You Book Review

You by Caroline Kepnes

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Blurb:

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 tonight - 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 way - even if it means murder.

Review by Brittany:

So this book is crazy. Terrifying, uncomfortable, totally insane. And I loved it.

The way this book is written is amazing. It's in second person and reads like Joe is talking to Beck the whole time, telling her all the events that are happening. The writing was done so well and the point of view was so unique that I was drawn in immediately and impressed by it.

I will say, though, that there were times this book left me feeling like I might be kind of crazy. When Joe was going on dates with Beck, he was charming and amusing and kind of adorable. I found myself thinking, "He'd be great if he wasn't so crazy." Which made me feel kind of crazy, but how could I sort of have a crush on a stalker? I think this illustrates the skill that Kepnes has, though, to make a character who is so scary also a bit redeemable at times.

The characters in this book were interesting to me because I didn't think a single one was that great. Joe obviously had some psychological problems to deal with, and Beck was kind of awful, too. She strung guys along and used her sexuality to feel good about herself. She kept secrets from her friends and from the men in her life. She cared more about what her friends thought about her than what she thought, and used their opinions to determine her relationships. She also seemed to me to thrive off drama in her life. She just wasn't a quality character, which I think made the story more interesting.

As a warning, please note that this book does get violent and sexually graphic, something to be aware of if that might bother you.

Overall, I thought this book was excellent. It strikes me as the kind of book that a person will either love or hate, with no feelings in between. If the blurb does not sound intriguing, please don't get this one. But if you feel like taking a bit of a reading risk, if nothing else, the way this one is written makes it an interesting read.

Notable quotes:

Work in a bookstore and learn that most people in this world feel guilty about being who they are.

I remember my dad saying nothing and I remember his silence more vividly than I remember the things he said.

No matter what I do or how hard I try I will always wind up like this, trapped by a guy who has more, knows more.

And when a girl likes talking about you more than talking to you, well, in my experience, that's the end.

I have nothing left to crave and dream about anymore.