Me Before You

Jojo Moyes has definitely written a love story that will last through the ages. Me Before You will make you laugh, cry and everything in between. 

Our story is set in England. Louisa Clark is one of its main characters, and the story's eyes and ears. Louisa is twenty-six, unemployed, living with her parents and out of options. So she takes a job as a caregiver to a quadriplegic, Will Traynor. Sure, he's devilishly handsome and wealthy, but he's also severely depressed. You see, Will wasn't always a quadriplegic. He was rundown by a motorcyclist two years before Louisa became his caregiver.

And quite the caregiver she is. She's never been anything close to a caregiver in her life, but her family and boyfriend think she is up to the task. I have to give Moyes credit here, Louisa is so unconventional and odd. She's not perfect by any stretch of the word, which humanizes her for the readers. At first, Will is distant with her, and she gets angry. She wonders why she was even called to the Traynor's house in the first place if all Will is going to do is ignore her anyway. After all, what's the point in being a caregiver if the person you're caring for doesn't want your help? 

However, Will is susceptible to many different illnesses because of his condition. One night his temperature spikes, and his Nurse is unable to stay with him, so Louisa has to. They end up bonding over Louisa's poor singing. Once will gets better, he begins to open up to Louisa little by little. He tells her of his life before the accident. How he was an adventurer and a businessman. How he loved to read, and even had a girlfriend, who he inevitably drove away because he was one of those "can't be tied down" types. And, in turn, Louisa opens up to him. She tells him about her childhood, her family, and her boyfriend Patrick. 

Soon, Louisa starts to adopt Will's way of living before the accident. She starts to read more, she becomes a little more daring and speaks her mind even more often than she used to. She thinks that her life is going swell! But, it ends up that Will's parents are harboring a secret; which is the actual reason she was hired. Now she is faced with a choice, abandon both Will and a steady income, or toughen up and make her life mean something.

Moyes' novel is expertly written. I even told her as much in a Tweet, which she was so kind as to reply, "So glad you're enjoying it." And I really did enjoy it...immensely. This is one of those books I recommend to everyone. Even those of you who aren't big fans of romance! It doesn't matter, this book will find its way into your life no matter how much you try to convince yourself you're just not into romance novels. That's probably because this novel is so much more. It explores depression/sadness, friendship, happiness and what it truly means to live your life to the fullest.

I'm sure by now you have all seen the movie trailer that has been making the rounds on social media. Yes, Me Before You is another one of those book-to-movie type deals. But, I'll be honest, the trailer looks like it holds true to the book. I was a little worried about Emilia Clarke being cast as Louisa, because she's so pretty, and Louisa is a bit more unconventionally charming. But it looks like she is going to nail the role. Even so, this is a book you have to read before seeing the movie. You just have to! The book is so great. And just in case the movie isn't, you shouldn't deprive yourself of the perfection that is Me Before You.

As you can imagine, I give this novel 5/5 stars.

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Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes

Before there were YA novels like Looking for Alaska and Thirteen Reasons Why, Chris Crutcher's Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes was the original tear-jerker. If you're a fan of John Green, Sarah Dessen, Jay Asher, Ellen Hopkins, or Ned Vizinni, then this novel may peak your interest. 

Moby, a high school senior, is the eyes and ears of this novel. He and Sarah Byrnes became best friends during junior high. Moby was getting made fun of for being overweight, and Sarah came to his rescue. Sarah, who prefers to be called by her full name, Sarah Byrnes, also got made fun of as a child for the burns she had received at the age of three. They made her face look deformed and she was, of course, very sensitive about it, but she hid behind layers of sarcasm and lacked emotion. 

The reason she wished to be called by her full name is obvious. People would meet her, see the burns on her face, find out her name was Byrnes, and point it out to her as if she didn't already know. So think of her as a celebrity, you always call celebrities by their first and last names...provided they have a last name. (Prince is not a good example of this.) Think of Kate Winslet, Zach Braff, Jason Bateman, Keira Knightley, Jimmy Fallon, etc. Do we ever just call them Kate or Jimmy? No. 

When Sarah Byrnes and Moby make it to high school, Moby joins the swim team and begins to lose weight. However, he is afraid that if he does lose weight he will also lose Sarah Byrnes. After all, his weight is what brought them together in the first place. So he begins to eat twice as much as he used to, garnering the name Moby, because he is the "whale" of the swim team. Sarah Byrnes resents him for not losing weight, but the way Crutcher writes about this, I can tell she is also touched that he cares that much about their friendship.

One day, during class, the bell rings for everyone to be dismissed, but Sarah Byrnes doesn't get up. When the teachers try to speak to her she refuses to answer. In fact, she won't talk at all. So she is admitted to the psych ward of a hospital. During this time, Moby has to find out if her "psychotic break" is real or fake. With the help of Sarah's friend Dale, Moby's swim coach Ms. Lemry, and some unexpected friends and foes, Moby finds out the truth about Sarah Byrnes. But, can they both handle that truth?

Crutcher really hit a homerun with this novel. It was actually my ninth grade English teacher that introduced me to this novel. She was retiring that year and she had decided that each class would get one random book to read that none of the other classes got to. She gave my class Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes because she thought we would enjoy it the most. And we did.

It was my first look at YA novels of this type. It lead me to read Just Listen, Burned, Choke, etc. You could say it was my "gateway book." It's topic is not one to be dealt with lightly. It is very real; with illness, abuse, religion and abortion at its forefront. Still, Crutcher manages to make the topic understandable and just an all around good read! Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes gives its readers hope, and that's exactly what Crutcher aims for. In fact, his dedication page is: "For all those who finally stand up for themselves." 

I give this novel 5/5 stars.

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