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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
(Review copied from my IG: @stephanietries)
It’s official Bookstagram: Caroline Kepnes is now one of my favorite authors. I read YOU, HIDDEN BODIES, and PROVIDENCE in July and I do not regret that life decision one iota (is it weird that a lot of my positive life decisions are bookish? 🤷🏻♀️) Despite PROVIDENCE being a bit of a departure from the Wonderfully Whacky World of Joe Goldberg, it was still full of Kepnes’ unique and witty voice, with a sprinkling of some of the enjoyable pop culture references that gave me the warm in fuzzies in her previous books.
PROVIDENCE tells the story of Jon, a sort-of weird kid in love with a sort-of popular girl. He gets kidnapped by a sort-of mad scientist, only to be returned home four years later with a pretty shitty superpower: he can kill anyone he has intense feelings toward (good *or* bad). Of course he must skip town to avoid accidentally murdering the love of his life (among others) yet they stay in weird, obsessive contact with each other (oh hello, flashes of YOU) as he tries learn more about and get a handle on his new “power.”
Now if this sounds weird, it’s because it is, but gloriously so. Kepnes mixes genres in this book with ease: obsessive romance, thriller, some supernatural elements, and even throws in a dash of cop procedural in the mix as well (which TBH is usually a turn off for me). It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does and it’s Kepnes’ strong writing and storytelling that makes it work. There’s also that added element of her being a native New Englander (hey girl, let’s grab some Dunkies when you’re in the area next—lol): reading about places I’ve been always gives me a little extra book buzz.
I can’t recommend this one enough!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.
It’s official Bookstagram: Caroline Kepnes is now one of my favorite authors. I read YOU, HIDDEN BODIES, and PROVIDENCE in July and I do not regret that life decision one iota (is it weird that a lot of my positive life decisions are bookish? 🤷🏻♀️) Despite PROVIDENCE being a bit of a departure from the Wonderfully Whacky World of Joe Goldberg, it was still full of Kepnes’ unique and witty voice, with a sprinkling of some of the enjoyable pop culture references that gave me the warm in fuzzies in her previous books.
PROVIDENCE tells the story of Jon, a sort-of weird kid in love with a sort-of popular girl. He gets kidnapped by a sort-of mad scientist, only to be returned home four years later with a pretty shitty superpower: he can kill anyone he has intense feelings toward (good *or* bad). Of course he must skip town to avoid accidentally murdering the love of his life (among others) yet they stay in weird, obsessive contact with each other (oh hello, flashes of YOU) as he tries learn more about and get a handle on his new “power.”
Now if this sounds weird, it’s because it is, but gloriously so. Kepnes mixes genres in this book with ease: obsessive romance, thriller, some supernatural elements, and even throws in a dash of cop procedural in the mix as well (which TBH is usually a turn off for me). It sounds like it shouldn’t work, but it does and it’s Kepnes’ strong writing and storytelling that makes it work. There’s also that added element of her being a native New Englander (hey girl, let’s grab some Dunkies when you’re in the area next—lol): reading about places I’ve been always gives me a little extra book buzz.
I can’t recommend this one enough!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars.
I had a lot of fun with this story. Totally different than You but really engaging just the same. I loved the supernatural aspect. There was tension and humor. I really enjoyed the 3 main characters but especially the detective. I loved being in his brain. I look forward to whatever this author writes next!
This book was weirddddd and it took me awhile to get into it. Once I focused on Eggs it became more of a detective story than a supernatural mystery. I wanted the ending to be different but I’m glad there was some sort of solution. I liked this less than her other two novels but this still had a similar feel
For me, very current verbiage and references and portraits of NYC and parts of New England were vivid. I’d recommend this to most thriller fans.
For me, very current verbiage and references and portraits of NYC and parts of New England were vivid. I’d recommend this to most thriller fans.
All is good and well until Jon mysteriously disappears one day on his way to school. No one knows where he went and they cannot find him, but life goes on. One day, Jon appears again with no recollection of the four years he was away for. However, things are different, he is different. As people around him start to get hurt, Jon runs, leaving those he loves behind. Chloe keeps looking for him. Eggs thinks there’s a serial killer at work and begins his hunt. Can Jon find the answers he needs to live a normal life?
Not what I expected from Caroline Kepnes! I have loved her precious works (especially You) and was expecting something along a similar line with this one, but was quite surprised by the Sci Fi type undertone to it. I was, however, very intrigued and had to find the answers. The ending left me hanging (and in hope of a sequel), but was a great read. Not my favourite Kepnes book, but a good one nonetheless!
