Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is a heart-wrenching story, but at the same time I find it so inspirational. I really inspires me to make the most of life while I still can. Here’s my book review of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.
Overview of Me Before You
Me Before You follows the story of Louisa Clarke, known as Lou. My book review of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes will give a few small spoilers, but I’ll try not to give away all parts of the plot!
Lou starts a new job as a carer for Will Traynor. Will used to live an active, adventurous life through his 20s. However, after a motorcycle accident, he is now paralysed from the neck down. His mum hires Lou to keep Will company.
At first, Will is moody and sullen. He resents his new life, being trapped in his wheelchair. And he finds Lou’s chatty optimism annoying. Lou also hates the job at first, hating to have to be around someone who clearly doesn’t want her there.
However, over time, Lou and Will start to warm to one another. They start to do a few trips outside together and learn more about each other and their lives.
Will’s secret
But the Lou finds out Will’s secret. She finds out that Will is planning to end his life because he doesn’t want to live a life where he is paralysed and in pain. Will had promised his parents six more months, and is planning to go to Switzerland at the end of this time. Louisa is distraught at the thought. But then she starts trying to change Will’s mind. She hopes that if she can show him how wonderful life could be, then Will might change his mind.
They go to a concert together, spend time with Lou’s family for her birthday, and go to the wedding of Will’s ex-girlfriend together. And they go on holiday together to Mauritius.
The more time they spend together, the more Lou’s outlook on life changes. Before she met Will, she’d been happy with her simple life. She’d been happy living with her parents in the village she was born in, working any job she could find, with no real ambitions or plans for the future. But after talking to Will, and with his encouragement, she starts to think about whether she wants more from life.
I won’t give away Will’s final decision at the end of this book. Everyone will have their own opinions on whether me made the ‘right’ decision about whether to end his life or not. And maybe there isn’t a ‘right’ answer. But the book ends with Lou having a new outlook on life, and new dreams to follow.
If you like the sound of this book, buy yourself a copy for this weekend here.
What I liked about Me Before You
I really loved this book, so my book review of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes is really positive.
My favourite part of this book was Lou’s character development. I loved how she grew throughout the book. At the beginning of the book, she was living a normal, un-extraordinary life. But Will showed her that she could do so much more. He talked about his adventures and his travels. And Lou started to think about whether she wanted more. She started to think about travelling, or moving to another city to go to university to follow her passions. I loved how her horizons widened and her outlook on her possible future grew. I think so many of us are ‘stuck’ in relatively ordinary, mediocre lives. And sometimes, we all need a reminder to push ourselves a bit more, and do something more extraordinary with our lives.
I also found this book really inspirational and motivating to do more with my life because of Will’s story. He’d been living a great life, but then he suddenly was involved in an accident, and his whole world changed in an instant. It’s really a reminder about how fragile our lives are. And how everything can change and be taken away from us in one split second. It’s a reminder to always make the most of the present, because none of us know what’s around the corner. And it’s a reminder to always live your life to the full, because it could be taken away at any moment.
What I wasn’t so sure about
I don’t think there are any parts of this book I wasn’t so sure about. I genuinely loved it all. It was heart-wrenching, but at the same time inspirational and life-affirming.
Every reader is going to have a different opinion on Will’s views about thinking about ending his life after being paralysed. And every reader will have a different view of Will’s final decision. But I think that’s ok. I think it’s important to think about these things
Would I recommend Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
I’d definitely recommend Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. It’s a beautiful story. And it’s so inspirational. If you’re looking for a book that will inspire you to live your life to the full, while you still can, this is the one. Go live your dreams.
Hope you enjoyed my book review of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes! Remember you can buy yourself a copy here. If this book has inspired you to travel, start planning your trip. Read my blog posts on the top experiences in California, Florida and North West USA to get inspired. Or get inspired to travel in Europe, visiting Wales, Lisbon, Austrian Alps, Vienna, Barcelona and Iceland.
