Oh Joe.
I will follow you anywhere. After three books, it's safe to say, I'm hooked. I'm a fan.
For You and Only You is the fourth book in the series and I hate to say this, but also my least favorite. I imagine it is extremely difficult to keep Goldberg just as sharp and witty as he is in YOU where we all first fell in love with him. With every release, his shine realistically must dull because the newness has worn off.
I didn't love (Love?) Hidden Bodies but then You Love Me was great. I felt like Kepnes really came into her own finding a strong, thriller pace that hit almost as strong as book one.
What makes Joe Goldberg great is when he encounters other people--the characters he bumps up against have to bring out the best (worst) in him and in book four, I'm afraid Wonder Parish is extremely boring. I have no sense of what she looks like, no sense of why Joe is even obsessed with her, really, it's almost an insta-love with Joe just telling us why Wonder is so great instead of showing us.
Glenn Shoddy is also not that great-his persona didn't seem larger than life to me, just kind of your average douchebag.
I do love that this story is AGAIN immersing us in the world of books just like YOU. Joe worked in a bookstore and had that secret room downstairs, remember? In this Goldberg drama, Joe is writing a book and a part of his mentor's writing critique group (which is where he meets Wonder) and the conversations about writing and books and authors, is the best part.
"You're a Goodreads girl..."
This was fun.
And of course Joe starts murdering people close to his "girl" again, which is also fun...but Unfortunately, this one just didn't do it for me.
It was entertaining to be back in Joe's head, a fly on the wall during the drama, but it doesn't quite measure up to the others in terms of that "it factor" that keeps the pages flying.

I love Joe. I really do. But he kind of let me down on this one. That said, he's getting rave reviews from others so maybe it's just me. I'll certainly still look forward to Caroline's next book whether it's about Joe or someone else.

Joe is back! I thought the Joe Goldberg schtick might get tired, but Caroline Kepnes brings him back and thrilling story in “For You and Only You.” It’s Joe at the most pretentious school in the US.
These books never fail to thrill and make me laugh.

My initial expectations were a little too high for the fourth book in the ‘You’ series. The first 40% of the book is hard to get through.. I almost had to set this one aside because nothing was happening.

I pushed through and it slowly started getting better, but overall it lacked that intriguing storyline that hooks you and makes you want more. As always, the way Joe narrates and tells his story is entertaining (we hate to love him). He’s dark, twisted, and sarcastic.. but it totally works. I wasn’t too impressed with his love interest, Wonder. I didn’t find her all that interesting.. but Sara Beth on the other hand.. Now that’s its own story.

Sadly this missed the mark for me on pacing and overall plot development, but I respectfully still enjoy this series. Will I continue to read every book about Joe? Yes. Was this my least favorite in the series? Also yes.

This book was not for me. That being said, I definitely enjoy the concept of the entire "You" series, following Joe on his journey through love (if you can call it that) and life. I enjoyed the ending between Joe and the latest "love of his life," Wonder, but no spoilers.

It took me much longer than it should have to read, and overall, I felt the plotline was a little too mundane. I couldn't entirely tell how much time had lapsed from start to finish, but I am guessing only a few months. I am basing this on the fact that the characters were in a college semester fellowship.

The relationship between Joe and Wonder felt rushed and forced, and not in the way Joe always forces a relationship on his target. It felt like I blinked, and they went from barely knowing each other to practically living with each other and ending everything with, "you're the love of my life." I actually had to flip back through pages to make sure that I didn't miss a chapter.

The last thing I will say is that, personally, I find this style of writing challenging to read. A lot of people like a challenge. However, the constant juxtaposition of what Joe was thinking with what he was saying (which were almost always opposite), and all the inner monologues, made it hard to keep up with what other characters actually knew.

I would love to see a book by Kepnes written from the point of view of one of Joe's love interests, one of these days.

I could hardly wait to see what psychotic fantasies Joe Goldberg dreams up in the latest offering of the YOU series from Caroline Kepnes. Honestly, this author is a genius. She writes stories from the deep POV of a psychopath, and makes us want to root for him, even when it makes us feel guilty because we know we shouldn't.

