Every now and then you find yourself getting lost in a book that sucks you in from the very start. All you want to do is sit down and read for hours, without being disturbed. But then you also want to savour the book and prolong finishing it, because it is just that good. This was the case with the two books in this book club post.
You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes.
You
When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card. There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.
As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.
♥ I loved the story line, as well as the charm and humour of the narrator, Joe. He is intelligent and witty and just the way he talks is so funny. You kind of feel a connection to him by the way he lets you in on exactly what he is thinking. His narration is really funny but insane and horrifying at the same time. I found myself repeating some of the very funny one liners to my boyfriend. Even he laughed and he didn’t know what the story was about.
Joe is just funny!
The story is about Joe, a stalker, who is obsessed with Beck and spies on her. He goes to extreme measures thanks to social media by using email, Facebook and Twitter to find out all the necessary information he needs to know about Beck as well as all her friends. He is so totally and utterly obsessed with Beck that in order to ensure he has the perfect relationship with her, he gets rid of anyone along the way.
When the book finished, I was distraught. I just needed to know what happened to Joe. Thankfully, there’s a sequel …
Hidden Bodies
Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him. In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder.
The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice…
♥ The sequel, Hidden Bodies, is just as good as the first book, if not better. Joe’s narrative is still as dark and hilarious. He has now moved to Los Angeles to pursue another love interest. Along the way he faces another few challenges. But this doesn’t stop him.
What I loved about this book is at the end you have closure on what happened to Joe. As much as Joe is a scary creep, I fell in love with his humour, charm and wit. All ll I wanted to know was whether the Hidden Bodies would be found 😉
It is often said that a sequel should never be written because it will never be as good, but I found Hidden Bodies compliments You and together they are just one haunting and humorous novel.
♥
