There was so much hype about this book and the cover...I love it! However I could not keep up with the time jumps man! It was confusing and I could not stay focused. Truth be told, it took me a long time to finish this book. There were hints of a supernatural vibe which I'm not keen on. Maybe Kepnes's next book I'll like better :)

Caroline Kepnes is one of my favorite authors, given my love for her books “You” and “Hidden Bodies.” Providence, however, strays from the types of characters and storyline used in her series previously mentioned. Perhaps that is why I had such difficulty sinking in. Perhaps because it is listed as a coming-of-age story, which I usually avoid. However, if you enjoy younger characters and a bit of the paranormal, then give this book a read. Kepnes is a talented voice, no matter the genre.

DNF @ 10%

It is rather odd to me that I couldn't get into this story as I had really wanted to read it and thought I would love it. It was such a unique premise from an imaginative writer, but sadly it just wasn't for me. I couldn't get my attention to hold onto it and found myself placing it down many times. I took some time away from it, hoping it was a me thing in being in the wrong headspace for a story like this, but even now I'm still running into the same issues. I know many others will fully enjoy it and I wish I could've been one of those, but it's a story I'm going to have to let go of.

Intriguing, but unfulfilling. The secondary narratives drag on for far too long and with no definitive viewpoint. Jon is the only interesting character; powerful man child nee basement boy, but Providence has no closure it is just one continuous, tedious nightmare that Jon can't escape. Normally, the truth will set things free, but not here. Jon becomes trapped by unspoken truth. Providence is sad and not the thought-provoking kind either. In fact, you may question what was the point of it all? It's not even an irritant for wasted time - it's just an empty void.

I absolutely loved You and Hidden Bodies so maybe Providence had an unfair disadvantage. I wanted Providence to offer the same page-turning twisted deliciousness that made me adore Kepnes's early work. Instead, I got weird sci-fi and a love story I didn't much care about.

DNF at 50%
There is a first time for everything, right? I am giving a book a did not finish two stars (instead of 1).

While Providence is not for me, I believe that any moderate to large H.P. Lovecraft fans will likely love it. Additionally there may be some literary fans that will also enjoy Providence. For me it was really simple; I just didn't care about any of our characters. The first 1/3 of the book was great! I loved the teenagers perspective with Chloe and Jon. And I was stoked when a huge bombshell event happens... yet I was severely disappointed that the next page after said bombshell the book jumps forward 6 years!! It felt too abrupt and took away from my interest and the pacing that had been established.
Additionally I do not like the detective character who is introduced in the 6 years section. He is dull, obsessive in a creepy way and frankly a pretty crappy husband. I do not really enjoy reading contemporary settings where the husbands treat their wives like background noise or with a nonchalant attitude. This may be a reflection of my own fear that my (now 10 year) marriage is at risk of this (as are almost all marriages after a certain period of time); but for whatever reason I am just not interested in these stories.

Overall I think there is probably some genius buried here in the Lovecraft references and story arc of the characters. I am happy that this book had me read my first Lovecraft short story "The Dunwick Horror" which is reference a multitude of times in the first half of the book. So I suppose 2 stars for sending me to classic literature (which I did enjoy) and because I do believe there is an audience for this book, it's just not me.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Providence was a book written for HP Lovecraft fans, forcing myself, not a fan or reader of his work, to constantly feel left out and like I was missing a larger part of the story. The novel was intriguing, though I ultimately found my level of enjoying the novel constantly shifting based on that current narrator. They were able to tell their own stories, but I simply could not bring myself to enjoy certain chapters, causing the book to be difficult to read as a whole.

I loved Kepnes’ previous novels, “You” and “Hidden Bodies”, so I was psyched to find out she wrote another book. “Providence” is very different from her other two books I read. There is a bit of “thrill” to it for some readers, but nothing like the twisted voyeristic approach to a psychological thriller that drew me to her other books.

A middle school aged boy, Jon, goes missing on his way to school. The boy was a scrawny loner, bullied by some of his classmates. He is missing for a few years before he returns. He remembers nothing other than who is obductor was and that he left him with a note and annotated copy of an H.P. lovecraft book. Jon soon discovers that when he is around living things, they go into cardiac arrest. The story follows Jon, his childhood crush Chloe and a detective following the mysterious deaths. It was an interesting read, but not as engaging as Kepnes’s previous books. Maybe if I read Lovecraft I would have enjoyed it more?

I really liked the concept of this book, very different from her other books but in a familiar voice.

YOU was just not for me, but I'm glad I gave Kepnes another shot with PROVIDENCE. I really enjoyed this thriller/mystery. It managed to keep me guessing, and took a different turn than what I was used to. Typically it's damsel in distress, but in this scenario, it was nice to see that change from female to male. I would recommend this to both fans of YOU and those that maybe didn't find it to be their favorite. Good read!

