You First: A Joe Goldberg Prequel

You #0

by Caroline Kepnes

How did Joe Goldberg become Joe Goldberg? What led to his first love…first kiss…first kill?

Find out in the highly anticipated prequel to New York Times bestselling author Caroline Kepnes’s hit You series, which inspired the blockbuster Netflix show.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Mystery, Adult Fiction, Suspense

416 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication June 9, 2026

About the author

Caroline Kepnes is the New York Times bestselling author of You, Hidden Bodies, Providence and...

You Love Me. Publishing in the US on Aril 6, 2021

(You know You Netflix? That's based on my Joe Goldberg books! You can read You3 before Season 3)

Her work has been translated into a multitude of languages and inspired a television series adaptation of You, currently on Netflix. Kepnes graduated from Brown University and then worked as a pop culture journalist for Entertainment Weekly and a TV writer for 7th Heaven and The Secret Life of the American Teenager. She grew up on Cape Cod, and now lives in Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay but…who gave Caroline Kepnes permission to drag me BACK into Joe Goldberg’s twisted little mind like I don’t have emotional stability to protect?? Because here I am again…willingly spiraling. 😅

Let me say this first: saying yes to more Joe is never a calm, rational decision. It’s chaos. It’s curiosity. It’s “this man is unwell but I need to understand WHY.”

And this time? We go all the way back.

Seventeen-year-old Joe.

Seventeen. Years. Old.

Excuse me while I process the fact that we are witnessing the origin story of obsession itself.

I went into this book with one very specific hunger: I wanted answers. I wanted to peel back the layers and see exactly what cracked, what broke, what shifted to turn a lonely, damaged boy into…well, Joe Goldberg™. And yes—his past, his abandonment, the emotional wreckage? It’s all there, quietly shaping him, like a ticking bomb you already know will explode.

And then…enter Vail.

Oh Vail…you have no idea you just walked into a psychological thriller.

The dynamic? Immediately uncomfortable in that “this will not end well for anyone involved” kind of way. Joe, of course, decides she is The One™ within seconds (classic Joe behavior), and what follows is a beautifully disturbing cocktail of lies, reinvention, desperation, and that signature internal narration that makes you laugh one second and question humanity the next.

Because that’s the thing—Joe’s voice is still that voice.

Sharp. Funny. Completely unhinged.

You catch yourself nodding along and then suddenly you’re like—wait…no. NO. What are you saying?! Why does this almost make sense?! And that, honestly, is Kepnes’ greatest trick. She doesn’t just write Joe—she traps you inside him.

Did it fully reinvent the character? Not entirely.

Joe is still Joe. The patterns are already there. The obsession, the rationalization, the need to rewrite reality so it fits his version of love. If you’re expecting a radically different version of him, you won’t find it. This is more like watching the blueprint come to life rather than a shocking transformation.

But for me? That wasn’t a dealbreaker.

Because seeing how early it all begins…that quiet, creeping realization that this was never just a phase…that hit.

Hard.

Also, can we talk about how I could NOT stop picturing a young version of Penn Badgley the entire time?? Like my brain was casting, de-aging, rewriting scenes—fully producing the prequel season in my head. Netflix, call me. I have notes.

Overall, this felt like slipping back into a familiar, dangerous rhythm. Not the most groundbreaking installment, but still addictive, still unsettling, still impossible to look away from.

Because let’s be honest…

We don’t read Joe Goldberg for comfort.
We read him to understand the monster—and question why a part of us does.

A very huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for sharing this highly anticipated prequel with me in exchange for my honest thoughts—I truly appreciated the opportunity to dive back into Joe’s disturbingly compelling world.

Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:

medium blog
instagram
facebook
twitter

[GCR | Book Realm]

Review coming June 9, 2026. Per the request of publisher through NetGalley, stated on the ARC 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Dutchie · Rating 4 out of 5]

We’ve been through a lot, Joe. We have been together from New York to Washington to California and finally to Massachusetts. To return to your hometown of New York makes the circle complete. I liked seeing you back at the bookstore working with Mooney. You were just minding your business until Vail caught your attention. She just didn’t seem to appreciate you as much as you appreciated her. And we all know that never goes well.