Joe fixates on his newest target in the first pages of the book. He stalks a woman named Wonder until he learns her patterns, idealizes her as his perfect partner, and then finds a way to meet and date her. The story is written in Joe's stream of consciousness, as if he's talking out loud. After watching the YOU series on Netflix, I recalled the sound of actor Penn Badgley's voice, and that helped me follow this character's cra-crazy self-talk. This turned out to be a valuable tool, because the reader needs to let go and become fully immersed in Joe's voice to follow the story. Joe thinks in fits and starts; sometimes with three things happening at once, and it's the reader's job to keep up. This reviewer found the process both interesting and enjoyable.

Joe Goldberg is a malignant narcissist, a violent psychopath, and a serial killer. He sees himself as a good guy, and a hero, whose purpose is to show others how to love. And God help them if they don't measure up. Everyone around Joe sees him as harmless, since he's good-looking, charming, and a chameleon. The juxtaposition of who he is and how others see him creates numerous laugh-out-loud moments or tense scenarios. No one is who they seem to be. There are twists and turns and a few surprises I never saw coming in this highly recommended, unique novel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an ARC to read for review. This review will appear on Bayside Book Reviews at https://baysidebookreviews.com on release day. *NetGalley Top Reviewer*

All in all a good book....with an expected plot. Wash, Rinse, Repeat. I think this book franchise has reached maximum capacity.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the advanced reader copy. I was very excited when I received this arc, as I have been patiently waiting for the new season to come out. I really enjoyed being in Joe's inner monologue, though at times, I felt a little discombobulated trying to follow along. I loved the story and the characters. Caroline Kepnes is always a star! I recommend reading this book.

#ForYouandOnlyYou #NetGalley Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel. I encourage you to check this one out!

Something about these books just really draws me in. However, this was my least favorite of the series. I'm not even exactly sure why. I think the murders were less anticlimactic. Wonder was so mysterious to me, I never knew how I felt about her. It was slow to start. I will always read more Joe Goldberg so I hope there are more books!

I feel like Joe Goldberg is the definition of expectation vs reality, except he murders people when nothing goes as planned.

I was so happy to receive an ARC of For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes. I’m a big fan of the You series. There’s something about these books that are just so addicting. I think it’s the way we dive into Joe’s mind. It’s such a deep narration that I don’t feel often with novels.

This book is the fourth installment in the series. Joe has written a book and is invited to join a book workshop at Harvard taught by a famous writer. Joe, of course, finds the next love of his life, Wonder, among his classmates. And Joe will let nothing get in the way of him and his girl.

This book hooked me from the start, as most of the You series has. While I did expect a little more from it, I still had a ton of fun with this book. It’s so conflicting being in Joe’s mind. The way he views people is almost infectious and it’s hard to remember that seeing these people through Joe’s eyes is not the best way to view them.

I gave this book four stars! It’s a must read for fans of the You series!

Special thanks to @netgalley for the arc!

I hate to say this but I think this series is at its capacity. The writing is still great, Joe is our loveable(maybe?) Joe, but nothing really seemed to happen. I kept reading, wanting more but it turned out to be just like the other books. Nothing more occurs other than Joe finding a new girl to obsess and kill over.

I highly enjoyed another dose of Joe Goldberg! This time Joe is surrounded by authors and of course finds his next love... Wonder. This story kept me reading and wondering what would happen next and if this would FINALLY be Joe's final girl. Another great story Caroline Kepnes!

Joe is back and getting himself into all kinds of trouble per usual! In this era of anti-heroes, I feel like Joe could not have come back at a more perfect time. As a fellow Goodreads girl, I am going to follow Wonder’s lead and leave a review that does not include a lame plot summary. Although Wonder isn’t my favorite of Joe’s leading ladies (Team Beck), I did find her to be an intriguing match for him. While I know we shouldn’t technically root for Joe, I do hope that he finds his match at some point in the future.

Caroline Kepnes is a literary genius. I always say that her books are dense. I make sure to take my time and read multiple times to soak in all of the references and get a full understanding of the characters. The way she strings words together is remarkable! On a side note, I cannot wait to hear the audiobook version and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Santino will be reprising his role as Joe. No one else can read Joe quite like Santino! I’m here for Joe always and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was an honor to be chosen for this one!

