"Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

I've noticed that I have been branching out in my reading lately. I still read a lot of children's book but I've been drifting away from Young Adult and finally embracing titles marketed towards adults (I'm almost 30, I guess it's about time). Me Before You  was one of those books that I had heard a lot about, but still didn't know much about. Several friends had recommended I see the movie, but I wanted to read the book first. I'm glad I did.

Louisa Clark is looking for a new job and since her family relies on her paycheck, she's a little desperate. She takes a job as a caretaker for Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound thanks to a terrible accident. He is unhappy being in his position and at first, Lou cannot stand her new job. But over time, she realizes that she opportunity to make a change in Will's life. She makes it her goal to change Will's outlook on life and help him find happiness. She then embarks on a personal journey that will change her life forever.

I listened to the audio version of Jojo Moyes' book. Due to the subject matter, I wouldn't call it a fun experience, but I really enjoyed the plot and the voice work. The story is told mostly through Lou's perspective, but a few chapters are told from the point of view of side characters. What I really enjoyed is that they cast different people the read for each character. I can't help but be a little picky when it comes to the auidobooks I listen too, and if the person reading grates on my nerves, I can't continue. This often happens to me when one person tries to do voices, but fails. This wasn't an issue in Me Before You. I loved Susan Lyons reading as Lou.

This book was certainly emotional. I had a vague idea that the book dealt with the topic of doctor assisted suicide, but didn't know much outside of that. There is a lot of emotion behind this book and it's not the kind of book I would recommend to read just for fun. It's not often that I cry during books, but my heart was heavy for awhile after finishing it. Don't think that this book is a complete downer though, there are many moments of joy and happiness throughout. Overall, this book gave me a lot to think about and I am anxious to read the rest of the series.

One other note: I was impressed by the film adaptation. I watched it within a few days of finishing the book and was surprised by how faithful it was to the book. Of course there were some changes and omissions, but that's always going to be the case. Not everything that works in a book works in a movie and there are time restraints. Overall, this is one of the best adaptations I have seen in a long time. If have seen the movie and liked it, I highly recommend the book as well.

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher

Phenomenal!  Jay Asher's Thirteen Reasons Why follows the story of Clay,  a teenage boy that has just discovered thirteen self recorded audio tapes on his front porch.  The tapes contain the confessions of Hannah, a classmates of Clay's that has recently killed herself.  Each tape has the story of someone in Hannah's life and why they were a part of her decision to commit suicide.  The tapes are being sent from person to person until each of the thirteen have listened to them.  The readers go along with Clay and Hannah on one night, and on one incredible journey that will change Clay forever.

Though Clay is the main character, Hannah is the main narrator.  The majority of the book is made up of Hannah's recordings intermixed with the  Clay's reality as he follows her instructions to go from one location in town to another.  This book is extremely powerful.  Readers cannot help but relate to Hannah's plight as she describes some of the torments she lived with day in and day out.  It also has a difficult outcome.  You go into the book knowing that the final outcome will not change- Hannah will never make an actual appearance in the story.  I rarely cry over books, but I came close with this one.  A heart breaking book with jaw dropping moments, but a book that should none-the-less by on your reading list if it isn't already.

Visit Jay's Blog, Facebook, and Twitter!

Happy Reading!
-Melly

"Tangled" by Carolyn Mackler

Carolyn Mackler's Tangled  is one of the most powerful books that  I read in 2011.  The book is broken into four sections, each narrated by a different teen.

Jena: She keeps and notebook full of inspiring quotes and has been known to read any note she comes across.  While at a resort with her mother, her mother's best friend, and the best friend's daughter Skye (who she can't stand), Jena finds two things- a possible summer fling and a suicide note.

 Dakota: Is learning how to live life after the death of his girlfriend and after learning something about her he never knew.  Dakota gets sent to stay with his grandparents and discovers that there is more to his character than he'd ever realized.

Skye: Dreams of stardom and his well on her way between auditions and indie film roles but she is still not happy.  Skye begins to question her past and seeks out to find out about the father she never had the opportunity to meet.

Owen: or The Loser with the Laptop, gets sent to a conference for teens that has difficulty interacting outside of the world of the internet.  But it is a girl he's met online that has the real impact on his life.

The lives of the characters intertwine in unexpected ways (note the fact that the book is titled Tangled) and the actions of one character inadvertently can affect the lives of the others.  The different sections flow well with each other though I usually wasn't ready for the transition from one to another (I would have been happy to spend a little more time with each character to find out where they ended up).  The book ends very open ended so it is very much up to the reader to decide what happens to each character.  However, I felt that this type of ending worked well for the book.

Visit Carolyn's Website, Blog, and Twitter!
And check out some of her other books: The Earth, My Butt, And Other Big Round Things and The Future of Us (with Jay Asher)

Happy Reading!
-Melly