I absolutely adore the Kepnes series about Joe Goldberg, and each one I seem to like better than the last! In this one Joe has become a writer of a book entitled ME. Of course it's about him! I admit I was salivating a little as I began and my heart raced through the entire book! Joe meets Wonder in a Harvard writing fellowship and of course, falls in love with her right away. And like the Joe we love, he is charming, vivacious, and witty so she is taken in by his charm and he is delighted. We know how it goes...and that's all you need if you know Joe! I love the many allusions and contemporary references as this is a book you savor as you read. I'm almost sorry I'm done as I await the next novel (just drooling a little)!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

This is the review I did not want to have to write…

I was SO gosh darn excited for this ARC that I literally set aside the two other books I was reading in order to start this one. And I DEVOURED it…and was left feeling empty instead of full. I’ve read all of the other books and loved them.

I think the biggest problem that I had was…nothing happens. It felt so formulaic: Joe meets girl, Joe obsesses over girl, goes back and forth over girl when he finds out she’s not perfect, Joe kills anyone who gets in way of him and girl…you know the story.
There were several big opportunities for things to get twisty, crazy, spicy…and they never happened. Like SB, wow so much more could have been done with her, or the podcast. The characters discussions surrounding the characters they were writing (they’re in a writing fellowship at Harvard at this one) felt very meta. I felt like his love interest felt very flat in this one - I get that all the girls we ‘meet’ through Joe are from his perspective but usually I can see past that and they feel like three dimensional characters in their own right - Wonder felt 2D to me the whole time.

I did like the academic setting, Joe’s narrative voice, the brief moments with SB…but yeah…it all fell really flat for me. 😔😔

3⭐️ if that, if only for the fact that I love reading Joe’s inner monologues

Thank you for the arc NetGalley and Publisher, and I hope to give Joe’s adventures another shot in the future

I am a die hard, HUGE fan of the you series, and I was so excited when I got approved for this early copy. I was crushed when I just couldn't get into it. The book just fell flat for me and I couldn't bring myself to keep turning pages. It just did not have that unputdownableness of the others in this series.

Everybody's* favorite psycho murderer weasels his way into a pretentious writing workshop at Harvard, uncovering others' secrets along the way.

I don't particularly love this series but I keep reading because I want Joe stopped. It's highly unbelievable that he finds the most opportune moments and situations to just...kill people without getting caught. Or if he is caught, nobody does anything to him, or if they do, it doesn't stick. It's all maddening.

Joe is not charming or likable, so why do all these characters act like he is? I morbidly rooted for Mr. Ripley in all 5 of those books because he truly outsmarted all the dummies he came in contact with. Joe is not Mr. Ripley. Not even a little bit.

*he is not my favorite pyscho murderer. I will continue to shout from the rooftops that I think it's weird women have a crush on him. What even.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley!

I honestly couldn’t get into the book at all I couldn’t even finish it. I hope the tv show is better.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview For You and You Only. I love this series. Serial killer Joe Goldberg has come to Harvard. He’s part of a select fellowship for writing. Joe is writing a book and he is settling in with a group of semi and pro authors. Joe got this offer by kissing the butt of the tutor of the class. Glenn Shoddy and author of a best selling novel who quill take this group to another level. But Joe is Joe. And as you the reader are allowed into his head you know Joe will always be ready to do what’s best for Joe.
Joe meets Wonder. She’s a townie and a wanna be writer. Joe wants Wonder and so he sets his entire being on Her. Her life, Her family, Her book, Everything! But Joe is Joe and he always thinks too much. Who will survive Joe. That’s to be seen in this crazy and ‘unputdownable’ book.
I loved it. Crazy and tense, Kepne keep you on your toes as this book is as unpredictable as Joe Goldberg!!!! 5 stars

You turn off your phone, climb in bed and tear through this fourth installment in the You universe. You are me. The fourth installment in the You universe is amazingly good and just captures everything that I love about the series, and hell books in general.

This time we follow Joe Goldberg to the echelon of Ivy Leagues, Harvard. Where he sets his murderous eyes upon another pretty, intelligent bookworm, Wonder. As usual, Joe stops at nothing to obtain and keep his love interest, knocking down any an all in his way. #dreambf!

What I love about the books in the You universe is the way they talk about books, reading, readers and writers. Some people can write off these books as simple fodder, but not me. These books, when you read them critically, tell of what it means to be human, to be a reader or a writer...

"The point of my book, the point of reading any book...it's self-understanding. We open books to fond ourselves in the pages."

I like Joe because of his snarky voice, that he hates people, says things he doesn't mean and is the bad guy and damn it, he's fictional and has no real victims in real life, so I don't feel a type a way about liking him, regardless of what some people think. As Joe states himself: "You rant about animals dying as if animals in books aren't fictional." He's an unhinged, obsessive stalker who is an emotional masochist. He knowingly puts himself in situations that will hurt him, beats himself up for little things and constantly talks about being a martyr to the women he stalks. Joe will create a whole alternate universe of these women and himself, living happily even after. Just minutes after he's said hi to them! It is so deranged and unhinged it's entertaining and fun.

I did not like Wonder, although I believe I was not supposed to. She wasn't a flat character but she also did jump off the page for me. I liked RIP Mary Kay better. I liked that she loved her family, and at twenty-two, had not moved out. I also liked that she would clap back at Joe sometimes. She was a bit better than RIP Beck cause I couldn't stand RIP Beck.
Wonder seemed like a more mature version of RIP Beck. I can get why Joe liked her but for me it wasn't enough. I can walk away saying "that's such a Joe thing! Or Joe would definitely think that" after I finish these books but maybe that's because I have spent a lot of time with Joe, as that he is my favorite character in the series.

