Member Reviews
You Love Me is the third installment in the You series, which I have become obsessed with over the past year or so. I was not expecting to love this one more than the first or even the second book, but it absolutely surprised me in the best way possible. You Love Me is my favorite book in the series (so far? I’m keeping my eyes peeled for an announcement about a fourth book), which follows Joe once again in a new town where he falls in love with another woman. Joe has always fascinated me; there are times when I can’t help but root for him to make it out in the end, but I’m also wondering how one man can be so good at getting away with everything he does. As someone who loves psychological books, the You series has been captivating to me from the very beginning when I picked up the first book over a year ago. You Love Me is one of my favorite books of the year so far; now I’m hoping season 3 of the You show will be just as great when it comes out!
A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC of You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes!
Well, I never thought I’d say this but…POOR JOE!!!!! Definitely on par with the first book. I love that in this world of wacky drama that Ms. Kepnes (and Joe) could still make me laugh out loud. I think what surprised me the most this time around was that even with all the c-r-a-z-y, and all the oh. no. that. did. not. just. happen moments, there was actually a quite beautiful love story woven in.
I received an eARC of You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes from Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
5 raving stars!!! The You series has been fantastic so far and I have a feeling this isn't the last time we will read about Joe. I was thrilled to read the next installment. Caroline Kepnes has outdone herself! I highly recommend this series!
You Love Me is the third book in the YOU series, which stars protagonist Joe, these creepy dude who narrates the book but addresses it to "You", the person he is currently obsessing over. In this book, he has moved to the Pacific Northwest and is working as a volunteer at the local public library. This is where he meets the latest women who is the object of his attention, a head librarian. Like in past novels, Joe focuses his efforts on this one woman and deals with others who get in his way or threaten to reveal his past misdeeds.
This was a nail-biting read like the other books in this series. Joe is chilling and creepy, but hey, the ladies he goes after find him charming. So, yeah. It is always a bit tense reading books like this (and American Psycho) where you are inside the brain of a creepy dude who is savage in how he goes about getting what he wants.
3.00 stars
-
TW; Toxic Relationship, Stalking, Death of Parent, Murder, Addiction, Infidelity, Suicide, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Confinement.
-
In this third installment of the 'You' series, we see Joe as he tries to move on from his past life. He's done with the big city - and ready to move on. He moves to a small island in the Pacific Northwest and ready to just breathe, Joe gets a job in the local library where he meets the delightful Mary Kay DiMarco. This time around Joe promises not to revert to his old ways; he will not pry, he will not stalk, and most he will try not to obsess. It's odd to see Joe in this light - I found that in this book his thoughts were a bit more tame, he still thinks of what he could do, but he doesn't always revert to the choices he would previously make.
As he tries to win Mary Kay the old-fashioned way; he realizes that it might prove to be a challenge. She's busy, she's a friend, a mom, and mainly she's a wife. It was interesting watching the story unfold, however, I felt like it focused more on their potential relationship, and less of the stalking that happened in the previous two books. I found the story was slow-to-start, it lulled for the first 200 pages, but once some typical Joe tendencies started to appear I was much more interested. The last few chapters were intense, there was a twist I did not see coming, but the epilogue was a letdown.
-
I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
It's a very good continuation of the Joe Goldberg series. I wasn't as fond of the second one as it lost a lot of the "creeper" quality that the first book brought into popularity. This was a decent return, if a bit long.
I’m torn with this one but I will say 3.5 rounded to 4 stars as I liked it better than the second book but nothing beats the first.
You Love Me picks up where book 2, Hidden Bodies, left off. Joe is off to a new start to his life and he’s found his perfect companion. Joe has aged from the last two books. He’s more obsessive. There’s more inner turmoil and inner dialogue going on. He’s gone soft. I do miss the murderous Joe. I think the other characters in the book treated Joe crappy and while I kept waiting for him to snap, he was patient. More patient than past Joe would’ve been. There were a couple of good reveals in the book including an ending I wasn’t prepared for. But I really should’ve known, there are no happy endings for Joe.
I think the ending was a little open ended but I’m not sure if the series will continue or not but if it does, I will always read more Joe Goldberg.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Oh Joe. Poor Joe. Bless his heart. He so wants to be a good man, the right man, to love and be loved. But it's just so hard when people won't cooperate and then he has to let his inner psycho come out and play. Don't want to give too much away - but like the first two books this one is filled with Joe's inner thoughts and social commentary. Some of his insights into modern life, especially social media, are downright brilliant - which is a bit disturbing when you consider his overall mental state. But well, that's just Joe being Joe. It's a bit like reading the Dexter books - I know I shouldn't be pulling for him to live his best life, but there's just something about both of them. Glad they're fictional! Overall, I probably still liked the first book, You, the best, but this was a close second. I should add that I combined reading and listening, but listened to most of it - Santino Fontana's narration of Joe is perfection.
My thanks to Random House and Netgalley for providing a copy for an unbiased review.
It was nice to go back to Joe all of these years later. This book didn’t draw me in as much as the first two did but it was still exciting and enjoyable!
2.5 stars
I'm so sad about this book. I love Joe! His little stabby stabby self is just the best. Except this book.
Joe has moved on and now he is volunteering in a library in a small town. He has come into a bit of money due to a past 'love'. So he has all kinds of time on his hands. (that might have been why I was bored outta my mind for most of this one.) He sees her in the library and he knows that she is the one.
Mary Kay DiMarco. The married to an aging Rockstar, mother of a teenage girl town librarian. He knows that they are destined to be together.
But holy hell. Joe. What the hell?
Every five minutes you are talking about her lemonhead.
I'm totally on the fence on this book. I liked it because of Joe. I hated it because at times it was boring and it didn't seem like my Joe.
