Katie's Reviews > After You

It's hard to resist figuring out the answer to "what happened next?" - but in the case of After You, the much-anticipated sequel to Jojo Moyes' Me Before You, I almost wish I had resisted it, and just let the first book stand alone in my memory.

It's not that After You is bad - it's just not necessary. I LOVED Me Before You. The book reduced me to, literally, a sobbing mess, and it profoundly impacted the way I view the complex arguments surrounding doctor-assisted dying. But I think Louisa and Will's story should have stayed there. After You didn't offer any revelations or expanded on any of the central themes in the original book. I think readers of the first novel know, in our hearts, that Louisa ended up alright. We didn't need a confirmation of what we already believed. To be honest, it kind of seemed like a sidetracked, diversionary gimmick on behalf of the publishers to capitalize on a best-selling author.

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I never liked Lily - even after we learn more about her neglectful mother, her drug and alcohol abuse, and that she's being blackmailed over pornographic photos (although the scene where her stepfather's boss tries to force himself on her in a hotel room is legitimately creepy and awful and disturbing). She treats Louisa horribly, she's ungrateful and spoiled and I think we're supposed to find her charming...but she's just a brat. I didn't feel connected to the new love interest Moyes introduces for Louisa. He seems like an alright chap but even when blood is pouring out of his stomach, I was kind of like, meh. If he dies, that will make it easier for Louisa to move to New York, right? Spoiler alert: he lives, and they decide to pursue a long-distance relationship, London to NYC. Again, didn't really care. I'd almost prefer Louisa to just be on her own, and be content with that!
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The characters I did still feel a fondness for are Louisa's sister and mother, who undergoes her own feminist awakening in this book that I found interesting and, at times, amusing. The relationship between the mother and the Clark sisters seems authentic and genuine and real. There are a few funny moments that made me chuckle, but absolutely nothing like the emotional response the first book evoked in me, though. And I found myself consistently wondering why no one else was questioning why Will had been involved with a horrible woman like Lily's mother. She was awful...and at no point did anyone say, "wow, how did Will end up having a kid with this piece of work?"

I try not to regret reading a book, but I have to admit I wish I had just left well enough alone and kept Me Before You unvarnished in my memory. I think I'll just try and forget this sequel exists!