Truly loved and devoured this book. It felt different and new but enduring and relatable themes kept me engrossed the entire way through. Will check out her other two books now!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was a massive fan of Caroline Kepnes' book YOU. It was intense, intriguing, captivating, and terrifying (in an "OMG am I rooting for this psychopath?" kinda way). I've yet to read Hidden Bodies, the sequel, but it's on my plan for this year. When I saw this new standalone from her on Netgalley, I had to request it. YOU was just so compelling that I knew this one would have to be awesome.

Unfortunately, this one felt like a let down after such a great first read from her. The characters were all pretty unlikeable (I only cared for one character, a minor character, Eggs' wife Lo), and not at all easy to root for. There was very little action over all, and the plot felt like a slow trudge through a field of molasses and peanut butter in loose boots that you're not allowed to leave behind. Overall, just meh.

I didn't hate it completely, and the story concept was a good one, so I ended up settling on two stars as a final rating. I will say this, if you've not read a Caroline Kepnes book before, either read this one before you pick up YOU, or just go straight to YOU.

I was honored to receive this ARC of Providence from one of my favorite authors, Caroline Kepnes. It's a little thriller, a little YA, a little sci-fi. I read reviews so I went into the book knowing not to expect another You or Hidden Bodies. I fell in love with the character of Joe in her previous novels, so I was hoping for another stellar protagonist, but unfortunately I was disappointed on that front. I disliked all of the characters in this book. I couldn't relate and I was extremely frustrated with the plot at times. Why doesn't Jon just tell Chloe what's up? Why is Chloe obsessing over Jon umpteen years later? Why is Eggs so obsessive? Everyone is obsessed! But, in the end, the book is good. There are hits and misses, but the writing style is the same captivating prose that you come to expect after reading Caroline Kepnes' first two novels. It allows you to get sucked into the story. It makes you feel things. I will definitely recommend this book. Thanks again, Netgalley!

While not a favorite, it is definitely interesting and not like anything I have read before. A young boy is kidnapped and when he returns he realizes that he has the ability to kill things. Any strong emotion and that person dies. This book is how he learns to live with this power, ability. About midway through the book, I thought of the Hulk.interesting concept. Thank you netgalley for the chance to read this book early. 3:5 stars

Another book that wasn't for me.
This was a bit too Sci-Fi for me. It's about a kid, Jon, that goes missing for four years. He then comes back stronger, bigger and handsome. Chloe, his best friend, missed him so much. They try to have a relationship but Jon keeps pushing her away. Why?

I really felt like this book dragged, and kept turning in circles. There was a bit of action at the end that kept me wanting to read but just out of curiosity. I did like the multiple point of views of Jon, Chloe and Detective "Eggs" and also really loved the writing. Overall, this book just wasn't for me.

Closer to 3.5 stars.
First let me say that I love reading Caroline Kepnes and flew through You and Hidden Bodies.....
However this is vastly different then both of those and it just left me wanting more. There was no real conclusion. Although if there was a second part I would def read it, I just wanted more finality to the characters, I just kinda ended.
Thanks to NetGalley, Kepnes and RandomHouse for allowing me to read an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow wow wow. Caroline Kepnes has done it again. In some ways (obsessive love) it is similar to her other two books yet Providence is still very different. You come to simultaneously love and root for "the beard" at the same time as the detective. All the characters are layered and have depth that you want to keep reading to know them better and get in their world. It's at times dramatic, at times exciting and at times poignant. Throughout all the craziness of all of Ms. Kepnes' books there is still this underlying pure and sweet love story. Her books have all been engrossing and at times mind blowing. I highly recommend!!

I've read Kepens' other books and enjoyed them enough so I was eager to give her newest book a chance. She's definitely a good writer, and i appreciate the originality of that storyline. I just didn't love it. I also didn't hate it tho. It passed the time just fine, but I probably wouldn't go out recommending it to a whole bunch of people.

First and foremost: this book was something that I never anticipated (in a good way). I didn't read the blurb, I only gushed over the cover and knew that I really enjoyed Caroline's writing in her previous books so I just had to read this one. Providence was so much, all wrapped up into one book. I loved the multiple meanings it had, the metaphors, and the way Caroline created a human being like Jon. While I did rate this book three stars, it wasn't for anything negatively done on Caroline's part. It was simply because I was left unsettled and while I thought that was in a good way, maybe I was wrong. I think I wanted more answers than what we got. Which was none.

