The bestselling You universe expands backward with You First, exposing how a lovesick 17-year-old bookseller took his first dangerous steps toward obsession.
At a Glance
- Caroline Kepnes’ You First lands June 9, 2026
- Follows 17-year-old Joe Goldberg working in Mooney’s NYC bookstore
- A single “Missed Connection” ad sparks his first manipulative romance
- Why it matters: Shows the exact moment an ordinary teen chooses deception over honesty, setting the stage for the killer fans know
The Setup
Seventeen-year-old Joe juggles shifts at Mr. Mooney’s bookshop, contemplates a GED, and scans every girl he sees for fairytale potential-until he spots a handwritten ad taped to the store window: “Missed Connection, NYC Bookstore Babe.”
That sign belongs to Vail Gunderson, a 24-year-old production assistant who worships romantic comedies. To match her fantasy, Joe invents an older, cooler version of himself and slips into a web of lies.
The Lies Begin
Kepnes structures the novel as both a standalone love story and the fifth series entry, illustrating how Joe’s craving for cinematic romance warps into control:
- Age fabrication: Joe claims he’s older to date Vail
- Escalating fabrications: Job, education, entire life reshaped
- Boundary erosion: “No matter what it takes” becomes his mantra
Caroline Kepnes tells News Of Los Angeles:
> “You haven’t heard about her before? Neither has anyone since.”
Kepnes’ Lens on Obsession
The author frames Joe as a “funhouse mirror,” reflecting everyday desires until the image distorts:
> “We see ourselves in him at times until he crosses a line. You can’t help but wonder, though, where is that line for you?”
She adds that the book dissects the moment youthful voices-parents, media, peers-collide with self-definition:
> “How do you decide where they end, and you begin?”
Key Takeaways
- You First releases June 9, 2026 and is available for preorder
- The prequel explains Joe’s first manipulative relationship
- Kepnes wants readers to question their own boundaries in love
- The story functions as both series entry five and a standalone novel
Preorders are live now wherever books are sold.