This prequel felt very similar to the first installment, and I really enjoyed it! The premise was back to the original formula of focusing on Joe and his new girlfriend. It was also good to see the dynamic between him and Mooney. My only complaint would be the amount of Sex and the City references. There was a point that I had to skim a bit as it became too much near the middle. I personally have only watched one or two episodes and wasn’t a big fan of it, so to have it included to the extent in the novel didn’t work for me. Other readers who are a big fan of the show might feel otherwise. A few references, I wouldn’t have minded, but it definitely was distracting.

I usually find prequels unnecessary and just added fluff, but in this case, it worked really well. For those not familiar with the series, it would be a great starting point. For those of us who have gotten to know Joe quite well along the way, this was a good backstory. After being disappointed with the fourth installment, this was a welcome return to a character that is hard to forget.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, Joe! A character you can always love and hate. He's his own worst enemy, but each time, Kepnes shows his vulnerability and makes you root for him to control his compulsions. Yet he fails. He trusts the wrong mentors. Loves the wrong women. Caves to his need to manipulate and test. I feel like he would be someone you love having in our life as much as you fear. He could snap at any moment, for the smallest of reasons. But deep down, he needs to be loved and he will never be able to trust someone. All that said, I enjoy reading more about his live, and in this installment, he's 17 and pretending to be mid20s to secure the love of his life, or one of the many he eventually claims to love. But sometimes the writing style is over-the-top, brining in so many comparisons to movies, music and tv characters, it's hard to separate reality from excessive commentary on the world around us. Joe lives in a fictional place inside his head, yet he has all of NYC as his playground. I wish he would be a bit more realistic, tangible, and not so microscopic in his views. I could do with a little more action and less author commentary through the likes of Joe, but it's still integral to the story, and if you love these Joe chronicles, don't miss this one.

[Erin Dunn · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

✨✨✨Joe, Joe, Joe…😂 ✨✨✨

I really love the first You book and the show, so of course this was one of my most highly anticipated reads this year. I was so excited I actually got approved for this arc!! 🙀

You First goes back to when Joe Goldberg is 17 and we get to see his first love. How sweet and romantic… and dread inducing!! 😆 This one is just like you would expect it to be if you’re a fan of the series you know what I mean!

The writing is spectacular and the atmosphere is definitely on point. I absolutely loved going back and seeing some of Joe’s beginnings!! It did get a bit slow toward the middle. Also, I absolutely hated all the Sex and the City references (there were A LOT and I’m not a fan of the show), but other than that, I really enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is expected to be released June 9, 2026.

[Linda · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was way too much of Joe Goldberg’s thoughts and not enough story. It is rare for me to DNF a book. But, this was a waste of my time.

[Tiffany Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC review
Oh Joe. Dear Joe Goldberg how I missed you. From the opening page to the closing line we have our Joe back. The familiar speech, book and sing references and general inability to connect with the people around him leaves you charmed and a little bit disgusted.
This story is set when Joe is 17, before Beck. Before Love, before it all. The prequel to the delicious stories of “You”. Stalker, obsession, madness, and the fumblings of a young man who had been let down his whole life by people. It is slow, and fast, maddening and cringeworthy. It’s Joe Goldberg.
The first love, Vail, her own issues abound meets our Joe, and these two feed off each other with games and trauma and trying to navigate New York and each other Neither one wants to be truly genuine, or don’t realize what that even means.
Joe once again dos so many things that make a reader cringe, but the nostalgia of having Joe back supersedes all that. It’s like hearing the voice of a long dead loved one. A bit wordy, but that’s Joe. A bit too much in every chapter. But that’s Joe.
Happy to have you again Joe.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Review of advance reader copy (ARC) received by NetGalley.

Unfortunately I wouldn’t call this a prequel because it was actually another story about Joe falling in love and executing his jealous ways. I loved the Netflix series but I have struggled through so many of the books in this series. I was hoping this book was going to give us more insight into Joe’s upbringing and his relationship with Mr. Mooney, but it was just a moment in time featuring 17 year old Joe. This book had a lot of filler content which I felt didn’t add to the story and instead just dragged it out. I’ve never watched Sex and the City so I found the references didn’t resonate with me. I really struggled to finish this book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

[Kristen Petet · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not what I expected from a prequel. This was just the same story with a different girl, but the first girl this time. I still don’t fully know what made him who he was which is what I was hoping to get from this book. I struggled to get through this one. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

[Krystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

He's BAAAAAACK!

