You
Cover of You
AuthorCaroline Kepnes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreThriller
PublishedSeptember 30, 2014
PublisherAtria/Emily Bestler Books
Media typePrint (hardback and paperback)
Audiobook
E-book
Pages424 (hardcover)
ISBN978-1-4767-8559-2

You is a thriller novel by Caroline Kepnes, published in September 2014.[1] The novel has been translated into 19 languages, and was adapted into a television series of the same name.[2][3]

Kepnes has published 3 sequels: Hidden Bodies in 2016, You Love Me in 2021, and For You and Only You in 2023.[4][5]


The West Ada School District (Idaho) removed “You: A Novel” in December 2023, based on ratings from BookLooks.org, a website created by “concerned parents” in Brevard County, Florida.

Synopsis

Guinevere Beck, an aspiring writer, is employed as a teaching assistant while simultaneously working on her thesis. When she strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he is instantly smitten with her. Beck is everything that Joe thinks he has ever wanted: gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and as sexy as his wildest dreams. But there is more to Goldberg than Beck realizes, and much more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect facade. Their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences.

Reception

Jennifer Selway of the Daily Express described the suspense of the narrative: "What you don’t know, and this clever, chilling, teasing tale keeps you hanging on by your fingertips, is exactly what sort of bad ending is coming up."[6] Emma Oulton from Bustle praised the novel, stating that it "is one of the most unsettling books I’ve read this year, but despite being thoroughly creeped out, I couldn’t put it down even for a second."[7]

TV adaptation

Main articles: You (TV series) and You (season 1)

In February 2015, it was announced that Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble would develop a television series based on the novel at Showtime.[8] Two years later, it was announced that the series was purchased by Lifetime and put on fast-track development.[9] You premiered on September 9, 2018.[10]

References

  1. ^ Caroline Kepnes (2015). You. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4711-3737-2. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  2. ^ Meredith Goldstein (August 30, 2018). "Shiny happy people give author Caroline Kepnes the creeps". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on March 12, 2020. Retrieved January 22, 2019. The book was a hit and wound up being printed in 19 languages. Stephen King tweeted that 'YOU' was 'hypnotic and scary. A little Ira Levin, a little Patricia Highsmith, and plenty of serious snark. Cool stuff.'
  3. ^ Gwenn Friss (June 24, 2018). "Cape native Caroline Kepnes' novels explore how bad guys get that way". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved January 22, 2019. Back in 1991, Barnstable High student Caroline Kepnes tagged along to the Concord movie set of 'School Ties' where her older brother, Alex, was an extra.
  4. ^ Caroline Kepnes (2016). Hidden Bodies: A Novel. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4767-8563-9. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
  5. ^ "Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes review – the killer who plays it by the book". The Guardian. January 12, 2016. Retrieved January 22, 2019. Goldberg was last seen in Kepnes's original and excellent debut, You, in which he fell for a customer, leaving a clutch of bodies along the way as he relentlessly stalked her into going out with him. Hidden Bodies opens with Joe having seemingly put the past, and his 'tragically ill girlfriend Guinevere Beck', behind him.
  6. ^ Selway, Jennifer (October 22, 2014). "You by Caroline Kepnes is a teasing tale that keeps you hanging by your fingertips". Daily Express. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  7. ^ Oulton, Emma (October 23, 2015). "9 Books That Will Keep Your Attention Until The Very Last Page". Bustle. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2015). "Greg Berlanti & Sera Gamble Developing Psychological Thriller You At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  9. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 13, 2017). "Lifetime Buys Drama From Greg Berlanti & Sera Gamble, Sets Premiere Date For Euthanasia Series Mary Kills People: TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  10. ^ Highfill, Samantha (March 15, 2018). "Lifetime announces fall premiere date for You starring Penn Badgley". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
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