“The royal moments are supposed to be the fourteen cookies that come after the meal, the cherries on the top of sundaes. They’re rare for a reason.”

Joe Goldberg is back and this time he’s in Boston🍀

The book goddesses were looking out for me when I was approved for this ARC from @netgalley. I have no idea how I pulled that off, but believe me when I say I screamed from joy. BEST holiday present ever.

You is one of the few series that I re-read once a year. Caroline Kepnes’ writing style is fantastic, always filled with relevant pop-culture references and fun quotes. I will say, I am getting a bit nervous that the You series will become overdone with too many books, but until that happens, I’ll continue to indulge.

For You & Only You was another great Joe installment. This time around, Joe has joined a fellowship at Harvard, where he meets his next love interest, Wonder. I’m a Massachusettes native (as is Caroline), so I loved all of the local references. I felt like this installment was much tamer in the violence category that other ones, which was neither a negative or positive. I just can’t believe he keeps getting away with all of his crimes!

Has Joe learned from his past mistakes? Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself…

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Random House, and brilliant author Caroline Kepnes for this latest ARC in the YOU series, For You And Only You.

This story’s location is my home! I enjoyed Kepnes’ observations of Boston cultural and academic tidbits; as well as her general musical references peppered into the narrative.

This book contains a sympathetic, brilliant, snarky, observant, bad-boy-who-isn’t; academia, books, writing; and general human nature social and romantic BS!
How I adore the world Kepnes continually creates.

There were some differences between this slower-paced book and the tightness of the previous in the series, but I still rate it five stars.

Wonder also seemed less potent of a love object to me, but none of this lessened my reading pleasure because I was given the gift of hanging out again in Joe’s head for a few days!
He is my one of my favorite characters ever created and I hope to read more of him (and listen on audiobook, and see on television adaptations!) to come.

Previous review copied below as it all remains true to me:

“5 stars as usual for the latest in author Caroline Kepnes’s You series. You Love Me is just as delicious to read as the preceding books were!

In this and all of the You books I am astounded, awed by the author’s ability to show perfect insight into an intelligent and slightly askew but sensitive male mind.

Joe is my dream man - a sympathetic sociopath - because of his socially-satirical, sarcastic, snarky, *aware* brain; and it amazes me that a female author can so accurately create such a male voice and character.

Caroline Kepnes is also an astute observer through Joe of the hypocrisy inherent in weak human nature, as well as the mercurial condition of romantic love.

I am a huge fan of this book and Caroline Kepnes, and I hope that Joe never dies.”

This installment of the series left me a little wanting. Joe seemed more manic in his stream of consciousness and much more mellow with his murders and kidnapping. Although I did enjoy many of the new female characters - I didn't feel his passion and obsession for the apple of his eye in this one. BUT I'm very much looking forward to where he ends up in the next one.

I love the You series. However, this book and the 3rd were a bit of a letdown. I think this series has run its course. Joe has gotten more annoying to read about throughout the series.

Thank you to both #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Random House for providing me an advance copy of Caroline Kepnes’s fourth novel in the #JoeGoldberg series, For You and Only You, in exchange for an honest review.

#ForYouandOnlyYou is the fourth novel in the #JoeGoldberg series. True to format, the novel opens with Joe fantasizing about his latest obsession (aka victim). This time it is a colleague enrolled in his writing fellowship at Harvard, Wonder Parish. Joe and Wonder seemingly share more commonalities than their elitist peers…or so, Joe thinks.

Is it me, or is Joe a bit more irritating than usual this time around? Regardless, this might be my second favorite book in the series since the first novel. It is certainly the closest to the original source material. I had lost almost all hope after the third, but the charm and wit finally shined through again. Also, doesn’t hurt to picture Penn Badgley as Joe thanks to the #Netflix series #YOU.

Equally, easy to imagine while reading the novel was the obnoxious Boston accent (I refuse to spell it as such) attributed to Wonder. It was as cliché as a #Walhberg flick. Yikes! If you can get over the Boston stereotypes, however, it was truly one of the more enjoyable of the four. I was under the impression the author had only planned for four, but given the cliffhanger, I assume there will be others. Ironically, the ending was the part I hated most about the book. #Sorrynotsorry for being a #goodreadsgirl.

For readers familiar with the series, this one is heavily reliant on Joe’s inner monologue. So, expect sardonic humor and sole focus on Joe…or as Joe would put it, #Me.

My favorite psychopath returns. I admit Joe is my very guilty pleasure. I am fascinated beyond words by this man and I especially love full access to his thoughts, he brings life to the stream of consciousness. No one can read people like Joe, he’s dead on and brutally honest. The best part - lots of Joe sharing his thoughts. I was not a fan of Wonder at all. I didn’t feel the chemistry between the two and I detested her personality. However, Sarah added zest so it balanced my dislike of Wonder. The narrative was clever but it dragged a bit, the ending was a huge hit. Everything equilibrium-wise came together in the end. Kepnes does such a fabulous job with Joe and each book in the series is wonderfully individual you never know what to expect in the next installment. All I can say is I rarely dip into series but Joe Goldberg mesmerizes me in a twisted and sensical way. Looking forward to more of Joe. I will add, to fully enjoy I would read the previous books to grasp a better understanding of references sprinkled throughout the narrative.

