I obviously made a mistake in requesting an ARC of You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes to review. While I have read many books that are the second or the sixth in a series and enjoyed them as a standalone, this is the rare book I have to walk away from. I just could not enjoy Joe’s twisted thoughts. Disturbing and obviously reflecting the sick mind of a stalker, his thoughts, especially those about Mary Kay’s daughter were deeply upsetting. That said, I have read the other member reviews and see that the fault is mine. Fans of the series have a better understanding of Joe. For that reason, I give You Love Me 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and Caroline Kepnes for this ARC.

I was so excited to receive a digital galley of You Love Me after I devoured the first book in the You series! Here, Joe is back and has just moved to the pacific northwest to start fresh after the events of the second book, where he meets librarian Mary Kay. He's so enamored with her but wants to do it right and woo her the normal way. I'm immediately drawn back into this world with its fantastically well-written prose. There are many bombshells in this slowly drawn-out novel. It's chock full of compelling language, and I just want to know what will happen next!

The volumes in some series can be read as stand-alone novels, but this is not the case with the third part of the You trilogy. Joe refers to characters and situations from previous chapters so it is not only advisable but necessary to read them. As always, I was shocked at how much I was rooting for Joe, being that he is a stalker. Still, this time he is a good guy. He’s trying not to kill anyone and he just wants his happy ending with Mary Kay, the Librarian next door. The problem is that things don’t always end up working the way he was hoping. He’s still as funny and likable as ever and his twisted sense of humor and pop culture references have, if anything, improved. My problem is the pacing. All the twists were fantastic and unexpected, but they all took too long. Maybe some edits might have improved it. Other than that, this is a great conclusion (?) to Joe’s story.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House!

The protagonist you love to hate, Joe Goldberg, is back in this 3rd book of the You series.  I absolutely loved You and its sequel, Hidden Bodies.  The next book in line, You Love Me, did not disappoint.  Joe is such a tragic, completely F'd up character with a questionable moral compass.  Yet, his inner monologue full of candid thoughts and wit makes the reader root for him to win in love and life despite how dark his methods for getting there become.  I think this book gives some closure to Joe's story, although it easily leaves room for another book.  You Love Me is full, and I mean FULL, of twists and jaw dropping moments.  I loved revisiting Joe and meeting the new "You" in this story.  Definitely start at the beginning if you haven't read any of this series yet so you can really get the full grasp of just how far Joe has come in his search for true love. Thank you to #netgalley, @randomhouse and @carolinekepnes for this ARC of #YouLoveMe in exchange for my honest review.

In the third installment of the 'You' series, Joe Goldberg is up to his old tricks as usual. He decides he needs a break from the city and he's done with Love. He moves to the Pacific Northwest, where he gets a job at the local library and quickly becomes obsessed with the librarian working there, Mary Kay. He swears he'll win her over the old fashioned way, but it proves difficult for him. 'You Love Me" is one fans of the series won't want to miss!

Joe Goldberg is back in this explosive upside-down love story.

The last we saw of Joe was he had just told the woman he loved, Love, about his wretched past, and she still shockingly loved him. Love kidnapped the mug if piss (RIP Peach), and she revealed she was pregnant. It was his happy ending... then the cops showed up and it all came crashing down.

Now we catch up with Joe after a stint in prison, he's done with Love (the person, not the emotion.) He's New Joe, moved to a new city - the tiny hamlet of Bainbridge Island that reminds him of his favorite book series he read in prison - Cedar Cove. There he gets a job at the library (so quintessential Joe) and falls for the librarian Mary Kay.

This time he's trying to be good - to not obsess, to not overstep, to fall for something the right way. Only problem is after a few months of flirting with Mary Kay, he discovers she has a family and a husband, and that just doesn't work in his fantasy. Old Joe meet New Joe.

I've missed you, Joe. It's been a few years since we last saw you and boy did you change...and not change. Kepnes does a fantastic job of capturing Joe's voice where he's both charming and bit psychotic, but you still can't help but love him just a little bit. He's still ever the romantic chasing his next great love, but the manner he goes about seducing Mary Kay is a bit different from his last approaches and it works. The tension ran throughout the entire novel, keeping you on the edge of your seat. The twist at the end...because you know Kepnes You novels are *big* on twists, is one I didn't see coming.

Thank you Caroline Kepnes, Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. LOVED IT.

