Hello, You....

By: Caroline Kepnes

4/5 🧢

Hello, you... do you know what's coming out this month? The third installment of Caroline Kepnes series! This may be unpopular opinion, but I truly don't think a third installment would be as hyped if it weren't for the Netflix series. I also don't think the Netflix series (slash Lifetime series) would be as loved if Penn Badgley wasn't our leading man.

Hear me out! The first book was exactly like the show. Almost word-for-word, scene-for-scene. It was incredibly well done, and Penny Badgley (who will always be Dan Humphrey in my heart) was absolutely superb. I think almost anyone who watched the show and was a reader, wanted to see what the book had to offer. As disturbing as the book is, it was an interesting read.

Hidden Bodies is where Kepnes lost me. I know it's blasphemy to say, but.. I watched Season 2 before reading the book and.... I liked the show better 😬 I thought the direction of Hidden Bodies was a little outlandish, and I actually felt that Netflix did the series more justice. Again, I truly think Penn is partly to blame for this. In the books, Joe is disgusting, and it's easier to imagine him as a creep who has no redemption. In the show, you're seeing the emotion from Penn and hearing his rationale in a new light. I've heard that the audiobooks provide the same mind game read as the show, so maybe this is a type of story that needs to be heard more than read to reach its true potential.

Nevertheless, I am really excited for the third installment (and third season)! I can't wait to see which direction both go, and I'm slightly concerned at how invested I am in this story.