After You: A Novel (Me Before You Trilogy Book 2)

AFTER YOU by Jojo Moyes is the follow-up to the smashing bestseller ME BEFORE YOU. Louisa, her family, and the Traynor family are back after thousands of fans of MBY were curious, even concerned, about Louisa’s wellbeing and future. Briefly, MBY is an emotionally charged story about a young carer, Louisa, and Will Traynor, a quadraplegic. Louisa doesn’t know what she wants in life except to live a quiet life in her small town, but Will, once an outgoing, entrepreneurial, adventurous, risk-taking soul before his accident, encourages her to live the best life she can. When they first meet, Will, not unexpectedly, is suicidal. Carers have been fired or cannot cope. Until Louisa, quirky, funny and beguiling, applies for the job. Louisa falls in love with Will … but no more spoilers here, just a taster. When I heard a follow-up was been written, announced early this year, I was ecstatic you could say, like the tens of thousands of other fans. But during the period between the announcement and its release date, yesterday, I had time to ask questions – how would the author pull off a follow-up when she had no intention of writing one until the fans made a fuss? How would she plot this? Will the Traynors (Will’s parents) reappear? They weren't exactly a likeable family so maybe they’ll be forgotten, excluded? Would Louisa’s family reappear? I hoped so – their characters too were funny, loving, adorable in all their flaws. They were a constant breath of fresh air after a scene or chapter with the, cold, stiff upper-lip Traynors. So I’ve read the follow-up, AFTER YOU (in one gulp, of course), and I think Jojo Moyes really pulled it off. Yes, Louisa’s family makes a come-back, and yes, so do Will’s family, the Traynors, but they have changed, in a good way, since MBY. Some new, delightful (and not so delightful) characters are introduced, bringing quite a large cast to the mix. I won’t tell you much more than this. It’ll give away what happens in the first book, MBY, unless you start reading the reviews – I suggest you don’t read any because many of them spill the beans and ruin it. Trust me. Both books are well-crafted, superb reads (unless you're a writer and picky and notice tiny technical glitches like the change in tense at the beginning, a repetitive word or two, which is nothing, like a crumb that can be swiftly brushed aside). If you enjoy contemporary novels about family, love and loss, current societal issues, wit and humour, a cast of engaging, likable (and unlikable, not many) characters, these two unforgettable, well-paced, well-written stories won’t disappoint. And as a bonus, ME BEFORE YOU, has been made into a film, to be released next year. I'm usually disappointed with most 'novels to films', for example, ONE DAY by David Nicholls (Ann Hathaway played the lead). I don't think Nicholls wrote the screenplay and this is where adaptations can so easily fail. The great news for MBY is that Jojo Moyes wrote the screenplay and there are two fetching actors playing Louisa and Will respectively - Sam Caflin (Any Human Heart; Love, Rosie; The Hunger Games) and Emilia Clark (Game of Thrones). Something to look forward to ...

Let’s face it: Sequels can be tricky things. While in theory they are wanted/needed and seem (at the time) a good thing, the reality doesn’t always pan out. The ones that do lean more towards the “exception to the rules” spectrum. And even then, that opinion can vary from person to person. With that in mind, I give you After You by Jojo Moyes. I loved Me Before You (it’s part of my Favorites shelf), so when I heard that a sequel was coming I was excited. I was interested to see where Moyes took Lou’s story. But amidst my curiosity and excitement hovered some trepidation. Considering how beloved Me Before You is, it is one hard act to follow. It will have to take on the risk of always having it compared to its predecessor (fair or not). And I’m not going to lie. As I started to read, that automatic reaction kicked in and I found myself waiting for that exact moment when I would start having the emotional response as I did with Me Before You. But as I continued reading, a funny thing happened. I stopped doing it because After You, while continuing Lou’s journey, is a completely different animal. The book is a separate entity on its own, with different (but familiar) themes and concepts. The one thing that remains constant is the wonderful writing of Moyes. Moyes manage to beautifully capture the aftermath of Lou’s experience with Will which you soon find is not in the warm and fuzzy place that she left you with at the end of the first book. It would’ve been easy just to leave it off that way, with Lou at a Parisian cafe and finding some peace from Will’s last message to her and riding off into the sunset. But I admire Moyes for taking the other road. After You examines the concept of grief and how it can pull us back, leaving us in a state of suspended animation. Grief is not an exact science with certain rules and expiration dates. Through Lou’s attempts at “living”, you see how devastating loss can change a person. It’s not pretty. Lou often leaves you feeling just as exasperated with her as her sister, Treena. And yet, there’s a part of you that can sympathize and understand her plight because you were there with her as she tried to save Will. I loved how the rest of the book’s plots radiated from Lou’s grief and created layers to the story revolving around family, loss, love and change. The story examines what defines “family” and the different forms it takes. You read how Will’s death left a hollow space in other people’s lives besides Lou. While Lou seems to be stuck in a proverbial vortex of grief and loneliness, her mother, Josie Clark, is exploring changes in her life that threatens the status quo in her marriage. While each story seems different, they all connect and ultimately come back to Lou and her learning to carry her grief while still moving on. This is not Me Before You. I can imagine you rolling your eyes and saying “Duh!” as you read that. It’s not meant to be an insult to you or anything of the sort. It’s more of a reminder to you that this sequel will never be on the same level as its predecessor. However, there are still aspects that make this book as compelling a read as the one before. The writing is still as smart with self-deprecating humor and enjoyable as ever. The characters, both old and new, are just as complicated and sympathetic as before with a story that is just as engrossing. This book may not have the same emotional punch to the gut that Me Before You provided, but it still contained a story that moves you and resonates with you. Just on a different plane. You deprive yourself of a wonderful read if you keep it overshadowed with its predecessor’s presence. Hmmm...that sounds familiar doesn’t it?

