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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
I really really wanted to like this book. I had seen so many mixed reviews online for it but I went in with an open mind. I was not a fan of this authors previous books but I was willing to give her another go - but it was not to be.
13 year old Jon Bronson went missing on his way to school one morning in 2008. 4 years later he returns with no memory but he is different. His mere presence is harming and even killing people. He has to get away before he hurts somebody he loves. This is where it lost me. It seemed to drag out after this and went really weird. I can see that some people will love this book but it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and in no way biased.
13 year old Jon Bronson went missing on his way to school one morning in 2008. 4 years later he returns with no memory but he is different. His mere presence is harming and even killing people. He has to get away before he hurts somebody he loves. This is where it lost me. It seemed to drag out after this and went really weird. I can see that some people will love this book but it just wasn't for me.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and in no way biased.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was just ok to me. It didn't give me any kind of feels and it didn't make me laugh or anything like that. I guess I like to get a reaction out of a book, that or a really good ride. I thoroughly enjoyed YOU, so I'll keep reading this author.
I did appreciate that the cop in the story, Eggs, was a cancer survivor and has a colostomy bag. That was a good piece of realness that you don't often find in fiction stories.
I did appreciate that the cop in the story, Eggs, was a cancer survivor and has a colostomy bag. That was a good piece of realness that you don't often find in fiction stories.
This book and I didn't get along.
I simply didn't get it. Honestly - both Jon and Chloe were hard for me to identify with; their relationship, the events that happened, the fantastical aspect of this book ... it was all too much.
Jon and Chloe are apparently best friends: this is told to us in the book blurb, if you read the first chapter, the one that sets everything up, you know that Jon is ostracized at school, that Chloe is the cool kid that is nice to him, when it suits her. But would I say that they are best friends or great loves? Heck no, that does not come across.
Jon goes missing - he is kidnapped by a teacher and disappears for 4 years. While he is away, Chloe begins painting Jon, in an attempt to remember him.
4 years later, Jon wakes up in a strange room, remembering absolutely nothing. Left with only a copy of a book and a letter written in it telling Jon that he "did good" and "good luck". Jon returns to his life only things aren't all as they seem. It turns out that Jon has an affect on those close to him ... if he gets to close or feels too much towards them they end up having a heart attack and dying.
It makes for coming back to his life pretty useless since he can't get close to Chloe. But since he doesn't understand what's happening, he can't tell her why he is staying away.
The result is two lovelorn people who pine for one another ... and leaves the reader frustrated. I had such a hard time getting into this book and allowing my imagination to carry me away.
Thrown in for good measure is a cop named Eggs who becomes obsessed with all these young people dying of heart attacks and trying to find justice by tracking down the murderer. Eggs wasn't a bad character, but it just felt so pointless a plot-line that didn't really help the story along.
I can't pinpoint exactly why I didn't like this book - but it really just wasn't for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
1.5 star read.
I simply didn't get it. Honestly - both Jon and Chloe were hard for me to identify with; their relationship, the events that happened, the fantastical aspect of this book ... it was all too much.
Jon and Chloe are apparently best friends: this is told to us in the book blurb, if you read the first chapter, the one that sets everything up, you know that Jon is ostracized at school, that Chloe is the cool kid that is nice to him, when it suits her. But would I say that they are best friends or great loves? Heck no, that does not come across.
Jon goes missing - he is kidnapped by a teacher and disappears for 4 years. While he is away, Chloe begins painting Jon, in an attempt to remember him.
4 years later, Jon wakes up in a strange room, remembering absolutely nothing. Left with only a copy of a book and a letter written in it telling Jon that he "did good" and "good luck". Jon returns to his life only things aren't all as they seem. It turns out that Jon has an affect on those close to him ... if he gets to close or feels too much towards them they end up having a heart attack and dying.
It makes for coming back to his life pretty useless since he can't get close to Chloe. But since he doesn't understand what's happening, he can't tell her why he is staying away.
The result is two lovelorn people who pine for one another ... and leaves the reader frustrated. I had such a hard time getting into this book and allowing my imagination to carry me away.
Thrown in for good measure is a cop named Eggs who becomes obsessed with all these young people dying of heart attacks and trying to find justice by tracking down the murderer. Eggs wasn't a bad character, but it just felt so pointless a plot-line that didn't really help the story along.
I can't pinpoint exactly why I didn't like this book - but it really just wasn't for me.
Thank you Netgalley and Random House for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.
1.5 star read.
Interesting plot. I really liked all of the HP Lovecraft tie-in. A very nice concept, wonderfully executed. Nice read!
