For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes

Introduction

For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes is book number 4 in the You series. I’ve been really anticipating this book since I read the last book a couple of years ago. Joe Goldberg is a complicated character with a traumatic past and an unforeseeable future. Keep reading for my full thoughts!

About the Book

Joe Goldberg is ready for a change. Instead of selling books, he’s writing them. And he’s off to a good start. Glenn Shoddy, an acclaimed literary author, recognizes Joe’s genius and invites him to join a tight-knit writing fellowship at Harvard. Finally, Joe will be in a place where talent matters more than pedigree . . . where intellect is the great equalizer and anything is possible. Even happy endings. Or so he thinks, until he meets his already-published, already-distinguished peers, who all seem to be cut from the same elitist cloth.

Thankfully, Wonder Parish enters the picture. They have so much in common. No college degrees, no pretensions, no stories from prep school or grad school. Just a love for literature. If only Wonder could commit herself to the writing life, they could be those rare literary soulmates who never fall prey to their demons. Wonder has a tendency to love, to covet, but Joe is a believer in the rule of fiction: If you want to write a book, you have to kill your darlings.

With her trademark satirical, biting wit, Caroline Kepnes explores why vulnerable people bring out the worst in others as Joe sets out to make this small, exclusive world a fairer place. And if a little crimson runs in the streets of Cambridge . . . who can blame him? Love doesn’t conquer all. Often, it needs a little push. (from Amazon.com)

My Thoughts

I’m a big fan of this series. But I’m going to be completely honest and warn you that while the first three books are out there, this one goes off the rails a little bit. I got the feeling as I read that this book is not going to be for everyone because while it’s about a character we all know and love, it almost goes too far with the plot twists.

A lot of readers are going to find it jarring. Some might even use the word unbelievable? But if you keep in mind that the whole series is unbelievable and intended for reader enjoyment, I think you’ll like this book just fine.

I know I sure did!

In this book, Joe is in a completely new environment, and yet much of his story remains similar to his past. He’s joined a writing class at Harvard under an esteemed professor, who is known for his one very popular book that won him a Pulitzer prize. Joe’s classmates are writers from similar backgrounds and with similar histories.

Except for Wonder. She’s different. She comes from a working class family and has to fit writing in between shifts at Dunkin and helping to take care of her ailing father and complicated family. Joe immediately sets his sights on her, and as you can imagine, things go very similar to his past romances.

He’s in love. She’s the best woman in the world. She’s perfect. Until… the rose color glasses come off and Joe begins to realize that his new love isn’t all he built her up to be.

I think that’s where this story began to feel a little scattered. And I feel like the author did that on purpose. As Joe keeps getting away with crimes and has to keep even more secrets about his past life, he begins to get sloppy. And I felt like that was realistic. There’s only so much lying and sneaking around a person can do and I think Joe is starting to lose it.

I liked the premise of this story. Joe is trying to get his book published and is willing to do pretty much anything to make that happen. He even befriends his teacher and starts cycling. For fun!

As always, I loved the writing style in this book. Some of the references made me laugh. I know enough amateur cyclists to know how important KOM can be on Strava, so those scenes where Joe and Glenn are cycling together had me chuckling to myself. The mentions of The White Lotus made me smile too because that is currently a show I’m watching with my boyfriend. And the true crime podcast felt very true to life.

This is book #4 in the You series, so don’t start here if you haven’t read the first three books first. But if you’re a fan of this series and can’t wait to find out what Joe does next, I think you’ll find this book to be quite interesting. While I did think the story was taken in some unbelievable directions, I think that’s also kind of the point.

xo Marian