After being disappointed in the fourth installment of the series I thought I might be done with Joe, BUT when I read this would be a prequel, I was SO in because as I read the other novels I couldn't help but wonder what happened to make Joe well, Joe. Here we go back and meet Joe in New York at seventeen years old. He's working at Mooney's and looking for love. When Vail walks in the bookstore, he's not immediately snared but things fall into place. Soon he's a kid trying to pull off being in his mid-twenties to keep her interest, but something about the whole situation created unease. I could sense the shakiness of the relationship, and Joe was inexperienced but him being a little rattled underneath came through which I thought was a fantastic nuance.

How many red flags 🚩🚩 can a person overlook for love?

Joe's voice is crisp as ever with the humor that makes him oddly relatable. It's weird to almost root for him every time to get things right when you KNOW he's not capable of rational decisions. In this case, we see more behind the curtain of Joe than ever before the distorted guidance of disillusioned "mentors", the messiness of the women attracted to him, his abandonment issues from childhood, him always running to catch up and fit in with those who have had more opportunity, pretending instead of accepting. Bending reality to fit the narrative he desperately reaches for, it's all here and we see the beginning of his pattern of devastation. It makes a sad sort of sense, but also the novel is an irresistible page turner.

The only problematic issue that cropped up for me was the heavy saturation of Sex in the CIty and early aughts references. It was too much. So much so that it weighed down a few sections in the middle. Normally, I enjoy the references to the time period I'm reading about especially if I lived during that time, but this was a case of too much of a good thing. Otherwise, the writing is excellent and kept me turning pages day and night until I finished as always sighing and saying, "Oh, Joe!"

If you're a fan of the series don't miss this one. Also, it had a similar atmosphere to the first novel in the series which is one of the best IMO so if you enjoyed that one it's worth giving this one a whirl.

Young Joe captured my attention, seeing the making of a monster from the pieces of humanity warped by those around him. He searches in desperation for the things he wasn't given as a child. Love. Acceptance. A place to call his own. The unfortunate outcome is the harsh slap of reality which Joe can't process fully so he learns to bend facts with mental gymnastics to fit his own narrative.

This was a compelling story and taking a look behind this character was something I had hoped for since reading the first novel and it delivered.

Thank you to Random House for providing an ARC via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ — You First by You First
There is something genuinely unsettling about the way Caroline Kepnes writes Joe Goldberg. She has this uncanny ability to make you question your own moral compass because somehow, against all better judgment, you end up feeling toxically empathetic toward one of the most manipulative and unhinged characters in modern thriller fiction. Getting inside Joe’s head is never a good time...it is invasive, uncomfortable, and psychologically exhausting, but that is exactly what makes this series so compelling.

So when I found out we were getting a prequel, I absolutely needed it. I wanted to know how Joe became Joe. What happened before the obsessions, before the violence escalated, before he fully transformed into the man we meet in You?
And honestly? This book delivers exactly what it promises.

If you are going into You First expecting a softer or more redeemable version of Joe Goldberg, this is not that story. Joe is still deeply obsessive, emotionally distorted, and desperate to force people into the roles he believes they should play in his life. What makes Kepnes’ writing so fascinating is that Joe genuinely believes his perception is reality. Every interaction becomes warped through his need for love, validation, and control. Watching him twist innocent moments into signs of fate or destiny is both horrifying and psychologically fascinating.

This prequel dives into seventeen-year-old Joe working at Mr. Mooney’s bookstore, already romanticizing strangers and searching for “the one” who will somehow save him from himself. When he meets Vail Gunderson through a missed connection ad, the obsession begins to bloom in ways longtime readers will instantly recognize. Their relationship becomes this dark, uncomfortable exploration of identity, loneliness, and Joe’s inability to separate love from possession.

What I appreciated most was how Kepnes doesn’t try to excuse Joe’s behavior while still examining the emotional roots behind it. The novel feels less like a thriller at times and more like a psychological analysis of how trauma, isolation, insecurity, and warped thinking can evolve into something dangerous. It is disturbing because you can trace the logic in Joe’s mind even while knowing how wrong it all is.

