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Me Before You #3.5

Lou in Lockdown

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Like the rest of us, Lou Clark is locked down. JoJo Moyes revisits the beloved character from her Me Before You trilogy exclusively for Penguin UK.

46 pages, ebook

First published June 2, 2020

65 people are currently reading
9791 people want to read

About the author

Jojo Moyes

126 books67.6k followers
Jojo Moyes is a British novelist.

Moyes studied at Royal Holloway, University of London. She won a bursary financed by The Independent newspaper to study journalism at City University and subsequently worked for The Independent for 10 years. In 2001 she became a full time novelist.

Moyes' novel Foreign Fruit won the Romantic Novelists' Association (RNA) Romantic Novel of the Year in 2004.

She is married to journalist Charles Arthur and has three children.

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5 stars
929 (31%)
4 stars
1,145 (38%)
3 stars
656 (22%)
2 stars
155 (5%)
1 star
56 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
Profile Image for Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡  .
5,078 reviews639 followers
October 19, 2021
Das war jetzt meine erste "Corona"-Geschichte. Es ist ein Kurzroman, der während des ersten Lockdowns spielt. Louisa ist in England bei ihren Eltern, während ihr Freund in New York ist. Sie macht sich große Sorgen um ihn, denn er arbeitet im Krankenhaus und das Corona-Virus ist noch nahezu unerforscht.

Die Pandemie kostet Nerven und stellt alle vor neue Herausforderungen. Louisa muss ihr Geschäft schließen, da durch den Lockdown die Einnahmen ausbleiben.

Doch dann kommt Louisa eine Idee, wie sie die trüben Zeiten etwas heller gestalten kann...

Eine wirklich herzerwärmende schöne Geschichte. Beeindruckend, wie die Autorin es schafft, auf so wenigen Seiten doch so viel Gefühl hineinzuschreiben.

Hat mir sehr gut gefallen!
Profile Image for Cynnamon.
784 reviews130 followers
October 29, 2020
A really nice and uplifting free short story.
Profile Image for chantalsbookstuff.
1,046 reviews1,055 followers
October 22, 2022
This was a pure treat, short and sweet and all the things we love about Lou. I liked how this short story gave us an extra bit of closure to Lou and Sam's story and generally all things life throws at us.
Profile Image for PattyMacDotComma.
1,776 reviews1,057 followers
April 23, 2025
4★
‘Don’t you dare go back to New York and leave all those boxes blocking the garage,’ Mum said.

‘There’s Chanel in that box. I’m more likely to buy it its own first class ticket and send it home before me.’

I sat on the phone to the airline waiting to change my ticket and wondering for the 15th time why nobody was responding.

And then lockdown happened.

And the world stopped.”


This is a warm, tender little short story about Lou caught in England, away from Sam, who’s a paramedic in New York. It’s what you’d expect from JoJo Moyes – a family of people who love each other but get a bit scratchy in these circumstances.

Parents are parents, no matter how old you are. Hers love her, and she loves them, but by golly, if Lou wants to dive under the duvet (doona, quilt) and be left alone to be miserable and missing Sam, she should be entitled to.

Sam reminds her that mountaineers say “Don’t look up. Just look at your feet . . . one step at a time.”

Sounds so easy, doesn't it?

I enjoyed the break from my own scratchiness, and I’ll bet you could too.
Profile Image for Elena Mayr.
121 reviews368 followers
September 30, 2021
„Auf diese Art zusammen: Eine Geschichte von Lou“ von Jojo Moyes war eine süße Kurzgeschichte für zwischendurch, die in der Corona-Pandemie Mut machen soll. Für mich absolut kein Muss, aber wirklich nett gemacht. ☺️
1,156 reviews13 followers
November 13, 2020
I stumbled across this short story by accident and started reading it immediately. It’s set during the pandemic with all the familiar characters from previous books. Lou is visiting her parents when the lockdown starts. She’s stuck at their house until she’s allot to fly home. The story has a happy ending and I enjoyed it very much.
Profile Image for Woman Reading  (is away exploring).
470 reviews376 followers
May 8, 2021
4 ☆ charming and sweet

Lou Clark of the Me Before You trilogy is on her quarterly buying trip in the UK for her vintage clothing business. She's scored some finds, including a Chanel piece, and her parents are letting her store her inventory in their garage until she can ship them to her home in New York City. And since her parents are empty nesters, Lou stays with them during her business trips.

