After You: A Novel Paperback – December 6, 2016

3 stars to Jojo Moyes's After You, the follow-up to Me Before You, which was a very popular book made into a movie earlier this year. The "After You" sequel is good (not as good), but for a different reason. Many folks complained about the need for this second book, and with the first one being made into a movie, it may have been a required follow-up as opposed to a story that yearned to be told... either case, I did enjoy it. Let's dive in...StoryThe book opens about 18 months after the first one ends, which was when her patient and soul-mate, Will Traynor, committed suicide. (If you are reading this review, it's not really a spoiler as that's the whole point of Me Before You -- how will she handle the tragedy of being with him... and if you haven't read Book 1, stop now and go back and read it even before this review of Book 2. You can also check out my Book 1 review in the link below).Louisa (the girl who fell for Will) has been on the outs with her family due to her role in Wil's suicide, and she took a year off to travel and try to move forward. Of course, it never happens, and she goes back to the quiet and sheltered life she had before she met him. When she accidentally falls off her roof, it sets into motion several challenges for her to face. Some think she tried to kill herself. Some think she is rotting away her life. She goes back to a very sad job where she's yelled at by a nasty boss all the time. She tries to get better by going to a self-help group for people affected by a loved one who died. She meets the ambulance medic who saved her after the fall. She gets a job offer to go to NYC. And she meets Lily, the secret daughter Will had that no one ever knew about. While Louisa tries to figure out her life, she learns all the lessons she needs to be able to move on... but when it all comes together in the end, and she has to make a choice on her own future, will she be able to? (And that's for you to find out when you read the book... I can't give a spoiler away, right?)Strengths1. Lou is a fantastic character. She's flawed which makes her real. She's whiny yet she stands up for herself. She's smart and she makes dumb decisions. She's got potential but she lets it waste. We can all find a piece of Lou's personality in our own, which makes reading about her and understanding her actions all the more interesting... because you can question whether you would have done the same thing or made a different decision. She's quite relate-able... on may levels.2. The plot is great, especially as a follow-up to Me Before You. It could have gone in many directions, e.g. a trial/lawsuit from the family or the government for her role in his death, a barrage of press harassment, the anger of her family, etc. Instead, the book gives us an 18 month break from the last one, and its inherent immediate reactions to the death, which also allows the reader time to grieve and want to see Lou move on. So... the plot had room to be widely open, but needed to be connected to the first one -- a mysterious unknown daughter -- while over-played in movies -- isn't so common in books... and I enjoyed watching it unfold.3. It's witty. Dialogue is on-target. Characters are bold but also complex. The story is consistent. It holds interest. It retains some of the sadness of the first book but brings you to a middle / average level of how you feel about the pain... and leaves you thinking "these people are real." And that's what I enjoy in a book. I don't want to feel harsh and judgmental of character actions, or find myself in love with something perfect that doesn't really exist... yes, literature is often supposed to take you out of reality and into something fantastical where you feel magical... but for me, the very nature of fiction does that -- I enjoy the great sweeping arcs of magic, but when the story is simple and beautiful, it's even better.SuggestionsI don't believe there should have been a follow-up to Me Before You, and I'm a serial-fictionist... as well as a lexiconnoisseur neologist (apparently, I make up words like serial-fictionist). The first one was so good as a stand-alone, I don't want to compare anything to it with the same story and author being involved. Perhaps if I just picked up After You, I wouldn't have enjoyed it as much without knowing what happened to Lou in Book 1. Book 2 (After You) is a good story with good writing, but there wasn't anything special about it, hence why I have it a 3. If I hadn't witnessed her struggle in the previous book, it wouldn't have been as powerful in this book to watch her recovery.Final ThoughtsSo... with it getting a 3, and with me not having anything truly remarkable to say about it, I'd recommend it to folks under certain conditions:1. If you read Me Before You, you should read After You. If you love Louisa and her family, then why wouldn't you want to read another 350 pages about their life... it's like having a friend who lives far away and just happens to be in your town and may never be again for years. It's there... It's a day's read. It's enjoyable. It just isn't the same as it was the first go around. But you still want to know "how is that friend of mine different these days..." - so go see that friend.2. If you love the author's style, read After You. It's a well-written book and has a few good characters you will root for.3. If you can accept the original is the best, and know that you won't always get the same vibe and attraction to its successors, then you probably have an open enough mind to check out what happened in her later years.But if you are looking for an amazing follow-up with an absolute blockbuster of a story and ending to Lou's life... you will be somewhat disappointed. After You is a slice of what happens to her in a 3 month period set nearly 2 years after the first one ends. It's nice. It's a good read. But you won't walk away with the same level of emotions as you did with Me Before You.About MeIf you're curious to know more about this reader and writer, check out my profile on this site or you can go to my personal website [...]

