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seekerxr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
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
4.25
I did watch the first...two? Seasons of the show when it came out years ago so I did vaguely know what to expect when watching this but wow. WOW. However bad Joe was in the show he is ten times worse in the books.
From the very first page, the writing style of this book is just incredibly gripping. There is no easing you into this book's particular flavor of suspense and horror and revulsion; you're in the deep end from day one. You know exactly where this book is going, exactly how it's going to end, and all you can do is just watch uneasily as the bitter end grows closer and closer. The writing in this book is truly like nothing I've ever seen: first person from Joe's point of view yet also second person, as if his entire narration of the book is a story he is telling TO Beck. It's chilling and vicious and so incredibly unsettling you just can't look away.
Joe really is the worst sort of criminal and internal monologue tells you that clear as day. The worst part is he doesn't think he's bad, which is probably par for the course when it comes to people like him, but it still makes you a bit incredulous to read how he justifies the absolutely insane things he thinks about and does. The way he claims that Beck is the love of his life but half the time literally all he thinks and cares about is her body and when he'll next get to sleep with her.
That being said, I did have some problems with this book. It definitely shows its age at being early to mid-2010s literature with just a smattering of bigotry. I don't if the author put that in deliberately to show it was how Joe thought or if it was just a product of the attitudes at the time it was written. For me it was just on the border of too much sometimes, but never bad enough to stop reading the entire book.
I would say definitely do a bit more in-depth research on the trigger warnings before deciding to pick them up because the tags on Storygraph missed some important ones, but otherwise this book was pretty great. I won't be continuing the series, because having someone like Joe Goldberg as the main character and being in his head is a LOT, but I did enjoy this book!
From the very first page, the writing style of this book is just incredibly gripping. There is no easing you into this book's particular flavor of suspense and horror and revulsion; you're in the deep end from day one. You know exactly where this book is going, exactly how it's going to end, and all you can do is just watch uneasily as the bitter end grows closer and closer. The writing in this book is truly like nothing I've ever seen: first person from Joe's point of view yet also second person, as if his entire narration of the book is a story he is telling TO Beck. It's chilling and vicious and so incredibly unsettling you just can't look away.
Joe really is the worst sort of criminal and internal monologue tells you that clear as day. The worst part is he doesn't think he's bad, which is probably par for the course when it comes to people like him, but it still makes you a bit incredulous to read how he justifies the absolutely insane things he thinks about and does. The way he claims that Beck is the love of his life but half the time literally all he thinks and cares about is her body and when he'll next get to sleep with her.
That being said, I did have some problems with this book. It definitely shows its age at being early to mid-2010s literature with just a smattering of bigotry. I don't if the author put that in deliberately to show it was how Joe thought or if it was just a product of the attitudes at the time it was written. For me it was just on the border of too much sometimes, but never bad enough to stop reading the entire book.
I would say definitely do a bit more in-depth research on the trigger warnings before deciding to pick them up because the tags on Storygraph missed some important ones, but otherwise this book was pretty great. I won't be continuing the series, because having someone like Joe Goldberg as the main character and being in his head is a LOT, but I did enjoy this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Sexual assault, Fatphobia, and Gaslighting
Minor: Homophobia
charming_killerqueen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Sexual content
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Homophobia and Sexual assault
david_slack110507's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I've had this on my tbr list for a good while however after I watched the series on Netflix (and thoroughly loved it) I was hesitant about whether to read the book until I learned that the books are pretty different to the adaptation with this one being the most faithful and even this book is different to the series adaptation. Some of the changes the series made I liked and preferred what was in the book however I do prefer other aspects of the book over the tv show.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book on Audible and I really think that's one of the best ways to experience this story, Santino Fontana really nails it at playing Joe and showing just how unhinged yet deluded he really is, something I think the book does better than the TV show adaptation. In the show and specifically the first season (Which adapts the first book in the You series), Joe is a much more complex character than he is in the book in terms of morality. In the show, we learn bits about his past with it having an abusive and toxic environment that he grew up in and we also see him trying to help Paco out of the same situation as he sees himself in Paco's situation, this acts as a way to humanise Joe combined with the fact that because it is told from his perspective means that his actions despite how despicable they are and then combated with Joe being a 'nice' person. It creates a contrast and I do think that while it's evident that Joe is a horrible person, these added complexities mean that he could be viewed as not entirely evil.
The book completely goes against this instead having no situations where Joe is seen as potentially a flawed person. There is no Paco and any situations involving him hurting others are played out exactly as they should be, Joe is portrayed as the monster that he is. I think both the TV show and the book have very interesting takes on Joe and they both work: Showcasing Joe as the monster he is shows that the book isn't trying to romanticise his behaviour however having a multi-dimensional and complex version of Joe as seen in the TV show results in a much more interesting character.
I actually feel most if not all the changes the show makes were for the better: In the show, the women are much more capable, sure they have their issues but, in the book, they are portrayed as being completely useless and defences which is most likely done on purpose to feed into Joe's heroic narrative/saviour complex. However, in the show, they are able to take care of themselves to some degree.
