegic man about her age. Louisa has to struggle to keep Will agreeable while keeping his demanding mother, aka Louisa’s employer, satisfied. The task is surprisingly difficult considering Will despises his mother. Throughout the story, Louisa and Will form a surprising bond despite having seemingly nothing in common.

There are a lot of twists and turns that I won’t give away, so the above description doesn’t do the book any justice. However, I will say that Me Before You gave me a unique perspective on life. It actually came at a perfect time, too. I read the book as I recuperated from surgery on my wrist, and suddenly pins in my arm seemed like the absolute silliest thing in the world to complain about.

For anyone who needs a dose of reality or motivation to do something they’re afraid of, this is a necessary read. If you just need a good cry, it will serve that purpose as well! It’s not all gloom, though. The novel has some good one liners and comical scenes.

I looked back at my notes on the book (I’m a quote hoarder) and, ironically, found one that fit perfectly with the concept of this blog and the “About” section that I wrote earlier today. I’m in love with this quote and it summarizes the book perfectly:

“There is a hunger in you, Clark. A fearlessness. You just buried it, like most people do. I’m not really telling you to jump off tall buildings, or swim with whales or anything, but to live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle.”

Happy reading! 🙂