You by Caroline Kepnes

*spoilers ahead*

You by Caroline Kepnes is the foundation for the Netflix series You and I’m so happy that I finally got around to reading the book that inspired the series. This is a dark romance/thriller story told from Joe Goldberg’s point of view from when he meets Guinevere Beck and quickly falls in love. However, there is much more to Joe than Beck could ever realise and soon their relationship spirals out of control.

What I love about this book was on the whole how similar it was to the Netflix show. I liked how there are a lot of literature references throughout You and how this was paired with a lot of action from the get-go. This story really does take toxic relationships to a new level, but it was so addictive to read about Joe’s antics with Beck and those around him.

The main difference between the book and the Netflix series is that the character Paco was not in the book. This was someone who I thought fit in perfectly, so I was surprised when this was not an original character, but it was refreshing to read some differences, so the story was not identical. As well as this, Peach’s death is portrayed differently in the show, and there is also no Ethan, Karen, or Curtis in the show. I was also shocked that there was no creepy professor in the book trying to seduce Beck, which was key in the show. It was interesting to see what was kept and what was changed, and I’m sure this will increase as I continue to read the books in the series. In both the book and the show, I really liked Peach as a side character and wish we got to see more from her.

Just like the Netflix show, there are times when the story is unrealistic; it is like there is no police in the world at all. Some things happen in the book and show (e.g., the mug of pee left in the house!) that are such major plot holes that it is hard to ignore and makes it unbelievable that Joe has not been caught yet. However, Joe is such a fascinating, complex character that you can be distracted from this. It’s easy to have sympathy for him, despite his bold actions. Whilst he impulses on the most insane acts he can also be sweet and caring, fooling his love interests into a false sense of security. But his obsessive, manipulative and delusional personality is genuinely terrifying and puts you on edge when reading his story.

Whilst this book has strong themes of violence, sex, and manipulation, I am glad I got around to it, especially with being such a big fan of the show. I’m looking forward to reading the other books and finding an excuse to re-watch the Netflix series again!

4/5 stars