Caroline Kepnes

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Caroline Kepnes
Born (1976-11-10) November 10, 1976 (age 47)[1]
Centerville, Massachusetts, U.S.
Alma materBrown University
Occupations
  • Writer
  • screenwriter
  • entertainment reporter
Known for
Websitecarolinekepnes.com

Caroline Kepnes (born November 10, 1976) is an American writer,[2] screenwriter, author, and former entertainment reporter.[3][4][5][6] She is best known for her novel series You, consisting of You (2014), Hidden Bodies (2016), You Love Me (2021), and For You and Only You (2023), writing for the 2018–present Lifetime/Netflix television series adaptation of the same name, and the stand-alone novel Providence (2018).

Career[edit]

Kepnes was born November 1976 on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Her father was Jewish and Kepnes identifies as "half-Jewish."[7][8] During her formative years, she attended Barnstable High School. After graduation, she commenced her studies at Brown University.[9] Later, she obtained an undergraduate degree in American Civilization and worked as an entertainment reporter for Entertainment Weekly.[10]

In an interview with the Boston Globe Kepnes said her first paid writing gig was an article on boy bands, for Tiger Beat magazine.[1] In addition to her work as a writer, she performed as a background character in the television series The $treet.

In 2014 Kepnes released her first novel of the thriller series, You.[11] Kepnes explained the darkness of You, which deconstructs the romantic-comedy tropes highlighted in many films and shows by making the protagonist a violent stalker and serial killer, saying it was written in a dark period of her life, the year her father died of cancer, and in which she experienced several other personal challenges.[12] Later, Kepnes was initially hesitant on labeling Joe, as a few readers argued that his actions classified him as a serial killer. The author then clarified her position on the matter, citing that "I remember when I wrote You and someone first referred to Joe as a serial killer. I argued 'he’s not a serial killer, he meets these terrible people and has these awful thoughts, but he’s very sensitive'. It’s very strange to realise you have written a serial killer."[13]

In February 2015, it was announced that Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble would develop a television series based on the novel at Showtime.[14] Two years later, it was announced that the series was purchased by Lifetime and put on fast-track development.[15] You premiered on September 9, 2018.[16] On July 26, 2018, ahead of the series premiere, Lifetime announced that the series had been renewed for a second season.[17][18] On December 3, 2018, it was confirmed that Lifetime had passed on a second season and that Netflix had picked up the series.[19] The second season was released exclusively on Netflix on December 26, 2019.[20] On January 14, 2020, You was renewed for a third season by Netflix.[21] The third season was released on October 15, 2021.[22][23][24] In October 2021, ahead of the third season premiere, the series was renewed for a fourth season.[25]

In 2016, Kepnes published a sequel to You, Hidden Bodies.[26] It was loosely adapted in the second season of the Netflix thriller series, You.[27][28] For Hidden Bodies, Kepnes had thoughts for a potential direction before its conception, stating that before "I was even finished with the first book I knew what my second one was going to be. I wanted to trap Joe somewhere."[13]

Her third novel, Providence, published in 2018, has been described as romance-suspense-thriller, with supernatural aspects.[29][30][31] Alison Flood, in a review published by The Guardian, wrote "Providence is compelling, and Kepnes provides a sometimes piercing insight into the small, strange, sad details that make up a life, though without quite achieving the deep, dark pleasures of You." According to Cheryl Wassenaar, in a review in Cultures magazine, the novel is "a bit like Dexter meets, well, H.P. Lovecraft."[32] In January 2021, it was announced that Greg Berlanti and Sera Gamble would reunite to develop a television series based on the novel for Peacock.[33]

The third novel and the sequel to Hidden Bodies, titled You Love Me was released on April 6, 2021.[34] Kepnes published the fourth novel for the You series,[35][36][37] titled For You and Only You: A Joe Goldberg Novel released on April 25th, 2023.[38]

Bibliography[edit]

You series[edit]

Stand-alone works[edit]

Other works[edit]

Television[edit]

