I hate to say this but I think this series is at its capacity. The writing is still great, Joe is our loveable(maybe?) Joe, but nothing really seemed to happen. I kept reading, wanting more but it turned out to be just like the other books. Nothing more occurs other than Joe finding a new girl to obsess and kill over.

I highly enjoyed another dose of Joe Goldberg! This time Joe is surrounded by authors and of course finds his next love... Wonder. This story kept me reading and wondering what would happen next and if this would FINALLY be Joe's final girl. Another great story Caroline Kepnes!

Joe is back and getting himself into all kinds of trouble per usual! In this era of anti-heroes, I feel like Joe could not have come back at a more perfect time. As a fellow Goodreads girl, I am going to follow Wonder’s lead and leave a review that does not include a lame plot summary. Although Wonder isn’t my favorite of Joe’s leading ladies (Team Beck), I did find her to be an intriguing match for him. While I know we shouldn’t technically root for Joe, I do hope that he finds his match at some point in the future.

Caroline Kepnes is a literary genius. I always say that her books are dense. I make sure to take my time and read multiple times to soak in all of the references and get a full understanding of the characters. The way she strings words together is remarkable! On a side note, I cannot wait to hear the audiobook version and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Santino will be reprising his role as Joe. No one else can read Joe quite like Santino! I’m here for Joe always and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was an honor to be chosen for this one!

I'm a little all over the place with this one. I love Joe--his character is fantastic and I like (almost always) his inner dialogue, which is peppered with both literary and cultural references. I laugh out loud with him and nod my head in agreement. And he tends to convince me that everyone his RIPS deserves it. I think it's fair to say, like others have as well, that I'm in it for Joe and will look forward to a #5 book in this series.

So what didn't work as well? I hate to say this but I found it a little boring. I liked the first book in the series, really did NOT enjoy the second, and then really enjoyed the third. This one felt a bit formulaic but, dare I say, he didn't get up to enough mischief? The book started picking up with Joe's first RIP attempt, but then the pacing seemed to drop away again. I felt a lot of stops and starts with the narrative. I also got a piqued after a while with the Goodreads stuff--there's a clear delineation being drawn between readers and writers--okay. And I can imagine how Goodreads is both wonderful and dreadful for a writer (I compare it to academic student evaluations for a university professor 😊). But I felt like the across-the-board disdain was real at times, and I wasn't sure how to square that away--as a reader.

I always dislike the female leads in his books, which urges me to cheer Joe on when he decides to RIP any of them. But this one was really unlikable for me--to the point that I couldn't figure out what Joe and others saw in her (I guess her writing genius, but I don't know). I kept thinking she was maybe 22 instead of 35; her life experiences didn't reflect a woman much out of high school or even college. I couldn't identify with her at all. I actually was intrigued by another character, the successful thriller writer (S.B .), though I'm not sure I can pinpoint her resolution.

Finally . . . the setting. I was super psyched to see Joe in the academic setting. As soon as I read the blurb, I thought, "Yes!" The university is EXACTLY where Joe belongs (I'm an academic so I can say that with impunity.) I couldn't wait to read this. But then when I got to the book, I felt like the Harvard setting was underutilized. The Boston setting was great--I felt it was quite well used. But there was so little of the university world in this book, and it's one that Joe would thrive in. I know--he's not REALLY in the university; he's in a limited run fellowship. But still. I can see Joe in a less prestigious university, one where he could forge his way in (as he notes in several of his books, his forgery skills are impressive). What a hoot it would be to see him as an ersatz professor at a small liberal arts somewhere! I would be all over that. Maybe it was that Harvard is just too much and the stage too bright for such a lark. But anyway, I felt like the academic part of this didn't live up to my (admittedly high) expectations.

Final recommendation: If you read Joe, of course you are going to read this. So go ahead and pick it up. See what shenanigans he's up to now. I'm not sure if the next one will continue with some loose ends from this novel or start on a brand new page, but I'm hoping Kepnes hits the next one out of the park.

