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kelseyr713's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
As you can see, this took me a long time to read. For whatever reason, I wasn’t compelled to find out what happened next, and it’s both tedious and upsetting to be in the protagonist’s head for too long. Can’t believe there are THREE more books in this series - how does he keep getting away with this??? Also feels dated in a few ways.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, and Confinement
Moderate: Alcohol and Car accident
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
brittsky's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Every time I read this (and this was my third time through), I’m surprised anew by how endlessly explicit it is. Joe’s inner monologue is lurid and obscene and it does not let up for a single second.
And yet, for some reason, this particular stream of obscenities really works for me. I think Caroline Kepnes is a uniquely talented writer, capable of giving us a cast of horribly depraved characters and a sick, twisted little plot, and making it both explosive and educational. I feel like this is the best sort of cautionary tale, getting to live in Joe’s head and listen to him rationalize how nothing he does is ever his fault. It’s so disturbing, but in a way that feels purposeful, and the unique second-person perspective makes the readers feel they are in it, experiencing it.
And yet, for some reason, this particular stream of obscenities really works for me. I think Caroline Kepnes is a uniquely talented writer, capable of giving us a cast of horribly depraved characters and a sick, twisted little plot, and making it both explosive and educational. I feel like this is the best sort of cautionary tale, getting to live in Joe’s head and listen to him rationalize how nothing he does is ever his fault. It’s so disturbing, but in a way that feels purposeful, and the unique second-person perspective makes the readers feel they are in it, experiencing it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Stalking, Murder, Sexism, and Rape
phantomgecko's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A stream of consciousness from a misogynistic narcissist. Pretty disgusting tbh. Originally I tried to listen to the audiobook, but it was too intense. This is a book where the language really bothered me. Extremely vulgar and obscene. Very much reminded me of the internet, esp Reddit, which obvs was the goal.
Think of the whiniest, most foul-mouthed little incel you can, and that's this dude. Note how many times he refers to women as objects. How many times he reduces Beck to her sexual availability or genitals. How many times he misinterprets media to justify his actions. Also, lol at how judgmental he is about books. I think this is a more fun variation than being super judgmental about music or comics or video games.
Joe is seven layers of delusional, from thinking Beck is obsessed with him to awaiting the collapse of the internet so he can lord it over with his typewriters to thinking he ever helped anyone. However, some of what I thought he was making up at the beginning turned out to be close to the truth. Like how he says that Beck loves attention and is an exhibitionist. Still, I'd categorize him as an unreliable narrator.
Beck isn't a great person either. She has real issues and a way annoying personality. Joe's observation that she wants to be a writer more than she wants to write is spot on. Nevertheless, a victim is a victim whether or not they are "innocent" or you personally dislike them.See also Dr. Nicky.
One of the book club questions at the end asked something along the lines of, "did you find yourself wishing Joe would be punished for his crimes or did you want him to get away with it?" And like... ?????????? If you found yourself sympathetic to Joe's self-imposed, imaginary, selfish plight, maybe you need help too?
Here is a guy that murders four people by the end of the book, and frames another guy for one of the murders. This isn't a crime mystery, so the fact he gets away with everything shouldn't hold you up. Willing suspension of disbelief and all. But he actively and repeatedly blames every victim for their own murder. Most psychotic of all, he kills Beck, starts freaking out because he didn't mean it, realizes she's actually still alive, and then kills her again IMMEDIATELY and then cries because it's all her fault.
I honestly cannot adequately express how despicable the main character is. I understand that that is the point. I feel dirty for reading this book, tbh, and I'm not continuing the series. Joe is too accurately written, and that's too depressing for me.
Think of the whiniest, most foul-mouthed little incel you can, and that's this dude. Note how many times he refers to women as objects. How many times he reduces Beck to her sexual availability or genitals. How many times he misinterprets media to justify his actions. Also, lol at how judgmental he is about books. I think this is a more fun variation than being super judgmental about music or comics or video games.
Joe is seven layers of delusional, from thinking Beck is obsessed with him to awaiting the collapse of the internet so he can lord it over with his typewriters to thinking he ever helped anyone. However, some of what I thought he was making up at the beginning turned out to be close to the truth. Like how he says that Beck loves attention and is an exhibitionist. Still, I'd categorize him as an unreliable narrator.
Beck isn't a great person either. She has real issues and a way annoying personality. Joe's observation that she wants to be a writer more than she wants to write is spot on. Nevertheless, a victim is a victim whether or not they are "innocent" or you personally dislike them.
