After You

August 15, 2015
Moyes' sequel to her bestselling Me Before You (2012)-which was about Louisa, a young caregiver who falls in love with her quadriplegic charge, Will, and then loses him when he chooses suicide over a life of constant pain-examines the effects of a loved one's death on those left behind to mourn. It's been 18 months since Will's death, and Louisa is still grieving. She's settled in a London flat purchased with money Will left her and taken a dreary waitressing job at an airport pub. After falling off her apartment roof terrace in a drunken state, she momentarily fears she'll end up paralyzed herself, but Sam, the paramedic who treats her, does a great job-and she's lucky. Louisa convalesces in the bosom of her family in the village of Stortfold, and Moyes is at her most charming here, writing with a sense of humorous affection about family dynamics among working-class Brits. When Louisa returns to London, a troubled 16-year-old named Lily turns up on her doorstep saying Will was her father though he never knew it because her mother thought he was "a selfish arsehole" and never told him she was pregnant. Louisa also joins a formulaically familiar support group that adds little to the story except as a device for her to reconnect cute with paramedic Sam, who stops by to pick up a group member Louisa assumes is his son. While developing wonderfully nuanced characters like Will's grieving parents-particularly his mother, who forms a surprisingly deep bond with Lily-Moyes weakens the novel with stock villains like Lily's narcissistic upper-middle-class mom. As the love interest, handsome, patient, sensitive Sam is too good to be true. Narrator Louisa is not quite as much fun this time around, but the optimistic final pages hint that her adventures may continue into another book. Moyes is a Maeve Binchy for the 21st century, and she has the formula down pat: an understanding of family dynamics, a nod to social issues, plenty of moral uplift, and a sentimental streak, all buoyed by a rollicking sense of humor.

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September 15, 2015

This unexpected sequel to Moyes's Me Before You reveals what happened to Louisa Clark after that book's heart-wrenching finale. Eighteen months after those events, a terrible accident sends Lou home to her family. Forced to take stock of her life after Will, she realizes it's not what he had hoped for her. So she begins to struggle up out of her grief. This book doesn't reach the emotional level of its predecessor; it lacks the intense focus on two characters that elevated Me Before You to its unique position among Moyes's works. There's a lot to follow as well. Along with Lou's journey, we see the emotional quests of her family, Will's family (including some unexpected members), a grief support group, and, of course, a new romantic interest. The many surprises and misunderstandings are all neatly tied up by the end. VERDICT A necessary book for public libraries everywhere. Moyes's many fans will line up to read more about Lou. The author's usual style is reflected, ensuring that fans of romance and family drama will be delighted. [See Prepub Alert, 3/23/15.]--Melanie Kindrachuk, Stratford P.L., Ont.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2015

In million-copy best seller Me Before You, Louisa Clark becomes caretaker to Will Traynor, wheelchair-bound after an accident and embittered enough to be planning suicide. Moyes initially had no plans to follow up, but readers kept asking what happened to Lou, and Moyes got an inspiration that she turned into this book.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.