Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Summary

Louisa Clark is 26 years old and has just lost her job. Her entire family, consisting of her mother, father, sister Treena, nephew Thomas and Grandad, all rely on her income. So she has to pull herself together and find a new job. This is not easy. Louisa/Lou doesn't have an education and the jobs that are offered aren't entirely great. She tries different things for some weeks, but just as Lou is about to loose hope, a new job offer comes in. Although she isn't keen on the idea of being someone's caretaker and having to wipe someone's butt, Louisa takes the job. She becomes the carer of Will Traynor who is a 35-year-old quad. Which means that he has no movement in his legs or arms. Therefore, he needs care 24/7. Louisa and Will are not happy with each other. They are two entirely different people with entirely different perspectives on life. Louisa is chatty and almost always in a good mood. Whereas Will has lost all hope. Some days he does not speak to anyone at all and he would rather be left alone. Things start to change and Will cannot continue to ignore Louisa. Slowly they begin to talk. And that's the beginning of an amazing and life-changing adventure. 

* Spoilers *

The characters and stuff

When Will Traynor was first introduced, I did not like him. He was just too much. And then the accident happened and that changed him entirely. I am stunned by how well he lived his previous life. He was an adventurer. He loved to travel, climb huge mountains, seeing different parts of the world - generally just living. Will Traynor was a true hedonist. Yes, he was rich and therefore had the money to experience so much, but he also worked really hard for everything. He is an inspiring man. I was almost scared by his determination to die. It was too depressing to me. But I guess I do get Will. When you think about the life he had before, when he was unstoppable and invincible and then he ends up in a wheelchair - unable to do anything without anyone's help. It's embarrassing and tiring. That's what Will thought of it. He could not stand his life and that I get. But I am still against the fact that he wanted to end his life. Sure, he felt like he was living for someone else. And he was. He was only living for his family. And that's sad and unfair. It shouldn't be like that. And it could be different. Other quads live happy lives. They do things and eventually become content with their life. But I respect Will's decision. I have to. 

Louisa Clark is astounding. I can't believe all the things she did to make Will live. She even fell in love with him. And Will changed her. He changed her for the better. He made her see all of her possibilities. He showed her that she wasn't really living life. It's just amazing how much people can change each other. Think about the people in your life. I hope that we will all meet a person that will help us realize what to do in life. For Louisa it was Will. 

The writing style and feelings

It's the first time I've read something by Jojo Moyes and I've seen her books every where. It wasn't until I watched the trailer for the novel that I immediately felt like I had to read it. And I am so glad I did. I've commented on it before, I think, that the writing style is incredibly intelligent. It is so well-written and I enjoyed reading each page. I learned so many new words too! It was certainly an experience and it was a pleasant one. While reading this novel I also laughed a lot. It is not all depressing and sad, it is also entertaining! I was always thinking while I was reading and to me that's a good thing. I firmly enjoyed Me Before You and I'm sure others will too! It will make you feel so many things and honestly it teaches you so many important things about life. I had lumps in my throat while getting to the end of it. And when I read some of the last pages I was crying so hard. When I finally finished it I was still crying. I felt like I had actually lost someone near to me. This novel took a part of my heart out, but it was all worth it!

The ending and important messages

While reading this novel, I had a certain idea about how it was going to end. I was so keen on this idea and I really thought I was right about how it would all play out, but yet again I was proven wrong. When I finally realized I had reached the ending, I could not comprehend what I had read. I'm not sure if I actually liked the ending. On one hand it was very realistic, but on the other hand I had just expected something else. I had hoped for a happy ending because I truly believed in Louisa - as well as all the other characters in the novel did. I think most of the people closest to Will had hope for him. Most of them probably thought that somehow Louisa could fix things. She could bring some hope for Will Traynor, but as stubborn as he is, he stuck by his words. He promised his family six months and no more. No one would be able to change his mind. He was so sure of what he wanted from the beginning. His life was unbearable to live compared to the life he had before the accident. Will had been dealt the worst cards out there. Which is extremely sad and depressing. But we are taught a very important message. Life is too short. We never know what's going to happen next so live life the way you want to. Don't settle, but live as fully as possible. In the end you'll only regret the things you didn't do because you were too afraid to try. Don't be afraid. Life is full of amazing adventures and people - so live boldly. As Will Traynor would have put it. Just live.