I was so SO excited to get an e-ARC of this one, and unfortunately, I think I am just a little burnt out from Joe. The series is starting to feel a little repetitive for me personally, however, if you want to slip back into the twisted mind of a charismatic psychopath? You will not be disappointed. For me, it's just a case of needing something new from Joe. This book in particular felt like it was doing too much and could be slightly shorter. That said, I would read another because it's now a series I feel compelled to see through to the end.

I wouldn't recommend if you are only slightly interested in seeing what Joe gets up to next. But! If this is your jam, I think you will be very happy.

Once again, Caroline Kepnes grips us with her amazing prose. I loved this 4th novel, and I still can't get enough of Joe's weirdness.

Am I the Goodreads girl now?

Joe Goldberg is back, this time with major dark academia vibes!

When I saw I was approved for an arc from NetGalley, I was so pumped. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Caroline Kepnes’ writing is superb and witty, as always. I’m convinced even her grocery list is an entertaining read.

I read the last three books in this series. I binged in 24 hours. This one took me about four days.

Through the first third of this book, I loved it. The twists and Joe’s unhinged behavior were in full force, and then it mostly fizzled out. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some interesting situations and moments Joe gets himself into, but a lot of the middle part of this book was a bit of a slog.

Honestly, I think what caused me to not love it as much as the others were the constant pandemic references. These were mainly scattered in the first half. I sort of get why Kepnes put those into the book. She often puts topical references into this series. Personally, any pandemic references make me squeamish. I wouldn't say I like when books talk about it. Mentioned once I could get passed, but a decent-sized part of this story is about what Joe was doing during the pandemic. I wasn’t compelled to pick it up because of that.

All that being said, there were quite a few things I liked! I loved the academia vibes and everyone’s bizarre names. I am always entertained by Joe’s twisted inner monologue and thought process. I also enjoyed the addition of S.B. I would love to get more S.B. and Joe. I will be picking up whatever Kepnes writes next.

Joe Goldberg is at it…again. But this time he is taking on academia, because, naturally, he is the best writer the literary world has ever seen. Or so he says. While Kepnes’ writing style always keeps the inner workings of Joe’s mind interesting, I found myself getting lost in his pages-long stream of consciousness ramblings quite a few times. It was nice to get to see Joe be challenged a bit more in this installment, but I still found myself thinking, “how much longer is he going to get away with this?”

I don't honestly know how to write this review. The book was hard to get in to. I didn't really care for Wonder. Overall I did enjoy the book and didn't want it to end. I like the candor and humour - the author can write. I would read the next book in the series but I also feel like this series should just end already.

For You and Only You was a fun ride. Joe Goldberg at Harvard and navigating a writing fellowship was interesting since he’s spent so much time being a reader and not a writer. I liked that we got to see him fall for a different kind of woman for once. Wonder isn’t who I would’ve ever thought of Joe being with. I enjoyed the fact that Joe has grown up from previous endeavors and some toxic behaviors. It made me excited and looking forward to the next season of You!

Caroline Kepnes has done it again with another killer (see what I did there 😏) story about our chaotic bestie Joe Goldberg 🧢

I really enjoyed the premise of this book with Joe joining a writers fellowship. There’s always something a little meta about reading about a writer and we know Joe has A LOT of stories to tell. The book 4 version of Joe was an interesting character; he was almost (keyword: ALMOST) a normal dude and I think I felt that way because there were not one, not two, but multiple characters that were objectively worse people than Joe. Do you know how much of a terror you have to be to be considered worse than a psychotic murderer?? 🙃

With how things ends with this story, I do anticipate a fifth book and I will be anxiously awaiting it! I truly can’t get enough of Joe and his craziness.

A big thanks goes out to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the advanced copy of this book! For You and Only You drops April 25 (I know that’s a while away ☹️) so make sure you preorder and add it to your TBRs!

