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You: A Novel by Caroline Kepnes
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You: A Novel (edition 2014)

by Caroline Kepnes

Series: You (1)

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
3,0311824,475 (3.82)39
Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:NOW A HIT NETFLIX SERIES
A NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER

"Hypnotic and scary." â??Stephen King

"I am riveted, aghast, aroused, you name it. The rare instance when prose and plot are equally delicious." â??Lena Dunham

From debut author Caroline Kepnes comes You, one of Suspense Magazine's Best Books of the Year, and a brilliant and terrifying novel for the social media age.
When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she'll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonightâ??the perfect place for a "chance" meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck's life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck's perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their wayâ??even if it means murder.

A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. You is a compulsively readable page-turner that's being compared to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Stephen King's … (more)
Member:spbooks
Title:You: A Novel
Authors:Caroline Kepnes
Info:Atria/Emily Bestler Books (2014), Hardcover, 432 pages
Collections:Your library, Kindle, eBooks
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

You by Caroline Kepnes

  1. 10
    Secret Smile by Nicci French (BookshelfMonstrosity)
    BookshelfMonstrosity: Charming men sweep women off their feet before revealing their true natures. In these psychological suspense stories, vulnerable-yet-resilient heroines stalked, threatened, and traumatized by charismatic sociopaths must go to extreme lengths to escape their obsessive exes before it's too late.… (more)
  2. 00
    Invisible by James Patterson (HenriMoreaux)
  3. 00
    The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (Vulco1)
    Vulco1: Guys using charm to get what they want and climb some ladders. Crime. some sort of mental "stuff" going on with the main characters. Adapted from books to movies and tv shows. Female authors. Would recommend to a lot of people.
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» See also 39 mentions

English (181)  German (1)  All languages (182)
Showing 1-5 of 181 (next | show all)
You (You, #1) by Caroline Kepnes

A fast paced psychological thriller, told through Joe's voice. An unreliable narrator, a possible sociopath (the story) had me on the edge of my seat. Beck was not very likable, but did not take away from the story.

Overall I did like this story, I had to see how it ends. I do intend to read more in the series. I recommend to those who enjoy psychological thrillers. I am Suggesting readers 18+ due to some sexual content. ( )
  SheriAWilkinson | Mar 9, 2024 |

This was a very interesting reread for me. I received a copy of book three from the publisher and I wanted a refresher course in books one and two. When I read this originally I gave it four stars it still deserves four stars. My thoughts haven't changed much so I will be leaving the majority of my review intact.
Where do I begin? As someone who loves thriller novels, it can be difficult to come across a premise that isn’t predictable. Most often, I can figure out what is going to unfold before it does, and guess the ending ahead of time. You by Caroline Kepnes completely blew me away and had me wondering what would happen next throughout the entire novel. It’s that dark and disturbing page-turner that had me lost in Joe and Beck’s world until I put the book down hours later. Even without the book in my hands, I had my thoughts on what would be happening next and didn’t go long without getting back into the book. Even though I reread this I found things that I missed the first time around.

You might as well say I was addicted to finishing this novel, just like Joe is addicted to making Beck his own. It’s such a well balance of crass, wit, and clever, but comes together in this brilliant disturbing storyline. It’s an exceptional thriller that is chillingly passionate, dangerous, and quite often left me speechless. This novel is without a doubt my favorite release of 2014. I am so glad that the author has continued the series and I am lucky enough to have my hands on book three already. ( )
  b00kdarling87 | Jan 7, 2024 |
Possibly an unpopular review, but my honest opinion.
DNF closed it at page ten, and those ten pages were cringeworthy. Based on a recommendation, I decided to read it.
I was expecting something complex and nuanced; something that would keep me turning the pages and, at the end, want me to carry on reading the remainder of the series, but this was extremely shallow and not worth 400 pages.
I'm not sure if it was just me or the actual novel but, when my Librarian asked me about it, she agreed with my comments and suggested I watch the Netflix series. Wow, I dind't even know that was a thing. ( )
  Melline | Oct 24, 2023 |
I read this book over three sittings - it was worth every moment invested.

Right at the beginning, you realize that there's something very wrong about the main character - it's only much later that you realize that there's something wrong with his obsession (his 'love interest') as well.

Suffice to say that there is not a single likeable character in this novel, and yet you can't help but plod on, thinking of what monstrous behavior you'll encounter next.