Like with Joe (in YOU), you can't help but to love and sympathize for Jon and Chloe. I didn't so much as connect to Eggs and Lo as I probably should have but the story did okay for me, even if I didn't much care for their POV. The best part though, is that Caroline's writing is so "in your face" and very distinguished and I love that about her because she creates characters who captivate you in ways that you haven't experienced before. i.e. Joe. I haven't experienced characters like Jon before and I was very much drawn to him and the struggles he was facing and the ways that he coped and handled them.

I really just struggled with the way the book ended. The way the last 15% of the book unfolded- I can't explain it and that is hard for me as a reader. This was the part where I felt unsettled. Like I was missing something and I wasn't included in the story line that was taking place. It felt like a "HA, I know something that you don't know".

Also- maybe if I was more educated in Lovecraft it would have helped me. But as I was reading Providence I feared that researching Lovecraft would give me spoilers and I didn't want that at all. I also have a really hard time classifying this as a thriller which is what I expected as I went in. I am most definitely curious of the other types of genres this could be classified as. Super-natural, maybe?

And it doesn't. There is always a reason and Providence showed the reason, or in Jon's case, reasons. And those reasons broke my own heart. His struggle through life, I really feel like I felt that and connected with it.

Caroline wrote so well that my pages kept turning and at some points I was holding my breath waiting to know what happened next. But something happened with me as I was reading. I wasn't disappointed, but I had a bunch of questions...you know, the usual ones. But why? And how? When did that happen and where? I really enjoyed the story line that took place but I also really sad that I can't say this was one of my favorites this year.

I must be really on a roll lately as very few books have grabbed me and made me want to read non stop. Unfortunately, this one didn't break that chain for me. Jon and Chloe are friends, the kind who are considered nerds by others, but they enjoy each other, so who cares what other people think.

Jon gets kidnapped and after being missing for years, wakes up with unusual powers. The rest of the book is about what these powers do and was not what I was hoping for, although I liked the writing style better than the content.

I have read good things about the author's other books and will give them a try.

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy in return for an honest review.

This was my first book by this author and I was actually really intrigued by the blurb. I was pleased, once I dove into it, that the writing style worked for me and it is clear that Ms. Kepnes is a fantastic storyteller. Unfortunately THIS story was a bit too much for me. I felt like it could have benefitted from some more editing. There was a lot going on, a lot of jumping around, and by halfway through the book I didn't feel connected to any of it. It was INTERESTING to read, but I didn't FEEL it. I was curious about what happened, but I didn't really care for any of the characters.

I saw another reviewer point out that this book will be polarizing - you'll either love it or you'll hate it and I could not agree more. There are definitely plenty of things to love here, but in the end the way it played out just didn't work for me. However, based on the writing style and the clear talent for storytelling, I would not hesitate to pick up another book from this author in the future.

Providence swirls around two childhood friends - shy, nerdy Jon and slightly older Chloe - whose lives are rocked when Jon is kidnapped and goes missing for years. When he reappears, we find out he has developed a supernatural condition that is fairly isolating. The book jumps between Jon, Chloe, and Eggs (a cop) as we follow the story of Jon's disappearance, reappearance, and his attempts to settle into post-kidnapped life with his new condition.

We don't get too many details of Jon's disappearance. And I think that could mislead some readers into expecting a supernatural thriller. Providence comes across (to me) as more of a slow burn love story. The book is not going to explain too many how's and why's but you do get a confident, satisfying conclusion.

I'm a huge fan of Caroline Kepnes. If you've never read her, I'd obviously point you in the direction of her other book, You. But her writing style reminds me of Alissa Nutting (I think both authors speak the way a white wine would - dry but refreshing).

I really loved the book You by Caroline Kepnes and although I have yet to read Hidden Bodies, I was excited when I saw Providence and read the synopsis. So the basic premise of this book is that we have two teenagers, Chloe and Jon, who are best friends, but also are in love with each other, although each is hesitant to tell the other about their feelings. Jon finally finds the courage to tell Chloe how he feels, but he is kidnapped by a substitute teacher who has an obsession with H.P. Lovecraft. When Jon finally is able to escape, he discovers he now has an uncontrollable power that endangers anyone he has intense feelings for, so he runs away to protect Chloe and find out some answers about his new powers. The story also jumps forward several years where we find Chloe dating someone who previously didn't treat Jon very well.

