I'm glad I gave this one a 2nd chance

In all seriousness, even though I am marking this book as Read, I'm really only halfway through. I LOVED Me Before You, but I just cannot get into AFTER YOU. It has not caught nor does it hold my interest in the slightest. It simply is not at all the way I imagined the story to continue. I would much rather have my imagining of the continuing story than read the rest of this book.

I felt the same way when SCARLET came out (the attempted sequel to GONE WITH THE WIND). Margaret Mitchell's masterpiece has a wonderful open-ended ending that I LOVE because I get to imagine what happened to Rhett and Scarlet. All the hype over SCARLET was NOT worth my time. I didn't make it through that book either.

**OK. I finally finished it. And I'm glad I did. AFTER YOU is in no way even close to the

awesomeness of ME BEFORE YOU, but by the time I read the last word, I no longer greatly disliked it. The worst part of the story, for me, is how Lily shows up at Louisa's door and that Louisa feels an instant responsibility for the girl--even though there is NO REAL REASON for her to do so. I suppose, though, that in grief, we look for any and every reason to hang on to the person we love[d] and to feel ANY connection with that person, no matter how insignificant or tenuous that connection might be.

So as I read the book, I fell more in love with Louisa. What I really love about AFTER YOU is how Moyes demonstrates the truth that just because a few years have gone by, that does not mean that the grieving can or does "get over" losing a loved one. Everyone struggles and deals with grief in his/her own time and in his/her own way. There is no one "right"--or wrong--way to grieve. What is important is to surround ourselves with friends, family, and loved ones who are still available--and to let those friends, family, and loved ones be there for us (don't push them away). 

My heart went out to Louisa as she struggled to do what she felt was best for HER, in spite of the fact that she had a number of people telling her something different. I have struggled with this very thing over the past 17 years and it is very difficult. I don't want to hurt anyone by "ignoring" his/her advice, but ultimately, I have to do what is right for me--what I know in my heart-of-hearts, in my very soul, is best for me--even if it alienates others.

I have lost close friends because I went a different direction than they advised. Yes, that breaks my heart, but at the same time, I KNOW that I did the right thing--for me.

And like Louisa, I have also made some fairly stupid decisions, but my God has everything under His control and if something is in His will, somehow or another, He usually gives me the "kick in the pants" that I need in order for me to see that He has opened--or closed--a particular door. 

So while I struggled with AFTER YOU at first, I am very glad I read it. The book is a wonderful demonstration of the living dealing with life after the death of a much loved one and it is REAL in that regards. Sometimes it does pay to plow through a book that we don't like at first.....