You: Now a Major Netflix series

Written by Caroline Kepnes

Narrated by Santino Fontana

*** NOW A MAJOR NETFLIX SERIES ***

'Thriller of the Year' Daily Mail 
'Hypnotic and scary' Stephen King
'Examines the fine line between seduction and stalking . . . Ludicrously readable' Guardian

When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the bookstore where Joe works, he is instantly smitten.

But there's more to Joe than Beck realises and much more to Beck than her perfect facade. And the obsessive relationship quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences...

A chilling account of unrelenting, terrifying deceit, Caroline Kepnes' You is a thriller more perversely clever and dangerously twisted than any YOU have ever read.

'I am RIVETED, AGHAST, AROUSED, you name it. The rare instance when prose and plot are equally delicious' Lena Dunham 

‘Brilliant thriller with attitude, guts and true insight into the nature of obsession' Sophie Hannah

'A fantastically creepy thriller... The kind of book you put your life on hold for' Glamour

'Clever and chilling' Elle

'A brilliant tale… It's Gone Girl meets a sinister version of Girls' Marie Claire

'An addictive thriller!' Closer

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK
• Release date: Jun 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781471160066

Caroline Kepnes

Caroline Kepnes is the author of You, Hidden Bodies, Providence and numerous short stories. Her work has been translated into a multitude of languages and inspired a television series adaptation of You, currently on Netflix. Kepnes graduated from Brown University and previously worked as a pop culture journalist for Entertainment Weekly and a TV writer for 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She grew up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and now lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews for You

[M A. I. · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5. The story is narrated by Joe, and boy, does it suit the story (also props to Santino Fontana!). Joe is so creepy and twisted and we get to experience everything through his eyes. Making it all the more exciting. Couldn't "put it down" as I was soooo hooked by it. Like a car wreck; you just can't keeo your eyes off.

[Katie Kitkat Halliday · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow this book was so good and cleverly written. I thought the narrator sounds so close to Penn Badgley in the tv series. As I read this after watching the series on Netflix, I could picture everything that happened as it was very close! Really enjoyed the read. Totally recommend!

[Seema Afridi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was about one of the vilest characters in modern fiction. Very skilfully written, it held my attention till the end. Luckily I was aware of most of the references to books, films, and music which gave the story multiple layers of chilling reality. Highly recommended as a uncanny study of obsession and contemporary life.

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Dark, masterful, and timely, debut novelist Caroline Kepnes' You is a perversely romantic thriller that's more dangerously clever than any you've read before. A chilling account of unrelenting passion, this tale of love, sex, and death will stay with you long past the final page.I saw a lot of people like YOU but this book is not for me. I would not call myself a prude but YOU is full of nothing but explicit sex and language - too much for me! I would not recommend this book to anyone but I would tell them to beware before reading it as it is about an obsessive stalker and is very intense.

[Shalane Du Preez · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Disturbing read, insanely raw and honest and scary. But man you cannot stop listening until its done...

[Sai Pranav Sidhu · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Audiobook is very good and the way it was read was amazing.

[Lilly Nsikou · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm am speechless! Amazing story and plot twists. A lot of flawed characters but relatable too. I want to hate Joe but he strangely I can emphasize with his reasons lol? morality and social convention aside.

[Tharindu Peiris · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just wanted to say that this narrator is so good that I felt I am moving with the story. Thank you.

[Louise Denham · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Okay here's my thoughts.

Joe...I was expecting him to be way darker and like more stalkerish... Compared to some of the stalkers out there in books he's nothing. I think he's got a serious temper underneath and I think he could turn.

Beck... Omg this women has some serious issues, how can she have lied about her whole past and her best friends not even know. She's so selfish and she messes with people's heads, I also think she's a follower and just does what ever the person she's with wants her to do, I think she'll do anything if she's got an audience.

Peaches... Omg seriously who needs enemies when you have friends like that. She's more crazy stalker than joe, I think she's been following beck so she can interrupt at just the right time. Yep, I think she's like major creep material and I think she's following beck or Joe or both. She just always seems to be there at the most inconveniant times and she has this hold over beck who seems to run to her ever command

Becks ex... Think he should of got a better death or not been mentioned at all, like why lock him in a cage, feed him, test him then just kill him like that?

I think alot of the characters in this book are so 2D like there's no depth to the book and all the hype about this book it's a bit of a let down. Like I've read some seriously messed up stalker books and this one doesn't even rate on the scale.

