You is a thriller novel by Caroline Kepnes, published in September 2014. The novel has been translated into 19 languages, and was adapted into a television series of the same name.
Kepnes published a sequel, Hidden Bodies, in 2016.
Synopsis
Guinevere Beck, an aspiring writer, is employed as a teaching assistant while simultaneously working on her thesis. When she strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he is instantly smitten with her. Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: gorgeous, tough, razor-smart, and as sexy as his wildest dreams. Beck does not know it yet, but she is perfect for him, and soon she cannot resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom made for her. But there is more to Goldberg than Beck realizes, and much more to Beck than her oh-so-perfect facade. Their mutual obsession quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences.
Reception
Jennifer Selway of Daily Express described the suspense of the narrative: “What you don’t know, and this clever, chilling, teasing tale keeps you hanging on by your fingertips, is exactly what sort of bad ending is coming up” Emma Oulton from Bustle praised the novel, stating that it “is one of the most unsettling books I’ve read this year, but despite being thoroughly creeped out, I couldn’t put it down even for a second.”
TV adaptation
In February 2015, it was announced that Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble would develop a television series based on the novel at Showtime. Two years later, it was announced that the series was purchased by Lifetime and put on fast-track development. You premiered on September 9, 2018. On July 26, 2018, ahead of the series premiere, Lifetime announced that the series had been renewed for a second season. On December 3, 2018, it was confirmed that Lifetime had passed on a second season of the series, and that Netflix had picked it up. In January 2020, the series was renewed for a third season by Netflix, which is set to be released in 2021.