Romance novels have never been my thing.  My best friend, who is the complete opposite of me in some ways, hates romance novels.  So color me surprised when my anti-romance-novel best friend tells me I must read “Me Before You” by Jojo Moyes.  

Upon seeing my skeptical look, she clarified that yes, while the book contains romance, it is not one of those cheesy ones that make you cringe while reading.  Recently, I have been struggling with finding a book I can get into and was pleasantly surprised when I was so captivated by this novel. “Me Before You” is about finding love and happiness in the most unlikely of places, and loving someone occasionally means sacrificing your own happiness for them.   

“Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life – steady boyfriend, close family – who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex-Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life – big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel – and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is. Will is acerbic, moody, bossy – but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living,” says Moyes’ website in its preview of the book. 

The character of Lou Clark is one of my favorites out of all the books I’ve read (and if you know me, it’s a lot) because her charming awkwardness is something I see in myself. I think when you can connect with a character on a personal level, it makes the book that much better.  Reading this book will give you a new perspective on life, love and what it means to make the people you care about happy.  Make sure you have a box of tissues with this one.   

“Me Before You” is the first book of the trilogy, ahead of “After You” and “Still Me.”