Oh, Joe...

This fourth installment of the series brings Joe back with a new love, a Wonder Woman who is on a similar path as him to write a book and get published. We spend the book watching the evolution of her and their relationship through a fellowship at Harvard, and Joe is just so Joe.

Of the leading ladies we've met in his life, Wonder is the one I like the least (though I'm curious if this was the point). But overall I very much enjoyed the story and Joe's journey. The peripheral characters were entertaining and author did a good job with the little details.

I will never get sick of Joe's quippiness and his inner monologues. While I understand that some readers are getting a little tired of the "same old shtick", I'd argue that this is why we keep coming back. We like Joe.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in return for my honest review.

In this book we return to Joe Goldberg’s mind in full force. Almost immediately we are introduced to Wonder Parish and Joe is hooked. He starts off in true Joe fashion by finding her address, but in a legal way because they are both Harvard Fellows and the information was provided for everyone! He takes it one step further by watching house her from nearby and constantly checking her Goodreads and her sisters Facebook for updates. When he realizes there is an on again off again boyfriend in Wonder’s life you know what he has to do.
This is where I lost the Joe Goldberg from the past. He realizes his mistake when he actually talks to wonder and he SAVES Bobby, who he just tried to kill! It all goes downhill from there.
The book is good. It’s Joe doing his thing, finally getting closer to publishing his book, but it just doesn’t quite feel like Joe. Maybe he has matured and learned from the last, but honestly I expected more. More stalking, more attempted murder, just more. Don’t get me wrong, there was stalking, there was murder, just not as much as I expected. The storyline ket me interested but it just seemed to fall a little bit flat. Maybe I set my expectations too high and he couldn’t live up to them.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the series I recommend reading it. Maybe just lower your expectations and you won’t be looking for as much out of it as I was.

I really enjoyed this series I went into this novel already familiar with Joe Goldberg. I enjoyed his narration his version vs what he says. I enjoyed Sarah Beth In this novel it was a refreshing character to go along with this storyline. Wonder is his interest this novel and I had a hard time connecting with her but i think that helped with the storyline. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House.

This was a big miss for me. I was really looking forward to it but found it to be entirely too long, with long parts that could have easily been cut. Many parts felt extremely repetitive and so much felt unresolved even after so many pages. The ending wasn’t satisfying. Hoping the next will be more entertaining.

DNF. This book seemed like it was written by a different author. Joe was to the extreme. I enjoyed the other books, but not this one.


Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher or a digital copy of this book for my honest opinion

Okay, so it’s kind of more of the same – almost a little (gasp) formulaic now? But it’s still a lot of fun.

I still want Joe to find his happy and I sort of think if he were to start surrounding himself with more people with normal names he might do better. I mean…Wonder Parish? She’s going to be bad for you Joe. You KNOW this.

However, Joe does meet someone in this book who he SHOULD fall for (next book maybe or maybe not because it would destroy our FORMULA).

The book was very entertaining and fast moving and I certainly wanted some people to die, die, die so I think that was a success.

Looking forward to the next book and maybe a tiny switch up in how things happen? Please?

• ARC via Publisher

Great read! Well developed characters, and I was guessing until the end! Have read books by this author before, and this did not disappoint!

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this ARC!

In the fourth installment of the You series, Joe continues doing what he does best: finding another woman to obsess over.

The difference here, for me, is that Wonder just wasn’t an interesting character. Joe’s past girlfriends and relationships were more intriguing and had Joe doing more insane things to keep them with him. While Joe does resort back to his old ways a little, he’s tamer than in the first two books. I fear no future installment will beat those books, at least for me.

However, I did like how meta the book would get. Discussing writing and galleys and Goodreads as I’m reading a galley that I’m about to review on Goodreads. I just thought it was fun to see Joe pursue something and someone because of a perfect literary future he had planned.

Overall, I think the book was good in its own right. It would just get slow and mildly boring in parts, waiting for the action to happen. But it does show how all that Joe has done previously has led him to this point in his life and why he thinks a certain way. Despite everything, he still just sees himself as someone with so much love to give and no one worthy enough to receive it.

