The author of the YOU saga Caroline Kepnes will publish a new novel, You First, set during Joe Goldberg’s adolescence: here is the plot and what we know about a possible television adaptation for Netflix.
The literary universe of YOU is ready to expand further. It means that a new series will also arrive on Netflix? Caroline Kepnesauthor of the famous psychological thriller saga that inspired the Netflix series of the same name, will return to bookstores with You Firsta prequel novel due out in the United States on June 9, 2026. The book will tell the story of Joe Goldberg’s past, long before the events narrated in the first chapter of the saga, revealing the origins of his obsession. Here’s what we know about plot and about a probable TV adaptation that could arrive, like the original series, on Netflix.
You First: The plot of Joe Goldberg’s origin novel
You First it will be set before the meeting between Joe Goldberg and Guinevere Beck and will delve into the protagonist’s adolescence. The question from which it all starts is simple and disturbing: how did the young Joe Goldberg become the murderous stalker Joe Goldberg? What led him to his first love, his first obsession and his first murder? According to the synopsis of the novel, published online, You First tells the beginning of everything. Joe is seventeen, works in Mr. Mooney’s bookstore and dreams that his life is finally about to begin. He spends his days falling in love with every girl he passes on the subway, wondering who “the one” will be. He’s convinced he knows what he needs: a woman who pushes him to get a diploma, attend evening classes and become someone. But who could ever fall in love with him? The turning point comes when Joe discovers an advert that seems to have been written especially for him. It’s by Vail Gunderson, a production assistant with a passion for romantic comedies. There’s just one problem: She’s twenty-four, and Joe is forced to lie about his age and nearly every aspect of his life. Convinced he has found true love, Joe will do everything to prove to Vail that he is her happy ending, pushing himself beyond all limits.
Caroline Kepnes had already anticipated the existence of the project several months ago, speaking enthusiastically about the prequel. “I wrote a prequel that I’m starting to talk about a bit… I’m very excited about it. I’ll review it and work on it several more times before it’s published. But yes,” the author declared, confirming that she was deeply involved in the development of this new story.
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The literary saga of YOU
The saga of YOU kicks off in 2014 with the novel of the same name, which introduces Joe Goldberg, manager of a bookstore in New York’s East Village. After meeting Guinevere Beck, an aspiring writer, Joe develops a dangerous obsession with her, spying on her through social networks and manipulating her life until he eliminates anyone who stands between them. In 2016 Kepnes published Hidden Bodies (Hidden bodies), in which Joe moves to Los Angeles to escape his past. Here he meets Love Quinn, but soon discovers that she too is hiding secrets. The novel is the basis of the second season of the Netflix series, although with important differences in the ending. With You Love Me of 2021, Joe seeks a new life away from the big cities, moving to a small community in the Pacific Northwest. Working in a library, he falls in love with the librarian Mary Kay DiMarco and tries to convince himself that he can change, without really managing to escape his own nature. The last chapter before the prequel is For You and Only You from 2023 (For you and only you), set in the academic world. Joe enters an exclusive writing club at Harvard, where his desire to be recognized as an author comes into conflict with his violent impulses and a new obsession.
The Netflix series YOU and the possibility of a TV prequel
The series YOUcon Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, debuted on Netflix in 2018 and quickly became a hit. The series followed the evolution of the character, season after season, expanding and reworking the events of the novels and officially ended in April 2025 with the fifth season.
There are currently no official announcements about a television adaptation of You First by Netflix, but the publication of the prequel inevitably rekindles hypotheses about a possible return to the universe of YOU on the small screen, also given the success of the series over the years. Telling the story of Joe Goldberg’s adolescence could be a tempting opportunity for Netflix, also because the project could be developed according to the plans of teen dramaa particularly attractive genre for the platform’s audience. We’ll see.
