Staff Pick
I'm obsessed with this book — it's an absolute luxury to get sucked into. You'll want to take Joe out for drinks to talk about Prince and bookstores, but he'd never have time for that. He's too busy being the world's most dedicated, charming, sociopathic stalker. Go on, meet Joe. You'll never forget him. Recommended By Emily F., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
How far would you go for the perfect love?
A young man’s dark obsession with an enigmatic, gorgeous writer leads to murderous consequences in this erotic psychological thriller.
You walk into the bookstore and you keep your hand on the door to make sure it doesn‘t slam. You smile, embarrassed to be a nice girl, and your nails are bare and your V-neck sweater is beige and it’s impossible to know if you’re wearing a bra but I don’t think that you are. You’re so clean that you’re dirty and you murmur your first word to me—hello.
When aspiring writer and recent Brown graduate Guinevere Beck strides into the bookstore where Joe works, he’s instantly smitten. Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: she’s gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and sexy beyond his wildest dreams. Joe needs to have her, and he’ll stop at nothing to do so.
As he begins to insinuate himself into her life—her friendships—her email—her phone— she can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom-made for her. So when her boyfriend, Benji, mysteriously disappears, Beck and Joe fall into a tumultuous affair. But there’s more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect façade, and their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences…
Dark, masterful, and timely, debut novelist Caroline Kepnes’s 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.
Review
“What’s most chilling about this novel, besides its plausibility, is the way in which Kepnes makes the reader empathize with Joe during his journey into his troubled mind. Her book will have readers looking over their shoulders—and examining their own motivations.”
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“Chilling...[Kepnes' YOU] will have readers looking over their shoulders.”
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"Chilling...unrelenting."
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“A deeply dark yet mesmerizing first novel of two people caught in a romantic tangle with an ever-tightening knot.”
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"Is Caroline Kepnes’ 'You' the next GONE GIRL? It'll take you inside a psychopath’s head... and might even make you like him. A mad and macabre love story."
Review
"Could be the next GONE GIRL...a perverse suspense romance about obsession, sex, and secrets."
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“All-consuming – a book that will not release its hold on you, even when you are not actively reading it.”
Review
“You…had the page-turning quality of classic (Stephen) King at his peak.”
Review
“Intense and deeply disturbing, You is a dark story told in a fresh voice, and an addictive read from beginning to end. Being inside Joe Goldbergs head was both a thrill and a nightmare, and yet I didnt want to wake up. I look forward to more from the very talented Caroline Kepnes.” Jennifer Hillier, author of THE BUTCHER
Review
"Both original and compelling. If you only read one new thriller this year, make it this one. It will stay with you long after you have put it down."
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"You think you know the story: girl meets boy, boy turns out to be a murderous stalker. US journalist Kepnes' debut is a fantastically creepy thriller...the kind of book you put your life on hold for."
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"A page turner...clever and chilling."
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"A brilliant tale of obsessive love...it's GONE GIRL meets a sinister version of GIRLS."
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“Kepnes’debut novel is gripping in both substance and style.”
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“You is a deliciously terrifying stalker tale that grabbed hold of me on page one and kept me captivated right until the very end…Utterly unputdownable.”
Review
“If you like twisted psychological horror with a liberal dose of hip and more than a dollop of perversion, this one’s for you!”
Review
“If you liked GONE GIRL’S portrayal of a marriage in decline, the demented love story at the heart of YOU will have you gripped….This book will give you Stockholm syndrome."
Review
"An impending sense of dread hangs over Kepnes' cleverly claustrophobic debut, in which love takes on a whole new meaning...Kepnes keeps the reader guessing."
Review
“You by Caroline Kepnes completely blew me away…It’s an exceptional thriller that is chillingly passionate, dangerous, and quite often left me speechless.”
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“Dark and disturbed,You is definitely a must read.”
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“You was addicting and compelling.”
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"A very sexy page turner."
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"Wholly engrossing…I will not be forgetting this one for a while!"
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"To say You was intense would be the understatement of the year... Nothing I have read remotely compares... It's so sick and twisted and yet magnificently brilliant. Read YOU."
