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You: A Novel
Written by Caroline Kepnes
Narrated by Santino Fontana
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Start ListeningEditor's Note
Stalking you…
“Gone Girl” meets “Gossip Girl” in this extremely unnerving novel about how easy it is to become prey to stalking (or, to become a stalker yourself) in this hyper-connected digital age. It’s now a hit TV series starring Penn Badgley in a role that’s essentially an adult, much-creepier Dan Humphrey.
Description
From debut author Caroline Kepnes comes You, one of Suspense Magazine's Best Books of 2014, and a brilliant and terrifying novel for the social media age.
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.
A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. You is a compulsively readable pause-resister that's being compared to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Stephen King's Misery.
Book Actions
Start ListeningBook Information
You: A Novel
Written by Caroline Kepnes
Narrated by Santino Fontana
Editor's Note
Stalking you…
“Gone Girl” meets “Gossip Girl” in this extremely unnerving novel about how easy it is to become prey to stalking (or, to become a stalker yourself) in this hyper-connected digital age. It’s now a hit TV series starring Penn Badgley in a role that’s essentially an adult, much-creepier Dan Humphrey.
Description
From debut author Caroline Kepnes comes You, one of Suspense Magazine's Best Books of 2014, and a brilliant and terrifying novel for the social media age.
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.
A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. You is a compulsively readable pause-resister that's being compared to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Stephen King's Misery.
About the author
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Reviews
Such a unique reading experience! It was a little predictable, but honestly I didn't mind it because the 2nd person writing was so unique and different. This book was very creepy. It will have you looking out your window and checking over your shoulder. Very unique!
Rating: 4Occasionally I’ll stumble upon a book with a very deceptive synopsis. Caroline Kepnes’ novel, You, is primarily marketed as suspense, and while that is not entirely misleading, readers should be aware that it borders heavily on erotica. While Kepnes makes some bold choices in her narration, too much focus on extreme violence and sex significantly detracts from plot and character.
The protagonist, Joe, a twenty-something bookseller, immediately falls in lust with Guinevere, a young woman who walks into his bookstore. Despite being complete strangers, Joe creates an entire backstory for her in his head, and in the process immediately establishes himself as an unreliable narrator. Joe’s use of second person perspective fascinates, but while his voice is consistent, sometimes his highly passionate narration feels forced. As a result, many of the other main characters’ personality traits and quirks come off as exaggerated and shallow.
To make matters worse, the plot jumps from strange to outlandishly bizarre in mere pages. Kepnes presents every character in the novel, including some who only appear for a few chapters, as the absolute worst of humanity. I have never been a proponent of disliking a book because the protagonist is unpleasant, but when all of the characters are off-the-wall insane, it becomes exceedingly difficult to find the will to continue reading.
The heavily descriptive scenes of sex and violence, some real and many imagined, occur far too often. Joe’s obsession with Guinevere’s body not only verges on the obscene, but ends up annoying the reader with its repetition. Some scenes are so over-the-top, it would be laughable if it were not so disturbing. Moderation is often vital when it comes to making somewhat taboo topics believable, and moderation is what this book severely lacks.
Besides the unique choice of narrative voice, Caroline Kepnes’ You is just another run-of-the-mill erotic thriller with page after page of predictable reveals, senseless violence, and exaggerated sensuality. While I wouldn’t recommend it, if you do find it absolutely necessary to check out the hype, at least it’s a quick read.
Rating: 2The protagonist, Joe, a twenty-something bookseller, immediately falls in lust with Guinevere, a young woman who walks into his bookstore. Despite being complete strangers, Joe creates an entire backstory for her in his head, and in the process immediately establishes himself as an unreliable narrator. Joe’s use of second person perspective fascinates, but while his voice is consistent, sometimes his highly passionate narration feels forced. As a result, many of the other main characters’ personality traits and quirks come off as exaggerated and shallow.
To make matters worse, the plot jumps from strange to outlandishly bizarre in mere pages. Kepnes presents every character in the novel, including some who only appear for a few chapters, as the absolute worst of humanity. I have never been a proponent of disliking a book because the protagonist is unpleasant, but when all of the characters are off-the-wall insane, it becomes exceedingly difficult to find the will to continue reading.
The heavily descriptive scenes of sex and violence, some real and many imagined, occur far too often. Joe’s obsession with Guinevere’s body not only verges on the obscene, but ends up annoying the reader with its repetition. Some scenes are so over-the-top, it would be laughable if it were not so disturbing. Moderation is often vital when it comes to making somewhat taboo topics believable, and moderation is what this book severely lacks.
