Providence is a very emotionally driven book. At times I had to put the book down thinking about what I was reading. The story uses a lot of pop culture reference as well as really odd humor that at times your not sure if you should be laughing or crying.
This is the first book I have read by Caroline Kepnes and I found it hard to connect with the characters but it could be her writing style is very different from what I have been reading recently.
The story does becomes heavy handed during different points of the book and those were the times I had to put the book down.
Providence is a mix between science fiction, what some might consider real life and a story of love.

I love how Carloline Kepnes writes. She knows how to keep the story moving and you feel connected to the characters. In Providence we meet Jon and Chloe. Two young teens who are friends, but maybe more. Jon is picked on by a classmate causing him to choose a path through the woods to school one morning and he's kidnapped. What follows is alternating viewpoints from Chloe, Jon, and an obsessed cop named Eggs.

If you enjoy stories that are about the characters and a peek into their lives then you will enjoy Providence. It's part mystery, part sci-fi, and a little bit of horror all rolled into a love story. While I wish the ending was a bit different I'm hoping it means we're not done with Chloe and Jon...

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House - Lenny for this ARC.

Providence is a compelling story that captured my interest right away. There are several themes explored throughout the book: love and loss, good and evil, control and submission to name just a few. If the reader is able to put aside what they believe is possible, their imagination will get a workout.

Jon and Chloe are childhood friends. Chloe is Jon's only friend. He is a great friend who accepts Chloe unconditionally. He's also the kind of kid who bullies know they can easily dominate.. One day on the way to school Jon disappears without a trace of evidence to suggest what happened.

The book spans several years and is told from several different view points that allows the reader to see what happened to Jon, Chloe and the detective who becomes involved in this case. The three points of view kept the story fresh and added to character development. I highly recommend Caroline Kepnes writing and this book.

Not recommend. The first chapter almost had me abandon the book immediately. I stuck with it ... for a while. Ultimately, I just did not finish this one.

Honestly? I managed to make it about 45% of the way through this book, but it became so tedious and repetitive that I couldn't stick with it. These two characters were people I'd like to slap up-side the head. My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for letting me read and review a preview copy.

I loved Kepnes’ other books You and Hidden Bodies. Like those, this is a page turner. During the last third of the book, I couldn’t put it down! The middle part of the book was a bit dull and I wanted more suspense and for the story to move along more. A bit of sci-fi but for those, like myself who are not into sci-fi, it's not enough to turn you off. It's about love and lust and friendship and the unfairness of life.

Nuanced and with such interesting characters, Caroline Kepnes once again kept me entranced, touched, and entertained. As with her first two books, I couldn’t stop reading, thinking, and feeling. This was deeply moving and tragically beautiful. At times I was reminded of Stephen King; high praise indeed. Definitely a home run, well done!

In YOU and HIDDEN BODIES, the love was toxic. In PROVIDENCE, it’s sweeter, purer, but no less dangerous. My favorite of Kepnes’ books so far, PROVIDENCE is a real heart-stopper.

I just have to say, with Providence Caroline Kepnes proves she can write a whole new cast of characters and in such a way that I still can still tell she wrote this story through her writing. I would also like point out that this story is totally different then anything out there on the market right now. I was a little skeptical when I heard there is a paranormal element to the book but after finishing this book I see that it was done in such a.....classy way, so to speak. Providence has a Romeo and Juliet vibe to it, love separated by circumstance but that is where the similarities end.
We start off when our MC Jon, who is a bit of a social outcast and really only has this one friend named Chloe, goes missing. Fast forward 4 years and Jon miraculously comes home but he isn't the same. Jon realizes he is different and this change has really made it hard for him to have human contact with his only friend, Chloe. After some unfortunate events Jon makes the decision to leave his home yet again.

The plot really does move along seamlessly and that made me want to know what will happen next. This "power" Jon was given seems more like a curse and keeps him away from all the people he loves and his only friend Chloe. We see Jon throughout some time and realize that he is very isolated and is trying to figure out a way to deal or fix what was given to him. Ms. Kepnes has created one of my all time favorite characters (Yes, Joe Goldberg) but she can really write about human nature and our way of thinking in a way that when you read it, your like "yeah I totally think like that" and not even realize that we do these things on a day to day basis, people can have weird quirks and ticks and this author has a way of writing it into her story's and make her characters so real and relatable.

I also had read reviews where people kept saying that the author keeps referencing to HP Lovecraft and how they felt like they needed to read it cause they were confused. I did not have that issue at all. I loved how she incorporated a book within a book to show the parallels between the two main characters in Providence and in Lovecraft stories.

While this book couldn't be anymore different from her first 2 books I'm ok with that because it just shows you how versatile Caroline Kepnes writing is. While I could go on and on about this author I think I will stop here and say I think everyone should give Providence a try, it is different and the writing is excellent.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley who provided me with a ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read and loved “You” and “Hidden” so I was excited to read this. I was not disappointed. The character development was spot on, and I loved the different perspectives that brought the story alive. I hope there is a sequel because I just love her writing! #netgalley #arc

I imagine that Providence will really polarize readers; they will love it or hate it. I am definitely not in the love it camp. The characters and the story are both too far out there for my tastes.

