Book Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You (Me Before You #1)

By Jojo Moyes

Release Date: December 31, 2012

Source: Christmas Present 

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Summary: Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

Review: I don't cry when I read books. Ever. My sister had warned me that she had cried during this book, but I thought nothing of it. Boy, was I in for a shock. By the end of this book, I was bawling like a baby and clutching onto this book for dear life. 

When Lou Clark loses her job, she tries her best to find a new job to support her parents, grandpa, sister, and nephew. All of the jobs, though, end up being horrible and Lou is desperate. So when she comes across the opportunity to be a caretaker for a man who is a quadriplegic, she decides to apply. And she gets the job. Will Traynor was a hot shot lawyer who traveled the world and indulged in all of life's pleasure, but one motorcycle accident took all of that away and left Will paralyzed from the neck down. Will has lost the desire to live and knows that nothing can make him love life again. But when Lou enters his world, she challenges him and before they know it, they both start changing and looking at life in a whole new way. 

I devoured this book in one day and my heart rate was through the roof as I got closer and closer to the end. In the beginning, I fell in love with Lou's quirky world and her quirky family. Like all British movies and books, this one had a fun humor that had made smiling to myself as I read. Lou's character was so much fun because she loved interacting with people and wasn't afraid to tell Will what she thought of him. Their banter was so entertaining and clever and I just loved watching them start to actually like each other. Oh my gosh, and Will's character! The moment they meet is definitely a laugh out loud moment and I loved how much they both challenged each other to take a good look at how they were living their lives. 

There's just something about the way Jojo Moyes wrote these characters that made me become so attached to them. I wanted Will to want to live so badly that I was terrified to read the end of the book to find out what would happen to him. Lou was so determined to make him appreciate life and it was so heartbreaking watching them start to really care for each other. While reading this one, my chin was wobbling, snot was running down my nose, and tears were running down my cheeks. I was an absolute mess because of those amazing characters. I seriously had no idea how this book was going to end and I was forcing myself to take in every word and every moment because I did not want to miss a single thing in this book. What a story. 

One of the main reasons I wanted to read this book was because the movie is being released next summer with Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, and Matthew Lewis. These people are PERFECT and I pictured them as their characters during the book and got more and more excited for the movie. Oh my goodness, it's going to be amazing. All I can say is, if you read this book or see the movie next year, bring a box of tissues.