Jojo MoyesME BEFORE YOU

Oh my gosh, that was emotional. I've seen the film before so I knew what to expect but I wasn't expecting it to be even more heart wrenching, and even better. I loved it, from start to finish. It's a lovely story of love found in a place that you least expect to find it. Although I'm not a quadriplegic myself, I am in a wheelchair due to a disability I've had from birth, it's almost like I'm a quadriplegic in the sense that I have almost no movement throughout my body (apart from very limited movement in my right arm/hand), but I have full feeling and sensation. So I can relate to most of the every day struggles that Will has to go through since his accident, such as not being able to cross the road easily if a car has inconsiderately parked across the dropped curb, people openly staring at you because you're in a wheelchair, getting the wheels of your wheelchair stuck in really wet mud, etc. But for Will, it was different and harder for him to deal with as he wasn't born that way, I'm used to it and even though I would never make the same choices he made, I can understand why. I laughed a lot and I cried at this book. It was really well written. The reason I read this is because I can't wait to find out what happens next in the story. I love how Lou developed into this whole other person because of Will, they helped each other and I love her as well as him.

***SPOILER ALERT***It took me a few years to finally get around to reading this book. I knew it was a best seller and that it was popular but I had never checked what it was about - I prefer to go in without any preconceived ideas.So, yes, it's ChickLit. And yes, I enjoyed it. And yes, my heart broke at the end.And yes, I've read the thoughts of those people who believe that disability has been portrayed as something with which life isn't worth living.Here's what I got from this book. I disagree with those people mentioned above. We all have thoughts and feelings of our own: thoughts and feelings that are formed as a result of upbringing, education, experience and others' influences. We are all unique and we each deal with life's crises in our own way. And we all affect other people with our decisions, often knowing of the life changing cards we'll be dealing to loved ones but unable to bring ourselves to open up a new deck.So, no, I don't feel guilty for enjoying this book. It emphasised for me how quick we can often be to judge others without ever walking in their shoes. It showed me that Love has no rules and doesn't always mean 'happy ever after', but that we're all changed a little each time we experience it and that, often, our biggest decisions can only be made as a result of it.A beautiful love story, well told, and incredibly thought provoking. Read it for yourself, make up your own mind and don't feel guilty for your reactions.

An unconventional love story...Actually, once you get passed the whole disabled thing, Will is the fantasy, rich, cold, handsome and sarcastic love interest lots of romance heroine falls for.As for Lou, she's likeable enough, but she's the usual kooky character that you normally find playing the romantic lead. The one most rich, cold men in these romances end up falling for.So really, the story is quite conventional.But despite the two main characters fitting roles we're use to seeing, they do bring a freshness to the roles.Once I was introduced to the characters and story, I thought there were two possible outcomes to this story, and turns out, one of my guess was correct.There is a certain feel this story emits and it makes it predictable. It wants your emotions, and you become prepared for the story to try and take it in any way possible.It explores the feelings of self-worth. It's approach, however, when it comes to Will, has caused much debate in the disabled community. I think the author just wanted to tell a story, from a person that has that kind of attitude and outlook. I don't think there's a big message behind it.I like most when Lou and Will are interacting, but some scenes just fly by with the author telling us how much fun they had. I feel cheated with these scenes, it's like watching them from afar. You're being told they're connecting, instead of showing.And maybe that's part of the reason that I don't feel like their relationship is as strong as the writer wants us to believe it is.I would have like to have seen more scenes where they're connecting and getting through to one another.We see from quite a few characters point of view, and I would have like to seen from Will's side.Still, though there are flaws, I enjoyed the read.

Firstly - the writing is very ordinary, a routine recording of events, e.g. 'I had spent the day at home, trying to be useful. I'm guessing it was about an hour before I started getting under my mother's feet'. After a few chapters, one gets used to this.That said, the emotions described do feel authentic, and there is no straining for drama, it is all quite natural.However, as a man-meets-woman romance it disappoints - there is no 'meet-cute', and other major elements of a love story are missing - which I don't want to say, or it would give away key plot points. Even though some elements of a romance - the castle, the travel to wonderful, far-flung locations - are there....?! I found this mix confusing.So is it a contemporary, more 'realistic' love story? I'm not sure. I was left nonplussed.

I bought this book as I absolutely loved Jojo Moyes’ The Giver of Stars which I read recently so thought I’d get more of her work. This book has received a lot of rave reviews, but it didn’t really do it for me. I felt manipulated a lot of the time and ended up getting quite fed up with the highly unlikely plot. I did like the main character, Lou, but I felt her relationship with Will was just not believable.To me, it seemed very much as if the author was putting two strong-minded people who had both been through a hell of a lot into a plot that didn’t suit them – so they were shoe-horned into the story, which was therefore plot-driven rather than character-led, which was a shame.It would have been nice to focus a lot more on Lou’s sister, who was a great character. Her whole family were also great fun, which was again why her mother’s stance at the end just didn’t ring true.So, a book that constrains its characters too much into an issue Moyes obviously feels very strongly about. I will read the sequel, and hope Lou is allowed her own say in that one.