Obviously, this being the author's first novel, some loopholes were found, and there were some Deus ex machinas to make the plot plod along - but these minor transgressions are mere specks of dust in the cesspool of moral decay and corruption that is described by this masterpiece.

TL;DR - spellbinding, stupefying, so on and so forth. Worth every moment of binging it. ( )
  SidKhanooja | Sep 1, 2023 |
Joe becomes obsessed with Beck, a woman he meets at work. He wants to be with her no matter what it takes.

This was not what I was expecting at all! I knew that the main character would be a stalker and that was pretty much it. But wow, I had no idea how much I would dislike almost every character. I liked Ethan. That was it. But for some reason I still loved this book. Maybe because it was so gross and disturbing and creepy. I’m not sure, but I flew through this and can’t wait to watch the show.

Things I loved: the stream of consciousness, as twisted as it is, I was almost rooting for Joe not to get caught bc he actually doesn’t seem to realize that he’s in the wrong, I just wanted him to become a better person, the twists

Things I didn’t love: Beck

Overall this was a fun read. I am throughly disturbed. ( )
  CaitlinDaugherty | Aug 28, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 181 (next | show all)
Caroline Kepnes is brilliant and unique in her voice and writing of Joe’s character. The story is told by Joe in second person, allowing the reader to live inside of Joe’s head as he speaks to Beck through his thoughts. There is an innocence and sweetness about Joe and his obsession, and the second person point of view is very clever on the author’s part because it brings the reader so much closer to the characters and allows empathy for Joe and his actions. Did I just say empathy? Yes. Empathy AND understanding for the actions of this creepy stalker whom I couldn’t help but grow closer to and somehow feel a tenderness toward his normal facade. We do get just a glimpse to arouse suspicion as to why Joe is the way he is, but there isn’t anything substantial to validate that belief. Perhaps, that is for the next book?

It’s evident that Caroline Kepnes is a literary junkie and well-read as she becomes the book savvy and opinionated Joe who reveres books with literary references throughout the book. The perversion of You is compelling and passionate, making it difficult to put down. This is truly a story of love and obsession gone awry, and it’s creepy to think that this could really happen or perhaps it does really happen in life. What’s more creepy than Joe’s story of his love and obsession for Beck? The fact that I was emotionally tied to his character. Every flaw. Every humor. Every corrupt effort on his part to weave a life with Beck that he visualized in his demented mind. Rarely does the reader enter the mind of a demented psychopath, and You provides that thrill. Brilliant, twisted,chilling, and innocence describe Joe and his obsession in this character akin to Steinbeck’s Lenny and his mouse in Of Mice and Men. I recommend this book to those readers who seek a psychological thrill and be aware. You WILL take a walk in the shoes of a forlorn and psychotic romantic.
added by RREBB | editRomantic Reading Escapes, RREBB (Dec 16, 2014)
 

» Add other authors (9 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Kepnes, Carolineprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Fontana, SantinoNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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You (1)
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Epigraph
"First of the day, God willing, see you tomorrow." - Harold Samuel Kepnes, January 29, 1947 - November 13, 2012
Dedication
For you, Dad
First words
You walk into the bookstore and you keep your hand on the door to make sure it doesn't slam.
Quotations
...your whole life you were labeled ×´the hope×´...
Nobody will report this to the police because nobody wants to admit to watching.
You’re into this fucking deli where you stand in line with. nine-to-fivers who read Stephen King on their iPads while they wait for their turn to order their sexless green salads, fucking beans and dressings and scallions and onions (Red or white? Grilled or raw?), for fuck’s sake people, it’s a SALAD.  Stop overthinking it.
What’s the only thing more sexless than lunch? Brunch, a meal invented by rich white chicks to rationalize day drinking and bingeing on French toast.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
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Fiction. Literature. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:NOW A HIT NETFLIX SERIES
A NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER

"Hypnotic and scary." â??Stephen King

"I am riveted, aghast, aroused, you name it. The rare instance when prose and plot are equally delicious." â??Lena Dunham

From debut author Caroline Kepnes comes You, one of Suspense Magazine's Best Books of the Year, and a brilliant and terrifying novel for the social media age.
When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she'll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonightâ??the perfect place for a "chance" meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck's life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck's perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their wayâ??even if it means murder.

A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. You is a compulsively readable page-turner that's being compared to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Stephen King's

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