One of the book club questions at the end asked something along the lines of, "did you find yourself wishing Joe would be punished for his crimes or did you want him to get away with it?" And like... ?????????? If you found yourself sympathetic to Joe's self-imposed, imaginary, selfish plight, maybe you need help too?
I honestly cannot adequately express how despicable the main character is. I understand that that is the point. I feel dirty for reading this book, tbh, and I'm not continuing the series. Joe is too accurately written, and that's too depressing for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content
Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Car accident, Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Confinement, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness
wyabook234's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Murder, Confinement, Kidnapping, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Police brutality
snowhite197's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual content, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
david_slack110507's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've had this on my tbr list for a good while however after I watched the series on Netflix (and thoroughly loved it) I was hesitant about whether to read the book until I learned that the books are pretty different to the adaptation with this one being the most faithful and even this book is different to the series adaptation. Some of the changes the series made I liked and preferred what was in the book however I do prefer other aspects of the book over the tv show.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book on Audible and I really think that's one of the best ways to experience this story, Santino Fontana really nails it at playing Joe and showing just how unhinged yet deluded he really is, something I think the book does better than the TV show adaptation. In the show and specifically the first season (Which adapts the first book in the You series), Joe is a much more complex character than he is in the book in terms of morality. In the show, we learn bits about his past with it having an abusive and toxic environment that he grew up in and we also see him trying to help Paco out of the same situation as he sees himself in Paco's situation, this acts as a way to humanise Joe combined with the fact that because it is told from his perspective means that his actions despite how despicable they are and then combated with Joe being a 'nice' person. It creates a contrast and I do think that while it's evident that Joe is a horrible person, these added complexities mean that he could be viewed as not entirely evil.
The book completely goes against this instead having no situations where Joe is seen as potentially a flawed person. There is no Paco and any situations involving him hurting others are played out exactly as they should be, Joe is portrayed as the monster that he is. I think both the TV show and the book have very interesting takes on Joe and they both work: Showcasing Joe as the monster he is shows that the book isn't trying to romanticise his behaviour however having a multi-dimensional and complex version of Joe as seen in the TV show results in a much more interesting character.
I actually feel most if not all the changes the show makes were for the better: In the show, the women are much more capable, sure they have their issues but, in the book, they are portrayed as being completely useless and defences which is most likely done on purpose to feed into Joe's heroic narrative/saviour complex. However, in the show, they are able to take care of themselves to some degree.
I also want to point out that I really did like this especially for the fact that it didn't romanticise Joe's actions, despite all the comparisons I have to the show I still think that this stands well on its own and I do feel like while I prefer the show's adaptation/interpretation, this was still very strong and acted as a strong commentary on the 'nice guy' culture. Overall, a very strong start to the series and I'm very interested in where the series goes from here as well as how different it will be from the Netflix show.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book on Audible and I really think that's one of the best ways to experience this story, Santino Fontana really nails it at playing Joe and showing just how unhinged yet deluded he really is, something I think the book does better than the TV show adaptation. In the show and specifically the first season (Which adapts the first book in the You series), Joe is a much more complex character than he is in the book in terms of morality. In the show, we learn bits about his past with it having an abusive and toxic environment that he grew up in and we also see him trying to help Paco out of the same situation as he sees himself in Paco's situation, this acts as a way to humanise Joe combined with the fact that because it is told from his perspective means that his actions despite how despicable they are and then combated with Joe being a 'nice' person. It creates a contrast and I do think that while it's evident that Joe is a horrible person, these added complexities mean that he could be viewed as not entirely evil.
The book completely goes against this instead having no situations where Joe is seen as potentially a flawed person. There is no Paco and any situations involving him hurting others are played out exactly as they should be, Joe is portrayed as the monster that he is. I think both the TV show and the book have very interesting takes on Joe and they both work: Showcasing Joe as the monster he is shows that the book isn't trying to romanticise his behaviour however having a multi-dimensional and complex version of Joe as seen in the TV show results in a much more interesting character.
I actually feel most if not all the changes the show makes were for the better: In the show, the women are much more capable, sure they have their issues but, in the book, they are portrayed as being completely useless and defences which is most likely done on purpose to feed into Joe's heroic narrative/saviour complex. However, in the show, they are able to take care of themselves to some degree.
