BOOKSHELF: YOU BY CAROLINE KEPNES

As always, there will be no spoilers in this Bookshelf post so if you haven't read the book then don't worry, hopefully you'll want to by the end of this feature!

You may notice a recurring theme with my Bookshelf posts, I'm kinda going through a creepy-thriller phase which is probably partly down to the fact I had a bit of a chick-lit binge while I was on holiday earlier this year and now that's out of my system I needed something a bit more gritty.

I picked up YOU, written by Caroline Kepnes, while in Tesco which I love for book-buying because almost all of their paperbacks are £3.97 or two for £7 so my mum and I usually end up leaving the weekly food shop with three or four books between us. Once again, I was drawn to this book because of the amazing one-liners and ratings that adorned the back cover. I also really liked the comparison to 'Gone Girls meets a sinister Girls' as I thoroughly enjoyed reading Gone Girl and I'm hooked on the TV show Girls.

When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.

There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.

As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.

YOU is different from a lot of other books I've read because it's told from the villain's point of view. You read the book from inside Joe's head and as a result you discover his deepest, darkest thoughts. He also refers to Beck as 'you' throughout the whole novel and although at first it was a little strange, after a while it made everything a little bit more personal and a lot creepier. This book isn't for the faint-hearted, it contains a lot of very mature themes and violence and just as you think Joe can't get any crazier, he does.

I found this book utterly mesmerizing and it only took me a couple of chapters to become absolutely hooked. I loved the inclusion of modern day movies and celebrities , for example Beck has an obsession with Pitch Perfect and Joe seems to mention Taylor Swift multiple times throughout the book. If you're looking for a thriller that will really test your boundaries then you will absolutely love YOU by Caroline Kepnes.

Have you read YOU or would you like to? Tweet at me @laurenfell or comment below to discuss!