You Love Me brings Joe Goldberg back for a third round of obsession and twisted romance, but this time the story feels a bit too familiar. While Caroline Kepnes still delivers dark humour and suspense, Joe’s pursuit of librarian Mary Kay treads similar ground as the earlier books. The plot has its moments of tension, but it’s hard to ignore the repetitive patterns. Fans of Joe’s warped mind will find things to enjoy, but this instalment doesn't quite hit the same heights as You or Hidden Bodies. A decent read, but one that might leave you wanting something fresher.

Joe Goldberg is back again ands this time he's moved to the small coastal town of Bainbridge, and set his eyes on older librarian mom MK. The only problem is the people MK surrounds herself with, who Joe can see are just no good for her. But with the ghosts of his past catching up with him, Joe needs to be on his best behaviour which is hard to do when people keep dropping dead around him.

I really loved You, and also thoroughly enjoyed Hidden Bodies. However with the way Hidden Bodies ended, and You Love Me began I strongly feel like the series was originally meant to be a duology, and most likely the success of the TV show prompted another two books as I just felt so much was swept away way too easily about Joe's time in prison and how he got away with literal murder. It was a very quick 'The Quinn's had money and therefore good lawyers' but all the evidence was so stacked against him, I felt this was a little lazy.

The first half of this book was a 3-star for me mostly as I could feel myself getting a bit jaded with the way every You story goes - Joe sees girl, gets hooked on girl, stalks her, kills her friends etc and this one played along quite similarly as the first book without the surprise of the uniqueness of that book. I did however like the twist/change in play halfway through as we see Joe become not quite a victim but a lot more vulnerable as he's been before, and way less sure in himself.

I did still enjoy this, and listened to it on audiobook which is fun but I won't be rushing to book 4 (though will read and finish the series eventually).

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes is the third book in the You series, following You and Hidden Bodies. It tells the story of Joe Goldberg, a dangerous and obsessive stalker, as he tries to start a new life in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.

Joe meets Mary Kay DiMarco, a librarian who is everything he is not: kind, compassionate, and seemingly perfect. He quickly becomes obsessed with her, and he begins to stalk her and control her life.

You Love Me is a suspenseful and disturbing novel that will keep you guessing until the very end. Kepnes does a masterful job of creating a sense of dread and unease, and she makes you root for Joe even though you know he is a bad guy.

The novel also explores some interesting themes, such as the nature of love, obsession, and redemption. It is a thought-provoking and challenging read, but it is also a page-turner that you won't be able to put down.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I've read all of the You books now, and watched all the tv shows, and I have really enjoyed all of them. I loved this book, which is the third book in the series.

Joe is back, and this time, he has had enough of Love, and has moved onto Mary Kay, who is a librarian.

I like how we get to see inside the mind of a stalker and serial killer, which I find really fascinating. Joe gets obsessed with Mary Kay, but Mary Kay has a lot of baggage. Will Mary Kay fall for Joe, in the same way that he has fallen for her?

This book is full of drama, love, suspense, craziness and humour, and I loved every bit of it! Highly recommended.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

YOU Love Me by Caroline Kepnes is the highly anticipated thriller in her hit series, and fans will be hooked from the very beginning. In the midst of a terrifying tale, Kepnes gives us Joe's redemption and new start at love, highlighting the light even when surrounded by darkness. Kepnes brilliantly showcases Joe's attempts at balance in his new relationship, yet still offers us the thrilling moments we come to expect from her novels. You Love Me is not just another thriller – it's a study of how one man works to overcome his mistakes and accept redemption and love, as he walks through the town he now calls home. This book will surely have fans captivated until the last page.

Honestly I don't know why I decided to read this book, as after reading the other books in the series, I realised that I much prefer the TV show over the books, and should have just stuck to watching the TV show as the books just do not excite me as much as the show does.
I really enjoyed the storyline but found myself slightly bored throughout the book. I do think that the audiobooks for this series are really good and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook a lot as you can get fully immersed into the story.
I don't think I would read another book in this series, if there ever is one and would rather watch the show instead.

