Hidden Bodies Paperback – January 1, 2019

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!

*****SPOILER ALERTS*****FOR BOTH “YOU” & “HIDDEN BODIES”I read Ms. Kepnes previous novel “You” and absolutely despised Joe Goldberg. I was waiting with anticipation for him to be arrested and pay for his crimes. In “You” he kills 4 innocent people simply because they either broke up with him or were in the way. And he goes unpunished for all these murders. I hated the SOB but still enjoyed the novel and rated it with 5-stars. Joe is a psychopathic serial killer, but there’s something about his character that I enjoy; even though he kills for no reason, I still found something redeeming about his personality. His obsession over Beck was pathological, and Beck never loved him, so it was a foregone conclusion that he would murder her.In “Hidden Bodies” he murders 3 people, 2 of which pose a danger to his freedom; 1 because he wouldn’t tell Joe where Amy Adams was. He travels to California to find Amy Adams, who didn’t love him but pretended to so she could steal some of the bookstore’s valuable books. While in California, he meets would-be actors and screenwriters. He falls in love, and begins to develop as a person who has goals and aspirations. He’s no longer a lonely person. He has friends; he meets a woman named Love and they develop a reciprocal arrangement of love & affection. This love changes him, but not quite enough to cure him of his “killer instinct”. Because Love’s brother Forty steals his screenplays without giving him credit for the writing, Joe kills Forty (or thinks he does). Forty is rescued by an anonymous woman, & returns to his family. Forty pretends to not remember what happened to him when Joe attempted his murder, and blackmails Joe into writing more screenplays for Forty. Joe realizes he can’t kill Forty, because it would emotionally destroy Love, Forty’s twin. He decides to play along with Forty and write for him. Then Forty is killed as he jaywalks across the street. Now Joe is set. He can write for Hollywood and get credit for his work. Love tells Joe he has something inside closed off to her and she can’t be with him unless he breaks down this wall. So he confesses all his murders (except Forty’s—-who at that time appears to be dead). And this part is unbelievable to me. How Love can continue to love him, believe in him knowing he’ murdered SEVEN PEOPLE! If it were I, I’d be scared to death he’d kill me too! But she’s not! She continues to love him. Love tells Joe she’s pregnant, & Joe is “over the moon” that he’ll be a father.At the end of the novel, the cops get him (finally!) for the murders of Beck and Peach. He’s put in jail & questioned relentlessly in the presence of an expensive attorney Love hires for him. However, the cops have no evidence Joe murdered the two women, and he knows it. He basks in Love’s affection, and his upcoming fatherhood. He wants to be free so he can raise his child with Love, & they can marry. And he can write his screenplays and become famous. He believes he’s now a different person & the killing is behind him. THE END.I didn’t like the end because the reader is left hanging. Will he be convicted of the two killings? Will the cops find Robin Fincher’s body in Mexico, buried under a cactus in Axl Rose’s garden? Will the cops discover he killed the other five people?Unfortunately, I found myself liking Joe Goldberg in “Hidden Bodies”, and amost hoping he gets away with all seven murders so he can have his perfect life with his perfect wife and child.DUH! What’s wrong with me! I HATE criminals! I dislike novels that allow the evil people to escape from their crimes and live prosperous lives. I believe convicted murderers need to pay for their crimes in prison. I don’t feel sorry for people in prison who were convicted of murders they committed.Another reviewer mentioned they had a love/hate relationship with Joe Goldberg. I guess I feel the same.Has Caroline Kepnes left the ending ambiguous to leave an opening for a book three? I sure hope so!

Book had minor damage on receiving, small rips on edge but mehAlso that Netflix thing is not a sticker. They printed it over the cover design 🤦🏻‍♂️