3/3.5

I’m a big fan of the <i>You</i> series and was on the edge of my seat waiting for this one to come out once I learned that it was happening. This has all the classic Joe drama (lots of death but surprise! He doesn’t actually kill anyone this time) but it did drag in a few parts, and the ending was super rushed. The *twist* was just thrown in there and maybe it will play out better on the show, if they use the majority of this story for season 3. Overall, I was enthralled and wouldn’t read anything else until I finished it. I think everyone will love getting to hate Joe again, and this book shows his true colors.

I feel I will be in the minority saying this but I did not love the third book of this series. Not only did it take a quarter of the book to pick up the pace, but it also felt so repurposed from You #1. The new characters are not likeable and there is a new, a different approach to Joe than in the preceding books. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still batshit crazy, but I felt that there was a whole new level of insanity here and I failed to enjoy the inner workings of Joe Goldberg’s brain this time. While I will always love the pop culture and literary references Kepnes sprinkles throughout her writing, this alone wasn’t enough for me. I am disappointed in how much of a struggle it was to finish. However, knowing that Santino Fontana is back again voicing Joe for the audiobook makes me want to give this book a listen. Maybe Santino can save this one for me—doubtful—but in any event I would give You #4–should there be one—a chance with the hope it will help me not give up on Joe Goldberg completely.

woah. I dare say that YOU LOVE ME is CK’s best work yet. full of twists & turns through the very end- gripping & gutting. protagonist Joe Goldberg’s paradox is that he’s literally a terrible person, & yet as a reader you want to know what happens next & even at times root for him! YOU LOVE ME is in the second person like YOU. if I had to rank how glued I was while reading, I’d rank (1) YOU LOVE ME, (2) YOU, (3) HIDDEN BODIES, though all are 5 stars imho. a couple thoughts on the books & the shows. both seasons of the show include children as central characters, while the first two books don’t, & then this third book does. the love interest Mary-Kay’s daughter Nomi aka Meerkat becomes a central character. further, although the second book & the second season end much differently, the third book proceeds in a way that ties them all back together. YOU LOVE ME consistently raises moral questions, especially when Joe no longer does most of the killing. at times reads like an ethical, philosophical problem. would LOVE to read a book or think piece on Joe Goldberg’s moral philosophy, or lack thereof, but still. notable quotation: “danger of a good book is that it swallows you whole and animals in the wild don’t read because if you get lost in a book, you lose sight of your surroundings” and this was that book for me. 5 stars

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I read the first book in the series and tore through it, then watched the Netflix series. If you haven't read the second book, but have seen the show, I'd recommend reading book 2 before this one so you don't get spoilers. Kepnes is not losing her edge & the Joe character is as creepy and twisted as ever. This one felt a little long and slow in the beginning, but had so many twists, even right up until the end. If you liked the rest of the series, you will like this one!

I'm a little late jumping on this band wagon but I do not regret it. This series is so good and just continues to get better and better. I love the writing and how to author show you into the mind of an incredible creepy, unstable individual. I can't wait to read more of this series.

I have eagerly anticipating and waiting for the next book in the YOU series by Caroline Kepnes. I was approved by Netgalley to review an Advanced Reader Copy of You Love Me. From the first page I was not disappointed. The reader is brought back into the world of Joe Goldberg, where after unexpected circumstances, he is left alone again. Joe finds himself left to his own devices with the determination to improve himself and his past.

Of course the people in his new town do not make it easy, Especially when he comes to meet Mary Kary. Mary Kay is everything he wants and needs and from the start he is captivated by her and determined to have her fall in love with him. Joe is by no means pushy or making his past mistakes (his opinion not mine!), and yet things start to fall into his favor.

Then again nothing can ever be perfect in the world of Joe Goldberg, especially when it involves a past tie to the Quinns, Mary Kay's friends, and her big secret... because of course nothing is what it seems. People die when it comes to being around Goldberg even when their deaths are not by his hands. The connection with the Quinns gets him in trouble. However, this trouble does come with it's benefits as ironically enough Joe finds out that he has a friend in the man sent by the Quinn's to keep an eye on him.

Despite it being the typical "YOU" expected story in the meat and bones of it there is love, and even more so there is Joe. When it comes to Joe even though he has his impulses and even though he has killed people in the past, it is hard not to like Joe. As a reader you see what he does and you can't help but think to yourself 'ah, Joe, there he goes again." There is an almost naive nature in his action and in his ways because he so desperately wants love and acceptance.

