Holy Crap on a cracker!!
You - Caroline Kepnes 5/5 stars
I have a growing list of favorite books and You is among them. It's a cautionary tale wrapped inside of a twisted love story. It makes you think twice about social media and even leaving your house. Kepnes' debut novel is one of those books you just can't stop reading or thinking about. I kept hearing a lot about this novel so of course I had to see what all the fuss was about. As I began reading I couldn't put this thing down. I couldn't even write because I wanted to read more about Joe and Beck. I usually avoid popular fiction because usually those authors play it too safe. This is one novel that goes right for the throat and immediately grabs your attention.
The entire story is told from Joe's point of view. For some damn reason he reminded me of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. This is a guy that seems to have it all together but on the inside you can see that something's not right. You know that he's obsessed with Beck but the depths that he goes only shows how crazy he truly is. This is a guy that knows exactly what he wants and Kepnes has allowed Joe to take center stage. The entire novel reads as if he's talking to her and he just wants her to see that he did this all because he loves her. This is a stalker for the digital age and Beck makes it too easy.
As a character Joe isn't supposed to be a guy you should cheer for but I liked this guy for his dedication. Beck is being stalked but I have to admit that she is a character that you may or not like. You can clearly see that she's using Joe, but he's too obsessed to see it. Add in the other characters and you begin to see that maybe just maybe Joe is the sanest of them all. It's a story that will cause a multitude of debates, but that's how it was designed. You take away from it what you want and cheer for who you want. It's a brilliant debut that grabs your attention from the very first paragraph and holds it until the very end. This is exactly what I like in fiction. I like authors who take risks and allow the reader to pick sides. Is it always justified? Hell no, but that's what makes You so damn good.
I have a growing list of favorite books and You is among them. It's a cautionary tale wrapped inside of a twisted love story. It makes you think twice about social media and even leaving your house. Kepnes' debut novel is one of those books you just can't stop reading or thinking about. I kept hearing a lot about this novel so of course I had to see what all the fuss was about. As I began reading I couldn't put this thing down. I couldn't even write because I wanted to read more about Joe and Beck. I usually avoid popular fiction because usually those authors play it too safe. This is one novel that goes right for the throat and immediately grabs your attention.
The entire story is told from Joe's point of view. For some damn reason he reminded me of Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. This is a guy that seems to have it all together but on the inside you can see that something's not right. You know that he's obsessed with Beck but the depths that he goes only shows how crazy he truly is. This is a guy that knows exactly what he wants and Kepnes has allowed Joe to take center stage. The entire novel reads as if he's talking to her and he just wants her to see that he did this all because he loves her. This is a stalker for the digital age and Beck makes it too easy.
As a character Joe isn't supposed to be a guy you should cheer for but I liked this guy for his dedication. Beck is being stalked but I have to admit that she is a character that you may or not like. You can clearly see that she's using Joe, but he's too obsessed to see it. Add in the other characters and you begin to see that maybe just maybe Joe is the sanest of them all. It's a story that will cause a multitude of debates, but that's how it was designed. You take away from it what you want and cheer for who you want. It's a brilliant debut that grabs your attention from the very first paragraph and holds it until the very end. This is exactly what I like in fiction. I like authors who take risks and allow the reader to pick sides. Is it always justified? Hell no, but that's what makes You so damn good.
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