Unfortunately, the third book in Caroline Kepnes' You series did not live up to the first two. The ending of Hidden Bodies set up so much potential for this book, but Kepnes went a different direction entirely. Main character Joe began a new obsession in a sleepy, small town. None of the characters were likeable, even in that love-to-hate/hate-to-love way that I felt about characters in the first two books. You Love Me just dragged on and on until some very hard-to-believe moments that seemed contrived. It's like Kepnes realized in the second half of the book that she hadn't really killed enough people yet or had enough plot twists, so she inserted some for effect. I might be done with the series since this book, unlike the others, didn't really leave me wanting more.

While I devoured You and Hidden Bodies, unfortunately this one was a total miss for me. The first two-thirds of the book sort of dragged on like more of the same, with similar characters, but far more annoying. The constant RIPBeck (RIPCandace, RIPBenji, etc.) was rather distracting, as was frequency of odd descriptors and references such as the fecal-eyed people, the Meerkat, the Red Bed. Some elements are the plot were certainly to be appreciated for their departure from the first two books, but overall, I just wanted the story to be finished so I could go on to something more worthwhile.

Oh, Joe ... what a mess you got yourself into. 😄

As always, I thoroughly enjoyed following Joe and all of the insane predicaments he got into all in the name of love.

Being inside Joe Goldberg’s head is a messed up place to be, yet I continue to follow along on his crazy adventures.

You Love Me is the third book of the YOU series and I definitely recommend reading these books in order so you can understand his past relationships and how he ended up where he is today. When things didn’t work out for Joe in New York and Los Angeles, he decides to try his luck near Seattle, in a cozy little town called Bainbridge. And it isn’t long before he sets his sights on Mary Kay, the local librarian who will one day be his. However, Joe has learned his lesson from his previous disastrous relationships, this time he vows to do right by Mary Kay. He will take things slow, he will win her heart and let her fall for him without stalking her or controlling outside influences around her.

He finds ways to be close to her, becoming a volunteer at the library is the first step and befriending her daughter is the next step. But just when he thinks he’s paved the way for a beautiful relationship to blossom, he finds out Mary Kay has been keeping something from him. Joe didn’t want to resort to his old ways, but he won’t let anything or anyone get in the way of true love. Mary Kay will be his, it is only a matter of time.

I loved that this book took us on another wild ride...once again the reader is privy to every single thought he has and every move he makes. There were moments that felt a little repetitive for me and drawn out, but I still was completely absorbed in this story and needed to know how it would end. Nothing could have prepared me for that shocking ending though- wow! Solid 4 star read for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for this advance reading copy. This book is available 4/6/21.

I'm Joe Goldberg style obsessed with this series and this book was no different! Can't wait for the next one from Caroline Kepnes.

It was great being back in Joe’s head again! Joe is in love again but this time it’s different, Joe is different. He is determined to win over Mary Kaye the right way. Unfortunately, people are getting in the way and Joe has a lot to deal with. Well worth the read!

We as readers are given a third look into Joe's dark and twisted mind. And for some reason, we still feel kind of sympathetic towards him? I consider that the writing genius of Caroline Kepnes. I enjoyed this 3rd installment in the series, and was glad to see at the end that it seems we'll be hearing from Joe again in the future.

3.5 Stars!

You is by far the winner in this trilogy. Joe was a super creep. In Hidden Bodies, Joe gets soft and lets Love yank him around. You Love Me is a happy medium. I miss the super creep. Joe has moved on from Love and his son, named Forty. He's now in love with a librarian who is married and has a daughter that's in high school. He schemes and schemes and worms his way into her heart. Mary Kay was fun, but she wasn't Beck.

Overall, it was a fun read and I look forward to more Caroline Kepnes!

A special thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Random House, and Caroline Kepnes for providing me with an ARC.

Joe Goldberg is back, and he’s turning over a new leaf. This time around, he’s determined to be a good person. All Joe has ever wanted was to love and be loved in return. In the past, he killed for it. No more, though. Relocating to Bainbridge Island in the Pacific Northwest, he meets librarian Mary Kay DiMarco. The love he feels for her is instant, real, and stronger than anything he’s felt before. He’s convinced she feels the same. Not to be stymied by her hesitation to be with him, he vows to be patient, understanding, and not a killer — three things he’s never been good at. But when Mary Kay’s family and friends get in the way of his future with her, will Joe return to his old, murderous ways?

Addicting, thrilling, and darkly funny, “You Love Me” is the third installment in the popular “You” series and — holy smokes! — it’s good, good, good. I couldn’t put it down. Every bit the same high octane, omg-Joe thrill ride as the first two books, I raced through the pages, simultaneously devouring and savoring every word. Joe Goldberg might be trying to turn over a new leaf, but he’s still the same disturbed, charming guy who hooked me back when Beck was still alive (in “You”).

