Hidden Bodies: (A You Novel) (The You Series) Paperback – November 1, 2016

I tried, I really REALLY tried to read this book slowly but as much as I wanted to sit back a savor every single word……it just didn’t happen and I ended up reading it in just over a day, ooops!If you know me IRL or have read my blog enough, then you know that You is my absolute, most favorite book ever. I love Joe, he’s the most original, unique and fascinating character I’ve ever read about. Yes he’s a narcissistic serial killer but if we’re being honest here, he also thinks and speaks what most of us are thinking but are too chicken to admit. Needless to say but when I learned that the brilliant Caroline Kepnes was making a sequel to You, I about died!!! I honestly believed that You would remain a stand-alone novel.In You, Joe Goldberg fell for Guinevere Beck, an unassuming customer that walked into the book store he worked at. In the quest to win her heart, Joe relentlessly stalks Beck and proceeds to take out anyone who gets in his way. Written in a second-person, present tense narrative style it was as if Joe was constantly speaking directly to Beck and it was this style, along with Joe’s personality that made You so unique. When I first heard that Kepnes would not be returning to this second-person narrative I was momentarily worried that it wouldn’t feel the same being inside Joe’s head. Thankfully I was wrong and being inside Joe’s mind is just as addictive in first-person, present tense :)Hidden Bodies starts with Joe having put his past and Beck behind him, well except for the cupofpiss that still haunts his thoughts. He’s thankfully in a new relationship with Amy, the girl he met at the end of You and at first glance she seems a little better suited for Joe. They both work at the book store and seem to share similar views on life and people. Things are looking up for Joe until Amy does something really stupid (no spoilers here) which causes Joe to drop everything in New York and move to L.A. so that he can track her down and seek his revenge. Of course we all know what that means, more bodies!!!!Unfortunately, when Joe arrives in L.A. he discovers that Amy is much more difficult to locate than he had anticipated. While searching for her, Joe meets a woman named Love who works with her brother in the entertainment business and comes from a very wealthy family who like to hobnob with the stars. Joe fits in with Love’s family seamlessly, her parents love him, her brother loves him, and all seems perfect for our anti-hero…….at first. As Joe begins to fall for Love he also begins to forget about Amy (mostly) but he never seems to forget about the cupofpiss and just like in You, what starts out as a perfect (in Joe’s mind) relationship quickly goes sideways.Joe once again finds a way to get rid of anyone he feels is a threat or is getting in the way of his plans and here’s the true brilliance of Kepnes’ writing, we cheer for him to do so every step of the way! Joe points out every flaw and annoying character habit so that soon you realize that you hate these people just as much as he does and yes the world would absolutely be a better place if they weren’t here anymore so really Joe is just doing us all a very big favor by getting rid of them because they really are just a piece of wasted space, go Joe!!! See what happens there? It’s brilliant!There’s really not much else I can say about Hidden Bodies without giving away any spoilers so I’ll just say that if you loved You, then you will definitely love this sequel. It’s one of those rare occurrences where the second book is just as good as the first and I was really, pleasantly surprised by this. I’ve started to see some spoilers floating around in the recent reviews I’ve read, mostly in regards to the opening of the story but I really hate that! So please, don’t read the reviews, just dig into an evening or two with Joe and enjoy the ride :)Now for a wee bit of fan-girling!! On Goodreads, Caroline was recently asked by a fan if the rumors were true that Showtime bought the rights to turn her books into a series. Here is her answer: “You heard correctly, (…..)! YOU is in development at Showtime. We’ll see what happens this year. I love Showtime–The Affair and Shameless are two of my favorites–so this is so exciting. And I’ll keep you posted!” I had heard this same rumor in early 2015 so I’m glad to see this is still green lighted, I can’t wait for this to happen! I think a TV series based on Joe will be huge, especially with the legion of Dexter fans out there begging for something to fill that void. Joe is the perfect person to do this, as long as he’s cast well! Personally, I would love to see Jake Gyllenhaal play Joe. It’s hard for me to picture anyone else nailing Joe’s mannerisms but I know he’s played this character type a few times already so it’s probably just wishful thinking on my part. For anyone whose read You or Hidden Bodies, who would you love to see cast as Joe???A huge thank you to the publishers, Atria Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary, advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review! And a special thank you to David over at Simon & Schuster/Atria Books for recognizing my obsessive love for Joe and these books and thus rewarding my blog readers with a totally awesome giveaway, you rock!

We first meet Joe Goldberg in You, the debut novel from author Caroline Kepnes. An irresistible page-turner, You has been compared to some of the great dark thrillers and has even received praise from author Stephen King. Joe is clever, humorous and quite sociopathic in his quest to find love. He’s a stalker and a murderer, but Joe is also a strangely loveable character. His character has even acquired a dedicated following. Now the adventures of Joe Goldberg resume in the latest novel from Kepnes titled Hidden Bodies.As the synopsis says, “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.” Joe heads west in Hidden Bodies, from New York to Los Angeles, in search of his most recent girlfriend. Although Joe arrives in Los Angeles with an agenda, his plans are soon derailed when he meets Love Quinn and her brother, Forty. Joe is witty and smart, and he quickly blends in with the Hollywood crowd. Love is the perfect woman for Joe, and he is desperate to make her his forever girl. But Joe is haunted by hidden bodies and a mugofurine, and they threaten to derail his plans for a future with Love.Caroline Kepnes must be one clever author to develop a character such as Joe Goldberg. He is one of the most interesting characters I have EVER come across. Since Hidden Bodies is written in Joe’s point of view, we are given a glimpse into his motivations. Joe is brilliant and quick on his feet when making decisions, but he still becomes entangled in web of lies and deceit as he searches for Amy Adam. He becomes more sidetracked by each new person that he meets. When Joe gets out of one jam, he finds himself in another. It's controlled chaos.Kepnes has a special sense of humor embedded in her writing. Hidden Bodies is a dark thriller about a serial killer! You might be thinking to yourself, how could this possibly be funny? There is more irony than I can express in Hidden Bodies. Imagine a serial killer/stalker complaining about people who are mentally ill, violent and crazy! Or grumbling about the lack of safety in the world! Joe is paranoid, as he should be. He attempts to continue a charade of normalcy with Love, while at the same time, he’s stressing out about hidden bodies from his past and plotting another murder!Hidden Bodies is entertaining, addictive, and at times, had me laughing out loud! Joe is a strangely likeable character, and just as I did when I read You, I couldn’t help pulling for Joe to get the girl. If you haven’t had a chance to read You, I highly recommend it! You will definitely want to read You before you begin reading Hidden Bodies. Both books are excellent choices. I am so excited to share that I’m giving a 5-star rating to Hidden Bodies, and I have added it to my list of 2016 favorites!