Joe is back in the 4th installment in this series. And this time he’s taking over Harvard! He has been invited by acclaimed literary author Glenn Shoddy to join a tight knit writing fellowship at Harvard, because instead of selling books, Joe is writing them. This is where he meets the talented Wonder Parish and believes they are destined to be literary soulmates.

I have been such a fan of Joe’s crazy, obsessive self since Caroline first came out with You. The way she writes the story as if Joe is talking to the person he is currently obsessing over is just pure genius, and such a unique way of story telling. To me that just adds to the appeal of being inside of Joe’s head and knowing what he’s thinking every step of the way.
Although the story was good, it didn’t receive five stars from me because Joe does get a little repetitive over time and I was hoping that his killings in this book would have a little more excitement to them and wouldn’t have been so boring. Also if you’re a person who needs to LIKE characters in order to read the book then you will be disappointed. I didn’t enjoy any of the newer characters because I found them all so full of themselves, prententious, and downright selfish. They were not like able at all and I found myself getting more annoyed with them as the book went on.

While I liked the show I could not get into the book version of Joe and it made it hard to finish this book.

For You And Only You was one of my most anticipated reads of 2023 so you can only imagine how elated I was when Random House Publishing Group approved me for an ARC of this book.

In this latest installment Joe Goldberg is heading to Harvard for a writing fellowship led by an acclaimed author with the hopes of getting his book, called Me, praised and published. In typical Joe fashion, he has become infatuated with a new lady, Wonder Parish. As usual though, it's not smooth sailing and Joe must resort to his homicidal ways to get what he wants.

If I had to choose one word that encapsulates how I feel about this book that word would be lackluster. While there were a few portions that had my heart pounding and interest piqued, mostly I was bored, confused, and disappointed.

It would be easy to blame this bust on how formulaic the series is, but it's that formula that's kept me coming back for more. The first book in this series was IMO unputdownable. I read it in one sitting because I could not get enough of being inside the mind of this MC who's so twisted yet so relatable. Although I didn't love the second and third book nearly as much as the first, I still enjoyed them and they sustained the excitement and demented sentiment of book one.

Wonder Parish was a flat character, there were missed opportunities for things to turn twisty that didn't, and the setting & scenario with all of the writers discussing writing was too meta.

Then the ending ... such a huge letdown! I actually had to read it twice before I could accept the fact that was the end of the book.

After reading all of the above you might ask, "Will you be reading the fifth YOU book if/when it comes out?" And surprisingly the answer is yes, yes I will.

I am secretly hoping that this book was written as a means to show growth for Joe and move his story forward before hitting us back with everything we love about this series in book five.

I give For You And Only You by Caroline Kepnes 3.25 stars ⭐⭐⭐🌠

Thank you Random House & NetGalley for this e-ARC! Pub Date: April 25th 2023

Whyyyy do we love Joe Goldberg so much? It’s exhausting to spend all that time in his head. And I loved every minute and can’t wait for the next one

This book will leave you feeling jittery and uneasy in the best way possible. As wonderfully written as the others in the series, just a great story with characters you love and love to hate. (And hate to love)

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Goodreads Girl here, I was pleasantly surprised when the tale I thought would start in the swampy, unbearably hot Florida weather opened with Joe in a coastal city due to his ambitious goal of becoming a published, well known writer. You Love Me was my favorite book in the series until I read this one, where we get into Joe’s twisted psyche that much more with SB and her calling Joe out on his patterns. I also noticed several little Easter Eggs that have to do with the show scattered throughout, and though they are separate YOUniverses, I couldn’t help but smile when I caught one. This book went in a different direction than I thought it would, with our narrator confident and covering his trail carefully while realizing some people cannot be kept in his metaphorical cage no matter what he sacrifices to keep them there.

Caroline Kepnes does it again another creepy chilling thriller.Joe never fails to freak me out.I could not put the latest episode down.Looking forward to more by this author.#netgalley #randomhouse

I loved this book and let me just start off by saying a huge THANK YOU to Caroline Kepnes and the publisher for gifting me a copy. My signed copy of "You" from the premiere of the Lifetime/Netflix TV show in Chicago at the Logan Theater is a very treasured belonging of mine and I'm so so so happy to be back into the Joe Goldberg universe.

To get with it: It's been a minute since I've done a reread of the other Joe Goldberg books, but in this one our boy Joe strikes me as being in a new, PARTICULAR vein of misogyny/craziness. It feels like somehow, book after book, he is treading even further into the water (little Easter egg there for ya, whoever is reading this review). That's scary particularly BECAUSE he was already well into it when we met the guy! I sort of had an idea where this might be going when we met these characters (other than SB's plot), but that didn't make me enjoy the ride any less. I finished this book and realized how much I never want this series to end.

The one thing I missed a little bit from this book was some of the more lowkey stalker actions. It felt like it was kill, kill, kill, but with less mundane-but-still-scary-because-holy-cow-this-man-is-unhinged moments that I felt like we got in other books, and I do enjoy those. I found the ending extremely satisfying - my main concern with this book was that it wouldn't feel fresh and different, but it absolutely does, proving why Kepnes is one of the best to do it.

