Ratings248
Average rating3.8
I wish I could say I liked it but I could not get passed all the cursing and the pace of the story was too slow. I did listen to this as an audiobook that might be a factor in my liking it. But I honestly thought it was way too psychotic for my liking. I would like to try this author again.
DNF at 79%
I think I just really don't like these trendy contemporary thrillers. They all have that annoying, lovely random detail-oriented writing styles.
Plus, in this one everyone was annoying. Also, there was much more sexual content than actual serial killing, which... Why?
I really wanted to love this book. It was a great concept, being told from the stalker's POV. I just wasn't gripped by the story. There wasn't a point where I had to know what happened next. The writing was good, the concept was interesting, I just felt like it wasn't well executed. There was nothing that drew me in. I felt like it relied on violence and supposed ‘shock value' rather than actual substance, though I didn't think anything Joe did was surprising. Maybe it's just me and I've read too many thrillers! Either way, I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping I would.
It is a cautionary tale for all of us who live through social media; and Joe is a textbook psycho. Apart from that, it wasn't brilliantly executed - he doesn't seem so strong or smart as to get away with everything he did, for once - and I didn't connect with any of the charactersdeep enough to care.
A bit repetitive and not getting anywhere for me.I know that was the point of the story and the obsession but was a bit bored.
While I liked the show I hated having Joe inside my head.... The stream of consciousness narration also got a bit sloppy and difficult to follow at times.
It was fairly interesting but after some time it was too cliche and long, I did not like joe's ramblings it was mostly boring and felt too much at times. There is nothing great about this but I got to say the tv series was better than this as it was shorter and more engaging.
I did watch the first...two? Seasons of the show when it came out years ago so I did vaguely know what to expect when watching this but wow. WOW. However bad Joe was in the show he is ten times worse in the books.
From the very first page, the writing style of this book is just incredibly gripping. There is no easing you into this book's particular flavor of suspense and horror and revulsion; you're in the deep end from day one. You know exactly where this book is going, exactly how it's going to end, and all you can do is just watch uneasily as the bitter end grows closer and closer. The writing in this book is truly like nothing I've ever seen: first person from Joe's point of view yet also second person, as if his entire narration of the book is a story he is telling TO Beck. It's chilling and vicious and so incredibly unsettling you just can't look away.
Joe really is the worst sort of criminal and internal monologue tells you that clear as day. The worst part is he doesn't think he's bad, which is probably par for the course when it comes to people like him, but it still makes you a bit incredulous to read how he justifies the absolutely insane things he thinks about and does. The way he claims that Beck is the love of his life but half the time literally all he thinks and cares about is her body and when he'll next get to sleep with her.
That being said, I did have some problems with this book. It definitely shows its age at being early to mid-2010s literature with just a smattering of bigotry. I don't if the author put that in deliberately to show it was how Joe thought or if it was just a product of the attitudes at the time it was written. For me it was just on the border of too much sometimes, but never bad enough to stop reading the entire book.
I would say definitely do a bit more in-depth research on the trigger warnings before deciding to pick them up because the tags on Storygraph missed some important ones, but otherwise this book was pretty great. I won't be continuing the series, because having someone like Joe Goldberg as the main character and being in his head is a LOT, but I did enjoy this book!
Moderately enjoyable book.
Joe Goldberg is definitely a very interesting character to follow and i think I will be reading ahead in this series.
I enjoyed the show but this story was really meant to be a book, and more specifically, an audiobook, read by Santino Fontana, who just has the perfect delivery for this second-person monologue. An exceptional, one of a kind deep dive into an absolutely broken mind. Makes a great case for different stories being suited to different media, and also to making smart changes in adaptation, as the TV adaptation did.
Unfortunately a rare situation where the show is in fact better than the book. The characters fell flat and there was no reason to connect to them. Joe lacked the charisma and charm that has you secretly rooting for him in the show. Had I not seen the show prior to reading this, I would've dropped it long before finishing it.
I enjoyed watching You on Netflix so much that when I am folding laundry I keep season 1 playing in the background. I wasn't going to read the book because I thought that Joe couldn't be more violent and sick in the novel. I was wrong. Book Joe is nothing like the psycho narcissist TV Joe. I think Penn Badgley portrayed Joe perfectly after reading You, but Netflix definitely toned down how just deranged Joe truly could be.
I am going to continue this series.
Rating 3.5/5 stars
Rounded up to 4 stars
Joe. Goldberg.
Goodness, Caroline Kepnes does a great job at making her protagonist likeable. Joe Goldberg is something else and Kepnes' book makes you start to side with him. He's just a poor, misunderstood, lovesick individual... or so he believes. Great book, and a great adaptation on Netflix.
The series is eerie, but the book is bone-chilling. At times too absurd, at times too real, looking forward to continuing the book series.
It's a good book, good references. I liked how it was written, good job Caroline Kepnes.
If you're into super repetitive books, have a go at it.
I was super close to DNF'ing it midway through but gave it the benefit of the doubt. It was a mediocre read.
This book was very intriguing and engrossing, but after finishing it, I've realized I didn't like it or enjoy it. I found myself disgusted by and scared of Joe. I wanted something bad to happen to him. That's what I kept reading for. Since it kept me so interested, I have to give this book a high rating. I can't give it five stars because it just didn't have that spark for me, but this story is definitely different and kept me turning pages.
Joe Goldberg is a stalker through and through. That's not a spoiler. The book begins because a girl walks into his bookshop, named Beck, and he becomes so instantly obsessed that the entire book is written in second person directed at her. The whole story is written from his perspective. Everything he does is for Beck in some way that he justifies. Very creepy, and very well done.