From the author who brought one of my favorite stalker books: YOU & Hidden Bodies. This new book takes quite a digression from the stalker genre and gives us a unique love story with a supernatural touch. This shows Caroline Kepnes has broad talent. I may not have loved how the story wrapped up but the characters she creates are wonderful, especially Eggie!

Thank you Netgalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

Not many people can get a psychological thriller right, sometimes they mess up in the end and sometimes itshard to simply dive into it. But Cristina did a pretty good job at easing the reader into the story and slayeddd the ending! i would recommend it during a short trip or something

So I was a little skeptical picking this book up. I read YOU by Caroline Kepnes last year and I was in the minority with it. I ended up not really liking it. I wanted to give her another chance though. So when I saw this book I knew I had to check it out. I ended up reading people's reviews for this and saw it was pretty mixed. I decided I was still going to give it a chance. I am sad to say I didn't enjoy as I thought I would.

So this story is about this kid named Jon and his best friend Chloe. Nobody gets them like they do. Sadly one day Jon ends up missing and Chloe is left continue her life on her own. Then a couple of years later Jon returns. He isn't the same person he once was. He has these powers that he doesn't really understand and know how to control. After a tragic event with one of Chloe's friends, Jon ends up running away. However there is this constant searching for each other for the rest of the story. Somethings happen that are caused by Jon's power and this detective decides to investigate. He believes these things are all connected so he goes on the hunt for Jon. So the story turns into being about these three different characters.

I do have to say this book started off very strong. I really was invested in the story. I wanted to know more about what happened when Jon was kidnapped. Yes you hear about it throughout the book but I really wish the story went into more detail about it. I wish we got to read about the time while Jon was kidnapped then go to the future when Jon reappears. While Jon is kidnapped we get Chloe's perspective which is her trying to fit in and live her life without Jon. It was nice learning more about her and finding out who she is as a character but after reading it for a bit I needed more. Plus I feel the later part in the book kinda turns into this sort of like romance story. It's the two of them searching for each other. It just got so boring after a while. I did like that Caroline added the detective character. We learn his backstory and read about him trying to find Jon. That was a nice enjoyable chase. It ended up taking away from the other chapters I was starting to grow less interested in.

I do like that Caroline made each chapter a different perspective. I always find it interesting learning each character's thoughts. I like seeing what they are thinking and then how they act to what is going on around them. There would be times when one character would end up seeing the other character. So the one character's chapter would end and a chapter from the other character would start. So you got to know what was going on in both of their heads. Plus if you listen to this on audiobook, each character is voiced by a different character. I always enjoy when audiobooks do little details like that. I don't mind listening to audiobooks with just one narrator but it really adds to the story. Plus sometimes when books have multiple perspectives it can get confusing so it's easy to tell whose talking.

Overall I thought this was an okay book. I feel it had a lot of potential to be really good. There were just a couple things missing that I would have loved to seen touched on more. I also wish the romance aspect wasn't such a big storyline. I understand it in the beginning but by the middle of the book I was over it and really didn't care for it. I don't know if I'll pick up another book by her. I might if it really sounds interesting to me.

*I just want to thank Netgalley for providing me with a free copy for my honest opinion. Thank you*

This book was a tough one for me. Judging by the premise, I expected a dramatic departure from You (which I loved) and that was fine. I like supernatural and science fiction, so I was fine with that. I was really into this book in the beginning. Jon and Chloe are great friends. Chloe is Jon's only friend and he has to deal with a bully. Jon gets kidnapped for four years and Chloe seems to be the only one (besides his parents) that even care. When Jon returns, he is changed and isn't sure why or how it happened. All he knows is that when he comes into contact with people, especially people he cares about, they get sick and their heart just stops. The fact that he wants to reunite with Chloe so badly, but can't, made for a great story. I just wanted them to be together.

I guess the problem I had with the book was that it started dragging after Jon left town. There were several time jumps and Chloe was so obsessed with why Jon left and with trying to find him and trying to look for him everywhere he looked. But there was never any kind of explanation for why Jon was the way he was and the guy who kidnapped him just disappeared and not that much attention was paid to him. I think some of the best chapters of the book belonged to Eggs, the detective who had a gut instinct that something was suspicious with seemingly healthy people dropping dead of a heart attack. I liked reading about his relationship with his wife, Lo and it was suspenseful to see how close he was getting to solving the mystery of who was behind the deaths. His marriage was interesting and I loved reading about it, especially since it was not a perfect marriage and he let his obsession with the deaths affect his marriage and his job.

I just felt that the book moved so slowly and there was so much will they or won't they suspense. I also agree with another commenter that the author didn't seem to know what this story was. Was it romance? Mystery? Science fiction? I thought there was too much of all of those things so things kind of got lost and honestly, I felt myself growing a bit bored. I still think Kepnes is a great writer, but this one just wasn't for me.

