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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
****4.25 stars.
Starting this review, I would like to say that I have not read Caroline Kepnes' work before this book. I have not read "You" though I have been meaning to pick it up. That being said, I think, based on other reviews, that I have made the right decision to read this one first. A lot of people that were big fans of "You" seem to not like this book. My advice to anyone reading this after reading "You" would be to separate this from the other book and try not to compare.
Providence is the story of Jon and Chloe and how their lives were drastically changed after Jon was kidnapped. I don't want to go too much more into the story. I went into it not knowing much about the plot and I think that it helped my reading experience immensely.
I think one of the things that stood out to me the most was the way this book was written. I am not generally a huge fan of thriller/suspense books because I often find them too tedious. That was not the case with this book. In fact, I found myself wanting more. Kepnes does a good job of not giving too much away. There is a slight paranormal aspect of this book that I found fascinating and a lot of that had to do with how open it was left. It wasn't boxed in so there was a mystery to it.
I also liked the characters quite a bit. The love story was unlike any that I had read before and I appreciated it. I had a couple of issues with some of the pacing when it would time jump. But that was one of my only issues. I cannot wait to read this author's other books.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to try something that is more of a thriller especially if it is not their go-to genre.
Starting this review, I would like to say that I have not read Caroline Kepnes' work before this book. I have not read "You" though I have been meaning to pick it up. That being said, I think, based on other reviews, that I have made the right decision to read this one first. A lot of people that were big fans of "You" seem to not like this book. My advice to anyone reading this after reading "You" would be to separate this from the other book and try not to compare.
Providence is the story of Jon and Chloe and how their lives were drastically changed after Jon was kidnapped. I don't want to go too much more into the story. I went into it not knowing much about the plot and I think that it helped my reading experience immensely.
I think one of the things that stood out to me the most was the way this book was written. I am not generally a huge fan of thriller/suspense books because I often find them too tedious. That was not the case with this book. In fact, I found myself wanting more. Kepnes does a good job of not giving too much away. There is a slight paranormal aspect of this book that I found fascinating and a lot of that had to do with how open it was left. It wasn't boxed in so there was a mystery to it.
I also liked the characters quite a bit. The love story was unlike any that I had read before and I appreciated it. I had a couple of issues with some of the pacing when it would time jump. But that was one of my only issues. I cannot wait to read this author's other books.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to try something that is more of a thriller especially if it is not their go-to genre.
I was super into this book at first. It was a real page turner when Jon went missing and seeing how that would unfold. Where it started losing me was when Eggs entered the picture. I found his whole character depressing, annoying, and ultimately pointless. I would much rather have followed only the story of Chloe and Jon than have to hear about a middle age man obsessing over his son and whether or not his wife is gonna leave him.
The Lovecraft references were fun, but again, kind of not really that important to the plot. I wish it had delved into that world more and gone full horror. Or sci-fi so we could learn what really happened to Jon.
Overall it is a fun blend of genres, and while the ending isn't quite a resolution, it is an ending. I want a sequel to see what happens next, but it seems an OK conclusion to the whole tale if there isn't one.
The Lovecraft references were fun, but again, kind of not really that important to the plot. I wish it had delved into that world more and gone full horror. Or sci-fi so we could learn what really happened to Jon.
Overall it is a fun blend of genres, and while the ending isn't quite a resolution, it is an ending. I want a sequel to see what happens next, but it seems an OK conclusion to the whole tale if there isn't one.
This book. Caroline Kepnes has a way with words. She blew my mind with Joe in You and Hidden Bodies. I don't know what I was expecting when I started this book. I knew it would be different. I think I had trouble with it at first because I think deep down I was really expecting something similar to Joe. It is nothing like Joe's story. But it has blown me away just as much.
Her words transport you into a world and you get lost to the point that when you stop reading, even for a minute, it takes time for you to come back down to reality.
Jon captured me the same way Joe did. I hurt for him. I physically wished I could reach into my kindle and hug him.
Watching the characters change in time took me to certain times in my life and had me feeling very emotional.
Eggs character fascinated me. His constant drive to find out more. That nagging, gut feeling.
I think I found a little of me in each of these characters. When an author does that I know I am reading something I will forever cherish and share with everyone I know.
This story I seriously can not put into words the amount of love I have for it. I know it will not be for everyone. But for me it absolutely lived up to all the hype that I had built up in my head for it. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I can absolutely say it is A MUST read!!
Her words transport you into a world and you get lost to the point that when you stop reading, even for a minute, it takes time for you to come back down to reality.
