Virginia Ronan ♥ Herondale ♥'s Reviews > Still Me

”I knew this was the way to madness yet I couldn’t stop myself.”

This seemed to be the overall motto of the third and last book in this series and I still don’t know if I liked it or not. My feelings for “Still Me” are rather mixed, yet I still found myself enjoying it somehow. Which is probably a great testimony of Jojo Moyes easy writing style and the way she manages to capture her audience. Still, for me it’s also proof of the fact that a book can’t only live from its interesting characters and the authors writing skills.

The idea of Lou going to New York and working for the Gopniks sounded intriguing and even though she had to leave her new boyfriend in London I could still understand why she decided to do it. This was something she needed to do in order to find herself and their relationship was so fresh that she was allowed to be a little selfish. I mean it was only for a year and Sam couldn’t expect her to give up her entire life. They barely knew each other and life altering decisions shouldn’t be made hastily, let alone for someone you only just started to date.

”So I did what every girl does when she’s far from home and a little sad. I ate half a packet of chocolate Digestives and called my mother.”

Of course a long distance relationship is a challenge and not as easy as it seems. I could relate to that part so much because I used to have long distance relationships when I was younger, the last one of them actually turning out be my husband. *lol* Anyway, this part of the book was something familiar and something I understood, the rest of the book? Well, let’s say it kind of caught me off guard.

The Gopniks were a family I couldn’t connect to and their life was a mystery to me. I mean it was obvious that Agnes and Mr. Gopnik loved each other, yet they still didn’t give each other an inch when it came to certain topics. Yes, Agnes felt isolated and the working hours of her husband certainly didn’t help, but she sometimes acted like a spoiled child and that clearly didn’t make their situation any better. Neither did Mr. Gopniks daughter who used every single moment she spent in her father’s company in order to make Agnes’s life even more miserable.

So whilst I could comprehend Agnes’s actions I still think that she should have approached her troubles differently. A WHOLE LOT DIFFERENTLY! I mean who cares about what those women thought about her? If she felt inappropriately dressed for the events she had to attend, why the hell didn’t she recruit a stylist?! Money obviously wasn’t a problem and if you have a personal hair dresser, coach and assistant already I’m sure it’s not that hard to get a proper stylist as well. She would have automatically felt more confident and comfortable and that would have had an effect on the people around her as well. Also sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and hold your head high. Well, at least that’s what I would have done, along with giving them my best impression of the finger. ;-P Just saying.

”You mustn’t worry about me. All this nonsense about women having it all. We never could and we never shall. Women always have to make the difficult choices. But there is a great consolation in simply doing something you love.”

So much to the Gopniks.... Anyway, I really liked Lou’s other friends in New York and Ashok as well as his wife Meena were the best. Nathan was still an amazing friend and even grumpy Ilaria kind of grew on me. *lol* The best surprise was Margot though and I really started to like that old hag! Still, the sudden change at about 50% of the book was something I just couldn’t wrap my head around and all the problems that arose with it only left me with even more question marks. Which brings me right to the part I didn’t like and which caused me to give this book only three stars.

I wanted this book to bring me some closure! I wanted Lou to get her HEA (I didn’t even care if it’s with Sam or with a new guy all I wanted for her was to be stupidly and madly in love and most importantly happy!) and I wanted no new topics to be opened but old ones to be closed! And I didn’t get any of those things which makes me feel all sorts of bitter and salty. *lol* Okay, we could argue about the HEA here but for me that ending just isn’t satisfying. I’ve a love-hate relationships with cliffhangers but what I really can’t stand are open endings and this ending even though no real open ending still falls into that category for me. And before I talk even more in riddles here I’ll just make a spoiler tag and write it all off my chest. Be prepared to get an uncensored and pretty ranty opinion here.

Lou’s love life:(view spoiler)[”I think I needed a distraction from the loss of my sister. I built a house so I didn’t have to think. I built a house because I needed to believe in the future. But now it’s done and I look around these empty rooms, I feel nothing. Maybe some pride that I actually finished the job but apart from that? Nothing at all.”

I MEAN WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK??!! I can’t accept this “happy ending” because for me it’s no happy ending. Is it realistic, yes it is, but after everything Lou went through I really wanted her to be all smiley and happy!! I wanted her to be swept away by love and to grin stupidly but obviously nothing of that happened. Instead of being madly and stupidly in love she and Sam got back together and this after everything he did. Which was pretty rotten if you ask me! He always claimed there was nothing between Katie and him and yet he cheated on Lou when the opportunity arose? Seriously? Are you kidding me? You were apart for what? Three months and you couldn’t wait for your girlfriend?! I hate to break this to you but if you missed the physical part of your relationship there is always your hand, buddy!!! Also they saw each other twice in those 3 months which is more often than some other people that have long distance relationships ever get. Three months and he couldn’t even try to keep tiny Sam in his pants?!!! ADFLKASDFKLASDJFADLKSFJASDLKFJASDLKFJASDJL! I would have been so mad if I’d have been Lou and I’m not sure I would have been able to forgive him for it. Alone the fact that he made her think that she’s just a jealous fury even though her doubt was justified. Nope, No, Noho!!! I would have rather preferred for Lou to meet another man instead of trying it with Sam again. But okay, it was Jojo’s decision and I’ve to accept that. >_<

