Sunday 3 November 2019

Still Me

I read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes back in 2016 and absolutely loved it. I'm always wary of reading sequels when I've enjoyed a book so much as they rarely live up to the first offering and unfortunately, I found this in After You, which I read the following year. It left me wishing that the author had left Me Before You as a stand alone book.


When I saw that a third book in the series, Still Me, had been published I decided that I wouldn't bother reading it, however, after reading a few reviews and people telling me that it was much better than the second book, when I saw it for sale in a charity shop I picked it up.

"Lou Clark knows too many things...

She knows how many miles lie between her new home in New York and her new boyfriend Sam in London.

She knows her employer is a good man and she knows his wife is keeping a secret from him.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to meet someone who's going to turn her whole life upside down.

Because Josh will remind her so much of a man she used to know that it'll hurt.

Lou won't know what to do next, but she knows that whatever she chooses is going to change everything."

At first, I thought I'd made another mistake reading this book, I found it quite slow going and there were definitely characters which I didn't warm to. I'd have to say that it's a book of two halves, I could have quite easily put the book to one side even when I was half way though, it was probably the last third of the book which I enjoyed the most, though it was very predictable and I guessed the outcome of each storyline well before it was revealed.

Would I recommend the book? I think I'm probably expecting too much after loving the first book in this series so much so perhaps I'm being over critical of the following installments. Still Me is probably a good enough story in its own right for me to recommend but I still think that the story of Louisa Clark should have finished at the end of Me Before You.

20 comments:

  1. I enjoyed this book, but still loved me before you, as the best book of the 3.

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    1. It was definitely better than the second book but I don't think it comes anywhere close to Me Before You.

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  2. Haven't read them.... But it is interesting, the way we each have our own take, on books. Someone can adore a book, or a series. And we can shudder at it. Or at least, not want to finish it.

    So it's wonderful, that so many books are written. So we can each find some, with which we really resonate.

    I'm going through a spell of not finding books, I really like. It's kind of "hit and miss." But, these spells happen. -smile-

    😊😊😊😊

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    1. I agree, we all have different opinions on books as with anything else. I really enjoy reading and most of the books I pick up are enjoyable even if they don't totally grab me. I hope you find some books you really enjoy soon.

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  3. I haven't read any of these but i remember reading your review of the first book. Maybe I should give Me Before You a try?

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    1. Me Before You is one of my favourite books, I loved it. Definitely give it a go.

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  4. I'm with you. I wished I hadn't read the other two. Still Me would have been more than enough as a standalone - I loved Still Me but not the other two.

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    1. I think each of these three books would have worked as stand alone stories. I think Me Before You has been spoilt somewhat by the sequels.

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  5. I read it a while back and liked it but didn't love it. Still it was a good read but one I would not venture to read again.

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    1. I agree but I also think it would have worked better being a stand alone story rather than a follow on from Me Before You and After You.

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  6. Me Before You was so good, i read the others but like you preferred the original, it had such impact with the storyline and was a good talking point at our book group.

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    1. I feel the same way. I think the other two books take something away from Me Before You, it would have been much better to be left as it was.

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  7. You know how much I loved Me Before, it's one of my most favourite books. I read the sequel and thought it was ok, not read the next installment because after reading the second book I really felt that she should have left well alone. Some books should books are not meant to have sequels, and I think this is one of them.

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    1. I totally agree. I must admit that I did enjoy Still Me and I'm glad I read it because I was so disappointed with After You, this one was much better so it did sort of finish things off, but I wish I'd left it at Me Before You.

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  8. I haven't read them, if I do I'll take your advice and stick with book one.xxx

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    1. You should definitely read Me Before You, it's such a good book. I should stick with just that though.

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  9. I still haven't read a Jojo Moyes book, I'm currently reading a book by Katherine Webb which I'm enjoying.

    All the best Jan

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  10. I really enjoyed the first book too. The subject matter was far more engaging than what's followed. I haven't read this one, but I found After You to be little more than chick lit, which doesn't interest me very much. I suppose the problem is that these books will always be compared to the first and will always fall short.
    xx

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    1. I'm of the same opinion, I don't think anything could compare to the first book.

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