This book was interesting, it was a different type of book from what I've been reading. It's a love story, it's about bullying, it's a fantasy/sci-fi, it's a mystery. I liked it. I liked John, Chloe and I loved the cop Egg. I enjoyed everyone's story, their background, I was invested. It kept my interest, but to be honest, Caroline Kepnes' other books, You and Hidden Bodies, are hard to follow. I was a little disappointed. If this had been her first book I read, maybe I would have liked it more.

First sentence: I brung Pedro home for Thanksgiving break and tomorrow I have to bring him back to school.

Last sentence: Chloe.

Random House and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Providence. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Jon and Chloe were inseparable, sharing much of their lives both inside and outside of school. When a horrific situation tears the pair apart, Chloe has no choice but to move forward with her life. Four years later, will Jon and Chloe find themselves again? Has Jon been forever changed from his experience?

I wanted to like Providence, as the novel contained a little unnatural twist that made the plot interesting. However, I was not a fan of the writing style and I had no connection to either of the main characters. The story was wholly unbelievable and just did not grab my attention. For these reasons, I would be hesitant to recommend Providence to other readers.

This was a great book. The character development was fantastic, and I loved the ending ;) I will definitely be reading more of Caroline Kepnes in the future--you have a devoted fan!

The first two books by this author, You and Hidden Bodies, were 4 star reads for me, and I thought them clever and sort of fun. This book started out strong, has a good cover, and then instead of fun became just silly.

Childhood pals Jon and Chloe are devastated when tragedy strikes -- Jon is kidnapped by a substitute teacher, held in a basement in an induced coma for four years, and then set free as an experiment of the sub teacher. The experiment somehow gave Jon super powers which I won't go into, and I wish the author hadn't either. There is also a good chunk of pages devoted to H.P. Lovecraft books and Lovecraft devotees. I didn't know who he was before so had to look him up. Monsters. Imaginary places and made-up words no one can pronounce. No thanks.

By the end, the number of times that Chloe and Jon almost met up, or were in the same place without seeing it, or dialed each other and then hung up -- it became repetitive, drawn out and silly. A disappointment to me. I know Kepnes can write, though. The chapters told by the detective were really quite good. Maybe he should have a book of his own

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

I wanted to like this. The sci-fi aspect of this was super interesting but it is LITERALLY never really discussed or explained. It would have been 1000 times better if it was discussed at all or given any background on how and why he gets his powers. The romance aspect was ridiculous. We get such a small look at the friendship between Chloe and Jon at the beginning that when he disappears FOR YEARS their connection seems weird and obsessive for no reason other than they understood each other when they were children. I mean this book spans a decade or so and we barely see them interact with each other so the romance seemed super unrealistic. Lastly, after 300 odd pages NOTHING happens. It's the same mundane things and pining after one another from afar over and over again and had zero story lines other than waiting for something to happen. And it never does. Also the other storyline going on was also super confusing and tiresome. Overall, I have found I am just not a fan of Kepnes' writing.
I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was not a big fan of You. I read this book after it was a contender onJimmy Falons summer read. I ended up really enjoy Providence. Love story with a twist mystery with an even bigger twist.

Unfortunately I didn’t really love this book. I found it very hard to follow the timeline of this. The whole story moves very slowly for me.

I requested this book because I loved the previous books I've read by the author and I was so happy that it was a similar creepy, suspicious, dangerous style. Our main character had a little bit of magic going on in his life that was not so fun for him and dangerous for those around him. He became a behind the scenes aspect of everyone he cared abouts' life because he was scared to let his magic hurt them. The addition of a detective working on trying to figure out if this magic was real was a great part of the plot. Overall, the book made me feel uncomfortable in the best way possible, urging me to keep reading and recommending to everyone I know.

2.5 Stars

I loved You by Kepnes and I went into this thinking it would be more of the same creepy, fantastic type story. Providence, however, isn't so much a thriller as it is a sci-fi, horror mash. While there were parts I enjoyed, I didn't like it nearly as much as I thought I would. Still, Kepnes is a strong writer and I look forward to see what she comes up with next.

I think the most telling thing I can say about Caroline Kepnes' work is this: three months ago I hadn't heard of her.. As of today, I've read each of her three novels--and read one of them twice (<i>You</i>).
And they are equally exceptional. I was about to write, "Each one is better than the last," but that's not true at all. They are all phenomenal.
<i>Providence</i> may be my favorite so far. At its core, it's a love story--not something I would consider to be right up my alley--but the backstories and the genre-bending inclusion of sci-fi, supernatural, and even horror elements make the love story almost, but not quite, secondary to the work as a whole.
There are deep senses of despair, redemption, and salvation that recur throughout the book and the roller coaster ride this gives the reader almost forces page-turning, one-sitting reading. Yeah, you can put it down if you just can't keep your eyes open any longer at night, but you're going to want to pick it right back up when you awaken the next morning because the story doesn't leave you when you put the book down. No normal person could possibly say, "Well, I've read a few chapters and I don't care what happens next." This book sucks you in and holds on to you until you finish it.
And even then, Jon and Chloe won't leave your thoughts. They'll hang with you for days.
Easily one of the bests novels I've read this year...perhaps in 5 years. Maybe 10. Possibly more.