Written as Joe’s stream of consciousness, “You Love Me” takes you into Joe’s deviant thoughts and obsessive heart as he starts his new life pursuing Mary Kay. Joe’s a psychopath. A serial killer. Yet, the way Caroline Kepnes writes his story also makes him extremely human. Perhaps even appealing and (dare I say it) sympathetic. All Joe wants is to love and be loved. But dammit if people don’t keep getting in his way! Caroline Kepnes is flat out brilliant in the way she writes. While reading “You Love Me”, I actually surmised that Joe might need to kill again in order to be with Mary Kay. (How messed up is that?) Maybe I even rooted for him a little. (Okay, I did.)

Full of tension and suspense, “You Love Me” is an effortless and enjoyable read, simply because of the way it’s written. Four hundred page fly by faster than most books half the length. It’s the perfect book to read if you like edgy, fast paced thrillers that grab you by your attention span. It’s the perfect book to read if you love “You” and have spent the past few years pining away for more Joe Goldberg. The only downside is that, once you finish, you’ll be left to wait again for the next book in the series.

You Love Me
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hi Joe. It’s nice to see you. Caroline Kepnes, you’ve done it again. You’ve written a novel that’s sucked me in, cover to cover.

Joe Goldberg is back, and better than ever. He’s going to start a family, even if it kills me. He’s done with cities, muck, posers, and done with Love. He gets a job on a cozy island in the Pacific Northwest at a library, and he meets her: Mary Kay. Joe won’t meddle, he will not obsess. He will win her the old fashioned way.

This book picked up in an unexpected place, but I absolutely loved it. I didn’t expect any time to pass between Hidden Bodies and You Love Me, but I’m glad it did because Joe had a fresh start. Keynes has a true gift, writing this thrilling, dark, messed up, and stalker character, but yet I want him to find love. I want it to work out with Mary Kay, and found myself hating any character that stood in the way. I expected this book to be a repeat of the others, but really this felt like a brand new book, with new twists and turns, but the same old Joe.

My jaw dropped, my heart raced, and I help my breath so many times in this book. I will forever continue reading this series and all of her books. (I spotted a fourth book in this series on goodreads!)

I remember reading You, the first book in this series, years ago. It still stands out in my mind as being perhaps the most the most messed up book I’ve ever read. The writing was so different and Joe was so crazy that I was completely enthralled by it. I was excited to pick up the newest book in the series. It ended up feeling very reminiscent of the first book to me. But while You felt fresh and fascinating, You Love Me…didn’t.

This book just really felt like more of the same to me, but not as well done. It didn’t have that new, unique feel of the first book and it didn’t have the body count and actual plot development of the second book. It was a slow (and I mean slooooooooow) burn with a lack of payoff. Joe is still the same obsessives, but lovable, pyschopath, but slightly reformed. He doesn’t want to be quite so stalkerish with hew new love interest. He doesn’t want to “have to” kill anyone for her. He comes off as a knockoff version of himself from the previous books and the result was a pretty boring story.

I do want to make sure I point out that I’m still a Joe fan. The thing that this author does so well is putting us in Joe’s head and making his crazy behavior almost make sense. I make myself a little uncomfortable with how much I understand his thought process sometimes. So while the plot felt recycled and almost a little lazy, I did enjoy getting more Joe.

Overall, I found You Love Me pretty disappointing. While I always enjoy Joe, I never cared about any of the other characters and the story really dragged. While I do like that Kepnes tried to evolve his character by making him want to be a better man, I found myself wishing he would act a little crazier so something interesting would finally happen. While I definitely plan on continuing to watch the tv series whenever a new season comes out, I’m not sure if I’ll pick up the next book in the series.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2 Stars

Joe is back and he has moved to a small island called Bainbridge that’s off the coast of Washington State. He’s just trying to live a quiet life and wants to prove to himself he can be a good guy. With some money in the bank he bought a house with a what he calls a “whisper room” but he’s behaving he won’t need that room, he volunteers at the local library. This is where he meets Mary Kay whose the head librarian. Mary Kay may need some convincing, she also has a teen daughter but Joe has more than enough time to prove himself to her that he’s just what she needs. He’s behaving he’s not stalking her or watching her every move on social media, he brings her lunch, meets her for drinks and even meets her close friends, there’s just one problem she hasn’t been completely honest with him.. it’s ok though Joe will
be there for Mary Kay when things turn upside down in her life and that includes when she loses people close to her. Oh my gosh after the cliffhanger in Hidden Bodies I’ve been impatiently waiting for next Joe Goldberg book and here it is!! I loved this book series something about being in Joes head and reading his inner dialogue makes the books more personal! I felt like this book was more sympathetic towards Joe and I actually felt sorry for him at times,he was really trying in Joes special way. I’m sad I’m done with this book because now I’m missing Joe again! Five stars!