Besides the unique choice of narrative voice, Caroline Kepnes’ You is just another run-of-the-mill erotic thriller with page after page of predictable reveals, senseless violence, and exaggerated sensuality. While I wouldn’t recommend it, if you do find it absolutely necessary to check out the hype, at least it’s a quick read.
I must say I was intrigued by this with the Netflix movie out and I'm glad I read the book. While the language in it is definitely not for the faint of heart, I liked reading with the stalker/killer's POV and what drove him to his madness/obsession. Yes Joe is crazy, stalker and obsessed with Beck. He kills people that are not good for her, he steals her stuff, he knows everything about her. Basically a straightforward story, no twists and you know what is going to happen at the end. No surprises and I'm okay with that. I really need to know what happens next with him so I'll more than likely read the next book.
Rating: 3You by Caroline Kepnes is a thriller story about an obsessive stalker who poses as a Manhattan bookstore employee but is really living as a predator, hunting and tracking his victim. The book is unusual in that it is told entirely from the stalker’s point of view. The reader gets deep into Joe’s thoughts which are all involving the “You” of his current stalk. He meets Beck when she comes into the bookstore, but something about her attracts him and then they bond over literature.Joe sees Beck as his perfect match, but his way of worming into her life, leaves no doubt that this is not a romance, but deeply disturbing psychological behavior that is going to eventually implode. Joe uses technology to stalk Beck, and I don’t mean that he follows her on Twitter. He hacks into her e-mail, lifts her cellphone and monitors her text messages. He methodically removes anything or anyone that he sees is an obstacle all the while telling himself this is for her own good.The author excels at placing the reader firmly into Joe’s head and as he works through various situations the sense of impending doom heightens. You is a dark, twisted story that kept me totally engrossed and reading well past my bedtime.
Rating: 4Biggest takeaway: I felt that the the author was preparing the way for a turn, a surprise, but it never happened. Credit, for writing in second person POV but the main character and his obsession are never quite convincing. Both probably contribute to the feeling that I had of an unreliable narrator but apparently that was unintended by the author.
Rating: 3I actually forgot I owned this book until I started watching the show on Netflix. I got about three episodes into the show before I stopped watching so I could read the book. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand the characters were frustrating annoying but on the other hand, it was like I was under a spell and I could not stop reading. I read an article where women were obsessed by Joe. They wanted him to "stalk" them. The actor who plays Joe in the Netflix show of course discourages this obsession. I do too. It is not flattering that someone is so obsessed by someone else that they will follow their every move and find a way to incorporate themselves into that person's life. Although, in a way, if you think about how Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media outlet is today. It is really an easy platform for people to "stalk" others online without getting too close. Beck I found the most annoying. She was not that interesting. She was almost as shallow as her friend, Peach. She suffered from low self esteem. Thus the reason that it was so easy for Joe to find his way into her life. I got the concept of the book and the factor of the use of the word "you". However, after a while, it did grow old. Again, back to my original feelings about the book. This is where I had the mixed feelings. While, I found the characters not to have the best endearing qualities; I as "obsessed" to keep reading this book as Joe did have a good storytelling voice.
Rating: 3I listened to this on audiobook, which just made it that much more creepy.I think this was so different since it was from the stalkers POV. It was also very disturbing since the characters start dating. I thought it was going to get very intense, but I found myself losing interest. This could have been a little shorter as some stuff that happened did not bring anything extra/special to the storyline. This had so much more potential to be intense and “on the edge of your seat.” Great concept, but fell a little short.
