Warning: This article may contain spoilers for the second season of the Netflix original series You.

Set your accounts to private. Joe’s back. And he’s going to start a family– even if it kills him. 

Just a few months following the confirmation of a third season of the Penn Badgley-led drama, author Caroline Kepnes has given a release date to the latest book in the You/Joe Goldberg series. This upcoming novel, called You Love Me, will follow everyone’s favorite psycho as he embarks on yet another “fresh start.” Joe Goldberg is done with city living and– in a surprising twist– done with his latest girlfriend, Love Quinn. Instead Joe is saying hello to nature and embracing simple living. 

On a cozy island in the Pacific Northwest Joe adapts quickly. He even manages to get a job at the local library which is where he meets her, fellow librarian Mary Kaye DiMarco. Joe decides to approach the new object of his affection differently. He won’t meddle, he will totally not obsess. He’ll win her the old fashioned way: being a gentleman and providing a shoulder to cry on as well as a helping hand.

If he’s consistent surely her falling in love will only be a natural progression, right? You’d think. If only things were that simple. Between being a mother and having an active social life, Mary Kaye doesn’t appear to have time for a boyfriend. But Joe is hopeful. True love can only triumph if both people are willing to make room for the real thing. Joe cleared his decks. He’s ready. And hopefully, with his encouragement and undying support, Mary Kaye will do the right thing and make room for him.

Now it’s common knowledge that Netflix has a knack for tweaking a few details when it comes to book adaptions (*cough* *cough* 13 Reasons Why). So, at the moment it’s up in the air how much the upcoming season will actually follow the book, given the changes that have already been made.

However, in an exclusive December interview with EW Kepnes did discuss Joe’s mindset in this upcoming book. “I feel so thrilled that I get to keep telling that story, because that wasn’t the end…

“Joe is really proud of himself because a lot of people in his position descend into darkness after having been through what he’s gone through in book two and then in the beginning of book three. And he decides that he’s going to be a better person and he’s very proud of himself for that. Having dealt with Love’s family and dating someone with this close relationship with their twin brother, he’s very focused on the idea that he should be the one with the family. But yeah, the main thrust of it is that he’s very proud of his strength…”

You Love Me will be available on April 6th, 2021. You can pre-order via most major booksellers including Barnes & Noble, Hudson and Indie Bound!

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Fallon Marie Gannon
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