Not what I expected from Caroline Kepnes! I have loved her precious works (especially You) and was expecting something along a similar line with this one, but was quite surprised by the Sci Fi type undertone to it. I was, however, very intrigued and had to find the answers. The ending left me hanging (and in hope of a sequel), but was a great read. Not my favourite Kepnes book, but a good one nonetheless!
Cross-posted to my blog: https://thesebooksaremyfriends.wordpress.com/2018/06/17/providence-by-caroline-kepnes/
I start this review with an apology to the author. It’s not fair of me to keep reading your books and bringing your ratings down when I haven’t liked any of them so far. I just keep hoping that I’ll change my mind since so many people, including some of my friends love your books. So readers of mine, keep this in mind while reading this review.
Providence starts out with Chloe and Jon, two BFFs who by all accounts shouldn’t be. She is popular, he’s a geeky loner who gets picked on but they make their friendship work. They’re in middle school/junior high so here we have point one that I had an issue with. Do kids in middle school talk about keg parties and hooking up? Things sure have changed if so.
Jon disappears (it’s in the summary, this isn’t a spoiler) and everyone looks for him and then forgets about him (except Chloe). Fast forward four years, Jon is back. Then throughout the rest of the story, we fast forward some more. And then some more. This is point two. I had a really hard time trying to figure out when this book was set (year wise) and where we ended up. It didn’t quite fit for me and I found it took away from the story.
We then meet some other characters including a professor and a detective who really just added to my confusion. This is point three. So many characters, so much fast forwarding, I had the worst time trying to keep up and I got annoyed.
Add in some mystery, murders, some Lovecraft and a tiny bit of romance and there you have Providence. I didn’t hate it but I certainly can’t so oh my goodness YOU HAVE GOT TO READ THIS. Because that would be a lie.
I start this review with an apology to the author. It’s not fair of me to keep reading your books and bringing your ratings down when I haven’t liked any of them so far. I just keep hoping that I’ll change my mind since so many people, including some of my friends love your books. So readers of mine, keep this in mind while reading this review.
Providence starts out with Chloe and Jon, two BFFs who by all accounts shouldn’t be. She is popular, he’s a geeky loner who gets picked on but they make their friendship work. They’re in middle school/junior high so here we have point one that I had an issue with. Do kids in middle school talk about keg parties and hooking up? Things sure have changed if so.
Jon disappears (it’s in the summary, this isn’t a spoiler) and everyone looks for him and then forgets about him (except Chloe). Fast forward four years, Jon is back. Then throughout the rest of the story, we fast forward some more. And then some more. This is point two. I had a really hard time trying to figure out when this book was set (year wise) and where we ended up. It didn’t quite fit for me and I found it took away from the story.
We then meet some other characters including a professor and a detective who really just added to my confusion. This is point three. So many characters, so much fast forwarding, I had the worst time trying to keep up and I got annoyed.
Add in some mystery, murders, some Lovecraft and a tiny bit of romance and there you have Providence. I didn’t hate it but I certainly can’t so oh my goodness YOU HAVE GOT TO READ THIS. Because that would be a lie.
"That might be the scariest thing of all," she says. "Doesn't matter if you're a little good if you're mostly made of evil."
First and foremost: this book was something that I never anticipated (in a good way). I didn't read the blurb, I only gushed over the cover and knew that I really enjoyed Caroline's writing in her previous books so I just had to read this one. Providence was so much, all wrapped up into one book. I loved the multiple meanings it had, the metaphors, and the way Caroline created a human being like Jon. While I did rate this book three stars, it wasn't for anything negatively done on Caroline's part. It was simply because I was left unsettled and while I thought that was in a good way, maybe I was wrong. I think I wanted more answers than what we got. Which was none.
Like with Joe (in YOU), you can't help but to love and sympathize for Jon and Chloe. I didn't so much as connect to Eggs and Lo as I probably should have but the story did okay for me, even if I didn't much care for their POV. The best part though, is that Caroline's writing is so "in your face" and very distinguished and I love that about her because she creates characters who captivate you in ways that you haven't experienced before. i.e. Joe. I haven't experienced characters like Jon before and I was very much drawn to him and the struggles he was facing and the ways that he coped and handled them.
"People are human and humans are selfish."
I really just struggled with the way the book ended. The way the last 15% of the book unfolded- I can't explain it and that is hard for me as a reader. This was the part where I felt unsettled. Like I was missing something and I wasn't included in the story line that was taking place. It felt like a "HA, I know something that you don't know".
Also- maybe if I was more educated in Lovecraft it would have helped me. But as I was reading Providence I feared that researching Lovecraft would give me spoilers and I didn't want that at all. I also have a really hard time classifying this as a thriller which is what I expected as I went in. I am most definitely curious of the other types of genres this could be classified as. Super-natural, maybe?
"A heart doesn't just break for no reason."
