Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Still Me by Jojo Moyes

Published by Pamela Dorman Books

Published on January 30, 2018

Genres: Contemporary, Women's Fiction

Page Count: 400

Source: Purchased

Format: eBook

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Description: Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life. 

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world.

Hello Readers.

To say that I was worried about this book would be an understatement. Having been disappointed by the second in this series, I wasn't really sure how this one would be. Sequels can be surprising. I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised with this one. 

Gone were the moments of "What in the...?" that were present in the second book. The characters are more complex. They have grown in very relatable ways. The author captured some very crucial events in a person's life and that is not an easy task to do. Putting a character in an environment completely unknown to them could have led to some disappointment. However, the transition textually was beautifully done. I could praise this book for hours but I do not like spoilers. 

I am rating this book Four Red Books because I greatly enjoyed it. It feels more like the first one did. It flows better and just overall feels better. The storyline wasn't all over the place. I would highly recommend it. 

InkedBookDragon

After You (Me Before You, #2) by Jojo Moyes

After You by Jojo Moyes

Published by Pamela Dorman Books

Published on September 29, 2015

Genres: Women's Fiction, Contemporary

Page Count: 368

Source: Purchased

Format: Hardback

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Description: “You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

Hello!

When I found out that Me Before You was getting a sequel, I was extremely hesitant. It was such a strong book that I was unsure if a sequel would add to it or take away from it. These were characters that I had developed a love for and I didn't want my memories of them to potentially be tarnished. Think about it. The reader grows attached to the characters. One wrong move and you altar their preception of that character and not necessarily in a good way. That being said, I did wonder how Lou was doing after the events of Me Before You. Tricky business, sequels are. Very very tricky. 

I wish that I could say that I went into this book with a totally open mind but I find that impossible to do. I did not go into with a completely open mind because I was so invested in the story. The first book was so extraordinary that it set this one up to potentially fall on its face. Unfortuantely, in some ways, it did. It was nice to see how Lou was doing but some of the events completely came out of left field and I was not quite sure how to process them. Good character development for some and so so for others. 

I am rating this book Three Orange Books because it fell short but I did not hate it. Predictable in some ways. Random in others. Upon finishing it, I hoped that any future books in the series would bypass this one. I wish that I could rate it higher because I loved Me Before You so much but I cannot. Not a horrible read but not up to the standards that the author gave us in the previous book. On the fence about recommending.

InkedBookDragon

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Published by Pamela Dorman Books

Published on December 31, 2012

Genre: Adult novel, Realistic Fiction

Page Count: 384

Source: Purchased

Format: Hardback

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Description: 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 never 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, 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?

Hello again!

I am reviewing Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. I found a copy of this in a used bookstore one day and had honestly forgotten about it until I saw a trailer for the film adaptation. I left the theater thinking about it and wondering why the premise seemed so familiar. I got home and looked through my books and there it was. I read it immediately. Any quotes that may appear below are from the text and are not my words.

Have you ever read a book that just took over? You were caught up in it so intensely that you thought about it constantly when you weren't reading it. You would take it everywhere and read it, not caring who saw you or how rude you may have seemed. You were so deeply invested that you are overcome with emotions. I am sure that you have read a book like that. This book did that for me.

To say that it has a serious theme is an understatement. I was overwhelmed at times by the intensity of it. It had me sucked in from page one. I could not put it down. Beautifully written. It was heartbreaking yet delightful. I was lost in my emotions and even ugly cried in public because of it. Angry tears. Happy tears. Frustrated tears. Heartbroken tears. They just kept coming.  Do I like crying in public? Absolutely not. However, I am truly touched by a book that can make me feel so deeply. 

I am rating this book Four Red Books because it made me feel so deeply. I wish that I could rate it higher but it was quite predictable at times. It was well written and thought out.  I would definitely recommend it. 

InkedBookDragon