I was so incredibly happy when I saw that this book was approved for me to review. I loved reading You and this book was such a thrilling read! Although having similar elements to You, it is incredibly different and enthralling. I was hooked by the first couple of pages and couldn't stop reading! There were areas in the book that I began to feel a little uncertain, but I just let myself go on the ride and I don't regret any second of it! Such an amazing read!

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.

Yawn. I wanted to love Providence like I loved Caroline Kepnes' You. Kepnes is a solid writer, capable of complex, interesting characters and wild new concepts - including this one, about a boy who is kidnapped and returned four years later a changed person. It has a tantalizing hint of a supernatural element and the beautiful agony of unrequited young love. There's potential here - something that could be really, really cool. But this book is really, really boring. Other than a flurry of activity in the first pages, it's mostly a series of morose inner monologues from various character perspectives. As a fan of both navel-gazing literary books and mystery/thrillers, I am sorry to say Providence doesn't satisfy the appetite for either one.

The book itself was a dark magical beautify of a novel, very different than what I've read in the past. I appreciate the opportunity to have received an e-copy arc. It was a love story and thriller infused together, it was something unique that many readers will definitely enjoy. The characters and plot were very engrossing and the mixture of genres was very interesting. What I appreciated was I didn't know what to expect from this book and that is what made it more special. There was suspense, romance, the supernatural, and mystery wrapped up all into one book. Thank you Randomhouse for the opportunity to read such a fascinating book for summer.

I was a little awestruck by the way Caroline Kepnes got in the head of an obsessive stalker in You. I found the book downright creepy to read, and yet I went back for seconds when she released Hidden Bodies. Kepnes’ new book, Providence, steps away from this character and story, but I was curious to see what kind of mind she put herself into next.

I was actually really surprised to find this is more of a sci-fi novel than anything else. If that is how you can describe it. It’s a bit of a mix of genres and I wasn’t expecting that. I also think that this is the kind of book that you’re either going to like, or not. For me, I think I was stuck somewhere in the middle.

It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy the story, I think it was more that I couldn’t appreciate the H.P. Lovecraft inspired horror and the many nods towards Lovecraft throughout. It takes the tone of a classic horror story, where you have a monster who just wants to be loved, but he keeps hurting the people around him without meaning to. I can appreciate the sentiment of that story, but I found it kind of dragging for me and I also found I didn’t have a lot invested in any of the characters.

Things picked up toward the end of the book and I was very curious about what direction this was going to go in, how it was going to end. There was a lot of messaging in the dialogue and the actions of the characters that speak to the complexities of relationships and self identities and trying to find your place, which I enjoyed reading about, but putting all these different elements together in this one story didn’t necessarily completely fit for me.

Kepnes definitely always surprises me with her books. Sometimes in a great way, like with You, and sometimes in a more confusing and underwhelming way, like this. If you’re expecting a similar tale as You, you will be disappointed. But someone going into it with an open mind and a strong appreciation for the classic horror genre and Lovecraft will probably enjoy this quite a bit.

well paced thriller will please those who want their mysteries with a supernatural and romantic bent; scary and gripping story of love, identity, care, and power.

This book is like nothing I've ever read. A really weird and morbid love story, with a paranormal/supernatural twist, get your thrills by reading Caroline Kepnes' Providence.

Caloine Kepnes is a solid author and I always look forward to her upcoming books. I am not typically a super natural, fantasy reader but I did enjoy Providence. Chloe and Jon 's bond is something we all desire - somebody who is on the same wavelength as us. This book has to be "up your alley" or else you will probably not like it.

Thank you Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

2 stars

I picked this up entirely because of the author. I gave You a try when it came out and everyone was buzzing about it, but it wasn't for me. It has always bugged me that others were seeing something that I couldn't see. So, when this one came out, I thought I would give this book a try.

At first, I was intrigued by the story. I hadn't read the synopsis and I was reading completely blind. I enjoyed the mystery that was unfolding and I had some [misguided] theories about where the story was headed. It wasn't the fact that the story didn't go where I was expecting it to that threw me off, but rather that it took a long time getting to the point and in the end, I felt that many key questions were left unanswered. After a long build up and some false starts I was itching to get to the resolution and when it finally arrived, I was disappointed and unsatisfied.

