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judeandolin's review against another edition
3.0
"I gazed around me, like someone suddenly handed clear glasses, and saw that pretty much everyone bore the brutal imprint of love."
This was a good book. It wasn't a great book, and it didn't hit me the same way as Me Before You, but that's because it wasn't Me Before You. Comparing the two will undoubtedly leave you feeling cheated, because After You doesn't have romance and tension seeping out of its pages like its predecessor. Where Me Before You was about choices and autonomy, After You is about living with the after-effects, and trying to move on.
So if you read this, try not to compare it to the previous book. The romance isn't jumping off the page. Where Will and Lou had a burning, poignant chemistry, Lou and Sam have something calmer, quieter, steadier—something that will help the other heal.
I was personally not a fan of the grief process shown in this, either. At least for Lou. Lou has always struck me as somewhat of a mirror of myself; she reminds me of me in so many ways, and that's one of the reasons I had to read this book. I had to know she was okay. What was disappointing was how she healed. In the end, it wasn't she who got herself out of the rut of depression after Will's death—it was everyone else. It was falling in love with Sam. It was taking care of Lily. We saw, again, Lou's ability to care for everyone but herself. The same thing that Will tried to stamp out of her, to get to her to live life for herself and nobody else, was what she struggled with the most in this book. The worst part is that her decision at the end.
So once again, Lou played it safe. We saw her doing this throughout the entire previous book, and here she was having her decisions made for her again. I just wish Lou had shown a bit of character growth in this book. She's taking a risk, sure, but it's the same risk she took after Will died by traveling by herself through Europe. The worst part is that I think any reader with a grasp on Lou's character will see the obvious: Lou's going to get to and she may feel like she's "living" for once, but just like happened after her travels through Europe, the freedom will start feeling more like loneliness and she'll end up spending most of her time working and sleeping, and then feeling guilty because once again she's not really utilizing her opportunities.
So unfortunately the "happyish ending" doesn't feel all that happy. Lou's going to end up the same as she was in London, depressed and alone and not living, she's going to miss Sam and miss Will and feel guilty. Overall it's not really an uplifting book. It felt depressing to me, mostly because I feel like she's never going to be as in love with Sam as she was with Will. It makes me hate Will a bit. Also I have to continually remind myself that THESE ARE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS AND I SHOULDN'T CARE THIS MUCH. But every time I think about Will and Lou my stomach gets tied into knots. -_- So there's my professional review.
This was a good book. It wasn't a great book, and it didn't hit me the same way as Me Before You, but that's because it wasn't Me Before You. Comparing the two will undoubtedly leave you feeling cheated, because After You doesn't have romance and tension seeping out of its pages like its predecessor. Where Me Before You was about choices and autonomy, After You is about living with the after-effects, and trying to move on.
So if you read this, try not to compare it to the previous book. The romance isn't jumping off the page. Where Will and Lou had a burning, poignant chemistry, Lou and Sam have something calmer, quieter, steadier—something that will help the other heal.
I was personally not a fan of the grief process shown in this, either. At least for Lou. Lou has always struck me as somewhat of a mirror of myself; she reminds me of me in so many ways, and that's one of the reasons I had to read this book. I had to know she was okay. What was disappointing was how she healed. In the end, it wasn't she who got herself out of the rut of depression after Will's death—it was everyone else. It was falling in love with Sam. It was taking care of Lily. We saw, again, Lou's ability to care for everyone but herself. The same thing that Will tried to stamp out of her, to get to her to live life for herself and nobody else, was what she struggled with the most in this book. The worst part is that her decision at the end
Spoiler
to take the job in New York wasn't even initiated by her, it was pushed on her by everyone else: Treena constantly telling her she was wasting her opportunities (and Lou's guilt at knowing that Treena didn't have the same kind of freedom), Lily moving in with her grandmother and going off to school, and Sam saying she needed to do itSo once again, Lou played it safe. We saw her doing this throughout the entire previous book, and here she was having her decisions made for her again. I just wish Lou had shown a bit of character growth in this book. She's taking a risk, sure, but it's the same risk she took after Will died by traveling by herself through Europe. The worst part is that I think any reader with a grasp on Lou's character will see the obvious: Lou's going to get to
Spoiler
New YorkSo unfortunately the "happyish ending" doesn't feel all that happy. Lou's going to end up the same as she was in London, depressed and alone and not living, she's going to miss Sam and miss Will and feel guilty. Overall it's not really an uplifting book. It felt depressing to me, mostly because I feel like she's never going to be as in love with Sam as she was with Will. It makes me hate Will a bit. Also I have to continually remind myself that THESE ARE FICTIONAL CHARACTERS AND I SHOULDN'T CARE THIS MUCH. But every time I think about Will and Lou my stomach gets tied into knots. -_- So there's my professional review.
