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blurrypetals's review against another edition
4.0
This book is so wildly different from the first that I almost (almost) forgot it was a sequel to You at certain points.
I was constantly and consistently baffled by the complete and total shift in location, tone, and overall atmosphere, but strangely it worked. It shifts Joe from feeling less like the villain in a Hannibal Lecter story and more like the title character in Dexter and it does it incredibly (and surprisingly) well.
This and You before it are books that are not for everyone. I am in the camp that, somehow, against most odds, these books are for me. I enjoyed them both a lot, even while I shuddered and cringed, I ended up laughing way more than I had any right to and even finding myself rooting for Joe in a way that I didn't before.
These books are crazy. Check 'em out if you want to find everything you thought you knew about morality and the way our culture influences that morality brought into question.
I was constantly and consistently baffled by the complete and total shift in location, tone, and overall atmosphere, but strangely it worked. It shifts Joe from feeling less like the villain in a Hannibal Lecter story and more like the title character in Dexter and it does it incredibly (and surprisingly) well.
This and You before it are books that are not for everyone. I am in the camp that, somehow, against most odds, these books are for me. I enjoyed them both a lot, even while I shuddered and cringed, I ended up laughing way more than I had any right to and even finding myself rooting for Joe in a way that I didn't before.
These books are crazy. Check 'em out if you want to find everything you thought you knew about morality and the way our culture influences that morality brought into question.
gabepants's review against another edition
4.25
I always enjoy how petty, sh*tty, and absurd Joe is.
wendythegeekgoddess's review against another edition
4.0
Synopsis:
"Hidden Bodies" continues the story of "YOU" a thriller written from the point of view of a psychopath. Joe is doing well, he has a new girlfriend who he's totally in love with and everything is going right until he's completely screwed over and ventures out from little Compton to Los Angeles to track down and kill the person who screws him up. Life in Los Angeles is a nightmare until he meets a woman who he falls deeply and madly in love with but as his body count moves up and his past comes back to haunt him he may not have a Choice but to tell his new love of his past, will she except him for who he is?
Review:
"Hidden Bodies" is a nice sequel to YOU although it tells it from a different view point. In YOU he addressed the readers as "YOU" whereas this book is told in strictly first person. Right away the novel drew me in, Kepnes does an amazing job at hooking her audience. Over the course of this novel we see the subtle changes in Joe that effect him from moving across the country. At times the novel did get a little slow but then as soon as it starts to get a little dull Kepnes does something to completely reel you in again. A things I didn't enjoy are 1) her view of LA is completely stereotypical LA, I don't know know if this was intentional but it was completely unrealistic! Not EVERYONE in LA knows celebrities, eats guac, shop at high end organic food store and want to be movie stars but that's basically how she described LA. 2) the ending! I will NOT spoil anything but I just want to say I just feel like the ending was completely lacking. I felt like she left the ending how it is to add suspense but it just made the book feel completely unfinished. That being said, I loved getting into Joes head and I love hearing his thoughts and opinions on everything, you oddly find yourself rooting for the psychopath.
Final Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars!
"Hidden Bodies" continues the story of "YOU" a thriller written from the point of view of a psychopath. Joe is doing well, he has a new girlfriend who he's totally in love with and everything is going right until he's completely screwed over and ventures out from little Compton to Los Angeles to track down and kill the person who screws him up. Life in Los Angeles is a nightmare until he meets a woman who he falls deeply and madly in love with but as his body count moves up and his past comes back to haunt him he may not have a Choice but to tell his new love of his past, will she except him for who he is?
Review:
"Hidden Bodies" is a nice sequel to YOU although it tells it from a different view point. In YOU he addressed the readers as "YOU" whereas this book is told in strictly first person. Right away the novel drew me in, Kepnes does an amazing job at hooking her audience. Over the course of this novel we see the subtle changes in Joe that effect him from moving across the country. At times the novel did get a little slow but then as soon as it starts to get a little dull Kepnes does something to completely reel you in again. A things I didn't enjoy are 1) her view of LA is completely stereotypical LA, I don't know know if this was intentional but it was completely unrealistic! Not EVERYONE in LA knows celebrities, eats guac, shop at high end organic food store and want to be movie stars but that's basically how she described LA. 2) the ending! I will NOT spoil anything but I just want to say I just feel like the ending was completely lacking. I felt like she left the ending how it is to add suspense but it just made the book feel completely unfinished. That being said, I loved getting into Joes head and I love hearing his thoughts and opinions on everything, you oddly find yourself rooting for the psychopath.
Final Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5 stars!
akiikomori's review against another edition
3.0
Wow.
Just wow.
I’m just going to come right out and say it, and what I’m about to say some of you might not agree with or think is a bit much, but I have to give an honest review.
I’m not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed. After reading YOU and how much that book mind-blew me I thought Hidden Bodies would be a continuation of that. But I’m sad to say that this book was a huge disappointment for me.
Perhaps I expected too much from it given its predecessor but, come on now.
Joe Goldberg has moved on with his life and is now in love with Amy Adam. She’s perfect, she gets him, they do everything together and he believes this is it for him. But Amy suddenly disappears, stealing from him and that’s something he can’t tolerate. Joe flies across the country to search for her in Los Angeles, the city of Hollywood and Actors. Here he can be anyone he needs and wants to be in order to find Amy (and kill her), and it is here he learns how real and how misleading people can be, and what it means to find love – real Love.
