YOU by Caroline Kepnes (My Review)

Just finished up YOU and I’ve got to tell you all.

OH.MY.GOD.

If there was ever a perfect book for Halloween, this is totally it!

I was sucked in by the first hour.

via GIPHY

The story involves two central characters: bookstore employee Joe and, the object of his affection, book afficionado and aspiring writer, Geneviere Beck also known simply as Beck.

To say that Joe notices Beck the first time he sees her in the bookstore is an understatement.

Every move she makes, no matter where it is or whom it is toward, he is there, he watches her, and, through dark maneuvers, eventually inserts himself into her life.

Now, in addition to the fact that I enjoy thrillers and psychological mind-benders of this nature, the point of view in which YOU was written intrigued me.

Written from the point of view of Joe toward the object of his affection, Beck, he constantly calls her “you.”

For me, it gave off the vibe that he was speaking to me, the reader, which added to the suspense and scare factor.  I found myself looking over my shoulder and reading this one with the lights on while also screaming at Beck through the pages “Seriously, girl. Look around you! Wake up!”

Kepnes did a great job constructing both characters. Joe especially. That guy frightened me to my core. It sent chills down my spine to see how much information he’d gained about Beck, how fast and undetected he got it, and how persistent he’d been in his obsession, waiting and waiting and waiting for the right moment…

via GIPHY

While I wasn’t crazy about Beck’s character or some of her friends, particularly Peach, she is extremely realistic. Despite the perfection that Joe sees in her, she’s anything but and, while often I couldn’t stand her throughout the book, that was what made her real to me.  She had many a flaw.

I read that Caroline Kepnes created the premise of the book by watching people with their heads in their phones and wondering who, if anyone, was watching them. It is a really interesting concept and she masters it beautifully with personable dialogue and a fantastic, shocking story that grabs you right up until the end.

I give this 5 stars all the way! I’m so set for my next Kepnes masterpiece!