Overall I don't think this book had much character depth, I felt the plot was a little predictable and the whole plot just seemed to lack depth and interest

[Elisheva Cohen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

אני אתחיל בלומר , שזה האודיו הכי טוב שאי פעם שמעתי !!! הקריין הכי טוב שאי פעם שמעתי
(ואתם יודעים שאני שומעת המון)

אני אישית , אף פעם לא קוראת ספר אם כבר ראיתי את הסרט/סדרה ,
אבל נאמר לי שהסוף שונה מהסדרה וגם זה יצא בהגרלה ??‍♀️

אז הספר דיי דומה לסדרה והסוף טיפה שונה. ובאמת שום דבר לא הפתיע אותי, אפילו הליהוקים היו מדוייקים (שאפו לנטפליקס)
אבל הקצב של הספר יותר מהיר, וסך הכל מאד נהניתי, אילולא ראיתי כבר את הסדרה
הספר היה מקבל 5 ⭐ בוודאות .

[tina1969_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Joe works in a bookstore. One day in walks Beck. Joe is instantly attracted and wants Beck. He not only wants her he wants to know everything about her and what she does, where she goes and who she speaks to. I saw this book recommend on You Tube and thought it sounded really good. I found the book very different to most thrillers I have read. Joe is a stalker and he will do anything to get what he wants. The book is told from Joe's point of view but also told in the second person. I found it different to hear from Joe, what he sees and feels whilst he is stalking Beck. Normally the narrative would have been from the victims point of view.This book is compelling and I wanted to see how it was going to pan out. Joe is one creepy character but I'm not sure if evetything he did is realistic. Beck I found quite annoying and her friend Peach. This however all added to the book.What I didn't enjoy was the constant sex. I'm not a prude and do enjoy sexy books but this book was quite crude at times. There was also a lot of use of the C word in different contexts.I'm not sure if I enjoyed this book. It had something that kept my interest but at times I just wanted it to conclude. It is clear at the end that Joe will be at it again in the next book. For me once was enough and I don't think that I would want to go through it all again.Recommend for something different but did become a little too much at times.

[Radwa Ali · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it , it was intriguing, I liked listening to joe’s thoughts

[Clare · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Strangely I preferred the last book, You love me, maybe because I accidentally read it first. I found Joe more relatable. But this is such a great story and so well put together.

[Joyce Rose Reads · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How do I go on from this and trust anyone?

[carpe_librum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was ah-mazing! There, I've said it, You by Caroline Kepnes is going to be in my Top Favourite Books of 2015, I'm sure of it.Joe works in a bookstore and falls in love with a customer, Beck. He stalks her on social media and becomes obsessed with her, going to extraordinary lengths to control her life without her even realising it. Joe is the sole narrator and we experience their relationship through his eyes in such a light-hearted (and often amusing) manner that it's easy to forget that what he's doing is an invasion of privacy and against the law.This is uber creepy, and should make us all think twice about what we share on social media and be aware of our online footprint. What sends shivers up your spine though is just how matter of fact and upbeat Joe's activity is. You isn't a dark and foreboding novel in the way that Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes is (another crime thriller with a creepy stalker); however it still packs a punch, trust me.One minor word of warning though. When I was about half way through the novel, I was hoping - and perhaps even expecting - the narrator to shift and give the reader Beck's point of view. I was so convinced of an impending twist similar to that in Gone Girl, that I was surprised and disappointed when it didn't happen.What I realised later though, was that You works so much better from Joe's perspective, and I'd wasted too much effort trying to anticipate the plot developments before they happened. So, let me set you straight, there is no twist in You. There doesn't need to be; this story is creepy and thrilling enough on it's own and doesn't need any tricks from the author to set it apart from those within the genre.You by Caroline Kepnes is easily the best psychological crime thriller I've read in ages, and I can't wait to read the next in the series Hidden Bodies and follow Joe into his next obsession.* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster *

[Sonya Davis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Its kinda more like a 3 1/2. Very easy read, very interesting, slightly creepy but I think most of all you feel like you are in the mind of a stalker and you have to wonder how easy it is for people to get info on you, how easy if it is for someone to stalk you on the internet. Leaves you very uneasy on so many levels.

[howifeelaboutbooks · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A friend loaned me this book with the disclaimer that she bought it based on the back cover blurb alone. As soon as you start reading, the language is pretty brutal and it’s VERY creepy. Overall I couldn't put it down and have already sought out the follow-up, so what does that say about me? Ha. It was very twisted but I think a lot of the language was over-the-top, and while it didn’t seem out of character for Joe, it could have been taken out and he would come off just as creepy and horrible.

[roshni · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book was creepy as hell but the narrator made into something more alive.

[toddsamual · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this, I prefer this story to the series. The differences do matter to the story.