Cheapest place around to buy this book. BookTok has made this book famous! I love the value for this as it was cheaper on here than any other store. Love this book- it is a LARGE Book but I was able to read it in a few hours. Great story line and I love the characters. BUY THIS BOOK

Sometimes I worry when I read the first book that the book will disappoint what the author already created. But this book definitely disappoint but really dive more into what you already knew which is nice

Really liked this sequel-pulled me in from the first chapter. A nice and easy read. Looking forego the next one in the trilogy

Let’s face it: Sequels can be tricky things. While in theory they are wanted/needed and seem (at the time) a good thing, the reality doesn’t always pan out. The ones that do lean more towards the “exception to the rules” spectrum. And even then, that opinion can vary from person to person. With that in mind, I give you After You by Jojo Moyes.I loved Me Before You (it’s part of my Favorites shelf), so when I heard that a sequel was coming I was excited. I was interested to see where Moyes took Lou’s story. But amidst my curiosity and excitement hovered some trepidation. Considering how beloved Me Before You is, it is one hard act to follow. It will have to take on the risk of always having it compared to its predecessor (fair or not). And I’m not going to lie. As I started to read, that automatic reaction kicked in and I found myself waiting for that exact moment when I would start having the emotional response as I did with Me Before You. But as I continued reading, a funny thing happened. I stopped doing it because After You, while continuing Lou’s journey, is a completely different animal.The book is a separate entity on its own, with different (but familiar) themes and concepts. The one thing that remains constant is the wonderful writing of Moyes. Moyes manage to beautifully capture the aftermath of Lou’s experience with Will which you soon find is not in the warm and fuzzy place that she left you with at the end of the first book. It would’ve been easy just to leave it off that way, with Lou at a Parisian cafe and finding some peace from Will’s last message to her and riding off into the sunset. But I admire Moyes for taking the other road. After You examines the concept of grief and how it can pull us back, leaving us in a state of suspended animation. Grief is not an exact science with certain rules and expiration dates. Through Lou’s attempts at “living”, you see how devastating loss can change a person. It’s not pretty. Lou often leaves you feeling just as exasperated with her as her sister, Treena. And yet, there’s a part of you that can sympathize and understand her plight because you were there with her as she tried to save Will. I loved how the rest of the book’s plots radiated from Lou’s grief and created layers to the story revolving around family, loss, love and change. The story examines what defines “family” and the different forms it takes. You read how Will’s death left a hollow space in other people’s lives besides Lou. While Lou seems to be stuck in a proverbial vortex of grief and loneliness, her mother, Josie Clark, is exploring changes in her life that threatens the status quo in her marriage. While each story seems different, they all connect and ultimately come back to Lou and her learning to carry her grief while still moving on.This is not Me Before You. I can imagine you rolling your eyes and saying “Duh!” as you read that. It’s not meant to be an insult to you or anything of the sort. It’s more of a reminder to you that this sequel will never be on the same level as its predecessor. However, there are still aspects that make this book as compelling a read as the one before. The writing is still as smart with self-deprecating humor and enjoyable as ever. The characters, both old and new, are just as complicated and sympathetic as before with a story that is just as engrossing. This book may not have the same emotional punch to the gut that Me Before You provided, but it still contained a story that moves you and resonates with you. Just on a different plane. You deprive yourself of a wonderful read if you keep it overshadowed with its predecessor’s presence. Hmmm...that sounds familiar doesn’t it?

...but never as good as book 1. Still need to see how life turns out for Louisa Clark. So many more possibilities.

This book is so beautiful. I love how the author describes all the feelings of grief and how the character finds her way through it.

I loved Me before you. I read it before it became a phenomenon and chose it as my book to give away at world book night a year later. I sobbed unashamedly on a beach in Mexico whilst reading it. I was completely emotionally involved. After you is a decent book but unfortunately doesn’t live up to its predecessor. Maybe that would be impossible. I’ll probably read the next one in the series but I’m no longer invested in Lou. I don’t feel an urgent need to find out what’s next.

After You starts off 18 months after the events at the end of Me Before You and Louisa Clarke is living in the apartment Will left for her while struggling to get on with her life. I've read so many negative reviews about this book, criticising Lou for not living the life that Will wanted her to live and not being able to get over the guilt she feels because she couldn't change his mind. I completely disagree with this. Losing someone is incredibly difficult for anyone and everyone deals with the grief and guilt left over from this loss in their own way and in their own time. I feel like this book deals with the topic of grief really well, treating it with the sensitivity and respect it deserves while also allowing for a huge amount of character development which is often lacking in contemporary 'romance' series

I read book 1, Me Before You in 2016 and LOVED IT. It DESTROYED me.It’s taken so long for me to read book 2! And this was by chance as I had run out of reading material on holiday and was given this book by someone else.I loved it. I was worried because Me Before You was so good! How could book 2 match up?!Personally, book 1 is my favourite, but I still loved After You. It really spoke to me. I’m grieving, and this book deals with that a lot.I can’t wait to read book 3 and find out more about Louisa Clark!

I am probably the only person on the planet who just couldn't get into this book. I found it really boring and found myself skim reading pages to find something interesting. It was just not my cup of tea I suspect as I know it has been hugely successful. Thankfully I bought it secondhand so I will be giving to my local charity shop so that someone else can hopefully enjoy it.

The sequel to such a tear-jerker as Me Before You was always going to be a big challenge. It's been quite a while since I read Me Before You and can still tell you most of the story. I'm always a little bit suspicious of book sequels, especially when they are so good, because the follow up doesn't always match the main event.I have to say when I started After You I was worried. Lou Clark is now 18mths on from losing Will at Dignitas and life for her is going from bad to worse. She is still frightened of everything new and anything that changes. One night when she is alone in her flat (bought with money left for her by Will), her doorbell rings and with it changes that even she isn't ready for.I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as the first (which is why the rating is 4* not 5) and it will be interesting to know what other people think of it having read the first, but all in all, it was a good read.