Providence by Caroline Kepnes

Title: Providence
Author: Caroline Kepnes
Genre: Adult, Thriller
Pages: 400
Publication Date: June 19, 2018
Rating: 3.5

---

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.

---

I received an ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited when I heard there was new book from Caroline Kepnes. You is one of my favorite books so I was really excited when I got approved on Edelweiss for a copy. I really struggled with what to rate this book, because one I did really like it. It’s a very strange book, I wanted to keep reading to see if it would explain what happened to Jon and if he fixes it. Two, it was one of the strangest book’s I’ve ever read, at times I was confused and wasn’t sure what was going on. I didn’t quite know what I was getting into when I started Providence, but I’m glad I read it. Although I wouldn’t say its a thriller, it has many sci-fi elements to the story.

Providence follows three characters who each have their own alternating POV’s: Jon, Chloe, and Eggs. Jon “basement boy” is our main character who is kidnapped in the woods as a child on his way to school and returns years later “changed”.I really wanted to know what happened to Jon and that is the main reason I kept reading.Chloe is Jon’s best friend, his only friend. Eggs is the detective who investigating strange deaths, where people die of heart attacks. He is borderline OCD, he get’s obsessed with the case, believing there has to be more to it than just heart attacks, the case becomes the only thing he can think about.

It’s hard to describe this book because I don’t want to reveal to much, it’s better going into the book not knowing much about it.I really enjoyed this book as an original story idea, I’ve never read anything like this before.I’m going to be 100% honest with you. I wanted so much to love this book.I really did. But, it was just such a weird concept. I’m still glad that I gave it chance and finished reading the book.

---

Instagram:_stephgillespie_
Twitter:SteffieReads
Goodreads: Stephanie Gillespie