Book Review: Me Before You (Me Before You, #1) by Jojo Moyes

Looking at the cover of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, I didn’t have especially high expectations going in since it had a similar look and feel to the covers of Emily Giffin novels. There was also the fact that many of the people I knew who were raving about Me Before You tend to have very different reading tastes than I do.

The emotional journey you take with the characters is a difficult one because the story centers around Will Traynor, a man who becomes a quadriplegic after a devastating accident. Struggling to cope with how drastically his life has changed, Will falls into a deep depression and no longer wishes to live. Louisa Clark is hired by Will’s parents to serve as his day-to-day caregiver and companion in the hope that she can help change his mind about assisted suicide. At first, Louisa has no idea about Will’s plans until she overhears his mother discussing it with Will’s sister. Determined to help, Louisa begins researching activities and experiences that might give Will a renewed sense of purpose and hope.

There are readers who feel that Jojo Moyes is sending the message that life with a disability is not worth living and that assisted suicide is the only option. Personally, I don’t see the story that way at all, and that interpretation honestly frustrates me. I think Moyes did a phenomenal job portraying how someone might emotionally respond to having their entire life turned upside down in an instant, especially while dealing with depression and a lack of meaningful emotional support. She isn’t saying that a disabled life lacks value; rather, she is presenting one character’s personal perspective and struggle.

Despite the heavy and emotional themes in Me Before You, I completely fell in love with this book. While the ending is undeniably bittersweet, it is still absolutely worth reading. The novel took me on an emotional roller coaster, gave me all the feels, and left me sobbing by the final pages. It also lingered with me for days afterward, leaving me feeling reflective and emotionally drained in the best possible way. I honestly don’t know how I would handle the situation Will faced, but I love life too much to make the same decision he ultimately did. The story also reminded me a bit of the young adult novels I read as a teenager by Lurlene McDaniel, whose books often focus on characters dealing with chronic illnesses or terminal diseases.

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