YUCK. I love this series. Is it partially due to Penn Badgley and his wholehearted, unrestrained disgust at Joe and everything he is? Probably. But this is one of the only true series of books I keep up with, and each time I am left scared and confused by my own emotions.

Do I believe Joe can get better? Absolutely not. Does he belong in a maximum security prison like at least 8 years ago? Yes. Do I still somehow find myself nervous for him whenever someone is suspicious? Also yes (but I am also scared for that person, so.)

Truly unlikeable narrators are so tricky to pull off, and Kepnes consistently does it. Somehow I manage to loathe Joe entirely and yet still keep reading.

Have you read the other books in the You series? If not, pause here and go back and read them.

Now that everyone who is here has read the other books: same Joe, different city. How this man has not been imprisoned yet is beyond me. There is a literal trail of bodies in his wake. This man is not so charming that he should be able to get away with it. HOW IS HE GETTING AWAY WITH IT. I couldn’t put it down I was so mad.

But oh, Wonder. It’s always been you.

Oh Joe.
I will follow you anywhere. After three books, it's safe to say, I'm hooked. I'm a fan.
For You and Only You is the fourth book in the series and I hate to say this, but also my least favorite. I imagine it is extremely difficult to keep Goldberg just as sharp and witty as he is in YOU where we all first fell in love with him. With every release, his shine realistically must dull because the newness has worn off.
I didn't love (Love?) Hidden Bodies but then You Love Me was great. I felt like Kepnes really came into her own finding a strong, thriller pace that hit almost as strong as book one.
What makes Joe Goldberg great is when he encounters other people--the characters he bumps up against have to bring out the best (worst) in him and in book four, I'm afraid Wonder Parish is extremely boring. I have no sense of what she looks like, no sense of why Joe is even obsessed with her, really, it's almost an insta-love with Joe just telling us why Wonder is so great instead of showing us.
Glenn Shoddy is also not that great-his persona didn't seem larger than life to me, just kind of your average douchebag.
I do love that this story is AGAIN immersing us in the world of books just like YOU. Joe worked in a bookstore and had that secret room downstairs, remember? In this Goldberg drama, Joe is writing a book and a part of his mentor's writing critique group (which is where he meets Wonder) and the conversations about writing and books and authors, is the best part.
"You're a Goodreads girl..."
This was fun.
And of course Joe starts murdering people close to his "girl" again, which is also fun...but Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me.
It was entertaining to be back in Joe's head, a fly on the wall during the drama, but it doesn't quite measure up to the others in terms of that "it factor" that keeps the pages flying.

I love Joe. I really do. But he kind of let me down on this one. That said, he's getting rave reviews from others so maybe it's just me. I'll certainly still look forward to Caroline's next book whether it's about Joe or someone else.

Joe is back! I thought the Joe Goldberg schtick might get tired, but Caroline Kepnes brings him back and thrilling story in “For You and Only You.” It’s Joe at the most pretentious school in the US.
These books never fail to thrill and make me laugh.

My initial expectations were a little too high for the fourth book in the ‘You’ series. The first 40% of the book is hard to get through.. I almost had to set this one aside because nothing was happening.

I pushed through and it slowly started getting better, but overall it lacked that intriguing storyline that hooks you and makes you want more. As always, the way Joe narrates and tells his story is entertaining (we hate to love him). He’s dark, twisted, and sarcastic.. but it totally works. I wasn’t too impressed with his love interest, Wonder. I didn’t find her all that interesting.. but Sara Beth on the other hand.. Now that’s its own story.

Sadly this missed the mark for me on pacing and overall plot development, but I respectfully still enjoy this series. Will I continue to read every book about Joe? Yes. Was this my least favorite in the series? Also yes.

This book was not for me. That being said, I definitely enjoy the concept of the entire "You" series, following Joe on his journey through love (if you can call it that) and life. I enjoyed the ending between Joe and the latest "love of his life," Wonder, but no spoilers.

