Chloe.
Jon.
Chloe.

This is a story of two people who could love each other but it’s always the wrong timing. When multiple young people start having heart attacks at a young age a cop named Eggs is determined to find the connection. After hearing so much about You and Hidden bodies (this authors other books) this one falls flat for me. It has a significant sci-fi element as well as a crime solving element. For me, this book seemed to drag on and didn’t keep my attention like I was hoping.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House LLC for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Providence is a quiet, slow-moving, surreal, tender examination of a relationship that is near impossible to define. The creeping beauty and Kepnes’s willingness to circumvent the conventions of the young adult genre by experimenting with shades of monstrosity and classic gothic horror charmed me. Unfortunately, though I loved this hybridization of genres, the execution didn’t always work for me.

Our story begins with Jon Bronson, a curious and benevolent young boy thoroughly endeared by his best friend Chloe who “smells like cookies.” Kepnes crafts Jon’s inner child with such dexterity in the opening chapters that when we are suddenly hit with the dramatic tonal shift, it’s downright chilling. A monstrosity of a man named Roger Blair, who happens to have an obsession with Lovecraft, kidnaps Jon. We don’t linger on the kidnapping, instead we veer quickly away from a typical missing child/thriller novel and into something sinister and even a little mythical at times.

From that point on, one would imagine the plot and central conflict of Providence would revolve around finding Roger Blair and discovering exactly what he had done to Jon during his tenure in a mall basement, but Providence is a much deeper novel than that. Instead we get a character-driven tale centering around Jon and Chloe’s star-crossed relationship and a washed-up detective obsessed with the mystery of Jon Bronson, “the Basement Boy” who leaves a trail of misery wherever he goes.

Kepnes is a gifted writer, I was moved by several passages in the book, mostly those that pertained to the doomed nature of Chloe and Jon’s love. She made me empathetic to the central antagonist of this novel – who may not be who you think. However, I felt the middle of the book was aimless, the plot ambled along and branched off in too many differing directions – vigilantism, cop noir, science fiction, and yet never focused on fleshing out any of them to the degree they needed to be, or to find a balance of all three. One hundred pages could have easily been shed to assist with the pacing and perhaps create a stronger narrative direction. I finished reading it but I don’t think I could aptly summarize the core conflict. Symbols, themes, and story arcs were left too vague and open-ended. It’s okay to leave the audience guessing a little, it’s often a benefit – but Providence is too broad and left too open. We don’t get enough answers to satiate.

I do admire Kepnes for taking the risks she did with Providence. She made me believe in the love between her main characters even if I wasn’t always engaged with the overarching plot. I would recommend giving the book a read, it’s not something you’ll forget easily and it will keep keep you guessing on every single page.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Caroline Kepnes, and her publishers for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I loved "You' by Caroline Kepnes, so I'm super appreciative to Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this ARC of her new book, 'Providence.'

Do you like thrillers? Do you like hints of the supernatural and literary puzzles? Does a tortured love story sound right up your alley right now? You'll want to check this one out.

Hey bookworms! I know there is a ton of hype with this one and since I just finished it (last night//early this morning), I can now get in on the conversations as well. It starts off with a friendship between a young boy and young girl. You’ve heard this story before - the girl is beautiful and popular, but doesn’t like the superficiality of the “in crowd” - the boy is a bit different with a huge heart. They are best friends even if others don’t understand their relationship. Then, one day, the boy goes missing and the girl is left to pick up the pieces in his absence. The town comes together (kinda/sorta) to look for this boy, to no avail. Chloe eventually moves on, but thinks about Jon constantly while developing her artistic abilities by drawing missing person posters of him with how she thinks he would look as time progresses. Then one day he returns, and that’s when the story starts getting a lot more complex. Through the majority of the book we are following Jon, Chloe, and a police officer obsessed with a chain of unsolved (and rather un-investigated) coincidences.