Solid 4 stars. This definitely was better than book 2 for me (the setting alone was more exciting and I liked the cast of characters more) but I will say this book felt way too long. At least a third of it felt like filler, and while I love the ramblings inside Joe's head, it dragged. Even more so, the ending felt so rushed that I was confused why we wasted so much time on day to day minutia as I much rather would've explored more of the ending/accident as it hit fast and had little to no resolution. I would read another YOU book again, but I do feel Joe's story has been well told at this point.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Heeeeey Joe, where you going… now that you’ve been released from prison and sworn off Love (the woman, not the emotion)?

My favorite fictional sociopath is back and this time he’s decided to settle down in a cozy town in the Pacific Northwest where he promptly meets and falls in love with local librarian Mary Kay DiMarco. There’s some serious flirting but Mary Kay resists Joe’s charm - she’s a busy mom; her daughter is finishing up her senior year, blah blah, excuses.

Joe is ready and willing to be patient — he won’t stalk her across social media, he won’t obsess over every encounter. But Mary Kay may have forgotten to mention one teeny tiny bit of personal information that could put a wrench in their unfolding love story. Whatever, Joe is in it for the long haul. He’s committed. He can be who Mary Kay needs him to be as tragedy befalls her personal life.

Caroline Kepnes has given us the third installment of Joe Goldberg and it was worth the wait after the cliffhanger in Hidden Bodies! Joe has once again “fallen in love” and the object of his obsession eventually falls into his open arms as her world falls apart. Joe is there for her through an epic amount of personal drama and she’s yet another woman who doesn’t realize Joe is behind the drama until things have gone too far.

I will say there was a bit of a lull in the middle — this series has a very specific formula so while we don’t know the exact circumstance ahead, we know the gist of what’s coming. The ending was a bit unexpected but drawn out for the climax that was delivered. You Love Me is well worth the read, highly entertaining as always, and includes a couple twists!

Huuuuge thanks to Random House and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of one of my most highly anticipated reads of the year in exchange for my honest review. You Love Me is scheduled for release on April 6, 2021.

Thank you to the author and Netgalley for this incredible book for honest review! As usual Caroline hits it out of the park with Joe’s story. I am never disappointed with what I read.

How does one even come to the conclusion that they are team psychopath? I will never know this answer. Instead I will continue to love Joe and his insane reality. The previous storylines of Love and Beck had nothing on this new journey with Mary Kay. I love that he justifies everything that has happened in his life to find “true love”. There are several similarities between all three women. There is definitely a type for Joe. I don’t think he fully realizes that he seeks love and life from unavailable women. Women who have others in their lives that are actually in control. Whether it be a best friend or a partner. There is always someone that is standing between him and his promising future with the latest victim.

I could not put this book down until i devoured it whole.

If you loved YOU, you will love You Love Me.

The universe of Joe Goldberg has grown in complexity, and this book was my favorite in the series.
It felt like Kepnes has been sharpening her skills with each of these works, and it is on full display here. Reminded me of a fantastic guitar solo where you marvel at the talent and think "no way can it keep up this energy" but instead it does. The second person point of view, the tiny nuances of thoughts, the unique Joe 'self-talk', and the infusion of pop culture and literary references, where social media is not just an app on your phone but part of our psyche.

What makes these works so damn powerful is this character who is a litany of cluster B personality disorder traits, certainly anti-social and narcissistic—I want a 'Kepnesian scholar' to list Joe's Top Narcissistic moments, because there are some choice moments inside here—but he is certainly not 'just a narcissist'. There is, imbedded in his view of the world, a kindness and consideration, where in his reality it is empathy (you're gonna love spending time at the Empathy Bordello) we hear him constantly deciding what is best for everyone around him, and inside those decisions is an intent for kindness, twisted and selfish, of course, but he only judges himself by his intent, not his actions. Every relationship Joe has is completely transactional for finding love (is he capable of Love? God, ya gotta read this). Every new character that comes into his world is a puppet without strings, but Joe finds the invisible strings to pull that a sane human never sees, and he decides what to pull and how.

So creepy and insidious, but at the end in the aftermath of Joe's manipulation there is real life victims, where RIP is not just one of the authors brilliant witticisms, but true trauma and hurt that he leaves behind in his wake.

