Providence. I finished the book about 12 hours ago and I still don’t know what to say. I guess I’ll start by saying it wasn’t for me. I love sci-fi, fantasy, thrillers, mystery’s. I generally don’t dwell on the “hows, why’s” of the genres. I accept it as part of the world the author creates but in Providence I can’t get past “wtf” what happened? How did it happen? What did Blair do? And those questions that never get answered really frustrated me. So much so that I wasn’t excited during more than half the story.

If I went into it knowing the story was about a love triangle with otherworldly circumstances maybe it would have been different but I didn’t. I went in thinking I was going to discover what happened to Jon. And I can’t get past not knowing.

All that said, I liked Chloe and Carrig for who they were. None of the characters were perfect. They make human mistakes, human decisions and I loved that. I think Jon had some interesting aspects but my annoyance with not understanding what happened and him not knowing made it hard for me to like him. I wanted to but it never happened.

Then there’s Eggs. Where hell did he come from? He just shows up 6 years later and it took me forever to figure out he wasn’t an old character with a new nickname, he was new. And he was terrible. I found myself skipping most of his chapters because I didn’t care about his story. The way he treated his family, his life, his job, I didn’t care. SO that probably didn’t help my opinion much.

I wouldn’t categorize the book as a thriller at all. There was nothing thrilling about it. Mystery fits and sci-fi fits but for me it just didn’t do it for me. ALL that said, I will still read Caroline Kepnes because I enjoy her writing and mind, this one just didn’t work for me and that’s okay.

Providence has always been one of my favorite words so I was certainly intrigued to read this one, not only because of the title but also the author. And I can say that this book was . . . interesting. I just ultimately felt that there were more questions than answers. Don't get me wrong, I am not someone who needs every question answered or every thread sewn up in a book. I prefer there to be openings and things not resolved but I felt like here, science was used to try and explain some major plot points but without actually getting into the science of it. It felt a bit like betrayal. That being said, I liked the characters and the language and the idea of this, even if I liked all of those things more than actually reading this book.

Providence comes out next week on June 19, 2018, and you can purchase HERE.

Nobody can kick your ass for what you think in your mind, not even your mom.

Loved the mystery with an edge of sci-fi/supernatural of this book. Jon although a villain was a likable character. Caroline’s writing is as quirky and likable as ever. Readers that prefer a conclusive ending, may be left with a feeling of unease and many unanswered questions. However, I will continue to read whatever books she decides to write.

DNF @ 18%, so no rating. (Except on Netgalley where I have to rate it if I want it to count for my ratio.)

This book truly is a case of 'it's not you; it's me.' I loved YOU so much that I requested this one simply because it's Caroline Kepnes. I didn't give much thought to the paranormal aspect of the story, and already it feels ill fitting, so I'm moving on. This just isn't my jam.

As I read the first few chapters of Caroline Kepnes' Providence, I was delighted and expected to love the book. But...that didn't happen.

There was an abrupt turning point, and the novel took an unexpected turn that didn't work well for me.

from the description: Growing up as best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe are the only ones who truly understand each other, though they can never find the words to tell one another the depth of their feelings. When Jon is finally ready to confess his feelings, he's suddenly kidnapped by his substitute teacher who is obsessed with H.P. Lovecraft and has a plot to save humanity.

Including an H.P. Lovecraft element sounded interesting; however, the way the story proceeded was much less interesting than the initial chapters. I didn't find it suspenseful, and I plowed through most of it.

Lovecraft was a strange man, but I've never been particularly interested in reading his work. I have been interested in the way his pulp fiction influenced other writers, though, which is why I wanted to read Providence. The love of all things Lovecraftian was one of the weirdest parts of the book--the "love" of all the people who attended the annual Necronomicon festival in Providence and pseudo-philosophical stuff was bizarre.

There was so much potential, and yet the book wandered around, repeating itself, and never truly examining the most interesting parts about Blair and his experiments. It will please some people, but Providence left me dissatisfied.

NetGalley/Random House

genre? June 19, 2018. Print length: 359 pages.

Providence included some of the addictive writing I’ve come to associate with Caroline Kepnes, but it was not enough to make this book really stand out for me.

