Warning: Spoilers for You and Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes ahead.
Already binged through You on Netflix? While season 2 of the former Lifetime series is currently in the works, fans can reunite with Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley) and his twisted worldview in author Caroline Kepnes’ sequel novel Hidden Bodies right away. However, if you’re concerned that doing so will spoil You season 2 for you, Kepnes says — not quite.
Speaking on Closer Weekly podcast Classic TV, Kepnes revealed that the upcoming season of the Netflix show will branch out a bit from the book.
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"[Season 2] is based on Hidden Bodies, and takes place in [Los Angeles]...Joe's drive for coming here is different in the book, but it's the same Joe in the sense that he gets to L.A. and it doesn't feel like home."
In Hidden Bodies, Joe heads to the west coast in pursuit of an ex-girlfriend Amy, who broke his heart, and stole his rare books. Alas, he's not pursuing her the way he pursued Beck (Elizabeth Lail in the TV series) — in Hidden Bodies, Joe's mission is to murder Amy. Yikes.
That plan gets derailed when he meets Love (to be portrayed by Victoria Pedretti in the series) and Forty (James Scully).
"He meets [Love and Forty] in the show, and their family owns a bunch of grocery stores, so we have that, too," Kepnes explained on the podcast. "So there's a lot that you'll recognize, and then there are twists, which, to me, makes it exciting for the reader, because it's that idea when, as soon as you think you're comfortable and you know what happens next, there are going to be things that are different...Whether or not you read the books, you're going to be surprised."
You already pulled off a big surprise for book readers. In the novel, Joe killed his former girlfriend Candace (Ambry Childers), but in the season 1 finale of the Netflix show, Candace is alive and well — even if Joe seems pretty surprised about it. Candace may also play a bigger role in season 2: Actress Childers was seen posing with Badgley during a season 2 table read.
Whatever creepy surprise the show has in store — we're eagerly awaiting.