Thank you netgalley for the advanced readers copy. What a fantastic next installment to this series. Joe is at it again being a total creep and I can't get enough. A must read for the Joes

*SPOILERS*

Thank you, thank you, thank you for approving me for this read! I absolutely love this series and had been in withdrawal since reading the third installment, so I appreciate it so much.

Joe's internal monologues are so witty. I mean, he's a serial killer and I shouldn't even like him, but he usually makes a good point for his case and he makes me laugh, especially when he thinks one thing but says something else just to appease or manipulate someone. He's a terrible person but I am always rooting for him.

Well, almost always.

I enjoyed the setup of this book. The Harvard campus location was an enjoyable setting, and it was clever how the author made Joe a Harvard student without ACTUALLY making him a Harvard student. I love reading about writers, and the sheer audacity of this man to write a book in which he confesses to murder and to expect to publish it was just so much fun. I felt nostalgic about my college creative writing course, where we shared our pages for critiques. I felt the anxiety of the thing, too, especially as Joe struggled to even get other people to read his work. I enjoyed how he became the teacher's pet. And I felt his ire when he had become the new teacher's pet as well, only to find out it was all a lie.

All the writing parts were fun, but I especially liked Joe's recollections of the life he left behind in Florida, and how he kept RIP Ethel in a cage in his basement to read and critique his work. I want to read that book! But maybe it wouldn't be long enough to fill a novel.

I liked the characters in this book. Some of them (most of the classmates) ultimately faded into the background. I really liked the two writing mentors (as adversaries of Joe's) but Sarah Beth made the most lasting impression on me. She is all of us, all readers of the "You" series who think we could meet Joe Goldberg and tell him WE KNOW his sins, and still want to be friends. I kept wondering where their relationship was going to go, if he was really going to leave that loose end untied, but...well, we're talking about The. Joe. Goldberg here.

The character I liked least was Joe's love interest, Wonder. I found her to be two-faced and a liar (not to mention a thieving plagiarizer) and her home situation was just so unpleasant, I couldn't see what Joe saw in her. I usually feel like he's made a connection with someone but Wonder was surrounded by red flags that made her seem like a truly awful choice in life partner. I know he always wants the perfect partner and it takes him a while to see the women he targets as normal, flawed human beings, but I could not understand his attraction this time at all. He liked that Wonder was like him, wasn't a REAL Harvard student, but that's where their similarities seemed to end. She still lives at home and cares for her family of gambling addicts. She says one thing to his face and another behind his back, or one thing to him in a text and something completely different around other people. She stole from his book and then denied having even read it. She was so wishy-washy and dislikable. But, knowing Joe, he'll come to his senses next time around and finish the job, so to speak. (Right???)

There were parts of this book that made me gasp aloud, like when Joe realized the man he had just tried to kill was not Wonder's boyfriend at all, but her gay best friend. My favorite scenes were when Sly showed up wearing the sunglasses Joe had left in her house after breaking in (oops!) and the end when he and Wonder came upon Sly's body in the hot tub. I know it made Joe furious that Wonder destroyed the forged suicide note he had so carefully crafted, but I liked that she did that. Tried to save Sly her dignity, since Wonder thought there was no way what she said could be true.

I loved this book so much. I wish I had a shed like Sarah Beth's for writing! Just so many great details that made this book an excellent read, like all the others in this series. My only disappointment is that now I have to wait for the next one! Thanks again! I needed this!

YES!! Caroline Kepnes has done it again!! These novels keep on getting better and better. The characters, the thrill, the suspense and storyline are all top notch.

“The eyes of others our prisons; their thoughts our cages.” Virginia Woolf

Remind yourself what you loved about You and come into For You and Only You with your heart and arms open, ready to embrace your friend who still feels familiar if a little different from the last time you saw them. It might feel awkward as the ways you’ve grown apart are most salient at first, but once you start to catch up, the years will fall away.

I’m not going to pretend that FYAOY is for everyone, or even everyone who enjoyed the first book; it’s not. It has a jerky start getting off the runway, and the ride’s a little bumpy for the first third.

You’ll love this installment of You if you love all of these things mutually and without exception: Joe Goldberg, Dunkin’, reading about writing, that season of Gilmore Girls where Rory goes to Yale and dates that rich annoying blond dude, literary critiques, Coolatas, hating dudes who cycle, Electric Lit, BAHSTON, the confidence of mediocre white men male writers, reading about reading, nepotism, and true crime podcasts.

