Review | You by Caroline Kepnes

Rating | 3/5 stars
***MILD SPOILERS AHEAD***

Hi all!
I know it's been a while since I've posted on here but it's been a while since I actually finished a book. I'm still currently reading Crooked Kingdom (that I started in January ugh!) but I've been reading some smaller, easier books just so I don't get burnt out on the same story.
One of those books is You by Caroline Kepnes. I picked this up with 13 Reasons Why in May. I finished 13RW within about two days and I started You immediately after that.
I intentionally went into You not knowing much about the story other than it's written in second perspective, which was something I had to get used to at first but it definitely made for an interesting read. With this being one of my random reads, I didn't think to take notes or anything so I'll just review this off the top of my head (I literally finished it ten minutes ago).
The story was intriguing right off the bat but if I'm being honest, I found most of the characters pretentious to a fault. I understand you weren't really supposed to sympathize with the main character, Joe, but he was so obnoxious at points that it was hard to read from his perspective in general. It was actually mentally draining to read his thought process most of the time. Beck wasn't any better. Actually like... every character in this book was a pain in the ass.
About halfway through the book, it got so predictable I was considering DNFing it. Kepnes set the characters up in the such a way that it was not shocking or thrilling in the slightest when the 'shocking' and 'thrilling' moments occurred. This book needed a really good twist at the end to kick it up a notch. But it never came. I was not surprised at all when Joe killed Beck in the end. He'd been threatening to or actually killing people from the midway point. I think the book got predictable because I was reading every thought Joe was having so nothing was left to the imagination. He explained everything he was feeling so it wasn't shocking when anything happened that was intended to be exciting/thrilling. He literally told me what was going to happen most of the time.
There's really no point in explaining every bit that happened in the book because my attention wasn't drawn toward anything but I just need to explain why I give You 3 stars.
I understood going into this book that it was adult. There's no reason for an adult novel to hold back on any mature themes but oh, this book is on another level. There are some instances where You feels like straight up erotica. The language Kepnes uses was often vulgar and always explicit. It pulled me right out of the book because it was always just too much. I've read other adult books and I have not been assaulted with such language like I was in You. It was so sex-centric that most of the time it just didn't seem necessary to describe things in the way that Joe did. Was the description of Peach and Beck in Little Compton necessary? No. Did it further the plot? No. Did it really only serve as another drawn out erotic scene but this time between two women? Yes. I would say a good 20% of the book is extraneous and pointless sex. So before you choose to read this, be aware that there is a lot of explicit sex scenes that are sometimes described in intense detail. Like I said in my Goodreads review, you can find more tame, vanilla sex description in actual published erotica- Fifty Shades for example. I spent more time reading Joe thinking about or engaging in a pointless sex act than I did actually caring about where this story was going. I swear to god I will never look at green pillows the same way again.
That's enough. The story was decent, the writing was interesting and accomplished to hold my attention for a while. You had it's flaws but it's not a complete loss. I probably won't be reading Hidden Bodies any time soon though. I'm tired of living in Joe's pretentious head.

Once I finish Crooked Kingdom (probably in the next couple of days), I will post a short, non-spoilery review on here.

The Reading Habits Book Tag

Hello all!
I thought that it would be fun to play a little get to know me game since this is my first post on the new blog and I haven't really posted much about myself on social media.

I chose to do the Reading Habits tag although I wasn't tagged by anyone in particular, I figured it was a good place to start.

Let's get into it! :)

1) Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
Not necessarily. I usually read anywhere I can get comfortable and be free from distractions. This usually tends to be on the couch or in my bed before I go to sleep.

2) Bookmark or random piece of paper?
This depends on how many books I'm reading at the time! I only have one dedicated bookmark (Frozen, to be specific) and that usually ends up in the book I'm spending most of my time reading. If I have a little read on the side, I use a Post-It note or a receipt to keep my place.

3) Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/certain amount of pages?
Always stop at the start of a new chapter! I find it really difficult to pick up right in the middle of a chapter, especially if it's been a while since I read last. Plus, if I remember the certain chapter I stopped at, I can easily pick back up even if I lose my bookmark!

4) Do you eat or drink while reading?
Not always. Sometimes I take breaks to snack or sip on water or a cup of tea, but since I find myself reading before bed, I don't have food with me. Plus, it kind of distracts me after a while.

5) Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?
Never television. The only TV I really watch are the shows I'm trying to catch up on, so I don't want to have it on as background noise because I'll miss important parts of the show or I'll get completely engrossed in the show and forget to read and if my brain hones in on the dialogue of a show, I'll get halfway through a chapter and realize that I was thinking about something else the whole time and have to go back. I can listen to music very rarely- if I'm really into the story. I usually stick to ambient or coffeehouse playlists through Spotify. Nothing too lyric heavy.

6) One book at a time or several at once?
The most I can handle is two at a time, and one is my main read and one is an easier book that doesn't take too much attention (Usually re-reads or shorter books). I've had the habit of reading Harry Potter along with my main book but now that I've made it to Prisoner of Azkaban, I might have to put good ol' HP to the side while I finish the next books on my TBR.

7) Reading at home or everywhere?
The only places I ever end up going are class or back home. I can read a lot at school but I get superrrrr distracted with my phone while I'm waiting between classes. If I have enough time, I try to pick up my book at least once during my day at school.

8) Reading out loud or silently in your head?
In my head, I read slower if I'm reading out loud or mouthing the words. Also, I'm really afraid of being annoying lol.

9) Do you read ahead or even skip pages?
Hell no. I've spoiled myself for certain plot points WAY too many times to trust myself. Spoiled myself so many times while reading Illuminae that I was super disappointed in myself for the rest of the book.

10) Breaking the spine or keeping it new?
OMG, breaking the spine makes me want to die.

11) Do you write in your books?
Only textbooks and VERY RARELY. If I have to take notes, I'll do it on Post-Its.

Thank you for reading this and visiting my brand new blog! I plan to post reviews ASAP when I finish the books I bought for myself for Christmas. First on the list, Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo! Also planning on posting an extended 'About Me' later.

xo Lauren