In You Love Me, the third installment in Caroline Kepnes’s razor-sharp You series, Joe Goldberg trades the smoggy obsessiveness of Los Angeles and the claustrophobic menace of New York for the misty calm of Bainbridge Island, Washington. He’s left behind the chaos, the bloodshed, the women who pushed him to the brink (and occasionally beyond). Or so he claims.
After the chilling brilliance of You (Book 1) and the Hollywood-soaked horrors of Hidden Bodies (Book 2), You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes attempts to present us with a Joe who has “grown.” He’s more self-aware, less reactive, and—dare we believe it?—on a quest for genuine love with Mary Kay DiMarco, a librarian and single mother who becomes his newest fixation.
Kepnes delivers a novel that leans into quiet dread more than brutal spectacle, but in doing so, she crafts a masterclass in manipulation, identity, and the illusions we call redemption.
Psychological Labyrinth: The Evolution (or Mutation?) of Joe Goldberg
From the start, Kepnes roots us once again inside Joe’s mind—still darkly funny, dangerously romantic, and morally skewed. Yet this Joe is determined to be “good.” He doesn’t stalk Mary Kay. Not exactly. He volunteers. He makes friends. And he reads parenting blogs. He tries.
But as we’ve learned, Joe’s perception of love always spirals into control, entitlement, and inevitable destruction. The terrifying charm of You Love Me is how normal Joe begins to feel. He’s in a quieter town now, but his internal monologue remains filled with the same literary references, snide observations, and contradictions that made readers simultaneously recoil and relate in earlier books.
In this quieter setting, Joe’s sociopathy takes on a more insidious tone—like fog that creeps in through the cracks of a coastal house. His self-justifications are more polished, his awareness more acute, and his rationalizations almost persuasive. And that, perhaps, is the most dangerous Joe of all.
The You Series So Far: Where We’ve Been
- You (Book 1) – A chilling psychological thriller set in NYC. Joe falls for Beck, and obsession turns into a string of murders. This book introduced readers to Kepnes’s distinct second-person narration and Joe’s hypnotic voice.
- Hidden Bodies (Book 2) – Joe follows new love interest Love Quinn to L.A., trading indie bookstores for celebrity culture. This sequel leaned more into satire, though it ended with Joe implicated in serious crimes.
- You Love Me (Book 3) – Joe tries to reinvent himself. He buys a house with the hush money from Love’s family, begins volunteering at a library, and tells himself he’s moved on.
- For You and Only You (Book 4) – This sequel continues Joe’s saga, but for the purpose of this review, we focus on the buildup to You Love Me.
While each book is uniquely flavored, You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes is the most introspective—more about emotional games than physical ones. It’s the calm before the next storm.
Plot Overview: Love, Books, and the Devil in the Details
Joe arrives in Bainbridge Island trying to live a clean life. He donates $100,000 to the local library just to get a volunteer gig—classic Joe, right? Enter Mary Kay DiMarco: warm, intelligent, and complicated. She’s everything Joe believes he wants in a partner. But there’s a problem—she has a life.
Unlike past obsessions, Mary Kay is not easily isolated or charmed. She’s a mother, a friend, a daughter, a reader. Her complexity forces Joe to adapt. He plays the long game. No stalking. No killing. And no stealing. He wants to earn her love the “right” way.
But as the plot thickens, Joe begins to crack. His version of “normal” can’t hold against jealousy, parental grief, and buried compulsions. Supporting characters—Nomi (Mary Kay’s daughter), Melanda (a best friend with secrets), and Seamus (the island’s favorite handyman)—complicate the scene.
And once again, we descend into the familiar spiral: obsession, exposure, fallout.
Character Analysis: Joe’s Women and Their Mirrors
Joe Goldberg
Still our narrator, still a predator disguised as a book lover, but in You Love Me, Joe is more subtle and even more unsettling. He presents himself as “healed,” but the narrative brilliance is in how that self-image unravels gradually, almost imperceptibly.
Joe’s love language is still surveillance and psychological pressure. Only now, it’s cloaked in therapy-speak and self-declared boundaries. His inner monologue mimics growth, but the kernel of narcissistic delusion remains untouched.
