“There’s something deeply insidious about the storytelling of Caroline Kepnes. As satire of a self-absorbed society, Kepnes hits the mark, cuts deep, and twists the knife.” –Entertainment Weekly “Obsessed.” –Jessica Knoll, New York Times bestselling author of Luckiest Girl Alive “Delicious and insane…The plot may be twisty and scintillating, but its Kepnes’ wit and style that keep you coming … scintillating, but its Kepnes’ wit and style that keep you coming back.” –Lena Dunham
“Hypnotic and scary.” –Stephen King
In the compulsively readable follow-up to her widely acclaimed debut novel, You, Caroline Kepnes weaves a tale that Booklist calls “the love child of Holden Caulfield and Patrick Bateman.”
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. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.
In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend–he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice…more
This book left off at a major cliffhanger and I am hoping for a third!
Joe’s character becomes a bit more developed and twisted in this book. I did not care for Love’s character in the book however. I had a hard time connecting.
With that being said, it’s an easy read and a real page turner.
Well, y’all know I loved You, so how could I not love Hidden Bodies? I can’t wait for the series!!!
Audiobook: Narrator – Santino Fontana
No one does audio better than Mr. Fontana! No one! Anything he narrates goes beyond listening and pulls you into full on living the moment. This isn’t reading, this is a performance as strong as anything you’ll ever see on the big screen! I can’t recommend this, or any audio by Santino Fontana, enough!
I loved Joe in the first book, You. And yes, as many before me, we shouldn’t love him, but we do. This time around he’s moving West and holy heck! He’s got all kinds of issues going on. I loved his comparisons of L.A. to New York, and just his thoughts about L.A. and the people in general.
This starts out in one place, takes a sudden turn, another turn and oh my gawd! Did that just happen?!! And through it all, Joe goes from one place of peace and happiness, to fear and despair and back again like a whip. I must admit, I was a bit disappointed in the ending, but I’m curious if this author is planning another “Joe” book. I’d totally go for it, especially with this same narrator. But as it stands, I was left wanting.
That was fantastic. I listened to this one and the narrator is a perfect Joe. The way he reads this book makes me feel like I am right inside Joe’s head and I love being there. Is that bad? I love being in Joe’s head. Give me more Joe. All the Joe. How can I love someone that is so bad? But is he really that bad?
I wanted to love this book as much as Joe Goldberg wants to find true one-sided love! But, sigh, I did not. The beauty of the first book was Joe’s narrow-minded relentless pursuit of all-consuming love. He hunted Beck. He lived and breathed Beck. He invaded every aspect of her life, he invaded her privacy, he killed for her.
In this book, it seems like Joe’s on the same path. He blindly follows Amy to California (gag, in Joe’s perspective). He’s ready to exact his revenge for the wrong she imposed upon him.
But what happens is not story of relentless pursuit. It is not the take of a psychotic, love-obsessed bookseller. Instead, he branches out. His inner circle expands, his hobbies expand, and Amy is left by the wayside. She’s a mere shadow in this book, replaced by “Love”, his newest interest. But, having been filtered through three women (let’s not forget Delilah) since Beck, Joe’s obsession is weaker than in “You”. It’s not the same book, not the same man. Sure, he’s still homicidal, but those scenes are almost afterthoughts.
To me, it seemed like the author was writing a different book, interspersed with some “Joe/Beck/Amy” to make this one qualify as a sequel.
I just wasn’t into it.
Joe meets Love. My stalker finds a new love interest and gets carried away again. While I had doubts this one would be as fantastic as “You”, this book is a sequel that continues Joe’s journey and his quest for the ideal woman. Love, love, love this series!
Not as good as the first one but still worth a read.
A bit weird, but good. Great continuation from the first book
While “Hidden Bodies” wasn’t as scary as the first book in the series (“You”), it still hooked me from the start. The creep-factor here is realizing, as you’re plowing through the book, that you’re actually starting to warm up to a deeply disturbed serial killer as he tries to get his life together (but still leaves plenty of bodies in his wake).
