On the (Audio) Bookshelf // After You, by Jojo Moyes

There might be some spoilers for ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes in this post. I’m going to try not to put any spoilers in the review, but you might be able to figure out what happens by the things I say. I think the synopsis of AFTER YOU (here or on other websites) might spoil the book for you, though. I just wanted to give a heads up. 🙂

AFTER YOU by Jojo Moyes takes place a couple years after ME BEFORE YOU ends. Louisa is still dealing with the events of the first novel and is struggling with everything that happened. When she’s in a serious accident and an unexpected person shows up in her life, it forces Louisa to confront the feelings she’s been hiding from.

I’ve seen mixed reviews for this book so far and I fall in the camp that loved it. I loved it so much that it could be on my list for favorite books this year. At first I thought it might be surprising that I loved this book so much since I didn’t like ME BEFORE YOU, but then as I thought more about it I realized that it’s probably because I didn’t like the first that I love this one so much.

I had trouble putting into words how I felt about ME BEFORE YOU, because something compelled me to keep reading it, even though I didn’t like it. It turns out, it was Louisa. I loved her character, so even though I knew that the ending of ME BEFORE YOU would be so disappointing, I kept reading. I wanted to finish out that story with Louisa.

I purchased AFTER YOU without reading the synopsis. I knew it was likely a companion to ME BEFORE YOU and I checked to see if Louisa’s name was in the synopsis, but after that I bought it right away. One of my biggest issues with the book was what would happen, so I was eager to find out.

This book did not disappoint! It took me by surprise in a few places. I didn’t feel like everything was tied up with a neat little bow (which is perfect!), but it was still a satisfying ending that gave me the closure I needed for this character that I loved. I didn’t think of ME BEFORE YOU as an uplifting, fulfilling or hopeful story in any way and this gave me what I was looking for once the book was over.

In terms of the audiobook, Anna Acton was an excellent narrator and I really enjoyed listening to this book.

HAVE YOU READ ME BEFORE YOU OR AFTER YOU? WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS?

ps – If you’re looking for something new to read check out my review of Mendocino Fire & two novels perfect for fall/winter.

pps – Interested in participating in a book club? Nominate a book for December!