I must say that this wasn't really what I expected, even reading the synopsis before going into it. This book is certainly a mix of several different genres; mystery, suspense and it's also a love story. I did really enjoy Kepnes writing style and the way she really digs deep into characters and did remind me a bit of You. I think the reason I didn't enjoy it as much as I did her other book, was that I am not a very big fan of science fiction and the addition of that element into this story was a bit unexpected. Overall, I did enjoy this book, it's a very interesting plot and has some very interesting characters. I enjoy the author's writing style and her character development.

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an ARC of this book.

As I sit here I really don't want to write this review. I loved Caroline Kepnes previous novels and was truly counting down the days until her new book came out, so when I was approved for Providence I couldn't wait. Well, I'm sad to report I didn't like this one at all. The beginning was ok but after that everything went downhill. I didn't like the storyline and honestly, I felt this was just one odd read. I'm all for authors trying something new but this just left me scratching my head, I was confused and just couldn't see where she was trying to take this book. Sadly I wasn't a fan of this read.

AMAZING! I will read anything Caroline Kepnes writes. Pure genius, such a brilliant storyteller. I loved that it was so different from her other books, you can see such versatility in her work. Providence is exciting and crazy, such a crazy thrilling story.

I’m so sorry, but this was a hard book for me to finish. I never became invested in the characters, I never became invested in the plot ~ and the conclusion ~ not impressed.
This book was a little bit of everything, romance, thriller, mystery, and science fiction and I think the author tossed it all together and hoped it would mix well. It did not.
I would like to thank Net Galley, the publisher and the author for an Advanced Readers Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Jon

Chloe

A connection lost, then found again.  Providence, fate, the hand of God.  Spontaneous nosebleeds, instant healing, imagined things becoming real.  

I loved this author's You and Hidden Bodies.  This one, not so much, although I suspect aficionados of all things Lovecraftian will dig on it.  I have never read The Dunwich Horror and although I was more or less successful at cobbling things together from the context, the overall read probably suffered for my unfamiliarity with the book.

I pretty much devoured, "You," and, "Hidden Bodies," by Caroline Kepnes and count myself lucky that I discovered them when both book were already out. Isn't that the best feeling when you can binge read and have that immediate gratification? So when I saw on Netgalley that she had another book coming out, I clicked the request button immediately.

Then the panic hit. I had requested so fast that I hadn't even read what the book was about or what my fellow Goodreads reviewers were saying. I knew that it wasn't another Joe Goldberg book but it appeared that it was in a different vein completely. What if I didn't like it? What if I couldn't finish it? My what if's continued to pile up and I put, "Providence," on the back burner until the end of April when I was finally brave enough to take the plunge.

To be honest, I wasn't sure how I felt for the first part of the book and I think that was more me than the book itself. It was outside of my wheelhouse. A teenager is kidnapped and comes back years later with an insuppressible power and a Lovecraft book. A star crossed love story. A crusty detective and his long suffering wife. These are things that shouldn't add up and form an engaging story. Yet they magically do because halfway through the book, something clicked. I was invested and started to care.

The moral of the story is that change can be good. Read outside your comfort zone. Give an author a chance to do something new. How else will you find yourself with a tiny crush on a fictional Detective named Eggs?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with this review copy. I can't wait to see what Caroline Kepnes thinks up next.

Providence is not your typical kidnapping plot. It’s so much more. It’s a coming of age thriller with a sci-fi twist and a unique love story with a wonderful tribute to Lovecraft.

Many thanks to NetGalley & Penguin Random House for my ARC

3.5 stars

Providence was one of my most anticipated reads for 2018. The premise is intriguing: Jon and Chloe are besties as kids, then Jon gets abducted and reappears years later with unexplained "powers." Mysterious deaths begin to occur, first in their hometown, and later in two other cities. There's a local cop who just can't let go of trying to investigate the deaths.

Where Kepnes' previous work is riveting and intense, Providence is imbued with deep, deep sadness. Even as you're trying to figure out what happened to Jon, you know it almost doesn't matter. The book heavily references H.P. Lovecraft and his work, which ends up being somewhat alienating. Those who have read Lovecraft will probably have deeper insight, not to mention a more satisfying reading experience. Having not read Lovecraft, I felt like I was probably missing connections and clues all over the place.

That said, it's Chloe and Jon's connection and her life in the aftermath of his abduction and reappearance that really drew me into the story. I really expected to love Providence, and it's worth reading. I'm just bummed I can't say it's one of my top reads so far this year.