Tag Archives: Jojo Moyes

What I’m Reading

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The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.

This was a pleasantly surprising read and so different from everything else I’ve read by Moyes!

The characters were all so amazing and it was easy to really feel everything that was going on, from the friendship to the anger to the sorrow.

The storyline itself builds up perfectly, following Alice who came to the USA on the promise of glitz and glamour only to wind up in Baileyville, full of unrealistic expectations, no rights, and a colour barrier that has yet to be broken.

In an effort to both get away from and spite her father in-law, Alice volunteers to join the Packhorse Library program and finds a lifestyle and friendship that she never expected.

At first I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did, but like I said, the characters were all so amazing and involved. The only person I wanted to hear a bit more from was Bennett, Alice’s backboneless husband who turns out not to be the man she thought he was.

If you haven’t picked this one up yet, get on it! You won’t be disappointed.

My rating: ★★★★½/5 stars

What I’m Reading

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One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

I quite enjoyed this one by Jojo Moyes, and it was the perfect rebound after the last few duds that I’ve read!

Jess is a single mom to two kids who are very much unique. Ed is a tech-guru who isn’t exactly brilliant at reading between the lines. Norman is, well, Norman!

While romance is/was expected, One Plus One tells more of a tale of sticking by family no matter what. Jess is a fierce advocate for her kids and puts them first no matter what obstacles are in the way, and Ed, while slightly disconnected from his own, pulls himself together when he needs to and does the right thing.

One Plus One is an easy read that you don’t have to take too seriously. It was a little slow to start, but overall it was put together just fine. My main question is – how the heck does one lose track of $5K and not even realize it? Certainly Ed isn’t that well off, is he? I at least didn’t get that impression.

I also really thought Norman could’ve played a bigger role than he does near the end. I get that he was supposed to provide a bit of a comedic relief, but there just wasn’t enough there. Blame it on my inner dog-lover, I suppose.

My rating: ★★★★/5 stars

What I’m Reading: Still Me

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From the book jacket:
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.

My review:
I was quite happy when I learned there was a third book in the “Me Before You” series, even though the last instalment left me wanting a bit more from the storyline. I downloaded onto my Kobo and finished it in about a week.

I really enjoyed the storyline overall and thought it was well put together. I do love that Lou was “still Lou” and that she stayed true to who she was throughout the whole storyline, and that she “found” herself in the end. I thought for sure that there were going to be storylines that didn’t get wrapped up, but Moyes managed to do so in a way that wasn’t too drawn out or exasperating.

There were a few moments in the story though that I wasn’t too crazy about and thought were a bit over the top and cheesy, such as the horse carriage moment and the “fight” scene Lou witnessed when she first arrived in NYC. I don’t know if Moyes was setting things up for a movie script, but it all made me roll my eyes a little bit and I didn’t think it was necessary.

Overall, I enjoyed Still Me more than After You and thought it wrapped up the series nicely.

My rating: ★★★★/5