I had very high hopes when I found out there was going to be a sequel.
Here is this perfectly normal looking man who lives a perfectly average life and you find out that he’s not normal, that he’s actually pretty messed up, and you actually find yourself agreeing with how messed up he is.
MIND-BLOW.
Hidden Bodies started out strong, started off with a sense that you were going to ease into the story and not jump right into the crazy. Then the crazy happened! Slowly but surely, and then somewhere….I don’t know what happened, it just died… I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I just felt that the book lost all its magic, all its crazy, all the real murderous intent and the moral conflict the reader should have or felt like in the first book.
Honestly, I felt bored, and just wanted the story to be over. I can’t explain, but there was just no conflict, no drama, Joe was just…in the background and it was just boring. He was taken advantage of, tossed aside, became a secondary character in the background, and I didn’t feel like there was anymore passion, like he would just sit there and take it – live this new lifestyle and forgo what he was supposed to be doing all along. JOE CHANGED and not for the better.
I will say that the book did manage to pick up towards the end, but even then everything felt super rushed for some reason – either because I just wanted to finish the book right away, or just the way the events moved seemed to feel really fast.
The end was the best part for a number of different reasons, because that’s when you get to see old Joe, his thought process, and then you question whether or not he’s actually sane.
All in all, this book fell extremely short for me and I would have rather that You be a standalone.
2.5/5 Hearts of Love
Just wow.
I’m just going to come right out and say it, and what I’m about to say some of you might not agree with or think is a bit much, but I have to give an honest review.
I’m not going to lie, I was pretty disappointed. After reading YOU and how much that book mind-blew me I thought Hidden Bodies would be a continuation of that. But I’m sad to say that this book was a huge disappointment for me.
Perhaps I expected too much from it given its predecessor but, come on now.
Joe Goldberg has moved on with his life and is now in love with Amy Adam. She’s perfect, she gets him, they do everything together and he believes this is it for him. But Amy suddenly disappears, stealing from him and that’s something he can’t tolerate. Joe flies across the country to search for her in Los Angeles, the city of Hollywood and Actors. Here he can be anyone he needs and wants to be in order to find Amy (and kill her), and it is here he learns how real and how misleading people can be, and what it means to find love – real Love.
I had very high hopes when I found out there was going to be a sequel.
Here is this perfectly normal looking man who lives a perfectly average life and you find out that he’s not normal, that he’s actually pretty messed up, and you actually find yourself agreeing with how messed up he is.
MIND-BLOW.
Hidden Bodies started out strong, started off with a sense that you were going to ease into the story and not jump right into the crazy. Then the crazy happened! Slowly but surely, and then somewhere….I don’t know what happened, it just died… I DON’T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. I just felt that the book lost all its magic, all its crazy, all the real murderous intent and the moral conflict the reader should have or felt like in the first book.
Honestly, I felt bored, and just wanted the story to be over. I can’t explain, but there was just no conflict, no drama, Joe was just…in the background and it was just boring. He was taken advantage of, tossed aside, became a secondary character in the background, and I didn’t feel like there was anymore passion, like he would just sit there and take it – live this new lifestyle and forgo what he was supposed to be doing all along. JOE CHANGED and not for the better.
I will say that the book did manage to pick up towards the end, but even then everything felt super rushed for some reason – either because I just wanted to finish the book right away, or just the way the events moved seemed to feel really fast.
The end was the best part for a number of different reasons, because that’s when you get to see old Joe, his thought process, and then you question whether or not he’s actually sane.
All in all, this book fell extremely short for me and I would have rather that You be a standalone.
2.5/5 Hearts of Love
rocknphoto's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ajpotz's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
It’s sooooo good and fun and exciting when you don’t take anything he says seriously like im so excited to read the next one
bryw4nk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
stephreadsalot1's review against another edition
4.0
[I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.]
Colleen Hoover had posted about Hidden Bodies on her Instagram, and after reading the blurp I was hooked. Normally, I am not normally into crime, mystery or thrillers, but with so many kickass ladies (Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins) coming out with really intriguing novels, I've been crossing genres a lot. I also had not read You, the first book in this series, but I still really enjoyed it.
This book is so fast paced, it was hard to put down. Joe Goldberg, what a guy! Kepnes has created such a deep, rich character. He's witty and intelligent, and the perfect narrator for this crazy story. Even though you know he is a murderer, it's easy to get swept up in his emotions and sympathize with him. At points all you wanted was for him to get his happy ending, then you realize the guy belongs in prison.
I hope that we haven't heard the last of Joe Goldberg, and I can't wait to pick up You.
Colleen Hoover had posted about Hidden Bodies on her Instagram, and after reading the blurp I was hooked. Normally, I am not normally into crime, mystery or thrillers, but with so many kickass ladies (Gillian Flynn and Paula Hawkins) coming out with really intriguing novels, I've been crossing genres a lot. I also had not read You, the first book in this series, but I still really enjoyed it.
This book is so fast paced, it was hard to put down. Joe Goldberg, what a guy! Kepnes has created such a deep, rich character. He's witty and intelligent, and the perfect narrator for this crazy story. Even though you know he is a murderer, it's easy to get swept up in his emotions and sympathize with him. At points all you wanted was for him to get his happy ending, then you realize the guy belongs in prison.
I hope that we haven't heard the last of Joe Goldberg, and I can't wait to pick up You.
curiousherring's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0