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    Audiobook3 hours

    You

    Written by Charles Benoit

    Narrated by David Baker

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Charles Benoit has created a stunner of a debut novel, one of the most anticipated titles of the fall season. Told entirely in the second person, the story quickly immerses us in the world of bright, disaffected Kyle Chase, who once showed great potential but by tenth grade has become a genuine slacker. With uncanny insight, crafting what can only be called YA Noir, Benoit takes us deep inside the mind of a young man on a collision course with catastrophe.

    Of the print version, Publisher's Weekly said in a starred review:

    Disturbing content blends with skillful, fast-paced writing, adding a thriller spin to the novel's vicious realism.

    Now David Baker – narrator of our highly acclaimed recording of Graceling – offers a reading that captures and builds the sense of loss and dread that makes this novel both disturbing and irresistible.

    A Full Cast Audio production.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherFull Cast Audio
    Release dateJan 1, 2010
    ISBN9781936223428
    Author

    Charles Benoit

    Charles Benoit'steen novels include Cold Calls, Snow Job,Fall from Grace and You, an American Library Association Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. A former high school teacher, Charles is also the Edgar-nominated author of three adult mysteries. He lives in Rochester, New York. Visit him on the web at www.charlesbenoit.com or follow him on Twitter (@BenoitTheWriter).

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    Reviews for You

    3.5/5

    134 ratings22 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      Kyle Chase considers himself a typical 15-year-old guy. But others call him a hoodie because of the all black outfits he and his friends wear. Subject to bullying and mistrusted by school administration he finds himself alone, until a new student befriends him. The book is written in second person, so YOU are Kyle Chase, and you find out what kind of friend he has made.
    • 3/5
      This was somewhere between a 2.5 and 3; the character wasn't necessarily likeable, but the second person point of view was haunting and kept me engaged. Haunting is the word that keeps coming back to mind; I think Benoit captures high school particularly well, though sometimes, I wasn't sure how believable the character, Zack, is at times, but a compelling book, nonetheless.
    • 1/5
      Teen fiction; high school pressures for boys. This book propels you along nicely, giving glimpses of past indiscretions and trouble to come, and then when you get to the end you think, that's all? THAT is the whole reason for this whole plot? True, it may not be small potatoes to the main character, but it's pretty anticlimactic and dumb, especially since he's not even particularly that good of a friend to the girl in question. I can deal with the hero not being much of a hero, and I I liked the development of the characters with all the shifty-ness and shadiness, but it was a story I could easily have done without. Also, it makes me really sorry for this boy's mom--you can tell she's trying to help him, she can't help that she asks all the wrong questions and that he's going to ignore her anyway.
    • 5/5
      I could go on and on about how this book made me think and feel but I'm afraid I would pass Goodreads' character limit, so I'll try to keep it short enough. People have compared it to the works of Ellen Hopkins, and it is a very apt comparison indeed except that in the case of You everything is directed at the reader - the reader becomes the main character, pulled forcefully into the action. For young teens who are currently experiencing what You's troubled protagonist is going through, this will be a quite effective slim book to read.

      It also helps that the main protag is one that readers will be confused and conflicted on whether he's someone to cheer for or someone to hate. This is, of course, up to each reader to decide for themselves - I personally found him lacking in features that would make me like him, as most of his misfortune is pretty much his fault. The fact that I feel this so vehemently - and the fact that I can't get this bloody book out of my head days after reading it - is a powerful testament to this book's staying power. It will pull violently at your emotions, twist and turn them, and never let go until the final page, in which the novel's ending pages will sit in your mind and haunt your thoughts in the most delicious ways for days to come. If you like your YA books with a believable male protag caught up in his own cautionary tale with a unique POV twist and is very dark in nature, you will absolutely love You. It won't take you very long to read it - because once you start, it will be hard to put it down until it's over.

