Thanks so much for giving me access to this! What a ride. I enjoyed the storytelling so much and I cannot wait to hear about others reading it. I felt that this was such a compelling story.

Special thanks to Union Square & Co and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I hated so many characters in this book… but this book was great! The author did such an amazing job portraying the characters in this book and the situations they were in. They felt so real, were so messy, and made me so angry.

I also loved the pacing of this book. It had my attention the entire time and fleshed the MC out without romanticizing the “relationships” in this book.

There were a few grammatical errors and some wonky sentences, but I personally did not feel like it greatly impacted my reading experience.

I would highly recommend this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co. for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I waited a bit before posting this one. I felt like I needed to sit with it for awhile.

I enjoyed this book and, while not one of those edge of your seat, cliffhanger chapter thrillers, I could not put this one down.

Providence follows Mark, a college professor, who becomes infatuated with one of his students, Tyler. The book takes place over two semesters and follows along as things progress.

I thought that WIllse did an exceptional job of navigating and developing Mark's character. While he consistently made idiotic decision after idiotic decision, it still fell within the confines of his character. I couldn't help thinking about the drive for more- wanting something else, when you could be - should be - content with what you have. Mark's character arc was interesting and while this was a slow burn thriller in my opinion, I couldn't help but continue turning the pages in order to get further into Mark's head.

I really enjoyed this book. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it.

This was messy, in a good way. A story about forbidden and tortured love sign me up. I read this book in one sitting, It was fun, quick and easy read. I would recommend this book to the right audience.

This book was an introspective account a forbidden and tortured love story. It was a glimmer of need and want, a evolution of tug and pull. Such a great way to tell a story and describe a forbidden love.
I received and ARC from NetGalley.

Providence is a book that hooked me from the first few pages. The story of a professor having an affair with a student is not new but the deliver of the book was what made it stand out from the others. It was a quick and easy read with an ending that did not live up to my expectations. While I was disappointed by the ending, I think it's a worthy read for fans of queer fiction.

This author's portrayal of forbidden romance was so perfectly done. This perfectly captures that essence of passion when it comes to something our protagonist Mark Lausson knows is wrong, but is so compelled to pursue when he meets a young man in one of his classes.

Set against the backdrop of a liberal arts college in Ohio, we get this beautiful tension and suspense, which is one of the things I enjoy in a forbidden romance situation, particularly in college professor/student romances.

When new student Tyler enters the campus, Mark immediately takes notice, envious of Tyler's ability to so freely be himself. This small interest blooms into a full blown reality when the two participate in a clandestine relationship. Soon, Mark begins to question Tyler's true character, fearing there may be something darker to him, and we spend the rest of the book on this twisting and turning journey through figuring out who to trust, what is truth and what is an elaborate ruse.

I found this incredibly riveting. I loved the obsessive and darkly co-dependent aspects of this book and the chaotic atmosphere. It was perfection.

I wanted to like this one. I really did. I loved the premise and the cover so much. But when I started reading, I couldn’t get into the story. So I decided to DNF at 26%. It might be me, not the book.

Thank you to the publisher for my arc.


I really wanted to enjoy this but it wasn’t for me. The story was slow and I didn’t care for the characters

This debut was a pleasant surprise. I went into it with little to no expectations and I enjoyed it. Providence follows an introverted English professor at a prestigious Ohio university and his fall from grace when beginning a sexual relationship with one of his sophomore students, Tyler.

At first, I found the book to be very slow and a little dense in detail. But I quickly couldn't put it down. Being from Ohio myself, I loved seeing its mundaneness through Mark's eyes. I enjoyed the complexities of the characters as well. There is such beautiful and heartbreaking depth to each of them that made this story just feel so much more raw and real.

Another thing about Providence I was almost shocked to love was its mystery. Usually when I read a book and not all the questions have been answered at the end, it takes away from the experience. But I think this is a rare occasion where neatly tied ends would ruin the novel's aesthetic and overall message. It leaves you wanting more but not necessarily demanding more.