When Joe arrives at Harvard for his first fellowship session, he notices a hot girl in a midi skirt perched on the steps of Barker Center reading Faulkner performatively. Glances are exchanged, but Joe declines to engage.

"I know who you really are. You run, you try so hard to kill your feelings for me that you wind up dead in real life, dead inside. I’m not built like you. I never get over you, any of you."

Just a few pages later, Joe is surveying his cohort with irritation, noticing that all of the female members are married.

"It’s not like I expected to fall in love, but the possibility would be nice—I am human, I am single—and all three of my female fellows are little Mrs. Tuffets [sic]. Visibly married."

This skillful insight into Joe’s questionable psyche and narration is a delight and beautifully sets up Joe as an unreliable narrator. He doesn’t see his own inconsistencies, but we do.

"'We’re writers. We want to be in control all the time…'
I have never tried to control anyone in my entire life. I have only tried to help people make good decisions. 'Absofuckinglutely.'"

I don’t want to give anything else away! I love books about books, I don’t have a hard time turning off my brain and allowing myself to enjoy a work flaws and all, and I thought FYAOY was great. I’d rank it third in overall enjoyment for the series, ahead of Hidden Bodies which is not my vibe.

"But I am real. When darkness falls, we have two choices. We can turn on a light and fight Mother Nature with electricity, or we can go with it. Plunge into the black knowing that we might fall and lose everything."

I couldn't help but read this book in a Penn Badgley voice. Another great storyline with Joe Goldberg right at the center. This time, he is at Cambridge University, and his new obsession goes by the name of Wonder. She is not your typical Cambridge type, but her talent is something Joe can see shining so bright. But of course, he needs her help to refine it.

While I love Joe Goldberg and his storylines, it does seem like this story has run its course. I did feel like some of the plots were a bit repetitive. You could anticipate his actions prior to them being acted out in the book.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, albeit a bit predictable.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

You want to talk about it being exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.... I'm a little over rooting for the anti-hero in this one.

I didn't connect with the Wonder and Joe story like I did all of his other "relationships". I still loved reading the inner thoughts and ramblings of Joe Goldberg but, Wonder made me wonder why her? She didn't have the spark or what makes her special like the other girls. She was very lackluster and truthfully...annoying.

However, I love the Massachusetts twist as a New Englander myself and of course Joe had some epic one liners in there. I bet if this had a different path besides Wonder, it would have been a winner!

Thank you Random House Publishing for this ARC. Oh, Joe, Joe, Joe do you ever feel the need not to murder? Thank you Caroline Kepnes for another in the “You” series. There was a lot of depth to this novel, much more than all the others. Eye opening characters, and autodidacts ( which is a new one on me ). Evil and Good galore! Wonder was a favorite character, and I was definitely sure of her demise, but magically I was wrong. Well done twists and turns, keeping me glued to my Kindle, I’m definitely hoping for Netflix on this novel too! Let’s bring a little more Joe Goldberg novels into our reading and watching world. Fascinating! Kudos to Caroline Kepnes, loved the book!

Joe Goldberg is a stalker, serial killer, and former bookstore owner. In For You and Only You he is a Harvard fellowship writer. He’s still a stalker and killer. He’s set his sights on Wonder, she’s a fellowship writer too. Joe wants this fellow writer to read his book, but Joe’s got a warped sense of morality and instead he manipulates his fellow writer, to pave the path for himself.
For You and Only You is a Joe Goldberg Novel written by Caroline Kepnes. This is book four. I highly recommend watching the YOU series on Netflix. The series is based on Joe’s character but it’s so much more. The series expands upon who Joe is as a stalker and serial killer living amongst normal people. He blends in with people assimilating easily into any location. Read it before you watch it.
Wonder applied to the fellowship for her love of her books. She’s a self taught person. She works at Dunkin’ and she’s writing a book called Faithful.
Joe’s fixated on Wonder and her writing. The problem I have with Joe’s character is finding any means to an end. I feel like the challenges have been exhausted in prior obsessions. Wonder’s character doesn’t bring anything to the table. He comes across as whiny. The excitement is gone. All that is left is a guy ready to expose himself to the world.

I find I can handle Joe as a character on the Netflix series. His character doesn’t read well on paper. He’s better in action. Having a visual aid of his inner monologue comes across easier in the show. Joe is a complex character who uses book and movie references to compare peoples personalities. The problem with that is my unfamiliarity with these movie and book comparisons. Sadly, the writing doesn’t flow when these metaphors are written into his inner monologue’s. I find myself drifting away trying to look up these name drops which takes me away breaking the spell that is Joe’s rant.