This is a hard one to rate. At times I felt it was 2.5 stars and then it would feel like 3.5. It was a strange book and I definitely skimmed a number of pages. I enjoyed You and Hidden Bodies more than this one, I’m just not into supernatural themes.
This book just didn’t grab me in the way that the “You” series did. The plot was a bit mundane and by the time we get to the end, I didn’t feel like there was much resolution to the story. Almost didn’t finish.
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I (was mildly weirded out but still) super enjoyed You, so when I came across this on NetGalley, I was curious to see what Kepnes had come up with now. I was fortunate enough to be approved for it, and wasted no time diving in.
Much like You, the story itself is rather weird, and leaves you uncomfortable at times. Kepnes doesn't shy away from things awkward, weird or strange, and it's what makes this book work so well. Jon's character is a disaster and a half, but it's so well done that you can't help but read on as things get more and more crazy. It starts out as a pretty standard kids-in-love-but-not-there-yet story, and develops into something out of a horror novel, while never actually feeling much like horror.
The Good Points of Providence:
I loved how Lovecraft was used in the book. It was so well done, and so well used to advance the story and give you insight into what was supposed to be happening. This might be the first time I've come across a book that used another book so effectively.
I liked Jon's character, even in the weirder moments. I like how he was portrayed, and how he doesn't really grow up or change, because he never gets the chance to. I also like how he handles the situation he finds himself in and where that takes him. He's the standout throughout the book, though Chloe and Eggs were also great characters.
The whole plot line with Eggs trying to figure out how Jon did what he did and why was what made this book. I probably would have quit without his plot line, because it was by far the most interesting.
The Downsides of Providence:
I felt like there wasn't a bit of chemistry between Jon and Chloe. Their interactions and mild obsession with each other was just weird, and it didn't get better as the book progressed. In a story about impossible relationships, it really dragged it down because I never at one point felt like they could be together.
The first part of the book flew by, but the rest tended to drag. It got bogged down in all the thinking the characters did, and all the obsessing, and all the boring junk in between the beginning and end drama, and it made it harder to get through.
So many of the issues with this book could have been solved if Jon had just emailed Chloe and told her what was going on, especially since they texted and emailed quite a bit anyway. And it probably would have been a better book.
All in all, there were some good things happening in this book, but when it came down to it, it just didn't work well for me. I think that the lack of chemistry between Jon and Chloe was really what killed it. But if you like Lovecraft, horror that isn't scary, or monster-type stories, you should check out Providence!
I (was mildly weirded out but still) super enjoyed You, so when I came across this on NetGalley, I was curious to see what Kepnes had come up with now. I was fortunate enough to be approved for it, and wasted no time diving in.
Much like You, the story itself is rather weird, and leaves you uncomfortable at times. Kepnes doesn't shy away from things awkward, weird or strange, and it's what makes this book work so well. Jon's character is a disaster and a half, but it's so well done that you can't help but read on as things get more and more crazy. It starts out as a pretty standard kids-in-love-but-not-there-yet story, and develops into something out of a horror novel, while never actually feeling much like horror.
The Good Points of Providence:
I loved how Lovecraft was used in the book. It was so well done, and so well used to advance the story and give you insight into what was supposed to be happening. This might be the first time I've come across a book that used another book so effectively.
I liked Jon's character, even in the weirder moments. I like how he was portrayed, and how he doesn't really grow up or change, because he never gets the chance to. I also like how he handles the situation he finds himself in and where that takes him. He's the standout throughout the book, though Chloe and Eggs were also great characters.
The whole plot line with Eggs trying to figure out how Jon did what he did and why was what made this book. I probably would have quit without his plot line, because it was by far the most interesting.
The Downsides of Providence:
I felt like there wasn't a bit of chemistry between Jon and Chloe. Their interactions and mild obsession with each other was just weird, and it didn't get better as the book progressed. In a story about impossible relationships, it really dragged it down because I never at one point felt like they could be together.
The first part of the book flew by, but the rest tended to drag. It got bogged down in all the thinking the characters did, and all the obsessing, and all the boring junk in between the beginning and end drama, and it made it harder to get through.
So many of the issues with this book could have been solved if Jon had just emailed Chloe and told her what was going on, especially since they texted and emailed quite a bit anyway. And it probably would have been a better book.
All in all, there were some good things happening in this book, but when it came down to it, it just didn't work well for me. I think that the lack of chemistry between Jon and Chloe was really what killed it. But if you like Lovecraft, horror that isn't scary, or monster-type stories, you should check out Providence!
3.5 stars - hard to describe this book. It was different. It kept me interested and I wanted to see how it played out, which is why I decided to round up.
Very different type of book. Like nothing I’ve ever read before. I love her writing style. Loved the characters. Especially eggs. ❤️