You: A Novel (1) (The You Series)

So, this book is a bit of a break from the normal. It follows the story of a stalker and his victim. Unusually, the story is told from the stalkers point of view. The stalker, Joe, is completely obsessed with young writer Beck and he'll do anything to win her love. The story being told from this point of view gives the reader an insight into the mindset of the stalker. During the book, Joe breaks into Becks apartment - several times - and steals her posessions, gets rid of her current boyfriend and her best friend, and there's more than a hint that things didn't end well for his previous girlfriend. As you read on you realise that, not only is Joe completely deranged, and he's becoming more and more unhinged with every chapter. But, worryingly, he believes his behaviour is perfectly rational! Telling the story from this point of view, for me, was unusual and something I've never come across before. Although I felt it had a slow start and I didn't find it the easiest book to read, this made it an intriguing and interesting story which in the end kept me turning the pages. And, if I'm completely honest, I didn't expect it to end the way it did. I'll certainly be reading more by this author.

I’ve not been quite so confused about how I feel about a character in some time. Joe - is it wrong that I loved him at times? That I felt like he was almost right at times? He was funny and the way his thought process was written was addictive. You almost judged Beck for not wanting him more. It shows just how messy life is and how luck and small changes can set things up so differently. In a very strange kind of way I wanted Joe to be happy and I wanted him to truly find love. Beck wasn’t a good person but then you’re only ever seeing her from his perspective and his perspective on people change as to what suits his narrative. Absolutely smashing story and so creatively written. I might have a new favourite author!

(This review contains spoilers for both the book and the Netflix show) So, I only discovered this book because of the Netflix show. Usually I like to read the book first, but I’d just finished the show when I saw the ebook was on sale, so I snagged a copy. Having watched the tv adaptation meant that I was constantly reading YOU through the lens of the show. I was constantly comparing, noting the similarities and differences, examining how the different mediums added—and detracted—from the story. Therefore, this review is going to contain a lot of comparisons between the story in both mediums, as I can’t really review the book without comparing it to the show, given the complex narrative style that is present in both. I also believe my reading of the book was informed greatly by prior knowledge of the show, so as I was reading it with the show in my mind, I feel my review should reflect this. From watching the show, I hadn’t expected the narrative voice of the book to be as strong—you’ve got a voice over in the majority of the scenes in the show—and I was curious as to how the book would portray Joe’s commentary. I’d even doubted whether it could portray it to such a powerful extent, but I was wrong. How’s commentary was stronger in the book than a show. I recognised many of the same lines which was a delight, but whereas Joe’s voiceovers in the show were added to scenes and we still saw the action, in the book, it pretty much feels like absolutely everything is given to use through Joe’s direct address commentary where he talks in his head to Beck, and recounts her dialogue and their conversations amid this internal monologuing. It’s almost exhausting to read. Joe is a truly fascinating character. He’s cold, ruthless, a murderer, stalker, and a psychopath, yet he justifies all his actions to us in his narration. He’s strangely likeable and there was something disturbingly alluring in reading his narrative. His voice just grabs you and keeps you reading as you wonder just how far he’ll go to pursue Beck. Unlike the show, the book tells us early on that Joe has murdered before he meets Beck. (Spoiler ahead—skip to the next paragraph if you don’t want to read it.) Whereas the show reveals Candice is alive, the book tells us early on that Joe murdered her when she broke up with him. Knowing how dangerous Joe is, right from the start, really heightens the tension and makes us concerned for Beck. Beck, the female MC, is just as interesting in the book as she is in the show. She’s a writer, she’s lost, she sleeps around, she’s insecure and looking for validation, she has huge ambitions. Yet, with the book however, I found her slightly harder to picture, in that she didn’t feel as “true and real”. By that I mean, her characterisation is still strong and well written, but we see her only through Joe’s eyes in the book, ...

Writing in first person is probably one of the more difficult viewpoints for an author to tackle. Kepnes proves this, at least partially, in You, her debut novel. The first half of this book is tedious, almost to the point of wanting to stop reading. But the second half picks up and makes this a worthwhile read. The ending was predictable, with a slight twist that made it satisfying. Since the main character works in a bookstore, there are several references to various well-known novels, as one might expect. This is a bit overdone, in my opinion, and felt more like the author trying to impress with her literary knowledge. What this novel lacked, was the tension or edge of your seat page turning that makes for a great mystery/suspense novel. The “praises” this book has received made my expectation high, only to find, it does not deliver. This one gets three stars, as it is an okay read, just not a great one.