I think it’s safe to say that I absolutely adored this book. I had read mixed reviews of it online before receiving this book from the publisher, so I wasn’t sure what to make of it. But as soon as I delved into it, I knew it was going to become an important part of my book collection. Characters are, for me, the biggest part of a book. The plot can be completely stupid, but if you have real, enduring characters, I can see past the plot issues. With Me Before You, I was invested in Louisa and Will—and the smattering of secondary characters, comprising of their families and friends—and needed everything to be alright. The prologue of the book did exactly what a prologue should do: make the reader need to read more. And after the last page of the prologue, I just had to find out what happened next. Cue me reading for hours on end. Louisa was a wonderful protagonist. Stubborn, lively, shy and content to settle for less than she deserves (which, if we want to be honest with ourselves, we all do). As she entered Will’s life, I just knew that this love story was not going to be that typical boy-meets-girl sort of love story you read about in countless novels. From Will’s attitude towards life and the people around him to Louisa’s never-ending attempts to prove him wrong, Me Before You had me rooting for them from the start—and not for the reasons one would think. Louisa had never truly lived; whereas Will had up until a certain point in his life. Through their friendship, he shows her there is a life outside of their sleepy little town and she shows him there is a life outside of his house. While I won’t divulge too much of the plot and the climax, I will say that just the premise of this book will make even the most non-emotional person become tearful and it will make you think long after the last page has been read. You’ll go through all the possible scenarios in your head—what would you do in their positions? What would say? Feel? Where does faith lie in all of this? The fact that I was crying for hours after reading this book is due to Jojo Moyes’ ingenious storytelling. She didn’t tweak plot developments or change the consistency of characters to invoke emotional responses from her readers. She, instead, used simple realism and heart-wrenching choices to inflict pain on us. It didn’t feel like I was reading a fictional story; it felt like a memoir. I both wanted this story to be real—and yet I hoped with all my might that this story couldn’t happen in real life. Moyes’ honesty was too hard to bear. But while this book was a definite “cry-me-a-river” sort of story, I couldn’t help but be uplifted by its message as well. I cannot recommend Me Before You enough to you all. Read it. Read if for the romantic in you. Read it for the cynic in you. Read it for a look inside a life that doesn’t seem worth living. Read it for a look inside a life that believes in always looking at a half-full cup. Read it to change your life. Read it for yourself. To view more book reviews of mine, visit my blog: http://booksteame.com/

I had no idea what this book was about. Completely impressed by this author. Thought provoking and heartfelt. This is a book that will stay with you long after you have put it down.

I very rarely give 5 stars in my review, but this book was just incredible. I loved everything about it, never wanted it to end, was afraid of how it might end, and cried at the beauty of how it finally concluded. I cheered for Lou on her quest to give Will a reason to live. I cheered for Will and his quest to broaden Lou's horizons and make her happy. And I cheered for Will & Lou and the impossible relationship forged in the unlikeliest of circumstances. While this book deals with some difficult subject matter, it isn't preachy and you really do get to form your own opinions on euthanasia. The characters were beautifully written. This novel was a joy from beginning to end, and will stay with me for a very long time. I will be picking this book for my bookclub the next chance I get. This is a novel not to be missed.

I read this book in 2 days as could not put it down and now that I am finished, I can't let it go! It's a unique love story between the most unlikely pair who need each other for different reasons. Laughed out loud many times. Big, weepy ending that although made me cry, was really satisfying. Can't wait to discuss this book!

STORY DESCRIPTION: Pamela Dorman Books|January 1, 2013|Hardcover|ISBN: 978-0-670-02660-9 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? My Review: Louisa Clark loses her waitress job and her family is desperate for money. Her father was also laid off from his job and her sister, Treena has returned to university so she isn’t contributing any income to the family at all. Plus her Mom is at home taking care of her grandfather. Lou visits the local job seeking agency and takes on a couple of low paying mundane jobs that only last a few days at a time. Just as she has exhausted the list the agency has for her, a new job comes through that pays more than the minimum wage. Someone is needed to care for a quadriplegic man on a daily basis but Louisa doesn’t want to take on a job where she has to clean up bodily fluids and help someone to the toilet. The agency checks and finds out that none of that will be required of her as they have a male nurse who comes two or three times per day to perform those dreaded tasks. All Louisa has to do is keep Will Traynor company, never leave him alone for longer than 15 minutes at a time, and do some light housekeeping and makes Will his meals. She takes the job. The first day she meets, Wil,l she can’t stand the man. He is rude, arrogant, offensive, and belligerent. No matter what Lou does it doesn’t seem to make Will happy. He makes fun of her clothing, her shoes, what she says and even what she doesn’t say. Will finds something to complain about or to get his “poor me” message out there into the world. As time passes, things begin to change and Louisa begins to understand what it’s like for, Will to be trapped in the wheelchair 24 hours per day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. She thinks about never being able to scratch her own nose again, to never being able to pick up a pen and write down a quick phone number, or to just get up and take a quick stroll around the garden. Will is very unhappy and doesn’t want to live but Louisa decides before her six-month contract is up that she is going to change his mind and prove to him that life really is still worth living for. However, she didn’t expect that they’d fall in love which would ultimately ruin her longstanding seven-year relationship with her boyfriend, Patrick. Louisa begins to search the internet for activities that quads can do. She’s willing to even take him overseas on a trip if she has too just to prove to Will that he CAN still do the a lot of the things he used to, just in a different way. However, when Louisa finds out exactly why her contract to care for Will is only six-months, she completely cracks under the pressure and is totally, totally devastated. She immediately tenures her resignation and returns home. Camilla Traynor, Will’s mother, comes to Louisa’s home and begs her to reconsider and to come back because she’s the only person they’ve ever had that has been able to change Will. He has actually been happy and pleasant and quite lovely to be around. Louisa agrees to return and with a vengeance she once again restarts her search for places to take Will. In the end, will her love for Will be enough to make him really understand and realize that although he is trapped in a wheelchair that he can still have a fulfilling life and that he still has a lot to give to this world? Or, will she give up knowing that somehow she is going to be hurt too deeply? I didn’t expect the ending of this book at all, it was quite a shock to me to be quite honest and I cried for about ten minutes. The author has done a fantastic job at penning this novel and you won’t be able to put it down once you’ve started and I was sorry to see it end. I’ll definitely be recommending it to family and friends.

Every once in a while, I read a book that stays with me... this is that book. What a fantastic read. I couldn't put it down. The characters are rich, and the story is a true masterpiece. Love it.

This is the best book I have read in a very long time, if not ever! It was written so well, grabbed your attention and sucked you in so that you didn't want to put it down until it was finished. The characters were very heartfelt and human.

This book fooled me..I was expecting a quick easy read, something to cleanse the palate, so to speak, in between other genres. And it seemed to start off that way, only with a more serious subject matter. When the plot thickens (NO SPOILERS HERE!) I was even more intrigued. This book could have become way too "cheesy" but it most definitely did NOT. I was very invested in these people. I will warn you, it's a tear jerker and it is also realistic in the way it presents certain arguments pro and con about serious life decisions. (again, can't say too much). I was attracted by the cover but the content kept my interest and filled my heart.

It's been a while since I read a book which gripped me like this one did. I cared about the characters and could hardly wait to find out what happened next. This book is very special.

LOVED this book! I haven't been able to stop talking about it for months. I've put together a post listing the 5 top reasons you need to read Me Before You for indigo.ca - check it out here: http://blog.indigo.ca/fiction/item/1291-5-reasons-read-me-before-you-jojo-moyes.html