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brianne_k's review against another edition
3.0
*2.75/5*
meh.. didn't love it. it was weird and not what I wanted it expected from the author that wrote You.
meh.. didn't love it. it was weird and not what I wanted it expected from the author that wrote You.
mbkarapcik's review against another edition
3.0
If you are looking for a similar book to the author's previous book You and the sequel, you will be disappointed. Many similarities do appear in this book but not enough to mistake it for another You. I would consider this a science fiction love story with a tiny bit of horror thrown in for good measure. Fans of HP Lovecraft will find many references to his work and sensibilities.
Jon and Chloe are best friends, but one day, Jon disappears. Chloe mourns for him, never forgetting him, but she eventually moves on. If I gave away more, I would ruin the plot, so that's all that I will offer.
Some parts of the book drag, but I liked all the characters and found myself empathizing with their individual plights. I wanted the main characters to win their battles, but, like real life, struggles ensue no matter what you do and nothing is easily or neatly resolved. At times, Jon reflects on life and pop culture in a similar fashion to Joe from the You series. A character attends a Lovecraft festival that brings the Dickens festival from You to mind. Some characters mirror others from her other books, but Eggs, a detective involved in the story, is uniquely his own character. All that being said, it's a change of pace from her other novels and an interesting story in its own right.
Jon and Chloe are best friends, but one day, Jon disappears. Chloe mourns for him, never forgetting him, but she eventually moves on. If I gave away more, I would ruin the plot, so that's all that I will offer.
Some parts of the book drag, but I liked all the characters and found myself empathizing with their individual plights. I wanted the main characters to win their battles, but, like real life, struggles ensue no matter what you do and nothing is easily or neatly resolved. At times, Jon reflects on life and pop culture in a similar fashion to Joe from the You series. A character attends a Lovecraft festival that brings the Dickens festival from You to mind. Some characters mirror others from her other books, but Eggs, a detective involved in the story, is uniquely his own character. All that being said, it's a change of pace from her other novels and an interesting story in its own right.
kuranes's review against another edition
3.0
Very enjoyable! Not super Lovecrafty, but that wasn’t a problem :)
shhchar's review against another edition
1.0
I absolutely loved 'Hidden Bodies,' but this book moved too slowly and I felt nothing but mild disdain for these characters. Skimmed most of the second half, but could've abandoned it just as well.
celjla212's review against another edition
3.0
The author of this book is one of my favorites, so I was excited to check it out. All other reviews I have read are somewhat sad because the tone and feel of Providence is so unlike Kepnes' other works, but I think it's a good thing for an author to have variety.
Jon was abducted as an 11 year old, and comes back after 8 years gone completely changed. His kidnapper did SOMETHING to him, and as a result he can no longer get close to anyone and let them see who he truly is. That includes his childhood best friend Chloe, who was also changed after his disappearance and even more affected after his mysterious reappearance. The story that follows between them is the heartbreaking tale of their connection and love for each other that cannot be fully realized.
I guess I would say the most frustrating part of this novel for me is that we never discover why Jon was taken, exactly what was done to him, and if there's no hope for his life in the future. Jon is really a good person, and it's so sad and nonsensical that he has to live his life the way he does.
Chloe is definitely more of a mess, and she's never been able to completely get her life together knowing that Jon is out there but they are not together. As a result, she can never give her full love to anyone, and her relationships and friendships suffer when they realize that Chloe is not fully present in them.
It's so, so sad to see Jon and Chloe's raw love for one another but know that they cannot be together. The love turns into obsession, and as Kepnes is go adept at, you become drawn into the obsession as well.
There are no answers, no happy endings here. But I liked that the author kept the same pace throughout the large size of the novel. Kepnes is a talent and I can't wait to read more from her, but this book just left me sad.
Jon was abducted as an 11 year old, and comes back after 8 years gone completely changed. His kidnapper did SOMETHING to him, and as a result he can no longer get close to anyone and let them see who he truly is. That includes his childhood best friend Chloe, who was also changed after his disappearance and even more affected after his mysterious reappearance. The story that follows between them is the heartbreaking tale of their connection and love for each other that cannot be fully realized.
I guess I would say the most frustrating part of this novel for me is that we never discover why Jon was taken, exactly what was done to him, and if there's no hope for his life in the future. Jon is really a good person, and it's so sad and nonsensical that he has to live his life the way he does.
Chloe is definitely more of a mess, and she's never been able to completely get her life together knowing that Jon is out there but they are not together. As a result, she can never give her full love to anyone, and her relationships and friendships suffer when they realize that Chloe is not fully present in them.
It's so, so sad to see Jon and Chloe's raw love for one another but know that they cannot be together. The love turns into obsession, and as Kepnes is go adept at, you become drawn into the obsession as well.
There are no answers, no happy endings here. But I liked that the author kept the same pace throughout the large size of the novel. Kepnes is a talent and I can't wait to read more from her, but this book just left me sad.
springreader's review against another edition
3.0
Grasped me in the beginning and loved ittt until I got halfway through and found it very slow. DNF :(
sharni_24's review against another edition
Repetitive. No new information. Not engaging
tricapra's review against another edition
4.0
It's official, I'm a Caroline Kepnes fan. Weird lovecraftian (yet aware) romance? I'm in.
khuizenga's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the concept of this book, but this was a big flop for me. I enjoyed the settings, having lived near all of the major places in the book, and I really wanted to like this, but the book dragged and got repetitive and their is too much angst and philosophizing that ultimately leads nowhere. Also some of the descriptions in Kepnes' writing made me cringe (someone's tongue at one point is described as a "little whale" when they are kissing, it just doesn't do it for me); I think ultimately I don't get along too well with her style. I didn't mind having three perspectives, but it did sometimes feel like I was reading two separate books. Also the characters would draw conclusions and suddenly know something to be an incontrovertible truth that they would have absolutely no way of reaching that conclusion from the limited information they had except for that they were being written by the same person writing the other side stories. Ultimately, what felt unrealistic was the way the characters behaved and the conclusions they jumped to, not the supernatural elements of the book. I wanted to know what happened, which is why I finished it, but feel kind of let down and wish this book were something it is not.
Side note, I listened to the audiobook and the actors in that did a great job. I completely bought each one of them as their characters and it was well produced.
Side note, I listened to the audiobook and the actors in that did a great job. I completely bought each one of them as their characters and it was well produced.
anmckeldinauthor's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.0