Let’s just start this off by cutting to the chase, hmm? Caroline Kepnes’ newest release, Providence, is one of the most beautiful stories I’ve read in, well… a long, long time. Actually, one of, in ever.

Yeah, I know… way to build up the suspense and make sure everyone reads to the end of the review, GlamKitty. Well, so be it. I mean, how often does anyone heap that sort of praise on a detective-slash-coming-of-age-slash-supernatural-slash-horror tale (that’s also a love story)? Pretty much never.

But okay, since you don’t want to just take my word for it, let’s peel a layer off the onion and get a taste of Providence...
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Jon is a nice kid. He brings the mouse from one of his classes home from school over the holidays to care for it. He’s kind, funny, quiet and… okay, a little “different” from other kids his age (but especially the other boys, who pick on and bully him mercilessly).

Chloe is Jon’s only friend, and is all of those things, as well… but she manages to straddle the fence between the “cool” kids, Jon, and, everyone else. No one understands why she’s friends with Jon, but they don’t shun her because of it, either.

When Jon disappears on his way to school one morning, it's nothing more than a momentarily-interesting blip in the lives of everyone in the small New England town— save Jon’s parents, who’re going out of their minds missing their only child, and Chloe.

A few years pass… and then one day, out of the blue, Jon reappears, with a crazy story. (I won’t spoil the details, but suffice it to say he was taken--by someone who had a very specific plan for him in mind--but he can’t remember any of it.)

Here's the catch: Jon doesn’t come back as the Jon everyone remembers—the small, weak boy who was such a ready target for the bullies. This is the New, Improved version—a strapping, handsome young man and… something else, besides.

Again, it’s up to you to read the story to discover what “else” there is, but trust me, you’ll want to… because the unraveling of that mystery (by Jon, by Chloe, and by a detective known as “Eggs” who just can’t let it go)—and, more importantly, the quest by Jon to undo the big “it”—is at the heart of this entire tale.

There’s only everything Jon (unwillingly) left behind, to try and recapture… but the most important, by far, being the heart of his one-and-only best friend.
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As with her previous books (You, briefly reviewed here, and Hidden Bodies, reviewed here), I'm left feeling sort of stunned; Kepnes is a virtuoso at putting you right in the middle of her main characters’ thoughts, so that you feel what they feel, and are left with no doubt as to the motivations for any of their actions. (It would seem like something every author should do well… but after reading Kepnes, I realize a great many authors fall far short of it, in actuality.)

She also has quite a knack for giving a great feeling of place—and, particularly in Providence, deftly portrays the whole twisted mess of emotions involved in “going back home”.

Literate (as well as literary, with references to Lovecraft woven throughout), sad, hopeful, real, suspenseful, heartfelt, and… yes, utterly, heartwrenchingly beautiful, in the end. I dare you to read Providence and not care about Jon, Chloe, and Eggs… and I dare you not to get at least a little misty-eyed.

Providence is an incredible read, and I went in blind not knowing what to expect. This book far surpassed my expectations. I started reading it and did not want to put it down, it was that engrossing.

It would be hard to say what category this book falls into, however here are a few categories this book fell into; a love story between two young adults, named Chloe and Jon. In fact I would venture to say soulmates, it is also paranormal in a way, as well as a fantastic science fiction as well. A horrific thing happens to Jon and he disappears for four years. Chloe loves him and she keeps the faith that somehow he will make it back home. Jon is kidnapped by one of their school's substitute teachers, who somehow changes his life into something different, something dreadful that no one can or will ever understand.

Once Jon gets home he spends hours on the phone talking to Chloe-he is afraid he will hurt her with his new 'abilities'. After prom and high school graduation he disappears under a cloud of suspicion after one of Chloe's friends ends up with a heart attack at the age of 17.

Although Chloe doesn't see Jon for years, she still carries a torch for their unrequited love. Jon is looking for the man who changed him so he can see if the man can change him back. However he can't find him.

Young people keep dying and no one knows why. with the exception of a police officer name Egg who tries to find Jon, the man only known by wearing a beard, and a hat that states "I Am Providence'.

There are so many twists and turns, and never a dull point in this novel. I do not want to say anything else, except that this was a great read and now I need to read her first two books, You, and Hidden Bodies! I gave this book 5***** stars and look forward to more by Caroline Kepnes!

Caroline Kepnes is an auto buy author for me these days. If i am unlucky to get my hands onto an arc, i like to order the new book as soon as possible so that I have it on release day. If you like thrillers and fun suspense with a little bit of snarky sass from the characters, Kepnes is your author.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC of Providence by Caroline Kepnes.

