Review: For You and Only You

For You and Only You by Caroline Kepnes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for gifting me an early copy. Below you'll find my honest review.

Joe Goldberg, you are a special person. You always have been. From that very first "meet-cute" with Guinevere Beck, you grabbed my attention and held it hostage. How am I rooting for a stalker, a murderer, a sociopathic narcissist? Yet every book, you found a way to make me cheer for you.

Not since You have I felt so strongly on Team Joe. Don't get me wrong, Hidden Bodies and You Love Me still had me standing on the sidelines with pom-poms and a short skirt and a witty rhyme. But this one had me diving deep into your prose, right beside you pushing for your love and your success with you. I watched the group push you aside, put you down, poison her mind against you, and I rooted for you.

This is my favorite Joe novel, aside from the first, which was so original and visceral that it completely changed my worldview on how thrillers should go. And this one flips that on its head by altering my perception OF JOE HIMSELF. Joe shows some serious growth in this one, aside from a slip up at the beginning. He considers the consequences of his actions. He doesn't jump straight into killing. And honestly, for the first time, I think he might actually care more deeply than I realized in other books.

It's a strange sight, seeing someone as dark as Joe in a new light, and I'm here for it. Kudos to Kepnes on shifting the narrative enough to reinvigorate my love of Joe.

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Review: In the Lives of Puppets

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor for gifting me an early copy of this book. I love book gifts! Below is my honest review.

I love TJ Klune. He's a master of writing gay romance that don't stray overly far into naughty territory and instead focus on delving deeply into his characters and really showing us who they are and bringing them together. He's also great at developing interesting new worlds.

That being said, for some reason, I struggled to connect with the characters in this one. It was a fun story - very Wizard of Oz meets break-in-rescue heist in a wacky, Klune, techno-weird way. But I wasn't really drawn into the character romance like I normally am. (That being said - Rambo and Nurse Ratched are two of his best characters ever and really the only two that entertained me!)

I did love the messages he was trying to get across in this one. I felt the urgency to spend time with those you care about, because you never know when life will change. I felt the burden of carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, of an obligation thrust on you that you never asked for. I felt the confusion and frustration with trying to figure out who you are and what your place is in the world.

Because of the lack of connection I felt with the majority of the characters, I can't give this one my usual Klune 5. I'm going to give it a 3.75 rounded up to 4. Recommended for Klune fans - I hope you don't have the same issue I have.

Big shout-out to Tor for their willingness to publish weird, endearing, entertaining content for gay people. In a world of hatred and vitriol, I value allies. Thank you!

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