Still Me is the third book in Jojo Moyes Me Before You trilogy. If you haven’t read the books, you likely know the story from the incredible (acting, and to look at, let’s be real) casting of the movie adaptation for Me Before You. From a mixture of Game of Thrones, Hunger Games and Harry Potter — with Emilia Clarke at the helm as Louisa Clark, we watch as she falls in love with her client Will Traynor, played by Sam Claflin. (And then some cheeky appearances by Neville Longbottom, aka. Matthew Lewis as Louisa’s boyfriend).
Still Me follows Louisa Clark through moving across the seas to, nothing but, New York City (because how else are you supposed to find yourself unless it’s on the other side of the world, in a big city? Duh). She leaves her wonderful, beautiful paramedic boyfriend back in London, so naturally that throws a few curveballs into the mix; especially when she meets a Wall Street social climber who looks awfully like someone from her past. Moyes has an incredible way of painting New York through Louisa’s eyes, the socialite parties with her employer, the extravagance of living on Fifth Avenue, as though you almost feel like you’re there… I could picture the exact buildings she was talking about, and imagine myself running (struggling) through Central Park alongside Lou.
I devoured this in almost on entire sitting. In less than 24 hours, I went along the ride with Louisa Clark for (I assume) the last time, and one of much self-discovery. I think it’s underestimated how much one can lose themselves in the midst of grief, and just how important it is to be able to get back to yourself – let alone to define what yourself really is. For me, it was one of those books that you go to put down so you can go about your daily routine, but you pick it back up immediately, thinking just another chapter…
In reviews, you can see that people often come back to the idea that Moyes shouldn’t have written another book. That her protagonist, Lou, didn’t need her story to be continued after the heartbreak of the first story. But who are we to say where a character’s story should end? And if an author thinks there is more to tell, then there is… It’s their world, after all. As with the character of Lou, life continues on after the shittiest times of our lives, and perhaps Moyes wanted to gift her readers’ the happy ending; which is entirely her prerogative.
If you decide to go into it, go into it lightly. It is not as heart wrenching as it’s predecessor, and arguably that is one of the best things about it. This was a light, easy read and painted a picture for those who decide to live boldly and *find* themselves in the process. While the narrative jumped, it was occasionally corny, and it definitely pulled in some very well-used tropes; I still highly recommend it.
