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Kathryn's Reviews > You
You (You, #1)
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Kathryn's review
bookshelves: mystery-suspense-thriller-non-uk
Feb 14, 2019
bookshelves: mystery-suspense-thriller-non-uk
Read 3 times. Last read October 2, 2020 to October 17, 2020.
Not going to lie, I read Caroline Kepnes YOU because I loved the Netflix adaptation. I feel weird using the show as a point of comparison (I have librarian guilt), but here goes nuthin.'
YOU follows Joe, a young bookstore manager, who becomes obsessed with customer, Beck. What differentiates YOU from a typical thriller is Joe's unreliable narrator. I love an unreliable narrator and Joe is the epitome of that literary device. His complete confidence that Beck feels and is a certain type of person--one that's wholly in Joe's mind, btw--is fascinating. Reading between the lines and figuring out the "truth" of the situation proves to be both entertaining and suspenseful.
As for comparisons to the Netflix series, I was impressed with how true to the book it was. Obviously there are differences. In the show, events are condensed, characters are both present and absent, and certain details are modified. However, the spirit remains true. Joe is definitely more dehumanized in the book, which I found to be a mistake. Part of why the series YOU is disturbing is because on the exterior, Joe seems like a normal guy. He's not a complete monster. And that normal, occasionally kind, Joe Schmo (hehe) persona makes him that much more dangerous.
Oh, and I know it's hard to believe, but Beck is even worse in the book. Like she is the. worst.
And as much as I despise Beck, I'd love a sequel from her POV. Just because she is sooooo fucked up.
Summary: Highly recommend
YOU follows Joe, a young bookstore manager, who becomes obsessed with customer, Beck. What differentiates YOU from a typical thriller is Joe's unreliable narrator. I love an unreliable narrator and Joe is the epitome of that literary device. His complete confidence that Beck feels and is a certain type of person--one that's wholly in Joe's mind, btw--is fascinating. Reading between the lines and figuring out the "truth" of the situation proves to be both entertaining and suspenseful.
As for comparisons to the Netflix series, I was impressed with how true to the book it was. Obviously there are differences. In the show, events are condensed, characters are both present and absent, and certain details are modified. However, the spirit remains true. Joe is definitely more dehumanized in the book, which I found to be a mistake. Part of why the series YOU is disturbing is because on the exterior, Joe seems like a normal guy. He's not a complete monster. And that normal, occasionally kind, Joe Schmo (hehe) persona makes him that much more dangerous.
Oh, and I know it's hard to believe, but Beck is even worse in the book. Like she is the. worst.
And as much as I despise Beck, I'd love a sequel from her POV. Just because she is sooooo fucked up.
Summary: Highly recommend
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
February 14, 2019
– Shelved
February 14, 2019
– Shelved as:
mystery-suspense-thriller-non-uk
January 6, 2020
–
Started Reading
January 9, 2020
–
Finished Reading
October 2, 2020
–
Started Reading
October 17, 2020
–
Finished Reading
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Rukky
(new)
Feb 14, 2019 01:49PM
Great review, Kathryn! This is going to my TBR.
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J R wrote: "Great review, Kathryn! This is going to my TBR."Thank you! I have some more "thoughts" to add. I wrote this in a bit of a hurry.
I just finished this yesterday, and I couldn't agree more with your review. I too read the book after seeing the show. Beck was awful.
Becky wrote: "I just finished this yesterday, and I couldn't agree more with your review. I too read the book after seeing the show. Beck was awful."I hate Beck in the show, but that hatred rose to new heights when reading the book. She has no redeeming qualities. Like zero.
And thank you!