Joshua William Ryan the Third:
He looked like Will, he talked like Will and he seemed to work in the same job as him. It’s like Jojo Moyes wanted us to give Lou a second chance at Will but then decided against it, because he turned out to be completely different than Will in the end. And that’s bullshit! Either you give our girl her second chance with a guy like Will (fate) or you don’t. Why even bring him into this book if she was bound to leave him again?! Also I don’t buy that he was totally different than Will. That might sound harsh now but I’m pretty sure Will was a lot like Josh before he had his accident. He even said as much when they spoke about his former life in “Me After You”. He was a bon viveur and he also kind of defined his life through his job! The only difference between Will and Josh was that Will had his accident and started to see the more important things of life. He began to value the small things and the overall picture instead of certain points. So in my opinion in dating Josh, Lou actually dated Will before she got to know him. It’s only my opinion though and you’re allowed to disagree with me. ;-) I just think that Will was perfect for Lou because he changed after his accident and therefore didn’t have a lot in common with the person he used to be before it. (hide spoiler)]

The Gopniks: (view spoiler)[”Mr Gopnik, I don’t want your money. If I’d wanted to sue you or – or make money from your secrets I would have done it weeks ago, when I was left without a job or anywhere to live. You’ve misjudged me now as you misjudged me back then. And I’d like to leave now.”

I can’t believe we didn’t get any closure to this story!!! Yes, Mr. Gopnik found out about Agnes daughter and he spoke with Lou, but damn that’s not enough! For the way they treated her he should have begged on his knees for her forgiveness! And Lou?! Lou must be a saint because if they would have treated me like that I would have given him a piece of my mind!!! It’s good that she managed to make the deal for the library but seriously! How they treated her was horrible and there are so many things that were left open. For instance Agnes’s affair with the artist! What happened with that?! Did Mr. Gopnik ever find out about it?! And why the hell didn’t Agnes try to make amends?! All the while she told Lou that she’s her best friend and then she betrayed her in the worst way possible and didn’t even apologize for it?!! I mean Lou covered for her; she was jobless, disgraced and homeless because of the secret she kept for HER!!! And she didn’t even apologize when it all came out?! WTF?! That’s so not okay! What a spineless and unprincipled person!!! It wouldn’t have killed her to say sorry! If I would have been Lou I would have been so damn angry! GRRRR! Lou is a saint. I have no other explanation... (hide spoiler)]

Mrs. De Witt:(view spoiler)[Margot was such a difficult person but ultimately she had her heart in the right place and she really grew on me. It was so sad that she had cancer and even with this storyline I couldn’t help but feel left hanging. Sure, Lou continued to have contact with her but urgh... I would have liked them to be friends until the end. *sighs* That her family took her home was all nice and good but poor Lou was left alone once again. >_< And that made me sad somehow... Also I feel like someone should have confronted Margot and called her out on the way she treated people at the beginning of the book. And this never happened so urgh. (hide spoiler)]

Treena:(view spoiler)[”All this being said, even I know what all that matters in the long run is that these two girls of mine are happy. And if you make her happy, Eddie, like Sam makes our Lou happy, then good on you. I’m very glad to know you.”

I really didn’t see that one coming but OMG! I was so happy for her! It might have been a late coming out but better late than never and Eddie was soo good for her! She made her happy and that’s the most important thing. Even Lou’s dad who’s really conservative could see and accept that so I’m really glad that Treena and Eddie met! Plus YAY finally an f/f couple in Jojo Moyes books. XD (hide spoiler)]

”I think about your sister a lot. I think about Will too. When people we love die young it’s a nudge, reminding us that we shouldn’t take any of it for granted, that we have a duty to make the most of what we have. I feel like I finally get that.”

Conclusion:

This was an enjoyable book and there is no denying that it kept me reading. I basically devoured this in a few days, yet I still feel so very conflicted about it all. When I went into this book I wanted closure and I didn’t get it because “Still Me” somehow managed to leave me with even more questions than I had before. I wish I could say that to finish this series made me happy but I feel like Jojo Moyes let me down. Maybe it were my high expectations, who knows? All I know is that this gets 3 stars from me because there were just too many issues I couldn’t overlook. This said maybe the book just wasn’t for me?! I guess we’ll never know. XD

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Mhmm... I really don’t know if I liked this or not. *lol*
It was enjoyable to read and I kind of devoured it in a few days, yet at the same time it wasn’t really what I expected/wanted?!

And even though this is the ending there are still so many things I want... no scratch that, there are still so many things I NEED to be answered! >_<
I think I wanted more closure?!

Well, this is going to be a tough one to rate and review.
RTC soon, let’s find out in which direction this will go. XD
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I think it’s about time to tackle the last book of this series!
I didn’t read a decent romance for quite a while and since I already know Lou and want a happy ending I’m finally going to read this. :-)
Even though we all know that the perfect ending would have been with Will at her side.... >_<

Anyway! I don’t want to return this to the library once again! When this curfew is over I will give this book back – read!! *lol*
I’m kind of worried where this is going to head though, but I’ll be open-minded and see what Jojo has in store for me. XD
This has to be good, right?!