It is so much fun jumping back into the world of JOE. There is never a dull moment and Kepnes never fails to draw me into the story. I am SUPER excited for the next installment. Also, the Netflix series is *chefs kiss*

I was beyond excited when I got approved to receive an ARC for this book! I’ve been a fan of the You series long before it was adapted to TV. I’ve always enjoyed the unique twist of being inside Joe’s mind and seeing everything from his POV. I even found myself empathizing with and feeling bad for him, which I think is the whole idea. However, everything fell flat for me in this book. I’m not sure if it was the setting of the story, or that maybe, Joe’s story had run its course in book #3 and maybe this feels too drawn out. I also wasn’t a fan of Wonder. Her character was boring and one dimensional. I truly enjoy Caroline Kepnes’s writing style, but unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me. Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Hello, You. Diving back into Joe's twisted mind was AN EXPERIENCE. 👏 Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC of For You and Only You, the fourth book in the wildly popular You series. This book releases on 4.4.23 and it was everything I had hoped it would be. The usual creepy and stalker vibes coupled with Joe in yet another location with yet another new girl...Wonder was a character that I struggled to like/root for at first but by the end of the book I totally understood why Joe was drawn to her. The side characters were both awful and very interesting at the same time, and there were some twists that had me anxious to see how things ended up. Pick this one up on release day and see for yourself how little Joe has changed

It is impossible for me to NOT like a "YOU" book and it is absolutely impossible for me to NOT read this books in Penn Badgley's Joe Goldberg voice.

I timed my reading of this novel with the release of the new season on Netflix. I missed Joe in my life and needed to be bombarded by his murdering ways.

This book did NOT disappoint. Its a typical "You" book filled with murder, love, sex and drama. This story follows Joe as he hits up Harvard for a fellowship after he has written a book that is titled "Me". Here he meets Wonder and she becomes his YOU. I found this book had a little less stalker then I am used to with a typical Joe book, however it is still great. I highly recommend to fans of the You series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

Caroline Kepnes burst onto the scene rather dramatically with you. in a sea of clichéd thrillers, she managed to stand out with her intense, propulsive tale of obsessive love and occasional murder, giving us a notably memorable protagonist who will love YOU to death.
It was fun, it was dynamic, it got made into a TV show–success by any measure. Then, as if to prove, she’s no one trick author, Kepnes wrote Providence, which used a lot of then same techniques less successfully, which apparently discouraged her enough to return to Goldberg, over and over again. And sure, that romantic lunatic IS where the money’s at, but how far should one sell out for a paycheck?
In this case, book four in YOU series serves a resolute reminder that the author has gone too far. Which at this point, is embarrassingly so, because the books are by now outdone by their own TV adaptation.
And yes, this has happened before, and more than once, but YOU had potential to outperform all that noise. The initial adaptations were very close to the books and then the distance began inching in, proportional, it seems, to the declining uality of books.
Granted, both book 3 and season 3 left a lot to be desired, but wherein the TV show rebounded awesomely with a tight whodunit turnaround, book four failed, failed, failed.
Details, you ask? Sure, here you go.
I read the book first, because that’s how you do things. The book sees Goldberg’s yet another attempt to go legit and swear off love by conning his way into a prestigious writer’s group in an Ivy League school. Goldberg doesn’t belong with all the pretentious twats around him, but he finds a kindred spirit in another “scholarship kid” who immediately becomes his new YOU.
So the formula is there, but the execution is garbage. The romance (which is Goldberg’s sole raison d’etre) doesn’t work here, it’s too weak, too rushed. Of course, Goldberg’s romances are never right, that’s kind of the point, but here it never even seems right. The man comes across desperate and bitter, his famous narrative snark goes flat, tinged with angst and resentment in a way that obscures wit and charm and humorous social observations he used to specialize in.
Kepnes has done it, it seems. She’s beaten her golden pony to dust. Used him all up and turned him into a sad caricature of himself.
Wherein in season four of the TV show (at least the first five episodes since Netflix annoyingly divided them up), Goldberg is fun, fun, fun. Back to form and rocking it.
Which is why the TV show is now billed as “inspired” by Kepnes’ books and she is no longer an executive producer. Outdone by TV writers. Outperformed by her own creation. Sad.
So, hopefully, Kepnes can now leave Goldberg alone and maybe, just maybe write something new, and maybe it’ll be good and maybe not, but at least it’ll show range and versatility. Because right now her writing is only reflective of good business sense and marketability. The books are getting longer not stronger. Sad, again.
Book four will make Goldberg’s fans annoyed. Maybe skip and stick with the TV show. Thanks Netgalley.

I think Caroline Kepnes is a genius. I love the You series. This latest book had perfectly timed song quotes, entire sentences that I wanted to underline, and an energy that pushed me forward as I could feel Joe’s behavior spiral out of control. He’s the guy you hate to love. But love him, I do. He’s a hopeless romantic with a dark side and incredibly intelligent. His personality shines through the most when he’s having his own one-sided conversations and how Kepnes brought this guy to life is truly amazing. That is what she has accomplished. Joe is not just a character in a book. He feels real.

Ahhhh Joe, how I’ve missed you. But, I feel that it missed the mark. It was not like the first book. But I still hear your voice ;)

I've been with this series since the first book and love the show. This was a more fleshed-out book, where there were plenty of sh*tty people in Joe's circle. This definitely gave Joe the ego stroke he'd been longing for and gave him more depth by focusing on himself as a writer this go around, which suits him well.

I'm glad that the show seems to be taking its own route, so we get 2 versions. This eased my concerns when I found out the newest season (#4) came out months before the book did. The thoughts that ran through my mind were "what's the point of the book if the show follows it closely, if at all." Since they're now going different routes, I can't wait to read more.