Jon captured me the same way Joe did. I hurt for him. I physically wished I could reach into my kindle and hug him.
Watching the characters change in time took me to certain times in my life and had me feeling very emotional.
Eggs character fascinated me. His constant drive to find out more. That nagging, gut feeling.
I think I found a little of me in each of these characters. When an author does that I know I am reading something I will forever cherish and share with everyone I know.
This story I seriously can not put into words the amount of love I have for it. I know it will not be for everyone. But for me it absolutely lived up to all the hype that I had built up in my head for it. This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and I can absolutely say it is A MUST read!!
My opinion of this book might be a little bit skewed, because I listened to it on audiobook and I didn't like the voice of the woman who narrated Chloe's chapters. While I thought the premise was intriguing, I felt that the plot moved in circles at times, and the ending felt rather anticlimactic to me. I also don't really understand why
Spoiler
Jon just didn't tell Chloe about his problems in the first place. It feels like that would've saved them a lot of trouble.
Meh. Kepnes relied too much on H.R. Lovecraft’s work and that’s something I’ve quite unfamiliar with and better yet, I don’t care. The upside is that Kepnes has a knack for creating interesting characters. It just wasn’t a huge winner for me.
Well, I liked this book in the beginning, when it was still full of promise and the direction it was heading was uncertain. I liked the alternating POVs, from Jon to Chloe to the interesting choice of using the older detective Eggs (who was an shockingly well-developed character, considering his role). I'm not quite sure when it lost me. Perhaps if I was a big [a:H.P. Lovecraft|9494|H.P. Lovecraft|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299165714p2/9494.jpg] fan, it would have kept me hooked. But I found myself asking "why?" a lot, and not in the good way. It was still entertaining, and Kepnes's writing is definitely the kind that draws you in and keeps you turning pages, but ultimately its weirdness didn't capture my attention as well as [b:You|20821614|You (You, #1)|Caroline Kepnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1411958102s/20821614.jpg|39913517] or [b:Hidden Bodies|23492288|Hidden Bodies (You, #2)|Caroline Kepnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1437414470s/23492288.jpg|43082571]. Still, Kepnes continues her tendency toward strange, unique, genre-bending, thought-provoking reads, and I'm not sorry I read this. I will certainly keep picking her books up because I can always be guaranteed a surprise!
I'll copy this blurb from the publisher, because for once I think they summed it up pretty well: "Whisking us on a journey through New England and crashing these characters' lives together in the most unexpected ways, Kepnes explores the complex relationship between love and identity, unrequited passion and obsession, self-preservation and self-destruction, and how the lines are often blurred between the two."
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
I'll copy this blurb from the publisher, because for once I think they summed it up pretty well: "Whisking us on a journey through New England and crashing these characters' lives together in the most unexpected ways, Kepnes explores the complex relationship between love and identity, unrequited passion and obsession, self-preservation and self-destruction, and how the lines are often blurred between the two."
The fine print: received ARC from NetGalley.
4.5 stars!
After reading YOU and Hidden Bodies earlier this year and falling madly in love with Caroline Kepnes' writing style, you can imagine how eager I was to read Providence by Caroline Kepnes. Now, Providence is not a 'Joe & Beck' story, let's just clarify that straight away. YOU and Hidden Bodies are the Joe & Beck stories and if you haven't read those two books, I highly recommend them (You is my favorite of the two-I have Goodreads reviews for both)
Providence is a 'Jon & Chloe' story.
The magical things that Kepnes does so well as an author are the best things about this book. Caroline has this casual, accessible, and compelling way of storytelling that is immediately captivating. The pages fly by as the "movie" begins to play in your mind.
She also builds characters that are like flesh and blood people and she stages the interactions between them with so much realism, I forget that I'm reading a piece of fiction. Dialog exchanges sound like real life conversations-the way people really talk and the characters open up like flowers to the reader with their steady streams of inner mind-chat.
The story here was so totally original, I found myself not finding an easy place to drop the bookmark at bedtime...each chapter was an invitation to keep reading.
This story is equal parts love story/romance, supernatural sci-fi and maybe even some mystery/hardboiled detective threads. I would not say this is horror at all, as some were suggesting.
But genre aside, this book is entertaining on so many levels and Caroline's writing is so engaging, I can't imagine a reader that wouldn't be interested in this book. Seriously, there's something for everyone here.
My only real complaint would be that this book checked all the boxes for me except one: Teeth.
