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.

Honest review

I got this because I wanted something different. The story starts off great! The narrator, who is Hans' voice from frozen btw, is amazing. But back to the story. It was like a whiny psychopath complaining a huge chunk of the book. Chapter 1-15 are good and then chapter 44-53 are good. The middle is mindless nonsense. I am really disappointed I wasted an audible credit on this.

Loved it and I know I am in the minority

If you could sum up You in three words, what would they be?

Love it all

What did you like best about this story?

The narration

Which scene was your favorite?

The ending was perfect.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Very well told.

Any additional comments?

I saw some reviews for this book and was not sure if I wanted to spend the money to get the audio. The reviews were mixed and I am so glad no one of the review gave away any spoilers. I listened to the sample and thought Santino Fontana voice was okay, but after about 15 minutes, I went from thinking he did the voice of Joe, Beck (the heroine), and her annoying friends okay to doing it perfectly. I became addicted to his voice and the story. I listen to audiobooks while I clean and do other mundane things around the house. However, all the things I usually feel take forever to finish, felt like no time at all. I was so enthralled in the story. I found myself finishing projects that I thought I never get done simply because I had the book to listen to keep me occupied.
The story is crazy. Joe has some serious issues. He is infatuated with Beck and stalks her. Nothing is sweet, but it is told so well. I really loved it and I am so excited that there will be a sequel in the fall of 2015! I hope Santino Fantana does the narration again.

Well... This was... a book for sure...

"So, yeah, in its strange way this did end how I thought it would as mentioned in a prior status update. I need to think about this one because right now all I feel is, "This was... a book." I'd give it a 3.5 mainly because of the narrator."

I said that on Goodreads when I finished this book and my general feeling is still, "This was... a book." I can't decide if this is one of those books that I liked so much I hate it or I hate it so much I like it. Readers follow Joe Goldberg--a highly intelligent high school dropout, bookshop manager/worker, book lover, and psychopath--as he instigates himself into the life of a woman he feels is "perfect" for him despite all the signs pointing to her having her own severe issues. Social media and her habit of being easily accessible on social media makes it easy for him to start skirting the fringes of her life until he's able to set a series of "chance" encounters that allow him to become fully immersed in her life. Social media stalker mixed with Joe's relatively "normal" appearance also serves as a cautionary tale that you never know who may be using your personal information gleaned from posts for some disturbing purpose.

The interesting thing about this book is that it's told entirely in the POV of the perpetrator, Joe. This makes You an especially creepy read as you stroll through his thought process and how everything is rationalized just so to make him seem like the hero of the story in his own mind. In his own narrative, he is the love-ridden, patient man who deals with a woman fraught with inconsistencies because "that's how women are." Too many times, you find yourself raising an eyebrow as Joe points out the predatory stalker behavior in others, but sees his own behavior as him being the "stronger" one and being the one who needed to be the "glue" that keeps everything together in their "love story," removing whatever obstacles are necessary.

Most of the characters in this book are pretty hard to like with the exception of maybe a handful, but nobody takes the crazy cake like Joe. He is absolutely reprehensible. Kepnes certainly knows how to write a story that can keep you interested even if you're only hanging on to angrily get through this book. It reminds me of American Psycho in a way with all the brand-dropping, except Joe despises all the glitz unlike Patrick Bateman, and I'll definitely check out the sequel if only to hate-read what Joe's been up to. The narration for this was top-notch. Santino Fortana was the perfect voice for Joe. He managed to capture the delusional, mocking, self-righteous tone of the main character well, and I think his narration made me dislike Joe even more because that's exactly the way I would think a person like Joe would sound. I definitely will be picking up the audiobook when the second book is released.

Best narration ever.

Would you listen to You again? Why?

Yes. I'm so glad I purchased this book in audio format instead of print. The story could get a little more, ahem, explicit than I usually care for. However, the narrator did such a stellar job that I was hooked immediately and stayed that way. I've listened to hundreds of audiobooks, and I can easily say it's the best narration I've ever heard. Combine that with solid writing and blistering social commentary (which keep the story from being just plain smutty), and you've got yourself a winning listen.

Creepy and disturbing but...

I couldn't stop listening. I wanted to know what happened next. The narrator did a great job!

Strange Book

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Creepy book that I couldn't stop listening to. Most characters had no redeeming qualities to speak of, so hard to care too deeply about what happened to any of them.

Which character – as performed by Santino Fontana – was your favorite?

All characters are performed well by this narrator. Very pleasant voice, not distracting at all. Really made Joe come to life, and since I am not a psychopath, it's hard to say that this is not what would be in someone's mind.
Definitely some very crude language.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No, wouldn't want to see it.

Engine, Engine, Number 9

This was such an interesting story. Freaky and entertaining, funny and disturbing, compelling and creepy . It is and is not beautiful. I would not call this a romantic story, but a tale of obsessive love. I felt like it was a millennial version of Lolita; so current and fresh.

I love that the story is told entirely from Joe's perspective. So much so that we only get to know the other characters through his eyes. They never become fully realized, only pawns in his world. I felt bad for anyone that crossed his path and in somehow got in his way because I knew it would result in tragedy. I would describe him as the cynical and pretentious "nice guy" type that likes to play God. He's the worst kind of person because he never feels any remorse for what he does. There's an explanation for everything and nothing is really his fault. I admit that I hated Joe but somehow I was on his side. He was so manipulative and interesting that I went along for the ride and despised him every single step of the way. One could only pity Joe, because you realize he'll never truly be happy. But then again, neither was Becks, Peach, Benji or any of the others. Santino Fontana Really understood Joe and the story. His delivery bought Joe's sinister nature to life.

This is not for the faint of heart. If you're sensitive to crass language, stalking and abusive relationships, I would avoid this one. I was uncomfortable and cringing for all 31 seconds, 6 minutes and 11 hours but I enjoyed every second of it.

Want a sequel!

I was sucked in by the original narrative told from the stalker’s point of view but his frenetic and sick mental drama wore me out!

The suspense was page-turny and I was riveted to the story, although it was a little too crude and explicit at times and that combined with the dark theme made me feel leery and uncomfortable.

I suppose this all means it was well written since it drew me in so much.

Even though it was a little too creepy overall, I enjoyed the story and I want a sequel because I STILL want to know what happens next!!!

You have to listen to this one!

Wow! The narrator is amazing. This book flows out of him as if he was the author. He sounds just as creepy as the guy in the book. This could not have been cast any better. His voice makes you feel like you can see the story happening. Like you're watching a movie. I will definitely look for more audiobooks narrated by Fontana.

The book itself is good. It keeps you on your feet the whole time. I couldn't stop listening. Highly recommend.

Pleasantly Surprised

If you could sum up You in three words, what would they be?

I like Joe

What was one of the most memorable moments of You?

When he finally put that little witch out of her misery! Both of them!

Have you listened to any of Santino Fontana’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I don't think so...but nice voice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

I really didn't want to stop listening to this. Kind of grabs you and you can't wait to see what he will uncover next, or do next. I wonder how many "Joes" there are out there...