Until there's some peculiar news about some virus. Then she can't find anyone at the airlines to re-book her airline ticket, nor can she find a shipping company for her new inventory. The coronavirus pandemic lockdown has been initiated in the UK and Lou is stuck. To make matters scarier, her live-in boyfriend Sam is a paramedic in NYC, the virus epicenter in the USA.

Lou has dealt with loss before. Lou in Lockdown shows how Lou copes and rebounds in true bumblebee-stockinged fashion!

This short story can be read free here ->

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/20...
Profile Image for ~Rajeswari~ Roy.
153 reviews41 followers
July 24, 2021
You know what mountaineers say?” he said, after a moment. “Don’t look up. Just look at your feet. One step at a time, Lou
I might have cried a little after hearing the good news!I have been a great supporter of Bubbly and cheerful Lou throughout my whole life.Her energy is something I envy.This small book just made my day!
The covid situation, lockdown mayhems were depicted quite skillfully.I can personally relate to the urge to sanitize every single bit of my house.I always knew that Lou will not stop until she made everyone smile.Proud of you, girl!

Profile Image for Rosh ~catching up slowly~.
2,379 reviews4,895 followers
June 26, 2024
After the fiasco of the third book, this turned out to be a saving grace. Pretty nicely-written and with all the covid-related details in proper place. Plus with generous dollops of humour and sentiment. Finally this Louisa resembles the lovable character we had met in the first story. It provides a good conclusion to her story. Recommended to series fans.

Available for free on the Penguin UK site here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/ar...
Profile Image for Stephanie Anze.
657 reviews123 followers
June 5, 2020
Lou Clark is on a shopping spree for her vintage clothes rental business in England. When its time to go back to New York, she can not book a flight out. The outbreak of the Covid virus has left her stuck back at her parents house. Lou figures its only a short wait but as the days add on she begins to fret. In her signature style, Lou finds hope amid stressful events.

I just love, love, love, love, love this short story!

It is exactly what I needed right now. Moyes' whimsy style is all over this piece and it shows. Lou has a vintage clothes rental business back in New York called The Bees Knees Clothes Agency, is in a good relationship with Sam and has her life back on track. She is happy. Now she is stuck back home while Sam is a paramedic back in New York, which leaves her feelling quite dreadful. When Lou struggles to remain optimistic, she finds hope in unexpected ways. First off, this narrative is oh-so-very-relatable. The Clark family antics are full display and quite delightful (Lou's mum, in particular, is fantastic in this story). This is a hearfelt and humorous narrative. I started off laughing and ended up crying. This short story is a fantastic compliment to the Me Before You series. I wrote in my review for the third book (Still Me) that it should be Lou's swan song but I am so glad that Moyes brought Lou back. This brief narrative struck the right chords and felt like a natural segueway to the way in which the last book ended. You will not regret reading this (the fact that it is free and available right now is further incentive). I hope there is a follow up story,
Profile Image for Cammie.
384 reviews15 followers
July 26, 2020
Loved this so much! If you have read the Me Before You series by Jojo Moyes, this is a must read!
Profile Image for Laura.
368 reviews64 followers
June 3, 2020
Lovely. Read in one sitting. I laughed and I cried. Wonderful.
Profile Image for Zek.
460 reviews34 followers
December 20, 2021
סיפור חמוד להעביר אתו את הזמן.
Profile Image for Netta.
611 reviews42 followers
November 22, 2020
קצר, אנושי ומקסים. אהבתי את הדרך בה הצליחה הסופרת לתאר באופן מדויק את חוויית הסגר המוכר כל כך בפחות משישים עמודים.
Profile Image for Mª João Monteiro.
957 reviews82 followers
August 10, 2021
É um conto de umas 30 páginas, muito simples: Lou está em Londres e tenta regressar a Nova Iorque, mas é impedida pela quarentena. Então, revivi o tempo passado em casa, a solidão e a incerteza, os contactos telefónicos e por zoom, as encomendas online e as filas de supermercado sinistras. Lou recebe más notícias e percebe a tristeza das crianças vizinhas sem poderem sair e brincar na rua. Resolve pegar nos seus modelos e fazer fantasias para elas, especialmente no dia de bater palmas aos funcionários da saúde pública. É a maneira de enfrentar este tempo diferente e difícil.
Já lacrimejei com este conto. Recordei os sentimentos tão semelhantes, tudo. Não é nenhuma obra prima, mas fala de uma realidade muito próxima e das emoções que trouxe.

