LoveReading Says
A gifted, high achiever walks out of his flat one morning and gets hit by a taxi. We pick up on him a few years later when he is finding it impossible to accept and adapt to his paraplegic life. Various carers have been and gone - unable to take his anger. Then along comes our protagonist - a girl desperate for work with no idea what she is walking into.
This is beautifully written and very powerful. The relationship between the two unfolds with heartfelt poignancy. To tell you more would be a sin, but certainly the ending took me by surprise. A very fine and impressive book tackling a sensitive subject - euthanasia. ~ Sarah Broadhurst
A 2013 World Book Night selection.
Shortlisted for the Specsavers National Book Awards 'Popular Fiction of the Year' 2012.
Click here to see a reading guide for this book.
A 'piece of passion' from the publisher...
'When I first read Me Before You I knew it was a very special book. A story that makes you fall in love, makes you sob your heart out and changes your view of the world is a powerful and beautiful story indeed, and that’s exactly why I loved this novel so much. When a book stays with you long after you’ve finished reading it, you know it is a real gem and Jojo Moyes has done it again – to our delight she has given us another precious gem in her new novel The Girl You Left Behind.
I have once more fallen in love, sobbed my heart out and looked at the world in a new way. From occupied France during WWI to modern day London, this book swept me away. The Girl You Left Behind is a beautifully written, heartbreaking and utterly stunning novel and I hope you will love it as much as I do.'
In August 2012 Lovereading asked members and browsers whether they would like to review this title for us. A few lucky readers were selected to do so and below you can find out what they thought. You can also check out some reader reviews for Jojo's novel that's published on 27th September The Girl you Left Behind.
Reviewed by Sarah BroadhurstSarah Broadhurst spent her early working life in the book trade in both retail and wholesale until the arrival of children forced her to look for freelance work she could do from…
More reviews by Sarah Broadhurst About Me Before You
Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.
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Jojo Moyes Press Reviews
'Destined to be the novel that friends press upon each other more than any other next year, it is a tremendous example of what commercial fiction can do when in the hands of an expert. Moyes does a majestic job of conjuring a cast of characters who are charismatic, credible and utterly compelling; Lou and Will are a couple who readers will take to their hearts as they did One Day's Emma and Dex' The Independent
'Poignant and beautifully written, this book will stay with you long after you've put it down' Star Magazine
'Funny, believable and heartbreaking, this is sure to be the weepy of 2012' Woman's Own
''This truly beautiful story made us laugh, smile and sob like a baby - you simply have to read it' Closer
'Compelling, moving and absorbing. It's also a real weepie' Daily Express
'Beautifully written' The Sun
'Another powerful love story. A deftly plotted narrative populated with likeable engaging characters ... a bittersweet story about love, learning and letting go. It's a tremendous read and I loved it' Daily Mail
'Heartbreaking, soul-searching and utterly compelling' Easy Living
'Keep the tissues close as Jojo Moyes returns with Me Before You, a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting tale about the relationship between an embittered quadriplegic man and the carer who is trying to give him a reason to live' Good Housekeeping
'Jojo Moyes has done it again with this funny, touching tale that is impossible to put down. Make sure you have a box of tissues to hand!' Candis
'At last, a new Moyes novel - and it's a triumph. Her story of love blossoming in the most unlikely of ways packs such an emotional punch, you'll need a box of tissues' Elle
'Jojo Moyes's poignantly romantic tales have readers streaming their way through boxes of Kleenex ... Me Before You is compelling reading...a profound, fundamental, thought-provoking conundrum lies at the heart of the story, a huge moral dilemma, explored with great fictional finesse. Devotees of Jojo Moyes and newcomers alike will settle into this entertaining book with gusto' Sunday Express
'A compelling novel of life and death decisions and unlikely affections. It's magical and heartbreaking, but doesn't shy away from difficult emotional realities. Waterproof mascara essential' Marie Claire
'Poignant ... heartfelt ... Me Before You, at it's heart, is about two people who properly listen to each other; it is something good' The Independent on Sunday
'Romantic, thought-provoking tear-jerker than you won't be able to put down' Woman & Home
About Jojo Moyes
Jojo Moyes was our Guest Editor in March 2014 - click here - to see the books that inspired her writing.
Jojo Moyes is a novelist and a journalist. She worked at the Independent for ten years before leaving to write full time. Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include Me Before You, The Girl You Left Behind, The Ship of Brides, Foreign Fruit, and The Last Letter from Your Lover. She lives in Essex with her husband and their three children.
Me Before You was 2012’s greatest love story – it was Spring 2012’s most popular Richard & Judy pick that went on to be nominated for book of the year at the Galaxy Book Awards. Excitingly, it has since been optioned by MGM and Jojo has been writing the script this summer.
Jojo has spent much of 2013 touring the US and this summer Me Before You went straight in on The New York Times bestseller Top Ten chart. In the UK, appearances this year so far include World Book Night, Hay Literary Festival, The Bookseller Industry Awards and the Orange Women’s Prize.
Her latest novel The One Plus One is in the same vein of Me Before You – an unconventional love story with a dilemma at its heart. It has a cast of wonderful characters and show that family comes in all forms and that through hard work and optimism, your happy ending might come true after all.
Author photo © Stine Heilmann
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