verdaria's review
1.0
Hated it.
Hated all the characters.
Hated the droning on of the protagonist that I started skipping pages.
Left a bad taste in my mouth.
Hated all the characters.
Hated the droning on of the protagonist that I started skipping pages.
Left a bad taste in my mouth.
lilymason25's review against another edition
i watched the show before reading the book and i actually preferred it. i think constantly reading from joes perspective and seeing all this thoughts all the time was just too much for me personally. it was much more confronting than the tv show which i understand is the point but it just was too triggering for me. not badly written at all! wish i could’ve read it at a different point in time and may even come back to it!
alexabookish's review against another edition
1.0
wtf did i just read? and not the good wtf. wtf as in “why did i just waste my time on this book. “ it was just 400 pages of a lunatic’s steam of consciousness, and a bunch of clunky run on sentences. i found it super repetitive and kind of predictable too. every single character was literally the worst. ik that was intentional, but it would’ve been nice if one character had some sort of likable/redeeming quality. i will say that i think the netflix show will be really good. i watched the first episode, and they had already solved the issues i had with the book. cindy from read with cindy put most of my thoughts into words perfectly, so if you’re interested i’d definitely recommend watching her video where she talks about it.
jonwesleyhuff's review against another edition
4.0
I'm kind of just dipping my toe into thrillers like this. Thankfully my friend Laura gave me a guide to some she enjoyed. This was one of them. It was very entertaining. I like how Kepnes presented Joe, and made him simultaneously appealing and revolting. I think she captured his skewered mindset very well, although I have to say I love Hannah and Her Sisters and hate the association here. I mean that in a very complimentary way, though, because what Kepnes did was so effective. Especially in the way she exposes how screwy some romantic tropes are. I can't say I have much interest in reading more books in the series, though. That's not because of perceived quality, but because I'm not sure how long I want to spend in this head space.
adeleeney's review
3.0
As someone who became obsessed (less obsessed than Joe, but perhaps still at an unhealthy level) with this show, I must say that it is so much harder to be convinced I support anything Joe says in this book with the glamour of the tv screen shown in the Netflix series. Kepnes does an excellent job of diving into the mind of the obsessive and narcissistic character that I have watched evolve over the seasons of the show.
erin_geyer's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
merrygrim's review
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
kerryppayne's review
4.0
May Contain Spoilers
”You wouldn’t share me with your followers. Your online life is a variety show, so if anything, the fact that you didn’t put me in your stand-up act means that you covet me.”
Beck is just living her life, that is until Joe, a guy who works in a book shop that Beck visited, starts to become obsessed with everything she does. Joe, convinced that Beck only used her credit card to buy the book so he could have her name, starts watching her on social media and in real life. He weaves himself into her life, manipulates situations to make him appear to be this perfect guy she so desperately wants; he will do anything to keep Beck, including murder.
This was sold to me as a suspense book and it did not disappoint. The way Joe weaves his way into Beck’s life was disturbing and eye opening. It was told from Joes point of view, we read how he convinces himself, and tries to convince the reader that this was how romance was supposed to be. Beck was just playing hard to get, he even convinces himself that murder was a reasonable thing to do in order to save Beck from what he deemed an unhealthy relationship.
Joe really does believe that him and Beck belong together, he is convinced Beck feels the same way and is telling him through all this subtle clues; that really is just Beck living her life as she always has. Its fascinating being immersed into the mind of Joe, its really made me weary of how much information there is about me online, it made me almost delete all my social media accounts, just in case. It was a terrifying story because it could happen in real life, to any of us.
”You wouldn’t share me with your followers. Your online life is a variety show, so if anything, the fact that you didn’t put me in your stand-up act means that you covet me.”
Beck is just living her life, that is until Joe, a guy who works in a book shop that Beck visited, starts to become obsessed with everything she does. Joe, convinced that Beck only used her credit card to buy the book so he could have her name, starts watching her on social media and in real life. He weaves himself into her life, manipulates situations to make him appear to be this perfect guy she so desperately wants; he will do anything to keep Beck, including murder.
This was sold to me as a suspense book and it did not disappoint. The way Joe weaves his way into Beck’s life was disturbing and eye opening. It was told from Joes point of view, we read how he convinces himself, and tries to convince the reader that this was how romance was supposed to be. Beck was just playing hard to get, he even convinces himself that murder was a reasonable thing to do in order to save Beck from what he deemed an unhealthy relationship.
Joe really does believe that him and Beck belong together, he is convinced Beck feels the same way and is telling him through all this subtle clues; that really is just Beck living her life as she always has. Its fascinating being immersed into the mind of Joe, its really made me weary of how much information there is about me online, it made me almost delete all my social media accounts, just in case. It was a terrifying story because it could happen in real life, to any of us.
dannycakez8808's review against another edition
4.0
Very happy I finally got around to reading this! I enjoyed the writing and the second person perspective. This tells the story of Beck and Joe and how they fall in love. Joe is pretty much a stalker and a psychopath but throughout the story you find yourself rooting for him and actually liking him. Beck came off to me as unlikable and super bratty. Overall, this was a twisted story with a great lot. I highly recommend!