This was a DNF for me. It had me hooked immediately, but there was a really oppressive wet-blanket feeling to it. I felt like the characters were vapid, and I couldn't buy into the depth of their relationship.

I LOVED this book from page 1!! I wish I had the time to go back and read it again!! I don't say that often with thrillers, but Caroline's writing was just that amazing. This story was incredible - her timelines and character pov's were absolutely perfect to add to the intensity of the storyline.

This book is absolutely amazing! I'll be writing a full review on Ink Heist soon and will update here when I do but don't wait for it. Get this book now!

If you loved other books by Caroline Kepnes, you must read this one. And if you've never read any of her work, this one's a great place to start.
Jon and Chloe are very different, but they share an unbreakable bond. Best friends during childhood, that bond is almost broken when Jon is abducted. Chloe is devastated at first but is eventually able to move on and form some sort of a normal life. But then Jon returns. Although four long years have passed, that bond is still there. Jon's different, though. Not only in appearance, but in something deeper. He now possesses a terrifying power, the power to hurt people with just a look. And it's not something he can fully control. So he runs as far away as he can, hoping to keep Chloe and his family safe.
While he's on the run, he's also looking for answers. What happened during those four lost years? Because he doesn't remember anything, only being taken and then waking up years later. The secret to this power he doesn't want lies with his abductor, if he can find him.
This book is very much like the author's previous books while at the same time being very different. It has that same element of suspense, that thread of obsession running through it. But it veers off that familiar course into sci fi territory although not so far off the path that the main story is lost. A great one for summer!

Wow! This was my first Caroline Kepnes book and let me tell you - it will NOT be my last! I loved this book, I flew through it and did not want it to end, and what a fun and unique story! I'm a HUGE Stranger Things fan, and this reminded me a bit of that - part sci-fi/fantasy/horror, but also part mystery/detective thriller - so many things I love all mixed in to one really clever tale. In the end, it's really a fun journey across time between two star crossed lovers - desperate to be together in a masterfully crafted journey of horrible circumstances that may forever keep them apart.

You get sucked in right away... Jon and Chloe are high school teens, the best of friends, and you assume, in time, they'll be together forever as you can see how much they love one another. Then, one morning Jon gets kidnapped and everything changes. Something happened to him and we might never be able to see if him and Chloe will that next step and spend their lives together. The things that have happened to him, may keep them apart forever.

The coming-of-age part is really interesting here, because Jon misses so much he's forced to grow up when his body has already done so. And the duality of good vs. evil comes into play a lot - and what a struggle it is to keep the two separate, when their pull is almost beyond control. We also follow the story of Eggs, who is a pretty darn smart detective, obsessed with a case that haunts him. And we follow his own life, his struggle with family, and how he tries to put the pieces of his own life back together while it falls apart around him - as he tries to solve a really strange mystery.

There is a lot of HP Lovecraft reference in this book, including a yearly Lovecraft convention (he was from Providence). I've heard him referenced in several novels before but have never actually read his work. I think I just might have to check it out now. BUT it did not hinder the story at all if you aren't familiar with his work. I am not familiar, and I loved every minute of the book!

This book was so much fun - a bit peculiar in parts but seriously, a fun ride from start to finish. Thanks to NetGalley and Caroline Kepnes and Random House Publishing Group for the advanced copy to review.

Unite science fiction, missing person mystery, and love story and you have Providence, a novel by Caroline Kepnes.
Job, a middle schooler, vanished on his way to school. Four years later, he reappears only now as a bigger, healthier, stronger specimen. There are inexplicable consequences of Jon’s missing four years.
Chloe, Jon’s best friend/soul mate is pleased when Jon reappears but changes have also occurred in her life over the four years.
The interactions of Jon and Chloe are the backbone of this novel. They have a deep symbiotic relationship.
Add in an aging police officer with issues, an ex boyfriend and the abducter and you have a story that keeps you guessing but always hoping for the best.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley. This did not effect my review of this book.
#netgalley #providence

My first Caroline Kepnes book, although her writings hold many spaces on my To Be Read Shelf. 'Providence' begins pretty amazing. We begin the book in Jon's head. He has not grown into himself yet. Jon is excited about life. He is awkward, smart, regurgitating random facts he reads about and most importantly adored tenderly by his neighbor and best friend, Chloe. Jon one day is abducted. Chloe desperately holds vigil, awaiting his return and falling apart in the process.