There may be a serial killer among people everyday and most do not know it. Some can suspect little oddities here and there, but no one ever actually gets the thought “Oh my god, he could be a serial killer because he is socially awkward”. Or, the thought “Wow, he must be a serial killer because he likes to be alone.” These things just do not happen…but when it is made public that someone is a serial killer, there are a lot of “ohs” and “that totally makes sense now”. Kepnes writes about a serial killer who knows who he is, but can’t find that one person who knows who she is. Everyone that he meets seems to be flashy, condescending, or just plain outright fake. This psychological thriller is chalked full of mystery and dark satirical humor interlaced within every page, leaving the reader immersed and wanting more.
Joe is just your average guy. He is handsome, he is successful and he has a beautiful girlfriend who he begins to think is love. Oh, was it mentioned that he is a serial killer?! Oops, left that part out. In the last kill, he left a mug of urine at the scene and has been thinking about it ever since. How could he have been that stupid? How could he have been so careless? How will he be able to get it back so that it doesn’t become evidence? After a fallout with the the girl of his dreams, Amy wipes him out and heads for Hollywood to become an actress. Joe, not wanting to believe that he could have been played that easily, has just found his next target. In search for her, he follows shortly after and discovers a completely separate world on the west coast. He meets different people who become somewhat friends or rather, the closest thing to a friend he can have being what he is. Then…Love comes around. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. Love is rich and she has completely turned his world upside down. With Amy still in the wind, can Joe let go of her or will this need to kill only leach on to someone new and will is cause him to be caught?
Kepnes has an intriguing thriller, one with creativity, originality and superb character development. If you are a sucker for pop culture and dark satire, this will draw you in and keep you guessing to what will happen next. The pace is great, allowing the reader to capture scenes vividly and without interruption. Since this was an audiobook that was purchased, the flow of the story was relayed very well and the story seems to be well-written in order to flow as well as it does. Fontana is virtually impeccable with his audio relay talent. This narrator makes the story come to life, more so than imagery that the readers can come up with through description alone. His dry humor really underlays the enjoyment of the novel. If you are a reader of crime fiction, mysteries, and psychological thrillers, this might be for you. Hidden Bodies can be read as a standalone; however, this is a second installment. The first installment is called You.
A copy of this audiobook was purchased by Turning Another Page. We provide a five-star rating for Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes.
“And this, this is why you have to kill people. If you don’t, they don’t learn anything. They just reemerge, more muscled, more manipulative, more hell-bent on taking you down.”
…and welcome back to the mind of Joe Goldberg! Hidden Bodies is the follow-up to Caroline Kepnes’ wildly successful debut titled: You. After adding You to my “absolute favorites” shelf, I immediately sought out Hidden Bodies. In this book, we get further insight into how Joe thinks and justifies his actions. We get to meet a whole array of new characters who don’t hold a light to Joe’s character in my opinion. And of course we get more kills. Oh, Joe.
While I didn’t personally enjoy Hidden Bodies nearly as much as You, I thought it was a solid follow-up novel. I should note that a follow-up wasn’t necessary in my opinion but if Ms. Kepnes is going to write one, then I’m definitely going to read it. The feel of Hidden Bodies was very different than You which allowed it to feel like a fresh reading experience. The setting is different, Joe’s work is different, his romantic interests are different, and the multiple side-characters are new and very, very different haha. I felt that Joe himself is different as well which disappointed me just a tad, but we all change as time goes on, even serial killers I guess.
Overall, I liked Hidden Bodies (3.5 stars) and would recommend it to any readers who enjoyed the first book. I don’t know that I personally would re-read this particular one, but my experience wouldn’t deter me from jumping at the chance to read any further follow-ups Ms. Kepnes may feel the need to write. Check it out and definitely keep an eye out for this author. She’s amazing!
I love Joe! Hidden Bodies didn’t disappoint! I have to say I like “You” better, but this was definitely an excellent read also. Well written, keeps you interested and makes you hope there will be more Joe in the future!!