      Note of Discretion: A free copy of You was provided to me via a free contest held by Goodreads and HarperCollins.
    • 3/5
      A book written from second person perspective. (Audio) made it a bit hard to follow. It is a young adult story and is set in high school. It covers things like poor communication between parents, etc, consequences of decisions. It was okay.
    • 2/5
      I downloaded this book from Audiobooksync, I believe over the summer. Kyle Chase attends high school and cares about one person, a girl. The rest of his life deals with sarcasm and judging everyone else. He seems to dislike his parents although he does enjoy his sister. He dislikes all teachers and the principal. Basically, he does nothing with his life but feels superior to all else. Enter the new kid: Zach.Zach, brilliantly smart, finds everyone's weakness. Despite this cruelty, he seems to have quite a few friends from his former school. He finds Kyle an interesting specimen. Yes, he finds Kyle's weak spot. Do you see where this is going? Yes, it's the girl.Kyle speaks to the reader the entire time, saying things like, "You are surprised at all the blood.He looks over at you, eyes wide, mouth dropping open, his face almost as white as his shirt.He's surprised, too." (beginning of the book)The reader spends the book finding out what happened here at the end/beginning. I didn't care for the book and am surprised by the many good reviews. I found the "talking at me" annoying. I found Kyle judgemental, lazy, annoying, and stupid. I found Zach judgemental, annoying, and ultimately naive at his own inability to see truth while believing he knows truth. I sped the audio up so that it would end as quickly as possible--just to see what all the blood was about. I think boys might enjoy reading this book--they'll relate to the characters. Girls could learn about who NOT to date.
    • 4/5
      Far less sharp and shocking than the reviews would have one believe, but the swiftness of the text left little time to dwell on such details.
    • 2/5
      Strange book . . . Hard to get used to 2nd person narration. The end - didn't really like.
    • 5/5
      Few writers write as brilliantly about adolescent angst Charles Benoit does in this novel. Robert Cormier, Chris Crutcher, Robert Lipsyte, Chris Lynch are a few that come to mind. Benoit is definitely in that league. This is one of the best YA novels I have read this year. Brutally honest realism.
    • 5/5
      This story is full of angst and it's real. The characters are definitely believable and their feelings are true. Charles Benoit does a fantastic job of using Kyle to twist Zack's world.
    • 4/5
      This is definitely a book you find yourself thinking about a lot once you finish it. I'm not entirely sure why it was written in 2nd person, although that was the main reason it was shot to the top of my to-read list, so if it was just a marketing ploy... good for them. Working in a high school I see students like Kyle every day, and Benoit did a great job creating him. Very believable. You know exactly how Kyle feels... you make a few mistakes and suddenly it's clear that you've put yourself on a certain "loser" or "slacker" track and there is no real way to take it back and start over. You find yourself wondering if there was anything Kyle could have done to change the way his story ended or if it was just his destiny. And you realize you said the word "you" in your review way more often than usual and "you" finally realize why the novel was written in 2nd person. Good job Benoit!
    • 3/5
      This short, grim young adult novel is about a boy who has been brought up without love or respect, with tragic results.Much like Before I Fall, the book starts at the end of the story with the death of the main character, and works backwards to tell you what happened and why. It’s also told in second-person omniscient narration (in which the narrator tells the story by addressing the protagonist as “You”) which adds a unique tone to the book.Kyle Chase has grown up with cold, critical parents and basically no real friends as he starts tenth grade. Of the two people he thought actually liked him, both were using him and had no real interest in him at all. In fact, Zach has “selected” Kyle as a “friend” precisely because of his apparent loneliness and neediness. Ashley is as vapid as they come and Zach is, horrifyingly, a psychopath.Evaluation: Benoit, a former high school teacher, is as good as it gets when it comes to putting his finger on the teenage mind and teen vocabulary. I felt so sad for Kyle. He was full of anger and hurt over his home life, didn’t fit in well at school, and his teachers were uninspiring and devoid of understanding. Zach convinces Kyle that the bad things that have happened to him are a result of his own choices. One can’t help but feel, however, that Kyle was pushed into bad decisions by ending up a sensitive boy with potential in a world that could not be bothered with him. This intriguing book takes you to a dark place, and yet I was glad I read it. I would recommend it as a cautionary tale.
    • 5/5
      Good Reads Description: This wasn't the way it was supposed to go.You're just a typical fifteen-year-old sophomore, an average guy named Kyle Chase. This can't be happening to you. But then, how do you explain all the blood? How do you explain how you got here in the first place?There had to have been signs, had to have been some clues it was coming. Did you miss them, or ignore them? Maybe if you can figure out where it all went wrong, you can still make it right. Or is it already too late? Think fast, Kyle. Time's running out. How did this happen?You is the riveting story of fifteen-year-old Kyle and the small choices he does and doesn't make that lead to his own destruction.What a great read for my first YA read for 2011. I was hooked from the first word. Benoit spins a compelling tale without being verbose. Teens who struggle to fit in and to understand why seemingly innocuous decisions create so much trouble will identify with this book.I’m sure teen girls will enjoy this book as well, but it’s a great book to recommend to male readers who have trouble finding a good read amidst all the paranormal romance and teen chick lit books.It’s a quick, engaging read that you won’t want to put down until the last word.
    • 4/5
      Initially I picked up this book because I’d heard buzz that it was brilliant… but I had no clue what it was really about. Basically all I knew was that it was written in second person. I’ve read very few books in second person – I think all the others I’ve read have been epistolary novels – so this intrigued me.However, as I read, I found myself bothered by the tense. I kept trying to figure out who was narrating. Was it a teacher? A cop? (Notice I didn’t wonder if it was a friend or another student? There were times when comments were made that made me feel like it was an adult telling the story, not a teenager.) It drove me crazy not knowing! It started to feel like nothing more than a gimmick (albeit a good one, since it’s a big reason I picked up the book). But I pressed on, genuinely interested in where Kyle’s story was heading.Kyle is an ordinary teenager – he gets by in class, but doesn’t excel. He’s got friends, but not close friends. He’s been in fights, but doesn’t seek them out. He’s got a crush on a girl in class, but he can’t work up the nerve to ask her out. Then Zack, the new kid, notices Kyle and invites him into a world unlike the one he knows. Zack is offbeat and as much as he annoys Kyle, he also fascinates him. The fact that Kyle is just this average guy made it easy to see why he made the choices he did, even when they weren’t necessarily good ones.Despite my problems with the tense, when I finished the book it all made sense. I couldn’t imagine anything but a second person narrative working for the overall story. This is one of those books that, though I enjoyed it as I read it and thought it was great when I finished it, as I processed it later that night (and for days afterward) I liked it even more. I’ll add my vote for this being a brilliant book!
    • 4/5
      This book pulled me in and held me there until the final words on the page. I couldn't put it down and read it basically all in one sitting. Kyle is a likeable character. I keep wanting more for him. I want him to have Ashley as his girlfriend. I want him to have good friends again. I want his parents to see all the possibility in him and see that he needs help too. Kyle is not really a bad kid...he's just a kid. He's a teenager and that brings certain baggage with it. I could feel Kyle's frustration too. It's easy to see that if there's no possible way to pass, why bust your ass trying to catch up. Not much point. I so wanted someone to reach out to him. In the same respect, I try explaining to my son all the time how it's so easy to find yourself in a situation that can have far reaching consequences. Consequences that suddenly, frightenly fall beyond your control. It's too easy for people to point the finger at someone else and say, "I did that because I was compelled by this person or my situation or whatever. It's a tougher thing to realize that we all make our own choices in life. We are a product of the choices we've made over time. We are where we are in life, due to our choices. YOU is the story of Kyle Chase coming to realize that. The writing is tight, intense and compelling. I absolutely recommend that you read YOU. :) Four big kisses!
    • 4/5
      What a lucky Goodreads Giveaway win! I would have never picked up this book on my own and it ended up exceeding all my expectations.The novel is addictive from the very first lines:You are surprised at all the blood.He looks over at you, eyes wide, mouth dropping open, his face almost as white as his shirt.He's surprised, too.There is not a lot of broken glass, though, just some tiny slivers around his feet and one big piece busted into sharp peaks like a spiking line graphs, the blood washing down it like rain on a windshield.He doesn't say anything clever or funny, doesn't quote Shakespeare, just screams. But no one can hear him, and it would be too late if they could.You are thinking, this wasn't the way it was supposed to go, this shouldn't be happening. And now things are only going to get worse...What did just happen? Who are these people? What are they doing?As the story unfolds, we gradually learn who this mysterious "you" is, how he got to this point, what life choices (or circumstances?) made him what he is now. It's not a feel good story. To see the main character make poor choices and become passive and apathetic is truly disheartening, but there is a meaningful lesson.You is an extremely intense novel written in a very unique way. Although it is very short (220 pages in large font and with huge margins) and the prose is sparse, the book managed to keep me in a state of anxiety throughout. What is also remarkable about the style is that the story is written in 2nd person. I don't come across this POV very often and Charles Benoit uses this perspective to the fullest advantage. In fact, You is written and paced so well that I believe the book might be a Printz award contender.The novel might not appeal to everyone - it is a dark, frustrating story. Many will think the ending unsatisfying. But I personally found the message of the book very powerful. You are the choices you make rather than a victim of circumstances, even though it is often more comforting to think so.
    • 5/5
      You by Charles Benoit was one of the most intriguing novels I have read in the last year. The style of writing that was used in this book was what drew me in. In You the main character is Kyle, however, as oppose to saying “Kyle did this” or “Kyle spoke” the book is talking to you, telling you that your name is Kyle. It’s a bit difficult to describe but definitely worth reading. In case you were unaware, Charles Benoit is a best-selling fictional mystery author. This book definitely has undertones of mystery in it, there is a lot of foreshadowing and you are constantly trying to think, who is this person and why is he here. When I read the first couple pages, I had a completely different idea of what would be happening to the character Zach, however, the ending threw me for a loop. It was a really shocking surprise. Don’t worry, I won’t give the ending away. I loved the dialogue in You, in some areas all you were able to read was Kyle’s side of the conversation, while it may sound confusing, you automatically know what the other character is saying. Another kind of interesting fact about this book, there are no chapters. The book just goes on, it really makes you want to read it in one sitting.COVER LOVE! I could not stop staring at the cover of this book. The back and the front spell out You in shattering glass letters. It's really artsy. I remember I would stare at the cover for a while wondering how this image was captured. I love it.This book completely hooked me in. I think it’s a great new mystery and suspense style novel for young adults. Charles Benoit started something with this novel that I hope to see more of. I give You by Charles Benoit 5 Lanterns. This book has a mystery feel and writing style that is unique; I can’t wait to see more Young Adult novels from Charles Benoit.
    • 3/5
      This book centers around the character of Kyle Chase. He is a sophomore in high school and he considers himself a loser in a group called the Hoodies (as they always wear black hoodies). His friends all went to a different high school, but something happened to Kyle in middle school and he just stopped trying. So instead of going to Odyssey HS, he ends up at Midlands High, a place everyone else looks down on. He doesn't try in any of his classes because he doesn't see much point, doing the same thing day in and day out. His father all but ignores him and his mother only seems to nag at him, wanting him to do better in school and get a job. He is in love with a girl at his school, Ashley, but he just can't work up the nerve to tell her how he feels. Even though his entire group of "friends" has a bad rap as trouble makers, Kyle really tries to do the right thing and stay out of trouble. However people get preconceived notions about certain groups or individuals, and are quick to point fingers if something goes wrong. Kyle definitely has some issues to work on though and he's not sure when everything took a turn for the worse. Then he meets the new kid in school, Zack, and his life changes forever. My opinion: I didn't hate this book, but I didn't exactly love it either. The book really sucks you in the first couple paragraphs by essentially describing what happens at the end of the story, without giving too much away. Then the rest of the book details what happened leading up to that event. I actually love the way the book is written. It's as if you, the reader, is this character Kyle Chase. It really helps you connect with him and you get to see everything he thinks and feels. It's very easy to relate with Kyle; not in the sense that everyone is an outcast, but the way he feels about schools and some of the cliches that come along with it are very easy to relate to. Some of them even made me laugh a bit. And certainly we can all agree that some people are stereotyped by the way they dress or wear their hair, and often become scapegoats even if they are innocent. I was kind of frustrated with him for not applying himself more in middle school and just letting himself settle for the kind of existence he found himself in. He had been a good student and then just stopped trying, for whatever reasons. The only person he really has a soft spot for is his little sister, and the way her father and mother dote over her is probably some of the reason he kind of hate his life. It seems like nothing he tries to do matters, because nothing ever works out in the end. I hated Zack as soon as he was introduced. He was incredibly annoying and arrogant. Throughout the rest of the book you find new ways to hate him. All in all, not the best book ever, but the relatability and the point of view the book was written it made it easy to keep reading; I finished it in one sitting! My rating: 3/5 stars
    • 5/5
      When you open a book and find this: “You’re surprised at all the blood. He looks over at you, eyes wide, mouth dropping open, his face almost as white as his shirt. He’s surprised, too.” You find yourself instantly hooked. Right away I got Kyle. He's an average kid. He's not the best of students, has parents who nag and nag, he likes a girl who has no idea about his feelings.... he's no one ,yet he's everyone... he's YOU. We can all relate with Kyle - one way or another. You really get to understand Kyle since the story is told in 2nd person. It is almost as if you are Kyle. I found myself devouring this book rapidly as I watched Kyle make the wrong choices and the circumstances that led him to the moment at the start of our story. Mr. Benoit's writing is sparse but it is also very profound. He does a wonderful job in creating a character that is very believable - his actions, his thoughts, etc. His insights into other kids, teachers and administrators ring true. You is a fast-paced, suspenseful novel that you will not want to put down. It is disturbing, haunting, and intense - it is one that I'd recommend to teachers, teen boys and especially parents. Although its dark subject matter might not be one for everyone it is still one that when you read it, you will want to talk about it and then you'll find yourself recommending it because of how strong and powerful it is. A must read.
    • 5/5
      YouByCharles BenoitKyle Chase is a loser…in his own mind. He has dropped out…he has made poor choices, he doesn’t care, he doesn’t like the way his parents treat him, he doesn’t respect his teachers, he doesn’t really even like his friends. He knows if he had made other choices he would be in a different school doing very different things. And yet he is not. And there is nothing he can do about it. He has everyone figured out. He has life figured out and he is not able to change anything. He doesn’t know how or even better he knows how and yet he doesn’t want to do anything to change. He appears to be stuck. He gets detention after detention, he doesn’t study, he yearns after a girl named Ashley and does not do anything about it. He wonders when his mom became awkward around him and when his dad began to dislike him. He seems to love his little 5 year old sister. Her innocence and her love for him mean a lot to him. One day he hears his sister tell his mom that when she grows up she wants to be just like Kyle. When his mom responds that she hopes not…Kyle is sad even though he doesn’t want to be. Then…new student Jake comes into Kyle’s life and nothing will ever be the same again. Jake knows how to find Kyle’s weak spot and use it to his own advantage. This results in a devastating end of this story.I was really caught up in this story. It is narrated by Kyle. It was heartbreaking. I wondered what I would do if I had known someone like Kyle. He is intelligent, awkward, rebellious…all the things a 15 year old male can be. I don’t know if I would have gone out of my way to talk to him. It seemed as though all he needed was one understanding parent or one teacher he could talk to but all circumstances were against him. He walked alone. His story was so sad. He seemed to not know joy. He did not understand what to do with his tortured anger.So…how did I feel about this book…I think it is an important book to read.
    • 4/5
      Kyle Chase considers himself a typical 15-year-old guy. But others call him a hoodie because of the all black outfits he and his friends wear. Subject to bullying and mistrusted by school administration he finds himself alone, until a new student befriends him. The book is written in second person, so YOU are Kyle Chase, and you find out what kind of friend he has made.
    • 3/5
      Trust me, YOU don't want to miss "You". Benoit writes this book in a unique way that is initially unsettling, but becomes very powerful as the story goes on. The book tells you what you are doing, you being a teenage boy facing some ordinary teenage situations. You have a problem with anger, you are keeping some secrets, and you don't know who to trust.You end up making a series of seemingly small decisions that stack up to lead you to your destiny. You will be very surprised, disturbed and shaken by this book. You will not forget it easily.