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jasminelucyx's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this, I had already watched the Netflix show so I knew what I was in for, but this was actually pretty different (not as much happened.) I obviously disliked Joe but also Beck in this, as you only see her through Joes eyes in the book. The ending was a lot more brutal and I just think Joe is generally a better villain without Penn Badgley convincing you he is a good guy
luzzemilee's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Stalking, and Death
Minor: Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Cursing, Toxic friendship, and Confinement
joelette's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Great book! I was looking forward to the sequel.
v_j0n3s's review against another edition
5.0
I never watched the show so I didn’t have anything to base it off of. My expectations were low, I forgot it was on my tbr and debated taking it off. SOOOO glad I didn’t! Wow!!!
The way his mind works, how short his fuse was but also, how quick he was to ‘snapping back’ to normal. Just wow.
The way his mind works, how short his fuse was but also, how quick he was to ‘snapping back’ to normal. Just wow.
hgmcghee19's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone absolutely loves this book, but it literally took me almost a year to finish. I just could not get into it at first.
jennywrennn's review against another edition
3.0
This was interesting. I'm finding it hard to review.
It was definitely creepy...but honestly, not nearly as creepy as I thought it was going to be. You'd think a book from the perspective of a sicko stalker would really give you the chills, but there was something clinical in the way he talked about things that kind of took away from the terror of the moment?
I didn't like Beck very much, but I think that was almost the point/it helped the story. You really got a sense of how delusional Joe is based on how high a pedestal he puts this girl on, when she's actually kind of shitty.
I did feel like it ran a little long- it dragged in points. His obsession didn't peak fast enough nor was it intense enough to really get the creep factor going
I don't know. I thought it was good. I thought it was creepy-ish. I liked it. It wasn't great, terrifying, and I didn't love it. I think if you like thrillers but get scared too easily, then this is probably a good book for you. But if you're expecting serious creep-out-can't-put-it-down-what's-going-to-happen...it's not quite that.
It was definitely creepy...but honestly, not nearly as creepy as I thought it was going to be. You'd think a book from the perspective of a sicko stalker would really give you the chills, but there was something clinical in the way he talked about things that kind of took away from the terror of the moment?
Spoiler
When he killed Peach and Benji, I wasn't even scared or disgusted or anything... I think the way Joe talks about it so simply and casually makes it less scary than it should be, for some reason. He just talks about things in a way that's like, 'This is just how it has to be for us to be together, so I took care of it." And my reaction was mostly just, 'huh. yeah, okay.' I also felt like it was lacking in description and gore - he kills Benji with a peanut allergy, and then burns his body. I guess I was hoping for a more brutal/gruesome/scary end for these characters, but we don't get that. That makes ME sound like the sicko, but you want a thriller to be thrilling!I didn't like Beck very much, but I think that was almost the point/it helped the story. You really got a sense of how delusional Joe is based on how high a pedestal he puts this girl on, when she's actually kind of shitty.
Spoiler
I did love how hard she fought in the end there though, badass!I did feel like it ran a little long- it dragged in points. His obsession didn't peak fast enough nor was it intense enough to really get the creep factor going
Spoiler
I mean, he lets Beck go and dates Karen for a good chunk of the book, and I know she was just a 'practice girlfriend' but it felt unneccessary to me. If he's an obsessive stalker, let him be an obsessive stalker - we spent way to big a chunk of the book with them broken up and not even talking, and Joe didn't even seem that bothered about it?I don't know. I thought it was good. I thought it was creepy-ish. I liked it. It wasn't great, terrifying, and I didn't love it. I think if you like thrillers but get scared too easily, then this is probably a good book for you. But if you're expecting serious creep-out-can't-put-it-down-what's-going-to-happen...it's not quite that.
jockgreg03's review against another edition
5.0
This book is fast pasted and intense. There are a lot lot unexpected twists and turns. Just saying Beck did not deserve Joe.
roglows's review against another edition
4.0
funnier (i mean, laugh at loud at times, for me) and even more clever than i'd expected.
and so, so disturbing.
mixed feelings about ending, though it was...appropriate. this is the sort of story that stays with you.
and so, so disturbing.
mixed feelings about ending, though it was...appropriate. this is the sort of story that stays with you.
cindymajor's review against another edition
3.0
Is it bad when you read a book about a girl being stalked and you don't really feel that bad for her? I don't know what I was expecting from this book when I bought it, but the story was not at all what I had envisioned, in big part because I never expected to not feel bad for a character being stalked.
I found Beck a hard character to have empathy for. I found her to be flaky and shallow, and while I don't think anyone deserve to be stalked, no matter how bad of a person they might be, I could almost empathize more with Joe's ardent desire to love and be loved, even though he went about it in the worst possible manner. The way Beck is using Joe, especially in the first half of the book, was almost bothering me as much as the blatant invasion of privacy on his part.
Halfway through the book. I had a look at a few YouTube videos about the TV show. Didn't watch the show itself, just interviews, but hearing from the author and the producer about what they were trying to get across with the story made me see the rest of the book in a different light.
Another element that knocked stars off is the writing. The ideas are all jumbled and the end of the sentence does not always seem to go with the beginning. Many times, I went back to reread sentences, trying to make sense of it. I kept reminding myself it was probably meant to show that Joe's thoughts are all over the map and that he keeps jumping from one thought to the next, but that made for a difficult reading. I was also taken aback by the crude language and graphic content - did not expect it and that affected my appreciation of the book as well.
*2.5 stars*
I found Beck a hard character to have empathy for. I found her to be flaky and shallow, and while I don't think anyone deserve to be stalked, no matter how bad of a person they might be, I could almost empathize more with Joe's ardent desire to love and be loved, even though he went about it in the worst possible manner. The way Beck is using Joe, especially in the first half of the book, was almost bothering me as much as the blatant invasion of privacy on his part.
Halfway through the book. I had a look at a few YouTube videos about the TV show. Didn't watch the show itself, just interviews, but hearing from the author and the producer about what they were trying to get across with the story made me see the rest of the book in a different light.
Another element that knocked stars off is the writing. The ideas are all jumbled and the end of the sentence does not always seem to go with the beginning. Many times, I went back to reread sentences, trying to make sense of it. I kept reminding myself it was probably meant to show that Joe's thoughts are all over the map and that he keeps jumping from one thought to the next, but that made for a difficult reading. I was also taken aback by the crude language and graphic content - did not expect it and that affected my appreciation of the book as well.
*2.5 stars*