Hidden Bodies

The second person narration here is a lot less effective than it was in the first book due to some changes in framing and it does hold this one back, in comparison, but it's still deeply compelling.

This book was boring. I really struggled with it. I agree with another Goodreads user where they mention that this book doesn't use the second person point of view as much, so it loses the unique factor that made Joe so likeable and enthralling. I didn't care about Love, Forty, or any of the storyline in LA. I only liked when they went back to New York.

I think the series overall has potential, but this was not my favorite book.

Lol. I'm not gonna lie, this book was trash. There was nothing riveting about the story and fans of true crime should really steer clear of this. I had not intended for it to be like my usually murder/thriller book, but I think from reading those so often this seemed soft. Also: soft porn. I'm not super sure what happened here. In comparison to the first of the series, the author seriously disappoints. The story doesn't make sense. Storylines with well off people offer greater expanses in setting and dialogue. This however, was so choppy. First they're here and then Joe is killing another person and then they're here... just doesn't make sense. It's also soft in the way that everything works out for him all the time. And it's not because he's “good” at killing, it's just because the author doesn't have enough mental creativity to weave multiple clues together to get him potentially in trouble. Case in point: the mug of urine. Tbh, this was much better as a Netflix show. The characters were so much better and believable and I'm glad the writers of the show took creative license away from the book.

Delightfully horrifying, just as You is...but I was brought up short by the ending. Is there going to be a third in the series, or is this it? Because if this is how it all ends, it's an extremely odd and abrupt ending.

Not as good as the first one but still the same Joe. Mess with him and you'll pay dearly!

“The real horror of my life is not that I've killed some horrible people. The real horror is that the people I've loved didn't love me back.”

New location, same crazy. It's still hard to dislike Joe (despite his being a murderous psychopath) because he really does have some great insights on life and relationships. Sure, he murders people, but the people he murders are insufferable assholes. He even shows tremendous self restraint in not murdering some people despite there being compelling evidence that they might deserve it. His observations about LA life were spot-on, too. Joe unfortunately doesn't adjust well to LA – people are just too loud, to open, and too casual for Joe's liking. They start to get on his nerves and, like Joe says, “It's the little things that make you want to kill someone.” Kepnes did a brilliant job (again) in making me nervous for Joe – not because I wanted to stop him from committing these heinous crimes, but rather because I was worried he'd get caught.

I also appreciated how unpredictable the plot was, despite being a sequel. Every new death (or non-death) was a surprise and the strange circumstances Joe continually found himself in added an element of unpredictability for the reader. The plot dragged a bit in the middle but the development of Joe as a character, with a good side that complimented his bad side, made up for the uneven pacing. Another surprise was the cliff-hanger ending Kepnes chose to close this installment with. You could have ended where it did and been a brilliant stand-alone novel. Hidden Bodies ends in such a way that I'm now eagerly anticipating the next installment. Joe had just begun what could be the start of a redemption arc so it will be interesting to see how that gets carried through to the next novel.

Overall this book wasn't quite as good as the first book but I think part of that is because Joe's personality and behavior aren't new to the reader anymore, which was part of the charm of You. On the bright side, the new environment, new characters, new revenge angle, and new love interest all worked to create a reading experience that managed to be familiar and fresh all at the same time. I can't wait for the next book!