Recent Reads: Me Before You (Book #28 of 2013)

As I write this, my face is still sticky with tears. What a beautiful and unexpected read.

A few weeks ago, I was renting some movies at the library when I spotted this book on the New Books shelf at the front of the building. I knew I had seen it somewhere before, and it turns out it was on my Goodreads profile, on the To-Read list. Even though I still hadn’t finished my last book, I snatched it, knowing I would probably have to renew it if I couldn’t finish it within the two week limit.
(Funny enough, today is the due date, so I made it.)

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes tells the story of Louisa Clark, a 26 year old who has just recently lost her job at a café. She lives with her family, and her full-time job was what mostly helped support them. Her older sister has a young son, her mother takes care of her grandfather, and her dad’s job is slowly becoming redundant (the book takes place in 2009, so you understand). Because her job was so important, she finds herself at the job center, desperately looking for work to help keep her family together. Despite having no previous education or experience other than serving coffee, she is offered a 6 month contract to be a caregiver to 35 year old William Traynor, a former businessman thrill seeker who’s life was altered forever when a car accident rendered him a quadriplegic.
Louisa is unsure of why she has qualified for the job, but as it turns out, Will’s family is looking for someone to keep him company and brighten up his life, because he is inconsolably depressed over the loss of his former life. When she learns just how dire his depression is, she takes it all upon herself to make his life the best it can be, within his limitations, to prove that life is still worth living.

I have never read a book quite like this before. It was funny and charming and sad and it covered some topics I never expected to read about.
At first, I had a hard time sinking in, but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. I really loved it, and there’s so much more to the story than what I’ve explained above, but I think you should just read it and check it out for yourself.

I don’t remember why I put it on my list before (Was it in a magazine? Did someone else read it and rate it? Was it a recommendation for me and I just went with it?), and I borrowed it after simply reading the inside cover, but I’m so glad I did.
This is a definite recommendation from me.