Louisa Clark is a 28-year-old Englishwoman and the protagonist of the story. She comes from a relatively small town in England and from a family of four that includes her parents and her younger sister Treena. Louisa has worked as a paid companion or aide in the past and arrives in New York at the start of the book to take up a similar role for a wealthy New York society family, the Gopniks. Louisa is in a romantic relationship with Sam, a paramedic back home, at the start of the book; although she breaks things off with him and briefly sees Josh in New York, Sam and Louisa eventually reconcile by the end of the book. Before Sam, Louisa had been in love with the client she was looking after, Will Traynor, who eventually passed away.

Inherently caring and kind-hearted, Louisa’s personality seamlessly translates into the work she does; this is further helped along by her adaptability and resilience, though she is not initially aware of her capabilities in this area. Despite Agnes being a volatile and mercurial employer, Louisa is consistently loyal to her, even at the cost of losing her job. While she was is the Gopniks’ employ, Louisa goes above and beyond to make Agnes’s life easier, which includes accompanying her to social and family events, keeping Agnes’s many secrets, and even suggesting to Mr.