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A review by nehailism
You by Caroline Kepnes
5.0
(Spoilers ahead)
I have strong feelings about this one, and the only positive is: I respect and take delight in how gross this book was. Creepy, disturbing, gross, suffocating. Kudos to the author.
I felt personally violated by the words. Not once did my eyebrows go down, not once did I feel even an ounce of sympathy for Joe sonofabitch Goldberg, and not once did I feel sorry Guinevere spinelesslittleshit Beck died. Not one character was likeable. This book was a ride. Phew.
Comparison between the book and the show: I loved the show, no doubt, but it does not come even close to the book. The book is the winner. The show now looks meek and pathetic compared to it, which it isn't. At all. However, for the screen, they made some changes which I haven't made up my mind yet whether I appreciate or despise. For example, remember sweet little neighbor kid Paco? Oh, he doesn't exist in the book. Apparently the show directors created him specifically for the screen, to give character to Joe, show his "nice" side, to make the viewers like him more. Which eh, we all did. But I would blame that one on Penn Badgley for playing him so well and for being blessed with looks that made us forget Joe is an obsessive, murdering psychopath.
Coming to Beck, the woman has some intense daddy issues in the book, which were unfortunately(?) watered down in the TV version. Her character other than this one detail remains mostly the same. She was still annoying, gutless, a pushover, and we're glad she dead. We as in, my cat and I.
YOU is nastier than its TV show primarily because of how gutsy the word choice is. Caroline Kepnes went in all guns blazing, and I admire her for it. For keeping it dirty, for showing what goes inside the mind of a lunatic who appears deceptively normal. Cough Ted Bundy cough. The inspiration behind Joe Goldberg. What a charming guy, right? Articulate, sexy, reader, works at a bookshop? No. He has murdered your boyfriend and your best friend, will put you in a cage (wtf) and will kill you when he finds out you cheated on him with your shrink. But not before he forces a whole manuscript out of you illustrating your "tragic" death. God bless the loonies.
I have strong feelings about this one, and the only positive is: I respect and take delight in how gross this book was. Creepy, disturbing, gross, suffocating. Kudos to the author.
I felt personally violated by the words. Not once did my eyebrows go down, not once did I feel even an ounce of sympathy for Joe sonofabitch Goldberg, and not once did I feel sorry Guinevere spinelesslittleshit Beck died. Not one character was likeable. This book was a ride. Phew.
Comparison between the book and the show: I loved the show, no doubt, but it does not come even close to the book. The book is the winner. The show now looks meek and pathetic compared to it, which it isn't. At all. However, for the screen, they made some changes which I haven't made up my mind yet whether I appreciate or despise. For example, remember sweet little neighbor kid Paco? Oh, he doesn't exist in the book. Apparently the show directors created him specifically for the screen, to give character to Joe, show his "nice" side, to make the viewers like him more. Which eh, we all did. But I would blame that one on Penn Badgley for playing him so well and for being blessed with looks that made us forget Joe is an obsessive, murdering psychopath.
Coming to Beck, the woman has some intense daddy issues in the book, which were unfortunately(?) watered down in the TV version. Her character other than this one detail remains mostly the same. She was still annoying, gutless, a pushover, and we're glad she dead. We as in, my cat and I.
YOU is nastier than its TV show primarily because of how gutsy the word choice is. Caroline Kepnes went in all guns blazing, and I admire her for it. For keeping it dirty, for showing what goes inside the mind of a lunatic who appears deceptively normal. Cough Ted Bundy cough. The inspiration behind Joe Goldberg. What a charming guy, right? Articulate, sexy, reader, works at a bookshop? No. He has murdered your boyfriend and your best friend, will put you in a cage (wtf) and will kill you when he finds out you cheated on him with your shrink. But not before he forces a whole manuscript out of you illustrating your "tragic" death. God bless the loonies.