You Love Me

I have no idea how this series slipped away from me. I absolutely loved the first book, You, and instantly became a Caroline Kepnes fan. I devoured the second installment, Hidden Bodies, and then… life (and other books) got in the way. Objectively, the long gaps between releases didn’t help. But who are we kidding? I’m easily distracted by books—and dogs.

The good news? I’ve been making solid progress lately by finally tackling the series I’ve neglected—and You Love Me was next on the list.

In this addictive psychological thriller, Joe Goldberg is ready for a fresh start. He trades city chaos for a quiet island in Washington State’s Pacific Northwest and takes a volunteer position at the local library. There, he meets show more Mary Kay DiMarco, a fellow librarian whose presence awakens his intense longing for connection. This time, Joe is determined to do things the “right” way—patiently, thoughtfully, and without his usual extremes. He genuinely tries to build something real in the cozy small-town setting.

It was so much fun catching up with Joe and his deeply twisted approach to relationships. Kepnes’s signature dark humor shines through, along with her nostalgic nods to music, movies, books, and pop culture. I was a little nervous picking this up—after all, it had been nearly ten years since I read Hidden Bodies—but Kepnes masterfully refreshes the reader’s memory without info-dumping.

Joe remains one of those unforgettable characters you love to hate. He’s manipulative, calculating, and disturbingly strategic, and I couldn’t help but admire (in a horrified way) his twisted antics. Watching events conspire against him because of his own selfishness is oddly satisfying. This series isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy dark, suspenseful, and uniquely thrilling stories, it delivers.

I made catching up a priority because the fifth book in the series is scheduled for release later this year. I’ve already placed my library hold on book four, For You and Only You.

I listened to the audiobook version of You Love Me via Libby, and Santino Fontana’s narration is absolutely perfect for Joe. He captures the character’s charm, menace, and inner monologue flawlessly.

I have photos, videos, and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog show less

I’m sorry Joe, but what happened to you? YOU LOVE ME was not it. For most of the book (80%), nothing much happens, and it is sooo long. Joe Goldberg is my favorite villain (antihero?), but he was off his game this time around. His clever and witty internal monolog has turned repetitive, angry and/or whiny. His new love interest is so dull and annoying. The plot and twists in general were borderline ridiculous!

I’m giving this third book in the You series two stars because there were moments that I could still see the old Joe, and I’m hopeful he’ll be back in full force in the next book. Also, the audiobook narration by Santino Fontana, was fantastic, as always.

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes is the continuation of a story I’m not certain needs to continue. It is slow, slow, slow. One good thing is that Ms. Kepnes changes things up this time by having Joe try to be a productive member of society without caving to his baser urges. Ironically, bad things still happen around him. While he remains a fairly unreliable narrator, his problems center on the blindspots he puts up and his complete underestimation of his acquaintances. While I liked this new Joe to some extent, I do think this new Joe is boring. Plus, I am not a fan of how this part of his story ends.

#FirstLine ~ I think you're the one I spoke to on the phone, the librarian with a voice so soft that I went out and bought myself a cashmere sweater.

This story just keeps getting better and better. Joe tries to be good, right?!?! But, can he hold it together when he lays eyes on a beautiful librarian? I guess you will have to read and find out for yourself because I would never spoil it for anyone else. I love this series, hard. And after three books I am still fully engaged and loved every minute of this book. Kepnes has a knack for writing a story that is intense, original and captivating due to both plot and characters. You get entranced by Joe, that is what makes Joe, Joe, right. He can charm you and pull you in. I hope this series show more never ends. I just loved it so much! show less

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing and Caroline Kepnes for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of You Love Me. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

Oh Joe! How I’ve missed you! Did you miss me too? This is the third in the series “You” and Joe is up to his old antics again. Try as he might, he just can’t seem to stay on the straight and narrow. This time Joe has relocated to from LA to a small quaint town where he falls for the local librarian. He promises he just wants to help her, he’s not going to obsess over, but he just can’t help himself. Mary Kay has a boyfriend and although Joe knows that he would be the best boyfriend, he says show more he wants to win her the right way. He’s going to be so amazing that she just can’t help herself and will fall in love with him.

Well, nothing turns out like he thinks, ever. Before you know it, he is stalking her, gets caught, then has to start covering things up. If you’ve read the other two books in the series, you’ll know where this is headed. I know people were disappointed in this book, but I wasn’t. This is exactly what I wanted. There were twists and turns and hole Joe digs for himself only gets deeper, but what do people expect? That’s what I love about the You books. I mean, do you go on a rollercoaster and say wow that was boring it just went up and down and all around! The insight into Joe looking at his child on instagram was sad and my heart did go out to him a bit.

So join Joe for his completely bad decision making skills and find out if Mary Kay can survive his love. I was there for all of it and will be waiting for Season 3 on Netflix. show less

This is one of my most anticipated releases of 2021 and thank you so much to both Netgalley and Random House for the gift advance copy of You Love Me. I also want to say I am truly sorry for the delay of this review. This lateness is no reflection on how good or bad this book is. I have just had a few months where I haven’t wanted to do anything but read sleep repeat.

I first off want to say I am a major fan of Joe Goldberg and the YOU series. I love the character that is Joe. (don’t judge me I know he is nuts.) there is just something so captivating in the way this author describes this crazy man and the women that come across him.

I read You and Hidden Bodies again to prepare myself for book three and I am really glad I did. Once show more the story finishes in Hidden Bodies, I am instantly wanting to know how Joe and Love's story continues. This book takes you in a completely different direction than what's expected, and I think I really enjoyed that the most. I wasn't expecting Joe to fall for someone else and I certainly wasn't expecting that person to be in the predicament she was in.

Although the fact that this other person loves books is a complete added plus to this read. I will say I missed a bit of Joe in this book considering that I felt like this book was very tame in who he was in book one and two. That being said will people die in this book? Will we get a crazy obsessive Joe? Yes and kind of. There are parts you will find that the old Joe shines and it is great and there are parts where he tries to be tame and normal and it is just weird. I know this review is a bit tame and lacks detail but it is truly something you should experience on your own if you are a fan of the series. I will give it three stars because it was good but I can’t go any higher then that because I just needed a bit more crazy Joe and a little less attempt at normal. Will I continue the series if it continues? Yes, I would I would even love to see a different series from her. I will say that if you haven’t read the first two books start there. They are worth it. show less

He’s baaaaccck! Oh, Joe...you were missed! Creepy, psycho, stalker Joe has another new love interest. But, has he met his match with a new cast of crazies? To be honest, I cannot remember Hidden Bodies at all (I have it marked read but didn’t write a review) so some references threw me.

This book is definitely similar to the first one. Fast moving with surprises thrown in throughout. Kepnes is back in shape with this book! If you were a fan of You, You Loves Me will not disappoint. Characters you love to hate and hate to love.

Thanks to Ms. Kepnes, Random House and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.