I've seen the show, but haven't read the first 3 books. I know I know!! But, I found this to be a bit boring and too long for what it was. It seems peoples favourite is still book 1, so I need to go read that one and book two and three so I can do a full ranking of the series.

I love Joe's character.

I have been a HUGE fan of Caroline Kepnes since the first day I picked up a paperback copy of You, so needless to say I was thrilled to get an ARC of For You and Only You. Caroline Kepnes has done an exceptional job of developing Joe, so much to the point that you do try to root for him even when you shouldn't. Her writing style is unmatched, and I could not have been happier with the way the book ended. For You and Only You did not disappoint!

This book really just took me for a ride. I loved the build up, the character development, and the writing. I would definitely read more from this author!

I hate that I didn't love For You and Only You. I don't know if the series has gone on too long, or if I am simply starting to be unable to suspend the disbelief that Joe Goldberg keeps getting away with everything. I didn't love any of these characters and didn't find myself particularly hooked on the story. I expected something different from a Joe Goldberg story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this EPUB in exchange for an honest review. First, I would like to say, if it is a Kepnes book, I will be reading it. I love the writing style and mood that Kepnes is able to create in each one of her books. I always find that it is easy to get pulled into a story and not want to get out. However, this book was a bit of a challenge for me to get through. I found that Joe was a bit of a challenge to "enjoy" in this particular setting. At times, he was even insufferable. I know that his character is not inherently "lovable", but I do typically enjoy his sarcasm and humor. In this particular novel I found it a bit more challenging. Overall, this book was much more of a 'hit' than a 'miss'. I cannot wait for the next installment in this incredible series.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was another great installment about Joe Goldberg’s and his new love interest Wonder Parish. As always, it was well written and entertaining. I’ll continue to read more by this author in the future to see what happens to Joe!

So... This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year.... And.... I didn't like it 😭
I just couldn't really get into the story. The love interest was just "meh"...In my opinion, this one felt forced. It makes me so sad because I have adored the whole series. ...However, I won't give up on the series. I would still be first in line to buy the next book if there is another... 👀

I've read the entire series and by far this book is my least favorite. I struggled to like any of the new characters and got frustrated with the aspects of the main female character, Wonder, that Joe consistently spoke negative about. I perceived Joe consistently calling Wonder a "Goodreads girl" as an insult and that really annoyed me. This book is set in Boston, where I am from, and I thought this alone might make this my favorite of the series, but Joe constantly spoke down about Boston and aspects of Bostonian life.

Thank you to NetGalley, Caroline Kepnes, and Random House Publishing for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. (less)

I loved the continuation of Joe Goldberg’s adventures. It almost seemed like you were meeting a different Joe as the book went on. With the introduction of other people in the book his references to people as RIP makes it a lot easier to follow.

Why is it with every book I get sucked into the pages and can’t stop turning them. I at least now know that the books in this series mess with my head for a few while reading it. I will never forget how much with that first book. Read it because you have to know…because you wanna know…who can pass up going into Joe’s head for another ride no matter what or who he is with?!?

So. I got into this whole series because I got this ARC. I was intrigued by the story and I’ve heard about the show. So began my journey with Joe, and I think that even if this isn’t the last in the series, it will be for me. I’ve found all the books after the first to be lacking. Maybe the first was just too much to live up to? Maybe it never needed to be a series?

Part of what makes Joe so special is your ability to like him and emphasize with him even though he’s done so many terrible things. I didn’t like him in this book. He is whiny, he is pathetic, he is jealous, and he just hasn’t learned a bit. This was dragged out, boring, and repetitive. Nothing that hadn’t been done in the other three.

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

Creepy Joe is back and his new obsession is named “Wonder”. They meet at Harvard when they join a writers fellowship, taught by a famous author. Joe is back to his obsessive ways, but he’s not quite as stalker-y as previous novels, which is why they worked. He is a little bit “warm” instead of hot crazy, and I think that makes him less interesting. Also, the RIP before everyone’s name drove me nuts. But still a fun JOE story.

3.5 stars

I have loved following Joe Goldberg throughout the You series! His hilarious and often times dark inner monologue is unmatched and purely genius. While we still get the same Joe we have come to know and love, the storyline this time around fell flat for me.

There has been an underlying purpose to Joe’s journey since the very beginning, one in which he tries to develop a meaningful relationship with a woman he has his sights set on but ultimately it turns into a precarious obsession that triggers his murderous tendencies. This theme is present in For You and Only You, however the story just didn’t grab my attention as much as I’d hoped it would.

Usually I can sense some sort of connection between Joe and his love interests, but in this instance, it felt more forced and juvenile. The over-the-top, romantic narrative that he constantly tries to breathe into existence has never worked out for him, and it was even more apparent this time around; so much so that I found it a bit annoying at times. I also didn’t help that I didn’t like Wonder…at all.