I love Joe’s character he’s unique in the way he’s passionate about books. His world revolves around books. No one writes the way Caroline Kepnes writes Joe’s character. Her writing voice is unique. It’s almost like reading a riddle. Joe’s thoughts are puzzling and profound. He’s constantly comparing writers to people.
This may sound macabre but I miss Joe hunting/stalking his victims before going in for the kill. Caroline held back that part of Joe’s character instead focusing on building a relationship with a guy who he thought he needed and a girl who he thought he loved. The more time Joe spent with Wonder the more withdrawn I became. This is not the Joe I grew to love.
I’ve grown accustomed to Joe’s inner monologue. I’ve watched the series and have mastered his mannerisms in my mind. I can now formulate images of Joe to match the scene. Like I’ve said before Joe is better in the series than on paper. Flat Joe is a disservice to Joe Goldberg. This is a different side of Joe I’m not invested in. I wish I could like reading Caroline’s words as much as I do watching her words being performed on screen.

Oh, Joe. YOU are the villain that we all hate to love, so it saddens me to say that your storyline has gotten incredibly stale and formulaic. With Joe, we all know what's coming in the plotline, we just don't know HOW it's coming, but this time, even those aspects fell really flat for me.

After reading You Love Me last year (and rating it only two stars), I wasn't sure that I was willing to give Joe Goldberg another chance. Naturally, though, I can't seem to say no every time he comes back around, so when For You and Only You was released, I jumped at the chance to snag an ARC. Sadly, after finishing this book, I hate to say it, but I think Joe and I are breaking up for good.

I actually thought that the Harvard setting and the premise of the literary fellowship were totally perfect, and there was SO much potential there, but then we are introduced to all of the characters who were more like caricatures. Filled with stereotypes, most of the fellows read as incredibly shallow and flat characters, and the ones that did get fleshed out were unlikable at best.

I have no idea why Joe even became interested in Wonder in the first place other than her autodidact-ness because she was about as interesting as a dishrag. Her weak and wishy-washy character made it really hard to believe that THIS relationship was what Joe was fighting for, but apparently, he's gotten desperate, and the pickings must be slim.

I really, really hoped that this book would pick up toward the end and become deserving of a higher rating, but alas, Joe, even with all of his idiosyncrasies, has morphed into Joe Average, and 3-stars was the best I could do.

Side note: Netflix has definitely done its job well because I couldn't read this book at all without hearing it narrated in Penn Badgley's voice, and I'm not actually sure if that helped or hindered my enjoyment of the book.

Psycho Joe is up to his old tricks again and looking for love in all the wrong places. This time he’s moved to Boston and set his sights on Wonder, a woman who just happens to live across the street from him and is in the same fellowship at Harvard. Joe and Wonder start getting close and Glenn, Joes friend and fellowship leader starts criticizing Wonders writing. Joe goes from butt kissing RIP Glenn to planning his demise. The story is told from Joes point of view. He has some wild and crazy thoughts. Sometimes funny. This was a suspenseful read that I couldn’t hardly put down. This is the fourth book in the series. It can be read as a stand alone but I recommend reading them in order. Many thanks NetGalley and Random House. This will be be released April 25th, 2023.

I had just finished and reviewed the third book in the series, You Love Me, within the last two months, so it was a delight to receive an ARC of the 4th book. Thank you! I really enjoyed this one. Regulars of the series and the Netflix show will enjoy Joe's quick wit and creepy, stalker ways. I felt like the storyline really lent itself well to the bookish/Bookstagrammer reader who will likely love the glimpse into the world of writers struggling to get published. It was a fun change of pace after we had seen Joe tackle California and suburbia for the past two books.

The supporting characters were a treat and well-developed. I frequently wanted to see more of Sly, Sarah Beth, Glenn, and poor Kevin. Sarah Beth is the true break-out star of this novel. It will be a miss if she is not added into the Netflix show. In some ways, I think Kepnes could have pushed the psycho card a bit more with both Sly and Sarah Beth. Both ladies had the reader wondering if someone had FINALLY out-smarted Joe Goldberg. It's always fun to see Joe view someone ELSE as being the one that is unhinged. Much of Joe's inner dialogue during the Sarah Beth scenes in the Dead Shed was smart, witty, and kept me up wanting to read more.

My only critique is one that i also noticed in You Love Me - some metaphors and phrases are overused. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, The Prince of Tides, J. Lo's hoop earrings, Dunkin' Coolatta drinks, drinking the Kool-Aid, and Dunkin' Sarah Rooney are all used many, many times. Finding other descriptors would help tighten up the writing.

