Here we are with Joe's fourth book. Up until this point, I have enjoyed Joe's character; his obsessiveness with these women, the need to make these women happy by getting toxic people out of their lives, etc. I had high hopes for this novel.

However, "For You and Only You" feels repetitive and I really struggled to get into this book. It was a nice change up of scenery with Joe heading to Harvard to join a writing group and write his own book but within a chapter or two, he was back into his old way with Wonder. The exciting, thrilling parts of the book went by so fast!

There was so much potential for this book, but it fell short with its repetitiveness and quick moving (but not enough detail) plot.

I am a huge fan of this series and Netflix show. However, this one wasn’t my favorite. It might be time to retire Joe.

It wasn’t bad by any means just wasn’t MY favorite.

DNF 17%. Joe Goldberg has gone from being a thrilling, terrifying antihero to a big baby-back bitch and even that would be okay if he also weren’t such a fucking <i>bore</i>. The previous book in this series hinted at some growth for this character, so what happened here? Caroline Kepnes can write her ass off, I’ve loved all her previous books, and DNFing this breaks my heart. But I just can’t go on. Between Joe’s incessant pop culture references (seriously, it feels like this is <i>Family Guy</i> and he’s setting up cutaways) to the clunky, overdone cursing, to totally simping over a woman for no real reason—? For the hundredth time? Oh, I wonder how it’ll go! Joe, you’re no longer scary, nor cool, nor clever, and it’s been a fun ride but I think this is where I get off.

Seriously. Joe just needs to stop. At this point he has to be what late 30s, in his 40s? Are we really going to get another book of Joe and his messed up meaning of love to follow us through the next couple of years? I honestly only gave this book 3 stars because of Joe and Wonder eventually descending into the type of hipster coffee shop talk about books that makes me want to laugh at the people having those conversations. Both of them are delusional about what good writers they are, but in different ways. I did laugh at some points during this book though because it definitely seems that Kepnes is saying all writers are psychopaths' in a certain way, and therefore, Joe fits right in with them.

"For You and Only You" follows Joe maybe 3-4 years after the events in the last book. We know that Joe inhabits our world since he mentions COVID and how he was forced to be in Florida for too long. Joe though reads a book called written by Pulitzer Prize winner Glenn Shoddy. Joe decides after reading that, he's going to write a book because of course. And Joe being Joe, goes about getting feedback in his own messed up way. He eventually submits his writing to Glenn so he can be chosen for a prestigious writing fellowship at Harvard. Yes, we are going to Harvard in the latest "You." Joe sizes up the other members of the group, but gets taken in by a 35 year old woman named Wonder who just like Joe doesn't come from money or even written anything yet. Joe has decided they are meant to be. And Joe is going to do whatever he needs to do in order to make sure he and Wonder both have successful writing careers.

Look at this point Joe is a mess. You got to love how he reconciles all of his past messy relationships in this one. But as usual, he finds himself besotted with Wonder and is focused on getting her to "love" him in the same way. Wonder though holds her own in this book. I always thought that outside of Beck, no other Joe partner really had his number. Wonder does. In fact many people seem to have Joe's number in this one which shows that our great serial killer is slipping. Badly.

The other members of the writing group are pretty blank to me outside of two of them. I also enjoyed Joe realizing his hero Glenn was pathetic as get out. Like many of Joe's supposed heroes.

The writing was better than the last book. Thank God we didn't have to keep hearing the many different names he was calling sex and or female private parts. At times I did laugh while reading this because Joe messes up so much stuff I shook my head. I did crack up at how the rise of podcasts is going to end up probably being an eternal nemesis of Joe. But reading about people's writing process and their characters was boring as hell. Sorry. I think watching paint dry would be more exciting. I think that is the humorous part of the book because I think even Kepnes gets this. And you quickly realize the lengths all of the so called writers go to in order to be a success.

The flow was up and down though. I think at one point I was like, what is going on. And this is when Joe tries to find Wonder. The book just could have cut so much stuff I think would not have hurt it at all.

The writing leaves things on a cliffhanger. You can guess what happens next.

I realized after beginning this that I hadn’t read book 3, though, I don’t think it affected this installment. I will be going back to 3 when I have the time.

Joe is in new territory, yet again, and staking his claims, as he so enthusiastically does! Seeing Joe surrounded by writers and the dynamics this leads too brought on all the passion, adversity, envy and jealousy you can imagine.

I still stand by the first book as a favorite in the series where we got to know Joe, his internal dialogue, his way of …… handling things - but I can appreciate the surprise moments book 4 expressed and what entertained me most was the eccentric new “friend” group he’s found himself mingling with as he joins a Harvard fellowship.

