Still Me by Jojo Moyes Book Review

“You always have one foot in two places. You can never be truly happy because, from the moment you leave, you are two selves, and wherever you are one half of you is always calling to the other.” 

About

Author: Jojo Moyes

Genre: Contemporary Young Adult

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Synopsis

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 find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she discovers who she is and who she was always meant to be—and learns to live boldly in her brave new world.C

Review

Spoilers in the review below

Dear Jojo Moyes fans,

Honestly, the fact that Jojo Moyes wrote another book with Louisa Clark had me absolutely giddy with happiness! I felt like Louisa when she got those black and yellow striped tights from Will in Me Before You. I don’t know there’s just something so pure and effervescent about Louisa that I can’t help but love her. Maybe it’s also her larger than life wardrobe that I secretly wish I could afford. But Still Me just soooooo perfect.

First of all, let me just say how much I love all the titles in this series and how it’s so befitting of Louisa’s journey with Me Before You, After You, and that after all that Louisa has been through—-loss, grief, and moving—-she has found love and is still herself.

Louisa Clark is still the exuberant, lively, and bold person she was before she met Will Trainer, after she met Sam, and when she moved to New York. She is the type of person who puts others before herself and is the most down to earth, caring, and full of life person I have ever read about and who I aspire and resonate most with. It’s kind of embarrassing how much I’m gushing about her, but really how could I not? ; )

In the beginning Louisa is working for the Gopnicks because Nathaniel recommended her to them. So she moves to New York where she is going to be a personal companion to Agnes, Mr. Gopnicks Polish wife who has depression. The only reason Agnes is depressed is because she’s trying to acclimate into this high society New York life as an immigrant masseuse where stuck up New York elites judge her for being the second wife. She’s also harboring a secret daughter that Mr.Gopnick doesn’t know about. That’s because he doesn’t want kids. With all these pressures of fitting in and keeping a secret, it’s understandable why she would feel depressed.

I loved the part in the beginning where Louisa was just starting off as the companion and Agnes invited I loved the part in the beginning where Louisa was just starting off as the companion and Agnes invited her to go running with her and her personal trainer, George. When they’re running in the park, Louisa falls waaayyyy behind Agnes and George, so she catches a horse carriage in the park to catch up to them! And what made it better was the fact that Louisa actually paid the $40 for the horse carriage ride. Classic Louisa!

I also enjoyed how Louisa taught Agnes to be unbothered by what the other high socialites might think of her. I was cheering on Agnes during that moment when she went to the ball wearing a bright neon yellow dress. Let them stare honey! I was also highly amused with the part where Agnes’s dress got stuck in the bathroom and Louisa needed to help zip her, but Louisa couldn’t do it in the stall, so she told Agnes to not worry about what the people in the bathroom would think of her. So Agnes comes out of the stall half naked-ish and Lou zips her in the hall. The attendant was like “that’s class.” I was rolling in laughter!

Their relationship grows the more Lou gets to know Agnes and it enhances the fact that Lou is just someone who’s so open, honest, and easy to talk to. She makes friends with everyone she meets; she’s the literal (pun intended) definition of miss congeniality. I loved the bonding moment when Agnes and Lou were walking through the park and how Agnes told Lous how she had no friends, and that she used to go to a noodle ship with them. So Lou said she would go with Agnes to the noodle shop. My heart!

Lou is also very loyal and kept Agnes secret to the end. Lou rather have gotten fired then to betray Agnes trust and tell her secret. Lou is selfless like that. But part of me didn’t like Agnes’s nonchalance when Lou got fired. She could have at least reached out to her once and apologized.

I think during this time Ashok was a good friend to Lou in inviting her over for Thanksgiving, taking her to the library protests, and giving her something to fight for. I’ve also come to like Illaria more after Lou was fired.

Josh, the Will Traynor look-a-like was thrown into this book for DRAMA! That’s not to say I don’t like a good drama! He was okay but he wasn’t Will. Even when Sam was being positively gross with his shoulder-rubbing new paramedic partner, Katie, I knew Lou didn’t belong with Josh. Josh tried to change Lou and made her change outfits when bringing her to meetings when obviously Lou felt positively confident and beautiful in her new wardrobe from Ms. De Witt’s plethora of clothes. I just wanted to smack Josh because he shouldn’t be asking Lou to change for him because he’s embarrassed by her. If you really loved her you wouldn’t ask her to fit into your mold.

Sam could have been more honest and forthcoming with Lou and told Katie to back off more. But I kind of understand how he must have felt lonely and abandoned and just wanted company. But still, that doesn’t mean you should let another girl rub up on your shoulders. Kind of a bummer he got food poisoning on his first trip.

Ms. DeWitt was a character I started off with a high dislike for, but then I slowly began to like her when I Ms. DeWitt was a character I started off with a high dislike for, but then I slowly began to like her when I realized there was more depth to her character. She came across as the typical prude across the hall with a butt ugly dog, when really she’s just a lonely old woman and has a story to tell. My favorite thing Ms. DeWitt told Lou in this book was when Lou recused Dean Martin (the dog). She said that he’s the only thing she had left. I found that very disheartening and that’s when I began to see her in a new light.

When Lou found Ms. DeWitt collapsed, she became her caregiver, taking her to appointments and walking her dog. I found it cute how Dean Martin never liked Lou at first, but then slowly he got used to her. I liked how Lou was given Dean Martin at the end when Ms. DeWitt went to move in with her son. My heart just swelled! 

Can we also mention Ms. DeWitt’s fashion! I absolutely adore her chic vintage clothes and to me her clothes just screamed Lou. So, when she inherited Ms. DeWitt’s clothes, it just seemed so fitting for Lou and her style.

The ending of this book really had me gushing with happiness because I have always felt that Lou would be great at fashion given her exquisite taste. So when she made the Bees Knees fashion line, I was soooo ecstatic for her!! She’s finally doing something she loves and putting herself first. I also liked how Sam started writing her letters of how much he missed her. But Lou’s kind of receptive to Sam at first because she doesn’t want to be utterly hurt again after all she’s been through. I also forgot to mention how Trinia came out with Eddie as her girlfriend. It was such a good moment because Trina was finally depicted as happy. I also knew from the moment Mr. Gopnick wanted to give something to Lou for wrongfully accusing her of theft, that she would want something to help save the library. I was so heart panged when the name of the library was revealed: The Will Traynor Memorial Library! It just highlights how passionate and sentimental Lou is!

Overall, I rate this book 5 out of 5 flowers because I just loved all the things Lou discovered not only in this book but from all the books. I think that she has loved, lost, but learned from all of her experiences and now she is a better version of herself. What were your favorite parts? Your least favorite parts? Let me know below in the comments : )

I hope you remain who you are to your core and that you don’t let anyone change you.

And as always, with love,