Chloe and Jon's connection is very strong. It is clear they care about each other above anything else. This connection drives the entire read. Sounds perfect right? Well yes an no. This isn't entirely accurate. What essentially pushes the plot along is how 'Providence' commits to a paranormal, perhaps sci-fi element. It remains frustratingly unclear and weakly explained how Jon has changed once he escapes from his abduction. I suppose if I try to think this out rationally it somehow can be explained as a scientific change. The nuts and bolts of it all seem elusive. What is oddly important however is a fandom connection to H.P Lovecroft, a writer of dark fantasy, horror fiction. From the early 1900's. In his writings lies the answers to this thriller with no real teeth or closure. I can frankly confess, I am neither a reader nor a fan of Lovecroft's work and in full disclosure had to Google him.

Herein lies where the novel loses me. What makes a paranormal or sci-fi work for me is the unfolding of how and why this has happened to the changed protagonist. Essentially this author gives us a constant footnote saying, 'see H.P Lovecroft's most popular works of fiction to understand what the heck is going on'. I was bemused.

What I loved is the detective element with the Colombo inspired character Eggs. His smarts, his listening to his gut, and his wife Lo elevate the story. I enjoyed their interaction and was pulled into Eggs figuring this all out. Eggs and Lo redeemed what was lost in the Lovecroft conundrum with well needed overshadowing of Jon and Chloe's frustrating relationship.

Sadly, I had to DNF this book at 60%. I wanted so badly to like it, and I was sucked in at the beginning, but once the *strange things* started to happen, the story got so convoluted that it was a bit much for me. It just stopped grabbing my attention, and since it didn't hold my attention, I kept putting it down and then had trouble remembering who characters were. Oh boy. This book had such promise, and I know a lot of people really enjoyed it. With so many intertwined genres (science fiction, romance, thriller, mystery, detective), I think it just wasn't for me.

Whatever preconceived notions you might have about Providence by Caroline Kepnes, do me a favor, and throw them all out the window. When I finished this book, I was a jumble of feelings. I was confused, wanting more, NEEDING more. Then I took a step back and a moment to think. Wow. This story is a living thing that grows into something you might not completely understand or agree with, but that ride is what you need to experience for yourself.

Providence is a story unlike anything I have read, maybe ever. The tone in which it is written is unique and the story is bizarre yet enticing. Jon, Chloe, and Eggs are three separate minds who are connected in ways they can’t even comprehend. It’s not a love story or a straight up mystery thriller or even a fictional tale of overcoming hardship and pain. Instead it is a thought that seeps into your brain, making you wonder what is happening and how in the world it will end. The time spans across years and the characters evolve into people who are distinctly flawed and brilliant. I could have read several more chapters and wished for a bit more closure, but just like this daring and unique story, I took what Kepnes gave me and appreciated the story she shared.

Jon is an outcast who’s best friends are a hamster and a girl named Chloe. Chloe is a dedicated friend although at times was an unlikeable ‘mean-girl’ but who hopes one day Jon will see her as more than just a friend.

Their budding relationship is cut short when Jon is kidnapped and put into a medically induced coma for 4 years. When he wakes up, his captor has disappeared but left a book by H.P. Lovecraft with cryptic messaging. Whatever took place over the past four years is unknown to the reader but it clearly changes Jon’s life forever. A dark and invisible power has taken hold causing cardiac arrests in those with whom he interacts. He still has strong feelings for Chloe but fears she will die if he goes near her. The story switches between his and Chloe’s perspective and shuffles in a third perspective mid way of the detective investigating the sudden deaths of those who have crossed Jon’s path. An imaginative story although I didn’t consider it a thriller or horror story as promoted because I did not feel any suspense building or chill in the air like I expected.

It is a plus to have knowledge of H.P. Lovecraft prior to reading this book. This will help explain aspects of the book including the repetitive “I am Providence” statement. There is a dedicated subculture that holds a Lovecraft film festival every year in Providence, RI and his fans will enjoy this book and its’ references to this master of literary horror.