I loved all the pop culture references in this book, the nods to writers both past and present, the quips about being a Goodreads Girl, poking fun of writers, readers and reviewers alike.

A huge, huge thanks to Netgalley and Random House for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Joe’s story continues in Massachusetts where he participates in a writing fellowship at Harvard. He views the more accomplished writers in his group with disdain, until his next love interest, Wonder Parish, shows up with her Dunkin’ Donuts Coolatta in hand, and basic girl demeanor. Joe and Wonder form a bond as the only middle class, self-learned members in the writers group, and as you can imagine, Joe falls hard, things get intense, but rather slowly, and people die, with a few twists along the way. This novel seems a little tamer than the previous ones. Joe is still absolutely insane, but he’s either growing up…or gearing up to be even more unhinged in a future novel.

Biggest takeaway: Sarah Beth Swallows needs to make a repeat appearance in any future Joe Goldberg installments.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random house for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kepnes continues the YOU saga and keeps the dark, awful, delicious flame alive. I cannot believe Joe, I cannot believe where we are in this story, and I LOVE every minute of it. Please never stop!

I have been a big fan of the You series and was beyond excited to be approved to read this one early—Thank you Random House! However, this one fell a bit flat for me and to be honest, I hope this is the the last book. It was still entertaining but it didn’t have the “can’t put this down” factor that the first three had.

Poor Joe. He constantly finds and attracts people more estranged from reality than himself. This was another wild ride. Another love found. Lots of bodies. I am constantly amazed at Caroline Kepnes’s ability to place me, the reader, right into Joe’s head. You know he’s a sociopath. You know he’s dangerous. And yet, his stream of consciousness is so relatable and easy to empathize with. Readers will love seeing Joe among Harvard’s elite, now finally with a book of his very own! I can’t see where life takes Joe next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Since I joined NetGalley, I've gotten around 170 advanced copies from them, and For You and Only You was hands-down the one I was most excited to get. I love this book series as well as the TV show, and every Joe Goldberg book has been a five-star read for me. I enjoyed the setting of the novel, and all the supporting characters were interesting and unique...and as always, Joe's head was a fascinating place to be. For You and Only You is a great addition to the Joe Goldberg series, and I'll definitely be adding it to my book collection when it comes out next year. Thanks so much to Random House and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy of the latest novel in a series I love...Caroline Kepnes is an amazing writer, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. : )

Was more than ready for this fourth installment of one of my favorite series and it did not disappoint. The show is so different from the books that I always tell people they can enjoy both! But the books are always better in any given situation. Joe is still crazy but he still has this hold on me that makes me love him and I’ve no idea why.

Is Joe Goldberg totally sick and twisted? Yes. Does he get himself into the stickiest of situations? Yes. Does it get repetitive? Yes. Am I going to read every novel about his tortured self? …..yes. I’m not sure if anything will ever quite give us the thrill of the first book in this series, because at this point we all know what to expect. Joe becomes obsessed with girl, girl is flaky, some other character becomes his friend while the girl is pushing him away, etc. You know the drill. I had high hopes we’d see something shocking in this latest installment and I was left….a little on the bored side. Fans of the series will no doubt read and enjoy this one, but in my view I wouldn’t say it’s a MUST read.

I appreciate your allowing me to review this book. There is a problem with it, the profanity is disgusting, and I don't believe good writers need to use the f word in every other sentence. Think about To Kill A Mockingbird, priceless, eternally good story, now read this book again, and lets talk. I am not being ugly, just honest.
Thank you #Netgalley #RandomHouse
carolintallahassee

I absolutely LOVE the song lyrics and plays on words and the book quotes that Kepnes sprinkles throughout her YOU books! Her writing is clever and witty and funny and horrifying all at the same time! This one was definitely one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint!

Not the best book in the You series, but as always, it was a wild ride. More manipulation, more murders, more literary parallels…more crazy (yet so logically sane…?) Joe!

When I first started this book, I expected the same Joe cycle to start, but boy was I in for a ride…

I loved the character of Sarah Beth and how Joe was able to confess to her and still keep a “working” relationship.

Very surprised that Joe did not kill Wonder in the end.

Definitely would love to see Amy come back into play or even some more uncovered history from the 3 previous books.

Very excited for book 5 (if she decides to keep going)!

Ladies and gentlemen, Joe Goldberg is back! Follow Joe through a stream of thoughts as he once again falls in love with who he “wonders” is Mrs. Right? (See what I did there) The novel as seen through Joe’s perspective is his personal journey to become a successful writer along with a relationship and helping the girl he’s into win as well. Like always, Joe finds the flawed attributes in his love interest, and he commences to do “Joe” things as his interest develops then falls apart. Kepnes has a very unique sense of writing and knows how to captivate an audience, it also strongly helps to have the voice of Penn Badgely narrating Joe’s voice in my head as I read along. This is not a stand alone novel and should be read last in the series. I enjoyed this one. Thank you netgalley, random house and Caroline Kepnes for this arc of this book, I will purchase the physical copy when it’s released and add it to my collection!

I have been enamored of the Joe Goldberg series ever since I devoured the first one. I didn’t find this book quite as “unputdownable” as the original “You”, but it’s still very enjoyable. I’m eager to see what’s next in store for Joe. Thanks for letting me read it!