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Review

“You never know what will happen, when you fall from a great height.”

4 stars

After Me Before You completely blew me away last year, I have been eagerly anticipating this book which continues the story of Lou’s journey after the life changing events of the first book.

It’s really hard not to be spoilery, so if you haven’t read Me Before You I would suggest you don’t read any further, but instead go and pick it up and be prepared to experience one of the most incredible books ever!

Set 18 months after the end of the first book, we find Lou struggling with her grief, and barely getting by – working a job she hates and living a solitary life alone in her soul-less and impersonal flat. She not only misses Will terribly, but she feels incredible guilt that she isn’t living the life that he inspired her to live, and she feels like she’s let him down.

“Eighteen months. Eighteen whole months. So when is it going to be enough? … Because this doesn’t feel like living. It doesn’t feel like anything.”

I failed you, Will. I failed you in every way possible.

I was instantly thrown back into the emotional heaviness that Jojo Moyes creates so well. The depth of Lou’s despair and her continued turmoil is heartbreaking to read, and I was tearing up only a few short pages into the book.

How could I convey the way those short months had changed the way I felt about everything? The way he had skewed my world so totally that is made no sense without him. 

Lou hits rock bottom once again when she is horribly injured, and returns to the fold of her family in order to heal – physically and emotionally. At their insistence, she joins a grief support group, meeting a group of people that allow her to talk about her experiences for the first time, and through them she meets Sam, a man who is dealing with his own loss and who is there for her and who understands her in a way she hasn’t experienced since Will. And then everything changes for her when a stranger from Will’s past turns up on her doorstep, altering her life in ways she could never have expected.

There’s a lot going on in this book, and it all works together to create a wonderfully heartfelt story about love, loss, family, friendship and learning to live your life to the fullest.

Lou’s journey to find her place in the world and start moving on is beautifully written and full of emotion. The new people in her life force her to confront not only her past, but also her future, and through many ups and downs with them she starts to examine her life and find the motivation to move forward and a big part of that is learning to love again.

I loved a man who had opened up a world to me but hadn’t loved me enough to stay in it. And now I was too afraid to love a man who might love me, in case…In case what?

Yes, there is romance, and it’s gorgeous, and an important part of Lou’s healing, but the simultaneous storylines featuring Lou’s and Will’s families are just as significant, and the way it all ties together is really beautifully done. And I was so proud of Lou for the way she coped with everything and bravely persevered, putting herself out there despite all that she was personally dealing with.

Like Me Before You, this book has a wonderful mix of humour and drama, and some of the lighter moments are laugh-out-loud funny. Lou’s family are an absolute riot, and the inappropriate goings on at the support group are fantastic! And the way that Moyes blends those moments with the intense drama of the story is seamless. The story ends at a good place, and although it’s left a bit more open-ended than I usually like in a book, it fits Lou’s story.

While this is a direct continuation of Me Before You I wouldn’t consider it a ‘must read’ for fans of the first book. It finishes off Lou’s story, yes, but I was ok with where Me Before Youended and read this more out of curiosity than a pressing need to know what happens next. But there’s no denying it’s a beautifully written story, and if (like myself) you’re a fan of these characters and keen for more of this author’s work, I’d definitely recommend it.

4 stars.

An Advanced Reader Copy of this book was provided via the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

 

Me Before You Duet