And it doesn't. There is always a reason and Providence showed the reason, or in Jon's case, reasons. And those reasons broke my own heart. His struggle through life, I really feel like I felt that and connected with it.
Caroline wrote so well that my pages kept turning and at some points I was holding my breath waiting to know what happened next. But something happened with me as I was reading. I wasn't disappointed, but I had a bunch of questions...you know, the usual ones. But why? And how? When did that happen and where? I really enjoyed the story line that took place but I also really sad that I can't say this was one of my favorites this year.
First and foremost: this book was something that I never anticipated (in a good way). I didn't read the blurb, I only gushed over the cover and knew that I really enjoyed Caroline's writing in her previous books so I just had to read this one. Providence was so much, all wrapped up into one book. I loved the multiple meanings it had, the metaphors, and the way Caroline created a human being like Jon. While I did rate this book three stars, it wasn't for anything negatively done on Caroline's part. It was simply because I was left unsettled and while I thought that was in a good way, maybe I was wrong. I think I wanted more answers than what we got. Which was none.
Like with Joe (in YOU), you can't help but to love and sympathize for Jon and Chloe. I didn't so much as connect to Eggs and Lo as I probably should have but the story did okay for me, even if I didn't much care for their POV. The best part though, is that Caroline's writing is so "in your face" and very distinguished and I love that about her because she creates characters who captivate you in ways that you haven't experienced before. i.e. Joe. I haven't experienced characters like Jon before and I was very much drawn to him and the struggles he was facing and the ways that he coped and handled them.
"People are human and humans are selfish."
I really just struggled with the way the book ended. The way the last 15% of the book unfolded- I can't explain it and that is hard for me as a reader. This was the part where I felt unsettled. Like I was missing something and I wasn't included in the story line that was taking place. It felt like a "HA, I know something that you don't know".
Also- maybe if I was more educated in Lovecraft it would have helped me. But as I was reading Providence I feared that researching Lovecraft would give me spoilers and I didn't want that at all. I also have a really hard time classifying this as a thriller which is what I expected as I went in. I am most definitely curious of the other types of genres this could be classified as. Super-natural, maybe?
"A heart doesn't just break for no reason."
And it doesn't. There is always a reason and Providence showed the reason, or in Jon's case, reasons. And those reasons broke my own heart. His struggle through life, I really feel like I felt that and connected with it.
Caroline wrote so well that my pages kept turning and at some points I was holding my breath waiting to know what happened next. But something happened with me as I was reading. I wasn't disappointed, but I had a bunch of questions...you know, the usual ones. But why? And how? When did that happen and where? I really enjoyed the story line that took place but I also really sad that I can't say this was one of my favorites this year.
I’m going to be honest here when I ordered this book I thought it was the sequel to You. Clearly I got mixed up but I ended up really enjoying Providence. With short chapters and three main characters you get to see the story from each characters point of view.
I can’t even begin to express how much I loathed this book. The author’s previous books both got five stars from me. What happened with this one?!?
It’s just a mess from beginning to end. Buy two copies of You and skip out on Providence!
It’s just a mess from beginning to end. Buy two copies of You and skip out on Providence!
Initial Impressions 10/10/18 & mini-review posted on The Book Addict's Guide 9/5/19: I knew this was part sci-fi going into it but I still didn’t quite click with PROVIDENCE like I had hoped… and it wasn’t even because of the presence of that element itself. It was more how it was incorporated for sure. YOU was so creepy because the madness was 100% Joe and this was sort of something that was inflicted upon Jon so it took away some of the creep factor.
With all of Kepnes’ books, it didn’t quite feel cohesive but there was an addictive sort of quality and I wasn’t as into PROVIDENCE. I had a little pause in the middle where I didn’t feel the jump to get back in, but it was easy to continue with the audio and good audiobook narrators.
It was definitely an interesting story and Caroline Kepnes always does a great job at pushing that character emotion (or sometimes lack thereof) forward and there were some really nice suspenseful moments in PROVIDENCE that I appreciated. I’ll always be looking forward to more of her books but I think I like the more psychological aspect of YOU more than I did the sci-fi element of PROVIDENCE.
With all of Kepnes’ books, it didn’t quite feel cohesive but there was an addictive sort of quality and I wasn’t as into PROVIDENCE. I had a little pause in the middle where I didn’t feel the jump to get back in, but it was easy to continue with the audio and good audiobook narrators.
It was definitely an interesting story and Caroline Kepnes always does a great job at pushing that character emotion (or sometimes lack thereof) forward and there were some really nice suspenseful moments in PROVIDENCE that I appreciated. I’ll always be looking forward to more of her books but I think I like the more psychological aspect of YOU more than I did the sci-fi element of PROVIDENCE.