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"YOU is superb. So funny, apart from anything else, and properly clever. It is: different, hot."
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“One of the best books that I have read this year…From page one of this book, I knew it was going to be something that gripped me…I cannot wait to read what comes next from Caroline. Her voice is original and her writing style captures modern society down to every hashtag.”
Review
“Couldn’t get the story out of my mind…Joe’s complex and flawed character and [the] suspenseful tone of his story will...keep you turning the pages.”
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“Kepnes has penned her own version of the ‘stalker’ novel. It’s different – and it’s darn good.”
Review
"This beautifully crafted thriller... will give you chills."
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"Ominous."
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"Gripping, erotic, suspenseful... yes, it's the next Gone Girl."
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“I finished You a day ago, and Joe’s voice is still in my head…I was so impressed with everything about this book, I have no choice but to give it 5 stars. I look forward to reading her work in the future.”
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“An absolutely creepy novel of obsession, You is told from a rare point of view—that of the stalker—and is as absolutely chilling as it is absorbing. Fans of psychological thrillers shouldn’t miss this intriguing debut.“
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"Compelling."
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“[I] devoured every page and enthusiastically recommended others do the same…I’m going to scoop up everything Kepnes writes... Probing, visionary and intricate, [You] makes me excited to read whatever she comes up with next.”
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"Compulsively readable... deliberately seductive."
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“Completely unique...it scares me to the core.”
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“Reminiscent of Gone Girl, but with a darker, more chilling tone."
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“Completely and utterly scary, but masterful all the same.”
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One of The Daily Mail's Crime Book Picks of 2014
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"Stunningly marvelous...Highly recommended."
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"Hypnotic and scary...never read anything quite like it." Stephen King
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"Evilly fantastic."
Review
"YOU is punch-you-in-the-face stunning. Caroline Kepnes takes her readers by the hand and masterfully leads them into an ever darkening, twisted and delicious tale full of sharp psychological edges. This book needs to find its way onto the bookshelf of every reader of mysteries and thrillers."
Synopsis
*Soon to be a Lifetime drama series*
"Hypnotic and scary." --Stephen King
"I am RIVETED, AGHAST, AROUSED, you name it. The rare instance when prose and plot are equally delicious." --Lena Dunham
From debut author Caroline Kepnes comes You, one of Suspense Magazine's Best Books of 2014, and a brilliant and terrifying novel for the social media age.
When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.
There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she'll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight--the perfect place for a "chance" meeting.
As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck's life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck's perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way--even if it means murder.
A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. You is a compulsively readable page-turner that's being compared to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Stephen King's Misery.
Synopsis
Love hurts…
When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe works, he’s instantly smitten. Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: She’s gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and as sexy as his wildest dreams.
Beck doesn’t know it yet, but she’s perfect for him, and soon she can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom made for her. But there’s more to Joe than Beck realizes, and much more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect façade. Their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences . . .
A chilling account of unrelenting passion, Caroline Kepnes’s You is a perversely romantic thriller that’s more dangerously clever than any you’ve read before.
Synopsis
“[A] beautifully crafted thriller that will give you chills.” (
People magazine)
From debut author Caroline Kepnes comes You, one of Suspense Magazines Best Books of 2014, and a brilliant and terrifying novel for the social media age.
When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.
There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and shell be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.
As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Becks life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Becks perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.
A terrifying exploration of how vulnerable we all are to stalking and manipulation, debut author Caroline Kepnes delivers a razor-sharp novel for our hyper-connected digital age. You is a compulsively readable page-turner thats being compared to Gone Girl, American Psycho, and Stephen Kings Misery.
About the Author
Caroline Kepnes is a native of Cape Cod and the author of many published short stories. She has covered pop culture for Entertainment Weekly, Tiger Beat, E! Online, and Yahoo. She has also written for television shows, including 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Her directorial debut short film, Miles Away, premiered at the Woods Hole Film Festival. Caroline is a Brown University graduate now residing in Los Angeles in the same building that the Hillside Strangler once called home. She spends a lot of time on Cape Cod.