You

By: Caroline Kepnes

Narrated by: Santino Fontana

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' You is a perversely romantic thriller that's more dangerously clever than any you've heard before. A chilling account of unrelenting passion, this tale of love, sex, and death will stay with you long after the story ends.

©2014 Alloy Entertainment and Caroline Kepnes. All rights reserved. (P)2014 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Loved it

The "stalker" theme seems to be all around us lately and is, quite frankly, not my favorite. Would probably not have even considered this had it not been for a post on Facebook by a friend whose tastes on books I usually share (the fact that this is how I came upon this book is actually ironic). So glad I followed her advice! And so glad I listened to "You" rather than read it on paper. Mr. Fontana is PERFECT as the first person narrator--the stalker who becomes increasingly obsessed with his prey. And Ms. Kepnes keeps your interest throughout, with the lies and deceptions becoming more and more involved, preposterous...and believable. It will make you want to reset all your social media privacy settings. It will make you cringe. And it will make you laugh! Yes, there's a lot of humor here. (Considering the theme, it is actually a pretty light--if riveting--read). Well done! I can't wait for her next one.

The BEST narrator I have EVER listened to!

Would you listen to You again? Why?

I wich I could give more than 5 stars for this narrator. He made this book come to life.The book was so real and I can only attribute that to the flawless narration. So many times a great book is ruined by the narrator. This has become one of my favorite books of 2014 and that is mainly due to the narration.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator! It was alomost like I was watching a movie. He was that good.

A Walk Through the Mind of a Psychopath...

When I first discovered You by Caroline Kepnes, it was not because I was looking for it. Actually it was an accidental click, however it must've been fate because after reading the summary, I was intrigued. The first chapter literally sucks you into the mind of the protagonist, Joe, a seemingly ordinary guy living an outwardly ordinary life. However, the mind of Joe is a dark and insane one, while also being deliriously hilarious.

Joe is a character you hate to love. No matter how sick and twisted his mind is, he delivers everything is such a funny and surprisingly logical manner. At points in the novel, I would stop and ask myself, "Am I a psychopath???" because Joe was such an articulate character that could legitimize his insanity by blaming society and others around him. However, don't be fooled! There is nothing logical or sane about anything he says because his actions really speak louder than his words. That's what makes Kepnes so brilliant with her writing. Because with everything in Joe's perspective, it's easy to almost get swept up in the rationale he gives until BAM! Joe says or does something completely psychotic, and you remember that yes, he is indeed CRAZY!

Great writing aside, Santino Fontana is what makes this book so captivating. He delivers Joe's thoughts in such a calm and detached manner, which makes the book all the more hilarious because what Joe's doing is anything but calm or reasonable. Joe is a stalker and creep, which Fontana hones in on perfectly. His detached voice always has a touch of insanity that keeps you on your toes with the character's actions. No matter how much Joe talks about love, there is no emotion that Fontana portrays for Joe except insanity and that's what keeps you from getting swept up with Joe's crazy, specious rationale. That touch of insanity intensifies and intensifies until you're really shocked at how much Joe is really capable of. From starting out as a stalker, Joe reveals himself to be a honest to god madman and psycho! Fontana does this novel so much justice that I'm not sure if the book would be as great without Fontana's narration.

Excellent and Creepy!!

Stayed with me for days, weeks after reading. Such a thrilling look inside an obsessive mind. Starting making even the most beautiful love songs seem disturbing. I loved every chapter.

Awesome, reminds me of Ruth Rendell at her best

This is a modernized version of a story Ruth Rendell could have written. It is mind-expanding to sympathize with an evil person, and both Kepnes and Rendell are masters of this technique.

There are a few holes in the plot. And a few scenarios that are a bit unbelievable. But that doesn't really detract from the overall enormous strength and talent demonstrated in this first novel.

I can't wait for another Kepnes novel.

Dirty little secret....

This book became my dirty little secret. I was completely infatuated with this story and when I wasn't listening, I was always thinking about it. I want to recommend it to everyone I know but on the other hand, I don't want to tell a soul what utterly messed up crap I am listening to. This story delves into the mind of a sociopath serial killer- which was brilliantly displayed in Joe's rants, ever changing logic and viewpoint. You end up loving and rooting for this guy who you KNOW is bad but you can't help but hope it all works out for him in the end. Be warned, this is not for the easily offended. But if you can handle some straight forward, no BS, crazy sh*t, do yourself a favor and get this book NOW.

Yes, the writing was utterly genius, but this book came alive because of the incredible narration of Santino Fontana. Every review praises him for this and it is well deserved. He takes on the character of Joe with such intensity and depth that you can't help but be mesmerized by this psychos every thought. Impeccable performance.

I'll leave this with the best quote of the book and something we all can relate to. Caroline Kepnes, THANK YOU for doing exactly what you said.

“The problem with books is that they end. They seduce you. They spread their legs to you and pull you inside. And you go deep and leave your possessions and your ties to the world at the door and you like it inside and you don't want for your possessions or your ties and then, the book evaporates.”

Yikes

I prefer not to root for a serial killer, but I couldn't resist. Hashtag neverboring

Clever but still has holes

It was a hard read because of the annoying subject matter but the author did a great job of exploring it. Also she is a gifted writer, speaking to the millennial generation. Lots of great little gems in there. But the ending was just so full of holes that it left the story sagging.

Disturbing.

The only reason I finished listening is because I was too far into it before I realized how sick it actually was. Once I commit, I follow through. Also because Santino Fontana's voice is soothing. His voice tricked me into not listening beyond surface level. The protagonist/antagonist is sick and it was painful to listen to what he was doing half the time. The 3 overall stars are solely for Mr. Fontana's performance. I would never have physically read this, the stalker p.o.v. is too sick for me to handle.

I finished this out of odd curiosity.

I did not smile. I didn’t really like anyone. I did not enjoy their issues.

I’ve enjoyed two series where the protagonist is a bad guy: Parker by Stark and Dexter by Lindsay. So when I heard about this I thought maybe I’ll like it. Joe is a stalker psychopath. But as it turned out I was not intrigued. I did not care about anyone except when they were being kidnapped, imprisoned, or murdered. And when those things happened, I didn’t experience the victims’ feelings because I was in Joe’s head. I only know what Joe thought or felt. So that meant less emotional impact.

The point of view was odd. The entire book is told in 1st person Joe. Throughout the book he is talking to himself and frequently says “you” which means Beck the girl he wants. For example he says things like “I want you. I’m doing this for you. That guy is taking advantage of you. You need to ...” This is all in his head. The narrative is full of “I” and “You.” Occasionally there is actual dialogue between Joe and Beck.

At best this was interesting, but I have no desire to continue with the sequel. I don’t care to listen to Joe’s thoughts anymore. This is not a romance book. There is no couple getting together at the end. See Spoiler below regarding the happy ending.

There are about 11 sex scenes. There no mutual passion leading up to them. The only passion would be Joe’s thoughts like “I’m so hard for you I want to f you.” Most of the sex scenes are briefly mentioned but no details. There are several self pleasuring scenes.

AUDIOBOOK NARRATOR:
Santino Fontana was great. I like his voice, his interpretations, his reading.

DATA:
Narrative mode: 1st person Joe.
Genre: stalker fiction.

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CAUTION SPOILER:
The bad guy (Joe) hurts other people and gets away with it. That would be the happy ending.
END SPOILER.