There are a lot of references to H.P. Lovecraft throughout which makes me even more eager to read his work. I found the first part (the missing person segment) to be the part that really drew me and kept me interested. After that, I found parts to be very slow and not as interesting to me. I did, however, really love how Caroline Kepnes did not attempt to fit this book into a bucket - I love the literary tie-ins, the mystery, the love story, the paranormal elements, the science fiction elements, and her portrayal of human nature in many forms. I personally really liked all of the references to RI and MA since I was born and raised in Rhody and have settled in MA as an adult (NY and NH are also covered in depth). I think that this book is going to be a new favorite for the right type of reader. This book comes out on June 19 and I’d love to hear your thoughts once you check it out!

Thank you Netgalley, Caroline Kepnes, and Lenny for the opportunity to read and review this early. All views are my own.

I was excited to have the opportunity to obtain an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book through NetGalley.

When Jon is abducted as a child, his best friend, Chloe, does her best to continue to hope he’ll be found alive. Four years after he goes missing, he turns up with no memory of his time away and a cryptic note from his abductor in H.P. Lovecraft’s THE DUNWICH HORROR. Soon, Jon realizes that something is seriously wrong with him and flees to protect the people he loves. Chloe, frustrated by Jon’s odd behavior and second disappearance, tries to move on, but their connection is too strong to be denied. Policeman Eggs is obsessed with a series of suspicious deaths and the trail leads him to Jon.

I recently read and was blown away by Kepnes’ YOU. Just like in YOU, PROVIDENCE is chock full of compelling characters. Kepnes tells the story through the points of view of Jon, Chloe, and Eggs. These three main characters are exceptionally well drawn, as are the various minor characters who appear in the novel. Including Eggs’ point of view gives an outside perspective to Jon and Chloe’s twisted relationship and provides the opportunity to inject a touch of philosophy. Eggs comes to realize much of life is based on luck and that a person needs to appreciate all good fortune, no matter how small.

PROVIDENCE tackles obsession, closure, love, and the need for human connection. Not only are the characters obsessed with each other, they are obsessed with finding answers. Chloe wants to understand why Jon keeps his distance from her, yet remains in touch. Jon wants to know what his abductor did to him and how to reverse it. Eggs wants to solve the cases that haunt him.

PROVIDENCE is a thriller with a touch of science fiction. The story is solid, but it’s the characters, who turn the words on the page into magic.

A Lovecraft-inspired novel from the author of You and Hidden Bodies that’s set in New England? Yeah, it’s safe to say I was super excited about this one. But alas, it fell quite short of my expectations.

Growing up in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe have a special friendship. But one day Jon disappears, and doesn’t surface again for four years. Turns out he was kidnapped by a Lovecraft-obsessed substitute teacher who conducted scientific experiments on him. Now, he has hidden powers that cause him to inadvertently kill anyone he has strong feelings for—and he knows he must leave Chloe behind for her own protection.

Providence follows Jon and Chloe through young adulthood as they each try to move forward with their lives. Unfortunately, it also introduces a third character, Eggs, a detective obsessed with figuring out why so many healthy young people in the area have died of apparent heart attacks.

The story shifts between the three narrators...but there’s just too much going on. It’s all over the place, with the characters often behaving in ways that make no sense. Jon’s condition was the central mystery of the book, and the resolution to that fell flat.

This is a story that should have been captivating with so many interesting elements, but instead it felt drawn out and contrived—the Lovecraftian influences tenuous at best. It’s clearly a reimagining of Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror, and some of the classic Lovecraftian themes are certainly there if you dig deep enough, but the tone is all off. Ultimately it just kind of feels like a YA love story. Bummer.

Having read and enjoyed Kepnes’ previous novels, I was anticipating <i>Providence</i> and it’s release. The premise is an interesting one—a kidnapped middle school boy returns 4 years later as a man with a strong power that keeps him from being around people, specifically his boyhood crush, Chloe.

