Still Me: A Novel by Jojo Moyes

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes, a new book featuring her iconic heroine of Me Before You and After You, Louisa Clark

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you reconcile a heart that lives in two places?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world.

my thoughts:

I absolutely LOVED Me Before You - the love story of Louisa Clark and Will Traynor that ends in heartache.  I enjoyed After You - reading about Lou post-Will - but didn't love it.  So, I was a bit skeptical when I heard there would be a third book, Still Me.  I didn't know what to expect or how we would find Lou.  So, when provided with the opportunity to find out, I immediately agreed to it.

Lou is now happily dating Sam.  Except they are long-distance dating, because she has decided to go away to NYC for a year.  She's found a job as a PA for the wife of a super rich man on the upper East Side.  The woman is disliked by the society set, has no friends, and is hated by her step-daughter.  Lou befriends her (or at least thinks she does) and begins to enjoy working for her.  She starts enjoying her new life in NYC.  Of course she misses Sam, but she knows that they love each other and it will all work out.  So she works, goes out, and lives her life.  And just as she thinks she's settled in, complications arise - personal and professional.  Soon, Lou is headed back to the UK and life is turning out to be not so lovely after all. 

Now, I will admit to loving the character of Lou, but I if I'm honest, we could have just left her with the last book, After You.  I feel like Still Me was unnecessary.  It shows that Lou still needs to grow up, trust herself, and discover what she loves - all of which make for a funny, but over the top read.  However, these are all things that Lou could have discovered in After You.  Why drag out the story of her character any longer?  Truthfully, I enjoyed bits of the story, but found it to be too much at times.  The more I read about Lou, the more I disliked her.  And in the end, I didn't really care what happened to her.  This book was a miss for me.



Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!