Hello everyone and welcome to a brand new edition of Lil Red’s Book Club! In a spoiler free setting, as always, we are going to be discussing the prequel to the You series by Caroline Kepnes called You First. I have read two of the books in the series and have seen the entire show on Netflix so I was looking forward to finding out about the early years of Joe Goldberg. And, honestly, I wish I hadn’t lol. If you thought that Joe couldn’t possibly be more messed up, then this prequel will be as shocking for you as it was for me. I truly felt nauseous after the first few pages and I am SO glad to be done with it. Before we begin our chat, I will be placing a big fat trigger warning on You First for violent and obsessive behavior, highly disturbing content, and statutory rape. You ready? Let’s get to it:
Seventeen year old Joe Goldberg wandered into a bookstore called Mooney’s Books in New York City when he was twelve years old and hasn’t left since. His parents didn’t care for him or want him to begin with so he simply vanished and never looked back. Mr. Mooney took him under his wing and taught him all of the wrong lessons: That women are only good for one thing and that being punished means being locked in a box in the bookstore basement. Everyone has rejected Joe and he has no one outside of Mr. Mooney and all of the books that he considers to be his friends. Then, the world began to shift to the internet.
Compliments of Craigslist, Joe has begun writing Missed Connections posts to any and every woman he has encountered, even if it was for a moment. He checks his email religiously for replies and not a single post he made has ever been answered. There is a lot that is missing from Joe’s character but he is convinced that someone loving him will set him straight. And, wouldn’t you know, a beautiful young woman enters Mooney’s Books. She is not a customer but she sure needs to use the bathroom and Joe covers for her so she can relieve herself without facing the wrath of Mr. Mooney. Joe is instantly enamored by her but doesn’t have the guts to ask her out himself.
His prayers are answered as he scours Craigslist because there is a new Missed Connections post from the bookstore woman herself. Her name is Vail and she felt something for Joe in the bookstore too. They end up going on a date and then a few more and before you know it, Joe is in full on Goldberg mode and will do any and everything to make her stay. Vail might be older than Joe but her decisions in their relationship are anything but wise. Joe can feel her pulling away for another man and all the while he was thinking that he was her only man. As we all know, Joe holds onto his relationships tightly and this is not going to end well for those in this love triangle. Who will make it out alive? Read You First to find out!
Reading the thoughts of a teenage Joe Goldberg in You First was honestly like reading the diary of an incel and it was just plain gross. Joe has an insatiable appetite for sex although he is a virgin and loathes himself for not being the object of a woman’s affection. You First felt like a constant loop of think about sex, obsess over Vail, hate himself, and skewing his own twisted thoughts to turn him into the victim. Prequel Joe is a pressure cooker ready to explode and is tamped down as long as his relationship with Vail is going okay. When it’s not? There is no telling what he was going to do and there came a point when I simply didn’t care to find out even though I finished the book.
I applaud Caroline Kepnes as her writing was excellent and she perfectly portrays Joe as he begins to succumb to his sickness for the first time. However, the subject matter just wasn’t for me and this is not a Netflix show. It’s not watered down with fluff and celebrities. It is words on pages and they were often incredibly hard to read. If you are familiar with the show You or the books, then I’m sure you already have an idea of what direction You First is going to take. Hell, I knew it from the jump. That little bit of hope for things to turn out differently was the only reason I kept reading. And, when I was done, I just felt disappointed and empty. You First was a harrowing read that I would not recommend unless you know what you are getting yourself into. If I did, I probably wouldn’t have bothered reading it!
Overall, I am going to rate You First with a two out of ten stars. These stars were given strictly because I enjoyed the writing style of Caroline Kepnes and negative infinity stars go to Joe Goldberg for being a vile piece of trash!
How do you feel about the You series? Have you read the books, watched the show, or both? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