Going into this book I didn't want to read the description because I didn't want to spoil any of the plotlines. I was just so excited to be reading another Caroline Kepnes novel. I've read her previous novels and absolutely loved them. They are some of my favorite books of all time so I had high expectations going into this one. Right off the bat, I was excited, there is something about Caroline Kepnes' writing of characters that make me get really invested even when nothing is happening. I think that's why I love her novels. The more I read of this book the more strange the story became which seems to be a theme of Kepnes' novels. She keeps changing her writing style which is really great which makes it exciting to see what things she will come up with next. While this isn't my favorite novel of hers it was a really great ride. It was strange and different than anything I've read recently. That's why it gets four out of five stars.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of PROVIDENCE in exchange for an honest review.

When Chloe's best friend Jon goes missing she struggles to move on with her life, but when he returns unexpectedly after many years, he is not quite the same. What hasn't changed is their love for each other. Will it be enough?

I went into this one super excited. Kepnes has never disappointed before, so I was expecting the same. Lets say I was not disappointed, but I was not as enthused as I had hoped either. It had a really strong beginning, and then I felt like the middle of the book slowed down a bit and became a bit muddled and far fetched. I felt like there were some loose ends that didn't ever get cleared up. I ended up really enjoying the ending as well, but for me this was not a home run.

Love, action, mystery and suspense were all encompassed in this book. It did cover the range of emotions, and I read it in one sitting on an airplane across the country. Was it my favorite of hers? No, but it was entertaining and I would say its worth a read if you are a Kepnes fan.

I really enjoyed Providence. It’s the first book by Kepnes that I’ve read (even though You is sitting on my bookshelf). It caught my attention from the start and was really difficult to put down. It doesn’t fit into the mold of one specific genre. It had a psychological feel to it with thriller, mystery, and paranormal aspects, too. The characters felt really tangible and my heart broke for all three of our main characters throughout the book.

In Providence we can get the viewpoints of 3 different characters; Jon, Chloe, and Eggs. I always love when we get more than one point of view in a book as it helps me understand and get into the mind of each character better. It also gives me a better understanding of their actions and intentions which help me connect with them more.

At the beginning, I was a little worried because Jon came off, well, a bit strange to be honest. I was afraid I wasn’t going to like him. However, once he was set free after being kidnapped, he was so likable and my heart just kept breaking for him. I hated that he felt that he had to deal with everything alone.

Chloe is a super complicated character. I honestly couldn’t understand some of her actions. She frustrated me so much at certain points. Sometimes I loved her and sometimes I hated her. She made a lot of decisions I didn’t agree with, but her flawed character made her more realistic too.

Let’s talk Eggs and Lo for a second here because I have a big ol’ crush on these two. I wish Kepnes would write an entire series just on Eggs and Lo. Their relationship was written so realistically. They had gone through a lot of tribulations throughout their relationship and it was far from perfect, but at the end of the day they loved each other and were committed to one another.

I don’t read a lot of thriller or mystery books, because I tend to get creeped out easily. Providence definitely creeped me out. I actually had to have a buffer book between it and when I went to bed because I was so creeped out at times – especially throughout the beginning of the book.

This book could have ended a few different ways; overly perfect, devastating, or realistic. I’m happy to report that it ended, at least in my opinion, very realistically. Even though I felt sad for these characters throughout reading, I’m satisfied with how it ended. It ended on a sense of hopefulness, which I’m so grateful for, because it so easily could have ended in despair and doom.

Highly recommend.

This started out strong but dragged mid-way through. The central mystery is never resolved. There is so much repetition with the Chloe and Jon chapters.

A strange, surreal novel that fits the description of a toddler wrapped in an enigma , this slightly supernatural title left this reader on edge all the way thru...a tension that stayed with me even after I finished it. It's one of those love it or leave it titles, but you'll be sorry if you don't read it to the last page...no spoilers here!

This unusual title has elements of romance, suspense, and horror. A young teen's boyfriend disappears; he returns years later with unusual supernatural (fatal) powers. He can't explain where he's been or how or why he's changed, but when he becomes angry or unusually aroused, his heart beats so quickly and strongly that it causes a heart attack in the person he's interacting with. Naturally he needs to avoid his old girlfriend; naturally she doesn't understand why! In the vein of early Stephen King novels; this book will appeal to a broad audience.