Yes, Joe is not only writing but sharing his work in hopes of scoring recognition. Considering his level of pride and self manipulation-there was no lack of tension throughout this novel and I only wish I could read “Me”

I’ve been a fan of the You series before the tv show was released, so I was excited to receive a copy of For You and Only You. However, this is my least favorite book of the series, unfortunately. Quite a bit of the book felt unnecessary and the love interest didn’t feel like a fully realized character, such as Love and Beck. The idea of Joe at Harvard was interesting and I did enjoy the sections with the crime author Joe meets. But, I felt like the book could have benefitted from being shorter.

To say I was excited to receive this ARC is an understatement. After watching the You series on Netflix I knew this book would be right up my Alley. From the beginning I could hear Joe’s voice from the You series talking in my ear which was a whole different experience. The question is will Joe ever find his forever person? The classic Joe has his own way of dealing with conflict. For me the book was a little drawn out at parts but other than that this was a fun and twisty read! Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC!!!

Joe is back!!!! I first fell involve with Joe when he made his debut in You. He was the first main character who I openly disliked but couldn't stop reading to see what he would do next. I loved him in Hidden Bodies but by the time he showed up again in You Love Me. At this point his actions and antics were becoming predictable.
When I received an ARC of For You and Only You I was excited. I was hoping the Joe of the first novel was back but instead Joe has just become unhinged from the get go. Joe from the first novel took his time to expose his inner crazy but this novel has him off the rails by the first couple pages of the book. I use to find his inner thought process intriguing now its become annoying and I find myself scanning it instead of actually reading it. IM also not a fan of his newest focal point.
If you are a Joe Goldberg fan its a 50/50 chance you won't like this book
What I did enjoy as a New Englander were the references to Dunkins on every corner (totally true) and the horrible driving (if you use a blinker you count to 2 then move over).

FOR YOU AND ONLY YOU

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Firstly, the chokehold that Joe Goldberg has on me is concerning. He’s such a unlikeable character for obvious reasons but yet manages to be so likeable at the same time. This book was very much like the first three in this series. It took Joe no time at all to find his “dream girl”, this time taking the form of Wonder, a Dunkin’ employee and fellow member of a Harvard fellowship. The question as to whether Joe will ever find someone with a normal name was answered quickly - no. Joe has written a book, aptly titled “Me” and has joined the fellowship to attempt to have it published by Glenn Shoddy. It’s engaging to see his vulnerability seeking approval. As per his norm, Joe cannot focus on his own literary goals and is immediately scoping out Wonder’s house, planning ways to know her and ultimately become closer to her and learning details about her that she hasn’t yet disclosed to him.

Wonder is somehow different from Beck, Love and Mary Kay but yet the same. Joe is the definition of insanity by finding the same girl again and again and yet expecting different results. Yet I didn’t find her nearly as naïve as the others. She was so focused on being “Dunkin’ Sally Rooney” which made you couldn’t help but love her in a way. She was so convinced of the merits of the novel she was writing. I think it was evident too that Joe knew this from the start.

The prose in this series always gives me shivers and this book did disappoint.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

In the fourth book in the “You” series, Joe is back and headed to Cambridge, Massachusetts. He earned a writer’s fellowship at Harvard held by one of his favorite authors. It is through this that he meets his next love interest, Wonder, a Dunkin Donuts Manager that lives at home with her grumpy father, reckless sister, and nephew. Joe obsesses over making sure that they both find literary success by publishing their first novels. Of course, wherever Joe goes, “accidents” seem to follow.

So far, I have enjoyed the “You” series; Joe is definitely a guilty pleasure that I enjoy indulging in. The inner workings of Joe’s mind are fascinating to follow and the stream of consciousness is always entertaining. Joe’s sarcasm never disappoints. However, I found that this installment didn’t hit all the right notes that the last ones did. The beginning was a little slow and found it hard to get through the repetitive ramblings that didn’t go anywhere. It could have easily been told with 100 less pages and would’ve been just fine. Additionally, I found Wonder to be a bit lackluster; her character fell a little flat for me compared to other characters in this story.

Overall, I found this to be a fun, solid, middle-of-the-road read.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced reader copy!

I will read anything Caroline Kepnes writes. However, "For You and Only You" just wasn't it for me. The fourth book in the Joe series felt like a slog compared to the first three.

I did not like this at all.

I forced myself to keep going, hoping it would pick up and be thrilling.

I would not categorize this as a thriller, in any way whatsoever. It was a book about writing.

Speaking of writing, I had no idea what was going on for the majority of this book. The writing was all over the place, and half the time I had no idea what was being talked about.

I wanted to DNF this many times, it took me 27 days to get through, and I ended up skimming to the end after being about 79% finished.