The dark humor is still sharp, the narration is still addictively readable, and the uncomfortable intimacy of Joe’s perspective remains one of Kepnes’ greatest strengths. That said, the pacing occasionally dragged for me in the middle, and because we already know the kind of man Joe becomes, some of the tension felt inevitable rather than surprising.

Still, this was a fascinating addition to the series and exactly the kind of twisted character study I hoped it would be. Reading Joe Goldberg’s inner monologue continues to feel like willingly entering a psychological nightmare, but apparently I will keep doing it every single time.

[Roslyn Bell · Rating 4 out of 5]

You First was such a wild reading experience for me and a really interesting way to meet Joe Goldberg on the page for the first time. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley, and while I’ve never read the original You novels, I have watched every season of the Netflix series. Going in, I knew who Joe becomes but not how he started. And honestly? That made this prequel even creepier. We meet Joe at seventeen years old, very awkward, desperate to be loved, and already narrating the world in that unmistakable Joe Goldberg voice being charming, judgmental, self-justifying, and deeply unsettling. Working in Mr. Mooney’s bookstore and romanticizing every subway girl, Joe is convinced he just needs the right woman to fix his life. Enter Vail Gunderson and a missed connection that feels fated well, at least in Joe’s mind. Caroline Kepnes absolutely nails Joe’s internal monologue. It’s darkly funny, extremely uncomfortable, and way too easy to slip into his warped logic. Even knowing how this story has to end, I still found myself swept along by his obsession and the escalating lies. Watching Joe rationalize his choices especially as he toes the line between teenage insecurity and something much darker was horrifying in the best way.
What stood out most for me was seeing how early his entitlement and manipulation take root. This book doesn’t excuse Joe, but it does show the environment, influences, and moments that shape him and that makes it all the more chilling. The age gap, the power imbalance, and Joe’s determination to script himself into a rom-com version of love all add to the unease. If I had one criticism, it’s that the pacing occasionally lingers a bit too long in Joe’s head (which is not a great place to hang out), but it also feels true to the character and the series as a whole. Overall, You First is a strong, disturbing prequel that adds real depth to Joe Goldberg’s origin story. If you’re a fan of the show like I am or have ever been oddly compelled by Joe despite yourself, this is absolutely worth picking up. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC! I may be late to Joe Goldberg in book form, but I’m definitely not done now. #netgalley #youfirst

[buzy_reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the age of seventeen Kepnes explains how Joe’s perspective about love was distorted. The way he described the girls illustrated how his idea of love was altered by childhood trauma. He learned about love and girls by mimicking other guys. If I didn’t know better I’d think Joe was letting his imagination run wild by creating these situations that were not realistic.
…
For a prequel it’s a full length story. If you’ve watched Netflix you know Joe Goldberg is a narcissist serial killer. He stalks women using computers and the bookstore to meet girls.
…
You First is a look into Joe’s life as a seventeen year old boy looking for love. His love started with Vail, an older college student. Caroline Kepnes stays true to her writing style giving readers that cryptic inner dialogue that is famously known as Joe’s conscience. Joe’s inner voice fascinates me. It’s like having dual perspective except it’s his own thoughts and feelings.
…
Joe is a complicated character. He has multiple layers within himself. Kepnes wrote Joe’s character in the same complexity. Kepnes added these allusions which connected Joe with movie references or with the actors in movies. These helped identify him in a more normal manner. The movies, the music, and the book references didn’t land as intended for me. I didn’t watch Sex and the City nor read the books mentioned or listen to the songs that Kepnes used for Joe’s character. For these reasons I struggled to understand the meaning. John Cusack is an actor mentioned in this book where the references went over my head. To better understand Joe’s behavior the reader must be familiar with the references Kepnes used.
…
Kepnes brings readers inside Joe’s dark and deranged mind. Joe’s character exhibits toxic obsessive traits when pursuing girls to love.
…
I was expecting something different from Joe. I thought he’d go thru a few girls before dating one exclusively. A few heartbreaks and mismatches molds an individual.

[Sacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

For best results, read this series in order of publication date. That is, on the off chance that you have not read every other book of Joe's exploits before this, do that. Then get into this prequel. I cannot imagine that using the prequel as a starting point is going to compel anyone to want to keep reading into Joe's adulthood. However, those of us who are already hooked into this series will not want to miss this one. I know I absolutely couldn't.

Little Joe is only 17, and he's on the edge of, well, becoming the Joe we know. He's working at the bookstore, reflecting often on 9/11, which recently occurred in this timeline, and starting to let his Joe flag fly. Of course, there is a specific target of his, um, affections...and then there are multiple targets of his rage. It's just another phase in the life of the Joe we've all come to know.

I could not stop thinking that for the right crew, this is going to be a blast at book club or as a buddy read. Wait until you learn Joe's detailed recounting of ALL of _Sex and the City_. Or count how many times he refers to his "Portnoy." Or ruins pop rocks for you forever. There is some real repetition in here that adds to the camp and will make this a fun game (though it also makes for a less satisfying 'serious' read).

Come to this because you already know and love this world and because you're looking to be entertained. Those who fit this scope will be the most fulfilled readers.

Despite minor bumps here, I had a great time reading this, as I always do any iteration of this series, and YOU will, too. YOU know who YOU are...

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

[Kayla Coker]

Joe Goldberg is a fascinating character, and this serves as Novel #0, showing you his first love and really a little more of his story in general.

Being in Joe’s head is and should be uncomfortable and I think it’s why I love Caroline Kepnes writing and characters so much. I could see how it could be and is exhausting to slip into his mind, and I often take little breaks here and there, but I like seeing the flaws in his logic or when it falls apart and he doesn’t see the pattern in his own making.

I think this novel portrays a young Joe very well, and I also see the “growth” to how he became who he was and is in the later novels, and especially how later patterns and routines develop in knowing his latest interest. This approach was different and clunky and full of “mistakes” that the Joe we’ve known probably cringes about in later years,

Given the nature of the book, I still think its horror is that Joe at least convinces you and the love interest he’s a good guy and is able to dodge accountability for his actions and painting himself a savor and a good guy when he’s anything but, I think there’s a level of genius to write Joe in such a way that it’s unreliable even when he can’t see it, when it’s easier to relate to the victims, but you also find yourself loathing them, but also constantly reminding yourself that the lens in which we see everyone is a very specific slant in which Joe contorts us to see. He has a black and white type of perspective and.., I could honestly rant forever about how much I like these books or the show… but I think it wiser to just say this book is well worth the read and I couldn’t recommend it enough!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read all the You books and watched every season of the show, and I just assumed we were done with Joe Goldberg. But I was wrong and now there's this prequel, and I was very excited to get a chance to read it ahead of its release in June 2026.

I used to really enjoy spending time in Joe's insane mind, but the monologue immediately rendered me deeply annoyed. Maybe a 17-year-old Joe is just overly crass because he's immature in this installment (which would be why he is constantly referring to his penis and calling it "My Portnoy"). I do not know why a character I used to enjoy is so repellent now; I think it's a me-issue, maybe not an inherent problem in the text. I guess I was expecting some indication of how Joe came to be who and what he is, but this is just another exploration of his obsessive and manipulative character with no real insights.

I am not opposed to or offended by swearing, but, wow, the word "fuck" is employed almost one thousand times (946 per my Kindle search). It stops having any meaning or effect when overused like this. It just becomes an annoyance. Joe's hatred of everyone and everything is blown up to extreme degrees and this made it very challenging for me to enjoy the story as well.

I know that there are fans of the series who will have a better experience with this than I did. I hope you have a better time with it than I did.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Shannon Tuttle · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Some books are yours for life. Some books are meant to go in one ear and out the other. Sometimes you reach the last page and toss it on the stoop for someone else and you never think about it again.”

This books follows Joe in his teenage years and he is getting himself into all kinds of trouble per usual! Joe finds himself falling in love for the first time. While he is typically the one making the “romantic gestures”, Joe finally receives a romantic gesture of his own and meets the lovely Vail. Although Vail is not my favorite of Joe’s leading ladies (Team Beck), I did find her to be an intriguing match for him. Joe is the ultimate character conundrum of bizarrely lovable and deeply disturbing.