I will read ANYTHING with Joe Goldberg (**swoon**). Being in his head fascinates me. It intrigues me. I absolutely love his character. He's a murderer yet I'm always rooting for him!!! He's my favorite anti-hero!

This installment of the YOU series takes place in Boston. Joe is heading to Harvard for a writing fellowship in hopes of being published. In true Joe fashion someone catches his eye, enter, Wonder Parish. However, as we all know, it's never easy for Joe and he always finds his way back to his murderous tendencies, in the name of love of course.

Out of all the books in this series, this one was the least entertaining for me. Don't get me wrong, it had its moments and I thought, here we go, it's happening but, it never happened.

I found this book to be boring. It left me confused (so confused) and disappointed.
But, if there's a 5th book, you're damn right I'm gonna read it!

When I didn't think the series could get better than it already is, IT DID!

This is the 4th book in the You series and its just as good as the first. Caroline just blows me away with every single release.

We catch up with Joe, in a post-covid life, during a Harvard Fellowship and what a turn of events, he is writing a book about himself. How much truth are we putting in this book Joe? We also know he can't go long without someone catching his eye....I wonder how long she makes it? Has he finally met his match!!?? :")

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC!! I can't wait for everyone to get their hands on this one, coming your way April 2023!

As ridiculous and addictive as its predecessors. But no one is reading (or watching) the "You" series for likeable characters or relatable plot.

The biggest thanks and appreciation to Random House and Netgalley for approving my E-Arc request! I feel like a little kid on Christmas.

Joe Goldberg is in Boston, he's got a spot in a writing fellowship at Harvard. Joe goes to Sonsie and Trident. The places I go... all the time. I don't know if it's because I live in Cambridge and I'm walking the same streets and know all of these locations, but this is definitely my favorite book in the series. This was so much fucking fun to read. Being in Joe's head never gets old, his inner voice makes me laugh out loud yet I'm simultaneously squirming because I know how easily he'd get to me.

Dark academia is a favorite, and Joe absolutely thrives in this kill-your-darlings setting. I adored this new character, Wonder. I feel like I grew up with her. There's a kindred feeling in her hardness and tendency to love, a Boston thing. I tore through this one and I'm really sad it's over. Go pre-order it now! You won't be disappointed. Thank you, Caroline Kepnes! You're a badass, and Connecticunt might be the best word ever written in a book.

Joe Goldberg is the itch you can't stop scratching even though you know it's likely to leave a scar. In this fourth installment of Caroline Kepnes's YOU series, Joe is attending Harvard as a writing fellow. And wouldn't you know it, he's found someone to occupy his time. Joe, didn't you learn your lesson with writers back in New York? This is the Joe we hate to love and love to hate, and this time we get to see him in a less twisty narrative than the ones we've grown used to. I can't wait to see where Joe ends up next. Maybe he should take a little breather on the beer-soaked shores of Cleveland.

Review Copy

OK, I admit it. I'm confused. How does Joe do it? He's a psychotic narcissist. He falls in and out of love like nobody's business. He leaves pee in Peach Salinger closet and has the luck of the Irish and yet...And yet we still care. And he doesn't get caught!

Well, in YOU AND ONLY YOU everything gets turned upside down and inside out. Somehow, Joe finds himself a Harvard fellowship and falls in love with a Dunkin Goodreads girl. Annnnd he discovers certain people's secrets and other people learn his.

Say, what?!

Yes, that's why this was my least favorite of the four Goldberg YOU books. It still had the same incredible writing. But Joe needs the Cuckoo's Nest. He needs to get caught.

I love Carolyn Kepnes and have read everything she has written. But what will she write next? What will Joe do? Will he crash and burn? Or finally find the one?

So admittedly, I haven’t been keeping up with my ARCs as well as I should, but I can honestly say I’ve never been this excited about being approved, so a HUGE thanks to @netgalley and @randomhouse for this digital ARC.

Joe Goldberg is back, and just as twisted as ever in this one! Now living in Boston and in a highly selective fellowship program at Harvard University. A lot has changed since Joe’s last outing on Bainbridge Island, but not nearly enough. It just wouldn’t be a You novel if he didn’t have another woman to fixate on.

But this time around, he might have finally met his match, in more ways than one.

I won’t say much more because I’d hate to spoil this one. But if, like me, you love seeing all the awful, despicable things Joe gets up to, make sure you grab For You and Only You when it comes out April 23rd!

