Rating: 8.5/10
Synopsis
The highly anticipated new thriller in Caroline Kepnes’s hit You series, now a blockbuster Netflix show . . .
Joe Goldberg is back. And he’s going to start a family–even if it kills him.
Joe Goldberg is done with cities, done with the muck and the posers, done with Love. Now, he’s saying hello to nature, to simple pleasures on a cozy island in the Pacific Northwest. For the first time in a long time, he can just breathe.
He gets a job at the local library–he does know a thing or two about books–and that’s where he meets her: Mary Kaye DiMarco. Librarian. Joe won’t meddle, he will not obsess. He’ll win her the old fashioned way . . . by providing a shoulder to cry on, a helping hand. Over time, they’ll both heal their wounds and begin their happily ever after in this sleepy town.
The trouble is . . . Mary Kaye already has a life. She’s a mother. She’s a friend. She’s . . . busy.
True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He’s ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kaye will do the right thing and make room for him.
Review
Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of You Love Me (You #3) for review consideration. This did not influence my thoughts or opinions.
You Love Me.
Where do I even start?
You Love Me continues Kepnes’ “Goldberg for President” campaign by giving readers exactly what they ask for: obsession, insanity, and emotional rollercoastering with their favorite psychopath, Joe Goldberg. As infatuated as I am with Joe and how his mind works, what keeps me loving this series is Kepnes’ writing style mixed with the ever-present notion that I have to investigate what the next page has in store.
Really, Caroline? Now you’ve got me empathizing with Joe? Something I never would’ve thought possible through the first two (2) novels. But here I am, wishing I could just give the big fella a hug, tell him everything is going to be alright, and maybe go grab a coffee. I can see myself being friends with Joe, now. Yeah, he still has his obsessive tendencies, but he does a great job keeping those on the inside and at least projecting a “caring individual” exterior.
Maybe it’s because we are both dads. I am fully on his level, though I can’t imagine the feeling of being so withdrawn from your child. But you would do anything for your own flesh and blood, even if it means getting a little dirty along the way. At the same time, Joe did a few things along that same path that, well, put him in this predicament. You know… a little murder here, a little stabby stab there. That’s where the playing field sorta topples.
It’s time for Joe to now start a proper family. TOO BAD NOTHING EVER GOES RIGHT FOR JOE. He has put the killing behind him, Mary Kaye. It’s all about you, and his past will stay in the past.
KIDDING, BECAUSE IT NEVER DOES.
Every single time Joe thinks he is one step ahead, he gets knocked down about 5 rungs. Bad things just always tend to find him, and he has way too many skeletons at this point to have a proper “bright” future. But here he is, trying his best to win you over. Just know that even if the killing stops, he will do NOTHING until you are his, even if his life is put on the line.
By this point, you are either a fan or you aren’t, but if you read the first two (2), pre-ordering should be in your immediate future.
*SPOILERS AHEAD*
So, while I was reading, I couldn’t stop comparing the sort of set-up that Kepnes went with to Stars Hollow, and she even references Gilmore Girls (alongside Cedar Cove) multiple times throughout. Well, while I haven’t seen Cedar Cove, my wife is obsessed with GG and I’ve seen it loads of times. Just a few thoughts below that have definitely spoiler-y content if you can run a side-by-side comparison.
It’s like a Gilmore Girls movie, except in a alternate universe where Luke is a psychopath, Lorelai is married to Gil, and Rory is obsessed with Columbine instead of whether or not she should attend Yale. Oh, and the Gilmore’s are Love’s parents instead of Lorelai’s. Sookie (aka Melanda) also sort of loves/hates Lorelai, and totally has a thing with Gil. Shortus is the one throwing me because he may be a mix of Christopher and Kirk, but I’m probably way off base…… I’m sure there are some other odd similarities, but I’ll stop before I stop making logical sense. I was disappointed that I never came across a Michel dopple, though.
But it’s weird, right? Read it and it’ll make TOTAL SENSE. I SWEAR IT.
[…] FanFiAddict […]