https://www.penguin.co.uk/articles/20...
Profile Image for Racheli Zusiman.
1,992 reviews74 followers
January 11, 2024
ספרון קצרצר וחמוד על לואיזה קלארק (מהספר "ללכת בדרכך" של מויס) שמגיעה לביקור באנגליה מניו יורק ונתקעת שם בסגר שהוכרז בגלל הקורונה. לא הבנתי חלק מהרפרנסים כי קראתי רק את הספר הראשון בסדרה, והסיפור הזה ממוקם כרונולוגית אחרי הספר השלישי, אבל הכתיבה מאוד מוצלחת (להפתעתי, כי אני לא מתה על ג'וג'ו מויס) ומשעשעת, והספר מתאר ממש יפה את כל מה שעבר ועובר על כולנו בעקבות המגפה ובסגר. הסיפור מסתיים בצורה חמודה ומלאת תקווה. זו קריאה קצרצרה (40 עמודים באפליקציית עיברית) ונחמדה.
32 reviews
June 3, 2020
Heartwarming and hilarious! The perfect rainy-day-read for when you're stuck at home in lockdown! Extremely relatable too. I have really missed Lou and her life and this was such a beautiful way of continuing her story just a little bit. :)
Profile Image for Lindsey.
272 reviews59 followers
July 6, 2020
Zalig zalig zalig boek! Ik hou van Lou! Eerst was het er even inkomen, maar het einde ... <3
Komt er please please nog een kortverhaal? Ik kan niet genoeg krijgen van Lou!
Profile Image for Cara.
55 reviews
June 3, 2020
What a lovely surprise in lockdown!
Profile Image for Steffi.
301 reviews16 followers
January 11, 2023
Ich dachte irgendwie dass alle Seiten, die ich angeheigt gekriegt hatte zur Geschichte gehören…. Nun waren da einfach noch massig Leseproben hintendran. Da bin ich grad bisschen enttäuscht.

Naaaja, zu meiner Bewertung:
Ich hätte diese Kurzgeschichte in der Pandemiezeit lesen sollen. Ich krieg wieder alles zu spät mit.
Die Pandemie hat die Autorin super beschrieben. Ich bin auch wirklich gerührt, dass sie uns die Geschichte einfach so schenkt.
Ich kann dennoch keine vollen Sterne geben, weil mein Herz so sehr am ersten Band hängt und ich finde dass in allen nachfolgenden Bänden nicht mehr der gleiche Zauber ist. Ab da waren es einfach andere Geschichten.
So für mich auch die Kurzgeschichte.

Trotzdem vielen, vielen Dank!
Profile Image for Helen.
1,579 reviews74 followers
March 9, 2021
My mother recommended this short novella to me several months ago and I kept putting it off. I’m not sure why but today I finally got to it and I absolutely loved it. The the title would suggest Lou is experiencing lockdown in England with her family. I thoroughly enjoyed the cast of characters that I have grown to love from this series. I think that everyone will connect to the story because the whole world was experiencing the pandemic and can relate to the things that she was going through. It left me wanting more which I think is a great sign of a well written novella. I don’t know if the author is going to continue on with the series but I sure hope so.
Profile Image for Big Dreamer.
220 reviews28 followers
September 15, 2020
Quando mi sono imbattuta in questo racconto, totalmente per caso, su Amazon, la mia prima reazione è stata: "sul serio?"
C'era davvero bisogno di un ulteriore seguito alla storia di Louisa Clark? Credevo (e speravo) che tutto si fosse incluso con Io prima di te.
E invece, questo brevissimo racconto si è rivelato una piacevolissima sorpresa, che ha riportato la Lou dei tempi d'oro, sempre pronta a dare una mano agli altri

P.s.
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