[ARC Review] YOU

Love hurts...

When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe works, he’s instantly smitten. Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: She’s gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and as sexy as his wildest dreams.

Beck doesn’t know it yet, but she’s perfect for him, and soon she can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom made for her. But there’s more to Joe than Beck realizes, and much more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect façade. Their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences . . .

A chilling account of unrelenting passion, Caroline Kepnes’s You is a perversely romantic thriller that’s more dangerously clever than any you’ve read before.

               

I’m not even sure where to begin. I have to say this book isn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be. I’m not upset, but I guess I’m not thrilled either. While half the time I didn’t know how I felt about this book, I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next, to whom it would happen to, and why. Everything about this book is intense. I honestly still think I’m a little shocked by the happenings inside the story.  YOU was definitely a different kind of story, while being funny and absolutely bizarre, it was suspenseful and kept you yearning for more.

The character development was phenomenal and I couldn’t help but route for the bad guy. Or was he the bad guy? I mean I guess he was… but was he really? I’m so conflicted about my feelings towards the main character of Joe. I wanted him to get his love. I thoroughly enjoyed his point of views on society, and life. The second person narration threw me off a little, since I’m not really into it. I found it hard to follow along a few times as I got confused as to who was speaking. Joe may have been psychotic, but he was adorable at the same time. I got a Dexter type vibe from him, and I LOVE me some Dexter. You just can’t help but get involved with the characters on a deeper level. While loving Joe and having a love/hate relationship with Beck, I pretty much disliked all of the supporting characters.  Not because they were bad characters either, I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to like them. Although I did feel bad for Karen, and Ethan was adorable. 

Now, I have to admit… most of the time I didn’t like the character of Beck. While she was with Joe and making him happy, I adored her. When she wasn’t with Joe and just disappeared on him with no explanation I seriously loathed her.  I think I just admitted to myself that I was totally team Joe. I found Beck to be pretentious and demanding. She sought out attention in any form, from anyone who would give it to her. She’s the type that uses sexuality to get what she wants, then throws it away. Beck is a slob, a complete hot mess. Her flaws make you wonder why Joe is so smitten with her, but in a way her flaws are her perfection.

While there is a lot of dark humor in the book and social belittling, I couldn’t help but be on Joe’s side. Joe makes you feel that his actions are justifiable. I pretty much made an excuse for myself to relate to him and understand why he did what he did. The entire creep factor of this book kept me entranced in the lives of Joe and Beck. Every time Joe would relate his life to one of the books he read I would just smile, knowing how being a reader… that’s what we do.

I loved the aspect of Beck being from Nantucket, RI. Living in RI myself I was enthralled while reading about how the characters were going to Little Compton, and how the author knew how far away Fall River, MA was. The one thing that bothered me (strictly because I live in RI) is the mention of Taylor Swift and where she lived. Little Compton isn’t anywhere near where Ms. Swift lives in Westerly. Don’t get me wrong, the reference was nice, but to any Rhode Islander… that’s just SO far. I mean people here don’t want to take a 15min drive to Providence, because it’s “too far”.  

All in all this was a great read. A psychological thriller with a twist of eroticism, that left my mind reeling in ten different directions all at once. I have to say the whole stalking thing is super creepy, but it totally works. I can’t lie, I kind of hoped that there would be a happily ever after. The ending definitely fit the novel, and fit Joe. This is one of those reads that you’ll never quite completely understand. The creep factor is off the charts, and the things that happen will just amaze you. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of Dexter. However, I’m not sure that everyone can stomach this read, since it’s very intense. It’s Different, Hot. An absolute conundrum.

**PRE-ORDER**

Book Releases September 30th, 2014

Amazon [Hardcover]  |  Kindle  | B&N  |  Simon & Schuster