Providence by Caroline Kepnes

Providence by Caroline Kepnes – 400 pages

ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Lenny

Book Blurb:

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.

My Review: 3 stars

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Caroline Kepnes created another odd, saddened and helpless character in Jon, the main protagonist in Providence. On paper, both Jon and Joe, the beloved serial stalker/killer from You and Hidden Bodies, seem quite alike. I can assure you however that they are quite different. Jon has a supernatural nature, which makes this book border on sci-fi, while Joe just has his wires crossed.

The start of the book was great for me. The secret relationship between the complete nerd and the popular girl was endearing. After the kidnapping by a former substitute teacher, the novel went left for me. When he ended up in a new town, it went from left to ‘what the heck’? I became less and less interested in the characters as the plot continued.

I felt that those who had read H.P. Lovelace’s novels were at an advantage in this story, as much of it seems to pay homage to him. There were many subplots in this book that made the reading experience anything but linear. It jumped in both time and storylines with no apparent order, which became disconcerting. The title had numerous meanings that worked within the novel which I liked.

Although I liked You and Hidden Bodies much more than this one, there are other reviewers and readers that found this book to be a wonderful read.