9 January 2017

Review #578: After You (Me Before You #2) by Jojo Moyes



My rating: 3 of 5 stars


“You don't have to let that one thing be the thing that defines you.”

----Jojo Moyes



Jojo Moyes, the international bestselling author, has penned the much-awaited novel to her best selling book, and now a major motion pictureMe Before You called, After You that opens right after the death of Will surrounding Lou's life which has changed drastically, and she is struggling hard to keep up with Will's dying promise to "Just Live!" instead the suicidal thoughts are crowding her mind, but when a tragic accident shakes Lou up, she meets an unexpected person who finally gives her a purpose to follow Will's dying words.



Synopsis:

Lou Clark has lots of questions.

Like how it is she's ended up working in an airport bar, spending every shift watching other people jet off to new places.

Or why the flat she's owned for a year still doesn't feel like home.

Whether her close-knit family can forgive her for what she did eighteen months ago.

And will she ever get over the love of her life.

What Lou does know for certain is that something has to change.

Then, one night, it does.

But does the stranger on her doorstep hold the answers Lou is searching for - or just more questions?

Close the door and life continues: simple, ordered, safe.

Open it and she risks everything.

But Lou once made a promise to live. And if she's going to keep it, she has to invite them in.



After the pre-planned suicide of her boyfriend, Will Traynor, Louisa Clark finds it difficult to move on and especially to live her life as per Will's dying wishes. Moreover, she is finding it suicidal to live alone, as the fear of loneliness is eating her up from the inside while she spends her days bar tending in an airport bar away from her parents' house in an apartment in the city all by herself. But an accident reminds her of the feeling that Will had been suffering from for ages, and that is when she meets the person from Will's lost past, who simply changes Lou's life for good and not only that, also gives her a purpose to "Just Live" and open the tightly shut windows to her heart to dare to fall in love yet once again.

Well all those internet hypes about this sequel and all those long-night waits to read the sequel proved worthless as this novel failed to break any sorts of ground at all. Instead the author manages to turn the sequel into a cheesy and completely predictable crossed over story about Lou after Will's death. You asking me why? Well for starters, the author builds the story line in a way her readers want her to do so, without much twist or purpose to give an entirely different feel to Lou's life story. Honestly, the story development failed beyond my expectations and I hate it that I wasted both my time and money on this book. Sometimes standalones are for the best, as the story will linger forever in the hearts of the readers due to the curiosity instead of a sequel that holds the capacity to mar the charm of the previous book altogether.

The author's writing never seems to get affected midst of so much drama in the novel and stays articulate and sharp all through out the book. The most striking thing that made me feel good about the story line is that in the thick of so death, pain, loss and grief, the author marvels in depicting the narrative with light humor to uplift the sorrowful mood of the story line as well as the characters too. The pacing of the book is at times bit rough as the author has penned certain scenes with utmost details, well if you ask me, sometimes those details were completely unnecessary.

The characters reflect an unmatched charm and aura through their often realistic demeanor. Especially Lou, who brightens up the story like a fourth of July night even though she silently suffers from the grief over Will's death, but the way she picked herself up after Will's death is inspiring enough to give the readers a purpose to hold onto her character. Lou is bright, sharp yet in the background her sadness hangs lightly. The other characters too are nicely developed, but they lack depth in their development.

Emotions wise, the book is vividly painted and laced sensitively that will make the readers feel deeply for the characters. In a nutshell, the story is good, but below all expectations and I would rather recommend the readers to skip it.

Verdict: A fan fiction to be precise!

Courtesy: Thanks to my precious money!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author Info:
Jojo Moyes is a British novelist.
Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. In 2001 she became a full time novelist.
Moyes' novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.
She is married to journalist Charles Arthur and has three children.
Visit her here


Book Purchase Links:


0 comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks for your feedback!