Still Me

AHHHHHHHSVJWKWHDNBHGFCBHJMUNJBWHMNMBVX GHWHNNDKJGVHGSBHXNIUSHBCHMGNDGAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

brb gonna go watch Me Before You again

It took me two years to finish this series, but I am happy I finally decided to read the last book. I never imagined this would become my favorite book in the series.
Now, you have to understand that when I read the first two books in this series, I finished emotionally exhausted. Without planning it, I found myself reading them right after my mother passed away. Of course, in the series we met Lou, who loses a very important person in her life and has to deal with her grief and learn to live with that loss. It was, honestly, too much for me at a time when I was dealing with my own grief.
I remember I bought all three books at the same time and this one, spent two years on my bedside table. I am so happy I decided to finally pick it up. I really loved Lou in this book and the way she finally embraced herself.

This is the Louisa I was waiting after Will's death.. discovering herself.. using her full “potential” as Will said.. This is the book which you just can not put away.. you have to find what happens next. It shows how Lou has evolved since last we saw her in After You. That Lou was mourning over Will's death and not doing anything else. When there is an entry of Josh and details about how he looked same like Will, I was skeptical. William Traynor has left his “stamp” on Lou and no one could replace him. There are some point in this book where Lou's stint at Gopniks have stretched far too much. Though it supported the real plot, but I think if we could have got some of her struggles with new business then her success was more enjoyable than reading letters. Will's letters made me sad though.. Something about it makes me want to read Me before you again..
To be honest, this is the better version of Louisa than After you! Loved it!

Louisa Clark is back, in this third book in Jojo Moyes series Me Before You we are reunited with the girl with the bumblebee tights as she journey's off to New York to live the life of adventure she promised Will Traynor she would have following his death. This series is one that is not without its critics, many people struggled with the central themes of book 1 whilst others fell in love with the story but we found that in Book 2 it was difficult to move on from the heartbreak of Me Before You and to follow the journey of Louisa without her love and friend Will beside her. I know I was left feeling a little lackluster after book 2 and was therefore surprised when Book 3 was announced.

Despite my reservations about After You I still needed to return and find out what Louisa was going to get up to in Book 3 and to find out if she had as yet reached the potential, her true love believed her capable of. And so the book begins with Louisa jetting off to begin a new job in New York, as assistant to the wife of a wealthy American millionaire. All is not as it seems though and she finds her new boss, Agnes, to be fragile and struggling with replacing the first wife of her husband who still holds great sway in the social circles in which she now has to mingle. Agnes is holding back many secrets and Louisa whilst trying to be a good employee and friend finds her new job more difficult than she could have imagined.

I loved that Louisa is off on her own in this book, forging her way in a new world. She has learned much from her time with Will but is now ready to apply it all, along with her quirky fashion sense and sense of friendship to her new role. Whilst much of the initial part of the book focuses on this I found as the book progressed I fell more in love as we began exploring all the other characters she meets in New York. The tetchy neighbour Mrs. De Witt and her yappy pug dog who seems desperate to take a bite out of Louisa whenever they meet. The enigmatic doorman of the building where she lives and his wonderful wife who are fighting to save their local library and the mysterious Josh who she meets at a society event who seems interested in more than just friendship.

It's a difficult book because we know Louisa's heart belongs back in England with her family and her boyfriend Sam but she is forging a new future in a world she loves and this is bound to cause difficulty and Jojo Moyes explores that beautifully in this book. She takes Louisa on the next stage of her journey in this book and we see her become independent and capable of all Will told her she was before his death.

I liked this book so very much, I loved it much more than After You because in this book Louisa's grief has passed the raw stage and we find her discovering her new normal and getting back to planning a future and I liked that we got to share her journey and in such a way that she stays true to her self in all situations. I would recommend this highly.

The law of diminishing returns has hit Jojo Moyes and Louisa Clark. While [b:After You 25041504 After You (Me Before You, #2) Jojo Moyes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1429029729s/25041504.jpg 44693518] was a worthwhile sequel to the blockbuster [b:Me Before You 15507958 Me Before You (Me Before You, #1) Jojo Moyes https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1357108762s/15507958.jpg 17763198], and a realistic look at recovery from grief, Still Me feels like an attempt to wring a little more magic out of a series that has in reality run its course. The majority of the book focuses on Louisa's life as a personal assistant to a wealthy trophy wife in New York City society, and we don't need 250 pages to know that Lou and her bumblebee tights do not belong in that world. The last 100 pages are the strongest as Louisa finally starts to explore what, where and who will make her happy. The love triangle between Lou, “Ambulance Sam” and a potential new suitor is underwhelming, as unfortunately no other man will ever come close to the late, lamented Will Traynor. Although this is my least favorite of the Me/You novels, any story that features the irrepressible Louisa Clark (and her memorable family members) can't be all bad. The title is accurate - no matter what situation Louisa is in, she's always “me” - honest, funny, earnest and loving. I hope Jojo Moyes leaves her where she is at the end of the book (capped with a perfect scene out of a Nora Ephrom rom-com) and moves on to other characters in other stories.