I also want to point out that I really did like this especially for the fact that it didn't romanticise Joe's actions, despite all the comparisons I have to the show I still think that this stands well on its own and I do feel like while I prefer the show's adaptation/interpretation, this was still very strong and acted as a strong commentary on the 'nice guy' culture. Overall, a very strong start to the series and I'm very interested in where the series goes from here as well as how different it will be from the Netflix show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexism, Murder, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Moderate: Blood, Deadnaming, and Grief
Minor: Mental illness, Death of parent, Alcohol, Homophobia, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
jsmileysad's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Watched the show first and still was enthralled. But he is really terrible in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Murder, Misogyny, and Rape
eline1701's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ughhhh. I hate Joe.
I finished season 4 part 1 and sort of wanted more (why?) and ended up reading this. It feels odd to say I enjoyed it but I did??? There's a certain humour in reading Joe's narration, the way he judges people, his hypocrisy and the way he justifies his actions. It's completely ridiculous. He's also horribly crass and sexist - moreso than in the show, which I thought was interesting. Beck also felt a lot meaner and less involved in the book, which I thought was cool. Why not? She's allowed to kind of suck. She still doesn't deserve any of this shit.
I really "liked" the way he addresses Beck for the entirety of the novel, it felt original. We never really get a grasp on her, with Joe's unreliable narration, but I thought that was used in a way that was interesting. He'd skip certain things completely because he didn't deem them worth mentioning (duh, of course he'd collected creepy stuff belonging to Beck) and they'd only come up later and they'd always be a bit of a slap in the face. So yeah, I had a... a good time?... reading this. Sort of like watching the show. Repulsive, but at least all parties agree on that? Let's see if I pick up book two...
I finished season 4 part 1 and sort of wanted more (why?) and ended up reading this. It feels odd to say I enjoyed it but I did??? There's a certain humour in reading Joe's narration, the way he judges people, his hypocrisy and the way he justifies his actions. It's completely ridiculous. He's also horribly crass and sexist - moreso than in the show, which I thought was interesting. Beck also felt a lot meaner and less involved in the book, which I thought was cool. Why not? She's allowed to kind of suck. She still doesn't deserve any of this shit.
I really "liked" the way he addresses Beck for the entirety of the novel, it felt original. We never really get a grasp on her, with Joe's unreliable narration, but I thought that was used in a way that was interesting. He'd skip certain things completely because he didn't deem them worth mentioning (duh, of course he'd collected creepy stuff belonging to Beck) and they'd only come up later and they'd always be a bit of a slap in the face. So yeah, I had a... a good time?... reading this. Sort of like watching the show. Repulsive, but at least all parties agree on that? Let's see if I pick up book two...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Self harm, Sexism, Homophobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Abandonment
alicelalicon's review against another edition
challenging
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual content, Murder, Confinement, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, and Infidelity
Moderate: Alcohol
theyannibannireads's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It was good, tried reading it before but that's when I thought it was a dark romance. It wasn't. This book is a horror book, Joe is a psychopath, a fucking stupid misogynist. It was incredible creepy and off-putting reading his thoughts. How he explains away his actions and opinions even when they harm/ kill people and then him explaining away everything, how he's actually the "victim" . I've meet men who have bits of Joe and it made me realise he's kinda just made up off little bits of the everyday man. Which just adds to the terror/horror of this book. The story really is just the the journey of a mad man. So the plot is kinda non existent. Its about the lengths he'll go to to make his delusions come true .He's a unreliable narrator so we only see / understand the other character from his pov so we never really get to know them. His assumptions about them aren't true so we never really know who they are. Like they all just felt like half made. I was just stuck with Joe, the last person on earth want to spend time with.
This is one of those times I like the book but dislike everyone in it. Think most of the like comes from the authors writing, its good. It feels like reading a diary. So maybe that's why it's good, its a easy read even better if your listening to the audiobook, which I did.
All in all I liked it but just to clarify this is not a romance book its a horror book everything that happened to the women in this book is tragic. Joe should be in prison.
This is one of those times I like the book but dislike everyone in it. Think most of the like comes from the authors writing, its good. It feels like reading a diary. So maybe that's why it's good, its a easy read even better if your listening to the audiobook, which I did.
All in all I liked it but just to clarify this is not a romance book its a horror book everything that happened to the women in this book is tragic. Joe should be in prison.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Death, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Murder, Sexual harassment, Stalking, Sexism, and Misogyny