YES, I know I am a slow poke. The hype of the book was long gone and it is now replaced by the anticipation towards the movie with two of almost everyone's favourite actors - Khaleesi (Emilia Clarke) and Finnick Odair (Sam Claflin). Well, being just a typical trend follower, I gotta catch up with the book before the movie officially premiered.
Rating: 4.20/5.00
It is a decent book overall.
It was good because I was crying non-stop through significant amount of scenes.
I also like the fact that Jojo included POV of some other characters in between (If only she could include more POV of Will) - Gotta admit that it was tiny bit of tiring to be prancing around Lou's mind all the time. Therefore, the change of scenery with different random POV is indefinitely refreshing.
It is undeniable that this story is beautiful but I just somehow could not relate much to the chemistry between the two protagonist. It would be just so much greater if Jojo actually includes more of those witty conversation between Will and Lou instead of just describing it. I guess I was hoping to live through their romance by participating in their comebacks. Another part that got me cringing about this story is towards the end, when Will expresses his inability to accept her love, all Lou could think about is that she is not enough for him. Oh, Come On, is she that thick or just pure selfish? I would have expected her to understand all that he has been going through after taking care of him for so long. It is all right for her to have hope after doing all that she has done but could she just not understand how hard was it for him to stay that way when he was all so glory before the accident?
Don't get me wrong, I love Jojo's writing (even with the all complains above). All the description of emotional hardships faced by Will always got me crying like a baby. I was always imagining about how would I feel if I am in his shoes and could relate almost instantly. I was just hoping that she could probably be a little bit more precise with certain details of the plot (those conversations that leads them into their love). I know it is not easy at all to write a book and I have no rights to complain but it is just some opinion that *I hope* every girl would like to express after reading a book so decent. To be exact, I think I was just so in love in Will that I hope the girl that walks towards the end with him is a weeny bit more considerate and selfless.
****Spoiler****
From my review above, it is obvious that I actually supported Jojo's decision to make Will die with all the dignity that he wants.
****Spoiler****
I would have also chosen the same path. Will is lucky that he is born in a family so loaded that they do not have to struggle to help him with all the medical expenses. If Will is not born with the silver spoon, this whole story would be an even bigger tragic but likewise, if he is not rich enough to lead his previous life, I would probably not look up to him with such admiration. The one lesson in life that not everybody will realize would be life is a struggle no matter if you are rich or poor. Stop blaming and live your life.
There is one line that I really like from the book:
“You make it sound so simple.”
"It is simple,” he said.
“The thing is, it’s also a lot of hard work. And people don’t want to put in a lot of work.”
Now, I really hope that the movie would be good. Emilia is always a bit more of the exaggerated type of actress (judging by the trailer and after watching Terminator and GOT) but I would still give it a try. Maybe (there is a possibility), I would hate Lou less in the movie. *Fingers Crossed*.
Conclusion:
Do read the book cause it is good. It is just the female protagonist that got on my nerve some times but no one is perfect in real life. That just shows how different is the book from our all time fairy tales. There is a sequel to the book titled "After You". Given that Will is now dead and I am not a big fan of Lou, I think I will skip that book for now but I might pick it up by the time the sequel is made into movie. Anything is possible.