Caroline Kepnes is a literary genius. I always say that her books are dense. I make sure to take my time to soak the references and get a full understanding of the characters but I did fly through this one. There were a lot of SATC references, which I enjoyed because I am a big fan but if you don’t know the show, you might miss some of the nuance. On a side note, I cannot wait to hear the audiobook version. No one else can read Joe quite like Santino! I’m here for Joe always and can’t wait to see what happens next.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. It was an honor to be chosen for this one!

[Amber Boos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well. reading this one was a given, as I have previously read the entire series and watched all episodes of the TV show. And a big plus for me was that this is the book I have been wanting all along! A PREQUEL!!! Just how did Joe become the present-day Joe? You know, the murdery one. In You First, (see what the author did there?) we have 17-year-old Joe, eager to fall in love and get his life going. If only the women would just cooperate. We learn more about Joe's early childhood and a bit more about how Mooney affected him. He is actually working at Mooney's bookstore when Vail walks in. Honestly, can any of his love interests ever have a mainstream name just once? But I digress. Joe doesn't really notice her, but he soon learns that she noticed him. To put it mildly, all sorts of issues come up after he realizes that. And we all know how Joe likes to handle issues. And if you don't know, buckle up, you're in for a bloody good time! Yes, Joe is certifiable. Horribly, disturbingly, twisted bat-poop crazy and yet still in some weird way, you still sort of root for him. Best not to dwell on that.

Obviously if you are a series fan, then this is for you. If you like dark and twisty character studies, this is also for you. This can easily be read as a standalone, if you are a newbie, but I highly recommend afterward, you go back and start with You!

[Torrie Bailey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oh, Joe. You First, our prequel/Joe Goldberg origin story, starts off leaving readers with exactly that reaction because the OG Man of Obsession comes in hot from the very beginning, dangling ominous fixation after ominous fixation in front of our eyes. And we of course know where things are headed: full speed ahead into angst and trauma, because for Joe there was never another option.

I'm not sure how Caroline Kepnes knew that I needed more Joe chaos, but here we are. And watching this story twist and blur in the most nefarious of ways was exactly the experience I needed. And while Joe was very...well... Joe, I'll be so honest when I say that I don't even think he was the worst person in this book. ((We're pretending we don't know about his future here and I'm just ranking against the other characters. Future Joe, this isn't about you.))

I'm always glad to head back into Joe's twisted little noggin for a new story, and You First is a great fit into this universe. For those familiar with the series, I think you'll be happy. For those who are new, if you're looking for a thriller with just the right amount of drama, you're in the right place.

Welcome, you.


((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Random House, & Caroline Kepnes for this complimentary copy.))

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ahhhh, so satisfying! This was worth the wait. (But I'm still eager for more, as always!)

I loved following Young Joe. In my mind I never considered how the time period would shift, but this story takes place not too long after 9-11 and I enjoyed most of the references for the era. You would think it wasn't that long ago, but then you're reminded throughout the book that texting wasn't even a thing and people communicated via AIM and hooked up through Craigslist, and generally couldn't keep track of each other 24/7. I felt like that author did a fantastic job avoiding current cultural references and making the reader feel like they're right there with Joe in the early 2000s. I especially loved the INXS reference. There is, however, a LOT of Sex & The City talk, and I never saw it so I'm as out of the loop as Joe was, but I get why it's pertinent to the story and it's explained well enough I didn't feel the need to go watch it to understand its relevance. It was actually entertaining to watch Joe binge a show like that just to relate to a girl.

What entertained me most (per usual) was seeing the mistakes Joe makes throughout the book and the consequences catching up to him. The way the relationship with the girl played out, the on-page back-and-forth with Mooney, and the bartender "best friend" was all absolute perfection to me. And Joe was so in-character the whole while, thinking the girl he liked was perfect and ignoring her flaws and every red flag she waved right in his face.

I had such a great time reading this book and am super grateful to the author/publisher and NetGalley for the early copy.

[Michelle Brilz · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s something unsettling about reading You First without having experienced the rest of the You series and I think that made it hit even harder.

This prequel dives into the question: how does someone like Joe Goldberg become… Joe Goldberg? And instead of giving easy answers, it slowly peels back the layers in a way that feels disturbingly human.