thetiffn8r's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
4.0
I don’t think I’ve ever come across a literary Sam that I didn’t love. But I think I have a Sam bias 😂 This second book was great! The kid out of no where was an okay trope. But the struggle with grief as a theme throughout this one was a great a read. Excited to see where it goes from here.
katie_byrne3043's review against another edition
5.0
I have to read the next book (5 stars)
I'm so glad I like lily
I love Sam and Donna
The moving on circle is an honest mood
In all seriousness tho I do love the book, the starting was a little depressing and it scared me to see Lou like that but it's clear by the end of it how far she's come.
A lot of the characters get a lot of development, I'm so glad that Lou's dad shaved his legs at the end because it was bugging me how set in his ways he was and how he expected Josie to do everything because that was her role.
I honestly think lily's story line is amazing and I could feel her emotions through the page especially when it came to her point of view. Reading it I felt genuinely scared for her not knowing what would happen. I'm so glad that she could find a family that she could trust.
I loved Jake even though he was a small character in the storyline but the small things that he did throughout the story did a great job at showing his personality. A great example is when he was laughing at the fact that Lou thought that Sam was his dad.
I'm so glad that Lou gave Patrick a peice of her mind about selling that story he is such a prick.
This is only a small portion of my opinions but this book is honestly amazing
I'm honestly so happy for Lou and I can't wait to see what happens to her next
I'm so glad I like lily
I love Sam and Donna
The moving on circle is an honest mood
In all seriousness tho I do love the book, the starting was a little depressing and it scared me to see Lou like that but it's clear by the end of it how far she's come.
A lot of the characters get a lot of development, I'm so glad that Lou's dad shaved his legs at the end because it was bugging me how set in his ways he was and how he expected Josie to do everything because that was her role.
I honestly think lily's story line is amazing and I could feel her emotions through the page especially when it came to her point of view. Reading it I felt genuinely scared for her not knowing what would happen. I'm so glad that she could find a family that she could trust.
I loved Jake even though he was a small character in the storyline but the small things that he did throughout the story did a great job at showing his personality. A great example is when he was laughing at the fact that Lou thought that Sam was his dad.
I'm so glad that Lou gave Patrick a peice of her mind about selling that story he is such a prick.
This is only a small portion of my opinions but this book is honestly amazing
I'm honestly so happy for Lou and I can't wait to see what happens to her next
elizahdz's review against another edition
3.0
Me gusta eso no puedo negarlo, pero hasta ahora no me a atrapado como me gustaría, no estoy conectando con los personajes, primero siento que no es la Louisa que conocíamos, ya se que esta pasando por un mal momento pero aun así no logro conectar con ella... y me a costado un poco el leerlo pero por la mitad admito que me a gustado
littlemissreaditall's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
amblygon_writes's review against another edition
3.0
Once I figured out what this was about, it was a bit cheesy. But I finished it anyway. I guess it was more like a 2.5 rather than 3.
flamepea's review against another edition
2.0
Thought we needed a me before you sequel? No we really didn’t and it was god-awfully boring. More problematic and unlikable characters yay!
georgiacole66's review against another edition
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
amanda1793's review against another edition
4.0
The first one was better, but this one was good too! Louisa Clark is one of my favourites for sure!
I'll for sure read the next one, just to see what happens in her life!
I'd recommend this for people who wonder about Louisa after Will Traynor!
I'll for sure read the next one, just to see what happens in her life!
I'd recommend this for people who wonder about Louisa after Will Traynor!