I felt myself hoping that the story would eventually leap off the page and land in some really dark territory--there was some opportunity with the antagonist where I felt like I needed a little bit more from that part of the story. I wanted more motive there. But that's my only real complaint, the edge of the knife was a bit dull but other than that--everything about this story was speaking my language.
Mad love for Caroline Kepnes. She an insta-buy author.
After reading YOU and Hidden Bodies earlier this year and falling madly in love with Caroline Kepnes' writing style, you can imagine how eager I was to read Providence by Caroline Kepnes. Now, Providence is not a 'Joe & Beck' story, let's just clarify that straight away. YOU and Hidden Bodies are the Joe & Beck stories and if you haven't read those two books, I highly recommend them (You is my favorite of the two-I have Goodreads reviews for both)
Providence is a 'Jon & Chloe' story.
The magical things that Kepnes does so well as an author are the best things about this book. Caroline has this casual, accessible, and compelling way of storytelling that is immediately captivating. The pages fly by as the "movie" begins to play in your mind.
She also builds characters that are like flesh and blood people and she stages the interactions between them with so much realism, I forget that I'm reading a piece of fiction. Dialog exchanges sound like real life conversations-the way people really talk and the characters open up like flowers to the reader with their steady streams of inner mind-chat.
The story here was so totally original, I found myself not finding an easy place to drop the bookmark at bedtime...each chapter was an invitation to keep reading.
This story is equal parts love story/romance, supernatural sci-fi and maybe even some mystery/hardboiled detective threads. I would not say this is horror at all, as some were suggesting.
But genre aside, this book is entertaining on so many levels and Caroline's writing is so engaging, I can't imagine a reader that wouldn't be interested in this book. Seriously, there's something for everyone here.
My only real complaint would be that this book checked all the boxes for me except one: Teeth.
I felt myself hoping that the story would eventually leap off the page and land in some really dark territory--there was some opportunity with the antagonist where I felt like I needed a little bit more from that part of the story. I wanted more motive there. But that's my only real complaint, the edge of the knife was a bit dull but other than that--everything about this story was speaking my language.
Mad love for Caroline Kepnes. She an insta-buy author.
I liked this book though I think that’s partly because the version in my head is slightly different than the one on the page.
And while I appreciated not getting a lengthy, pseudoscience explanation for what happened to Jon, getting nothing was also unsatisfying. With how much this book references The Dunwich Horror, I paused reading to pivot to that story for a few days. Really liked it but I do NOT get what it had to do with Jon’s powers. Is Jon an old one now? Or….? ….? Lovecraft’s stories are scary and arrestingly imaginative, but Eggs’s wife’s breathless admiration felt like too much. What am I missing?
And while I appreciated not getting a lengthy, pseudoscience explanation for what happened to Jon, getting nothing was also unsatisfying. With how much this book references The Dunwich Horror, I paused reading to pivot to that story for a few days. Really liked it but I do NOT get what it had to do with Jon’s powers. Is Jon an old one now? Or….? ….? Lovecraft’s stories are scary and arrestingly imaginative, but Eggs’s wife’s breathless admiration felt like too much. What am I missing?
Oookay... I've been delaying this review because truthfully, I didn't absolutely love this book. And given that I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher Lenny, I always feel a but guilty when I can't write a completely glowing review. Especially because I also love Lenny! And the fabulous, boundary-pushing women's work that they publish both in their newsletter and now, in novel form.
Let me say I was drawn to Providence because of the thriller/supernatural aspect. The first half or so of the book engaged me, but then it started to flag for me. I haven't read any Lovecraft, which for sure made it difficult for me to connect with that aspect of the narrative. And as for Chloe... I am nearly always in favor of a flawed main character, but in this case, there wasn't a whole lot of positive there to balance out the flaws for me.
This is absolutely a case of not the right reader for this book. There is a lot to love here - it just wasn't up my alley. That being said, I am super grateful to NetGalley and Lenny for the opportunity to read it.
Let me say I was drawn to Providence because of the thriller/supernatural aspect. The first half or so of the book engaged me, but then it started to flag for me. I haven't read any Lovecraft, which for sure made it difficult for me to connect with that aspect of the narrative. And as for Chloe... I am nearly always in favor of a flawed main character, but in this case, there wasn't a whole lot of positive there to balance out the flaws for me.
This is absolutely a case of not the right reader for this book. There is a lot to love here - it just wasn't up my alley. That being said, I am super grateful to NetGalley and Lenny for the opportunity to read it.