Scan barcode
A review by cutelilcryptid
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I read this alongside an Eric Larocca novel because I needed something fluffy to distract me from my visceral disgust but honestly this one might have triggered my gag reflex more.
1. We've all read a book with a character like this before: attractive but aloof, ~damaged~ in a way that makes them deep and sensitive, perhaps even a victim of circumstance. They push others away because they're afraid of being hurt/hurting someone else/being misunderstood. Maybe they're quirky or their behavior is otherwise off-putting to normies (but they're still like SUPER attractive, we can't forget that part). No one quite "gets" them until the protagonist stumbles along, and they form a ~connection~. There's a certain ~spark~ you could say. But alas! The only purpose this character serves is the personal growth of the protagonist, so now this unconventional side character must leave, disappear without a trace, or die tragically. It's the classic manic pixie dream girl--quirky person changes the main character through their love and through being ~different~. There is a manic pixie dream girl in this book.His name is Will Traynor.
I find this super hilarious because the main character (Lou) really gives manic pixie dream girl vibes--quirky fashion sense, works in a coffee shop (until she doesn't), and even shows up with the "I can fix him" attitude. Only she gets manic pixie dream girled by this motherfucker who pulled an uno reverse and said "No I can fix YOU".
2. Goddamn the writing was just not enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting prosaic genius from this one, but there were just some writing quirks here that I feel should have been caught in editing. The writer uses the word "loo" an EXCESSIVE number of times. Reading this as an American, it felt like the writer was trying to SOUND British the same way that people writing period pieces constantly hit you in the face with the word "corset" to remind you that it's a period piece. I can see no reason the writer needed to mention "going to the loo" so goddamn much it honestly got to be immersion breaking for me.
3. I'm not even touching on the main plot and the implication of "disabled life isn't worth living" that people find super ableist and disturbing. Other people have said it in their reviews much better than I can. I will say that something about the plot of the book made me feel...icky. Like there's something about sitting in the lap of a paraplegic man who you are literally a paid caretaker for and making out with him without even like... Having any conversation about consent? Maybe I'm picking the wrong bone here, but the whole dynamic of caretaker x patient gives me bad vibes. It feels predatory. I'm not saying disabled people are unable to have consenting romantic relationships, but there was never one conversation of consent here before this lady put her whole pussy in this ship (I'm using that phrase metaphorically, there is no erotica in this book).
I'm not going to say I recommend it, but it is a better love story than anything Eric Larocca has written. Then again, Larocca writes splatterpunk horror, so that's not saying much. It was the brain break I needed, but at what cost.
((This review was posted to my Goodreads account before being posted here))
1. We've all read a book with a character like this before: attractive but aloof, ~damaged~ in a way that makes them deep and sensitive, perhaps even a victim of circumstance. They push others away because they're afraid of being hurt/hurting someone else/being misunderstood. Maybe they're quirky or their behavior is otherwise off-putting to normies (but they're still like SUPER attractive, we can't forget that part). No one quite "gets" them until the protagonist stumbles along, and they form a ~connection~. There's a certain ~spark~ you could say. But alas! The only purpose this character serves is the personal growth of the protagonist, so now this unconventional side character must leave, disappear without a trace, or die tragically. It's the classic manic pixie dream girl--quirky person changes the main character through their love and through being ~different~. There is a manic pixie dream girl in this book.
I find this super hilarious because the main character (Lou) really gives manic pixie dream girl vibes--quirky fashion sense, works in a coffee shop (until she doesn't), and even shows up with the "I can fix him" attitude. Only she gets manic pixie dream girled by this motherfucker who pulled an uno reverse and said "No I can fix YOU".
2. Goddamn the writing was just not enjoyable. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting prosaic genius from this one, but there were just some writing quirks here that I feel should have been caught in editing. The writer uses the word "loo" an EXCESSIVE number of times. Reading this as an American, it felt like the writer was trying to SOUND British the same way that people writing period pieces constantly hit you in the face with the word "corset" to remind you that it's a period piece. I can see no reason the writer needed to mention "going to the loo" so goddamn much it honestly got to be immersion breaking for me.
3. I'm not even touching on the main plot and the implication of "disabled life isn't worth living" that people find super ableist and disturbing. Other people have said it in their reviews much better than I can. I will say that something about the plot of the book made me feel...icky.
I'm not going to say I recommend it, but it is a better love story than anything Eric Larocca has written. Then again, Larocca writes splatterpunk horror, so that's not saying much. It was the brain break I needed, but at what cost.
((This review was posted to my Goodreads account before being posted here))
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Sexual assault