I also want to point out that I really did like this especially for the fact that it didn't romanticise Joe's actions, despite all the comparisons I have to the show I still think that this stands well on its own and I do feel like while I prefer the show's adaptation/interpretation, this was still very strong and acted as a strong commentary on the 'nice guy' culture. Overall, a very strong start to the series and I'm very interested in where the series goes from here as well as how different it will be from the Netflix show.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book on Audible and I really think that's one of the best ways to experience this story, Santino Fontana really nails it at playing Joe and showing just how unhinged yet deluded he really is, something I think the book does better than the TV show adaptation. In the show and specifically the first season (Which adapts the first book in the You series), Joe is a much more complex character than he is in the book in terms of morality. In the show, we learn bits about his past with it having an abusive and toxic environment that he grew up in and we also see him trying to help Paco out of the same situation as he sees himself in Paco's situation, this acts as a way to humanise Joe combined with the fact that because it is told from his perspective means that his actions despite how despicable they are and then combated with Joe being a 'nice' person. It creates a contrast and I do think that while it's evident that Joe is a horrible person, these added complexities mean that he could be viewed as not entirely evil.
The book completely goes against this instead having no situations where Joe is seen as potentially a flawed person. There is no Paco and any situations involving him hurting others are played out exactly as they should be, Joe is portrayed as the monster that he is. I think both the TV show and the book have very interesting takes on Joe and they both work: Showcasing Joe as the monster he is shows that the book isn't trying to romanticise his behaviour however having a multi-dimensional and complex version of Joe as seen in the TV show results in a much more interesting character.
I actually feel most if not all the changes the show makes were for the better: In the show, the women are much more capable, sure they have their issues but, in the book, they are portrayed as being completely useless and defences which is most likely done on purpose to feed into Joe's heroic narrative/saviour complex. However, in the show, they are able to take care of themselves to some degree.
I also want to point out that I really did like this especially for the fact that it didn't romanticise Joe's actions, despite all the comparisons I have to the show I still think that this stands well on its own and I do feel like while I prefer the show's adaptation/interpretation, this was still very strong and acted as a strong commentary on the 'nice guy' culture. Overall, a very strong start to the series and I'm very interested in where the series goes from here as well as how different it will be from the Netflix show.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, Sexism, Murder, Sexual content, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Moderate: Blood, Deadnaming, and Grief
Minor: Mental illness, Death of parent, Alcohol, Homophobia, Car accident, and Suicide attempt
eline1701's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Ughhhh. I hate Joe.
I finished season 4 part 1 and sort of wanted more (why?) and ended up reading this. It feels odd to say I enjoyed it but I did??? There's a certain humour in reading Joe's narration, the way he judges people, his hypocrisy and the way he justifies his actions. It's completely ridiculous. He's also horribly crass and sexist - moreso than in the show, which I thought was interesting. Beck also felt a lot meaner and less involved in the book, which I thought was cool. Why not? She's allowed to kind of suck. She still doesn't deserve any of this shit.
I really "liked" the way he addresses Beck for the entirety of the novel, it felt original. We never really get a grasp on her, with Joe's unreliable narration, but I thought that was used in a way that was interesting. He'd skip certain things completely because he didn't deem them worth mentioning (duh, of course he'd collected creepy stuff belonging to Beck) and they'd only come up later and they'd always be a bit of a slap in the face. So yeah, I had a... a good time?... reading this. Sort of like watching the show. Repulsive, but at least all parties agree on that? Let's see if I pick up book two...
I finished season 4 part 1 and sort of wanted more (why?) and ended up reading this. It feels odd to say I enjoyed it but I did??? There's a certain humour in reading Joe's narration, the way he judges people, his hypocrisy and the way he justifies his actions. It's completely ridiculous. He's also horribly crass and sexist - moreso than in the show, which I thought was interesting. Beck also felt a lot meaner and less involved in the book, which I thought was cool. Why not? She's allowed to kind of suck. She still doesn't deserve any of this shit.
I really "liked" the way he addresses Beck for the entirety of the novel, it felt original. We never really get a grasp on her, with Joe's unreliable narration, but I thought that was used in a way that was interesting. He'd skip certain things completely because he didn't deem them worth mentioning (duh, of course he'd collected creepy stuff belonging to Beck) and they'd only come up later and they'd always be a bit of a slap in the face. So yeah, I had a... a good time?... reading this. Sort of like watching the show. Repulsive, but at least all parties agree on that? Let's see if I pick up book two...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Self harm, Sexism, Homophobia, and Body shaming
Minor: Drug abuse, Death of parent, Addiction, Drug use, Eating disorder, and Abandonment
victaphone's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
This is one of the few books I would entertain the idea that the show was better than the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Gaslighting, Sexism, Torture, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Toxic friendship, Murder, and Stalking
Moderate: Classism, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Death, Sexual harassment, Confinement, and Cursing
Minor: Fatphobia and Homophobia
oceanvuongist's review against another edition
dark
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Misogyny, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Minor: Addiction, Car accident, Death, Homophobia, and Sexual harassment
tenten's review against another edition
dark
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
i am actually shocked by how much i enjoyed this book. i started it randomly, but throughout my read i kept thinking, "damn, i wish i could write like this." Kepnes did such an amazing job being inside the mind of someone with so many issues, someone so delusional. i actually cracked up out loud at several of the moments in the book, especially ones when Joe got worried about the "weirdos" who might be able to look into Beck's curtain-less windows. like sir....you're the weirdo!!! up until the very end he really thought Beck was trynna be with him...it was laughable, truly. the whole book was honestly hilarious. i'm looking forward to reading the next one in the series, and watching the show!
one note – i'm sure this wasn't intentional, and it could also be because Joe is an unreliable narrator, but some of the depictions of Peach give me predatory lesbian vibes and i didn't love that.
one note – i'm sure this wasn't intentional, and it could also be because Joe is an unreliable narrator, but some of the depictions of Peach give me predatory lesbian vibes and i didn't love that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Mental illness, and Misogyny
Minor: Homophobia and Suicidal thoughts
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