Unlike Kepnes’ You series, I thought this book was missing that one compelling character that would make up for any issues I had with the plot. Providence is told from three different POVs – Jon, Chloe, and Eggs – and unfortunately I never really connected with any of them. Pretty much every review I’ve read has praised Eggs as the best character, but I just never really cared that much about him. I thought Chloe was incredibly unlikable. I did like and really feel for Jon, but even with all he’s gone through, he still felt like a pretty one-dimensional character.

The theme of the story is supposed to evolve around love and obsession and I just never really bought it. I don’t really think Jon and Chloe loved each other. I think they’re both emotionally stunted from what happened when they were young teenagers and they just never really grew up. They had a crush on each other, which was then intensified by the whole “want what you can’t have” thing. And I hate to keep making comparisons to You, but the obsession angle fell a little short for me, too.

I feel like The Dunwich Horror should have been required reading prior to starting this. It and Lovecraft’s life and other works were referenced often and while there was some explanation, I still feel like I missed something by not being familiar with it. I also did not really feel inspired to go check out his work after reading this. It kind of seemed like there was some lesson or big emotional impact I was supposed to experience by the end of the book, but I never did.

Overall, Providence had some moments of addictive writing, but just wasn’t the book for me. I didn’t really like any of the characters and I thought the story was just kind of depressing. I also thought there were some inconsistencies in how Jon’s power works and I didn’t really appreciate the lack of resolution at the end of the book. Though I did enjoy parts of it, I’m still left wondering what exactly the point of it all was.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 2.5 Stars

I think like most would do while reading, I compared this book off of Caroline Kepnes other books; You and Hidden Bodies. Well, DON'T DO THAT. All that is happening is you're doing a disservice to yourself and Kepnes. I had to keep telling myself that, so I know.
I enjoyed the book, I thought it was a good book, it could have been better, but most of that was my own expectations. I wasn't expecting a supernatural/otherworldly nature (but that has more to do with the description than anything else). There were certain parts that I thought should have been fleshed out more. I like the supernatural aspect and the themes of isolation but felt it could have been brought out more, but instead, it felt more like an annoyance than a real problem.
But I did enjoy the departure from the norm with this new novel and am still excited to read more from Caroline Kepnes.

Caroline Kepnes is such an amazing writer and such an inspiration for so many that what to write that it is very hard not to love what she puts out into the world! She has captivated many by You and Hidden Bodies and I know there will be so many that will be just as captivated by Providence!

Caroline has such a way with words and it is amazing the things she can make happen between the pages of a book! She wows from the beginning to the end with this novel and characters involved that you cant help but wonder how she does it!

The characters in this storyline were so well developed and played such a vital role in the storyline that it made the writing seamless and at time unput-downable.

Meh...Providence is not a place I enjoyed visiting.

While a junior in high school in Providence Rhode Island, Jon is kidnapped. His best friend and possible love of his life, Chloe, is heartbroken. However, she and his parents eventually assume he is dead and move on with their lives.

Four years later, Jon wakes up. His only clue to what happened is a note from his former substitute teacher and captor, Mr. Blair, in a beaten-up paperback copy of The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft. The note states. “You were in a medically induced coma. You are free. [...] You have power. [...] We did good work down here, Jon, and it will be interesting to see the way things play out. You’re welcome, Jon.”

Six years later, Eggs is a Providence police detective looking for the cause of a rash of heart attack deaths in young adults. His department believes they were natural deaths but Eggs is obsessed. Eggs and his wife, Lo, have an institutionalized son, Chuckie.

Providence is a fantasy in the vain of the 2012 film Chronicle and perhaps Stephen King’s Carrie. While it contains the love story of Jon and Chloe, it is not strictly a romance like the author’s most popular book, You. I didn’t read You so I had no previously conceived ideas for this novel. Judging by other reviews, if you loved You, you will not like Providence much.

My biggest issue with Providence is with the characters. None are sympathetic. Poor Jon had all his problems thrust upon him but as a reader I truly didn’t care what happened to him. Chloe is so indecisive that I felt like slapping her. Her high school friends after Jon’s disappearance feel like 80s movie stereotypes (the popular girl, the jock, the art girl). Eggs’ feeling toward his son do not seem genuine but are obviously a plot device.

Another issue is the plot slows to a crawl in the middle of the book. If I wasn’t reading a review copy, I would have put it down or at best skipped to the ending.

Some readers seemed to enjoy this book. To me, it seemed derivative, slow, and populated solely with unsympathetic characters. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend it except to hardcore Lovecraft fans. 2 stars.

