Me Before You Book vs. Movie

Yesterday, I finally saw the Me Before You movie! I read the book a few weeks ago, so you can check out my review of it here.

I was fairly pleased that they kept most of the book in the movie. There was obviously some differences, but it wasn’t that big of a deal (at least to me). The main differences that I noticed were; one-Will’s sister was absent from the movie,  two- Will’s fathers affair was nonexistent, and a few others that I’ll mention below.

What did bother me was the fact that Patrick wasn’t as present in the movie as in the book. That could be because I really really like Matthew Lewis. Okay, you caught me, it’s because he was in Harry Potter <3. In the book, Patrick was not just a class A jerk but he really only noticed Lou when Will got between them. Sure, they dated for a long time, but it was as if he got comfortable in their relationship and just took it for granted. In the movie, Patrick was still a jerk, but it seemed as if he was more oblivious to what was going on and just wanted to run. I could go on, but since he was barely in the film there isn’t much else I can compare. Except, that I wish Neville (sorry I mean Patrick) had more screen time just so I could look at him!

Sam Claflin was an amazing Will! He did a fantastic job and I wouldn’t have wanted to see anyone else in that role.

Alright, now on to Lou. I expected some crazy outfits, but this was over the top.  I know she was going for artsy, but this was…I don’t even know how to describe it. It was the like costume department just bought every item that they liked in a thrift store, and threw it on her. Being out there is one thing, but at least match your colors or something. Also, I realized that the movie left out a big aspect of Lou’s past. I won’t ruin it for people who haven’t read the book, but a life event happened near the castle and Lou didn’t like going near it. In the movie, she had no problems and they never mentioned it. I thought that that particular scene in the book helped solidify Will and Lou’s relationship. He was able to understand her in a new light, and help her get over the past so that she could grow beyond it. But alas, that was not to be in the movie. I also liked the fact that everyone in the movie wasn’t as mean to Lou as they were in the books. In the books, I felt so bad for her I just wanted her to run away from her family and never look back.

Overall, I think I enjoyed the movie a little bit more than the book. The acting was great, and I love the cast.

 

 

Which version did you like better, the movie or the book?

Me Before You Review

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Published: January 5, 2012

Left is the original cover and the right is the movie adaptation, that was released April 26, 2016. As much as I love original covers, I bought the new one because it was cheaper.

Goodreads Summary:

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

Everyone on Goodreads seems to fairly enjoy this book, and giving it high praises. Well it currently does have a 4.31 rating, but I didn’t like it that much. I thought where the premise was interesting, the book moved at a very slow pace. Honestly, the only reason I bought and read the book was because the movie was coming out. Left to my own devices, I most likely would not have read this book. While it was good, it just wasn’t that enjoyable to me.

Louisa, I thought was a great character. I didn’t like the fact that she was constantly laughed at and called stupid multiple times. She was fairly looked down upon by her family, boyfriend, and employers for the most part. It wasn’t until she gained confidence in herself that she finally started to stand up for herself. I won’t go into the fact that the only reason she even started changing her life was because of Will and he basically told her to.

Another aspect that  I did not like about the book was the switching of narrators. For about 85% of the book, we get just Lou’s narration, and then all of a sudden we start getting chapters from other characters. This did not help the other characters out in the slightest. I already didn’t like Treena, and after her chapter I disliked her even more. Her chapter showed just how shallow and self obsessed about herself she is, even though she has a son and uses him to get what she wants. It also started to confuse me on who was speaking during that chapter. I kept thinking it was Lou only to remember that it was Treena’s chapter. oy vey.

Hopefully, I’ll like the movie adaptation better than the book. But, let’s be honest when is a movie better than the book?

I give this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

A Little Poolside Reading

Enjoying me before you before the movie comes out by the pool! 

What are you reading this Memorial Weekend?