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dontjudgeabrooke 's review for:
Me Before You
by Jojo Moyes
The Best Friend Reading Challenge: Enemies-to-lovers and/or romance
Pay no attention to the amount of time between when I started this book and when I finished it.
Over the past few years I've tried several of the most raved-about romance novels in hopes I'd find one that *clicks* for me, to no avail. They've all struck me as cartoonish and hollow, so far removed from real life as to render them completely unappealing (and I say this as a fan of musicals and Disney movies).
Until this one. Somehow, this one finally managed to be what I was looking for in a romance, even though I still can't put my finger on those requirements myself. My best guess is it's some mix of the Beauty and the Beast-esque narrative, the authentic-feeling characters, the boatload of angst, the (very) bittersweet ending — and the fact that the romance itself is so decentered.
In all the other romance books I've read, the stories feel flimsy and threadbare because the love story is all there is. Sure, they may throw in a disease, issues with parents, or some other past trauma, but those always feel like paltry attempts to make the plot seem more substantial than it is — insufficient fabric wrapped around the same old story that's been told a million times before.
The romance in this book honestly makes up about 10% of the plot, if that. It feels incidental. I could even imagine the book feeling just as complete if the love story had been stripped out entirely and Will and Lou's relationship had remained platonic, something that absolutely cannot be said for most other romances.
And yet it's not lost on me that the first and only romance novel that's ever worked for me is also very controversial and potentially harmful, which is why I've lowered the star rating. As someone who's had little experience with disability in my own life, I don't feel informed enough to speak to the issues with this depiction. I certainly don't believea disabled life isn't a life worth living. However, since I've personally struggled with suicidal thoughts in the past, I feel I likely have a more nuanced and generous view of assisted suicide than the general population, which makes my thoughts on the narrative even more discordant .
Obviously, I'm coming away from this book with conflicting thoughts — but coming away from it with any thoughts at all is more than I can say for the other romances I've read.
Pay no attention to the amount of time between when I started this book and when I finished it.
Over the past few years I've tried several of the most raved-about romance novels in hopes I'd find one that *clicks* for me, to no avail. They've all struck me as cartoonish and hollow, so far removed from real life as to render them completely unappealing (and I say this as a fan of musicals and Disney movies).
Until this one. Somehow, this one finally managed to be what I was looking for in a romance, even though I still can't put my finger on those requirements myself. My best guess is it's some mix of the Beauty and the Beast-esque narrative, the authentic-feeling characters, the boatload of angst, the (very) bittersweet ending — and the fact that the romance itself is so decentered.
In all the other romance books I've read, the stories feel flimsy and threadbare because the love story is all there is. Sure, they may throw in a disease, issues with parents, or some other past trauma, but those always feel like paltry attempts to make the plot seem more substantial than it is — insufficient fabric wrapped around the same old story that's been told a million times before.
The romance in this book honestly makes up about 10% of the plot, if that. It feels incidental. I could even imagine the book feeling just as complete if the love story had been stripped out entirely and Will and Lou's relationship had remained platonic, something that absolutely cannot be said for most other romances.
And yet it's not lost on me that the first and only romance novel that's ever worked for me is also very controversial and potentially harmful, which is why I've lowered the star rating. As someone who's had little experience with disability in my own life, I don't feel informed enough to speak to the issues with this depiction. I certainly don't believe
Obviously, I'm coming away from this book with conflicting thoughts — but coming away from it with any thoughts at all is more than I can say for the other romances I've read.