Me Before You: The Book Versus The Movie

I recently read the book Me Before You by Jojo Moyes and saw the movie shortly after. It's been on my mind since then so I figured why not write a comparison article on both. In doing so, I will be breaking it down into separate categories.

The Plot: Louisa Clark and her family struggle to make ends meet. Louisa was the bread winner for the household for years while working at a local cafe. When the cafe shuts down, Louisa is forced to go after a caregiver job for quadriplegic, Will Traynor. The accident has caused Will to become cynical and have a negative outlook on life, but Louisa hopes to change that. As time goes by, their feelings grow for another and an important decision is to be made.

Why I liked the book better

1. The book has many important short scenes that make it whole that the movie doesn't feature. These scenes include the scene where Will and Louisa get their symbolic tattoos, the car scene between Camilla Traynor and Louisa, and the scene where Louisa's boyfriend Patrick grills Louisa about Will's decision.

2. The book describes everything in such precise detail and allows you to visualize everything playing out in your head.

3. Unlike the movie, the book reveals the existence of a sequel titled After You.

4.The book conveyed some important lessons such as warning signs of a toxic relationship, don't judge a book by its cover, and don't let anyone try to change you.

Why I liked the movie better

1. Sam Clafin and Emilia Clarke were perfect fits for the roles of Will Traynor and Louisa Clark, especially Sam Claflin. Some people were skeptical of how well he was going to pull off playing a quadriplegic man not being so himself, but he did a phenomenal job. They also were what I pictured the characters' looking like and their chemistry was great.

2. The movie brings the book to life. Sure we can picture the beautiful and heartbreaking story in our minds, but the movie allows us to watch the characters interact with one another and see how they can be portrayed with our own eyes.

3. The movie stayed true to the book overall. Sure it was missing a few short scenes, but those scenes are included in the bonus features.

4. Both Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke read the novel before filming the movie so they really put their heart and soul into their roles.

The point of this comparison is to show the pros and cons of the book and movie of Me Before You, but they both are wonderful. One of my all times favorites now and I highly recommend giving both a go if you haven't already.