It took me much longer than it should have to read, and overall, I felt the plotline was a little too mundane. I couldn't entirely tell how much time had lapsed from start to finish, but I am guessing only a few months. I am basing this on the fact that the characters were in a college semester fellowship.

The relationship between Joe and Wonder felt rushed and forced, and not in the way Joe always forces a relationship on his target. It felt like I blinked, and they went from barely knowing each other to practically living with each other and ending everything with, "you're the love of my life." I actually had to flip back through pages to make sure that I didn't miss a chapter.

The last thing I will say is that, personally, I find this style of writing challenging to read. A lot of people like a challenge. However, the constant juxtaposition of what Joe was thinking with what he was saying (which were almost always opposite), and all the inner monologues, made it hard to keep up with what other characters actually knew.

I would love to see a book by Kepnes written from the point of view of one of Joe's love interests, one of these days.

I could hardly wait to see what psychotic fantasies Joe Goldberg dreams up in the latest offering of the YOU series from Caroline Kepnes. Honestly, this author is a genius. She writes stories from the deep POV of a psychopath, and makes us want to root for him, even when it makes us feel guilty because we know we shouldn't.

Joe fixates on his newest target in the first pages of the book. He stalks a woman named Wonder until he learns her patterns, idealizes her as his perfect partner, and then finds a way to meet and date her. The story is written in Joe's stream of consciousness, as if he's talking out loud. After watching the YOU series on Netflix, I recalled the sound of actor Penn Badgley's voice, and that helped me follow this character's cra-crazy self-talk. This turned out to be a valuable tool, because the reader needs to let go and become fully immersed in Joe's voice to follow the story. Joe thinks in fits and starts; sometimes with three things happening at once, and it's the reader's job to keep up. This reviewer found the process both interesting and enjoyable.

Joe Goldberg is a malignant narcissist, a violent psychopath, and a serial killer. He sees himself as a good guy, and a hero, whose purpose is to show others how to love. And God help them if they don't measure up. Everyone around Joe sees him as harmless, since he's good-looking, charming, and a chameleon. The juxtaposition of who he is and how others see him creates numerous laugh-out-loud moments or tense scenarios. No one is who they seem to be. There are twists and turns and a few surprises I never saw coming in this highly recommended, unique novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an ARC to read for review. This review will appear on Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com on release day. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

All in all a good book....with an expected plot. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. I think this book franchise has reached maximum capacity.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy. I was very excited when I received this arc, as I have been patiently waiting for the new season to come out. I really enjoyed being in Joe's inner monologue, though at times, I felt a little discombobulated trying to follow along. I loved the story and the characters. Caroline Kepnes is always a star! I recommend reading this book.

#ForYouandOnlyYou #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

Something about these books just really draws me in. However, this was my least favorite of the series. I'm not even exactly sure why. I think the murders were less anticlimactic. Wonder was so mysterious to me, I never knew how I felt about her. It was slow to start. I will always read more Joe Goldberg so I hope there are more books!

I feel like Joe Goldberg is the definition of expectation vs reality, except he murders people when nothing goes as planned.

I was so happy to receive an ARC of For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes. I’m a big fan of the You series. There’s something about these books that are just so addicting. I think it’s the way we dive into Joe’s mind. It’s such a deep narration that I don’t feel often with novels.

This book is the fourth installment in the series. Joe has written a book and is invited to join a book workshop at Harvard taught by a famous writer. Joe, of course, finds the next love of his life, Wonder, among his classmates. And Joe will let nothing get in the way of him and his girl.

This book hooked me from the start, as most of the You series has. While I did expect a little more from it, I still had a ton of fun with this book. It’s so conflicting being in Joe’s mind. The way he views people is almost infectious and it’s hard to remember that seeing these people through Joe’s eyes is not the best way to view them.

I gave this book four stars! It’s a must read for fans of the You series!

Special thanks to @netgalley for the arc!