As a librarian, I read scores of books each year, and I enjoy nothing more than recommending a good read to fellow book lovers. ME BEFORE YOU was my favorite adult read a couple of years back, and I was thrilled to learn that Jojo Moyes had another Louisa and Will story in her heart. Indeed, even though Will is gone, AFTER YOU is still, in a unique way, a continuation of their story. In the Robert Anderson play I Never Sang for My Father, the narrator tells us that "death ends a life, but it does not end a relationship, which struggles on in the survivor's mind toward some resolution which it may never find." AFTER YOU tells the story of Louisa Clark's painful struggle, loss, and her unresolved feelings for Will Traynor. Luckily for Louisa, and for us readers, there is a group of people who truly care about Louisa as she navigates the heartbreak of trying to settle back into her "normal" life, 18 months after the death of the man she grew to love. The hole which Will leaves in Louisa's life is vast, empty, and so painful. There are a number of new characters who slip into the space Will left in Louisa's heart; some are likeable, others take a while to warm up to. There is one surprise newcomer who throws an interesting curveball into Louisa's emotionally comatose state, and gives her something to wake up for. There is, thankfully, no easy cookie-cutter magical leading man to jump into the shoes which Louisa so wanted Will to fill, but there is something....something that takes Louisa on a journey which signals at least the potential for happiness, for meaning, for value in her life...and Louisa spends this book trying to find out what that may be. Louisa's journey helps her to find a place in her heart, and in her life, where Will still belongs...in a way she can live with, while still allowing her to look forward to truly living. I'll not write any specifics here about any of the story or its characters. I merely hope that I've convinced any readers of this review to read AFTER YOU. It is a heartrending, personal, unflinchingly honest account of this special character's efforts to put a devastating loss behind her...and come out on the other side of it with her love remaining....love for the one she lost, love for those special people in her life, and love for the life she has the opportunity to reshape and go ahead living. AFTER YOU is a different kind of magic than ME BEFORE YOU...but it is a beautiful story which reminded me once again of how worthy love is, even if we can't be certain that we won't lose it, because it is never wholly gone.

