"You" by Caroline Kepnes

Finally got the chance to sit down and dive into Caroline Kepnes, “You!” And I… absolutely loved it. Typically I prefer to read the book prior to watching the related movie/series- but in this case, I was introduced to Joe Goldberg from the series that everyone was raving about.  Though as much as I thoroughly enjoyed binge-watching the series on Netflix, I slightly enjoyed the book more. And in the following text, I’ll go over what I loved about the novel more than the show, and what I missed from the novel, that was included in the show. Before I get to that though (head’s up, there will be a few spoilers if you haven’t read the book and/or watched the series) I will say that I would highly recommend this novel. If you’re into thrillers, mystery, suspense, drama, and anything of the like - this will definitely be a win for your library collection. Joe is a WILD boy- and seeing a more in-depth look through Kepnes eyes, and just letting your imagination run crazy, is EVERYthing.

Now- for the deep dive into the novel (again, “SPOILER ALERTS” to follow):

The first thing I took notice of that was the same between the novel and the show series, was Peach’s obsession with Beck, and Beck’s co-dependency on Peach. Within both I always felt like Beck had absolutely zero backbone when it came to standing up to Peach or even defending Joe. (As the reader, we knew Joe was up to know good, but Beck hadn’t the slightest idea- and rarely stuck up for him and put Peach in her place.) I also liked how the general storyline between Joe and Beck’s relationship pretty much flowed the same- though I actually disliked Beck a lot more in the book. Something about her was just distasteful, where from the very beginning I just felt like she wasn’t all the way in like she appeared to be.

I do love how Kepnes portrays Joe as a little more organized and strategic in the novel. In the show series he just seemed always on edge and ALWAYS on the brink of getting caught (which I guess for a tv show, adds a lot more suspense and has readers on edge);  he seemed like a wreck in the show, but still very deranged and delusional in the book. I will say what I missed from the book was Paco’s character. In the show, his character relationship with Joe just made Joe seem a little bit more humane and normal. We saw a side of him that was detached from his obsession with Beck, and genuinely just concerned about his younger neighbor; almost in a “big brother” sense.

A few other things I wish the book had, were a deeper dive into Joe’s relationship with Mr. Mooney and their back-story, as well as when Joe confronted Beck about the fling she had with Dr. Nicky. That moment watching him on my television truly break down and just seeing Beck get caught in a web of lies, was unmatched. It made us viewers really empathize with Joe (and no, we didn’t forget that he was still stalking her and killing everyone in his path) but you just felt sorry for the guy! I mean he’s pulling all the stops for Beck, literally, and she’s out cheating with her therapist and lying about it. Messy!

Without giving too much more away for those who haven’t read- I also missed the back-story of Joe and Candace’s relationship being included (I am just starting “Hidden Bodies”, the sequel, so maybe we’ll get a little more in-depth in that novel. Fingers crossed!) There are so many more interesting things that happened in the book- but I don’t want to completely unravel the entire book and ruin some of the surprises and twists. But with that being said, I truly love Kepnes approach to this book where most readers find themselves somehow, unwillingly, feeling sorry for the psychopathic, stalking, murderous Joe. Absolutely genius! I’m excited to get through “Hidden Bodies”, and impatiently waiting for the release of books three and four!