What this book did for me, though, was to open my eyes to a genre that I wouldn't gravitate to normally. I like that I took a chance and even though this one wasn't a home run, it's reminded me that taking a chance on something can be a fun distraction.

This was a hard review to write. It's a very well written book. So well written that I didn't feel compelled to put it down for a while because the plot line goes no where for so long. I was still drawn to continue reading. Guy gets kidnapped when a child and comes back with the horrible power to kill people if they're around him too long. Guy doesn't tell anyone and just runs away. Why doesn't guy just tell his soulmate (his connection with his childhood best friend is too mystical to call it anything else)? The book never gives a good enough reason. Maybe to make sure this novel isn't the length of a short story.

Oh, this book. How on earth does one review such a unique book without ruining the experience for others? This is one of those books that you should experience going in nearly cold.

Strangely enough this book takes place in a town five minutes from my home. Me, being me, was reading every Nashua reference with a squinty eye looking for a nit to pick but I didn’t find anything to bitch about. Nashua is not a very exciting place, if you ask me, and it was fun imagining this weird stuff happening so close to me. I’m going to give any suspicious men about town even more of a wide berth after reading this, however.

If you bought PROVIDENCE because you loved YOU and HIDDEN BODIES and you expect another crazy Joe you do need to know that this book is not at all like either of them. It starts out when the main characters are children and within pages I was so in love with their friendship and engaged with these two characters that I didn’t want to put it down (curse you real life and your constant interruptions). Kepnes managed to do in mere pages what some books cannot accomplish after hundreds of them. She made me care deeply about these two and put my feelings through the wringer. Now that’s a talent!

Jon and Chloe just click. They would’ve, could’ve, should’ve been that rare couple who fall in love, marry young and stay together through good times and bad because they were meant to be. But that doesn’t happen because who wants to read that book?! Something unexpected happens to one of the kids and it changes them forever. Waking up with vague memories and a copy of The Dunwich Horror by Lovecraft with a strange letter tucked inside, the parents, best friend and the family soon learn that something has forever changed with this kid. I’m not going to tell you what it is or even which kid it is because you need to experience that gut punch yourownselves. I’ll just leave you guessing with this quote.

"I’m starting to get paranoid, starting to think something’s wrong with me… I imagine myself the invisible monster, slaughtering them all."

The remainder of the book features these two kids grown and struggling to connect, longing for each other but unable (for reasons I’m still not divulging) to be together properly. Their story is absolutely wrenching to witness. There is also another character named Eggs who makes it his mission to crack a case involving suspicious deaths of young people. Eggs and his story was also filled with pain and heartbreak and tore me all up inside. Geez, this book. I’m going to spoil it if I keep blathering on. Just read it if you want and I hope you love it as much as I did.

My favorite quote is this one because it’s so damned accurate for me and most everyone I know that I actually laughed out loud like a genuine lunatic.

"Why are you so dressed up? That should be the state fucking slogan of New Hampshire. "

This is a really weird book...but I couldn't stop reading it! Admittedly, I did skip through certain parts, especially the chapters about Eggs, and some Chloe chapters too. I found myself sympathizing with poor Jon; he really was dealt a shitty hand. I wish there was a way for him and Chloe to be together, even though I don't usually enjoy the stereotypical happy ending. Providence is definitely different from "You" which was also written by Kepnes.

Thank you to Netgalley, as well as the author and publisher, for providing me with the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

How far would you go for love and how far would you go to protect those you love? Such is the real premise of Providence. Overall, Providence is a mystery and a love story with serious supernatural vibes - along the lines of Lovecraft who I am not a fan of. While written quite well, with interesting characters, this was not my cup of tea.

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for the advance digital read!

I hate to admit that I didn't love this, especially since I loved Kepnes's other novels. I had high hopes for this, but something just didn't work for me. It may have been references to books/works I'm not familiar with...so in that aspect, I felt lost. Maybe it will be more enjoyable to those who know Lovecraft.