3 stars to Jojo Moyes's After You, the follow-up to Me Before You, which was a very popular book made into a movie earlier this year. The "After You" sequel is good (not as good), but for a different reason. Many folks complained about the need for this second book, and with the first one being made into a movie, it may have been a required follow-up as opposed to a story that yearned to be told... either case, I did enjoy it. Let's dive in... Story The book opens about 18 months after the first one ends, which was when her patient and soul-mate, Will Traynor, committed suicide. (If you are reading this review, it's not really a spoiler as that's the whole point of Me Before You -- how will she handle the tragedy of being with him... and if you haven't read Book 1, stop now and go back and read it even before this review of Book 2. You can also check out my Book 1 review in the link below). Louisa (the girl who fell for Will) has been on the outs with her family due to her role in Wil's suicide, and she took a year off to travel and try to move forward. Of course, it never happens, and she goes back to the quiet and sheltered life she had before she met him. When she accidentally falls off her roof, it sets into motion several challenges for her to face. Some think she tried to kill herself. Some think she is rotting away her life. She goes back to a very sad job where she's yelled at by a nasty boss all the time. She tries to get better by going to a self-help group for people affected by a loved one who died. She meets the ambulance medic who saved her after the fall. She gets a job offer to go to NYC. And she meets Lily, the secret daughter Will had that no one ever knew about. While Louisa tries to figure out her life, she learns all the lessons she needs to be able to move on... but when it all comes together in the end, and she has to make a choice on her own future, will she be able to? (And that's for you to find out when you read the book... I can't give a spoiler away, right?) Strengths 1. Lou is a fantastic character. She's flawed which makes her real. She's whiny yet she stands up for herself. She's smart and she makes dumb decisions. She's got potential but she lets it waste. We can all find a piece of Lou's personality in our own, which makes reading about her and understanding her actions all the more interesting... because you can question whether you would have done the same thing or made a different decision. She's quite relate-able... on may levels. 2. The plot is great, especially as a follow-up to Me Before You. It could have gone in many directions, e.g. a trial/lawsuit from the family or the government for her role in his death, a barrage of press harassment, the anger of her family, etc. Instead, the book gives us an 18 month break from the last one, and its inherent immediate reactions to the death, which also allows the reader time to grieve and want to see Lou move on. So... the plot had room to be widely open, but needed to be connected to the first one -- a mysterious unknown daughter -- while over-played in movies -- isn't so common in books... and I enjoyed watching it unfold. 3. It's witty. Dialogue is on-target. Characters are bold but also complex. The story is consistent. It holds interest. It retains some of the sadness of the first book but brings you to a middle / average level of how you feel about the pain... and leaves you thinking "these people are real." And that's what I enjoy in a book. I don't want to feel harsh and judgmental of character actions, or find myself in love with something perfect that doesn't really exist... yes, literature is often supposed to take you out of reality and into something fantastical where you feel magical... but for me, the very nature of fiction does that -- I enjoy the great sweeping arcs of magic, but when the story is simple and beautiful, it's even better. Suggestions I don't believe there should have been a follow-up to Me Before You, and I'm a serial-fictionist... as well as a lexiconnoisseur neologist (apparently, I make up words like serial-fictionist). The first one was so good as a stand-alone, I don't want to compare anything to it with the same story and author being involved. Perhaps if I just picked up After You, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much without knowing what happened to Lou in Book 1. Book 2 (After You) is a good story with good writing, but there wasn't anything special about it, hence why I have it a 3. If I hadn't witnessed her struggle in the previous book, it wouldn't have been as powerful in this book to watch her recovery. Final Thoughts So... with it getting a 3, and with me not having anything truly remarkable to say about it, I'd recommend it to folks under certain conditions: 1. If you read Me Before You, you should read After You. If you love Louisa and her family, then why wouldn't you want to read another 350 pages about their life... it's like having a friend who lives far away and just happens to be in your town and may never be again for years. It's there... It's a day's read. It's enjoyable. It just isn't the same as it was the first go around. But you still want to know "how is that friend of mine different these days..." - so go see that friend. 2. If you love the author's style, read After You. It's a well-written book and has a few good characters you will root for. 3. If you can accept the original is the best, and know that you won't always get the same vibe and attraction to its successors, then you probably have an open enough mind to check out what happened in her later years. But if you are looking for an amazing follow-up with an absolute blockbuster of a story and ending to Lou's life... you will be somewhat disappointed. After You is a slice of what happens to her in a 3 month period set nearly 2 years after the first one ends. It's nice. It's a good read. But you won't walk away with the same level of emotions as you did with Me Before You. About Me If you're curious to know more about this reader and writer, check out my profile on this site or you can go to my personal website [...]