Unfortunately I think I have out grown my love for Joe and as a result wasn't super keen on the 3rd instalment of you. Unlike in you and hidden bodies he's ramblings no longer freak me out and this makes the book kind of boring for me, the book is less of a thriller and more of a domestic drama- I was very excited for the 'twist' at the end but when it came I was unfortunately kind of bored.

Another great instalment to the YOU series. Caroline consistently has us so enthralled by a serial killer, you've got to have some serious power to do that! It was dark, thrilling and addictive - great to be back in the mind of Joe.

Joe Goldberg is a captivating lead character. Watching ‘You’ on Netflix now has me thinking of Penn Badgley as Joe. Penn does play the hell out of that character. He is also part of the reason why a creepy stalker like Joe is quite endearing to me. This story begins with Joe on the hunt. He has found a Librarian who he is in love with. Of course, the Librarian is also in love with him. At least this is true in Joe’s mind. He is committed to do everything in his power to match his dreams with reality.

As done in the previous books in the series, the story is narrated from Joe’s POV. We are literally stuck in his stalker mind and get to see the world from his twisted view. I took a little longer to adjust to the first-person narrative this time round. However, once I got comfortable with the writing style, I became totally engrossed with Joe’s dark, humorous thoughts.

There are a number of twists throughout the narrative although the pace did feel much slower than the previous books in the series. It did improve after the half way mark and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough after this point.

This is an entertaining series. I am not sure if there is anything left for Joe but I know the author will likely surprise his fans with another twisty journey and I can’t wait for it.

Once again, Caroline Kepnes guides us through a creepy and disturbing look at life through Joe's lens. This third instalment has echoes of the first two books - Joe's rational, the way he justifies his actions. Once again, there is a woman he is suddenly in love with and he is going out of his way to get her to be his. I was definitely gripped with the story and found myself racing to pick the book back up again whenever I put it down. It was fast paced and action packed and the story kept moving alone nicely. However, I do have to admit that it's getting a bit samey now. I don't want to spoil anything, but it is a bit repetitive the way that Joe will never get caught, no one sees through him, and the arc of the novel is very similar to the other two. I'm still very invested in the story and in Joe, as although he's a terrible man he's obviously a very intriguing character, and I will be picking this series up again. I just hope there's something a bit different next time.

Most times I am a huge believer in the fact that the book is always better than the movie. In most cases I am still a huge believer in this. However, this book series seems to be an exception to the rules. The first book started out really strong and used to be one of my favorites. The second one was good, and I loved the addition of Love, yet it had still lost the charm of the first book. This one especially seems to have lost what I loved most about the series. This review will contain spoilers so please do not read ahead if you have not read the series.
You Love Me follows Joe after the choices he made in Hidden Bodies. He moves to a small town away from everything he knows and is being paid off by Love’s parents to have no contact with both Love and the baby. After getting a job at the local library he meets Mary Kay DiMarco the head librarian. Joes determined not to obsess over her like he did the others trying to prove that he can win the old-fashioned way. However, the added challenge of Mary Kay having a daughter and a husband may bring Joe back to his old ways.
In the first book I was truly interested in how it was portrayed as though Joe was constantly watching the reader. Through the use of writing in the second person it made the reader more immersed within the book and was something I had never read before. Two books later and I feel as though the story lines and the writing has become too repetitive through the constant change in love interests. Although this one brings in the aspect of Joe going through his life in a small town and having a family to contend with within the love interest the narrative felt lost and confusing. Usually, I love Caroline Kepnes’ writing yet this book felt so repetitive to me in terms of the words used with special mention to ‘Meerkat’ and ‘Murakami’.
The family aspect of this book is one of the unique things that has happened within this series, and I am still unsure of how I feel about this. The daughter in the book really was not my favourite aspect, however it was interesting to see how she impacted the story. The added edition of the husband was what really made me dislike this dynamic of the novel. I feel as though it just made the main character Mary Kay even more unlikable because even though her husband is not a great person Mary Kay seems to often forget about her daughter and none of her decisions seem to reflect what is the right decision for her. However, the daughter is the most unlikable character in the entire series especially when she tries to seduce Joe despite the fact, she is only eighteen and he is dating her mother.
Usually in books I do not like, the side characters often save it for me however, Melanda was the unlikable version of Peach. She is the psycho best friend who tries to ruin Joe and MK however, Joe just kills her off as he does with every other character. As well as the other side character who kidnaps Joe and tries to kill him who Joe thinks is also in love with MK however he is actually sleeping with her daughter which is where I think this book fully lost me.
The one thing I do love about this entire series is Joes inner monologue. Some of the comments that he makes within the book makes me laugh out loud because they are so strange and wonderful. The way he just views his actions and how he truly believes that he never does anything apart from in the interest of the woman is really interesting and funny to read about.
Overall, this book was not one of my favorites and I ended up giving it 2 stars out of 5. Despite usually loving Caroline Kepnes writing style I found this book repetitive and lacked in keeping my interest. Unfortunately, despite loving Joe Goldberg’s inner narrative I do not think I will be continuing with the book series and instead just sticking with the TV show. If anyone would like to see a post about all the differences between the TV show and the book, please comment down below and let me know your thoughts on the book!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for my review copy!

