Hidden
Bodies (You #2)
Author: Caroline Kepnes
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
American
release date: November 1, 2016
Format/Genre/Length: Paperback/Serial Killer Thriller/448 pages
Overall Personal Rating: ★★★★
How sad that Guinevere Beck, the
long-time object of Joe Goldberg’s devotion (read: obsession) turned out not to be THE ONE. How sad that Joe was
forced to deal with her as he had dealt with idiotic Benji and the bitchy Peach
before her. But now he has Amy and life is going to be good again, right?
Right up until the time it isn’t.
Joe, too caught up in Amy, his emotions overriding his common sense, ignores
the red flags and goes against his own rules, and then suffers the consequences
when she steals about $23k in valuable books from the bookstore (which he
foolishly gave her a key to the basement), including almost all the copies of
Portnoy’s Complaint Joe had amassed (at her behest), and then nopes the heck
out of Dodge. Berating himself for his blind stupidity, Joe comes across clues
that Amy inadvertently left behind regarding her intentions, her aspirations
and her dreams. So, it’s off to Hollywood for Joe! To locate and kill one Amy
Adam.
Before he goes, Joe visits Mr.
Mooney and tells him what has occurred and how he is going to Hollywood. Mr.
Mooney has valuable words of wisdom for Joe, which includes getting his dick sucked, not
sleeping with actresses, not watching too many movies. Don’t call vegetables
veggies and don’t go in the ocean.
Before arriving in LA, Joe applies
for a job at a used bookstore next to the UCB (Upright Citizens Brigade) with a
guy named Calvin and puts out feelers for girls trying to sell copies of
Portnoy. He constructs a social media presence for himself, including Facebook,
and starts to receive Friend Requests. He applies for an apartment at a building called
Hollywood Lawns. The manager, Harvey Swallows, is an older
aspiring stand-up comic who responds to Joe’s email with a Facebook friend
request and an invitation to be his fan. Then Joe plasters a fake casting call
on Craigslist, “specifically designed to appeal to Amy’s overweening ego”.
Joe is assigned an apartment on
the first floor, near the office, and Harvey introduces him to another guy in
the building, named Dez, who is a drug dealer. Dez emphatically warns Joe not
to fuck Delilah. He meets Delilah, who
turns out to be a gossip reporter who is easy on the eyes and a tendency to be
clingy.
Joe establishes a routine. Well,
as much of a routine as he can in a place like LA. He shops at the Pantry,
where all the cashiers end their checking out process with “Ray and Dottie send
their love.” Apparently, they are the owners and lovely people. He goes to the
bars where he thinks Amy might show up, but she is never there, to his
frustration. He hadn’t planned to spend any real time here, but this isn’t
going the way he hoped. At least not yet.
An accidental viewing of a video
of the comic Henderson puts Joe on Amy’s scent (Calvin actually made him watch
it). Joe is convinced that Henderson and Amy are an item. Calvin is hoping to
get Henderson interested in his spec screenplay Ghost Food Truck, and apparently there is a party at Hendy’s house
tonight. What fortuitous timing! Now how to get in?
The next day, Joe learns about an
audition that is being held for women that fit Amy’s type, and he’s convinced
that she’ll be there. She isn’t, but Fate must be on his side because that is
where he meets Love Quinn.
The second book in the You series
moves us from New York City to Hollywood, which has a vibe all its own. Joe,
being the survivor that he is, learns how to fit in without becoming one of
them. Determined to find Amy and end her, he unexpectedly meets the love of his
love, Love Quinn, and her twin brother Forty (tennis, anyone?). This book is no
less of a roller-coaster ride than the first one, with Joe on the verge of
being found out and called to order for what he’s done a number of times.
And he keeps on doing what he does
best.
Joe is a great character, although
honestly I wouldn’t want to meet him. He has no real conscience and kills
without a second thought, although he is able to self-justify every killing. If
you are interested in watching the series, which I am doing, be aware that the
series does diverge in some areas. In the first season, they introduced a young
boy, a neighbor of Joe’s, who lives with his mother and her abusive boyfriend.
In the second season, Joe has a neighbor with a teenage sister who Joe
befriends. They don’t exist in the books.
Joe’s adventures are hilarious as
he learns to deal with the people who call Hollywood home. But he can’t help
but remember that dang jar of urine he left behind in Peach’s mansion,
wondering if it will ever come back to bite him in the ass. However, with Love
on his side, he feels he can get through anything. Including Love’s obnoxious,
waste-of-space twin. Unless, of course, Love figures out what Joe really is.
I enjoyed the sequel as much as
the first book, and I hear the author is working on volumes 3 and 4. Can’t
wait.
