Every book I read in some way changes the way I see things. Every page impacts me, but there are a few select books that have altered my life. There are a few novels that have shook me so hard that it is something I can never recover from. These next three books have changed the way I look at everything. They have made me see love different, made me realize the importance of living in the moment, and have made me question my own beliefs.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Me Before You would be the book I would say has changed me the most. This novel didn't just change the way I see books, but the way I see life. Me Before You gave me everything, and all from a genre I don't often reach for- Adult Contemporary. Me Before You follows a woman name Lou who is struggling to find her place in the world and a job that fits with her quirky personality. When a position for a caretaker comes available she jumps right on the chance. However, she winds up having to take care of Will- an arrogant, rude, and blunt man who recently became a quadriplegic. This book made me question everything I know about love, about making scarifies, and made me rethink what I once thought about the quality of living. Me Before You is probably the most thought provoking novel I've ever read. Not just that, it's probably the most emotionally invested I've ever been with a book. It brought out feelings I never knew I had and is so beautiful. This is the number one book I would/do recommend to anyone and everything. Even non-readers would enjoy this.
"All I can say is that you make me... you make me into someone I couldn't even imagine. You make me happy, even when you're awful. I would rather be with you - even the you that you seem to think is diminished - than with anyone else in the world."
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
I know, I know how "cliché", but I don't care. This book was probably the first book too actually break my heart. It's gorgeous and lyrical filled with one quotable line after another. TFIOS manages to give you so much in such a short amount of time. Hazel Grace is sick and manages to find happiness in a new "friend", Augustus Waters. This novel and their relationship showed me just because you're dying doesn't mean you can't still see the beauty in the world. It shows us how important it is to live in the moment and make sure you don't take a single second of it for granted. John Green made me realize there isn't just one type of love, that there are many, and each one is just as stunning and as important as the others. It doesn't matter if you've seen the movie, you should still pick up the book.
"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices."
Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma
Goodness, did this book take me by surprise. Never did I think a book about incest, yes incest, could or would break my heart. But God, Forbidden did it. This is another book that made me question my morals. Forbidden follows Maya and Lochan, a brother and sister who are struggling to take care of their siblings due to an absent alcoholic mother. The more responsibility they take on the closer the two become and their bond becomes something more than it should. I never fathomed that by the end of this book I would be cheering for a brother and sister to end up together, but I was. I was a freaking mess by the time I got to the end. It's also very rare that I like books that have such a slow build. Trust me when I say this book has the snowball effect. It starts out slow and steady and as it heads to the end it just keeps getting bigger and bigger till it hits the end and leaves you speechless. Forbidden had me wondering "if it's not hurting anyone is it really so wrong?", and two years later I am still wondering the same exact thing.
"At the end of the day it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves."
-Angela
