"What if Joe Goldberg wrote a book?" Turns out, I'd rather he didn't.

I should have loved this. I enjoyed the other books in the series so much. The over-the-top voice of our narrator, the hilarious improbable consequences of his actions, and the amount of chaos packed into every page kept me engaged. This book promised more of the same but in a university setting, with Joe contemplating his past.

It took me quite a while to finish this book and I kept wanting more. Big spoilers ahead.

There is exactly one on-screen murder until the very end of the book and it, along with that final second murder, feels lackluster. I kept waiting for something to happen and, a few times, I thought it was. There was a hilarious interrogation scene, which is probably the strongest passage in the book, where Joe is tied up and confesses all his crimes on tape. But otherwise?

I was left wanting more, constantly. So many past events felt almost forgotten, in the strangest way. Joe mentioned the existence of his son a handful of times (this is generous - I only remember one instance but hope there were more). Events from book 3 are addressed briefly at the beginning and then again when a true crime podcast is released about them (which was hilarious) but this also fades into oblivion as the novel unfolds. And Wonder? I'm not sure if characterizing Wonder as "Love Quinn but poor" was intentional, but that's how it read and she therefore felt largely forgettable.

I don't like giving low reviews to authors I usually enjoy, and I really did enjoy the other 3 books. But this one left me so unsatisfied that I'm nervous to compare it to the in-Netflix-universe events of season 4... but I hope they'll be better.

Recommended if you've read the others and are a completionist, enjoy reading about amateur writers writing and discussing their writing, and enjoy Joe's sassy quips. Reading vlog to come.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

More thoughts here: https://youtu.be/vni9kSfxaf0