Joe Goldberg is ready for a change. Instead of selling books, he's writing them. And he's off to a good start. Glenn Shoddy, an acclaimed literary author, recognizes Joe's genius and invites him to join a tight-knit writing fellowship at Harvard. Finally, Joe will be in a place where talent matters more than pedigree . . . where intellect is the great equalizer and anything is possible. Even happy endings. Or so he thinks, until he meets his already-published, already-distinguished peers, who all seem to be cut from the same elitist cloth. Thankfully, Wonder enters the picture. They have so much in common. No college degrees, no pretensions, no stories from prep school or grad school. Just a love for literature. If only Wonder could commit herself to the writing life they could be those rare literary soulmates who never fall prey to their demons. Wonder has a tendency to love, to covet, but Joe is a believer in the rule of fiction: If you want to write a book, you have to kill your darlings.
The formula remains the same: Joe meets girl and immediately starts obsessing ... The Joe Goldberg psyche — hopeless romantic who kills in the name of love — will not be new to fans of the series. But what makes For You and Only You stand out is how pitch-perfect Joe’s voice is when he’s 'talking' to the Wonder who lives in his head ... Joe is an addictively charming antihero, and after four books, he still feels fresh and original. The Shoddies would be so jealous.
It’s messy, as things can be for obsessing psychopaths, and Joe’s stream-of-consciousness narration reflects his growing panic. Within this intensity, though, his snark-laden observations about ego, love, and loyalty ring true.
epnes gleefully portrays the most back-stabbing seminar yet, dropping literary names with abandon as she twists the plot ... Joe Goldberg might be a narcissistic, manipulative, murderous, utterly unreliable narrator, but he’s damn entertaining.