While I really enjoy Kepnes’ writing style, I felt this novel really lacked something. I found myself waiting for an answer, an ending or a resolution that never came and by 70% I found myself frustrated that the book was seemingly going in circles with Jon doing the same things, Chloe doing the same things, and Eggs (the character introduced in the third act) doing He same things.

I’m hoping that Kepnes will follow suit and we will get either a sequel or possibly a Prequel, where we will learn what the kidnappers actually did to Jon in those four years. I would find that much more interesting than I found this book.

I requested this title on Netgalley mainly because I saw that the main characters were from New Hampshire. I always want to read books that take place at least in part in places that I’ve lived. The plot also looked interesting, so I gave it a shot. I’m really glad I did because this ended up being a very good read.

Caroline Kepnes is a great writer. This is the first work of hers that I’ve read, but immediately after finishing this, I added You to my TBR. She does a fantastic job of pulling the reader right into the story and creates interesting characters that you can really relate to. I really liked both Claire and Jon, as well as the relationship between them and how it changed over time. I also loved the Lovecraft references. I haven’t read much Lovecraft myself, but am really drawn to Lovecraftian stories.

I did think, however, that the characters could have been given a little more complexity. Jon and Claire are both overwhelmingly “good” people and don’t really have any flaws (at least, none that they can control). I also didn’t really enjoy the addition of Eggs into the story. I understood how he functioned as far as the plot went, but felt like he didn’t add much to the story as a character. Maybe it’s just because I didn’t like him. He was constantly lying to his wife and essentially pretended that his autistic son didn’t exist. By the end there is some redemption, but I still really don’t think he deserved to be treated so well.

Otherwise, this was a fantastic read. I almost missed my train stop multiple times while reading and I kept getting so sucked in that I wasn’t sure how I could put the book down. I may end up grabbing a physical copy of this for myself, but at the very least I will certainly recommend this book to others. This will be good for fans of thrillers, contemporary sci-fi pieces, and/or the writings of Lovecraft.

This book is very different from Caroline Kepnes's other books. I didn't care for it and found myself often distracted by other things and not really following the story. That is not a good sign for me.

It is nice to see an author branch out into different genres, so I applaud her for the creativity.

Providence is a strange book. It started out brilliantly, with a teenager being kidnapped and his best friend trying to cope with his being missing. It definitely drew me in. And then the timeline changed. I wasn’t quite prepared for this to span so many years, and I think it slowed the pace down considerably. This book just felt a bit too long, and the second half took me a while to get through.

As for the story, this was really unique. I will recommend reading at least some Lovecraft first – specifically The Dunwich Horror – though it’s not totally necessary. (I have read some Lovecraft, but not the book specifically mentioned in Providence.) It was very different from You, and actually reminded me quite a bit of Stephen King’s writing. It felt like something he would come up with. While the story itself was interesting, I’m not sure I loved the alternating perspectives. I don’t think they aded anything special. I did enjoy the supernatural element, but I don’t think I fully understood it (or if I would have a better grasp of it if I’d read The Dunwich Horror).

I also didn’t feel a particularly strong connection to any of the characters. I did like Jon, but I didn’t identify with him enough to care as much as I wanted to. And I didn’t really understand Chloe. I am still really skeptical about how she was still in love with a guy she hadn’t really seen in years. I felt like she was living in the past, in a bad way, and I wish we’d seen a different side of her.

Overall, I just wanted this to be shorter and faster and more of a thriller. It took me a while to get through, and I didn’t feel excited about continuing with it. I didn’t dislike this book, but it felt like a slog to get through. I appreciated the creativity of this story, but it just fell a bit flat.

This book has very little (if anything) in common with the Joe Goldberg duology, which seems to be disappointing some reviewers. For me, it was a pleasant surprise to see Kepnes do something different, and I think it showed some impressive range.

