Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time will have got the distinct impression that the books that tick all my boxes are more than likely going to be either a good thriller, fantasy, crime procedural or a humorous tome. However, it is always good to branch out now and again and for this reason, I delved into a book that kept popping up on bestseller lists over the last couple of years and slowly attracted my attention. Me Before You, by Jojo Moyes is, at its basic level, a romance. However, it is so much more. Louisa Clarke is a home loving girl, still living with her parents, still with her boyfriend of 7 years and still working in the local cafe. She is comfortable with her life. This all changes when the cafe closes and, with limited employment opportunities available, she accepts a 6-month contract as the daytime carer of Will Traynor, a quadriplegic who is tired of his life. Once a high-flying all-action business man, Will cannot come to terms with how his life has changed. Louisa is at first scared of him, but then determines to try and make his life a bit more bearable in her own inimitable fashion. Slowly but surely, they start to enjoy each other's company and form a real bond. When Louisa finds out however, that her contract is only for 6 months because Will is planning to commit suicide at the end of this time frame, she is devastated. Can she change his mind? At first, I wasn't at all sure about this book and thought I knew exactly where it was going, but as I persisted, it slowly got under my skin and I started to care about the characters. This is a romance with a real difference, and tackles very challenging issues, such as disability and assisted suicide. At times uncomfortable and at others uplifting, this is not always an easy book to read, but is one that will surprise and touch the heart of anyone who tackles it. Oh, and it may not sound like it, but there is plenty of humour in it too. I read the audio edition, which had multiple narrators, not all of whom I liked, which I think detracted from the story for me, it might be better to stick with the print or ebook editions for this one so that you can create your own voice for the characters. Have just found out that there is a sequel planned for Autumn 2015, which I might delve into.
My STAR rating: THREE (due to the narration).
Length: 528 print pages.
Price I paid: £4.00.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.
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