I think this is it for me for this series. After the first book, I don’t feel like they are holding up the the thriller genre. I kept holding on, because I wanted to see what happened and see if Joe would finally get caught.

So many things did not make sense in this book. I tried, but this killed the series for me.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this for an honest review.
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This took me forever to read. I honestly did not care for this one. It was incredibly slow in my opinion. I feel like joe has lost his touch. The first 2 books were the best.

Joe is at it again in his quest for love (no pun intended) will he find the one find the one or will come short like last time.This book had me on my toes and was hoping and wishing everything for our new love intrest to stay safe.

The dark world and layered protagonist that Kepnes has built with the You series are SO GOOD that I find myself completely at the edge of my seat as I get first news of an upcoming sequel. Then I find myself completely enthralled as I finally get my hands on the book and am figuring out what environment Kepnes will be dropping our much beloved/despised Joe Goldberg into. Then finally, I find myself thinking about the book in the days that follow the reading of the last page, ruminating on what just happened, and thinking about what we might expect in the next instalment.

It's honestly THAT good.

For You and Only You puts us back into the mind of the sinister, should-be-unlikable-but-is-somehow-magnetic Joe Goldberg. The novel is written in that same spiralling stream-of-consciousness style that we were introduced to in earlier novels, giving the reader a sort of mental intimacy that allows us to feel bad for him, to be repulsed by him, and worried about what he's going to do next, in equal measure.

Some of the situations that early books were set in were not quite for me (I'm looking at you, hipster LA/Hollywood setting for book #2). But ohhhh boy was I DOWN to dive into the setting of this one - Harvard University, where Joe is one of the handful of fellows selected for a prestigious writing workshop led by a celebrated literary author. As someone whose personality is 75% books, it felt like there were so many little easter eggs for people like us - repeated mentions of Goodreads, substack books reviews, Reese's book club, ARCs, etc. For those who are also interested in the publishing/marketing side of books, there was a little bit of that world in here as well! Basically, if you like reading books about books and writing (of course through the deliriously propulsive lens of Joe Goldberg's twisted mind), this book is going to absolutely hit every single mark for you. As we've come to expect from Kepnes, there are so many delicious twists in this book, and they are all just beautifully executed.

This is my favorite book in the You series so far, and there is literally zero doubt in my mind that I'll be picking up every single book to come in this series. The next season of You on Netflix is coming in Feb 2023 as well, so tons of reading and watching content in the pipeline for fans of Kepnes' world.

This was delicious and wicked and all around excellent. I have read every Kepnes book with relish. Joe is better than ever - Kepnes really knows how to keep us intrigued even after all these books. I did think this books ending was very not Joe. I did love imagining Joe in pretentious Cambridge and sucking up to his professor. I do wonder now what is the end game for Joe?

Well... that was a bust. The slowest most confusingly written book I have ever read... so painfully boring and the writing style is just plain weird. I think this should have been a stand alone novel. Book one was AMAZING and then from there it went downhill from each book. I think it is time for Joe to take a rest This book did not have the keep you on the edge of your seat, wondering what's going to happen next effect like the rest. I found it a chore to pick up and read. I am officially done with Joe and with this series. Thank you to the author for the ARC to this book I truly appreciate it. I'm sorry for my honest opinion but it's just that, honest.

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This series is what I read when I want well written popcorn books, and this one is no different. I could read about Joe going to the store while shopping and never get bored. Kepnes does such a great job of keeping this special balance where you know he’s wrong but at the same time you kind of don’t want anything to happen to him. While I do think this may be my least favorite in the series it’s still a great book and if you’ve loved the others you’ll like this one too. The only reason I liked it less was because the book has a heavy focus on writing, and honestly I just wanted more of the same old Joe. I get Kepnes wanted to do something a bit different, and I applaud her for it because she did do it well, but It took away from the feel these books usually have a bit. That being said I’ll be anxiously awaiting book 5.

All in all, this wasn't as great as I was hoping for but it wasn't terrible by any means. I just think Joe’s story may have run its course. I did feel like some of the plots were a bit repetitive. You could anticipate his actions prior to them being acted out in the book. I also wasn't fond of Wonder Parish. I didn't find her remotely interesting and I couldn't understand what all the fuss was over her. “For You And Only You” felt a bit drawn out to me at times. It was over 400 pages that I felt could have been 350 or even 300. The ending does leave possibilities for more Joe. I’ll still probably read the next one, but I do hope it’s a final book. Thanks to Caroline Kepnes, NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Like others, I have loved this series. It's fascinating to be in Joe's head... his thoughts are chaotic and you root for him in the weirdest way.

To me this book was a filler between what I assume will be the next book. It was a way to transfer Joe's placement and the people around him. I enjoyed the setting of Boston a lot, but I didn't really care for most of the characters in this one.