Still Me by Jojo Moyes. Review & What did you think?

Caution: Spoilers ahead, if you have not read the previous book(s).

So, today I had the luxury of staying in bed for the biggest part of the day reading this book, which I was really looking forward to! It pretty much continues where After You ended: Lou going to New York to work for this wealthy Upper East Side couple, leaving Sam, Lily and her family behind, yet being constantly in touch with them. In terms of consistency, Lou's character is the same as ever on the one hand: She continues being charismatic, helpful, sweet, yet a bit chaotic and finds herself in situations that neccessarily trigger emotions in the reader for more than once (for me, that was either making me laugh or feeling a mixture between ashamed and sorry for her - best described with the German term sich fremdschämen). On the other hand though, her character is developed nicely in that she's becoming a lot more mature. By dealing with ever so many different challenges on her own, she finally finds out who she really is, what she wants in and from life; and through this newfound knowledge and goal to work towards to, she is not afraid to take the initiative any longer. 

In between, the handling and solutions of these above-mentioned challenges occur to be a bit unrealistic as somehow things always work out in a miracolous way, not seldom without Lou having to do much apart from being at the right place at the right time. Also, some of the developments were rather predictable, however, on the plus side, the book does not end with her going back into her old life which the reader is led to believe at different points in between.

All in all, one of the main reasons why - I think - this trilogy has become so popular is that Me Before You dealt with a serious topic, which had previously not been discussed much. The moral conflict caused demanded being resolved and the book stuck with the reader even after finishing it. Naturally, similar moral dilemmas could not be integrated into two further books without becoming ever more unrealistic, so the follow-up books were destined to go into a more mainstream direction. That is also against the backdrop, that it is charismatic Lou that the reader identifies with and wants to know more about. I can only speak for myself when saying that I did enjoy all parts of the trilogy.

***If you have read the book already, I'd be very much interested to know what your impressions and opinions are, and which parts you agree or disagree with.***