Thanks to the publisher, Random House-Lenny Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Caroline Kepnes is such a great writer yet this book fell a little short for me. Jon and Chloe were great characters put the entire premise of the story was lost on me. The paranormal just doesn't work in this story and wasn't really believable. This book feels more like a character study than a story with a forward moving plot. Disappointed.

This book wasn’t quite what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting a psychological thriller and I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s what this was. The sci-fi element was an integral part of this story. I’m not a fan of sci-fi novels. At all. Or sci-fi in general, with the exception of The X-Files. (TV series and movies).

Despite its rooting in a genre I don’t usually read, Providence was interesting enough to hold my interest. As I was reading, I kept thinking how it would make a good X-Files episode.

Middle of the road read for me. Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC.

This book was definitely a breath of fresh air. So many thrillers these days are similar, but I haven't read anything that this reminded me of in years. It did draw from memories of Creature, by John Saul, which honestly I probably read over 20 years ago. But the person Jon becomes after his kidnapping reminded me a bit of Mark, a shy good guy who find himself and his life hijacked by someone with a strange vision of what humanity should look like.

When we first meet Jon, he is a painfully awkward teenager. Geeky, his best friend is a hamster who he sleeps with, need I say more? Okay, there is also Chloe. It's strange though because in the beginning of the book, I don't know what would have brought them together. She is a fairly normal, attractive high school girl and he's...well...hamster boy. It defies the high-school caste system.

But somehow the time apart makes them grow fonder. So when Jon comes back, they realize their burning desire to be together. Except there is just no way for this to happen because Jon has changed. He's now much more sociably acceptable from the nerdy boy he once was--he's hunky and strong. But that's not all that has changed.

Throw in a veteran cop with issues of his own and it makes for a very satisfying romance/noire. I appreciated the fresh story but I did question some details. Like, why couldn't Jon have written Chloe letters? Or emails? And what about his family, couldn't he have still spoken to them somehow?

I also feel that the how and why of the kidnapping and subsequent metamorphosis were never really addressed. I'm sure that was for a very specific reason, but I seriously wanted to know more.

Overall a great read that will appeal to Caroline Kepnes' fans, those who like their thrillers with a slight science fiction bent and of course, those who enjoyed John Saul books in the 1990's.

Providence releases on June 19, 2018. Special thanks Random House Lenny and Netgalley for an advance e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, Providence is a DNF for me after 12%. I can't seem to get into the story or this particular writing style. After checking out the reviews of my fellow bloggers and friends, the majority of the middle-of-the-road ratings helped make my decision to not finish reading this one.

I so appreciate your consideration and the chance to read this novel. I wish Caroline Kepnes and Random House all the best with this release!

This was my first book by Caroline Kepnes. It so full of mystery, science fiction, and love. To be ripped from your home, turned into something you can’t explain, just to be returned and not be able to be around the ones you live without hurting them. This book definitely proves that love wins no matter the consequences.

An evocative and thought provoking suspense novel !

“Love is forever, but at some point hope becomes a liability.”

Providence is a star-crossed love story ensnared in mystery with a tinge of supernatural. It’s a story filled with lots of insightful nuggets about human behavior and philosophy:

“I guess the shorter answer would be, the kid wearing the I am Providence hat, he might be at that convention. He’s wearing that hat, I hope, because he gets it, or he wants to get it, that you are fate, you are Providence, and fate is you, but then also, so what? What the hell is providence? What good does that do ya? ‘I am Providence’ is a question disguised as a statement. It’s like any faith, it’s blind.”

The plot line simple: Jon and Chloe are childhood best friends. Jon gets kidnapped, but when he returns years later, he’s not the same. Jon is forced to run away -from his family and his love, Chloe. Fast forward a year later when several sudden, yet seemingly unrelated, deaths pique the interest of a local police Detective “Eggs”. As Eggs starts to unravel the mystery behind these deaths, he gets more than he could ever imagine, especially a lesson in facing his own truths.

“You see what you want to see, especially in the dark, especially with your kid.”

The structure of Kepnes’ prose is unique and captivating. It has a feel of diary entry crossed with stream-of-consciousness that really carries the book. Told from three points of views- Jon, Chloe, and Eggs - Kepnes takes advantage of brilliantly weaving three worlds about to collide.

