My Thoughts:
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
3.5 mishmash stars to Providence! ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5
I listened to Caroline Kepnes’ YOU on audio this exact same time two years ago. THAT was an experience, and if you enjoy audios and don’t mind disturbing content, it’s the best audio I know. When I saw Kepnes had a new thriller releasing under the new imprint Lenny (by Lena Dunham), I jumped at the chance to read Providence.
Providence is a mishmash of genres- thriller, paranormal, urban fantasy, young adult – and also a bit of a mishmash on how I felt about it. More on that later.
Jon and Chloe grow up as best friends in New Hampshire. Their feelings for each other start to grow, but they never talk about it. Just as Jon is about to confess how he feels, he is kidnapped by his teacher. His teacher has an obsession for H.P. Lovecraft, an author of horror pulp fiction, and by kidnapping Jon, the teacher is planning to save the world.
Chloe is left to mourn Jon and becomes an adult without him there to support her. Jon finally escapes, but does so with an uncontrollable superpower, which can hurt the people he loves most. Of course he runs away to protect Chloe from his power, but all the while, he is being tracked by a detective.
I was on board with Chloe and Jon’s story. Their relationship is sweet, they are likable characters, and I loved that theirs was a girl/boy best friendship. I found the J.P. Lovecraft angle interesting because I did not know much about him or his writing, and at first I even enjoyed when Jon returned with his superpower. I was a fan of the show Heroes when it first aired, and some of the inner turmoil that Jon experienced reminded me of that show.
Where the book lost me a little was when Jon left again to protect Chloe. At that point, many things were going on, and the pacing slid for me.
Providence held much promise, and it did, in fact, hold my interest well, until that last section. Overall, it was enjoyable and original. I was expecting to adore it, and it was more of an affinity. Kepnes is an engaging and strong writer, and I will continue to look for her new releases. I hope her next one will be another demented psychological thriller!
Thank you to Caroline Kepnes, Random House/Ballantine, and Netgalley for the copy. Providence will be published on June 19, 2018.
View all my reviews
Synopsis:
A propulsive new thriller about the obsessive nature of love when an intensifying relationship between best friends is disrupted by a kidnapping.
Growing up as best friends in small-town New Hampshire, Jon and Chloe are the only ones who truly understand each other, though they can never find the words to tell one another the depth of their feelings. When Jon is finally ready to confess his feelings, he’s suddenly kidnapped by his substitute teacher who is obsessed with H.P. Lovecraft and has a plot to save humanity.
Mourning the disappearance of Jon and facing the reality he may never return, Chloe tries to navigate the rites of entering young adulthood and “fit in” with the popular crowd, but thoughts of Jon are never far away.
When Jon finally escapes, he discovers he now has an uncontrollable power that endangers anyone he has intense feelings for. He runs away to protect Chloe and find the answers to his new identity–but he’s soon being tracked by a detective who is fascinated by a series of vigilante killings that appear connected.
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.
Nice review Jennifer. I just finished this and was left with mixed feelings myself.
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Thanks, Kim! I’ll be watching for your review. I had such high hopes for this one!
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Wow, great review Jen! Have a great weekend!😎💖
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Thanks so much, Sus! I hope you have a great weekend, too! 💗 xo
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Great review, Jennifer. I’m apprehensive about this one.
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Thanks, Melis! I understand. I look forward to your thoughts, either way. 💕
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So curious to see how I feel about this book, lovely review Jennifer!💕
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Thanks, Berit! I am curious too! It’s very unusual, even for us genre jumpers! 🌸💓
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Yes I know absolutely nothing about Lovecraft…
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Can you keep a secret? I thought it was some kind of game. I think I was channeling Minecraft. 😂
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Oh my that made me laugh! I won’t tell anybody!😂😂😂
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I’m intrigued by the HP Lovecraft connection. I only came across him a few years ago and have a kind of love/hate thing going on with him – he had deeply unpleasant views on race which sometimes seep into his stories, and also he rambles on at huge length, never using one adjective when four can do! BUT I find his stories linger in my mind and I’ve become aware of how often later writers seem to have been influenced by him…
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FF, I think you may really enjoy the Lovecraft nuance of this book! If I had known more, I think I would have connected better.
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Awesome review, Jennifer
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Thank you, Dee! 💕
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Lovely review Jennifer! It’s right around the same point it went downhill for me but I’m glad you ended up enjoying it a bit more than I did in the end.
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Thanks, Carrie! At that point, it just got to be too much.
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One I will surely cross off my list. Wonderful review!
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Thanks, Marialyce!
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Great review, Jennifer! This was such a departure from You/Hidden Bodies. I enjoyed this book but struggle to describe it because it doesn’t really fit into any genre!
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I’m glad you enjoyed it, too, Kyra, and thank you! It definitely fits into its own little niche!
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This is next on my list….it has mixed reviews…kind of wanting to put it off 😂
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Reeca, I’m interested in what you think! It’s definitely a genre departure for us!
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Hmmmmm
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Well..I bailed! I just couldn’t do it. Too science fiction for me.
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Aww, I get it! I hope your next read is amazing!
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Thanks!! If it is not the next…it won’t be far! Too many good books out there! Enjoy
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… Sounds like a lot of Genres to Shove into one book without being too much… I just finished a book that sounds a little similar “14” by Peter Cline. When there is so much going on its hard to wrap your head around everything.
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It was, and it held so much promise! I think there is a niche of readers out there who will probably love this one though!
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I do like my crazy… But, it may even be too crazy for me! Maybe I’ll get to it one day and find out!
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Great review Jennifer! But since this has paranormal elements I’d be skipping this one.
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Thanks so much, Laurie! I definitely understand- paranormal is not for everyone! I hope you have a wonderful Sunday! ♥️
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Pretty picture. Great review.
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Thanks so much, Virginia!
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The more reviews I read, the more sure I am that I’m not going to enjoy this one. I didn’t even like Hidden Bodies that much!
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I understand, Annie! I have Hidden Bodies but I haven’t read it yet due to the mixed reviews on that one.
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That is A LOT of genres stuffed into one book! I was somewhat interested in this one, but I had no idea it had Lovecrafitan themes. That’s…a little confusing. Still haven’t decided if I want to read it yet!
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I understand, Kathy! It is very much its own book, maybe even own genre! if you give it a shot, I look forward to what you think!
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