After You

After You: a novel by Jojo Moyes. New York: Pamela Dorman Books, 2015. 352 pages. ****

In this sequel to Me Before You, Louisa Clark works in an Irish-themed pub at the East City Airport and wonders what it must be like to travel and leave everything behind. She's grieving the loss of Will Traynor and still can't imagine life without him. Returning home at a quarter past one, she finishes off a bottle of wine and seeking fresh air, climbs unsteadily up the fire escape onto the roof of her building. Startled by a voice in the shadows, she falls off of the roof. Returning home to her parents while recuperating, she is forced to face her past and the rumors surrounding her fall. Feeling vulnerable and unsure of her future, her world is turned upside down when someone from Will's past visits her and inveigles herself into Lou's flat and heart. Lou eventually must decide whether to go forward and "live" or keep herself closed off from love and hope. 

This emotionally charged story had me wanting to keep reading and yet afraid of what was next for Lou. Her boss at the Pub can't believe the situations that occur in her life that cause her to be late and absent from work. The drama of it all left me quite breathless at times, wanting to laugh and trying not to cry. I did not read Me Before You, but I recommend that you do so before reading the sequel. It stands alone as a novel; however the first book is so highly acclaimed, I have it on Hold to read next from the public library. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and will certainly read others by Moyes. 

JoJo Moyes is the New York Times bestselling author of Me Before You, One Plus One, The Girl You Left Behind, The Last Letter from Your Lover, Silver Bay, The Ships of Brides, and Honeymoon in Paris. She lives with her husband and their three children on a farm in Essex, England. Visit her at www.JojoMoyes.com