Me Before You - am I the only person in the world not to love it?

[EleanorofProvence]

Just over half way through this book and finding it a bit of a chore to read. It seems like everyone else loves it & pretty much all the reviews I've read have raved about it. Why? What am I missing?

[MimsyBorogroves]

I thought it was rather pathetically written. Tears of boredom were all I cried.

[TheEagle]

I wasn't mad about One Day or Us either. Dexter was an awful human being and both main characters in Us were painful as well!

[Destinysdaughter]

I think I did cry as my mum had had a severe stroke which left her completely incapacitated and in a nursing home fur years so this issue was pretty close to the bone for me. A bit like the Harold Fry novel which I thought was awful but had a similar theme. I couldn't read Elizabeth is missing as my dad has dementia and it was too distressing to read for me! Started it but then gave it to charity.

[LilacSpunkMonkey]

Thank God for this thread.

I picked it up at the library, thinking myself 'lucky' to get it because it's so popular and really looking forward to it after all the praise it got on here.

What a load of old shit. Hated every single person in it. Caricatures, the lot of them. Felt the same about One Day and what happened with Emma (?). I went 'WHAT THE FUCK.!?!?'.

Can I also throw 'P.S. I Love You' in here, despite me not managing more than three chapters before flinging the book across the room at the terrible writing and awful, awful characterisation?

[LilacSpunkMonkey]

The only exception I make for chuck lit is Lisa Jewell who has come on amazingly since her early comic romances. The first of hers I read (Vince & Joy) actually did make me cry. I love her books.

[LilacSpunkMonkey]

Chuck Lit? Really, tablet, really?

[TheEagle]

I've never read any Cecilia Ahern novels, it will be a cold day in Hell before I do, but I did put myself through the film of P.S. I Love You.

Drivel, drivel, drivel! So many stupid Irish clichés and some of the worst accents.

[SliceOfLime]

I also hated it, very poorly written, I cannot understand why it's so popular. However in Katie Fforde 's writing is worse, I've read lots of chick li since having dd1 and my brain melting from sleep deprivation and hers is the worst! I love Marian Keyes and old Jane Green. Will have to try Lisa Jewell.

to whoever cried at Chuggington unthread - I hear you...!

[BestIsWest]

I am reading Brooklyn Quog. It's Maeve Binchy with less detail.

[BestIsWest]

Also hated Me Before You, PS I love You, One Day and particularly hated Us.

Have a peculiar soft spot for Jenny Colgan and Liane Moriarty though.

[NuggetofPurestGreen]

At last! I thought it was shite. And I like so called 'chick lit' when it's good

[TheEagle]

I will admit to liking a sneaky Liane Moriarty

[Pancakeflipper]

Ta Lurking for mentioning J.Eclair as was pondering if to read one of hers but stepped away. I shall now purchase and look forward to that one.

Cannot deal with C.Ahern. But only read 1 all the way through (tried a second just to see if it was me in a grumpy cyncial mood and discovered I must be cynical all the time).

I do like some of Liane Moriarty's though.She's good beach reading stuff.

[woody2976]

lisa jewell is ace.

[sooperdooper]

I hated it too!!

Badly written, patronisingly irritating - I particularly remember hating the scene where they're at a party or wedding and everyone stares when he goes on the dance floor in a wheelchair - really?? Like that's the first time someone disabled has done that?? It's bloody insulting

Utter twaddle the lot of it, I thought it was just me

[ThenLaterWhenItGotDark]

I loved Vince and Joy too, and Marian Keyes up to about 8 yrs ago.
I am so glad it's not just me about those shite Afghanistan books, whenever they are mentioned (often)on here as 'modern classics' I want to scream 'they are shit! so badly written, it's like yer man went on a creative writing weekend' then everyone shout at me for being heartless.
I read PS I love you and almost vomited at the sheer crapness of it. Tell you what though, there is another PD I love you, a teen romance which I read in the 80s which will make grown women cry buckets.

[PurpleDaisies]

I'm so glad there are others with the same dislike of faux deep sappy chick lit out there. I'm like a leper amongst my friends.

One Day was dreadful-I hated both the characters and was glad to finish it. Ps I love you made me want to vomit. There was only one English book in a youth hostel I stayed in in South Africa so in desperation I read one by Louise Bagshawe (I can't even remember the name) which was the worst think I've ever read.

[Movingonmymind]

Yep, never trust a book by someone voluntarily calling themselves JoJo. Sent 1st and only backto audible, never been able to rwad a bagshawe or aherne or wherever. They all look insultingly trite. Would rather stare at the walks. I did find one Moriarry- myy first & only- quite readable (husband's secret) but 2nd one am hating - Last Anniversary. Life's too short to read bad books!!

[Pancakeflipper]

Last Anniversary isn't good. I did like Big Little Lies.

[Movingonmymind]

Not just me then! Had hoped for bettter after Husband's

[7Days]

The next one, One plus One is worse again in the way it portrays class issues. Not saying there are some good insights, but overall wc characters have the nobility of soul undreamt of by anyone rich.

[7Days]

I do like L Moriarty. Really enjoyed the Hypnotists Love Story. Despite the awful title there's an idea there. And her characters are well drawn

[Ragwort]

Faux deep sappy chick lit

^^ totally agree, how anyone could consider this serious 'literature' is beyond me, I was embarrassed to read it & have no wish to read the sequel or see the film.

[Quogwinkle]

Best - I've read Brooklyn twice. After the first reading I wondered what it was that I was missing, so I read it again recently and I still don't get it. What is it that has led to so much literary praise? It's a pleasant enough story but surely it isn't great literature? And Nora Webster just annoyed me.

[BestIsWest]

Quog Exactly what I'm thinking. Nora Webster was ok but I'm also wondering why the hype.