Providence

Did not finish. I tried 3 times and just couldn't make it past the first 50 pages.

I first want to thank Netgalley and everyone involved in making the master piece that is Providence by Caroline Kepnes. I LOVED Caroline Kepnes' YOU and Hidden Bodies so when this came up on my screen I knew I had to read it. Providence is a mishmash of genres- thriller, paranormal, urban fantasy, young adult and it made it a mishmash 0n how I felt about it at certain times but it is so interesting and well written that by the end you love it. 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.  What is good about this story is that it is told from multiple points of view. I find Cloe and Jons story easy t0 read and likeable characters. The story is well written and shows the different dimensions of the writer making this a must read book.

You can also find this review on my blog.

cw: animal death, ableism, domestic abuse, cancer

Spoiler-free Review
An advanced copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this title on Netgalley mainly because I saw that the main characters were from New Hampshire. I always want to read books that take place at least in part in places that I've lived. The plot also looked interesting, so I gave it a shot. I'm really glad I did because this ended up being a very good read.

People who live to know a sicko are very eager to tell you their story. There's a pride, a sense of having survived something.

Caroline Kepnes is a great writer. This is the first work of hers that I've read, but immediately after finishing this, I added You to my TBR. She does a fantastic job of pulling the reader right into the story and creates interesting characters that you can really relate to. I really liked both Claire and Jon, as well as the relationship between them and how it changed over time. I also loved the Lovecraft references. I haven't read much Lovecraft myself, but am really drawn to Lovecraftian stories.

When I die, if there is a place called hell, I will go there.

I did think, however, that the characters could have been given a little more complexity. Jon and Claire are both overwhelmingly “good” people and don't really have any flaws (at least, none that they can control). I also didn't really enjoy the addition of Eggs into the story. I understood how he functioned as far as the plot went, but felt like he didn't add much to the story as a character. Maybe it's just because I didn't like him. He was constantly lying to his wife and essentially pretended that his autistic son didn't exist. By the end there is some redemption, but I still really don't think he deserved to be treated so well.

I hit the road, New Hampshire bound, I'm a typical Rhodie in the sense that I think we're the best. In Massachusetts, you have all these sweet-toothed Massholes stuffing their face with ice cream covered in jimmies, all puffed up with self-righteousness they get out of that little rock down in Plymouth. Never mind Maine; try being a woman in that state, let me know how it works out. Vermont has the worst Italian food I ever had in my life. And New Hampshire, all you gotta know is that they take pride in rocks, granite, tax-free shopping, and bottle rockets, their handles of grain alcohol so they can go home and light themselves on fire.

Otherwise, this was a fantastic read. I almost missed my train stop multiple times while reading and I kept getting so sucked in that I wasn't sure how I could put the book down. I may end up grabbing a physical copy of this for myself, but at the very least I will certainly recommend this book to others. This will be good for fans of thrillers, contemporary sci-fi pieces, and/or the writings of Lovecraft.

I settle on a little pink dress but then I remember Carrig's family, the wall of them, why are you so dressed up? That should be the state fucking slogan of New Hampshire.