Craig Willse's debut is hauntingly atmospheric and razor-sharp. It's a heartwrenching and sexy disaster that you just can't resist. A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review ♡

PROVIDENCE explores the sensitive topic of professor/teacher relationships in a university setting. It takes a look at power dynamics and how far characters will go to get what the want when the lines of right/wrong are blurred.

I think ultimately I wanted a lot more from this book. Leading up to Mark and Tyler entering their relationship, there was hardly any push/pull, will they/won't they, grappling with guilt that I would've expected from a story like this to increase the tension and make the midpoint more satisfying. Neither Mark or Tyler are particularly fleshed out. We explore Mark through vignettes of his childhood, and we see that he feels stuck and uninspired by his life before Tyler, but beyond that, he's one-note. Same with Tyler. We hardly see any on-page relationship building between the two leading up to them deciding to sleep together. The attraction is all physical. By the halfway mark, I genuinely had no idea why these two characters even liked each other when they knew nothing about the other--and I as a reader knew hardly anything substantial about them either. Very little chemistry.

Of course, I didn't expect this to be a romance, but I wanted to know WHY these characters were obsessed with each other. I wanted more of the psychology behind their thoughts and actions.

Ahh the English professor and the student. Tale as old as time.
I mean, yeah, overall I liked it but no I didn't love it. It's fun, quick, easy, a little twisty but not too many that you hate the book, with the smattering of gay sex to keep you aware of the shifts between power and sex...


received a free ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Overall an enjoyable read! Will be recommending to my friends. I thought the story was interesting and engaging. Loved the ending as well because it really tied everything together!

Thank you Netgalley for this arc! Much to the vain of books like Mrs. S, there seems to be a common thread here. Forbidden romance/connections. Add in a little bit of a school setting and we are well on our way.

✰ 4.25 stars ✰

“I think the second greatest mystery of the universe is other people.”

“What?” I had no idea what she meant.

She laughed again. “Just like, you can never really know another person, like what they’re thinking or feeling. I mean, you have your ideas of something, like being sad, but you can’t know exactly what sad feels like to someone else. Or happiness, or love. Not truly.”

“Okay,” I said. “Then what’s the first greatest mystery?”

“Ourselves,” she said. “Obviously.”

It's been quite a while since a book has had such a strong hold on me the way Providence did, a psychological thriller about an English professor, Mark Lausson, who's life quickly spirals into a path of destruction when he begins an illicit affair with his charismatic and enigmatic sophomore student, Tyler Cunningham.

“I can make myself crazy trying to figure out what of that night was real—whether it was Tyler at his most loving or his most traitorous. Sometimes, I’m not sure there’s a difference.”

I read this in the early hours of Saturday morning - y'know, before the household wakes up and there's only the silence and the words that envelop you in a story that makes you neglect all other household chores. And yet, when the time came for the day to actually begin - weekend chores waiting for me to attend to, I didn't want to. I didn't want to, not until I finished reading it - not until I knew the ending of what would happen to Mark - I could not put it down - Craig Willse had been pulled me into the story - riveted by the nature of their relationship. The writing was so appealing to my aesthetic senses - the plot positively gripping - such a page turner - so well-written that drew me into Mark's plight -it's been so long since a book has captivated me so much. I really liked it. 🤌🏻🤌🏻

Did Mark make stupid and bad judgment calls? Yes, more than I would like for him to have done - but, it was such a clear example of how the lust for desire - that urge to be wanted by Tyler - had hindered all rhyme or reason for him. 🙍🏻‍♀️ It was almost intoxicating the way Tyler had completely mesmerized him - how he was willing to give up everything and anything to help him out. 'How it felt to confess, the way he offered his body to be held like a child, when it was him holding me. And other times, I obsess over it, searching out some detail I missed, desperate for knowledge I will never have.'