Joe is back in a big way! He is hitting the streets of Cambridge after earning a fellowship at Harvard being held by a favorite author. He finished a book- hilariously called Me and is ready for the world to read it. he meets a girl named Wonder and joe falls in love- and we all know what trouble ensues when that happens. I found the beginning of the book a bit slow- and not believable honestly... but knew it was leading up to something. Maybe the Joe stuff is getting a bit old but I didnt like this one as much as the others.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book. I’m a fan of the Netflix show but have never read a You book. I was immediately surprised to see that it’s written in the same way that Joe constantly monologues in the show. This book was painfully long with no clear path or purpose. I honestly can’t even tell you what happened despite reading the book. I wanted to DNF it SEVERAL times. Would not recommend.

Joe Goldberg is easily one of the best loveable serial killers ever written!! Its not morally right to route for such a character, but one can’t help but… I just finished watching the new season 4 part 1 of You on Netflix and dived right into this because I wanted more!! Anyway, Joe has TRIED to put his past behind and has now become an author. This time his life has taken him to an author workshop. All is good until Joe falls in love… AGAIN. The story definitely feels repetitive, but its entertaining nonetheless! I hope there are more Joe books.

Thank you Atria for the gifted eARC.

My least favorite out of the series. I actually liked the books much better than the Netflix series and wish they had followed the book closer… however this book was boring, predictable and redundant… the author should have stopped at the last one

Joe Goldberg is the psychopath we all hate to love! I mean we can't NOT root for the guy, no matter what he's done or who he's killed!! He's easily one of my favorite literary characters. He's just always trying to do the right thing! LOL! Now he's become an author and has been invited to join an exclusive writer's workshop in prestigious Harvard. Finally he'll be among the same likeminded people; people who are there only for their love of writing and reading, for the books. Or so he thinks. He'll be deeply disappointed in all but one truly like himself, Wonder Parish. He can't help but fall for her. And we all know what happens when Joe Goldberg falls in love....
Loved this book so much! Kepnes's writing is superb as ever and when this story gets going, it doesn't stop. And it's an extra bonus hearing Joe's voice thru the voice of Penn Badgley's, Joe Goldberg in the Netflix adaptation. I just can't get enough of him!!

The popularity of the tv series and previous books makes this a must purchase. However, as a reader, I didn't think this book added anything new to the series.

The man we love to hate and hate to love has returned. He has popped up on campus; part of a prestigious writer's group, run by the new literary darling, Glenn Shoddy. Joe has promised himself that he is not there to fall in love (enter Wonder) but to focus on his book and making connections to have it published. All the sins of his past are far behind him (or so he thinks.)

The truth always comes out, doesn't it? Dear Joe once again finds himself entangled in murder, mayhem, and keeping all of the women in his life on his good side. Only problem is that this time he has let his guard down and allowed his ego to be inflated by his newfound "friends ". He is making amateur mistakes that could prove costly.

I really enjoyed this latest installment; there was a significant storyline that, as I neared the end, didn't seem to be coming to completion. Thankfully the last 5 pages wrapped up the loose ends enough to leave you with the knowledge of what was coming next but also wanting to see how it played out.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House, and the author for this ARC.

This was a crazy read but I definitely enjoyed it. Joe is at it again in this one. It was slow and dragged at times but overall a great addition to the You series.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I had previously reviewed You Love Me (YOU 3) and was invited by the publisher to review this book. It's a little overwhelming being in Joe Goldberg's head and especially with 2nd person, long run on sentences. I found myself thinking the same way while reading For You and Only You. I wasn't quite as exhausted with this book - as with the 3rd. You can't convince me that Wonder Parish, the new "you" he addresses- is worthy of this pedestal. Not because she works at "freaking" Dunkin', but because of things that happen in this book. I didn't hate her like I hated Beck, but I didn't like her like *RIP* Mary Ann.

Joe is in Cambridge Mass with a fellowship at Harvard University, in his aim to publish his book "Me". He rode out covid in Orlando. The other people in the fellowship are mostly more successful authors or writers. Joe feels like he is in the wrong place until he meets Wonder (named after a Natalie Merchant song).

A lot of this book is focused not on the writing process but the whole imposter syndrome and the feeling of superiority or inferiority as writers. The fellowship professor is a published author of 1 hit book. Glenn Shoddy and his wife Sly Caron- neither particularly likeable characters. The other participants are more interesting but we hardly get to know them because Joe's singular focus is you- Wonder. This book goes a little off the rails waiting for Joe to hold people captive or murder them. That's the tension throughout the book- when things go haywire for Joe, what will happen? It's a slow burn. There's a lot of dialogue and talking and inner thoughts. The action is comprised of a few mishaps and "incidents" that don't feel as murder-y as in other books.

In any case - this was slightly easier read than book 3 but slightly less likeable main character. Release date now 4/25/23. 4/5☆

Wow this book was absolutely amazing! It kept me on my toes and glued to the edge of my seat the entire time!

Another You is out and I was here for it! Joe is hitting restart and headed off to Harvard. I don’t know if it’s just me but I’m kind of dwindling down on this guy. Initially it was sucking me in full throttle by the first book. Now I want to break up with Joe too. I did love the writing in writing and I enjoy the jokes and smirks I got throughout but I think I may just be burnt out unfortunately. The ending also left it to be another possibility for another Joe return for more Joe love and being in love. Ehhh…

Thank you Random House and netgalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

Joe is at it again! While I still enjoy Joe and his warped sense of reality, this one felt slow and long. I loved the previous books but not sure how much more can be done that hasn’t already been done.