After You

If I have an author that I enjoy reading then I always look forward to his or her new book. However, if they are writing  a sequel, I am always a little leery of the continuation of the story.  This is especially true if I loved the first book.  That is what happened with this book which is the sequel to Me Before You.  My expectations were extremely high.

In Me Before You Louisa(Lou) is the caretaker/companion of Will who up until his catastrophic accident was a wealthy, successful business man.  Now a quadriplegic he makes a decision that has a profound effect on those around him including Lou.

A year ago my dog was diagnosed with cancer.  It happened quickly but he was in pain and was not the active happy dog we had raised from a puppy.  The Vet said we could take him home and ply him with pain meds and try to keep him alive but ultimately he had only a short time to live.  My husband and I decided we could not stand to see him suffer and so the Vet gave him a lethal cocktail.  We sat with him as he peacefully fell asleep, never to wake up again. I was devastated.  While I knew it was the right thing to do the pain of losing him was overwhelming, he was my baby.  One can say he was only a dog but he was a family member.  The only consolation I find is that he is no longer suffering or in pain.

After You brings back all the main characters.  All of them are struggling to move forward with  the aftermath of Will's death.

I think that all of Will's loved ones ultimately supported his decision, however how they dealt with the decision and how they picked up the pieces of their life is what the author tries to convey in this sequel.  Again this is a sequel and while I was eager to see how everyone moved on, it just wasn't as good as the first book.  Still worth reading if you want to know more about the characters.  You really must read the first book before this one.