Overall, I cannot wait to read the next book after the cliff-hanger ending and see Joe on the small screen when the show returns in February to Netflix.

**Will post a review to @thenovelnickole on Instagram after the pub date in April 2023.

For You and Only You Review!

Thank you netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this gifted copy, in exchange for an honest review! For You and Only You comes out April, 25, 2023!!

Oh Joe. You’re a hot mess. 😅 For You and Only You was a 3.75/5 ⭐️ for me! As all the other Joe books this was a wild ride and fun to read. I love getting in Joes head, he is so messed up. Parts of this one seemed to drag for me, it’s getting a little redundant. I also wasn’t the biggest fan of Joe’s love interest, she was pretty boring. The ending didn’t seem like Joe at all thought either and I was kinda disappointed. It was fun being back with Joe and in a new environment though! It was also snowy and cozy, perfect for a New York City Christmas!!

Synopsis: No more selling books for Joe Goldberg, now he is writing them. He starts a fellowship with other writers at Harvard. That is where he meets Wonder, the new love of his life.

Compelling, disturbing, and intricately plotted. Kenes is an auto buy for me. This one is one not to be missed. Highly recommended.

Oh, Joe...

This fourth installment of the series brings Joe back with a new love, a Wonder Woman who is on a similar path as him to write a book and get published. We spend the book watching the evolution of her and their relationship through a fellowship at Harvard, and Joe is just so Joe.

Of the leading ladies we've met in his life, Wonder is the one I like the least (though I'm curious if this was the point). But overall I very much enjoyed the story and Joe's journey. The peripheral characters were entertaining and author did a good job with the little details.

I will never get sick of Joe's quippiness and his inner monologues. While I understand that some readers are getting a little tired of the "same old shtick", I'd argue that this is why we keep coming back. We like Joe.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for this ARC in return for my honest review.

In this book we return to Joe Goldberg’s mind in full force. Almost immediately we are introduced to Wonder Parish and Joe is hooked. He starts off in true Joe fashion by finding her address, but in a legal way because they are both Harvard Fellows and the information was provided for everyone! He takes it one step further by watching house her from nearby and constantly checking her Goodreads and her sisters Facebook for updates. When he realizes there is an on again off again boyfriend in Wonder’s life you know what he has to do.
This is where I lost the Joe Goldberg from the past. He realizes his mistake when he actually talks to wonder and he SAVES Bobby, who he just tried to kill! It all goes downhill from there.
The book is good. It’s Joe doing his thing, finally getting closer to publishing his book, but it just doesn’t quite feel like Joe. Maybe he has matured and learned from the last, but honestly I expected more. More stalking, more attempted murder, just more. Don’t get me wrong, there was stalking, there was murder, just not as much as I expected. The storyline ket me interested but it just seemed to fall a little bit flat. Maybe I set my expectations too high and he couldn’t live up to them.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the series I recommend reading it. Maybe just lower your expectations and you won’t be looking for as much out of it as I was.

I really enjoyed this series I went into this novel already familiar with Joe Goldberg. I enjoyed his narration his version vs what he says. I enjoyed Sarah Beth In this novel it was a refreshing character to go along with this storyline. Wonder is his interest this novel and I had a hard time connecting with her but i think that helped with the storyline. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Random House.

This was a big miss for me. I was really looking forward to it but found it to be entirely too long, with long parts that could have easily been cut. Many parts felt extremely repetitive and so much felt unresolved even after so many pages. The ending wasn’t satisfying. Hoping the next will be more entertaining.

DNF. This book seemed like it was written by a different author. Joe was to the extreme. I enjoyed the other books, but not this one.


Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher or a digital copy of this book for my honest opinion

Okay, so it’s kind of more of the same – almost a little (gasp) formulaic now? But it’s still a lot of fun.

I still want Joe to find his happy and I sort of think if he were to start surrounding himself with more people with normal names he might do better. I mean…Wonder Parish? She’s going to be bad for you Joe. You KNOW this.

However, Joe does meet someone in this book who he SHOULD fall for (next book maybe or maybe not because it would destroy our FORMULA).

The book was very entertaining and fast moving and I certainly wanted some people to die, die, die so I think that was a success.

Looking forward to the next book and maybe a tiny switch up in how things happen? Please?

• ARC via Publisher

Great read! Well developed characters, and I was guessing until the end! Have read books by this author before, and this did not disappoint!