July 27, 2021

Still Me

 


Me Before You #3
Fiction
2018 Penguin Books
Finished on July 23, 2021
Rating: 4.5/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

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 find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

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.

Still Me is not great literature, but I loved every bit of it. I've read the previous books in this trilogy and enjoyed this installment just as much as the other two novels. Moyes creates believable characters and dialogue and Still Me is as heartwarming (without being sappy) as Me Before You and After You (click on the links for my reviews). I was entertained for two solid weeks, savoring the book rather than devouring it in one sitting, never once feeling that Louisa's story had run its course. Now I'm eager to read more of Moyes' most recent releases (The Giver of Stars and The Peacock Emporium). 

On Libraries:
"Books are what teach you about life. Books teach you empathy. But you can’t buy books if you barely got enough to make rent. So that library is a vital resource! You shut a library, Louisa, you don’t just shut down a building, you shut down hope.”

16 comments:

  1. I've only read The Giver of Stars by Moyes, but liked it (though be warned, there are rumors of plagiarism surrounding this book)

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    1. Helen, I heard about the rumors of plagiarism, but still look forward to reading The Giver of Stars. I'm glad you liked it!

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  2. I recall enjoying this one as well - glad you did too. Have you read: Giver of Stars? Very good although along the same line as Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek - both good stories.

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    1. Diane, I have not yet read Giver of Stars, but I have the audio in my queue. I'll give it a listen later in the year.

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  3. I've read a couple of her books, and I liked them all.

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    1. Deb, I've read a few of her earlier novels, which weren't nearly as good as the ones in this trilogy, but I'm willing to read more by her!

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  4. I've read Me Before You and loved it. I haven't read the follow-up books though. I didn't know there was more than one to get to.

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    1. Ti, I think you'd enjoy the other two in this trilogy. They're really good!!

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  5. I enjoyed all three of these, too. I agree with you, not 'great' literature, but this is a good time to be reading simply enjoyable fiction. And I loved The Giver of Stars! Hope you all are doing well! We're leaving on our first trip tomorrow morning after 18 months at a standstill. With the cat, LOL. 😻

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    1. Laurel, weren't they good?! I'm enjoying "fluffier" reads this summer and will listen to The Giver of Stars later in the year. All is well with us. Have a fabulous trip! I'm eager to read all about it. :)

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  6. I'm glad you liked this one. I liked Me Before You too ... but haven't gone on to her others. Though I wonder sometimes how Louisa Clark recovered from what happens in Me Before You. I think I'd like to listen to Giver of the Stars. Are there really two novels on this topic??

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    1. Susan, if you enjoyed Me Before You, I highly recommend the other two in the trilogy. They are filled with warmth and humor and are the sort of books that I will return to when I want to read a feel-good story.

      Yes, I've heard about another book that is supposed to be very similar to Giver of the Stars. It's called The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. I haven't read either, but I'll probably start with Richardson's and go from there. Here's a link to an article about the plagiarism.

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    2. thanks the info on the plagiarism article ... I find some of the similarities it mentions disconcerting and I wonder a little about reading it ... if this other author spent many years researching it. Hmm

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    3. Susan, I'm torn about reading both books. Time will tell...

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  7. I've had Still Me on my shelf for a while because I loved Me Before You and wasn't quite as into the second book. I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed this one a lot and do plan on reading it one of these days!

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    1. Iliana, I don't remember much about After You, but this one was really very good. I'd like to read more of her books now.

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