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cayleightaylorsversion's review
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
4.25
first half was slow but it got better, also fully thought this was the last book its not!
blurrypetals's review against another edition
4.0
A Goodreads girl, Joe? Really?
Despite my frustration and boredom with the previous book, You Love Me, I couldn't bring myself to skip this one. I enjoyed the fourth season of the television adaptation well enough, too, so I was intrigued to see how it might compare.
And man, where You Love Me was a big letdown that felt like a more boring retread of You and ditched plotlines and characters set up in previous books, For You and Only You was a hilarious joyride of insanity that by contrast uses its episodic nature only to its benefit.
I think one of the reasons this was so much more fun to me will be obvious for those who know me at all: the writing angle. I've always been very amused by Joe's musings on literature as well as media in general, but having him go in on writing, writers, and, perhaps most important and entertaining of all, the pretentiousness surrounding writing, writing groups, and the publishing industry.
I also found Joe's latest obsession, Wonder, to be the most interesting since Love in Hidden Bodies, and even then, Love was really only interesting right at the very end, where Wonder stayed the same disastrous person the whole time, which was absolutely the point. I enjoyed how much friction she and Joe had in their relationship, how there were very few moments of reprieve for the two of them, a huge contrast to Joe's past victims in that sometimes it felt like Wonder was intentionally punishing him for his crimes when she was just that frustrating to him even with his rose-colored glasses on and the way their story ends is refreshingly different and interesting by contrast compared to the other books and victims.
The supporting cast was also interesting in a big way; Sarah Beth is almost as wonderfully terrible as Peach was in the first book, and all her scenes with Joe were very fun.
All in all, I felt like this was a massive improvement over You Love Me and, to be honest, I might even have liked it more than Hidden Bodies. I still think I'd prefer Kepnes to write something new and different instead of revisiting Joe Goldberg over and over again, but if she keeps writing them like this one, I definitely can't be too mad about it either.
Despite my frustration and boredom with the previous book, You Love Me, I couldn't bring myself to skip this one. I enjoyed the fourth season of the television adaptation well enough, too, so I was intrigued to see how it might compare.
And man, where You Love Me was a big letdown that felt like a more boring retread of You and ditched plotlines and characters set up in previous books, For You and Only You was a hilarious joyride of insanity that by contrast uses its episodic nature only to its benefit.
I think one of the reasons this was so much more fun to me will be obvious for those who know me at all: the writing angle. I've always been very amused by Joe's musings on literature as well as media in general, but having him go in on writing, writers, and, perhaps most important and entertaining of all, the pretentiousness surrounding writing, writing groups, and the publishing industry.
I also found Joe's latest obsession, Wonder, to be the most interesting since Love in Hidden Bodies, and even then, Love was really only interesting right at the very end, where Wonder stayed the same disastrous person the whole time, which was absolutely the point. I enjoyed how much friction she and Joe had in their relationship, how there were very few moments of reprieve for the two of them, a huge contrast to Joe's past victims in that sometimes it felt like Wonder was intentionally punishing him for his crimes when she was just that frustrating to him even with his rose-colored glasses on and the way their story ends is refreshingly different and interesting by contrast compared to the other books and victims.
The supporting cast was also interesting in a big way; Sarah Beth is almost as wonderfully terrible as Peach was in the first book, and all her scenes with Joe were very fun.
All in all, I felt like this was a massive improvement over You Love Me and, to be honest, I might even have liked it more than Hidden Bodies. I still think I'd prefer Kepnes to write something new and different instead of revisiting Joe Goldberg over and over again, but if she keeps writing them like this one, I definitely can't be too mad about it either.
bonnieebrown's review against another edition
slow-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
1.75
akiikomori's review against another edition
4.0
I dont know what it is but I think I liked this better than You Love Me.
Man the ending. And just the character profiling.
And yes I'm reacting to the book, not letting it sit for a week before I write a review haha
I feel like this is becoming a new thing- authors doing commentaries on readers and potential other authors and writers.
I very much enjoyed this book and wonder if there's anymore in store for Joe. I know the show is completely different and that's okay too.
Man the ending. And just the character profiling.
And yes I'm reacting to the book, not letting it sit for a week before I write a review haha
I feel like this is becoming a new thing- authors doing commentaries on readers and potential other authors and writers.