Rating: 3Als sie seine Buchhandlung betritt, ist es um Joe Goldberg geschehen. Doch Guinevere Beck, die alle nur mit ihrem Nachnamen anreden, hat Amors Pfeil nicht so tief getroffen, weshalb er ein wenig nachhelfen muss. Erst beobachtet er die Studentin nur, dann nutzt er eine Gelegenheit, um mit ihr wieder in Kontakt zu treten. Nun sitzt sie in der Falle. Beck entwickelt tatsächlich Gefühle für ihn, aber andere Dinge, vor allem andere Männer, beschäftigen sie ebenfalls. Also muss Joe diese nach und nach aus dem Weg räumen. Den anderen Typen, die Freundin, den Therapeuten. Da er ihre Mails mitliest, ist er ihr immer einen Schritt voraus und er ist sich sicher, sie wird am Ende schon erkennen, was gut für sie ist.Die Geschichte um den besessenen Bücherfreak, der eine junge Frau stalkt, um sie für sich zu gewinnen, klingt in der Grundanlage spannend. Tatsächlich fand ich den Anfang auch sehr überzeugend, die Dialoge sind hier lebendig und Joes Verhalten zwar übergriffig, aber doch nachvollziehbar. Es ist offenkundig, dass er sich zum Psychopaten entwickeln wird und die Situation sich zuspitzen muss, aber dies geschieht nur mit sehr vielen Schleifen und Längen, was leider der Spannung nicht zuträglich ist.Natürlich ist Joe besessen und krank, die Leichtigkeit, mit der er mordet, ist ohne Frage auch jenseits des normalen Verhaltensrahmens. Allerdings sind die anderen Figuren auch weit davon entfernt, was zum Teil aber auch an der nicht ganz stimmigen Figurenzeichnung liegt. Vor allem Beck ist in sich nicht glaubwürdig, von der talentierten und ehrgeizigen Studentin, die ein Stipendium für eine der besten Universitäten erhalten hat, ist gar nichts zu spüren. Sie ist dümmlich, naiv, völlig desinteressiert an ihrem Studium und scheint außer für den nächsten Mann, den sie aufreißen kann, keine Gedanken zu haben. Auch ihren Freundinnen rangieren in jeder Hinsicht auf dem geistigen Niveau von 13-Jährigen Dorfproletinnen, was den wohlhabenden und intellektuellen Hintergrund, den sie angeblich haben, in keiner Weise widerspiegelt.Das ewige Hin und Her zwischen Joe und Beck, die ja irgendwie mag, aber dann doch nicht, soll vermeintlich das große Finale hinauszögern und die Spannung steigern. Allerdings wird es irgendwann sehr müßig herauszufinden, warum Beck jetzt gerade doch wieder nicht will oder was ihre Freundin ihr nun serviert. Die Schleife ist leider auch so wiederholend und vorhersehbar, dass keinerlei Überraschung kommt. Joes Informationsbeschaffung und Überwachungssystem ist clever, auch sein Charakter in sich völlig stimmig – aber das ist zu wenig, um den ganzen Roman durch zu tragen.
Rating: 3Wow. I don't know what to say about this book. At first, I put it down and thought, well I did not like that, but the more I thought about it the more I was just blown away by it. This is not your typical psychological stalker thriller. This book is so much deeper. I think the perspective it is told in helps you actually LIKE Joe, which is just absolutely nuts cause you most certainly should not like him. I mean, he is a sociopath, but I found myself hoping for him. Hoping Beck would call back, that he'd find love with her! Don't get me wrong, Beck is a horrific person all on her own too! The games she played with Joe made her just as bad as him at times. Was it that you hoped for them to find each other and hopefully help the other person become a better person? Did I actually crave for an unconventional Love Story with this book? Whatever it was, Caroline Kepnes did a fantastic job creating her characters and getting you to like the people you in no way in any world like!Fantastic book! It gave me the creeps the whole way through and also made me hope for these 2 to get together. hahah! Nuts!
Rating: 4Let's talk about the book that left me feeling like I was slowly, seductively, and intricately mind f*cked.
I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book, but with all the hype around it, I had to give it a read. Boy am I glad that I did, because this story was like no other.
Was it a romance? Kind of, but not really. It's basically a thriller that centers around obsession.
There is a guy that is infatuated with a girl. He makes her life his. He steals her phone and begins to control her life from the outside. When he places himself in her life intimately things take a dangerous turn. Nothing will stop him from what he wants. He kills for her and eventually the danger spins out of control. The ending was not what I expected, but it was an ending that leaves you thinking "Damn, this Author is gooood."
What I liked most about this book is the fact that it's not a one and done. You don't sit down and devour it in one day. It's a detailed, thought provoking book that makes you want to take your time to savor and comprehend all that's happening. It's a book that you do not skim. Each page has a purpose and each gritty word has meaning.
I loved it and really hope that there is another book about Joe. Even though he was a messed up sicko... In some twisted way, I liked him. I enjoyed being in his cryptic mind and I devoured his story one murder at a time.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a read that brings more than hearts and flowers to the table.
Rating: 5I didn't know what to expect when I picked up this book, but with all the hype around it, I had to give it a read. Boy am I glad that I did, because this story was like no other.
Was it a romance? Kind of, but not really. It's basically a thriller that centers around obsession.
There is a guy that is infatuated with a girl. He makes her life his. He steals her phone and begins to control her life from the outside. When he places himself in her life intimately things take a dangerous turn. Nothing will stop him from what he wants. He kills for her and eventually the danger spins out of control. The ending was not what I expected, but it was an ending that leaves you thinking "Damn, this Author is gooood."