Without ruining the story I can tell you that sadly enough Joe does not get his wished for happily ever after with Mary Kay. People die and an unexpected Lolita shows up in the manners of a Meerkat that becomes a Centipede (Trust me this all will make sense later when you read the book) which turns everything for Joe upside down. Not to mention the return of Love Quinn. So yes... Joe has a lot on his plate... he gets shot, he gets tied up and left out in the wild, he loses those he loves, and he survives. Again. Of course he does... we couldn't have book 4 without Goldberg now can we? ;) Until next time readers!

Oh man.

OHHHH MAN.

Caroline Kepnes did THAT. AGAIN.

You may have been thinking that there couldn’t possibly be anything left to add to the world of You, anything left to see through Joe’s eyes, any more thoughts that you wanted to hear straight from Joe’s mind, but let me tell you-you’re wrong if you’re thinking that.

This third installment in the You series was SO good. Almost as good as the first, better than the second.

I will admit that there was an occasional lull here and there, but nothing so serious as to detract from the story or make me want to put the book down out of boredom.

Once again we are given an intriguing, thrilling look into the inner workings of the mind of our favorite sociopath, Joe Goldberg. His inner monologues are always fascinating and chilling.

I don’t want to give too much away, as this is the third book in a series, just know that you are in for one hell of a ride from start to finish! The flare and drama that made the previous two books in this series so compelling are also present in this book, and you won’t be able to stop reading until you have read each and every word.

The addictive nature of Caroline Kepnes’ writing really shows just how much of a talented writer she is, and it really shines through in this book.

This book is filled to the brim with obsession, dark humor, sex, and violence and all of these elements combined make for a deliciously dark treat.

AND THAT ENDING. I see what you did there Ms. Kepnes!

Highly recommend!

Caroline Kepnes has a rare ability to write books that are unputdownable from page one. This third installment of her You series, also a successful series on Netflix, satisfies readers and viewers alike with its voyeuristic feel and horrifically thrilling content. It is the stuff of nightmares and will have you on the edge of your seat until you turn that last page.

In this installment we see a Joe narrating through the myopic, obsessive lens fans are used to. But this time he is trying to live a “normal life” and make “good decisions”. But karma is a boomerang and we see drama and sex and violence everywhere he turns. Well done, Caroline Kepnes.

I would recommend reading or watching the first to You installments in order to grasp all the references in You Love Me. However, if you can use your imagination it might do well as a standalone. As for me, I am hoping for a fourth installment. I can’t wait to see what creepy insanity Joe gets himself into next.

Thank you NetGalley, author, and publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. The opinions in this review are entirely my own.

#YouLoveMe
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#NetflixYou
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I have read You, Hidden Bodies and was fortunate to receive an ARC of the third installment of this series. I read You when it first came out and devoured it and Hidden Bodies a little while after it came out. With that said, I found this third installment to be tedious, to much of Joe going on and on. It was nice to see a different side of him not wanting to be a psychopath and winning the person he fixated on, a librarian named Mark Kay who has a daughter. I don’t want to give away any spoilers, but there were twists in this book and the ending was heart wrenching. But it was very long and I probably felt that way because I found it to be not what I expected.I received this book from net galley and the publisher as an ARC for an honest review. If you truly want to know what is going on in Joe’s life right now then I recommend it because it fills you in from what happens at the end of Hidden Bodies and tells you what happened to him and how he got to live in this small town. Thanks again net galley for this ARC.

Joe Goldberg is back! Classical music to some ears, taunting ice cream truck music to others. I’m somewhere in between. I really enjoyed the TV show, and I liked the first two books as well–but I’m also fascinated by books that use the second person, so it already had me there. The third book in the series–You Love Me--is out April 6th, and if you want more weird-ass Joe Goldberg in your life, he’s ready for you.

I can’t remember exactly where the second season of the show ends vs the ending of the second book, but book 3 (You Love Me) starts with Joe post-prison. The Quinns have bailed him out, but now he’s separated from Love and his son. He’s taken up residence on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. And, of course, he’s got a new love of his life, he’s just got to meet her. Her name is Mary Kay, and she’s a librarian. So Joe makes a large donation, moves into the house the Quinns originally bought for him and Love, and begins his quest to woo her. There’s book talk, a lot of Thai food, and Joe’s slow but steady installation of himself into her life. But there are complications, as you can imagine: a husband, for Mary Kay. Mary Kay’s overzealous feminist best friend. Mary Kay’s daughter, Nomi. Someone who works for the Quinns. A casino hotel room. A hospital trip. But Joe will do what Joe has always done: whatever it takes.

