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jj_ashwood's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
batsinthecastle's review against another edition
4.0
excellent addition to the series! IDK why they didn't just do this for season 4...
justinelack's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Honestly so boring compared to the others in the series. I had to skim read parts and almost didn't finish. A lot of repition and hardly anything happening especially in the first part of the book.
krc's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
linneamo's review against another edition
3.0
hopelessly guiltily addicted. I can't even explain why. Joes is a terrible person. The characters are all terrible people. This one was especially fun because I felt like Joe was meeting an alternative version of the author herself.
emkral22's review against another edition
3.0
E-ARC provided by NetGalley for a review! I listened to the first three books in the series as audiobooks, narrated by the incredible Santino Fontana, and so this was the first of the series I actually read on paper. Kepnes’ characterization of Joe is so strong, and he’s such a realistic person(while still being a terrifying psychopath) that his voice just jumps off the page.
In For You and Only You, the fourth book in Caroline Kepnes’ Joe Goldberg series, we follow Joe to Cambridge. Post-COVID, Joe’s been accepted to a Harvard writers fellowship and moves up from Orlando where he meets the latest object of his obsession, Wonder, another aspiring writer who also happens to be a Goodreads Girl. This book does get a little meta, diving into writing and the publishing industry, and Kepnes gives herself a voice in some of the characters, breaking the fourth wall a bit. I wish there had been more of Joe trying to be with his son in this book-there was barely a mention of him in this one and that was a pretty big focus of the last book.
Overall, this is a strong fourth installment, but the ending feels like a little bit of a let down. The previous books have a strong buildup to a climactic ending, but I didn’t feel that with this one. Maybe Kepnes was trying to escape criticism that this book is just more of the same from Joe? Obsession, fixation, murder, his relationship not quite working out for whatever reason, more murder to try and fix things, and then his life blows up because he can’t keep juggling everything and he has to move away and become obsessed with someone else… I haven’t watched the Netflix show but I’ve heard it doesn’t stay true to the books in the more recent seasons, and that seeing Joe grow as a person is more compelling. I think with this ending, she was trying to show that Joe was growing as a person, but it felt a little like a cop-out. I do think that fans of this series will enjoy this latest book (I did, and I was thrilled to be approved for this ARC) but it left me wanting more from this book than excited and dying to read the next installment.
In For You and Only You, the fourth book in Caroline Kepnes’ Joe Goldberg series, we follow Joe to Cambridge. Post-COVID, Joe’s been accepted to a Harvard writers fellowship and moves up from Orlando where he meets the latest object of his obsession, Wonder, another aspiring writer who also happens to be a Goodreads Girl. This book does get a little meta, diving into writing and the publishing industry, and Kepnes gives herself a voice in some of the characters, breaking the fourth wall a bit. I wish there had been more of Joe trying to be with his son in this book-there was barely a mention of him in this one and that was a pretty big focus of the last book.
Overall, this is a strong fourth installment, but the ending feels like a little bit of a let down. The previous books have a strong buildup to a climactic ending, but I didn’t feel that with this one. Maybe Kepnes was trying to escape criticism that this book is just more of the same from Joe? Obsession, fixation, murder, his relationship not quite working out for whatever reason, more murder to try and fix things, and then his life blows up because he can’t keep juggling everything and he has to move away and become obsessed with someone else… I haven’t watched the Netflix show but I’ve heard it doesn’t stay true to the books in the more recent seasons, and that seeing Joe grow as a person is more compelling. I think with this ending, she was trying to show that Joe was growing as a person, but it felt a little like a cop-out. I do think that fans of this series will enjoy this latest book (I did, and I was thrilled to be approved for this ARC) but it left me wanting more from this book than excited and dying to read the next installment.
darcyhendershott's review against another edition
3.0
Spoilers!
I loved this book in the literary sense, but the fangirl side of me really wanted to see her die. I'm excited to see if she rolls over into the next book (hopefully as a cadaver). However, this book was still a wonderful example of Joe's lack of understanding of what love is. Women are challenges and games to him, and that's very, very clear now to the readers of this series. He loves the chase to get them to love him, even if he can't stand them deep down. He has to convince them to love him, even his teachers. He's basically just a murderous people pleaser.
This book dragged on a bit, but it was still a great story that demonstrated Joe's motives and drive. Plus, let's be honest with ourselves, we all have moments in our lives like Joe where we have the say the right or nice thing, even when our inner dialogue is cussing and screaming, you know... [insert your workplace here] haha!
I loved this book in the literary sense, but the fangirl side of me really wanted to see her die. I'm excited to see if she rolls over into the next book (hopefully as a cadaver). However, this book was still a wonderful example of Joe's lack of understanding of what love is. Women are challenges and games to him, and that's very, very clear now to the readers of this series. He loves the chase to get them to love him, even if he can't stand them deep down. He has to convince them to love him, even his teachers. He's basically just a murderous people pleaser.
This book dragged on a bit, but it was still a great story that demonstrated Joe's motives and drive. Plus, let's be honest with ourselves, we all have moments in our lives like Joe where we have the say the right or nice thing, even when our inner dialogue is cussing and screaming, you know... [insert your workplace here] haha!
zarakoconnor's review
This guy is so boring now like okay we get it you’re better than everyone.