What I liked most about this book is the fact that it's not a one and done. You don't sit down and devour it in one day. It's a detailed, thought provoking book that makes you want to take your time to savor and comprehend all that's happening. It's a book that you do not skim. Each page has a purpose and each gritty word has meaning.
I loved it and really hope that there is another book about Joe. Even though he was a messed up sicko... In some twisted way, I liked him. I enjoyed being in his cryptic mind and I devoured his story one murder at a time.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a read that brings more than hearts and flowers to the table.
Joe works in a bookstore. One day in walks Beck. Joe is instantly attracted and wants Beck. He not only wants her he wants to know everything about her and what she does, where she goes and who she speaks to. I saw this book recommend on You Tube and thought it sounded really good. I found the book very different to most thrillers I have read. Joe is a stalker and he will do anything to get what he wants. The book is told from Joe's point of view but also told in the second person. I found it different to hear from Joe, what he sees and feels whilst he is stalking Beck. Normally the narrative would have been from the victims point of view.This book is compelling and I wanted to see how it was going to pan out. Joe is one creepy character but I'm not sure if evetything he did is realistic. Beck I found quite annoying and her friend Peach. This however all added to the book.What I didn't enjoy was the constant sex. I'm not a prude and do enjoy sexy books but this book was quite crude at times. There was also a lot of use of the C word in different contexts.I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book. It had something that kept my interest but at times I just wanted it to conclude. It is clear at the end that Joe will be at it again in the next book. For me once was enough and I don't think that I would want to go through it all again.Recommend for something different but did become a little too much at times.
Rating: 4You is one excellent book. We follow Joe Goldberg, the creepy stalker, in his pursuit to inject himself into Beck's life. In the process of such, to the outside world, he seems like such a normal person. However his internal monologue (and hidden actions) reveal him to be a sociopathic serial killer. The story unfolds in a manner which makes it extremely difficult to feel sympathy for the people he's killing and the events within the novel slowly unfold to the very last page.It's well written and a pleasure to read, very much looking forward to the next instalment.
Rating: 5Joe Goldberg works in a bookstore in New York. One day, a gorgeous girl walks into his store, and Joe is immediately transfixed. She charms Joe in their brief encounter and so he searches for the name he saw when he swiped her credit card. He lucks out, easily finding Guinevere Beck all over the Internet. In fact, she seems to live a great deal of her life publicly on Facebook and Twitter, allowing Joe to digitally watch her from afar. But quickly, Joe begins to actually watch "Beck," as he learns she is called: hiding outside her apartment and eventually arranging a chance encounter. Beck and Joe's lives quickly become entwined, as Joe becomes more and more obsessed with his perfect girl. Beck thinks Joe could be the ideal boyfriend, and he's determined to be just that: no matter what it takes.
Oh my, I have some mixed feelings about this book, but ultimately wound up rating it 4 stars simply because I just couldn't put it down, and I don't think I will stop thinking about it anytime soon. I actually found myself feeling suspicious of other people during and after reading it, as if being watched -- that's how good Kepnes was at weaving her tale of stalking and obsession. Joe is a fascinating character, and you become almost immediately sucked into his delusions. The book is told from his point of view, and it's written as if he's speaking directly to Beck. Once you become used to that, it's compulsively readable.
This is not a book full of characters with whom you will love and empathize. Now I admit that there were times that Joe felt so normal that you forgot he's basically batshit insane, and sometimes Beck herself (the victim, you have to remind yourself) is pretty terrible, too. This is a book about awful people doing terrible things to everyone in their lives. It's dirty (Joe's brain is not a pretty place) and dark, so dark. It dragged a little bit for me about 3/4 through (it's a pretty long book), but picked up very quickly as it neared the end.
In the end, I found this book to be amazingly intense. I continued to have complicated feelings for Joe up until the last pages. The novel is certainly a warning about our digital age and how easy it is to have your digital footprint (and subsequent actual life) invaded. It's also a twisted story of obsession. It will keep you turning the pages late into the night (with the curtains CLOSED).
Rating: 4Oh my, I have some mixed feelings about this book, but ultimately wound up rating it 4 stars simply because I just couldn't put it down, and I don't think I will stop thinking about it anytime soon. I actually found myself feeling suspicious of other people during and after reading it, as if being watched -- that's how good Kepnes was at weaving her tale of stalking and obsession. Joe is a fascinating character, and you become almost immediately sucked into his delusions. The book is told from his point of view, and it's written as if he's speaking directly to Beck. Once you become used to that, it's compulsively readable.