The best thing about this book is how Joe's emotions change his perspectives. One minute he's in love with Beck, then he realizes something, and she's a slut. He wouldn't say this out loud. He's very careful with what he says out loud. But the running inner monologue demonstrates how unhinged he is.
The book kept me turning pages to find out what would happen to Joe, or what he would do next. It was enthralling in that way. It's not slow, though there are some lags where time has to pass in the book. However, the last 20-30 pages is where a lot happens, and I'm not about to discuss it here since I don't want to spoil anyone. I thought the ending was done well and it made me have strong emotions. At first I thought I didn't like the whole book because of it. But then I realized... Well, I really don't want to spoil anything.
I know about the tv show and the sequels. I haven't watched the show and I don't know if I want to read the sequels. When this first came out, I swear I remember it being marketed as a stand alone book. Then it was popular, so then there was a sequel. That's one of my biggest pet peeves. It's either a stand alone or it isn't. So I kind of just want to enjoy it as a stand alone. If you've read the series, though, and think the sequels are just as good, please let me know.
tinyleafbooks.com
This book grabbed me from the start. I had to pace myself because I did not want to finish too fast. I am starting the second entry tonight as well. Bravo.
This will be more of a comparison than a review. To start off, I prefer the show over the book.
There were creative choices made for the tv series that helped the audience humanize Joe and it's just a personal preference that I like my villains complex with personable characteristics mixed in with all their evil-doing. Most of the show remained accurate to the book, but almost all of the additions made for a better story. For example adding Paco's character in was a good change, but adding Candace's reprise was meh. I haven't started the second book yet, so I'm not sure if Candace will indeed pop up, but I hope she doesn't. Penn Badgley captured Joe Goldberg perfectly, and Shay Mitchell's Peach was a million times better in the tv series. I didn't like either Beck so it's hard to compare the two. I loved the references to literature because I have read and strongly disliked most of the books Joe recommended that every “well read” dude suggests. All of them have undertones of misogyny, racism, or are simply pretentious af. I especially liked the criticism for people obsessed with King novels. (Still hate his writing.) These references helped me map out who Joe was on a deeper level and understand why he, as a psychopath, would relate to these books. The biggest feeling crossover from the book and the tv show is my love for Karen Minty and I'm so glad she got out. The only Karen I'm okay with relating too. I loved King of Queens.
Omg I hated this story. I hate all the characters (except, kinda, Karen and Ethan because they're annoying but they own who they are) and not in a fun way. It wouldn't be so bad that the ending is predictable (I think it's kinda supposed to be) if the way it for there wasn't what it is. Any more reasons would be spoilers. But it gets two stars instead of one because the writing was done very well.
So, when I saw that this book was available on Scribd, I jumped at the chance to read it, mostly because I loved the TV show so much and binged it in a matter of days. I was certain that I wouldn't like the book nearly as much as I love the show but I was wrong (as is very often the case) and ended up loving the book as much as I love the show. I do wish I would have read the book first, before watching the show, but either way I love both for their own unique aspects and traits.
To begin with, the characterization of this book was probably not like anything I have ever encountered in a book before. The main character, Joe, he just takes you on a rollercoaster ride inside his psyche and it's fascinating and absolutely dreadful at the same time. I found myself trying to understand him throughout the whole book but then I realized that he's definitely a different breed of psychopath and we're probably not meant to understand him completely. That didn't make the journey any less exhilarating though and I inhaled this book! Second person point-of-view is definitely my favorite thing and boy does this book deliver that!
The plot itself was not what I would call the typical stalker tale and there were twists and turns at every corner. Even though I watched the show before, I found myself taken aback by things that happened as if I was only reading it for the first time and didn't have any kind of idea what it was even about. The story just had so much juiciness to it, so much good stuff that it was beyond masterful in that aspect, no wonder they went ahead and made a show about it. In the show they did take out and add some stuff that was or wasn't in the book but that works well for the screen adaptation in my opinion.
The writing style was also very direct, and didn't beat around the bush. Since we were in Joe's head the whole time, this type of writing style would be the only one that would have made sense. And man, was it done beautifully! I gasped so many times all throughout the novel and couldn't put the book down because even though I was a bit nervous as to what would happen next, I also HAD to find out what that exactly was.
All in all, this book is going down as one of my favorite books of all time and I'm not saying that lightly. I would recommend it to anyone who likes psychological thrillers or even any reader who likes books that keep them on the edge of their seats. Especially in our modern age, this novel is in one word-invaluable.
Damn this book is crazy, I really didn't expect it to be so raunchy & I don't know if it was intentional but the profanity made it so much fun, I was laughing so hard whenever Joe Goldberg started swearing repeatedly & went full on batshit.
-All characters are great they are multi-faceted especially the 2 leading characters. You'll love them in some events & absolutely loathe them in other events.
-The romance is done very well but I'd have preferred the thrill & suspense over it to make the story more compelling.
-What the hell is wrong with the plot armour of Joe Goldberg?! Seriously this ruined the whole book, I'm not going to elaborate on this as that would be a spoiler. Also, it doesn't make sense that he is able to access people's devices so easily, apparently nobody in this book wants to use a password.
-Things really get amped up in the third act but it gets cancelled out with an ordinary ending.
Okay...So,I wanted this book for a long time and it did not disappoint, writing was good and very flowing like you can actually see it happen in front of you.
I really liked Joe from the You series but the real Joe i.e. by kepnes was not a lovable creature, his thoughts were dangerous and his way with stalking and obsessing was not good, I didn't like him at all when I truly knew him.
This is the first time I read a book hating the protagonist.
And don't even get me started on Beck, she was such a b***h, she didn't love Joe or she didn't love anyone she just wanted everyone to obsess over her.
The book ls good in its own fucked up way.