  • You (2018–present, writer)[39]
  • The Secret Life of the American Teenager (staff writer - 3 episodes, 2008 - 2009)
    • Born Free (written by) July 20, 2009
    • Money for Nothing, Chicks for Free (written by) February 23, 2009
    • Just Say No (written by) September 9, 2008
  • 7th Heaven (staff writer - 2 episodes, 2006–2007)
    • Script Number Two Hundred Thirty-Four (written by) January 21, 2007
    • Turn, Turn, Turn (written by) September 25, 2006

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Meredith Goldstein (2018-08-30). "Shiny happy people give author Caroline Kepnes the creeps". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2018-08-31. Retrieved 2019-01-22. The book was a hit and wound up being printed in 19 languages. Stephen King tweeted that 'YOU' was 'hypnotic and scary. A little Ira Levin, a little Patricia Highsmith, and plenty of serious snark. Cool stuff.'
  2. ^ "Author Kepnes Discusses Her New Book, "Providence" on LIVE". Go Local Providence. Providence, RI. 2018-07-07. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22. The Brown University grad has had a diverse career -- she has worked as a pop culture journalist for Entertainment Weekly and a TV writer on the show 7th Heaven.
  3. ^ Gwenn Friss (2018-06-24). "Cape native Caroline Kepnes' novels explore how bad guys get that way". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22. Back in 1991, Barnstable High student Caroline Kepnes tagged along to the Concord movie set of "School Ties" where her older brother, Alex, was an extra.
  4. ^ Judy Berman (2018-09-07). "The Women Behind 'You' on Creating This Fall's Darkest, and Most Timely, Romance". The New York Times. p. C4. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22. Ms. Kepnes, who has written for the series "7th Heaven" and "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," wrote a late-season episode. She and Ms. Gamble both drew from their personal histories as young, female aspiring writers to flesh out Beck, and they agreed that "You" is really her story.
  5. ^ Kepnes, Caroline (2004). Stephen Crane. Mitchell Lane Publishing. ISBN 9781584152729. Retrieved 2019-01-22. Caroline Kepnes.
  6. ^ Anna Rose Iovine (2018-09-09). "What Other Books Has Caroline Kepnes Written? The 'You' Author Is Pretty Prolific". Romper magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  7. ^ "Celeb Jews: On the Small Screen, At the Movies, and On Netflix". The Jewish News. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  8. ^ "Lonely Boy meets Gone Girl: Penn Badgley Stars in TV Thriller 'You'". The Forward. 12 September 2018. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  9. ^ Kalunian, Kim (February 15, 2019). "Woman behind hit TV show 'You' is Brown University alum". WPRI. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  10. ^ Higgins, Laurie (December 28, 2014). "Centerville native's debut hits the mark with twisted tale of passion". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  11. ^ Selway, Jennifer (October 22, 2014). "You by Caroline Kepnes is a teasing tale that keeps you hanging by your fingertips". Daily Express. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  12. ^ Elena Nicolaou (2018-10-01). "How Caroline Kepnes Created You's Joe Goldberg, The Man Of Your Dreams & Nightmares". Refinery 29. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22. Exactly. Now we're living in this world where we have the unreliable narrator that is social media. We're making ourselves crazy. We're all reading this book. Everyone has a different version of it, but everyone has this book that never stops. There's no mandatory day of the week where Twitter closes down and Facebook isn't available. It's on you to choose your relationship to it, which is more work. The burden of it all is fascinating to me. We won't understand it until 50 years from now. This whole responsibility that didn't exist before.
  13. ^ a b Baker, Emily (September 24, 2019). "You author Caroline Kepnes: 'It's very strange to realise you have written a serial killer'". inews. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  14. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 11, 2015). "Greg Berlanti & Sera Gamble Developing Psychological Thriller You At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 27, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 13, 2017). "Lifetime Buys Drama From Greg Berlanti & Sera Gamble, Sets Premiere Date For Euthanasia Series Mary Kills People: TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  16. ^ Highfill, Samantha (March 15, 2018). "Lifetime announces fall premiere date for You starring Penn Badgley". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  17. ^ Hipes, Patrick (July 26, 2018). "Lifetime's You Officially Renewed For Season 2 Ahead Of Series Premiere – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  18. ^ Highfill, Samantha (September 5, 2018). "Penn Badgley and Sera Gamble's You puts a twist on the modern-day love story". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  19. ^ Maas, Jennifer (December 3, 2018). "'You' Moves From Lifetime to Netflix for Season 2". The Wrap. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  20. ^ Pedersen, Erik (November 11, 2019). "'You' Season 2 Premiere Date Set As Penn Badgley Stalker Drama Moves To Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2019.