Expect a plethora of details. Vivid images are painted and expressed in recurring powerful metaphors. Read between the lines. Prevalent themes of ethics, power, loneliness, and above all love, are presented in such a way that the truth of it hits you when you least expect.

“And it’s a good thing to find people you have something in common with, even if you can’t know them, it’s like all those Lovecraft people.”

Above all, I think this is ultimately a tale of life lessons learned from taking the most unusual paths. The end goal isn’t what it seems. What you think is evil may not be entirely true. And love. Love isn’t at all what you thought it was.

“Doesn’t matter that you’re a little good if you’re mostly made of evil.”
“Medicine is an approximate science. Loneliness is a specific monster. And love—love is just specific.”

This is a different kind of love story. If you’re looking for “sexy times”, you won’t find it here. The power of this tale stems from a beguiling crescendo of raw dialogue between the opposing characters as they grasp an understanding about life and each other.

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️STARS!
**An ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **
​

For as long as they've known each other, it's always been Jon and Chloe. Even when the pressures of growing up and fitting in get in the way, Jon and Chloe remain the best of friends. The type of friendship that could one day be something more. That is, until Jon is kidnapped.

Four years later Jon returns, changed in ways he has yet to understand. The only thing he does understand is that he's a danger to those around him, especially those he loves. So Jon leaves again on a quest for the person who took / changed him, and to protect Chloe.

Heartbroken, Chloe delves into her art, the only place she can truly express the waiting and wanting and love. Neither Jon nor Chloe ever fully gives up on the other or their bond, but with Jon a danger to those around him, how can they ever be together?

I'll be honest, I was first attracted to Providence by those pops of color on the cover. That neon electric pink drew my eye enough that I had to give this book another glance. This is also the first book I've read by Caroline Kepnes although upon starting this one, I learned that one of her previous books is soon to become a Lifetime movie so maybe it's fate that put me in the pathway of this book, I don't know. The stars aligned, or some such.

I felt like Providence was a pretty easy read. Early on, right after Jon is kidnapped, I thought this book would turn down a dark path and be one of those that I couldn't read for long stretches of time. I was surprised then that, while not what I would call "light", it certainly maintained a somewhat neutral tone. Never verging too far into darkness or lightness, hovering somewhere in the middle. I liked that the story doesn't fit neatly into one specific genre. On one hand it's a love story, with elements of sci-fi, yet also a mystery. I think Caroline Kepnes does a great job juggling these different aspects and making them work together without fully committing to any of them.

When we get to the third part of the story, when things really begin to take off, our book diverges into three seemingly separate plot points that all drive the story toward the inevitable conclusion. One obviously involves Jon who finds himself an outsider. Because of what was done to him - which is something he doesn't fully understand and therefore the reader doesn't fully understand either - Jon cannot have normal human contact. He's stuck between missing Chloe and knowing, to save her, he has to stay away.

Then we have Chloe who, also obviously, is kind of in a stasis waiting to hear from Jon. Her art, which she started doing by drawing Jon's face after his disappearance, is still connected to Jon. He is her inspiration. I really liked the undeniable bond that these two clearly have with one another which makes their separation at times heartbreaking and irritating, because how hard is it to reach out with a phone call or email or text? But I feel like Caroline Kepnes was commenting on the fact that as much as we're all glued to our smartphones, and as easy as technology makes it to stay in touch with our friends / family, technology, in this case, cannot account for a true relationship. A person needs that actual physical interaction with another person or people to really thrive.

Caroline Kepnes throws in a third perspective in the form of Charles "Eggs" DeBenedictus, a police detective, and his wife Lo. Eggs has a hunch: that a bunch of seemingly random cases are all actually connected and that there is one perpetrator behind these strange occurrences. Of course the reader knows he's looking for Jon, and I would say Eggs storyline, more than even Jon and Chloe's, pushes the book forward the most because he's such an unassumingly likable character who has gone through some pretty difficult times over the years, you want to see him win. You want to see him vindicated. The relationship between Lo and Eggs is like this center unwavering force. It goes through its ups and downs, but it's solid. It's kind of like the relationship between Jon and Chloe. Or what that relationship could become after years together.

So while I found Providence to be extremely readable and very interesting, I also felt like it mostly maintained that neutral level. Besides Eggs and Lo, I felt like Jon and Chloe were left a little underdeveloped. They both felt like they were in that stasis. Unable to move forward from Jon's disappearance / reappearance / re-disappearance. The ending paves the road for the possibility of more, and I wonder if that "more" means a continuation of the story, or if we're are only supposed to be left with that feeling of forward momentum.

