Reviews tagging 'Infidelity'

You by Caroline Kepnes

31 reviews

eyesofcrows's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I wanted to read a crazy protagonist and I got a crazy protagonist. I found myself rooting for Joe on several occasions even if it was insane to do so. He’s a funny guy and the problems he focuses on are equally funny. It’s a fun book filled with murder, stalking, and romance. It’s different from a lot of books I read but it does fulfill my love of an unreliable narrator because our narrator is just way too crazy. I like how the characters play out and how Joe always looks at what’s wrong with them. Of course there’s a million things wrong with Joe (he’s both pretentious and self satisfying) but man are the people in Beck’s life just as, if not more, messed up as her

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Grief and Mental illness

Minor: Infidelity

kiwichill's review against another edition

challenging 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

4.0

Not for the faint hearted, this book is very twisted and dark and graphic

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Stalking, Gore, Infidelity, Lesbophobia, Suicide, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Excrement, Cursing, Mental illness, Sexual violence, Addiction, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Violence, Gaslighting, Classism, and Confinement

Moderate: Medical content, Blood, Alcohol, and Drug use

Very graphic tale from the POV of a stalker obsessed with a girl after a brief encounter. I watched the series so I knew how this obsession takes over and leads to violence. There is nothing redeeming about the character Joe. I wouldn't say I enjoyed the book, more like disturbed by its nature

zarakoconnor's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

5.0

Loved how scary Joe is written, truly explores obsession and stalking and the mind of a man that wants to destroy a woman, whether intentional or not. The book is absolutely better.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Confinement, Gaslighting, Murder, Cursing, Infidelity, and Sexual content

krispiefries's review

dark funny sad 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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Emotional abuse, Violence, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Stalking, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Blood, Sexual assault, Death, Domestic abuse, Car accident, Confinement, Drug abuse, Murder, and Sexual content

te_ss_i's review against another edition

dark tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Body shaming, Death, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Toxic friendship, Genocide, Infidelity, Torture, Alcohol, Drug use, Addiction, Stalking, Car accident, Confinement, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Abortion, Murder, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Sexual harassment, and Violence

chuckielittle's review against another edition

challenging dark tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Body shaming, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Stalking, and Torture

Moderate: Kidnapping, Addiction, Alcoholism, Police brutality, Mental illness, Infidelity, Self harm, and Toxic friendship

Minor: Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Gaslighting

louisallama's review against another edition

dark 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

3.75

A great example of an unlikeable character who is still enjoyable to read about. Seriously the levels of delusion this man has reached are beyond measure

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Stalking, Sexual content, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Car accident, Infidelity, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Confinement, and Gaslighting

thebearnest's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Confinement, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Stalking, Infidelity, Murder, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Gaslighting, Sexual content, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Grief, Car accident, and Death

phantomgecko's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

2.0

A stream of consciousness from a misogynistic narcissist. Pretty disgusting tbh. Originally I tried to listen to the audiobook, but it was too intense. This is a book where the language really bothered me. Extremely vulgar and obscene. Very much reminded me of the internet, esp Reddit, which obvs was the goal.

Think of the whiniest, most foul-mouthed little incel you can, and that's this dude. Note how many times he refers to women as objects. How many times he reduces Beck to her sexual availability or genitals. How many times he misinterprets media to justify his actions. Also, lol at how judgmental he is about books. I think this is a more fun variation than being super judgmental about music or comics or video games.

Joe is seven layers of delusional, from thinking Beck is obsessed with him to awaiting the collapse of the internet so he can lord it over with his typewriters to thinking he ever helped anyone. However, some of what I thought he was making up at the beginning turned out to be close to the truth. Like how he says that Beck loves attention and is an exhibitionist. Still, I'd categorize him as an unreliable narrator. 

Beck isn't a great person either. She has real issues and a way annoying personality. Joe's observation that she wants to be a writer more than she wants to write is spot on. Nevertheless, a victim is a victim whether or not they are "innocent" or you personally dislike them.

See also Dr. Nicky.

One of the book club questions at the end asked something along the lines of, "did you find yourself wishing Joe would be punished for his crimes or did you want him to get away with it?" And like... ?????????? If you found yourself sympathetic to Joe's self-imposed, imaginary, selfish plight, maybe you need help too?

Here is a guy that murders four people by the end of the book, and frames another guy for one of the murders. This isn't a crime mystery, so the fact he gets away with everything shouldn't hold you up. Willing suspension of disbelief and all. But he actively and repeatedly blames every victim for their own murder. Most psychotic of all, he kills Beck, starts freaking out because he didn't mean it, realizes she's actually still alive, and then kills her again IMMEDIATELY and then cries because it's all her fault.

I honestly cannot adequately express how despicable the main character is. I understand that that is the point. I feel dirty for reading this book, tbh, and I'm not continuing the series. Joe is too accurately written, and that's too depressing for me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, and Sexual content

Moderate: Infidelity, Kidnapping, Car accident, Classism, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Death, Misogyny, Murder, Bullying, Confinement, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Toxic friendship, and Mental illness

theskyboi's review against another edition

Honestly, it was so limiting to be inside Joe's head the entire time; it felt like there was no interaction happening, and there was no lead-up to the intense scenes. Simply put, the TV show was much better executed.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Death, Drug use, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Blood, Infidelity, Child abuse, Confinement, and Gaslighting