“Still Me” by Jojo Moyes

Description: “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 reconcile a heart that lives in two places?

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.”

Review: I loved the first book about Louisa Clark, “Me Before You,” I laughed, I cried and it was wonderful. Unfortunately I felt that “Still Me” did not contain the same magic as “Me Before You.” I enjoyed reading about Louisa moving to New York and discovering a new city. I also enjoyed the dynamics between Louisa, her new employer and the other residents of the building. I ended up being more intrigued by the secondary characters (Mrs. DeWitt and Ashok) than I was about Louisa. These new characters had so much personality and untold stories that are only hinted at. I wish there was a book dedicated to Mrs. DeWitt and her fashion career! The whole story is about Louisa discovering herself and taking steps towards her new future. I enjoyed seeing how Louisa evolved and that is why I was bothered by the ending. The ending felt like a huge step backwards for Louisa. I felt that it lagged in some places and some of the plot line was predictable. While I didn’t love the book, I did enjoy it.  Die hard fans of Jojo Moyes and Louisa Clark will enjoy this book.

*SPOILERS* aka My Rants

• I really disliked that Louisa dates a Will lookalike. It came as no surprise when she discovered that he only looks like Will and does not have the same personality. Dating the wrong man can sometimes lead you to learn more about yourself. While Josh did help Louisa on her journey I felt that she could have gotten there another way.
• I also hated the fact that Sam cheated on Louisa (even if it was more emotionally than anything else). I love the character Sam, he seemed so sweet and cheating seemed out of his character. It was also difficult to understand the explanation behind it (aka I was lonely, you opened something up in me). I felt it was a huge cop out to get Louisa to be single. I also don’t like the fact that she ends up with him in the end, she’s made so much progress on herself and that seems like a step backwards.
• My last rant: Why does Agnes get to live happily ever after? Agnes she gets Louisa fired, has a secret daughter, has an affair and yet somehow gets everything she wants in the end.

*please note that I received an advanced copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review