I wasn't expecting this book to be quite so sad, which definitely threw me a bit after the flippant, almost gleeful tone of the Goldberg books. But for this story it fit, and part of the appeal of Jon and Chloe as characters is that you just hate what a bad hand life dealt them. Eggs is less interesting, more of a stock character type (well meaning but selfish cop with personal demons who can't let it go), but his role in the story is perfectly placed and necessary to the plot.

For those who are typically mystery/thriller readers who are worried about the supernatural element putting them off this book: I wouldn't worry. While what was done to Jon when he was kidnapped does drive the whole plot in a technical sense, the way it manifests feels about as close to real world as something fantastical can get. Fear not! While technically not possible in reality, it's a long way from monsters and spaceships.

Caroline Kepnes attempts to cover too many topics resulting in many underdeveloped areas. I'm starting to wonder if she was an one hit wonder with me.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a dark and very strange book. I loved Carolina's first book, and was happy to read this one. I am kind of disappointed in this book. I do enjoy her writing style. There is a melodic rhythm to her words and keeps the story flowing. This book just got too confusing and strange for me. I started out enjoying the story of Jon and Chloe. Then it took a nosedive. I get it. It is a thriller, but it was just too out there for my taste. However, I believe it will find an audience and do well.

Jon's an outcast with only one friend - Chloe. One morning on his way to school he is kidnapped only to reappear 4 years later with no memory of what happened to him. All he has is a book/note left by his kidnapper and a new - dangerous - ability he doesn't quite understand that hurts those closest to him.
Chloe had a hard time when he went missing but eventually she moved on and is now dating his old bully. Jon's reappearance upsets this new, seemingly perfect life she's created for herself. She wants to reconnect with him but he's keeping his distance from her.
Shortly after Jon's reappearance we have a time skip. This is where I began losing interest. I was looking forward to the addition of a detective but in all honesty, Eggs' chapters were the hardest to get through. Jon is trying to find Roger Blair - his kidnapper - while longing for Chloe. Chloe is an artist who looks for Jon everywhere she goes. It's clear they love each other and I can see where the 'obsessive love' in the description comes from.
I had high hopes for Providence. I was excited to see where Kepnes would take this but sadly it just wasn't for me. It started off well enough but it didn't take long for my interest to begin to wane. It was just one of those books where I'd start to read than put it down. And I did so numerous times.
In my opinion, Providence isn't much of a thriller and as excited as I was for the supernatural aspect well...it just didn't appeal to me. What happens to Jon is interesting but it's never fully explained and after a while I no longer cared to know the details of what happened during the 4 years Jon was missing.

This book is a bit out of my usual range of interest with the supernatural element. Described as a love story and a detective story, the combination of the three elements works. I especially liked the detective and found the dialogue thoughtful and flowing. The Lovecraft literary references were intriguing and I would have liked to see more explanation for those not as familiar with the Author. The convention for followers was a nice way to expand on Lovecraft. A good read that kept me turning the pages.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

Caroline Kepnes created another odd, saddened and helpless character in Jon, the main protagonist in Providence. On paper, both Jon and Joe, the beloved serial stalker/killer from You and Hidden Bodies, seem quite alike. I can assure you however that they are quite different. Jon has a supernatural nature, which makes this book border on sci-fi, while Joe just has his wires crossed.

The start of the book was great for me. The secret relationship between the complete nerd and the popular girl was endearing. After the kidnapping by a former substitute teacher, the novel went left for me. When he ended up in a new town, it went from left to ‘what the heck’? I became less and less interested in the characters as the plot continued.

I felt that those who had read H.P. Lovelace’s novels were at an advantage in this story, as much of it seems to pay homage to him. There were many subplots in this book that made the reading experience anything but linear. It jumped in both time and storylines with no apparent order, which became disconcerting. The title had numerous meanings that worked within the novel which I liked.

Although I liked You and Hidden Bodies much more than this one, there are other reviewers and readers that found this book to be a wonderful read.