I actually wasn’t sure I would like this book after I started reading it. I would have begun the story at a different point, I think but that's why I'm not the author of this book. Part I was slow, for me but held essential information to hold up the rest of the story. The deeper I got into Providence, the more I enjoyed it, if nothing for the tortured soul of the main character.
If readers are expecting a lead like Joe from YOU and Hidden Bodies.... definitely put that away. Jon is a completely different character. Different motivations, he could actually FEEL... and he didn't enjoy murder half as much as Joe did.
This review doesn't do the book justice, but if you simply put away everything you know about Caroline Kepnes and her previous novels, her previous heroes and heroines and read this book based on a great psychological, twisty tale, I think you may actually enjoy it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, for providing a free, electronic ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
When Jon Bronson disappears without a trace at the age of 13, no one really misses him. No one, that is, except his best friend Chloe, and his parents. Four years later, Jon returns but he is a very different man from the one who was taken. Jon has no memory of the time he spent with his abductor, and only a used paperback with a handwritten message scrawled inside it to remind him that he was ever taken at all. Soon, Jon begins to notice strange happenings. His family dog is killed, his school peers start dropping dead of heart attacks and even the members of his family begin to feel ill and suffer unpredictable nosebleeds. Their only connection is their physical proximity to Jon when they suffer these afflictions. Jon begins to question what happened to him when he was trapped, and struggles to reignite the relationship he once had with Chloe, without risking her life. </i>
I read “You” by Ms. Kepnes, and now, with reading “Providence”, this brings my Kepnes book count up to only two. This was enough though, to have notice some similarities. Ms. Kepnes starts a book smoking hot, immediately dragging a reader in. Then, it appears she veers completely off topic and spends some time on a less interesting plot line, before veering off course again, introducing another plot line, and bringing some final entertainment back to the reader.
In “Providence”, the kidnapping of Jon was glazed over. There were so many unanswered questions, and a lot of the blanks in Jon’s memory were never filled in. I was sadly disappointed to discover this as I was over-the-moon to delve into Roger’s psyche and understand what made him capture Jon, what he did to Jon, and all the other who’s and why’s of it. Kepnes, however, quickly jumps to four years later in time when Jon is home, and struggling with the teenage-angst of his relationship with Chloe. I was not a huge fan of this part, Chloe was whiny and angsty (aren’t all teenagers, though?) and I really didn’t like Jon’s character in this particular stage.
The novel ended picked back up and slammed the reader with action and drama once again. Although a lot of the unanswered questions remain that way (and in fact, more are brought forward), the novel ends as one would expect it to, not particularly surprising but not completely predictable either.
As with “You”, it seems that Kepnes is able to develop a unique and creative storyline, but I would much prefer if she would stick to it and carry it through, instead of veering off-track. Her child-abduction/teenage-romance/action-packed drama could have easily filled three (very different) novels. At this rate, Kepnes will quickly run out of ideas!

In true Caroline Kepnes fashion I was on the edge of my seat, flipping pages so fast that after I devoured the book, I went back for seconds. I really did! I bought it on Audible just so I could hear her words come to life. I fell hard for the connection that Jon and Chloe had. All three characters were addicting. The romantic/thriller twists and turns were only enhanced by Kepnes writing style. Well-paced, I was entertained and satisfied with the final outcome. Another five star read for a now favorite author.

This was my first book by Caroline Kepnes. I was excited to get a copy because I have heard so much about some of her other books. This kind of fell flat for me. I liked it but it didn't make me want to pick it up and keep turning pages.

My rating scale:
5☆ - I loved this book and it brought out true emotion in me (laughter, anger, a good cry, etc)
4☆ - I loved this book.
3☆ - I liked this book.
2☆ - I didn't really care for this book.
1☆ - I did not like this book at all and probably did not finish it.

Providence was not what I expected at all. I really enjoyed Caroline Kepnes’ other novels, You and Hidden Bodies. If you are looking for a mystery that is different and has you somewhat rooting for the killer, check out You. You is also going to be a Lifetime TV series starring Penn Badgley coming this September.

If you plan on reading Providence, understand that this is not You or Hidden Bodies. It is a YA novel with hints of sci-fi and fantasy. If I knew that going into the novel, I wouldn’t of read it.

Providence goes deep into Jon, Chloe and Eggs. Jon disappeared on his way to school one day and appeared 4 years later without remember what had happened to him and with a “superpower”. Chloe was Jon’s best friend and Eggs is a detective looking into mysterious deaths.

I think my biggest dislike with the novel was that so little happened. Jon came back and there was still another 300 pages to go. The reader then got bounced back and forth between Jon, Chloe and Eggs and I couldn’t connect with any of them.

Eh—not really a fan of this book. In large part, I felt misled going into it. It was labeled Mystery/Thriller but really it was more Sci-Fi. Without giving too much away, I wasn’t prepared for the protagonist to have special “powers.” And I felt the relationship had by 13-year-olds wasn’t strong enough to sustain the years of separation and angst that followed.

This is the story of Jon and Chloe who were the very best of friends in childhood. They always saw themselves happy and together, until Jon is kidnapped and not heard from again. That is until four years later when Jon mysteriously returns with no real memory of what happened to him. Jon is not the same as he was before. He has unexplained powers that he can't control and is a danger to those he loves most. Jon must disappear once again until he figures out what happened to him and if he can correct what was done to him while in captivity. Chloe is a young woman when Jon returns and though she still feels their close bond, she needs to move on when Jon disappears again. It's a captivating story that leaves you wondering what was done to him and can he fix himself. I found the book intriguing and a good read.