Mary Kay DiMarco
She’s perhaps the most nuanced of Joe’s “objects of affection.” Unlike Beck or Love, Mary Kay is older, more guarded, more rooted. She’s lived, and she’s still carrying that weight. Her dynamic with her daughter, her reluctance to fully trust, and her passionate ideals make her compelling—and dangerously independent in Joe’s eyes.
Nomi DiMarco
A standout side character. Her rebellious streak, obsession with Columbine shooters (especially Dylan Klebold), and complex relationship with Mary Kay serve as both foil and warning to Joe. He sees echoes of his own trauma in her and wrongly assumes kinship.
Seamus and Melanda
They serve dual roles: community anchors and narrative irritants. Joe despises them for having access to Mary Kay’s life in ways he never will. Their inclusion adds a layer of small-town social claustrophobia that pushes Joe closer to relapse.
Writing Style: The Voice That Hooks and Haunts
Caroline Kepnes writes with a voice so singular that it becomes a character of its own. Her prose in You Love Me is fluid, darkly comic, rich with literary allusion, and always playing with perception. Adapting Joe’s inner voice is no small feat—and here, it’s perhaps the strongest it’s ever been.
What makes You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes especially resonant is how it plays with tone. Kepnes doesn’t just show us Joe’s mind; she seduces us with it. We find ourselves rooting for him, laughing with him—until we catch ourselves. That’s the magic trick.
Kepnes also uses sentence rhythm and internal thought pacing to reflect Joe’s psychological shifts—slowing down in scenes of longing, speeding up during spirals, looping endlessly when he justifies himself. It’s immersive, disorienting, and brilliant.
Themes: Redemption, Obsession, and the Illusion of Normalcy
- Self-Delusion – Joe thinks he’s changed, but his obsession with Mary Kay follows the same predatory patterns. His narrative is riddled with denial and posturing.
- Fatherhood & Loss – Joe’s separation from his son, Forty, adds a layer of heartbreak. It’s a rare humanizing note that deepens his motivations, even if it doesn’t excuse them.
- Small-Town Facades – Bainbridge Island may be quiet, but the undercurrents of secrecy, judgment, and isolation hum beneath the surface.
- The Weaponization of Empathy – Joe exploits people’s empathy to manipulate them. But ironically, it’s his own desire to be understood that becomes his undoing.
- Books as Mirrors – Literature continues to serve as a tool for Joe to justify his beliefs. He quotes Petry, Murakami, and Silverstein—not as inspiration, but as proof of his imagined intellectual purity.
Strengths of You Love Me
- Expertly written internal monologue that is chilling, funny, and emotionally complex.
- A fresh setting that allows the story to explore Joe in a new context—more desperate, more deluded.
- Layered supporting cast that reflects different sides of Joe’s inner world.
- Narrative restraint: Unlike the bloodier Hidden Bodies, this book is more about psychological tension than body count.
Weaknesses of You Love Me
- The pacing can feel slow in the middle third, especially if readers expect the same thriller tempo of Book 1.
- Joe’s “reformed” persona, while narratively rich, leads to fewer action-packed moments—until the final act.
- The ending may feel anticlimactic for readers seeking a clear payoff or dramatic confrontation.
Final Verdict: A Dangerous Man in Domestic Clothing
You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes is a brilliantly unsettling study in manipulation, grief, and the facades we wear—for others and ourselves. Joe is quieter, but not safer. His desire to be loved masks his need for control. The irony, as always, is that Joe believes he’s the victim, the romantic, the savior.
Caroline Kepnes remains a master of unreliable narration and creeping dread. This novel adds unexpected depth to Joe’s character, offering fewer shocks but more nuance. It’s a book that invites you to examine your own sympathies—and then question why they’re with the monster in the first place.
Recommended For:
- Fans of psychological thrillers who crave a deeply character-driven narrative.
- Readers of Gillian Flynn, Tarryn Fisher, or Paul Tremblay, who enjoy morally complex protagonists.
- Anyone following the You series who wants to understand Joe—not excuse him.
Related Reads:
- You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes
- Verity by Colleen Hoover (for its eerie romantic obsession)
- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
- The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda
