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14 of the biggest ways season 3 of 'You' is different from the book

Oct 18, 2021, 22:04 IST
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Joe and Love aren't co-parents in the book and their son isn't named Henry John P. Fleenor/Netflix
  • Netflix's "You" is based on a series of books by Caroline Kepnes, which are pretty different.
  • Love isn't a killer in the books, Ellie doesn't exist, and Joe and Love don't raise Henry together.
  • Editor's note: This post mentions suicide.
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The Netflix show "You" is based on the Caroline Kepnes book series of the same name, but they have some major differences.

Kepnes' series consists of three books so far - "You," "Hidden Bodies," and "You Love Me." Although some of the characters are the same, the plots and settings of the latest book are quite different from season three of the show.

Read on for things that happened in the books that are totally different from the third season of "You."

Warning: Major spoilers ahead for season three of "You" and the "You" book series.

Joe gets arrested in connection with Beck and Peach's deaths while Love is pregnant

During the car accident Joe has on the way to Peach's house during season one and book one, he is stopped by a cop and gives his name as Spencer Hewitt.

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That same cop, Officer Nico, recognizes Joe when Dr. Nicky begins to talk to the press about a patient who he believed was obsessed with Beck.

Once Officer Nico and Dr. Nicky realize that Joe was obsessed with Beck and was near the Salinger property when Peach died, Joe is arrested and kept in jail until after Love has the baby.

Joe and Love don't raise their baby together

Dottie Quinn is on a few episodes of season three of "You." John P. Fleenor/Netflix

After Joe is released from jail, the Quinn family gives him $4 million and a house in exchange for his agreeing to leave their family alone.

He signs a contract that states he cannot contact Love or ever meet his son, who is actually named Forty in the book.

Although Joe watches Love's Instagram stories to see how his son is, he never meets baby Forty nor continues his relationship with Love.

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Joe moves to Bainbridge, not Madre Linda

In the books, Joe's house is on Bainbridge Island in Washington, not the upper-crust part of California where season three takes place.

Although some of his neighbors are as judgemental as the ones featured on the show, Bainbridge has more of a quiet, small-town vibe than the snobby and trendy atmosphere shown in Madre Linda.

Bainbridge is also a real place. Madre Linda is not.

Joe doesn't have a cage in his new home

During every season of the show, Joe has a glass box that he uses as a cage.

When Joe lives in Bainbridge in the book, he only keeps one person captive and she's locked in his basement.

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The basement in his house has a soundproof room called "the whisper room," which he uses as a makeshift cage.

Love isn't a murderer

On Netflix's "You," Love Quinn kills a few people. John P. Fleenor/Netflix

Love has killed three women and her first husband before the latest season of "You" even begins, and she adds to her death toll throughout season three.

In the book, Love never kills anyone.

Joe kills Candace and Delilah himself, Forty's au pair isn't murdered, and Love's first husband, James, dies in a surfing accident.

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Natalie doesn't exist

On the show, Natalie is the first woman in his new neighborhood that Joe obsesses over before meeting Marienne.

In the books, the local librarian is the first and only woman that Joe stalks and obsesses over while he lives in Bainbridge.

Joe doesn't send Ellie money

The character Ellie doesn't exist in the books. Netflix

Ellie doesn't exist in the books at all, as Delilah only has an older sister who Joe never meets.

During season three of the show, Joe tries to support Ellie by sending her money he earns from stealing and repairing rare library books. Since Ellie isn't in the book, Joe doesn't steal from the library at all.

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In the books, Marienne's character is a married librarian named Mary Kay

The librarian Joe falls for on the show is Marienne, a divorced recovering addict who is trying to raise her young daughter with her abusive ex-husband.

In the book, Joe works with a librarian named Mary Kay who is still married when they first meet.

Her daughter, Nomi, is also older. She's a senior in high school rather than a grade-school girl.

Mary Kay doesn't personally deal with addiction, though her husband Phil does and he dies after relapsing.

Joe adopts three kittens

As part of his plan to impress Mary Kay, Joe adopts kittens that Phil didn't want.

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The three kittens are named Riffic, Tastic, and Licious, a prefix-free way of calling them terrific, fantastic, and delicious.

Joe is a surprisingly caring pet owner and even cuddles with the cats when he feels disheartened about his relationship with Mary Kay.

Sherry and Cary seem to be inspired by Melanda and Seamus, though they outlive their literary counterparts

The Conrads live to the end of season three. John P. Fleenor/Netflix

Although Sherry and Cary Conrad don't exist in the books, the social-media gossip Melanda and fitness-obsessed Seamus both live in Joe's neighborhood.

Joe puts Melanda in the whisper room after she catches him stalking Mary Kay, and she dies by suicide while being held captive.

Seamus dies as well after someone shoots him while Seamus is attempting to kill Joe.

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Joe is caught burying a body by a character who doesn't exist on the show

The first body Joe buries in both Bainbridge and Madre Linda is that of a woman who he didn't kill himself.

In the book, Oliver, a private investigator that the Quinns sent to watch Joe, catches Joe burying Melanda's body.

Rather than turn Joe in, Oliver blackmails Joe into buying expensive art and furniture.

Oliver becomes a big part of the book, as his presence forces Joe to limit his stalking behavior and keeps Joe from killing.

Oliver is also the one to save Joe from being shot by Seamus.

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Joe and Mary Kay have a more serious relationship than Joe and Marienne

Joe and Marienne's relationship doesn't get too serious on the show. John P. Fleenor/Netflix

Mary Kay's husband, Phil, dies of an overdose while Joe and Mary Kay are having an affair.

After Phil's death, his brother, Ivan, comes to stay with Mary Kay and Nomi. Ivan eventually sells their home to pay for his own legal fees, leaving the mother-daughter duo without a place to live.

Mary Kay and Nomi decide to move in with Joe, who then proposes to Mary Kay.

The two throw a wedding, though they don't actually end up legally getting married.

Love shoots Joe and then dies by suicide

After seeing that Joe has moved in with a new woman, Love asks Joe to meet her in California. He goes there expecting to finally meet his son, but is instead held at gunpoint by Love.

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Love feels ignored and unloved by Joe, who she says fell out of love with her and only saw her as a vessel for their child as soon as she got pregnant.

She shoots Joe in the head before shooting herself, but Joe survives after spending 13 days in a coma.

He is still not allowed to see his son, but Love's mother lets Joe follow her on Instagram so he can have photos and videos of him.

Joe still skips town by the end of book 3 but doesn't leave the country

At the end of this season, Joe has moved all the way to Paris to escape the mess he and Love made in Madre Linda and to continue searching for Marienne.

In the book, Joe does move out of Bainbridge to get a fresh start, but he only goes as far as Florida.

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By the end of the novel, he has opened a combination bar and bookstore there.

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