Me Before You by Jojo Moyes - Book Review (Khadeejah)

This book is a romance novel that follows the story of Louisa Clark. Louisa is a 26-year-old woman who recently lost her job. She needs money, and takes the job as the caregiver for William (Will) Traynor, a wealthy man with quadriplegia. Will was paralyzed after a motorcycling accident, which has left him joyless and uncaring about everything. Their relationship starts out rocky because of Will’s attitude, but over time they grow closer. They struggle with their relationship, as Louisa’s feelings for Will grow, although she is already in a committed relationship of seven years. 

Louisa is a caring girl who lives with her family. Her family struggles a lot with finances, so once she loses her job, she knows she has to get a new one. Louisa constantly feels outshone by her younger sister Treena. Louisa is a funny girl, who cares deeply for the people around her. Once she gets to know Will, she makes it her main goal to find a reason to make him happy.

Will is a rich 35-year-old quadriplegic man, who is bitter and angry. When Louisa is hired as his caregiver, he is cold and bitter towards her. They have to spend a lot of time together, and as they do, Will starts to warm up to her. Although Will has made a friend in Louisa, he still cannot find the motivation to live. But his family and Louisa will keep trying to give him a reason.

I thought that Me Before You was a good book. It had an interesting plot, and fully developed characters. Each of the main characters grew and developed as the book progressed without it feeling forced. The love story was not very sappy, but it was still engaging. Although this book is a romance novel that tells a sad story, it was able to narrate the story in a captivating way that could be funny at appropriate times.

Although I liked this book, it was not perfect. This may just be because I do not usually like romance novels, but the book was hard to get through at times. Although the overall plot was interesting, some chapters were a bit boring and seemed unnecessary. The book is written mostly in Louisa’s perspective, but some chapters switch to other character’s perspectives. I didn't really like this, and I wish it was more consistent. 

Overall this book was good despite the few things I didn’t like about it. I would recommend it to you if you like romance novels, or if you enjoy sad books. The characters are definitely the best part about this book, so if you enjoy a book with nice character development, check it out!