I love Caroline Kepnes but this was not my favorite. There was repeat after repeat and I got tired of reading about Jon

My first thought after tearing through PROVIDENCE, my first Carolyn Kepnes novel, was "amazing". I loved the way the book was laid out - the chapters alternating between characters, each told in the first person. Each character was fully developed; I felt I was inside their head.

In some ways this reminded me of very early (1970-80's) Dean Koontz and John Saul, but with outstanding writing and research. That's a good thing, btw. 

This is mystery, thriller, paranormal with a dash of science fiction, but at its heart it's a love story as all the best stories are. I highly recommend PROVIDENCE, especially to those of you looking for something new. Then, like me, you can grab all of Carolyn Kepnes past books and feast!

I am a HUGE Caroline Kepnes fan but Providence strayed a little too far from what I love most about her writing. I think it just tried to do too much in a short span of time and it didn't really work for me.

This is one of those beautiful books that transcends genres. I don't really feel like it was a thriller, though I couldn't stop reading. I'd say it leans more towards a mystery with a side of romance and dips a toe into the supernatural superhero style. It's hard to pinpoint because each of the three main POVs (Jon, Chloe, and Eggs) have their own goals, their own feelings about things, and they're moving separately yet together toward an inevitable collision. A life is more than one thing.
Jon, Chloe, and Eggs felt so real. I would definitely say this is a character driven story and Caroline Kepnes did her characters justice, fleshing them out so where they felt like real people. I grew very attached to Jon especially, though I loved them all in their own way. I was rooting for their success.
I would also say this is novel is for readers who enjoy books charged more with emotion rather than action. Events occur, the stakes are raised, but there's an unresolved question I would expect an answer to from a more plot based novel and it's the character's emotions that are so striking - Chloe and Jon's attachment to one another, their desperation to be together; Eggs obsession to catch The Beard while he tangles with the difficulties of thoughts regarding his son. Their emotions and thoughts were what really drew me in. That, for me, is what really stood out.

I about fell over when I was granted an early digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review for Providence. Especially because the author, Caroline Kepnes knocked it out the park with You & Hidden Bodies but this one didn’t do it for me. I’m sad to say, it’s a 2.5 Star Read for me.

I was disappointed. Left me confused, frustrated and feeing like I just missed something.

its always a wild read with this author. She pushes me outside my regular read. Different and thought provoking.

I've read Kepnes' other books and was excited to get a sneak peek at her new novel. I'm sorry, but it was a huge disappointment. I wasn't sure the age of the main characters when it started out, so I had a hard time trying to relate. Jon's disappearance was clunky, but I read on interested to see what happened. After his return, the book took a downward spiral for me. It became tedious and boring and I had no opinion on the characters at all. This was a stilted and strange book, but not in a good way.

4 Stars

Jon and Chloe are friends that have grown up in together in a small town in New Hampshire. Jon and Chloe are about to share their true feelings for each other when Jon is kidnapped by a substitute teacher. Four years later, Jon wakes up from a coma with nothing but a copy of HP Lovecraft's The Dunwich Horror. Chloe has changed and made her into the popular crowd. Jon has changed too, but his change makes him a danger to be around.

I think people are probably going to be mad because this isn't You. Kepnes went in a different direction this time, and I think she did a great job. I was a little hesitant going in because I am not familiar with a lot (any) of Lovecraft's works. This didn't stop me from enjoying the story in any way. Kepnes employs some expositional characters to fill us in, and I learned alongside Jon. I liked the tragic love connection between Jon and Chloe, the fight that Jon has with what he has become and how that dictates how he relates to people around him, and I enjoyed the character of Eggs. I also love how her characters use pop culture so naturally. Kepnes has a very captivating writing style that had me invested the entire time I read this.

Well, this is certainly the most unusual example of a "Lovecraft-influenced" tale I've ever seen! It's hard to imagine a romance- and relationship-oriented novel to be, of all things, "Lovecraftian". But that's what Caroline Kepnes gives us in her third book, exhibiting the same excellent writing we saw in _You_ and _Hidden Bodies_, but stylistically miles away from the tone of those two books. There is humor here, but it is wry humor, and the overall mood is melancholy.
Actually, Kepnes leads off with a kick-ass idea; by a third of the way through the book, I was excited. I had the impression that the story was going to go somewhere that it ended up, well, not going. So yes, there is an unavoidable impression of (mild) disappointment that goes along with this, but once my expectations were appropriately adjusted, I was able to settle into a comfortable appreciation of the book. And looking back on it, I find it has really made me think a lot, both during the read and in its aftermath.
Quickie Q&A take on _Providence_: What might an "urban", relationship-driven adaptation of (or "meditation=on") Lovecraft's story "The Dunwich Horror" look like? Is such a thing even imaginable? Kepnes imagines, and realizes it. Respect: for the unique imagination (and fine writing) of Caroline Kepnes.