What stood out most is how intimate the storytelling feels. You’re inside Joe’s head in a way that’s both compelling and deeply uncomfortable. There are moments where you almost catch yourself understanding him, and that’s where the real tension lives. It blurs the line between empathy and alarm in a way that’s hard to shake.

Since I haven’t read books 1 to 4 or watched the Netflix series, I went in completely blind and this worked surprisingly well as an entry point. It feels self-contained enough to stand on its own, while still hinting at a much bigger, darker story ahead.

This was gripping, eerie, and incredibly readable. If the rest of the series leans into this same unsettling tone, I can absolutely see why it’s become such a phenomenon and I’ll be adding it to my TBR!

Thanks to Caroline Kepnes, Random House and NetGalley for the incredible ARC!

[Megan Reads-a-lot · Rating 3 out of 5]

~Contains Spoilers~

You First is the prequel of the You series by Caroline Kepnes. You follows the story of Joe Goldberg, a bookstore owner who gets hyper-fixated on a woman that comes into his store. He becomes so obsessed with her that he begins stalking her. He believes she is “the one” for him and will stop at nothing to ensure they end up together. Joe learns everything about the woman in order to become the man she is looking for. But when obstacles get in the way of his happily ever after, he goes to extreme measures to keep up the façade. You First gives us a glimpse of Joe at seventeen years old. We meet him when he has found his first love or should I say his first obsession. What transpires is a look into how Joe’s first “relationship” with a woman set the stage for his future pattern of behavior.

~Spoiler’s below~

I enjoyed getting a look at the series of events that informed Joe’s psychopathy. However, I was still left with many questions that the book didn’t answer. In the story it discussed how Mr. Mooney locked Joe in the cage. However, it did not discuss how Joe and Mr. Mooney first met, how Joe came to work at the bookstore or how he came to be locked in the cage the first time. I also had hoped to learn more about Joe’s upbringing with his parents in this book. We learn that Joe is seventeen years old and living on his own with fake identification. It would also be interesting to know what Joe’s parent’s perspective of Joe was growing up. Due to these reasons I rated the book 3 ⭐️ out of 5. I hope Caroline Kepnes writes an additional book about Joe’s early life.

[Jason Lavoie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cringeworthy yet binge-worthy.

The author captures the essence of Joe as he was in the original You. It’s questionable if seventeen-year-old Joe is any different from the future Joe we grow to love. When we meet Joe, it’s after he was already locked in the basement by Mooney. His toxic internal dialogue is already there. The self-loathing is there. The narcissism. Joe’s already a psychopath but does he know that yet?

This does not read like a slow build but it does take a long time before we get to any substantial action. We get teased. Everything is great in Joe’s world until it’s not and then he fixes it but it’s not fixed and we are again right back to square one. Lather, rinse, repeat. That’s the story.

Once the action does start, it’s awful that we root for Joe. You see what others have done to Joe and feel little to no remorse for those people. And though we shouldn’t laugh, we do. Joe can be pretty funny when he wants to be.

Thank you NetGalley, and Random House for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of You First by Caroline Kepnes. This Joe Goldberg prequel will be published on June 9, 2026.

[BookstagramSam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ll never pass up an opportunity to be back in Joe Goldbergs world. I know I’m not alone when I say that I absolutely loved getting to know the monster that is Joe Goldberg.


To love Joe is to know Joe.
And you can’t know Joe without getting into his head. Knowing Joe’s future made it more fun reading about Joes past.

This story takes it back to not the very beginning but to where the love obsession started. Sorry Vail that you had to be the one.

Even reading the chaos that was Joe’s mind, I STILL wanted more. After reading the manipulation and lies, I STILL found myself rooting for Joe. Even though I know Joe is sick, I STILL want to learn more. lol. Yikes. What does that say about me 😂😂

I will say this book also Got me wanting to rewatch sex in the city but thankfully kepnes gave a thorough recap!!

Was this story necessary? No. Did it have anything shockingly new or different. Nope. But if you can’t get enough of Joe Goldberg and cried at the end of the last show then obviously you are going to want to read this.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the free gifted copy! I’m sad that it’s truly over!

[Sylvi Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

You First offers something the You series has never quite given us before: Joe Goldberg before he fully became Joe Goldberg.