I feel like this is definitely a book that I'll think about long after finishing it, and probably one I'll pick up again and discover new secrets I didn't even think about, or couldn't even comprehend, the first time around.

Providence was a read that was way out of my normal wheelhouse. That's not a bad thing, but I think this one is better suited for people who aren't me. Specifically, this one was way more science fiction-y than I anticipated. Oh, and this was an advanced e-galley from NetGalley, so it's not yet available to the masses. Anyway, this story stars with two teenage friends - Jon and Chloe. Chloe is one of the only people that Jon feels truly understands him. Then, Jon is kidnapped by a substitute teacher. Four years later, Jon is released and returns with a new ability that means he has the potential to (literally) hurt those who (literally) get close to him. The rest of the story is then Jon figuring how to manage this power and his connection to Chloe. At the same time, it's Chloe figuring out what her connection to Jon is given his new normal.

Read this book if - You are a fan of science fiction with relationships at the core of the plot. You like a fiction read that's a bit "off the beaten path" when it comes to the story it tells. You're looking for a book with a bit of a "Stranger Things vibe" going on.

This book and I didn't get along.

I simply didn't get it. Honestly - both Jon and Chloe were hard for me to identify with; their relationship, the events that happened, the fantastical aspect of this book ... it was all too much.

Jon and Chloe are apparently best friends: this is told to us in the book blurb, if you read the first chapter, the one that sets everything up, you know that Jon is ostracized at school, that Chloe is the cool kid that is nice to him, when it suits her. But would I say that they are best friends or great loves? Heck no, that does not come across.

Jon goes missing - he is kidnapped by a teacher and disappears for 4 years. While he is away, Chloe begins painting Jon, in an attempt to remember him.

4 years later, Jon wakes up in a strange room, remembering absolutely nothing. Left with only a copy of a book and a letter written in it telling Jon that he "did good" and "good luck". Jon returns to his life only things aren't all as they seem. It turns out that Jon has an affect on those close to him ... if he gets to close or feels too much towards them they end up having a heart attack and dying.

It makes for coming back to his life pretty useless since he can't get close to Chloe. But since he doesn't understand what's happening, he can't tell her why he is staying away.

The result is two lovelorn people who pine for one another ... and leaves the reader frustrated. I had such a hard time getting into this book and allowing my imagination to carry me away.

Thrown in for good measure is a cop named Eggs who becomes obsessed with all these young people dying of heart attacks and trying to find justice by tracking down the murderer. Eggs wasn't a bad character, but it just felt so pointless a plot-line that didn't really help the story along.

I can't pinpoint exactly why I didn't like this book - but it really just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

1.5 star read.

As a huge fan of the author's 2 previous books, it is fair to say that this story is a big departure from that duet. There is a supernatural element which is hinted at in the synopsis (shame on me for not reading that), and it is lacking the dry humor that made me fall in love with Joe (You and Hidden Bodies) and his stalkerish ways. But I'm not faulting for the author doing something completely different. I would never have expected a repeat, but there was something missing from the story that connected me to the characters like her previous work. With that said, the author spent a lot of time on character development for the three main characters, Jon, Chloe and Eggie "Eggs". And while we got to learn about those characters and their motivations, I felt like something was lacking.

I wanted to know HOW.
How was Jon changed? We know so little about his condition, only what happens to those near him.
I wanted to know WHY.
Why was he selected? What was the ultimate goal? This is hinted at near the end but I wanted more.

As I'm not really familiar with H.P. Lovecraft and his work, which is a big part of this story, I felt like I must be missing out on some of the deeper meaning in the plot. If you are familiar with this work, you may connect better to the story.

I felt like the story had a lot of possibilities with Jon's new condition, but instead of exploring that condition and what it meant long term, the book centers on his inability to recapture the only heart he's ever wanted, Chloe. It had a melancholy feel to it. I would have preferred more tension and twists.

The author has a wildly creative mind, and while this story was well written, it was just ok for me. If you are a fan of Lovecraft, it is worth checking out, and I look forward to more from this author who isn't afraid to challenge the norms.

An enjoyable read. Thank you for the opportunity to review this title. I will be rating it on Goodreads at a later date.