I was excited to read this as it was touted as a romance, thriller, supernatural, detective story. That is saying a lot or good stuff. It just didn't live up to the hype for me. I wish that it did. The characters were ok. the back and forth was ok. I just all around wanted more. I think this needs an additional book to wrap up some answers and move things along. Providence is a mystery thriller with a supernatural element, but it is lacking in my opinion. I just wanted more.


Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

Let's get this out of the way: I loved YOU and HIDDEN BODIES, and this is a whole different thing.
And that said: I really liked it.
Some knowledge of Lovecraft might help here (but there's enough detail in the novel so that you won't be left behind if you aren't a Lovecraftian). PROVIDENCE has the impossible love-story and the dear-God-what-do-I-do-with-this-horrendous-power horror and two characters you want to root for despite the odds.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

DNF @ 35%...

I loved You by this author. LOVED IT! Was sooo hooked. This one not so much. Providence is very, very different from You. I wish I had known how different before I had requested it. I thought I was getting another Psychological thriller, and maybe somewhere in this book it held that aspect, but not in the parts I read. It was more paranormal like. Plus, by the time I walked away I felt like I should have been a good chunk of the way through. Nope. It dragged on and none of it was interesting enough to hold my attention.

Thank you for the opportunity but this one was definitely not my cuppa. And if you are looking for something similar to this author's book You, I would suggest skipping this.

I loved the You duology and I was super excited to check out her new book because it takes places where I live, in Providence. And even though this is a very different book, I was not disappointed. Kepnes really knows how to write an engaging book with complex characters.

What I loved about this book is that it's not your typical mystery or thriller. Yes, there are elements of that here. Kepnes writes a story that has you wondering and questioning from beginning to end. She does a great job of establishing a cat and mouse narrative where you root for both of them to succeed which adds a lot to the drama and adventure. But there was more too it then that. There is kind of a science fiction/horror element here. It's inspired by an H.P. Lovecraft story so that should give you some indication of what we are working with. And Kepnes did a great job of weaving the two together to craft an engaging and interesting story.

The book alternates perspectives between Jon, Chloe, and Eggs. This is kind of hit or miss for me but here it worked. The first half of the book is just Chloe and Jon. When Jon gets kidnapped Chloe, his best friend, is pining for him. It's a sweet story of friendship and seeing both perspectives you want them to reunite. But the really interesting part is when Eggs joins the narrative. There is a lot of mistaken intentions and misunderstandings that make the book full of conflict and drama. But I also think this was aided by the fact that for most of the book I listened to the audiobook and each character had a different narrator. They all did a really good job. I picked up the audio because Jon is narrated by MacLeod Andrews who I love, but I also really enjoyed the narrator for Eggs. He had the perfect Rhode Island accent. It wasn't too over the top and I loved that. Plus he has narrated some Lovecraft which was extra cool.

Kepnes also did a great job with establishing the characters. I loved in You how she was able to get you to sympathize with a serial killer, and in this book she gets you to sympathize with two different people who are on opposite ends of the conflict. It's not hard to sympathize with Jon. He was kidnapped and the backlash from what happened to him has crazy consequences. It was cool seeing him grow and develop throughout the book and become a little bit more grey in what he was doing morally. Eggs however lives in the grey. These are the types of characters who are doing the wrong thing for the right reasons or the right things for the wrong reasons. But either way, those are the kinds of characters that I love reading about.

I also really appreciated the setting of this book. As I said before, I live in Providence and I was a little nervous that this book wouldn't capture the city that I love but I think that it didn't. The entire book didn't take place in Providence, but the part in the city was great. There were landmarks that I recognized and she captured what it is like living in a college town (they are sometimes as annoying as she let on). Kepnes must be familiar with the city or she did her research. Either way I really appreciated that. Her books are usually show a lot of affection for New England and I appreciated that.

On the whole this was a really good read. It didn't blow me away like You and Hidden Bodies did but it still struck a cord emotionally. It had a lot of conflict and an engaging plot, great characters, and a setting that I really enjoyed.

This isn't exactly an edge of your seat kind of read, but it's definitely interesting. It's more like floating down a scenic lazy river than an exciting trip through rapids. Yes, it's a mystery with an odd, yet cool, supernatural aspect, but it's also a love story in that somewhat offbeat way Caroline does so well.

YA angsty teenage love is something I don’t enjoy in my books and unfortunately that was a major theme. The characters were well-developed, the story arc just didn’t work for me, as romance, especially teenage romance, is not a genre I enjoy. When the story took a mystical and sci-fi turn it, I found my interest flagging further. H.P Lovecraft's works plays a strong part in the story, but I'm not familiar with it at all. 

I loved the author’s previous two books, but this one did not interest me at all. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. Because I feel I was the wrong reader for this book, I am not going to leave an unfavorable review on social media.