Friday, June 5, 2015

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes

 
5 Stars
 
THIS REVIEW WILL CONTAIN ZERO SPOILERS, BUT WILL BE FULL OF IDIOTIC FANGIRL SQUEEING. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK
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Mic check 1 2 1 2. Is my auto-tuner working, yo? A’ight, here goes [using my best T Pain voice] . . .

He trippin’ he playin’
I'm not goin’ nowhere boy I'm stayin’
I’M IN LOVE WITH A STRIPPER STALKER


In what was easily my most anticipated release of 2015, Hidden Bodies brings the return of Joe - my favorite anti-hero to date. While You was written all about the “you” Joe happened to be stalking enamored with, Hidden Bodies is all about the “we” as Joe finds love.

This is one of those series (and Joe is one of those characters) that you either get or you don’t. It’s totally cool if stalkers and body counts aren’t your idea of a good time, and it’s A-Okay to give it 1 Star (or to not give it the time of day at all). However, if you’re like me and gave in to the crazy the first time around, hopefully you’ll fall even a little harder for Joe this time around. Kepnes’ writing makes it nearly impossible not to . . .

“I don’t believe in love at first sight. But I do believe in electricity, the way it can recharge you. I am healing.”

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I also have to make the observation that catching the last train for the coast was sheer genius. The pop culture references abound in La-La Land, when Joe becomes an “Old Sport” who hobnobs with modern-day Gatsbys . . .

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I’m still amazed how quickly Kepnes can make me forget the minor inconvenience of Joe Goldberg being a complete nutter . . .

“We love here now, in this room, in these sheets, like a fucking John Mayer song come to life.”

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Even when what he’s saying is straight up cray . . .

“I wanted to place my hand on the small of her back and lead her down to the cage, where the special books are preserved, boxed, saved. I wanted to strip her down and lock us inside and have her.”

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I was going to give this one 4 Stars because it did get a wee bit draggy in some spots. But you know what? F*&^ that! Kudos to you, Ms. Kepnes for staying true to Joe, staying true to the story, and staying true to your fanbase. I anxiously await the conclusion to Joe’s story. My only wish – that you would have kept the original title Love. After all, Joe is the perfect example that . . .

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ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 
ENDLESS THANKS TO YOU, NETGALLEY!

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