I cannot wait for book 5, and I also cannot wait to own a hardcover copy of this book so it can hang out with the rest of the series!

Absolutely fantastic plot! Could not put the book down once I began reading it. Cannot wait for it to be released. Will recommend it to everyone I know!

Wow! This was so stinking good! Caroline Kepnes delivers once again by hitting this one out of the park. Creepy Joe just stole the show. This was super creepy and I loved it.
This was written and delivered with expert precision. Just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Highly recommend. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

This was a solid 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 star read for me.

We should all know Joe and his inner monolgues by now. He's going to meet some out there named lady and become enraptured with her only to be disappointed that she doesn't live up to the pedestal he places them on. While it is repetitive, it is entertaining.

The problem is, I didn't care for Joe or Wonder this time. Sarah Beth stole the show and I wanted more of her. I really hope we see her in the next one because she is game changing. So much can be done with that story line if he doesn't Joe things up.

The inner Joe was a bit confusing in parts. I had to reread some paragraphs more than once to decipher which YOU he was talking to or about at the moment. Other than that, this is Joe Goldberg. I felt like he grew a tad more but then he went back to his same old ways at the same time. I think he the relationship with Wonder was forced. And can I really be saying this? That little murderer Joe can do better.

Okay, usually I’m head over heels in love with Joe Goldberg and Kepnes’s series, but this one left me a little wanting.

What could have been better?
There were a lot of characters and a few different sub plots, which with the second person narrative could sometimes make it hard to keep track of and be completely engaged with the book.

Overall, it was more scattered than I like in a book, but that may have been a point? I’m wondering if it’s a reflection of a coming change for Joe in book 5? This one just felt very different than the last 3.

What I enjoyed?

Kepnes use of the 2nd person narrative makes Joe all the more creepy and likable at the same time, as always.

She has a great way of making you question yourself and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.

I feel like there was a lot of stuff brought into the book which is leading to something great, a big change for Joe perhaps? Just a feeling.

Overall, a good read and once I got into it. It just felt very different and a bit like a filler, but again I feel like this could have great implications for a killer book 5.

<b>“All caged animals test the boundaries.”</b>

Okay, Joe, I’ll admit I’m a Goodreads girl!

Gosh, I love these books. You might ask yourself how does Joe just keep on going but somehow by the grace of luck and his fab psychopath skills he just does.

You know the author is good when you find yourself agreeing with the killings. Like, okay I’ll give him that one. Don’t blame him one bit. He acts on his intrusive thoughts while the rest of us just think them. Poor Joe!

He wrote a book! But so did his colleagues, or so they’re trying to.. Harvard isn’t proving to be so easy. Well, it is, but the people aren’t. Joe just wants to be seen. He wants <b>her</b> to be seen. But you know what they say, be careful what you wish for!

In typical Goldberg fashion, things unravel to the utmost stressful situations. Joe spirals in the most dramatic, delicious ways. The extremes he goes go to escape is astonishing and I love watching him dig himself a hole and slowly creep his way out of it.

I think I like the last book a tiny bit more than this one. Joe’s desire to do better in this book was just not Joe! Give us more RIP!

No matter, I’ll read Joe wherever he goes, whatever he does!

*Review posted to Goodreads and on the blog. Will repost to blog and to Amazon closer to release day!

Thank you so much Caroline Kepnes and NetGalley for early access to this book. I was beyond excited to start reading. The book is traditional to other books in the series. The perspective of Joe Goldberg is absolutely hilarious. I enjoy this dark comedy and always "wonder" what will happen next! I feel like the book started off very slow compared to the rest of the series. Once every thing starts stacking up, the domino effect starts!

I will never tire of reading about Joe Goldberg and his murderous antics! Even if this book is a little bit of Joe doing the same old things (stalking and seducing followed by murder) it's done in a new location -- Harvard and that makes the difference. Plus, this iteration of Joe is writing a novel (it's called Me 🤣) and I loved reading his thoughts on the other writers in his fellowship program. I am so curious about what thoughts are Joe's and what thoughts might be the author's!

Thankfully the era of him thinking in all.capital letters seems to be over and there was a lot less "RIP ex girlfriend" in For You and Only You, but I was left wanting a lot more about this true crime podcast and what a dang tease only mentioning his kid once!

Either way, this is one of the better You books and I am primed and ready for the next one!

I love the adventures of Joe! He my favorite toxic/pretentious book boyfriend. With that being said, this book fell flat for me. I didn’t feel the same connection to the characters in this book as the previous ones. We all love our RIPBECKRIPPEACHRIPFORTY previously flawed characters.. I could not muster up any affection for Joe’s new love interest. It just felt forced.

I cannot get into this book. His first book was awesome, but not this one. Had to DNF. Such a disappointment…

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.