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I have no problem admitting that I picked up this book because of the hype. When there are several book bloggers that I follow talking about the same book and how much they loved it, I want to be in on that conversation. I read Me Before You by JoJo Moyes because I prefer to read books before I see their movie adaptations. Seeing the people I follow on Twitter constantly talking about it and watching the trailer helped move that desire along.

Every time I picked up this book I didn’t want to put it down. I loved every second of it. The writing is so easy to read. Moyes has a smooth pace and she keeps the plot moving along so that you need to know what happens next. I finished this book yesterday. I was up late into the wee hours of the morning determined to finish it but had to stop when the words doubled. First thing I did when I woke up? Picked it right back up and read through to the end.

Lou and Will. Will and Lou. Nathan, Treena, Mr. and Mrs. Traynor, Josie and Bernard and even Patrick (who I have very strong opinions about). These people filled my life for a few days. I loved every one of them. I understood each of them. I could empathize with their reactions. Well most of them anyway. I adored the chapters where we had narrative from someone other than Louisa. I really felt that it was well played. It was spaced enough that I saw them as little nuggets of gold sprinkled through the book. It wasn’t overwhelming because of the spacing and that it was only one chapter long.

There’s no denying that this book hits some pretty big topic issues. Being able to empathize with characters going through these hard experiences makes it easier to empathize with people who go through these things in real life. I wouldn’t say that Moyes changed some fundamental opinions that I had prior to reading this book. I already pretty much agreed with the message in Me Before You.

I worry about these books that make me feel so strongly. I hate sadness and worry that I’ll fixate on that sadness. It’s hard to explain but maybe you’ll understand. While these books make me unspeakably sad and break my heart, usually by the end of it, I’m so glad to have read the book. Moyes put me through the emotional wringer but I feel like I came out of it with a bittersweet smile on my face. I would absolutely do it again.