I liked how the author didn't make it like an instant attraction - Tyler toyed with him, almost to the point of luring him in with such heated chemistry till he had no choice to give into temptation; and yet, I believed it. I believed how their relationship unfolded, that their emotions for each other were genuine - heady with want and lust - despite me inwardly yelling at him not to listen to him - can't you see he's using you??? 😥😥

But, I still understood why Mark was so drawn to help Tyler. He had been living such a mundane and ordinary life before Tyler came into his class, and then just to have this insane pull of this beautiful young man who actually wanted him - wouldn't he do anything to keep him? It was stressful seeing how rapidly his life was deteriorating - as he became completely alienated from his colleagues, isolated from his boyfriend, losing interest in his work, he truly believed that Tyler would be worth it. '. . . is this all the world was? A chain of misplaced longings, never met? But now, in some twisted, unbreakable way, I had gotten what I wanted.' 😞 They had some really wholesome and heart-warming intimate moments, that I hoped against hope that things would turn out for the better. Mark's thoughts and actions really kept the pace alive; I never felt a lull in the story, I was constantly on alert - the tension of the situation so clearly evident of waiting for that anvil to fall where everything falls apart - and boy, did it ever! 😭😭

“Tyler cares about me.”

“I don’t doubt that. You know what they say—we always hurt the ones we love.”

And y'know what the truly sad part about all of this was? As much as Mark basically kept digging his own grave by making conscious mistakes because he was so foolishly enraptured with the hope that Tyler would choose him, I wanted him to find a way out. I wanted him to succeed and get his happy ending. 'What were we protecting? What was there to lose? Everything, it seemed, and nothing.' ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 He was a rueful pawn in Tyler's schemes and as he uncovers more truths about who Tyler really is - the irony of the title really comes into fruition; and to me, that's truly the mark of a tragic hero. 💔💔

I also appreciated the subtle ways in which the author addressed misogyny and racism - it's not painstakingly evident, but the little hints that were dropped, really does show the depravity of humankind - and how even under the guise of decency and kindness, there is still so much unaddressed and unnoticed - that people can be rotten to the core even under the veneer of grace and beauty. 👍🏻👍🏻 The side plot regarding Mark's sister also kept the tone alive and aided Mark in making some timely decisions that would either cost him his life or save him, instead.

“If you have come to hear a heartwarming story about queer resilience,” I started, “you have come to the wrong place. There are no heroes here.”

The publishers have hinted that the cover is subject to change; personally, I hope that they don't. It was the cover that drew me to it, and it also, in my opinion, perfectly captures the magnetic allure of how Tyler drew Mark towards him and the painful way in which by getting involved in him, his life was irrevocably shattered. 😟 I wouldn't also mind a companion novella from Tyler's point of view; there were still so many layers to him that I felt could have been explored - mysteries left unanswered. What led him to target Mark? How much of how he behaved with him was fiction or truth? Was his intentions always to ensnare Mark as an unwitting participant - a rueful target of Tyler's schemes? 🥺

But, then I think, does it really matter?

In the novel, Mark is researching a crime case that took place in the U.S during the early 20s. It piqued my interest, but I was unsure whether or not it was true or not - so I looked it up. Turns out it was, and while I was disgusted with the crime itself, the perpetrators did not receive the death penalty, rather life in prison, because their lawyer defended them, sources describing his defence simply as, 'Nature made them do it, evolution made them do it, Nietzche made them do it.' And while it's not an argument I would support, I think the opening statement to Mark's dissertation speaks volumes for the entirety of this novel, as well.

“Instead, I want to think about why we find these stories fascinating. What they tell us about how we imagine depravity—sexual and criminal. And, ultimately, what we can see in these stories about ourselves—or as French philosopher Michel Foucault might put it, the ‘mirage in which we think we see ourselves reflected— the dark shimmer of sex.’”

It was really a very impressive and compelling debut that truly satisfied the reader in me. 👏🏻 👏🏻 I wouldn't mind reading it again when it comes out, just to experience the tumultuous way in which Mark's steadily but surely fell apart.

*Thank you Union Square & Co for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.