When I pick up a book by Jojo Moyes, it's a pretty fair bet that it's going to make me cry at least at some point, although none of the other books of hers have left me the sobbing mess I was while reading Me Before You, which was one of my favorite books of 2013. Given how much I loved that book, I'll admit I was slightly dubious when I learned that Moyes was writing a sequel. Would it be able to capture the emotion of its predecessor without feeling like a retread? Was there more to Louisa Clark's story that still needed to be told? And perhaps most importantly, would it leave me an emotional wreck? I'd say pretty much, yes, and, well, sort of. Since Will Traynor's death, Louisa's life hasn't been the same. She promised him she'd live boldly, and she tried, but in the end, she found herself going through the motions more than anything else. When a freak accident forces her to return home to live with her family, she is confronted by the feeling that she never made any progress with her life before she met Will, and she doesn't know what she wants—if anything—from her future. Stuck in a job she hates, with only her family and members of a bereavement group to commiserate with, Lou feels guilty about not keeping her promise, but she isn't sure she has anything more in her. But then life—in the forms of an unexpected figure from Will's past, and the paramedic who rescued Lou after her accident—intervenes, and once again she is forced to make a decision as to whether to do what is best for her, to step outside of her comfort zone, or should she just do what is easiest, even if it means letting chances pass her by? After You is a book about how hard it is to move on and start living again after you've lost someone you love so deeply. It's about how grief affects everything you do, and sometimes paralyzes you, and how even when you are pushed out of your rut, it can still be far too hard. It's also about whether you are willing to let yourself take chances again, even if those chances may lead to you being hurt again. I really enjoy the way Moyes writes. Her style is breezy, accessible, conversational, and it just draws you in so quickly. I really liked most of the characters in this book, and it didn't really feel like a retread of Me Before You. I'll admit that at times I felt the book was going to veer into territory I wasn't going to like, but for the most part, Moyes kept us out of there. (There was one brief shift in the book's narration that would really have irritated me if it continued, but fortunately, it didn't.) This book didn't hit me as hard as its predecessor, but I still found myself getting choked up. And while I didn't think this book was quite as good, it's still a really good, enjoyable, emotional read, so I wasn't disappointed.

After You by Jojo Moyes is the second book in her series, Me Before You . This is the story of Louisa Clark and her life AFTER Will Traynor. It is refreshingly nowhere near as heartbreaking as as it's predecessor, Me Before You, and picks up after Lou's time in Paris AFTER Switzerland and (view spoiler). The book quite literally begins with a bang (or crash?) with Louisa taking a bad fall and being collected by the paramedics. Intense and sad when we see just how (view spoiler). Once she is out of the hospital her parents insist she go to a support group for grieving people and she reluctantly agrees. Then, a teenager named Lily shows up on her doorstep with a surprising revelation and Louisa's life is embroiled in Lily's teenage drama. Then, she meets the paramedic that helped piece her back together after her fall and finds him just as wonderful as he was the night he saved her. Things are slowly turning around for Lou and she doesn't feel like she is letting Will down as much. But this is just the calm before the storm and while she tries to move on with Sam, can he deal with hr still painfully mourning Will? Can Lily ever get ehr head around her family issues and can Lou help her or is she just a punching bag for this hormonal teen with, rightly so, abandonment issues. People looking for another heartbreak like Me Before You will be sorely disappointed. This is Lou's life moving on from that epic romance/tragedy. Why anyone would want to put her through something like losing Will a second time is beyond me. The story is intriguing and entertaining and no less Louisa Clark than the first book but it is MUCH more lighthearted (in comparison). Up next, Still Me. Enjoy!

***Mild Spoilers*** First off, I'm SHOCKED that so many people seemed to dislike this sequel! I think with the way that Ms. Moyes ended Me Before You, many people were hoping for this fairytale of Louisa traveling the world and being happy despite the love of her life choosing to leave her. This is not reality. Louisa lived a sheltered life, it really wouldn't make sense for her to be able to go out and do a bunch of travelling on her own right after Will died. Given, I was a bit taken aback by the way it started, I didn't know Louisa anymore because of her state of grief, and I found the long lost daughter a bit of a cliché, but the way the story progressed completely worked for me. I didn't like the character of Lily, as some others have said as well, but I don't think you are supposed to like her. She supposed to be an annoying, selfish teenager with mommy issues. When the reasons for her behavior were brought to light, I was shocked once more and rather ashamed of myself for being glad when Louisa had kicked her out. I loved the way Ms. Moyes had all of the main characters so willing to help her and that they were able to conclude it without anything left hanging. Lily grew on me after all her drama was wrapped up. Ms. Moyes also created every straight woman's fantasy in a love interest. I couldn't help but fall in love with Sam any more than Louisa could. Though this story was nicely concluded with a happy and hopeful ending, I almost hope she writes a third novel with Louisa's escapades in NY and hopefully Sam joining her. Honestly, I can't see why so many found this sequel disappointing. It was wonderful and it was great to see Louisa have a happy ending after everything she went through in the first novel (and second for that matter!).