2.25-2.5 STARS

In a small New Hampshire town, a socially inept outcast named Jon becomes the perfect fodder for the neighborhood bullies. There is only one person who truly understands Jon, and that’s his best friend, Chloe. In fact, Jon’s feelings for Chloe border on obsession. But before Jon and Chloe can express their love for one another, Jon is kidnapped as part of a bizarre experiment by a man who used to be his substitute teacher.

Four years later, Jon reemerges. No longer a boy, Jon is now a man—one with a power that makes him a danger to all those he loves. So Jon keeps his distance to keep them safe, becoming a vigilante killer along the way. But Jon and Chloe’s connection isn’t easily severed, causing each of them to cling to what could have been and what still might be.

As much as I wanted to love this newest novel by author Caroline Kepnes, I just couldn’t get on board. I struggled to connect with the story and the characters were barely likeable. With little action to propel the story forward, it trudged along at an unbearably slow pace. And the supernatural aspect was weird, rather than enticing, with no definitive resolution by the end. So, contrary to the more favorable reviews, I personally found “Providence” to be mediocre at best.

Providence by Caroline Kepnes
Publisher : Random House Publishing Group
June 19th 2018
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A bizarre and thrilling story of love, loss and love? Jon and Chloe share a unique friendship in middle school until Jon is kidnapped. Four years later he escapes and is "changed". This story is loosely a thriller and more of a "will they ever be together". Which begs the question, is this a mystery or a romance novel?

I have yet to read Caroline Kepnes other two books; You and Hidden Bodies but was offered an ARC of Providence and jumped at the chance. It wasn't at all what I was expecting as far as the mystery portion of the story. I wanted to know what happened to Jon in his missing years. Instead I was left without.

That said, there is a unique voice among this story that kept me flipping pages until the very end. There is an easiness to the story here that kept me engrossed throughout, even when part way through the book a new set of characters (Eggs and Lo) were introduced. I think this book is one of those love it or hate it books and I kind of just loved it.

While I wasn't totally thrilled with the ending, it made sense. I'm even more interested to read Kepnes other books in hopes that they create the same sort of experience.

I was offered an ebook from Random House and Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Anyone who has followed my reviews may have heard me mention Caroline Kepnes first book YOU and how much I loved that story so of course I was going to grab anything else that she had written. Picking up Providence I was well aware that it was nothing like YOU and that was perfectly fine with me as I don’t want to read the same story over and over again and love mixing things up and branching out. However, after reading Providence I can’t lie and say I really enjoyed this one.

The story started off rather well and I could immediately tell I was diving into a Kepnes story. Readers are first introduced to Jon, one of those awkward kids that often end up the target of bullies. Jon has one really good friend in Chloe and on one excited morning Jon heads out to school excited to see Chloe and takes his normal out of the path of bullies obscure root to school only to be attacked and kidnapped.

With Jon missing Chloe of course spirals into despair when searches turn up no sign of Jon but eventually time moves on without Jon. Four years later however Jon turns up from seemingly out of nowhere a completely changed man now. Much larger and stronger than when missing Jon quickly starts to realize his kidnapper had done something to him making those around Jon no longer safe.

Up to and after Jon’s return I really thought this one was going to end up very highly rated for me. The whole science fiction fantasy side was really appealing although I’m sure some will be turned off by such an aspect in a thriller I was really loving it. But where things fell apart was when Eggs was introduced to the story, I just never connected to his character or really cared to at all.

At that point Jon’s story kind of takes a direction that seemed to dull my excitement too so from then on out it was just pushing myself to turn the pages and finish. While the little twist at the end wasn’t too bad it was just a matter of too little too late to excite me with this one. While this one wasn’t my cup of tea Caroline Kepnes is still a very talented author and I’m sure some may enjoy this one more than I did.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book just wasn't my speed. I love romance, I like romantic suspense but this book lost me with the supernatural/ sci fi spin. I think a lot of readers will like it, I'm just not the audience for a book like this. I was really into the author's writing style though so I'm looking forward to her other books.