October Book Club - After You by Jojo Moyes

Thank you Gransnet/Penguin Random House for my copy of this book. I loved it and could not put it down! It is humorous, warm - will make you laugh & cry and was an overall delight to read. I felt I really engaged with the characters and so wanted that happy ending for Louisa. There is another book here isn't there? I'm sure there must be...

I had previously read Me Before You and thoroughly enjoyed After You. I have more JoJo Moyes novels on my kindle and intend to read all of her books. My question is about Sam - we don't learn a lot about his past history or love life. I felt as though I wanted to know more about him. I loved the book and hope there is a sequel.

I was keen to know what happened after Me Before You and ordered After You on kindle the day it came out. Couldn't put it down and was desperate for a happy ending for Louise. I found all the characters very credible. I look forward to the final book in the trilogy. There has to be one please.

I hadn't read Jojo Moyes before but I have now added several of her books to my kindle holiday reading list.

Another very enjoyable read from JoJo Moyes with characters I could relate to, recognise and feel I got to know. Although it's not as thought-provoking as Me Before You it still provided enough emotional moments, drama and action in each chapter to keep me reading and all in an easy-going writing style I so enjoy in Ms Moyes' work. Please feel free to shoot me down in flames with this question as I have not read every book you have written. In those I have read - definitely three and possibly five - there never seems to be a truly evil character. Mr Garside, for instance, could have been a much more sexual predator yet he's dealt with within a few pages. Is it a case of you knowing your market and sticking to it or do you not feel comfortable expanding on the baddies you do introduce?

Thanks for the copy of After You,I feel to do it justice I will try and get hold of Me Before You.I hate reading books in the wrong order.

Thanks again for the prize.

Really enjoyed Me Before You and can't wait to read After You. Thank you for all the wonderful books you send.

Just finished. A fantastic read! I hadn't read any of JoJo Moyes' other books, so didn't really know what to expect. I was totally hooked - even had to sneakily read bits during the Great British Bake Off final!
I found the characters totally convincing, and loved the humour which permeated the novel and prevented what could have been a mawkish subject from being too overwhelming. As a person who has had a lot of contact with teenagers during my career in teaching, I found Lily very credible. The urban landscape was a perfect setting for the story.
I am very, very fortunate in that I have never lost anyone close to me - even my parents are still going strong in their 90s. I'm sure that someone who had lost someone close to them would react differently to the novel; I wonder what they would think of the 'Moving On Group' - where the characters were more caricatures, I felt, though this didn't detract from the novel. Like one of the other reviewers, I wondered how much of the novel was based on the author's real life experiences.
As for the ending: I know that one of the reviewers said she wanted a 'Reader, I married him' type of ending, but this wouldn't have been right for Lou. She needed to get away and have her own life - for a while at least.
As for a sequel - I wonder if Jo Jo Moyes has left the ending open deliberately? I think I'd like to know what happened to Lou eventually.
I'm definitely going to have to read 'Me before you' now!
Thank you, Gransnet, for introducing me to an author who I might not have come across without your bookclub. Can't wait to see what you've chosen for November - and we're only half way through October.

I got my book today! Thanks so much! I'll get right to reading!

I've just finished reading it (well, at 2am this morning!) and absolutely loved it. I've read all of Jo Jo Moyes' books, as have my daughter and my 90 year old mother. 'Me Before You' is currently in Patagonia with my niece....who will send it back to her sister in Norway, so a much travelled book!

Can I ask Jo Jo if there's a Book 3 in the pipeline (please say yes!)?

Thank you for the book. I took it with me to read on holiday. I could not put it down and I finished it in no time. It is the best book I have read for a long time and I thoroughly recommend it.

Jojo has written other books that are unlikely to have been based on her own life experience and I recommend The Girl You Left Behind which is set during WWI in occupied France. I'm sure you'll enjoy reading it as much as I did.

Wow! Thank you Gransnet for my copy of this book. I'm totally hooked (as so many others seem to be) and it is a real page turner. I always give my books to my doctor's surgery when I've read them as they sell them for a pound for charity.

Anyway, my question is, how much (if any) of the book is taken from your own life and how much is imagination/research? I heard Kathy Letts once say that she had cannibalised her own life in writing her novels. If characters or stories come from you own life, does that make it difficult, knowing that total strangers (your readers) are glimpsing your own intimate thoughts and feelings?

My copy arrived last week. I was a bit concerned by the fact that it was a sequel to another novel which I hadn't read, but, having thoroughly enjoyed the first few chapters, I realise that it's a perfectly good 'stand alone' novel too, and have already been intrigued by the characters and situation. Really enjoying it. Will post review when finished. Thank you, Gransnet, for introducing me to an author whose work I haven't read before; I will certainly go on to read the other novels by JoJo Moyes once I have completed this one.

I've finished too and it was a cracking good read. It was very easy to recall all the characters in the first book and I think Jojo is excellent at family dialogue, which made me laugh out loud more than once. I did think Lily was an absolute pain with hardly any redeeming features. Believable characters throughout though.

Being an old romantic and wanting a wedding, I found the ending a bit disappointing and just hope it was done that way so there can be a Book3. Is that the plan Jojo?

Have just finished After you,couldnt put it down.
I felt the characters where believable,but without the poignancy and sense of time running out for Will and Louisa.
JoJo please dont let Lou disappear to NY without coming back.

SPOILER ALERT - Please do not read if you have not finished the book!

I was so delighted to get this book as I loved Me before You- which is the only book EVER to get 100% 10/10 from our reading Group members.
I was pleased to hear what happened to Lou et al afterwards & the humour & the warmth from the first book was there again. I read it at record speed (housework? Not a chance!) & up to last quarter of the book I really enjoyed it. I was a bit disappointed that Lou had to again face losing someone she loved- it seemed a bit too much like the first book & a bit trite that Ambulance Sam would get hurt in line of duty. I didn't 'feel' him to be honest. I also felt that she got over 'the love of her life' a bit too quickly. It was nice that Lily could provide some solace for Will's family but her own family were not really believable.
These are probably minor gripes & I DID enjoy this book & would recommend it to anyone who loved the previous book.
I would like to ask Jojo if she always planned to write a sequel or if Lou just would not go away? I can imagine she would keep cropping up & asking to be 'finished'. I do feel her story has come to an end now- although I'm not sure she will come back to England any time soon. Feisty lady needs a bit more in her life!!
Thank you GN again for this book & thank you, Jojo for writing a sequel for us.

Thank you so much Gransnet for my copy of After You by JoJo Moyes. It was a great read and it was good to catch up on what happened to all the characters from Me Before You. I agree with annodomini it would be a good idea for the author to extend the books into a trilogy especially to find out what happens to Louisa. Thanks again.

I won mine from another company & I'm going to finish the book I'm on & hopefully will be able to add to this in due time. I loved me before you so I'm hoping this will be as good

I did not get a copy but I am at the moment reading Me Before You

Thank you for my copy which arrived yesterday.

I've decided that, despite my ability to promptly forget the last book I read, I will stop reading and get Me Before You from the library. There's just too much I need to know first!

I was reading until 2am this morning but eventually dropped off. Had to finish it this morning. Liked it very much and it was interesting to see what had happened to (almost) all the characters from Me Before You again.
I would like to ask Jojo if she has any plans to extend the story of Louisa into a trilogy. There might be some scope.

read half this morning....don't want to put it down....bath and pjs today...soup for dinner tonight..sod the housework ..

Just received my book, on my birthday too! Thank you so much, what a lovely surprise x