I'm a little all over the place with this one. I love Joe--his character is fantastic and I like (almost always) his inner dialogue, which is peppered with both literary and cultural references. I laugh out loud with him and nod my head in agreement. And he tends to convince me that everyone his RIPS deserves it. I think it's fair to say, like others have as well, that I'm in it for Joe and will look forward to a #5 book in this series.

So what didn't work as well? I hate to say this but I found it a little boring. I liked the first book in the series, really did NOT enjoy the second, and then really enjoyed the third. This one felt a bit formulaic but, dare I say, he didn't get up to enough mischief? The book started picking up with Joe's first RIP attempt, but then the pacing seemed to drop away again. I felt a lot of stops and starts with the narrative. I also got a piqued after a while with the Goodreads stuff--there's a clear delineation being drawn between readers and writers--okay. And I can imagine how Goodreads is both wonderful and dreadful for a writer (I compare it to academic student evaluations for a university professor 😊). But I felt like the across-the-board disdain was real at times, and I wasn't sure how to square that away--as a reader.

I always dislike the female leads in his books, which urges me to cheer Joe on when he decides to RIP any of them. But this one was really unlikable for me--to the point that I couldn't figure out what Joe and others saw in her (I guess her writing genius, but I don't know). I kept thinking she was maybe 22 instead of 35; her life experiences didn't reflect a woman much out of high school or even college. I couldn't identify with her at all. I actually was intrigued by another character, the successful thriller writer (S.B .), though I'm not sure I can pinpoint her resolution.

Finally . . . the setting. I was super psyched to see Joe in the academic setting. As soon as I read the blurb, I thought, "Yes!" The university is EXACTLY where Joe belongs (I'm an academic so I can say that with impunity.) I couldn't wait to read this. But then when I got to the book, I felt like the Harvard setting was underutilized. The Boston setting was great--I felt it was quite well used. But there was so little of the university world in this book, and it's one that Joe would thrive in. I know--he's not REALLY in the university; he's in a limited run fellowship. But still. I can see Joe in a less prestigious university, one where he could forge his way in (as he notes in several of his books, his forgery skills are impressive). What a hoot it would be to see him as an ersatz professor at a small liberal arts somewhere! I would be all over that. Maybe it was that Harvard is just too much and the stage too bright for such a lark. But anyway, I felt like the academic part of this didn't live up to my (admittedly high) expectations.

Final recommendation: If you read Joe, of course you are going to read this. So go ahead and pick it up. See what shenanigans he's up to now. I'm not sure if the next one will continue with some loose ends from this novel or start on a brand new page, but I'm hoping Kepnes hits the next one out of the park.

I was so SO excited to get an e-ARC of this one, and unfortunately, I think I am just a little burnt out from Joe. The series is starting to feel a little repetitive for me personally, however, if you want to slip back into the twisted mind of a charismatic psychopath? You will not be disappointed. For me, it's just a case of needing something new from Joe. This book in particular felt like it was doing too much and could be slightly shorter. That said, I would read another because it's now a series I feel compelled to see through to the end.

I wouldn't recommend if you are only slightly interested in seeing what Joe gets up to next. But! If this is your jam, I think you will be very happy.

Once again, Caroline Kepnes grips us with her amazing prose. I loved this 4th novel, and I still can't get enough of Joe's weirdness.

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.

Joe Goldberg is at it…again. But this time he is taking on academia, because, naturally, he is the best writer the literary world has ever seen. Or so he says. While Kepnes’ writing style always keeps the inner workings of Joe’s mind interesting, I found myself getting lost in his pages-long stream of consciousness ramblings quite a few times. It was nice to get to see Joe be challenged a bit more in this installment, but I still found myself thinking, “how much longer is he going to get away with this?”

I don't honestly know how to write this review. The book was hard to get in to. I didn't really care for Wonder. Overall I did enjoy the book and didn't want it to end. I like the candor and humour - the author can write. I would read the next book in the series but I also feel like this series should just end already.