Will I read the next? Why hell yes.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
I enjoyed the first two novels in this series, but I just could not get into this one. It has just become so repetitive. The constant, never ending snarky internal monologue by the main character, Joe Goldberg, is incredibly annoying to me at this point. I used to find this truly "laugh-out-loud", but now it just seems to be a predictable drag. Just kill the girl already...yawn. For me, this series has lost its appeal. If you have read one, you have essentially read them all. Nothing new here.
Final review to come. Quick & dirty: A bit disappointing. You was a strong read, Hidden Bodies less so, and this one even less than Hidden Bodies.
I don't know why this book was disappointing, but it was.
While I liked the *plot* of this book, I feel the details of the book did not match my expectations on how I was going to enjoy it.
I felt like Joe was a weak adaptation of himself. He is a bad guy, a bad guy that you have to feel disgusted with and totally engrossed with at the same time. While I felt engrossed in what was going on in his life, I didn't feel disgusted. I felt very meh over everything that happened.
I felt like the author didn't explain very well on how Joe got out of jail that fast and that the transition from book two to book three felt rushed, messy.
Will give review after reading the first 2 books. Did not realize it was part of a series.
Thank you for the opportunity
The first book in this series enthralled me. I couldn’t put it down. I’m not usually one for second person writing, but Joe’s intensity sucked me in. I enjoyed the same writing style in this iteration, but the plot left me wanting. It seemed like unnecessary similarities to the prior books and worst, the ending left me wanting. I received a copy of this ebook for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
4.5/5
Joe is back and more obsessed than ever in You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes. I cannot get enough of Joe, and I was so excited to do a reread of You and Hidden Bodies so I could move on to this one. I am really glad I did the rereads, especially of Hidden Bodies, because I think I would have been very lost if I hadn't. You Love Me takes a time jump from where Hidden Bodies ends, and it takes a minute to find out why Joe is in the Pacific Northwest now. I was really interested in that aspect of it, but of course, nothing can beat learning about his new obsession with Mary Kay. He is determined not to kill anyone, and he is really trying to be good. But honestly, how long can that actually last?
There are some parts that are a bit slow in this one, so I was extra happy to be listening to the audiobook narrated by Santino Fontana. They better never change the narrator because if they do I swear I will lose it. He is the BEST Joe, and he really heightens the character for me. This will be lost on anyone who hasn't listened to the audio, but Fontana's "NO" cracked me up and I started laughing even though it wasn't meant to be funny. I HIGHLY recommend the audiobooks for this series if you like them because they are bomb. Minus the slow spots, I loved every minute of You Love Me and I feel so bad for Joe, he just wants to be loved you guys! If you loved (and I mean you had to love them both) the first two books, you will love this one too. Once this baby is out in paperback I will be snatching it up!
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Title: You Love Me
Author: Caroline Kepnes
Narrator: Santino Fontina
Genre: Thriller
Pages: 387
Length: 14 hours, 49 minutes
You Love Me is the 3rd installment in the You series, featuring Joe Goldberg. This book picks up a little bit after the 2nd novel. I don’t want to say any more about the plot in fear of spoiling book two for folks. Let’s just say that Joe is trying to reform and better. He even adopts some abandoned kittens!
Cover: This cover is one of the prettiest covers in recent memory. It is so simple but stunning at the same time. This will forever be a go-to for stack and flat lay photos.
Narrator: I tried to read this book on my Kindle but I just couldn’t. I Had read the first two books on audiobook and hearing Santino Fontana narrate is now part of my You experience. If you have watched Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, he was the first Greg! I had no idea he could narrate such a dark protagonist. He is an excellent narrator and brings the story to life.
Character Development: Overall, I think there is a decent amount of character development in most of the supporting characters. The reader gets to know Joe a little bit, but we still have not gotten his origin story. Hidden Bodies was published in 2016 before the #metoo movement and it is fascinating to see how Joe is responding to the new norms in our society around women. At first, he is caught off-guard by it and then learns how to wield it to his advantage in a very devious fashion.
World-Building: I will not disclose the setting, but it is perfect. It is completely different from Joe’s previous homes and he responds so differently to it. The author paints a picture of the world he was living in. I love how Joe changes to reflect the different environments he lives in.
Plot & Pacing: The You series is the best when it is focused on Joe’s slow and methodical worming into someone’s life. The first 75% of the book focuses on this slow-burn creep factor. Then the book goes off the rails and has one major reveal after another. It feels like at least one of them was added for shock value. It was a wild ride. I enjoyed it but it felt like a slightly different book.
The ending was absolute perfection. I truly was not expecting that at all. I love that Kepnes has set up the series for several more books with the ending.
I recommend this for folks who have read the first two books in the series. If you have not read those books, I’d encourage you to start there and lose yourself in Joe’s mind.
ARC provided to me by Random House Publishing, in exchange for an honest review.
#YouLoveMe #NetGalley
I should begin by saying I absolutely loved You and I was ok with the sequel but this story was boring and felt forced. Overall it was just more of the same and not as exciting. I do not recommend
I always enjoy time spent with Joe Goldberg, as strange as it feels to admit that. As serial killers go, he's fairly enjoyable. I wasn't quite as thrilled with this third book as I was with You and Hidden Bodies, but I did enjoy it. The violence visited upon Joe himself was a little over the top for me and it detracted from my enjoyment of the book. But overall, it was good to see him again and I hope there are more books to come in this series!
Thank you for letting me get a copy of You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes. I thought this one was pretty good but kinda slow. It took me awhile to get through and felt like it wasnt as good as the first two books. I didnt feel like it was so much as a psychological thriller and just felt like I kept spacing off and not wanting to keep my attention to this book unfortunately. I was really expecting more out of this one.