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melinda_and_her_books's review against another edition
4.0
It is vwry hard for me to decide what to rate this one. I give it 3.5 stars.
carriesouthard's review against another edition
5.0
Cannot wait to read the second book! This book is a page turner!
Though both characters might be mentally ill- Joe’s love for Beck is enthralling in every aspect.
It’s not very often I can’t put a book down but with every page I was wanting more and more inside of these characters!
5 stars for this suspenseful, tragic love story!
Though both characters might be mentally ill- Joe’s love for Beck is enthralling in every aspect.
It’s not very often I can’t put a book down but with every page I was wanting more and more inside of these characters!
5 stars for this suspenseful, tragic love story!
alicialafaye's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the plot, highly predictable but still engaging! But, I could do without the harsh language and strong sexual misconduct.
mainereading's review against another edition
4.0
This book was wild! A true obsessive stalker book, but from the point of view of the Stalker. I don't think I've read anything like this before. Joe was seriously messed up, but I loved him?! I loved his dark sense of humor throughout the book and found him interesting. He genuinely didn't think he was doing anything wrong and believed it was all for her and in her best interest. What a crazy read! I can't wait to watch the show!
aimesericks's review against another edition
dark
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Creepy- I like that it’s written from the stalker perspective.
sam_hartwig's review against another edition
4.0
After ready Verity by Colleen Hoover, and loving it so much, I knew I needed to read more thrillers. This book was recommended to me by a friend and I thought the concept sounded so creepy and intriguing.
To start with I really enjoyed the book, but almost halfway I started to get bored as I found it a little slow, and wanted more creepy stuff to happen. I put the book down for a while and read something else. Then maybe almost a month later I picked it up again, and I was hooked!
Now that I've finished I'd love to see how the book will translate into a TV show. Will I connect with Joe as much as I did in the book? Will I feel sorry for Beck or dislike her as I did in the book? Looks like I'll have to get my hands on a copy of the show.
I'm also interested to see what happens in book two. I'm not going to rush out and read it just yet, but it's definitely on my radar.
To start with I really enjoyed the book, but almost halfway I started to get bored as I found it a little slow, and wanted more creepy stuff to happen. I put the book down for a while and read something else. Then maybe almost a month later I picked it up again, and I was hooked!
Now that I've finished I'd love to see how the book will translate into a TV show. Will I connect with Joe as much as I did in the book? Will I feel sorry for Beck or dislike her as I did in the book? Looks like I'll have to get my hands on a copy of the show.
I'm also interested to see what happens in book two. I'm not going to rush out and read it just yet, but it's definitely on my radar.
rhmunch512's review against another edition
3.0
From start to finish this book kept my jaw dropped. The first chapters are so crude I found myself laughing at the ridiculousness of what I was reading. Several time I couldn’t help but think, “I can’t believe a woman wrote this”. Kepnes did a fantastic job at getting us into the minds of an insane young man. The more I read, the more differences there were to the show. I found both characters, Beck and Joe so unlikable. Almost every character written, they were hard to like, much like the author intended. The book gives a much more intense look into the brain of Joe Goldberg than the show and it was fascinating learning more about his backstory and understanding how his mind worked. The book was well written, accomplished what it intended, utilized both obvious and subtle forms of sexism, and hard to put down. Both the show and the book are great and have watchers and readers on the edge of their seat and rapidly turning the page. Very much looking forward to reading the next one.
sammy121895's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you’ve seen the Netflix series, it’s pretty much the same as that. I like the first person present tense writing style. The characters are not very like able but not in a bad way. Something still has me rooting for Joe for some reason. There are some bits that seem a bit far fetched but no so much that it takes away from the story. Overall would recommend
Bookshop manager Joe, meets young grad student/writer Beck and is enamored immediately. Some may even say he’s obsessed with Beck. He is willing to do anything to get Beck to not only notice him, but fall in love with him. Beck is taken a bit by Joe at first, but she may soon come to realize that their meeting was no accident. Joe has know Beck for much longer than she has know him.
Bookshop manager Joe, meets young grad student/writer Beck and is enamored immediately. Some may even say he’s obsessed with Beck. He is willing to do anything to get Beck to not only notice him, but fall in love with him. Beck is taken a bit by Joe at first, but she may soon come to realize that their meeting was no accident. Joe has know Beck for much longer than she has know him.
sambo_0103's review against another edition
Was expected more substance out of the MC. His thoughts was just sex, sex, sex. Even while he was killing another guy, he was thinking about sex with her. I wanted to like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, and Drug use
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Kidnapping, Murder, and Toxic relationship
curiousherring's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I wish I had read this before seeing the TV show, but unfortunately, Netflix got to me first. That's not a bad thing–I absolutely loved the show, but it just made me read the book in a different light. It's always hard to visualise characters in any other way after seeing them on screen, and I couldn't imagine it any other way.
However, I'm not sure if that made me love the book more because it made me think of the show, or if it hindered my thoughts because it took away some of the creativity that reading offers. Would it have been a five-star read had I not seen the show? I have no idea.
I think it must be really hard to write a book from the perspective of a psycho, especially as it's easy for people to then judge the author for being sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, racist or whatever. In many cases (for me, at least) if a character is vile, it's because the author has done a great job of representing them in a sadistic way, aiming to make the character's traits provoke the reader. It's not because the author themselves feel that way. Maybe some do, but I feel like a lot of authors (and, after reading some other reviews, Kepnes seems to have fallen into this, unfortunately), get a bit of a harsh time because of it.
Perhaps that's why I enjoyed this so much. Like American Psycho, I'm amazed that people can write characters so undeniably fucked up. Kudos.
However, I'm not sure if that made me love the book more because it made me think of the show, or if it hindered my thoughts because it took away some of the creativity that reading offers. Would it have been a five-star read had I not seen the show? I have no idea.
I think it must be really hard to write a book from the perspective of a psycho, especially as it's easy for people to then judge the author for being sexist, misogynistic, homophobic, racist or whatever. In many cases (for me, at least) if a character is vile, it's because the author has done a great job of representing them in a sadistic way, aiming to make the character's traits provoke the reader. It's not because the author themselves feel that way. Maybe some do, but I feel like a lot of authors (and, after reading some other reviews, Kepnes seems to have fallen into this, unfortunately), get a bit of a harsh time because of it.
Perhaps that's why I enjoyed this so much. Like American Psycho, I'm amazed that people can write characters so undeniably fucked up. Kudos.