After You. Jojo Moyes

After You
Jojo Moyes.
Published: Penguin/Viking
Date: September 2015
Format: e-ARC
Pages: 384
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Publisher via NetGalley


So what happens to Lou and Will's family after .... if you haven't read Me Before You then...probably you don't care! You may have read it and still don't care, but I did so I wanted to know! In After You, Jojo Moyes takes up the story of Lou and what happens next.

I'd hoped for more for Lou a little while down the track. She does have her own small flat but is working in a dead end kind of job. And really she is kind of depressed and still feeling much grief and some guilt. But she has joined a group called the Moving On Circle and what a group they are. Mostly on topic and sometimes not so much.

As the story develops I laugh out loud and at other times reach for the tissues. While not quite as dramatic as Me Before You, it does have its magical moments where Lou is totally herself and makes choices that when I sat back and thought, I had to agree with.

We again meet up with her family - some funny developments there. Then there is a young, troubled teenage girl - Lily also making her presence felt. As well there is a couple of Ambulance paramedics (evidently you don't call them Ambulance Drivers anymore). Sam is one of them, he meets Lou in a rather dramatic way and later on, he, his paramedic partner  and Lou hatch a really amazing intervention.

The book moves along at a very good pace, no dull moments, and if fact as I finish the book I feel like I have been through the wringer.

I love the character of Louisa Clark, all her quirks, and her caring feisty heart. While it might seem she is a woman of inaction, she is the exact opposite as well - a woman of definite action.

Thumbs up from me for this one.

One Plus One. Jojo Moyes

One Plus One
Jojo Moyes
Published: Penguin
Date: February 2014
Format: Audiobook
Length: 13 hrs 5 min
Narrators: Elizabeth Bower, Ben Elliot, Nicola                           Stanton, Steven France.
Genre: Women's Fiction
Source: Own audiobook

One single mum. With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it’s hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn’t. Because you have to....

One chaotic family. Jess’ gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she’ll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess’ teenage stepson, can’t fight the bullies alone. Sometimes Jess feels like they’re sinking....

One handsome stranger. Into their lives comes Ed Nicholls, a man whose life is in chaos, and who is running from a deeply uncertain future. But he has time on his hands. He knows what it’s like to be lonely. And he wants to help....One single mum. With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it’s hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn’t. Because you have to....

This is my first book ever by Jojo Moyes and I believe it was a good introduction. I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook.  I mainly listen to audiobooks while walking, this book had me talking out loud to the characters, smiling at the world and discreetly wiping away some tears.  

This is probably the first time I have listened to a book with four narrators, the book tells the story from the point of view of four characters- Jess, Nicky, Tanzie and Ed.  After a few moments of discomfort these narrators became the characters, and I am sure that they totally enhanced this book for me. I give them all top marks for bringing these characters alive in my imagination.

Jess is an amazing woman, she has a husband who has deserted any sense of responsibility and disappeared, she has little money but works hard to support her small mismatched family.  Money problems dog her much of the way, at one point she makes an error of judgement, however the way she handles that had me applauding her.  She is a great mother and Nicky and Tanzie are very fortunate to have her.

I also loved how the children Nicky and Tanzie were very much part of this story with their challenges of growing up and being their true selves.  Norman the dog completes the family, and does he come to the party when it really matters - you bet! Big and slobbery but well loved and included in the family.

Ed is almost against his will in the beginning sucked up into this family when he joins them to help them take a step to help Tanzie achieve a dream.  They take a car journey together across country which turns out to be no picnic but all the same things happen!  Loved the way Ed helped Nicky and Tanzie.

A heart warming emotional read, where honesty, family, personal growth and change  and small kindnesses stand out.