I was so excited to read this one! It definitely started out really fast paced and I love the psychotic feeling of Joe narrating. This one wasn’t as dark as some of the others, but it was still really enjoyable to read about Joe’s latest adventures at Harvard. Can’t wait to see what’s next! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

For You and Only You is the fourth book in the Joe Goldberg series. The story is set in Boston as Joe earns a place in a writing fellowship at Harvard - only it doesn't take long for someone else to become Joe's obsession. In an effort to avoid spoilers for the series, I'll leave the plot there. Highly recommended to fans of the series. If you haven't started the book series yet, what are you waiting for? Highly recommended! Kepnes has done it again!

Another solid entry in the Joe Goldberg series, FOR YOU AND ONLY YOU, sees Joe reinventing himself writer at a Harvard fellowship only to (of course) quickly find a new object of obsession in one of his fellows. The "you" in this book is Wonder, a Boston native who like Joe, doesn't have the money and formal credentials of the other people in their group and, also like Joe, has a sizable chip on her shoulder about it. Wonder is a bit of a nothing character, to be honest. Part of this is simply down to the fact that Joe doesn't truly ever see the women as the real people they are and as the readers we are always in his view point. But Becks, Love, and Mary Beth all still managed to seem interesting in ways that Wonder doesn't. I found her boring and annoying more than anything else.

Kepnes really leans into Joe's psychopathy and misogyny in this one. I wonder if that comes from frustration at some segments of fandom painting Joe as a romantic hero (especially with the handsome Penn Badgely portraying him in the Netflix series). Joe has never been he "nice guy" he thinks himself as, but it's REALLY hammered home in this one. Not just in the murdering or the stalking, but the very way he thinks about himself as this great feminist who is just helping Wonder achieve her potential and saving her from herself, is more obviously stated than ever before. I don't think this is a bad thing, but it's sad that it's necessary.

Overall, the book is a fun one, if a bit repetitive at times. The book is filled with the usual supporting assholes who you don't mind seeing get murdered, along with a new foe for Joe who is by far the most interesting character in the book as she really challenges him and it's always fun to see Joe horrified at another person's supposed psychopathy.

The You series has become an automatic buy/read (devour?) for me. While I didn’t love the third book, the fourth felt like a solid change of pace and direction. Avoiding spoilers, this book left a bit to be desired in the end but was overall an enjoyable read. I love/hate Joe and will continue to follow his story.

The You series has been one of my favorites since I randomly found it ages ago, before the show was even created. It's so different from the books I usually read and it has always sucked me in. This one sucked me in and then more or less shot me out an hour later. This book was long and very, very repetitive. Joe always rambles in the books and I usually love it because it shows his manic side, but in this one it felt like it was the same thing over and over and over again. If the repetition had been shaved down, this book would have gone from being 8 kindle hours long to around 4-5.

There was something about Joe and Wonder's relationship that just didn't work for me. Usually with Joe you get two sides of the relationship- his internal psycho stalker side and the external "real" relationship side with an outward appearance of chemistry. Wonder and Joe just didn't have that second one. It basically went from Wonder showing up in a tight t-shirt to them being in a relationship within a couple of chapters. It just didn't work. Not to mention Wonder was boring as hell. With Beck, Quinn, and Mary Kay they were super interesting and had really great back stories, but Wonder was just blah and kind of a brat. I honestly don't know what Joe was so obsessed over and I got the feeling that he didn't even know at some points. It was like Kepnes was forcing Joe to continue his interest in her just for the sake of the book. He had more chemistry with Sara Beth than with Wonder. THAT would have been a super interesting twist.

Coming off the heels of You Love Me and how it had Joe making such a departure from his usual crazy, this one just didn't compare. I loved You Love Me because it was so different from the first two and had Joe almost veering away from his old ways so I had high hopes for this one. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I hate to say it, but I think it might be time to end the saga that is Joe Goldberg.

#ForYpuAndOnlyYou #NetGalley
This series is getting better and better.
Joe Goldberg is ready for a change. Instead of selling books, he’s writing them. And he’s off to a good start. Glenn Shoddy, an acclaimed literary author, recognizes Joe’s genius and invites him to join a tight-knit writing fellowship at Harvard. Finally, Joe will be in a place where talent matters more than pedigree . . . where intellect is the great equalizer and anything is possible. Even happy endings. Or so he thinks, until he meets his already-published, already-distinguished peers, who all seem to be cut from the same elitist cloth. Thankfully, Wonder Parish enters the picture. They have so much in common. No college degrees, no pretensions, no stories from prep school or grad school. Just a love for literature. If only Wonder could commit herself to the writing life, they could be those rare literary soulmates who never fall prey to their demons. Wonder has a tendency to love, to covet, but Joe is a believer in the rule of fiction: If you want to write a book, you have to kill your darlings.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for giving me an advance copy.

This is probably my second favorite out of the Joe Goldberg series so far (first favorite being You). I really enjoyed the new setting for Joe and him being a bit small-fish-in-big-pond.

I loved a new character, one of his fellows, Sara Beth. She was much more interesting to me than his love interest this time around (Wonder).

Many thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy!