Monday, October 22, 2018

JoJo Moyes - After You and Still Me - 2 quick reviews

I read Me Before You, the first book in this 3 book trilogy in 2012, and, despite loving that book, books 2 and 3 of the trilogy sat on my shelves unread until this month. Here are a couple of brief reviews.


After You; Jojo Moyes
Penguin - 2015

TITLE: After You
AUTHOR: Jojo Moyes
PUBLISHER: Penguin
PUB. YEAR: 2015
SETTING:  UK
FORMAT:  - print
RATING: 4/5 stars

Book #2 takes place 18 months after the death of quadriplegic, Will Traynor. Louisa Clark was Will's caregiver and the two were in love.  Louisa is trying to get over Will's death, and with some money Will left her in his will,  she moves from her parents home in a small English village to a small flat in London. She's attending a support group with others who are grieving and still works as a barmaid at an airport bar.  However, we an accident leaves her unable to care for herself, she moves back to her parents until she recovers.

An unexpected visit from a 16 y/old girl named Lily who needs a place to stay takes Louisa by surprise, reminding her once again about the young man she lost and the fact that life does go on after a loved one dies.

I liked this one, perhaps not as much as book #1, but a good story all the same. This story winds down with Louisa receiving a job offer in the US, leaving a nice change of scene opportunity for Louisa in book #3.  I think most fans of Jojo Moyes should be pleased with this story.


Still Me; Jojo Moyes
Pamela Dorman Books - 2018

TITLE: Still Me
AUTHOR: Jojo Moyes
PUBLISHER: Pamela Dorman Books
PUB. YEAR: 2018
SETTING:  NYC
FORMAT:  - print
RATING: 3.5/5 stars


In Still Me, book #3, of the Me Before You trilogy, Louisa (Lou) has accepted a one year assignment as a social secretary to the wealthy Gopnik family in New York City.  Leonard Gopnik's new, younger wife Agnes, his formerly his masseuse, is feeling like a fish out of water.  As wife #2, this Polish immigrant is insecure about her new role and higher social class. The Gopniks occupy a 7,000 square foot 5th Avenue apartment overlooking Central Park. Louisa has a calming effect for Agnes yet, Lou must keep a delicate balance to ensure she doesn't overstep her role and lose her paycheck in the process.  Meanwhile, Louisa has met Joshua, a handsome young man, who reminds her of the love she lost, but, is she capable of keeping her emotions in check and her new life separate from the one she left behind?

This wasn't perfect but, I did enjoy watching Louisa navigate big city life in a new country.  A fun follow up novel overall.

10 comments:

  1. I loved the first book and have let the other two linger on my shelves too. Maybe this will kick start me to read them.

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  2. Two goodies and two ways to start out the week right.

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  3. Diane, thank you for sharing your thoughts about these books. I read the first book, then saw the movie. I don't have these books on hand, but I may read them in the future.

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  4. I haven't read ANY of these novels yet, despite hearing so much about them! I did enjoy the movie adaptation for Me Before You.

    Maybe it's time for me to read the books!

    Thanks for the reviews - you've peaked my curiosity!

    Sue

    Book By Book

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  5. Oh, how I loved the first in this trilogy! The movie was quite entertaining, too, but I haven't read either of these follow-up books. You've convinced me to at least try #2. I'm ready for some fluffy escapism!

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  6. I haven't read any of this series but have had the 1st on my shelf for forever. Need to dust it off.

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  7. I had such high hopes for book 3 as I read your review of book 2, then saw that you didn't like it nearly as much. What a shame.

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  8. The second sounds good. The third seems to have been a let down for you.

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  9. My ratings of these two would have been flipped from yours. I thought there was maybe too much going on in After You and I tend to be annoyed by books that are clearly written as a 2nd book in a trilogy. I think they both suffered in comparison to the first one which was so marvelous.

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  10. Do you think the series will continue?

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