You Love Me: A You Novel

The second book in Caroline Kepnes' 'You' series, 'You Love Me', continues the chilling, suspenseful, and at points quite funny characters and story of the obsessive and manipulative antihero ourselves: Joe Goldberg. Chillingly narrated, this audiobook adaptation fully matches the nature of Joe’s mindset and leaves the listener stuck, to the point of being stalked right along with the protagonist. The second person narration of the novel plus the audiobook’s narration style gives the listener a truly weird but unsettling experience.

Plot Summary

Here is where the first novel leaves off: Joe Goldberg, charming but deadly new owner of a bookstore in New York, continues his character development in this second novel. Now, though, he’s far from the obsession he was with Beck, and rather he’s obsessed with another target, Love Quinn, Guinevere Beck’s sister. Joe calmly plots his way, using his charm and his brain to work his way around those in his path. It's a psychological thriller that goes deep into the black of our nature, with stalking, manipulating and trying to answer to what is exactly the same as love or control.

Characters

Here are the:

• Joe Goldberg: There are aspects of a complex character dark past with Joe the protagonist of the story and the antihero of the story. I’d call him, smart, charming and manipulative which made him fascinating and terrifying at the same time. One cannot help but want to know what is going on inside his twisted psyche but his internal monologue done with terrible precision alleviates that, if anything.
• Love Quinn: Love, a description of a successful journalist who knows nothing of Joe’s true obsession, is the new thing that Joe is obsessed with. While strong and independent, she is hugged into Joe’s web of lies and manipulation.
• Guinevere Beck: In a sense, Beck isn’t a main character, but she hovers over this novel, propelling Joe to action and coloring his obsession with Love.

Themes

The novel explores several themes that are central to the “You” series:

• Obsession and Control: The obsession with Joe’s obsessive behavior and the need for him to control who is around him all point to the plot. His use of Love and the people she surrounds herself with makes plain how unchecked obsession can kill.
• Identity and Manipulation: There’s a theme: Joe can get identities and situations to work for him however he wants. Using his intelligence and charm he has created false realities for others, he now just needs to establish real ones.
• Love and Deception: The book challenges what love is and how much you can be deceived. Joe’s explanation of love as something of a control fights the social definition of a romantic relationship.

Writing Style and Pacing

“You Love Me” is a chilling and captivating story, but Kepnes’s writing style is as well. The use of the second person in the audiobook is used to its best effect, so that the listener feels as if they are hearing all this “live” with the protagonist. It’s got really good pacing, it’s very suspenseful, not too fast and not too slow, but there are moments of really intense action and other moments that are much more quiet and introspective and those build up so much tension.

Get Ready for Bed with Wild Sign Audiobook - click here

This audiobook narration adds another depth to the story. The narrator’s cadence and tone directly align with Joe’s unsettling presence, and it really helps in feeling the immersive experience. Not only does the pacing of the audiobook live in line with the structure of the story, but the build to tensions culminating in an exciting climax.

Conclusion

A ride into the thrillers “You” continues with this, “You Love Me,” in gripping, unsettling fashion. The audiobook of Caroline Kepnes’ writing, and the narration, together create a unique and immersive story that makes you doubt everything and saps your dry blood out of your ears. Thought-provoking as well as chilling, the novel is a must listen for fans of thrillers.

• Written By

  : Caroline Kepnes

• Narrated By

  : Santino Fontana, Kristin Sieh, James Fouhey, Erin Mallon

• Published By

  : Simon & Schuster Audio