After You by Jojo Moyes
If you love romance novels, reading Jojo Moyes is a little like being snapped on the arm by a rubber band and then having someone you love kiss it and make it better. That’s because Moyes blends realistic characters, romantic relationships, and heartbreak like nobody’s business. The end results are novels that tear our hearts out and then reconstruct them.
In her most devastating novel, Me Before You, Moyes does not give us a happily ever after, opting instead for a novel we’ll remember long after we’ve finished it. The story focuses on Will Traynor—a man who lives a big, enthusiastic life, until he becomes wheelchair-bound. When Louisa (Lou) Clark is hired as a nurse for Will, she falls in love with him. But Lou realizes that making Will truly happy will require breaking her own heart. The book forces us to think about which choices we deserve to make, and how those choices affect those we love.
Luckily for us, it’s difficult for writers to abandon their characters, and Moyes has written a follow up. Due out on September 29, After You follows Lou Clark as she rebuilds her life and learns to love again. Moyes said she wrote the novel because fans kept asking her what happened to Lou after the end of the first novel.
Normally, I’d be skeptical about a sequel to such a beautiful book, but I’m optimistic that Lou is safe in Moyes’s extremely capable hands. And let’s be honest; if this book gives Lou the happy ending she so desperately deserves, how will any romance reader be able to resist it?
Welcome to the world of New Adult romance
If you haven’t read a New Adult novel yet, you’re a bit late to the party. But better late than never. New Adult books focus on the time after teenage adolescence, but before full-blown adulthood, when all of us pretend to be adults but have no idea what we’re doing. As a result, New Adult characters usually suffer a lot of angst as they struggle with big life decisions. The books are often written in first-person perspective so that readers get deep insight into the main character’s thoughts and motivations.
Although New Adult books can crossover into any genre, they have made a name for themselves in romance. Makes sense, since much of our early adulthood is spent experimenting with, and building, relationships. If you want to dive into New Adult romance, here are some heavy hitters for you to try:
Cora Carmack: While Losing It is popular, I recommend Carmack’s Rusk University series, beginning with All Lined Up.
Colleen Hoover: Because Hoover’s so prolific, there is a lot to choose from. Two of her most drama-filled and popular books are Maybe Someday and Hopeless.
Kylie Scott: The Stage Dive series—starting with Lick—is a ton of fun. The books are filled with Scott’s unique humor and distinct characters, and feature four members of a rock band.
Tammara Webber: Webber’s book, Easy, is one of the gold standards of New Adult romance, blending serious subject matter and a dark, complicated hero. Start here and read through the three-book series.
This is just a sampler. For more New Adult suggestions, visit Goodreads.
About the Author:
Victoria De La O is a writer currently at work on a New Adult romance series. When she’s not working to get her books published, she writes a blog about whatever is on her mind—usually women’s issues—at www.victoriadelao.com. You can also find her on Facebook.
