Title: Hidden Bodies (You #2)
by Caroline KepnesPublishing Info: February 23, 2016 by Simon & Schuster
Source: Audible
Genres: Adult, Mystery/Thriller
Find it on the web: Buy from Amazon // GoodreadsDate Completed: August 3, 2017
Related Posts: You (You #1)
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...
I picked up HIDDEN BODIES because I was wholly engrossed with YOU by Caroline Kepnes when I had picked it up earlier in the year. (Last year? I don’t even remember when it was.) It was disturbing and yet interesting all at the same time and HIDDEN BODIES was no different in that respect! I came to actually like Joe, despite his murderous and obsessive ways, and had fun following his crazy story in HIDDEN BODIES as well.
This book, however, wasn’t quite as enjoyable as YOU. YOU felt much more fast-paced (although I do remember feeling like it lagged for a while too) but HIDDEN BODIES felt a little too long. The plot is quite different, starting out a little similar but seemingly veering off-path. I guess there’s no “right” way to write about a serial killer but Joe ended up finding some “normal” and while there were still some very messed up moments and the body count grew, it just didn’t feel as… dark… as YOU.
I love these audiobooks with Santino Fontana narrating (who I did not realize is the voice of Hans in Frozen — thanks to my sister for that tidbit! Although I still heard Joe with his great narration) and I’m not sure I’d have enjoyed this nearly as much without the audio aspect so I’m definitely glad I ended up doing audio for both books! It did feel a bit slow in plot sometimes but the narration kept it moving and I loved the edge in the narrator’s voice.
The ending was… interesting? I didn’t realize that this series was going to keep going — at least I think it is from the way it ended. I kind of liked where it went and yet it also kind of felt untrue to the character we met in book one. I guess there’s always room for growth, and I guess it’s also true that Dexter took this kind of turn towards domestic life and I didn’t mind it. (Okay, I did a little bit.)
I wasn’t big on the Hollywood scene and I much preferred the setting in New York but the book was still very interesting and I did enjoy following Joe on some more horrific adventures. (Is enjoy the right word for reading a book about a killer? Eek.) I’ll definitely still continue on if we get more Joe adventures but I did feel like this book wasn’t as cohesive as the last.
Kept Me Hooked On: Relatable serial killers? Okay, is that even a thing? What I’m really saying here is that I appreciate being able to get sort of sucked into Joe’s world. Somehow he becomes an antihero that you want to root for.
Left Me Wanting More: Darkness. Joe was crazy yet easy to relate to in YOU and I missed some of that darker sidein HIDDEN BODIES. I think this book went a little off-course, though I guess that’s just where the story went!
Addiction Rating
Read it
If you enjoyed YOU, HIDDEN BODIES is worth the read! I much preferred the first book but there’s something so compelling about Joe despite the fact that he’s banana sandwich.
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1 thought on “Hidden Bodies (You #2) – Caroline Kepnes”
‘You’ is a really well-written book. I actually couldn’t finish it because I started having nightmares. I was really engaged with the story, it was creepy and, as I mentioned, fantastically written. But it felt too real. It sounded it like something that could actually happen, and I got scared.