This book has the same flare the others have–the same fascinating language, weird characters, and addictive nature, but I feel like it took the reality factor to a new low. A lot of things happen in this that just compound and compound and compound and i KNOW it’s not about “well this would never really happen” but it almost feels like TOO MUCH happens to Joe in the course of one book, even compared to the other books in the series. Especially in the case of Mary Kay’s best friend AND husband AND the dude friend AND the daughter–it just felt like “really? come on?” at times

Plot aside, I think the one thing that bothered me most about this book wasn’t the inevitable death, stalking, or misogynistic behavior–it was referring to Mary Kay’s vagina as her Murakami. That is unforgivable.

Overall, I’d give this book like 3.65 stars. It’s very vibe with the rest of the series–and my plot critics aside, it was a compelling read. Not sure if there will be a fourth one–I think the ending was good closure, but could open up another fascination for Joe.

Ahh, yes, Joe Goldberg, the serial stalker we all can’t help but keeping going back to for more. The third of the series, “You Love Me” follows Joe as he moves out to Washington state to restart his life with Love and their son, Forty… Until Love’s parents banish Joe to the end of the earth, alone. In typical, Joe Goldberg style, it doesn’t take long for him to find a new love interest, Mary Kay. But this time Joe has made a promise, he won’t kill for her… or will he?

Kepnes has truly captured something unique in Joe Goldberg. He is thoughtful, and generous, and smart. But just over the edge. A little too thoughtful- stalks you to discover your tastes. A little too generous- offers you a place to stay, so you can’t leave. A little too smart- always finds a way to survive when no one else seems to… Joe is interesting because he’s almost the perfect boyfriend. If he wasn’t a psycho.

This round of the Joe Goldberg experience is interesting because Joe feels less active this time around. He spies and he plots, but as far as misfortune, it just seems to follow him. He doesn’t kill, he doesn’t dispose of anyone, life just seems to implode, conveniently, for the people that Joe wants rid of. The added character of Oliver seems to takeover the role Joe usually plays.

While this book was interesting and kept my attention with a good pace, there was something unsatisfying about the ending. It felt like some of the characters behaved in a way that didn’t make sense for their nature, unless I missed some serious hints. I wanted more and I wanted it to be bigger. Honestly, I was tempted to wish for a happy ending, but you know a Goldberg ending will never be quite what you want it to be.

In the end, I gave this book a solid 3 stars. It was good, but soft Joe Goldberg isn’t the same as book one Joe Goldberg. While I liked him more this book, I didn’t see the development I needed to feel like he wouldn’t revert to his usual antics.

Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for providing me with a copy of this in advance of the publication date in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know how Caroline Kepnes does it, over and over again. She puts us inside the head of a person that for all intents and purposes is not a good human, and she makes us root for him. She makes us empathize with him. She makes us FEEL for him and with him. It's pretty incredible, really.

I loved book one, You, and I thoroughly enjoyed (but didn't love as much) book two, Hidden Bodies. I didn't really like Love or Forty from the beginning, and so I didn't get invested as deeply as I had in book one. This book stepped it up a notch. I was SO invested in this one that, just like Joe, I was blinded to some very clear truths that I should have noticed... and that made me happy. It's not often that I get stunned by a book, especially one with some things I absolutely should have seen coming and was too distracted by other things to pick up on them.

Ironically enough, though, this one is also probably the saddest one in the lot, at least for me, which is a pretty weird thing considering the series is about a creepy stalker/killer dude.

Five stars from me, and go ahead and sign me up for book four.

Without giving anything away, this is a wonderful edition to the book series. The tv series doesn't completely follow the books. If you haven't read the entire book series i highly recommend!

Joe has moved to the Pacific Northwest and begins working in the local library. It is here that he meets the new love of his life, Mary Kaye. She is perfect and nothing is going to stand in Joe's way of true love. The only catch is Mary Kaye isn't interested, she has a life. As you know from previous story lines, this will not stop Joe!

I fell in love with this series on streaming channel before I ever picked up the book series. The third book does not disappoint. The character picks up his same habits and crazy thoughts. As the book progress it gets back in rhythm with the same edginess and twists and turns as the other books. Highly recommend this third venture. This was a ARC.