Kepnes captures him in that raw, ungainly stretch of adolescence where the wounds are still fresh and the armor hasn’t fully hardened yet, and she does it with the same darkly precise prose that made the original series so compulsively readable.

What makes this book so effective is how viscerally you feel the experiences that shape him. The pain isn’t distant or clinical. It lands close enough to recognize, because Kepnes grounds Joe’s formation in the universal awkwardness of trying to figure out who you are while the world keeps telling you who you aren’t.

His intelligence, which will eventually become something almost predatory in later books, reads here more like a survival mechanism—armor against the fear that the monsters around him have already won, that he might already be one of them.

As a fan of the series, seeing the origin of Joe’s obsessive romantic logic through the Vail storyline is both fascinating and quietly unsettling in the best way. Kepnes earns the darkness because she never lets you forget the boy underneath it.

[Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kepnes is back and giving us some early Joe Goldberg and I am HERE for it.

This book is the prequel to the "You" that started it all and ended up as a much-loved book series and TV show.

Joe is seventeen and working for Mooney at the bookshop in a newly post-9/11 world. He's looking for his girl, his love, and he thinks he's found her.

After getting on Craigslist one day, he sees that a woman who had been in the store remembered him and put him as a Missed Connection. Joe remembers her fondly and reaches out. It's immediately love as he gets to know Vail and enters her world of coffee shops and Sex and the City production.

It's not necessarily love at first sight for Vail, unfortunately. Joe finds himself in his first real relationship and realizes love is hard. It's even harder when the girl you love isn't sure she wants to be with you.

But Joe is sure it's MEANT TO BE.

Thrilling, quick-paced, classic Joe and YOU.... this is a must-read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

[Karis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC! I started reading this series when I was younger and as I’ve aged I’ve learned the pace to read Joe’s thoughts better, which in turn makes me enjoy the book better.

I think it was really insightful to go back to Joe’s firsts how he got to where he is today. On paper the perfect guy but you see how twisted and unsure of himself he is. He constantly is molding to those around what they want him to be and what he perceives as their needs. This book continues to showcase that. The book starts with him lost and then by the end I think he has grown into who he is as a result of his choices and actions.

I was surprised that he was as young as he was and how this was really exploited by everyone in his orbit. I actually wished the book went further back. How did he get involved with Mr. Mooney, why did he leave school, what happened to his aunt? This book left me wanting to know more.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

You First by Caroline Kepnes was such an interesting read. I’ve watched every season of You on Netflix, so I was really excited to dive into this one and getting Joe’s origin story did not disappoint. Reading it after watching the show actually made the experience even better because I could hear Joe’s voice so clearly in my head.

Kepnes does that wild thing she always does: she makes Joe creepy, unsettling, and somehow still likable at the same time. Maybe that’s just me, but it works. The story adds layers to who he becomes later, and I loved seeing those early pieces fall into place.

If you’re a fan of the show or the previous books, this one is absolutely worth picking up.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the e‑ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Anticipated release date: June 9, 2026

[Ashley Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just when I thought Joe Goldberg was done, here he comes again.
I read the You series years ago and thought I'd moved on, but man this book sucked me back into the chaos!
The first few chapters were a little jumbled; being inside Joe's head is unsettling and scattered, and it took a moment to find my footing. Once the story line picked up though, I was hooked.

Seventeen year-old Joe finds his first love and spirals through his signature mental gymnastics as he tries everything he can to keep her, despite her repetitive attempts to make it clear she does not want anything serious (and possibly him at all!) Young Joe is a bit of a headcase, but this was a good and unhinged read dragging me right back into the Joe Goldberg universe!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

[BHK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t think I needed a Joe Goldberg origin story, and then I read You First and immediately changed my mind! Seeing Joe at seventeen, awkward, insecure, and already deeply obsessive, was fascinating and unsettling. Caroline Kepnes absolutely nails his voice here! It’s still darkly funny and creepy, but there’s this added layer of vulnerability that almost makes you forget who he’s going to become. I loved watching Joe convince himself that his lies are romantic and that his fixation on Vail is love and not control. The NYC setting, the bookstore vibes, and the rom com references were fun, but everything is edged with dread because you know where this is headed. This was binge worthy, disturbing, and addictive in the best way!