In Providence, Caroline Kepnes strays from her usual style seen in her previous novels, You and Hidden Bodies,
psychological thrillers with a distinctly disturbing tinge. Kepnes' new work delves in the genre of the fantastic, deeply inspired by the works of HP Lovecraft. The story begins with childhood friends Jon and Chloe, who have a connection that no one understands, least of all the bullies that harass Jon relentlessly or Chloe's friends that see Jon as a freak and unworthy of Chloe's attentions.
But one day Jon disappears, leaving Chloe bereft and brokenhearted. She attempts to move on, dating going out with friends, and falling in love, even if the object of her affections is one of Jon's cruelest tormentors.
Four years later, and just before graduation, Jon returns, awakening mixed emotions in the small New Hampshire town where they live. Some are relieved he's a live, others wish he'd never returned. For Chloe, it means upending everything she now has and getting to know Jon all over again.
Jon however, is changed. He now has powers he doesn't know how to grapple with, and to protect Chloe from this things he doesn't understand, runs away, leaving Chloe once again the dark.
The story then propels to the present, with Jon and Chloe separated but never far apart, their lives mixing with that of a veteran detective who follows a string of murders right to their doorstep.
Providence may not appeal to fans of other Kepnes' novels, but it's certainly worth stepping outside the comfort zone.

4 stars.*

As a huge fan of Caroline Kepnes previous two books (You and Hidden Bodies) I was thrilled to receive a digital ARC of Providence.

I had read reviews that ran the gamut from people unable to finish and people that were blown away. I was prepared for it to be completely different from her previous works, but wasn't sure what to expect.

Providence is the story of 14-year olds Jon & Chloe. Jon is a misfit: an awkward kid who doesn't seem to fit in at all, and Chloe his cool, popular friend who can't quite save him from his social awkwardness. And then Jon goes missing before school one day. Chloe and Jon's parents are the only people in town that really keep looking for him. Four years later, he re-appears- physically changed with absolutely no memory of the four years and no idea how he went from scrawny and wimpy to giant and "jacked".

Jon quickly realizes that something else has changed in him-he accidentally hurts people he feels too strongly about.

And then it is the story of Jon hiding out, Chloe searching for him....and the detective Charles "Eggs" DeBenedictus and his wife Lo, as he embarks upon a seemingly impossible mission to find Jon.

The supernatural aspect of this book would normally be enough to put me off, but Kepnes keeps you engaged in the tale by making Jon, Chloe, Eggs & Lo completely human and engaging.

I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it, with the caveat that it is NOTHING like the Joe Goldberg stories. Nonetheless, a really well-written and uniquely conceived tale.

* With thanks to netgalley for the Digital ARC received in exchange for an honest review

I was originally drawn to this book by the title. I graduated from Brown University (many years before the author!) and thought it would be interesting to see if I recognized any of the locations. Thayer Street does get a mention, but the city as the birthplace of horror writer H. P. Lovecraft is more important than any geographic landmarks.
The story begins with Jon and Chloe, high school friends and potential soul mates, whose future is destroyed when Jon is kidnapped. Four years later Jon is returned seemingly unchanged but with no memory of what has happened to him. It doesn't take long for him to realize that, in fact, fundamental changes make him a danger to be around, especially to people he loves. The chapters of this story alternate between the perspectives of Jon and Chloe as well as that of a conflicted police man single-mindedly trying to find a serial killer.
The ick factor in this story was much too high for me. Jon and Chloe were so love sick that the chapters became repetitive and annoying. Eggie, the detective on a mission, had so many issues, emotional, psychological and physical, that every time the story shifted to his perspective, I cringed. How many ways could he disappoint his wife and screw up his life?
By the end of the book I was glad to see the last of this trio. Although the author made the work of H. P. Lovecraft central to the story, I had no desire to read the work that supposedly inspired the tragedy.

After reading and LOVING Caroline Kepnes’ You, I was extremely excited for Providence.

It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. There was a sci fi element to it that was very different from You and Hidden Bodies. But I like it when authors explore new genres, areas, themes, etc.

The main character of this book is the definition of a tragic hero. It reminded me somewhat of Captain America’s story in that he was a weak little guy in love with a beautiful girl. And all he wanted was to be bigger and better. Until he got it... and that’s where the stories diverge.

Jon is, against his will, genetically altered to become a very powerful human being. The problem is, he doesn’t know how to control it, and he can’t find the man who did this to him.

The story takes through the years as we watch Jon struggle to fight his power and Chloe, the girl he loves, struggle to find him again.