This is not a book full of characters with whom you will love and empathize. Now I admit that there were times that Joe felt so normal that you forgot he's basically batshit insane, and sometimes Beck herself (the victim, you have to remind yourself) is pretty terrible, too. This is a book about awful people doing terrible things to everyone in their lives. It's dirty (Joe's brain is not a pretty place) and dark, so dark. It dragged a little bit for me about 3/4 through (it's a pretty long book), but picked up very quickly as it neared the end.
In the end, I found this book to be amazingly intense. I continued to have complicated feelings for Joe up until the last pages. The novel is certainly a warning about our digital age and how easy it is to have your digital footprint (and subsequent actual life) invaded. It's also a twisted story of obsession. It will keep you turning the pages late into the night (with the curtains CLOSED).
Guinevere Beck walks into a small bookstore and encounters and flirts with Joe, the man who runs the store. They have a conversation about books and flirt a little. Joe becomes obsessed with wanting to know more about "Beck". He finds her on social media, finds out where she lives and really begins stalking her. This is scary. What is even scarier than the story is that you kind of like Joe. This is written in second person perspective, so Joe is the guy. Obsession is his game. He goes a little far in some cases. Well written and pulls you right in with the writing.
Rating: 3A little dirty, but surprisingly captivating. I liked it much more than I expected. Be warned: Not for the easily-offended or prudish.
Rating: 5This book takes stalking to a whole new level. Extremely creepy but a worthwhile read. The reader wants to despise the main character yet comes
to almost understand his reasoning for his actions. I wanted to be angry at the crimes that took place but honestly most of the characters were pretty unlikeable. Most of the characters were fairly shallow. The book gets bonus points for mentioning my hometown!
Rating: 5to almost understand his reasoning for his actions. I wanted to be angry at the crimes that took place but honestly most of the characters were pretty unlikeable. Most of the characters were fairly shallow. The book gets bonus points for mentioning my hometown!
loved it! just like the show! ive been waiting for season 2 i cant wait to start hidden bodies!
Rating: 5
CRAZY LOVE. OBSESSION,POSSESSION. WORTH READING, WORTH LISTENING TO, AND ,MORESO, BINGE WATCHING THE MOVIE.
Rating: 5
This is a fascinating read told from the perspective of Joe, an obsessive stalker and serial killer. Dark? Yes. But Joe’s character is multidimensional- incredibly witty and sometimes so relatable that I caught myself rooting for him at various points. And ultimately that’s what made the book so creepy and the writing so brilliant. The plot was a bit predictable- but overall, this was highly entertaining.
Rating: 4
I read this as sort of a pregame before I watch the series on Netflix. I love thrillers and this was something new to me. It was the first time I read a thriller novel with 2nd person POV. And Joe's narration, just wow. His character was so complex that it made me question myself whether it was sane or not to kind of root for him. He has that effect, I guess.
Rating: 5
very good . gave me the wierds a few times . the way he justifies his actions and blames the victim blew my mind. makes you think.
Rating: 4
The narrator gave the book so much life! ?
Rating: 5I won't call it a masterpiece but something to kill time with.
Rating: 3Way too drawn out and no suspense. Predictable. Beck is annoying and whiny.
Rating: 2
Woahhh! This book is so insane! I didn't like Joe, then I liked him, and then I didn't like him! This was such a twisted psycho thriller! Loved it!!!
Rating: 5
This audio book was amazing!! The voice actor made it even better!!
Rating: 5Amazing, well thought out, a deep dive into the twisted psyche of a likable monster who proves he’s a monster time and time again. If this book had been from Beck’s point of view, it might have been easy to forgive Joe, root for him, but the chosen POV renders his positive traits moot and that’s necessary! Loved this. Will read again, of course!
Rating: 5This is my second time reading this book. The first time I physically read it and loved it. This time around I listened to the audio version read by Santino Fontana. I would listen to him read the phonebook now. He did an amazing job with Joe and actually had me rooting for him at times. I wish I could give this book 10 stars. 5 for Caroline Kepnes and 5 for Santino Fontana.
Rating: 5
This was such a twisted story, it pulled me into the mind of Joe a stalker who thought he was living a romance. It was dark and scary and showed just how easy it would be for someone to find out everything about you in this digital age.
Rating: 4
Wow! Loved the unique point of view, I became hooked from the very beginning.
Rating: 5