Santino delivers Joe, Kepnes delivers reflection

Kepnes writes a violent narcissist's mind with ease and precision. Joe is fraying at the edges after his previous traumas, his insecurities on full display, his obsessions at full height, and his delusions at full weight. Wonder, a sincere and empathetic woman devoted to herself and her family, is caught in his snare, and a true crime podcast and writing fellowship throws him in the path of deceit and murder once again.

Kepnes is contemplative, allowing Joe to explore his writer persona in depth while clashing with the reality of publishing, an avatar for her own experiences and frustrations with the media industry and the inextricable corruption that it bears on art to create something of mass appeal.

Kepnes dissects the notion of writing vs. storytelling, a key thesis throughout the text. This conversation is used grant Kepnes permission to allow events and relationships to breathe more freely, not unlike the last book, but with a more cogent layer of Joe's insecurities and unstable sense of self at the forefront, while inverting the expectations of where the overall narrative will lead. It leads, perhaps, to a feeling of disconnection between this novel and the previous novels, where the action escalates and tension culminates in a climactic way.

We are left with a Joe, played to perfection by Santino Fontana, who is obsessed with himself, and utterly insecure. The same Joe in every book of the series. The difference now is that Kepnes is challenging the readers to observe capitalism's impact on storytelling and the narcissism that lurks within Joe with more intent and focus. We have more of Joe than ever, but less of a thriller than ever, too, perhaps to make room for more Joe monologuing. Is this a bad thing? Maybe. Regardless, Kepnes wants the reader to examine what's important to them as a reader, a writer, not the least through the characters of Wonder and Sarah Beth, who embody the ideas sincerity and capitalist inhumanity respectively, but laced throughout the novel in plot, theming, tone, and narrative. The intent and discussion is clear and focused, but the plot will not thrill you like before. Nonetheless an interesting, if restrained, entry into the You series.

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1 person found this helpful

Joe goes mild`\

For those that are well acquainted with the “You” series will be well aware of the nature of Joe Goldberg, his over the top deranged thinking is what appeals to us somewhat as Caroline Kepnes manages to make him likeable somehow. Joe normally feels self assured of his abilities and his viewpoints, but in this book it is turned on his head where he is just repeating constantly his insecurities of being a writer, without wanting to sound too rude i wonder if this is some insecurities that Caroline feels or felt beforehand and whilst wanting to portray those emotions in this book and got too caught up in that.

I would read another “You” book 100%, but id struggle if it kept to this formula.

Santino Fontana was great as always.

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Different from the other books but I loved it

Disclosure: I love both the author and the narrator of these books. I do agree with some other reviewers that this is different and I hear Caroline Kepnes discuss literary writing vs story telling in the book and wonder if that's what's going on here. I've never watched the TV adaptation as no one else could be Joe for me and I'm sure it would be impossible to capture the nuances and references within the writing in a TV show. In fact, I love the exquisite lines in this book so much that I'm going to buy the hard copy too. Be prepared for a book that is more thought than action compared with the others in the series but I loved it. Already looking forward to the next one!

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Another exceptional story!

I cannot get enough of these books! The writing is exceptional as is the narration! Can’t wait for the next one!

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Dazzlingly Disturbing

Caroline Kepnes has lured me in again to binge a book about a man I can't stand. Such a close, unfettered look at Joe's mind reminds me of watching a car crash. It's utterly disturbing and impossible to look away from. In terms of the series, it's absolutely my favourite so far. A similar feel to book 1 with new twists and turns to immerse yourself in.
Hearing Joe's neurosis in Santino Fontana's voice is as always, unmatched by any other audiobook series I've listened to. The combination of the signature writing style and the brilliant performance make me feel like I'm trapped in Joe's head with him. I'm not an authority on books (I'm no Goodreads Girl) but for me, this is a great listen.

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Hear me out..

I love Caroline.K. In my eyes, she can do no wrong. I even refused to watch the Netflix series as I didn’t think anyone could ever do justice to Joe’s character the way Caroline had written him.
I feel like in the previous book we really lost Joe but we had the cage..so i could bare it. In this book however we lost Joe AND the cage. It didn’t feel like a You book at all.
Like the other readers have mentioned - the story was lacking depth. There was NO story to speak of. Wonders character felt so under developed and the story line felt a little similar to Becks in the beginning too..
I missed Joe sneaking around, plotting stuff and up until now I really enjoyed Joe putting his characters in the cage or atleast the final conversations between Joe and his victims before he killed them. There was none of that here. The book felt rushed and empty.
I do hope we get more in the series and I hope we get Joe AND the cage back. His character, for me anyway, is my favourite in any book/series I’ve ever read.
I think the narrator deserves and Oscar for his performance and to me, his voice will always be Joe. He can do no wrong.
The only thing I have an issue with is the story. Or lack of it.
Read it..it’s OK. Not the best and certainly not the worst.

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Best one in the series!

Really enjoyed this one, the pacing is much better and gripping than the last and I feel this book really played into Joe’s character, I can’t wait to see what the next book has in store! Deffo a great pick up for fans of the series!

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Killed the series

Nothing really happens. This book, same as the last series, ended my interest in YOU.

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A weak entry into a great series

So like many, I got hooked onto the Netflix series and the series of books. I was genuinely excited and pre-ordered this book, and was genuinely disappointed.

The first two books were fantastic, literally couldn't stop listening and they have found a place on my bookshelves. The third entry was slow, and felt like something she had to do because of Netflix. This entry, just feels forced. Joe has gone tame and mild. His usual reasoning for killing people, which were meticulous in their planning, has gone. It is now a case of, this person needs to die because they have upset me, so they die.

The performance, is once again, excellent, the narrator captures Joe's voice perfectly, but the story couldn't keep up the momentum it once had. If another book is released, I'll read and listen to it, however if the plot line and the pacing stays the same as this and 'You Love Me' I don't think it will get the same recognition as previous entries.

Overall, very disappointed and dissatisfied with this book, and have very little interest in reading/listening to it again in the future.

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A Rare Find…

A rare find when the TV show/movie is better than the books.
I enjoyed the first book and each that followed in the series just didn’t live up to that standard.
Santino, the narrator and voice of Joe is excellent but the story, not so much.
I felt like I had to listen to this book just to finish off his story, pretty disappointed but just glad it’s over.
Definitely recommend watching the show over this, sorry.

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