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Book Summary and Reviews of For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes

For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes

For You and Only You

A Joe Goldberg Novel

by Caroline Kepnes

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Published:
  • Apr 2023, 448 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

New York Times bestselling author Caroline Kepnes, whose acclaimed You series inspired the hit show on Netflix, follows Joe Goldberg to the hallowed halls of Harvard, where he earns a coveted place in a writing fellowship...and leaves crimson in his wake.

Joe Goldberg is ready for a change. Instead of selling books, he's writing them. And he's off to a good start. Glenn Shoddy, an acclaimed literary author, recognizes Joe's genius and invites him to join a tight-knit writing fellowship at Harvard. Finally, Joe will be in a place where talent matters more than pedigree...where intellect is the great equalizer and anything is possible. Even happy endings. Or so he thinks, until he meets his already-published, already-distinguished peers, who all seem to be cut from the same elitist cloth.

Thankfully, Wonder Parish enters the picture. They have so much in common. No college degrees, no pretensions, no stories from prep school or grad school. Just a love for literature. If only Wonder could commit herself to the writing life, they could be those rare literary soulmates who never fall prey to their demons. Wonder has a tendency to love, to covet, but Joe is a believer in the rule of fiction: If you want to write a book, you have to kill your darlings.

With her trademark satirical, biting wit, Caroline Kepnes explores why vulnerable people bring out the worst in others as Joe sets out to make this small, exclusive world a fairer place. And if a little crimson runs in the streets of Cambridge...who can blame him? Love doesn't conquer all. Often, it needs a little push.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Joe Goldberg might be a narcissistic, manipulative, murderous, utterly unreliable narrator, but he's damn entertaining." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Kepnes waggishly satirizes the publishing industry, and her outsized characters' egos and anxieties lay the foundations for delightfully deranged plot twists... Joe's stream-of-consciousness narration engages throughout, rendering readers both confidante and accomplice. Kepnes reliably entertains." —Publishers Weekly

"Within this intensity, [Joe's] snark-laden observations about ego, love, and loyalty ring true." —Booklist

This information about For You and Only You was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Caroline Kepnes

Caroline Kepnes is the New York Times bestselling author of You, Hidden Bodies, Providence, You Love Me and For You and Only You. The Netflix series You is an adaptation of her Joe Goldberg/You novels.

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