I very much enjoyed this book and wonder if there's anymore in store for Joe. I know the show is completely different and that's okay too.
usc_kel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
2.5
bunnybaby13's review against another edition
1.0
god, this was so mid.
i love this fucking series so much and i will read any installment caroline kepnes puts out, without question. however, this was such a step down from the previous series installments and felt NOTHING like a joe goldberg novel.
i do not give a fuck about joe’s writing ambitions. i don’t give a fuck about glenn shoddy. i don’t like wonder and, you guessed it, i don’t give a fuck about her. there was NOTHING in this novel to keep me interested. when we’re introduced to joe as an unhinged, deranged, psychopathic person who is an unreliable narrator and a murderous streak, that’s what i want out of future novels.
where was any of that in this installment? that’s what makes joe interesting and every bit of it was removed. also, what the fuck with the sarah beth plotline? i don’t believe joe would crack that easily. i don’t know why he didn’t kill her and then raid her shed. it seems uncharacteristic of him, not to mention it’s an incredibly boring choice.
i’m extremely underwhelmed by this novel and i’m hoping that if caroline kepnes writes another installment, it will be a major improvement. this was so lame.
i love this fucking series so much and i will read any installment caroline kepnes puts out, without question. however, this was such a step down from the previous series installments and felt NOTHING like a joe goldberg novel.
i do not give a fuck about joe’s writing ambitions. i don’t give a fuck about glenn shoddy. i don’t like wonder and, you guessed it, i don’t give a fuck about her. there was NOTHING in this novel to keep me interested. when we’re introduced to joe as an unhinged, deranged, psychopathic person who is an unreliable narrator and a murderous streak, that’s what i want out of future novels.
where was any of that in this installment? that’s what makes joe interesting and every bit of it was removed. also, what the fuck with the sarah beth plotline? i don’t believe joe would crack that easily. i don’t know why he didn’t kill her and then raid her shed. it seems uncharacteristic of him, not to mention it’s an incredibly boring choice.
i’m extremely underwhelmed by this novel and i’m hoping that if caroline kepnes writes another installment, it will be a major improvement. this was so lame.
ashleyraemc's review against another edition
3.0
Am I the Goodreads girl now?
Joe Goldberg is back, this time with major dark academia vibes!
When I saw I was approved for an arc from NetGalley, I was so pumped. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Caroline Kepnes’ writing is superb and witty, as always. I’m convinced even her grocery list is an entertaining read.
I read the last three books in this series. I binged in 24 hours. This one took me about four days.
Through the first third of this book, I loved it. The twists and Joe’s unhinged behavior were in full force, and then it mostly fizzled out. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some interesting situations and moments Joe gets himself into, but a lot of the middle part of this book was a bit of a slog.
Honestly, I think what caused me to not love it as much as the others were the constant pandemic references. These were mainly scattered in the first half. I sort of get why Kepnes put those into the book. She often puts topical references into this series. Personally, any pandemic references make me squeamish. I wouldn't say I like when books talk about it. Mentioned once I could get passed, but a decent-sized part of this story is about what Joe was doing during the pandemic. I wasn’t compelled to pick it up because of that.
All that being said, there were quite a few things I liked! I loved the academia vibes and everyone’s bizarre names. I am always entertained by Joe’s twisted inner monologue and thought process. I also enjoyed the addition of S.B. I would love to get more S.B. and Joe. I will be picking up whatever Kepnes writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy! Expected Release: April 4, 2023
Joe Goldberg is back, this time with major dark academia vibes!
When I saw I was approved for an arc from NetGalley, I was so pumped. From the first chapter, I was hooked. Caroline Kepnes’ writing is superb and witty, as always. I’m convinced even her grocery list is an entertaining read.
I read the last three books in this series. I binged in 24 hours. This one took me about four days.
Through the first third of this book, I loved it. The twists and Joe’s unhinged behavior were in full force, and then it mostly fizzled out. Don’t get me wrong, there are still some interesting situations and moments Joe gets himself into, but a lot of the middle part of this book was a bit of a slog.
Honestly, I think what caused me to not love it as much as the others were the constant pandemic references. These were mainly scattered in the first half. I sort of get why Kepnes put those into the book. She often puts topical references into this series. Personally, any pandemic references make me squeamish. I wouldn't say I like when books talk about it. Mentioned once I could get passed, but a decent-sized part of this story is about what Joe was doing during the pandemic. I wasn’t compelled to pick it up because of that.
All that being said, there were quite a few things I liked! I loved the academia vibes and everyone’s bizarre names. I am always entertained by Joe’s twisted inner monologue and thought process. I also enjoyed the addition of S.B. I would love to get more S.B. and Joe. I will be picking up whatever Kepnes writes next.
Thank you to NetGalley for the complimentary copy! Expected Release: April 4, 2023
geminisoul's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-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
3.75
While I didn't enjoy this books as much as the others (it's becoming a bit repetitive)- I do really enjoy delving into the mind of Joe. It's so interesting to see the dichotomy between how others persive him and who he actually is. I also really enjoyed the Sara Beth character.