  21. ^ Otterson, Joe (January 14, 2020). "'You' Renewed for Season 3 at Netflix". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  22. ^ Hailu, Selome (August 30, 2021). "'You' Season 3 to Premiere in October on Netflix". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  23. ^ Swift, Andy (January 14, 2020). "YOU Renewed for Season 3 — Find Out Which Characters Are Returning in 2021". TVLine. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (January 14, 2020). "'You' Renewed For Season 3 By Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  25. ^ Petski, Denise (October 13, 2021). "'You' Renewed For Season 4 By Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 13, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  26. ^ Kepnes, Caroline (2016). Hidden Bodies: A Novel. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781476785639. Retrieved 2019-01-22.
  27. ^ Mackelden, Amy (January 13, 2019). "Everything You Need to Know About You Season 2". Bazaar. Archived from the original on January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 27, 2019.
  28. ^ Hein, Michael (August 18, 2019). "Netflix's 'You' Showrunner Reveals Season 2 Will Be 'Darker'". Popculture. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  29. ^ Kepnes, Caroline (2018). Providence: A Novel. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 9780399591440.
  30. ^ Alison Flood (2018-11-06). "The best recent thrillers – review roundup". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22. In Providence (Simon & Schuster, £8.99), she takes on the story of a kidnapping and its aftermath.
  31. ^ Sadie Trombetta (2018-06-19). "'Providence' By Caroline Kepnes Combines Romance, Horror, And Mystery For The Ultimate Summer Read". Bustle. Archived from the original on 2018-06-19. Retrieved 2019-01-22. A beautifully crafted narrative that deftly combines a sweet coming-of-age love story with elements of Lovecraftian horror and supernatural suspense, Providence is Kepnes at her best. A rich novel brimming with as much heartfelt emotion as genuine thrills, it will keep readers flipping the pages at a rapid pace, searching for answers to their own questions about love, truth, connection, and what it means to be human.
  32. ^ Cheryl Wassenaar (2018-06-23). "4 reasons Providence is a perfectly strange novel". Cultures magazine. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-01-22. The action is all set in New England; Kepnes is from there, and it shows in her work. The inside flap calls it "part love story, part detective story, and part supernatural thriller," and the best way I can describe it is that it's a bit like Dexter meets, well, H.P Lovecraft.
  33. ^ White, Peter (January 15, 2021). "'You' Creators Reunite To Adapt Caroline Kepnes' 'Providence' At Peacock". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  34. ^ Weinman, Sarah (April 2, 2021). "He's a Murderer, a Stalker, a Creep — and an Entertaining Narrator". The New York Times. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  35. ^ Karp, Marcelle (July 11, 2018). "Entre Nous: Caroline Kepnes". Barb Magazine. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  36. ^ Kinane, Ruth (May 10, 2019). "'You' book series expanding with two more novels from author Caroline Kepnes". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on May 10, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2019.
  37. ^ McDonald, Sally (August 23, 2019). "Meet the author: You and Hidden Bodies writer Caroline Kepnes". SundayPost. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  38. ^ "You author whose books inspired Netflix hit teases new Joe Goldberg novel". The Independent. 2022-11-12. Retrieved 2022-11-13.
  39. ^ John Koblin (2019-01-21). "What Made the TV Show 'You' a Hit? Netflix". The New York Times. p. B1. Retrieved 2019-01-22. Mr. Berlanti began developing "You" almost four years ago with the producer Sera Gamble. Showtime originally planned to make the series, which is based on a novel by Caroline Kepnes, before passing on it. It then went to Lifetime, which over the summer committed to making a second season.

External links[edit]

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