Before reading After You, you simply must read Me Before You by the same author. The first novel I rated a 5. This one, a 4, but only because the first novel is so necessary to reaping the most benefit from After You. These two novels address a very controversial subject (assisted suicide) and the effects on those close to the person who is contemplating suicide. I believe the author handled it fairly accurately and compassionately. Understanding what the main character in both novels (Lou) went through is explained somewhat in After You, but you really need the first book to understand the depth of feelings she experienced, and the stages of grief she went through before arriving at the beginning of After You. While the author did give a bit of background, I don't recommend After You as a stand-alone. At times during the reading, I was compelled to consider what came before, in the first novel - and invariably, I thought of others coming to the story for the first time, and feeling that they had "lost out". The story was to me completely compelling. Coping after losing a loved one to suicide is a long, torturous process, and I was curious as to the emotions experienced by loved ones when the deliberate, well-thought out decision to end a life is due to incurable illness. I finished both of these novels before I was ready to let the story go. They leave you wanting more - not because the story isn't resolved, but because you want to see further into the characters' futures. The writer is British, and uses many English terms, tenses and slang that may leave Americans wanting to make corrections. It drives me just a tad batty, but doesn't take me long to get over it. The editing is quite good (and I'd bet not by an American), with very few outright errors present. I highly recommend both novels for those people with an open mind, and people who are as yet undecided about the Death with Dignity issues. If you are adamantly and irrevocably committed to the thought that suicide is an unforgivable sin, you should probably skip them both. A couple of members of my book club even refused to finish the first book. After You doesn't deal with the issue directly, but only the aftermath.

A mi me gustó mucho, es una buena historia para sacarse el gusanito de lo qué pasó después. Ojalá y le hagan película algún día

Me Before You had a very thought provoking storyline. This story follows how Louisa the freind and carer picked up the pieces of her life after Will's life ended. The theme of Me Before You was so extremely powerful that to have written a follow up book with an equally strong storyline would have negated what had happened in the first book. After I finished Me Before You I felt that I wanted to know what happened to Louisa and Will's parents. I wanted to know how someone could move on after supporting someone who chose to end his life. This book was lovely, Louisa's parents made me laugh, I admired Louisa's strength of character, her empthathy and har whackiness. I recommend this book, don't read it expecting it to be as powerful as the first, but do read it if you feel that the first book left you needing a little more.

I read "Me before you" and really enjoyed it. I loved the character Louisa Clark and I wanted to know what she would do after Will's death. I was hooked to the story right from the beginning and read it in two weeks. I will read the third part "Still Me" for sure.

Beware of spoilers for both books! After finishing 'Me before you' I felt devastated and sort of left alone with the whole topic of assisted suicide. The whole book had built a relationship and dynamic between Louisa and Will, that I felt the end was cut short and was way too optimistic for such a parting. Not to mention the outlook on life 'Me before you' gave the reader - If life does not go the way you want it and you are too stubborn to adjust, take your life. Honestly, I could not believe this. I know it is in nobody's right to judge the feelings and decisions of someone in the situation of Will but I thought it a harsh ending for such a book. I would have liked more insight on Lou's part in 'Me before you' at this point. Whether she agreed with Will's decision or not I could not see her so elevated and joyful sitting in Paris and reading his almost cold letter. I felt there had to be more, the Louisa I saw in 'Me before you' was not that easy. This side of her now comes through in 'After you': She is struggling with her life, her future and the grief Will has left her with. I felt sort of relieved and confirmed that Louisa needed more than a trip through Europe to get over her lost love. This side of her felt very human to me and understandable in such a situation. Even if I might have done things differently in her place the decisions she made fit her character. After all she had spent only 6 months with Will and however big of an impact he had on her life, people do not change that quickly. I thought it unrealistic if she would have become an adventurer all of a sudden. 'After you' is not as stunning as 'Me before you' which is only logical in my opinion but it makes for a very good conclusion to the story of Louisa. Some parts of it seem too good to be true or too crazy to be happening but it gave a good read and a satisfactory ending. The atmosphere is darker this time but by the end I was chuckling even more than I did when reading the first book. I would recommend this book to everyone who would like to know how Louisa is coping after Will's death and finds her way back to living - in the full understanding that people are 'boring' and 'lame' when they grief for a long time but that that makes them human and shows just how much Will had meant to Lou.

I was so happy to reunite with Louisa! Didn't disappoint me at all, this book had the same spirit as "Me before you". Very touching, without being too much, and, I think, gives a good thinking on life. I totally recommend it if you're looking for a romantic novel :)