Joe Goldberg has made a comeback and is ready to hit the streets of Cambridge, Ma. Joe has earned a fellowship at Harvard with one of his most admired authors.
Joe meets Wonder in the Havard writing fellowship and in true Joe fashion he falls head over heels in love with her immediately.
Joe is charming and Witty which is why we all have come around to loving him so Wonder had no choice but to be taken by his charm. Us fans all know Joe's ways and what comes next for Wonder just from his previous relationships.
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I will say I did find wonder, a bit boring. She seemed way to young with no direction. I think thats why Joe was attracted to her-because she was different from his previous lovers he had fallen in love with.
I absolutely love Caroline Kepnes series about Joe Goldberg, and each one I love more than the last. I will admit I was foaming at the mouth a tad while reading the entire
Book!
I must say this one was definitely one of my most anticipated books and it did not disappoint.

* The biggest thanks and appreciation to @randomhouse & @netgalley for this digital ARC.
L

Review: Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this book in return for my honest review. I really hate to say it because I loved this series, but I did not care for this book…how many times can Joe “kill” without being caught? He isn’t even sneaky about it! Don’t get me wrong, I really loved the other books in the series, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I wish the book would have had multiple POVs from both Wonder and Joe. I would have loved to hear what Wonder’s thoughts were about Joe. I felt it dragged on a little too much and I HATED Wonder…although I think we were supposed to hate her. I am glad that I read the book and I will buy the physical copy when it comes out to support the author, but this one wasn’t for me…

I thought the fourth book of this series was bound to fall into the same pattern as the last three, but this one does a good job of breaking the mold, even if you think there’s no way it could. It always amazes me how the author is able to make you root for Joe even though you know you shouldn’t. The writing is as good as it’s ever been, it pulled me in from the start. Overall, a great installment in the Joe series, if you enjoyed the past three books, you’ll enjoy this one. I’m excited to see what Joe could possibly get up to next.

I had been waiting to get to this one on my TBR list and it did NOT disappoint. If you are hooked on You, even the series on Netflix, don’t miss this next installment. Joe is 🔥. I was hooked like with all Caroline Hepnes books!

This book was an enjoyable read! Fans of the previous books will most likely enjoy this sequel as well. In this entry, Joe finds himself in Boston, joining a fellowship at Harvard. While this series can get a little repetitive narratively, it's always entertaining to read Joe's inner musings on different locations that he visits and on the various people that he meets along the way. That's the main draw of this series for me, and this book did not disappoint in that! I'll be patiently waiting for the next book to see what the future brings for Joe!

I like how Joe’s voice really comes through in these books, however I had a hard time getting into this fourth book in the series. Not as much murder as the others and I didn’t find the characters to be as likeable.

Honestly, this book was my least favorite of the series. To me, it was a bit long, and compared to the first two, I didn't find myself as engaged and excited to keep reading. I had to take breaks in between, whereas in the first two, I stayed up all night to finish. I am super interested to see how the Netflix show plays out, as there were a lot more differences between book 3 and season 3.

In the final installment of this series, Joe has moved to Boston to participate in a writing fellowship at Harvard. Here he meets a girl named Wonder who is the most similar to him. The rest of the people in the program are in one way or another elite. It becomes pretty clear Wonder is going to be Joe's love interest who he fixates and obsesses over. The question becomes, will she be the one? Compared to his previous love interests, Wonder was the least interesting. Beck and Love were always my favorite as these had the most personality. For me, Wonder fell a little flat from his usual pick. The ending also fell flat for me, and I wish there was a book 5 simply to give Caroline Kepnes another chance to redeem herself. As mentioned before, I really enjoyed books 1 and 2, so i figured the last book would really be a grand-slam kind of ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for my complimentary copy.

Our favorite antihero is back in the fourth book in the Joe Goldberg series and he’s back with a vengeance. This one finds Joe traveling to Cambridge where he’s managed to secure a place in an elite fellowship, thanks to his unpublished (fictional/autobiographical?) novel that caught the eye of the writer running the Harvard program. Finally, people who might understand and appreciate him. There, among the small group, he finds Wonder Parish. Might she finally be the one?

Like the previous books in the series, this one is chock full of sly literary references, subtle dark humor and plenty of bloodshed.

Highly recommended.

I was lucky enough to get to read this in advance of its publication! I love Joe’s inner monologue as usual and of course love that it was set in Boston. The book follows Joe’s journey writing his very own book which is pretty interesting, but it’s not as murder-y as I wished it would be. Still a good read and unique writing style!