This book was a disappointment after enjoying You as much as I did last summer. My favorite part of You was the narration, the way Joe addressed it directly to Bek. It added a layer of dimension to a rather mediocre plot. Hidden Bodies changed to a typical first person narration which not only made the book less creepy, but also highlighted some of the weaknesses in the writing. What came across as creepy when addressed to the victim in You was just awkward and stilted here.

A lot of the book also seemed to lack direction. Joe’s objective continuously changed and as a result the story seemed less cohesive. The overarching goal (his pursuit of Amy) was forgotten for long stretches in the book in lieu of a new romance, a screen writing career, and various other dramas.

The sex scenes read like bad erotica, hilariously awful enough that I shared quotes with my friends.

Overall, this felt like a sequel that didn’t need to exist and it has me questioning whether You was really as good as I remember it. I would still recommend giving You a shot if you like creepy psychological thrillers, but I can’t justify spending any time on Hidden Bodies.

This came off as just a worse version of The Handmaid's Tale. If this at all looks interesting to you, I'd really just recommend reading The Handmaid's Tale instead. The concept intrigued me, but there was very little time actually spent on the societal implications of the colored skin for various crimes and instead it devolved into going on the run, human trafficking, and lesbian rape, which read like it was supposed to be a love scene instead of rape. On a whole, not a fan and I kinda just wish I'd reread The Handmaid's Tale.

Wanted to like this, but I felt disconnected from most of the story. I never once managed to get into it and found myself reading to end mostly because I rarely leave books unfinished. The sheer amount of graphic rape in this made me uncomfortable to read, and had I known what it was going in, I probably wouldn't have read it. I wouldn't necessarily steer people away from reading this as objectively it seemed like a fairly decent book, but I strongly disliked it.