Me Before You

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

When I finished this novel, I didn't want to review it: I wanted to reread it. Which might seem perverse if you know that for most of the last hundred pages I was dissolved in tears. Jojo Moyes, the writer who produced this emotional typhoon, knows very well that Me Before You ... is a 'real weepy'. Moyes's story provokes tears that are redemptive, the opposite of gratuitous. Some situations, she forces the reader to recognise, really are worth crying over ... An affair to remember -- Liesl Schillinger The New York Times Book Review Destined to be the novel that friends press upon each other more than any other next year, it is a tremendous example of what commercial fiction can do when in the hands of an expert. Moyes does a majestic job of conjuring a cast of characters who are charismatic, credible and utterly compelling; Lou and Will are a couple who readers will take to their hearts as they did One Day's Emma and Dex The Independent Poignant and beautifully written, this book will stay with you long after you've put it down Star Magazine Funny, believable and heartbreaking, this is sure to be the weepy of 2012 Woman's Own A compelling portrait of an unlikely couple The Independent This truly beautiful story made us laugh, smile and sob like a baby - you simply have to read it Closer Compelling, moving and absorbing. It's also a real weepie Daily Express Me Before You is a page-turner that sucks the reader into caring about the fate of the heroine ... By turns funny and moving but never predictable. The plot contains a number of surprises and raises thoughtful questions USA Today A perceptive and moving tale The Independent Funny, surprising and heartbreaking, populated with characters who are affecting and amusing ... This is a thought-provoking, thoroughly entertaining novel that captures the complexity of love People Beautifully written The Sun Another powerful love story. A deftly plotted narrative populated with likeable engaging characters ... a bittersweet story about love, learning and letting go. It's a tremendous read and I loved it Daily Mail Heartbreaking, soul-searching and utterly compelling Easy Living Keep the tissues close as Jojo Moyes returns with Me Before You, a heartbreaking yet ultimately uplifting tale about the relationship between an embittered quadriplegic man and the carer who is trying to give him a reason to live Good Housekeeping An unlikely love story ... To be devoured like candy, between tears O, The Oprah Magazine Read it and weep: Heartbreak collides with humour in Jojo Moyes's Me Before You Good Housekeeping USA Jojo Moyes has done it again with this funny, touching tale that is impossible to put down. Make sure you have a box of tissues to hand! Candis At last, a new Moyes novel - and it's a triumph. Her story of love blossoming in the most unlikely of ways packs such an emotional punch, you'll need a box of tissues Elle Jojo Moyes's poignantly romantic tales have readers streaming their way through boxes of Kleenex ... Me Before You is compelling reading...a profound, fundamental, thought-provoking conundrum lies at the heart of the story, a huge moral dilemma, explored with great fictional finesse. Devotees of Jojo Moyes and newcomers alike will settle into this entertaining book with gusto Sunday Express A compelling novel of life and death decisions and unlikely affections. It's magical and heartbreaking, but doesn't shy away from difficult emotional realities. Waterproof mascara essential Marie Claire Poignant ... heartfelt ... Me Before You, at it's heart, is about two people who properly listen to each other; it is something good The Independent on Sunday Romantic, thought-provoking tear-jerker than you won't be able to put down Woman & Home A disarmingly moving love story ... a lovely novel, both nontraditional and enthralling Publishers Weekly

Jojo Moyes is a novelist and a journalist. She worked at the Independent for ten years before leaving to write full time. Her previous novels have all been critically acclaimed and include The Ship of Brides, Foreign Fruit and most recently The Last Letter from Your Lover. She lives in Essex with her husband and their three children.