He knows he doesn’t want the life he has now, compared to the life he once lived. Lou has her work cut out for her as Will is a determined man and has his mind firmly made up on what he wants. Lou is hired after she loses her job from the cafe that closes down, her role to be his carer and work on convincing Will that he still has a life worth living. Will is a recently paralysed man who has given his family 6 months before he wants to die with dignity. He believes Lou has a future of endless possibilities and potential, if she would only just broaden her horizons and think of life outside of their small tiny town. Louisa ‘Lou’ Clark is “an ordinary girl living an ordinary life”, or so she tells herself. WARNING: The following passages contain spoilers for those who have not read the novel. Be prepared to embark on a roller coaster of emotions as it navigates the many twists and turns of life and the importance of choices.

This book will make you laugh, cry, sigh, cheer, wonder, imagine, empathise, weep and will have you up until midnight having an emotional endurance test. But there’s also deeper elements to the story, such as learning to step out of your comfort zone, dealing with life and its curve-balls, making difficult choices, learning who you are and remembering to chase your dreams, finding strength within yourself and seeing all of the possibilities and potential in your futures. Yes, there is a budding romance – like a rose bud, it takes time to grow and nurture and blossom. There is so much more to this carefully crafted narrative than meets the eye. To those who think that its “just another love story”, then you could not be farther from the truth. This is a story that knows exactly how to pull your heartstrings and when to draw on your emotions. So while I knew what was coming when I opened the book and turned each page, I still found myself reaching for the box of tissues. This was one occasion where I had seen the movie first before reading the book, thanks to a movie recommendation from a good friend last year when I was going through a rough patch. It’s actually your duty to live it as fully as possible.” – Will Traynor

Me before you jojo moyes book