You by Caroline Kepnes

This is another suspenseful thriller.  It had also been waiting for a long time on my TBR pile - that's what happens when your pile is literally thousands of books long, I guess.  At any rate, this is the story of  obsession. 

Guinevere Beck, "Beck", is an aspiring writer who lives in New York City.  One day, she goes into a local bookstore where she mets Joe, a clerk who works there.   Joe becomes fascinated by Beck.  He searches her on the Internet, stalks her on Facebook and it isn't long before he has insinuated himself into her life.

This book was terrifying for me because it shows just how easily someone can get information about us on the internet and those we love.  When I was younger, I had a stalking incident.  It's scary when people get into your head and your life.

The further Joe and Beck become embroiled, it becomes increasingly difficult to see just who is really stalking who.   There are so many characters, and we come to see that almost all of them are both victims and perpetrators in some way.

This book had so much potential but there were aspects of it that took away from the story.  I didn't like Joe's language, though I suppose it was real - the way a 20 something year old would probably talk. I also found it difficult to relate to the characters.  While they were fascinating, I wouldn't say that they were sympathetic.  And finally, this book really made me question just what is underneath a book store?  Perhaps I don't really want to know.  I gave it three out of five stars.