The title is so perfect.. is this Joe telling his victims that he is certain of his words as he tells whoever his object is at the time that "you love me?" —or is it the author saying this to her readers, that even though we are sickened by Joe, we can't and won't look away, so she accuses us of some sort of addictive voyeurism into his world as she says to us "You Love Me"? A 4th book has been promised, and I stand accused and I confess to both. I do love you Joe.

It starts off with Joe back to his stalking activities in a new town away from Love and his son trying to start a new life. This time it is Mary Kay, a librarian with a teenage daughter, Nomi and her marriage is already in one weird state. Joe seems to have grown up a bit especially the way he deals with Nomi and her tantrums. He still has a basement where the usual stuff happens but I have to say he doesn't go around killing people that much comparatively.

I felt the author’s usual style of writing with Joe as the narrator was slightly repetitive and also dragged the plot the entire first half of the book. The major twists came up only at the end and at that point, it was surprising that Joe was the good guy and he tried so much to deflate the situation. He doesnt hurt his love interest this time in any way as well. Also Love comes back to his life for a bit and has no impact on the story. It was not needed for the plot and even felt a bit forced.

At the end Joe ends up in Florida so we can expect more of his stalking activities. Though it was not a great read, I definitely felt the need to finish it off.

Everyone's favorite creeper, Joe Goldberg, is back!! Estranged from Love and their child and done with the big city life, Joe is trying to settle down in small town America in the Pacific Northwest. Of course, he wouldn't be the Joe we all hate to love if he didn't find a new "love interest" - this time, it's the local librarian, Mary Kay. And she seems interested in Joe, too! Could it be so easy for Joe to find love again? Of course not! As usual, Joe has some major obstacles standing in between him and true love with Mary Kay. But Joe is determined not to kill anyone this time! He's got to stay out of trouble and keep himself out of the limelight, lest the authorities come around again...

I was thrilled to be given the opportunity to read an ARC of You Love Me, as Joe Goldberg might be one of my favorite fictional characters ever. You would think after three books, the trope of the stalkerish guy chasing after the girl of his dreams would get old, but it really doesn't! Kepnes finds ways to keep the storyline fresh. Joe is nuts and creepy as hell, but you sometimes can't help but root for him in his efforts to "get the girl." I especially liked how in this story, Joe tries so hard to be reformed - he is determined not to kill anyone this time!!! - but trouble finds him anyway!

I can't help but hope for yet another round of Joe - book 4, anyone?

I can’t escape, the shark inside my shark.




Our favorite sociopath is back in You Love Me, and Joe is a changed man, or at least, he is trying really hard to be so. This book feels like heartbreak and redemption– or is it redemption and heartbreak???– as he navigates life after we left off in Hidden Bodies.

I feel like I’ve waited forever for the next chapter in Joe’s life. In fact, as soon as I received my Netgalley I preordered the audiobook because Santino Fontana is Joe, and I read this book with his voice in my head.

We fast forward a bit from the ending of Hidden Bodies to Joe’s new home, on an idyllic island in the Pacific Northwest off the coast of Seattle. Without spoiling too much, Joe is starting fresh and trying to be a good person, however his past is harder to escape…




There are few things more tragic than a man hell-bent on becoming something he just can’t be.






Again, I find myself rooting for Joe as I’m trying to decipher what has happened since the end of book 2 and where we are now. There’s love… and betrayal and a promise of a new beginning.

I love the way Caroline Kepnes writes. It’s addictive, as Joe speaks to You and it makes me kind of wish he was speaking to me, and now I sit and write and wonder if there will be a book 4 because I miss him and I want him to be ok.

If you loved the first two books, you will need to pick up You Love Me and see Joe’s evolution. Yes, the show is great, but the books are so much better. If you can get ahold of the audiobooks with Santino Fontana– 👌 perfection!

You Love Me was not a perfect read for me, but it may have been my favorite in the series so far in that it was unique. As always, I found myself rooting for Joe, but dare I say it? Has Joe grown up a little, or has he just grown on me? I had to keep reminding myself in this one that Joe is a hypocrite with a ton of blood on his hands. It's so fun reading from his point-of-view, because I get sucked in and see things the way he does. I want it to work out for our guy, even if he is an absolutely horrible person.

You Love Me follows Joe's live on a small island in Washington after the events in Hidden Bodies. There, he falls in love (as he is want to do) with Mary Kay, a middle-aged librarian with a teenage daughter. The attraction is mutual, but Mary Kay is busy. She has a life in this small town.

This book wasn't 5 stars for me because I found the ending to be meh and there was a small plot hole that could have been fixed with a few more details. But overall, it was just such a fun read and I think my favorite in the series so far. I can't wait to find out what shenanigans Joe gets up to in Book 4 and to see how the Netflix show adapts this one for television, especially because the endings for Hidden Bodies and Season 2 were very different.