[Vladislava · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

couldn't finish it so i can't tell anything about the plot. Probably it's me, but the contant usage of words "fuck" and "pussy" is just something that i do not find amusing in literature

[Avishka Laknath · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Crazy story. TV show made the justice for this book.

[riida_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

my first book for 2023! and i am sooooo glad i'm done with this book.from the first few pages, i hated the main character. the whole time we are inside his head while he obsesses and stalks a girl, and we hear his thoughts and musings....an interesting concept, i think. but oh my goodness was it a terrible experience!it may have been the author's intent for us, the reader, to feel like we were the one being stalked. if so, she succeeded. i listen to the audiobook on my walks and i get a mini heart attack every time a jogger passes me by from behind. unfortunately, i feel that this was the book's only silver lining. its not that we get any unique insights from being in the stalker's head. its just twelve hours of obsessive, misogynistic, self-centered, arrogant, and hateful thoughts. which made me angry every time i listen to it. there were no twists too. you can pretty much predict how things will turn out 10 chapters in. and the ending offers no saving graces.extra half star for making me feel so passionate about a book.

[tuusannuuska-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had a pretty difficult time figuring out how I feel about this book (I'm not sure I even know, still) but in the end, this is closer to a five star than to a four star.

First off, I ended up really loving the writing and structure of this book. I felt the author really mastered the pacing and atmosphere and the cadence of Joe's frantic brain. I know some people really dislike second person narratives, but I actually don't mind it. And call me basic, but I really loved how Kepnes wove somewhere i have never travelled, gladly beyond into the fabric of the story. The repetitions also enhanced the feel of Joe's obsession.

I'm sure this would have been easier to dislike, if there were more characters that weren't in some way despicable or at least annoying. It was easy to stay detached when Joe's perspective ensured that while no one really deserves to get murdered, the deaths don't really make you sad either. And don't get me wrong, I really don't get the people who root for Joe, because Jesus Christ. I just think he's a pretty well written little psychopath that I love to hate.

The one character I felt empathy for was Mr. Mooney.

[micareads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Joe Goldberg is looking for love - no matter what it takes. When Joe sees Guinevere Beck in his book store, he knows they are meant to be...even if she doesn't know it yet. Joe goes to extremes to get to know Beck and become someone she loves. There is no limit to Joe's love, including murder.

A well-told story of a stalker who goes to any means needed to get his love to see him as her prince charming. It's interesting to see what happens when he has to come face-to-face with who he is and what he is capable of.

[completely_melanie · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I would give this a 3.5. I listened to the audio book of this because I felt it would seem a bit creepier that way. I thought it was an interesting story. It was entertaining and quick to read. It was strange though. A lot of the time I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about this book. It really wasn't as creepy as I was expecting it to be. It was more strange than anything. I also found myself rooting for the crazy stalker murderous guy and then would have to check myself because he is a crazy stalker murderous guy.

[tobinelliott · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the reason I'm on Goodreads. This book.

A few days ago, I happened across a glowing review from Edward Lorn, an author and reviewer who's opinion I take quite seriously. We don't always agree on what makes a book good, but he praised this novel up, down, and sideways, so I figured I've have to check it out. It's not a book that would have ever been on my radar otherwise.

So, because of Goodreads, I read You. And, holy shit, am I ever glad I did.

There's nothing incredibly shocking here. The plot is actually somewhat predictable. But what the author does with Joe, the narrator, the insights she gives him, the POV, the sheer manic stream of consciousness outpouring of...well...everything...is simply breathtaking. It's like talking to someone for a few hours that's ADD to start with, then is pumped full of coffee. Joe's like the energizer bunny, just going and going and going, and it's a beautiful thing to behold.

I'm not going to spoil a damn thing here, because this is a novel that should be experienced cold. I know there's some issues with others about all the references to a specific time, with all the mentions of Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code and King's Dr. Sleep, and it will ultimately serve to date this novel. But damn, what Kepnes does with all those pop culture references is amazing.

I loved this novel.

[charon07 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The reader for this audio book did an outstanding job. It’s an awkward compliment, but he really brought this sociopath to life. I think I wouldn’t have cared for this book much at all but for his excellent portrayal.

[juniestars · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book made me really uncomfortable having had a stalker in real life. I guess that would make it good writing as it seemed so real and believable. It got old though after the first murder and moving onto the next. I guess this book just wasn't my cup of tea.

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I couldn’t put this one down. This was an enjoyable, mostly predictable story. There were a few surprises, but overall, it’s basically what you’d expect with this type of storyline. The characters and the writing are done extremely well though, so you don’t even notice that there’s not a lot of new material here.

[lori6868 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Riveting, couldn't put it down. Loved the first person narrative. Hearing the story from the stalkers point if view was a nice change of pace. This is a excellent,well written book.