YOU review

Right before I started this book, I was telling someone that reading main stream horror isn't something I really do anymore after starting myself on extreme horror. And then I read You by Caroline Kepnes.

This novel is complicated, which makes it a little difficult to review.I could go the easy route and riddle this review with spoiler but I wont. It's a book worth reading and I will tell you why.

YOU isn't your typical blood and gore horror story. So if you are anything like me and look for that in a scary novel, you wont find it here. Nope. This is stalker horror, which in my opinion, is much scarier. This story is told completely from the stalkers point of view, which only adds to the creepiness factor.

Joe is your average, semi-humble guy who works in a book store. He cares about his work and completely judges people on the books they buy. Joe has a bit of a hangup. When he finds a girl he is interested in, he skips the other emotions and goes straight to the love thing.
One day, Beck enters Joe's book store. It is obsession at first sight. Joe just knows Beck is the only woman on this earth made for him and him alone.
Instead of having a long drawn out conversation with her, like your typical person would do, he checks up on the name that is on her credit card, and stalks her on every form of social media known to man. Joe even sits outside of Beck's apartment and watches what Beck does on a daily basis.
Joe is a patient man, so he bides his time and works in conversations and chance meetings here and there. Soon enough, Joe has worked his way in to Beck's life and makes himself indispensable.

That is really is the all I can write about without getting in to spoilers.

Like I said, this book is completely from Joe's point of view. Being in his head is disturbing, mostly because his logic is oddly sound most of the time, and I found myself kind of connecting with his character. Its sound until you close the book and take a moment to remember how utterly NOT okay Joe actions are. Not sure what that says about me, being able to connect to a stalker and all. It disturbed me more than anything. 

Let us talk about Beck for a moment. I don't get Joe's attraction to this self absorbed, damaged woman. Not damaged like "awww. She has it so rough" kind of way. Damaged like she's a pathological liar. She tells lie after lie in order to make people feel sorry for her. Beck also allows her best friend, (who is also a pathological liar. Of course Beck doesn't see this and buys in to the friends bullshit stories),to boss her around and use her as an emotional punching bag. I make Beck sound more complex than she really is. Apparently, she's beautiful and I suppose that is an attraction point. Otherwise I don't understand the obsession Joe has with her.

There is some killing in this book, but it isn't overly detailed or gory. Oddly enough, I was okay with it.

The ending is something I kind of didn't see coming, yet I wasn't surprised. You know how stalker stories usually end, but just the way everything went down was a bit of a twist. The ending also left it open for more books. Something I am all for, because I will be reading the next book.

If you are in the mood for an atmospheric horror and nothing extreme, I recommend picking this up. It's a slow burn horror, but it captures your attention from the first page to the last. It doesn't drag, and Mrs. Kepnes keeps things moving and interesting.

Not the type of horror I usually read, but it's still a 5/5 read.