Now, the story did pick up a little towards the end, when we see him reveal his true nature in typical Joe fashion, but it wasn’t enough to redeem the book as a whole. I do hope Ms. Kepnes continues to build on Joe’s story because he’s such a fantastic character, and I would hate for it to end on this note.

*Thank you to NetGalley and AtriaBooks/Emily Bestler Books for providing a copy of this book to review.*

I don't know why I consume Joe's mental ramblings as though I am starving for nourishment. All I do know is that Kepnes created one of the most enticing psychotic characters I have ever read and no book is ever enough. I will always come back for more. I try to read slowly to savor it, but I need to know who we are stalking and how twisted it's going to get!

There were some plots variations this time that I wasn't entirely on board with so at times I did find this one slower on its own than previous books within the series. It was never so bad that I was deterred from continuing on. And there were plenty of juicy bits to keep me interested.

Basically as long as Joe Goldberg is "alive" I'm going to be interested in whatever crazy shit he comes up with next. I am here for it.

Many thanks to Random House and #netgalley for this ARC :)

This was slow and couldn’t connect with Joe in the same way or the characters. Seemed like it as dragging and didn’t grip me as a reader.

I want to start off by saying, overall this book was really great. Caroline Kepnes doesn't disappoint.

This book started really slow. I was probably 100 pages in wondering when anything is going to happen. However, It's like when you watch a season of a show and you're like meh this season is just ok, but then the finale hits and you're like ohhhhh. It was pretty necessary in this iteration of the book to do a lot of world building and background before we got to the meat and potatoes of it. I almost didn't want to keep reading, but because it was an ARC and I read the first 3 books, I felt like I had to.

Joe is unhinged, as per usual, and his antics in this book read a little differently than the last 3, but I think it still holds up just fine. I do think that Joe doesn't have a ton of life left in him story wise.

And as a final note, if you've watched season 4 of the show, this is 110% a TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY THAT WAS WAY BETTER, so give this one a shot if you're into the YOU series of books.

Four stars for still being great despite a slow start. This book felt like a more intimate look inside Joe.

Thank you to Netgalley & Atria books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️💫 (maybe?)
First of all, I love this series and the character of Joe Goldberg and have thoroughly enjoyed Caroline Kepnes' writing throughout this series.

So I am incredibly sad to say this seemed like a mess. I am a tad over Joe after this book. I LOVE the Joe Goldberg of You and Hidden Bodies but this Joe seemed dull and a bit boring and he definitely picked the wrong love interest. Now don't get me wrong, I don’t mind the You formula of him always picking the "wrong" love interest but his choice in this book made no sense. I literally could not see what made him attracted to her at all. Wonder (ick) - was so incredibly blah and whiny and I just could not get invested in his obsession with her and honestly didn't really care what happened to her which makes me feel bad to say.

I enjoyed that this was a novel that takes place in the literary world - a campus novel where Joe is in a writing fellowship which meant SO many book and author references in this one and also other side forgetful writer characters.

I just think that the characters in this novel were mostly unlikeable - which is great when it's a FUN unlikeable way but here they were just unlikeable and underdeveloped in my opinion - or just boring and for the first time, Joe was a bit unlikeable too. I did recently watch the new season of YOU on Netflix and much preferred that - I still rooted for Joe and the show had some fun twists & turns and side characters that I really enjoyed - so maybe I went in with that too much in my head.

This book was LOOOOONG! I did read an ARC so maybe there will be some editing that happened before the release, but it just felt meandering and way too long and I really had a hard time keeping my interest.

I say all this with a sad heart because I love Joe Goldberg so much and I hope if his story does continue on with more books, that we get back to the sexy, literary, witty, intelligent and crazy Joe of the earlier books. They can't all be winners - so I am hopeful that we will see the Joe we know and love again!

the parts of this book that were classic YOU were as fun as this series always is, but it got bogged down in a ton of writerly and publishing-y stuff that felt very personal and specific. i will still keep reading these books as long as they keep coming!

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of For You and Only You.
Fans of You - this is a MUST READ. Joe's story continues, and it only gets crazier. I don't want to give too much away, but this is one of my favorite books in the series. Highly recommend

Sadly, I think this is where Mr. Goldberg and I will be parting ways. I just couldn’t connect with this installment in the series. I’m having a hard time believing that he can still be behaving this way and not get caught. Maybe it’s me, but I just didn’t connect with any of the new characters enough to care what happened to them. I guess all in all we will just have to see whether there’s another book and what the plot is to see if I will pick it up. I really do enjoy Kepnes’ writing and I think she’s got a unique style that i truly love. This one just wasn’t for me.