Still Me
Author: JoJo Moyes
Series: Me Before You Trilogy #3
Genre: romance, life, new adults?
Buy it here: Amazon, B&N
Do you Remember Me Before You? It is Still Me now…
Back then the world was marvelling at the chemistry between Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin in Me Before You, but the book was a lot better. Followed by After You, our heroine Louisa Clark the First travels to the Big Apple in search of adventure! If you haven’t read Me Before You, please go get it and you know… read it? Don’t watch the story it is nothing compared to the original writings. I mean, sure it is romantic on screen, but trust me, it is not just a love story okay?
Top pic is the copy we have here in Australia, and the book was borrowed from my local library. Amazon has this cover:
So Is it worth reading this series? Oh hell ya!
First of all, I never knew this was a series, I thought it was a standalone, then probably a closure when After You was out. But never knew that it was a 3- book kind of story. Reason being each story has a nice ending. The sort of ending you are happy to say good byes to, the endings that make you feel fulfilled and never look back.
Then again, maybe because I’m a happy ending type of person?
Still Me is …
When Louisa Clark lands in America with a new job. Actually, there is nothing much to say about the book. Louisa is still our plain ol’ honest and hardworking girl, except now she seems to be wading in the deep end of the ocean, with sharks circling around her. Can’t say much without giving the whole series away, but I will say that the Me Before You is a trilogy that talks about loss and love. Just because we experience loss does not mean that we should be afraid to love, much like our girl here. Me Before You was an event that changed Louisa’s life and character, but Still Me is actually her way to tell the world: she’s experienced a lot of things, but she is still the same bubbly girl we met years before.
I admire that in Louisa, even though she is a fictitious character. She represents everyone, every reader and those who might pick up the book. We all have to deal with things that we cannot accept initially, but we are always surprised by how adaptable we are in the end. Every step she took was towards a better future, despite her fears and insecurities. Love might play a big part in the all the trilogies, however Louisa herself presents as a lesson in life: suck it up and get over it.
Another Thing…
Remember how I never suspected that this was a trilogy? Jojo Moyes had carefully ended the story where it should be ended, when Louisa says good bye. We keep looking back, and we keep wondering what would have happened if we stayed, or try to get someone to stay. Not our heroine, she might be sad or afraid, but she will move forward. Such is a quality I think we all can learn from her. Of course she’s looking back, once in a while, to remember the good old times (actually she’s pretty bad at this). Part of the charm of the story is how Louisa reached different stages in her life that normal people like me can relate…
Verdict
So yeah, read it. It may not be the perfect book, you might not enjoy the characters, or you might cringe. In Still Me, the story is more hectic and confronting, but it is a good book nonetheless. I did finish this book months ago, but I still remember how it went and how I felt after. Hence, I am recommending this series as a whole, because I think we could benefit for having a piece of Louisa Clark the First in our hearts. As for the name, you definitely have to read it to find out.
What’s Up With Me??
I have been busy trying, with training and kids. We had a book week here in Adelaide, Australia. My kid refused to wear his costume to school, thinking that there would be other kids without one too… Guess what? He was the only kid in class without one… Whatever happened to book week being reading and experiencing joy of books?
Plus, I wasn’t in the mood to do anything after my phone cracked. It was not an expensive phone, just the hassle of getting a new one and setting everything up again. Sigh.
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