Jo Jo Moyes had me with Me Before You all those years ago… the follow up of After You did not spark such a light in me, but held me for what I think turned out to be this moment… this moment where Jo Jo Moyes once again blows my mind and this time… I felt strongly connected to Louisa and fully got what she was doing in Will’s memory.  Smoking hot 3rd in this series do not pass go – THIS IS THE BOOK TO READ.  ~Sheila

In Still Me, Louisa Clark has taken on a job as an assistant to the wife of a well to do family in New York.  At first Louisa is unsure what her role will be and why a woman of Agnus’ status needs someone to be with her all day but very soon this is all made crystal clear.  Agnus, the 2nd wife to the very rich Mr. Gopnik is having a hard time keeping up with her expected status.  She has not made friends with those that fall into the first Mrs. Gopnik’s circles, and has nothing in common with her friends she had before she was given everything she could have ever dreamed.

As if that is not enough, Louisa is also struggling being away from her boyfriend Sam the paramedic who is still back at home while she seeks for her calling in New York.  When an attractive woman is partnered with Sam, things become even more difficult, and when a good looking guy who looks much like Will starts flirting with Louisa – well… there is much to sort out as Louisa learns that not all is as it seems at face value and the only way to your goals – is to start by taking a hard look at yourself.

Insert wow here.  Maybe it was the fact that I read this on vacation in St Lucia….  but I don’t think so.  Still Me wowed me.  And honestly it wowed me because some of the quotes or memories Louisa has of Will… hit me right in the heart – to the point I decided  that Louisa and I were in a way, kindred spirits, both trying to do the right thing while honoring and remembering someone who lived so large… it is incredibly hard to feel the space they left behind.

Like Louisa, I am still willing to try.

…briefly, I understood what Will was trying to explain to me two years previously:  for those few moments, my mouth full of unfamiliar food, my eyes filled with strange sights, I existed only in the moment.  I was fully present, my senses alive. my whole being open to receive the new experiences around me.  page 11…

Seriously… the wisdom in Jo Jo’s words…. you can find MUCH of it in all her books..

When people we love die young it’s a nudge, reminding us that we shouldn’t take any of it for granted, that we have a duty to make the most of what we have.  I feel like I finally get that.  ~Louisa Clark Still Me

Bottom line, if you loved Me Before You – you will LOVE this book as well.  It left me wanting more of Louisa Clark…  and I hope we do see her again.

My reviews of:

Me Before You
After You