In Which Joe Continues…
Joe Goldberg is back in the next instalment in the ‘You’ series. Life goes on but Joe has changed, not completely changed but changed in his life’s desires and aims. Who will be next to make room for Joe? Superb storyline and a fabulously entertaining, addictive series.

I have loved this series, and the Netflix series, as Joe is such a love-to-hate character. He has fascinated me from the start, with his smouldering, threatening presence.
This one fell so flat. Joe's new obsession was just odd. There was no redeeming character quality, and no reason for Joe's fixation.
His stream of consciousness was difficult to take after a while- whilst I loved this in the first book, he really irritated me in this book!
I can't see me wanting to read further in the series.

I am no longer interested in reviewing this book and I will not be sending a review. I no longer think this book is for me.

I’ll read anything that Caroline Kepnes writes - esp books with Joe Goldberg at their center, as he is one of my favorite characters of the past ten years. That said, You Love Me is probably my least favorite of the ‘You’ franchise, but the bar is very high and I still enjoyed this read immensely.

Another dark , thrilling , addictive read in this great series . I always worry that future books in a series will never be as good but gladly this lives up to the others . I won’t say much about the plot to avoid spoilers but it will have you gripped . I just love the writing style of these books and it somehow makes you like Joe even though he is a cold bloodied killer! I can’t wait to see this adapted on screen now .

I love Joe. Since I first read You I have been obsessed with this series and so glad that it has carried on. Do I love this as much as book 1? no but I think it is definitely on a par with book 2. If you love the You-nivers then I recommend picking up this book and have my fingers crossed for book 4!!

Actual rating 4.5/5 stars. This is the third instalment in the You series.

Joe Goldberg has fled from both his ex-girlfriend, Love, and love in general. City-life seems to have proved it is not for him, and neither are the women who dwell there. He trades hustle and bustle for slow and still, as he begins to settle down in a quiet neighbourhood. He vows his life there will be one without any of the drama that has dogged him for the past few years and so the only relationships he will embark on will be purely platonic ones. Enter, Mary Kay DiMarco!

This book followed a similar format to the previous two, with protagonist Joe finding a female, falling into immediate adoration with her, and seeking to overlook any flaws as he convinces himself that she is the perfect woman for him. Of course, this depraved individual resorts to any means necessary to get close to his chosen one, meaning the reader can never quite anticipate just what circumstances he will cook up next.

I have had such fun with this series! There is so much tension crafted from the unpredictability and the darker themes focused on, but they are neatly offset by Joe's dry humour and the overall tone of each book. I enjoyed this instalment marginally less than the previous two, only as the conclusion was less climatic than what I had anticipated.

What I mostly love about this series, and what remained just as prominent here, was how well-crafted Joe's character is. I understand Joe is a despicable human being and yet I somehow always end up rooting for him, wishing him well, and hopeful for his current intended to provide him with the happy-ever-after he most certainly does not deserve but I very much desire for him.

The third fabulous book in the YOU series from Caroline Kepnes - always a good thriller that keeps you on your toes. So glad the series has been done justice on TV because this is a favourite of mine.