The Best Books, Movies, Video Games, and Podcasts to Check Out After Watching ‘You’[html]
We may earn a commission from links on this page.
You is the ultimate antihero confection—Joe Goldberg is a reprehensible, horrifying entity who deserves every punishment he gets, but it sure was fun watching him fixate on his various victims and pile up the body count. This story of delusion, romantic obsession, and serial killing was frothy fun for five seasons, but if you’re not ready to let go (Joe would relate), there are other sources of similar dark vibes and violent delights that can help you deal—and if you’ve burned through all the great shows we’ve already recommended, it’s time to expand your search to books, movies, games, and podcasts. Here’s where you can get started on your You-alike journey.
The best books like You
You is based on a series of terrific novels by Caroline Kepnes, and there’s a deep well of novels that explore similarly dark, obsessive stories.
You First, by Caroline Kepnes
There are now five novels in Kepnes’ You series, and they’re all great—but if you’re looking to expand your appreciation of Joe Goldberg’s weird, off-center charm and legendary manipulation skills, check out You First. This is Joe’s origin story, detailing how he became the twisted, brilliant man you’ve followed for five seasons. At seventeen, Joe is desperate for the love of his life to show up. When an older woman shows interest, he has to lie about how old he actually is, and somehow level up everything about himself to convince her that he’s worth her time—and you can guess how it goes for everyone involved. It’s the perfect way to get a little more genuine You into your life.
The Collector, by John Fowles
Published in 1963, The Collector is a clear predecessor to You. A lonely, socially stunted man named Frederick Clegg fixates on a young college student named Miranda. After buying an isolated house in a remote area, he turns his basement into a prison and kidnaps Miranda, believing that if he keeps her prisoner for a while and shows her “every respect,” she will come to love him. The story is divided between Clegg and Miranda’s perspectives and is a master class in depicting a disturbed mind and the ways someone can adapt to the most horrifying circumstances you can imagine.
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Brontë
This 19th-century classic story has been adapted to the screen many times, but the best way to experience it remains the original novel. You fans will recognize some of Joe’s violent obsession in the character of Heathcliff, whose whole life is centered on his childhood friend-turned One True Love—all of it souring into furious anger and dark vengeance that destroys everything around him. It’s a beautiful exploration of the destructive power of unhinged desire that never goes out of style.
The Obsession, by Jesse Q. Sutanto
The push-and-pull between Joe and his various fixations is part of the pulpy joys of You, and Obsession delivers that in spades. Logan, a student at a swanky private school in California, is mourning the death of Sophie, whom he regarded as the love of his life—at least, he mourns until he meets Delilah, a newly arrived senior who closely resembles Sophie. As Logan singlemindedly inserts himself into Delilah’s life, she’s desperate to escape her mother’s abusive boyfriend as well as the relationship patterns she fears she’s inherited from her. The two engage in a complex dance as their relationship spirals into page-turning violence.
Read Me, by Leo Benedictus
If you’re fascinated by the techniques Joe uses in You to infiltrate people’s lives and make them see him as he wants to be seen, Read Me will resonate. The narrator has come into a large inheritance, and he’s spending it doing what he loves: Stalking women and injecting chaos into their lives. He’s currently fixated on Frances, and freely enters her home while she sleeps, monitors her every movement and social media post, and eventually ruins her professional and personal life as his obsession pushes him to ever more terrifying acts of manipulation and control. It’s a tense, thrilling ride with a dark personality that will definitely remind you of Joe’s efforts to rationalize his evil behavior.
The best movies like You
One of the pleasures of watching You is watching attractive, charming people do and experience terrible things. If you want more dark thrills along those lines, check out these amazing movies.
Single White Female (1992)
This 90s gem starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh is all about the risks we take when we invite people into our private lives. When Allie (Fonda) learns that her fiancé cheated on her, she kicks him out of their apartment and takes on a roommate, Hedy (Leigh), to help with the rent. Hedy, however, immediately begins manipulating and then imitating Allie, trying to become her. It’s a taut, fast-moving thriller that explores a broken person’s insane attempts to control and possess someone else, just like You. Stream Single White Female on Netflix or rent it on Prime Video.
Ingrid Goes West (2017)
They say you covet what you see, and that’s a concept both You and Ingrid Goes West pivot off of. Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) is a mentally unstable woman who fixates on an influencer, Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen) and travels to California to stalk her, insert herself into Taylor’s life, and try to reinvent herself as a version of the supposedly happier, more successful woman. It all spirals into madness, of course, as the film explores the violent spiral that obsession and self-delusion can lead to. Stream Ingrid Goes West on Kanopy or rent it on Prime Video.
Fear (1996)
At its core, You is a terrifying story—the idea that someone you meet is manipulating you for their own ends without your knowledge is chilling. In Fear, that terror is dialed up to 11. When teenage Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) begins dating the charming but menacing David (Mark Wahlberg), her father is unnerved. As both Nicole and her Dad slowly see through David’s superficial facade, David’s attempts to possess and control Nicole spiral from manipulation and deception into outright violence. David is a less subtle, less smart version of Joe, but the end result is the same: chaos and a body count. Stream Fear on Tubi or rent it on Prime Video.
