A murder mystery focused on a psychopath-study at a DC university sounded really interesting. It was not. The book is plagued with self-centered people (which I expected) and inane college drama (which didn't fit at all in the middle of a serial killer situation). There was nothing to make me care about these characters, and so many irrelevant situations and people made the story drag on. It took me a while to finish the book because I was not willing to give up sleep for it. Never a good sign.

Loved, loved, loved this from start to finish. Very fun and kept me guessing the whole way through. Deeply flawed characters that you’ll fall in love with.

Another great psychological thriller! Fast paced and intriguing. I wasn't able to put it down! I couldn't wait to see how it ended. If you are looking for a book to keep you up at night until you finish it, this will do that.

Favorite Quotes:

There was the FOMO part of me that wanted to stay and hang out and do what everyone else was doing their first week of college. But then there was that other part of me. My only consolation was that once I was done with Will, I could throw myself body and soul into what college is supposed to be: romantic intrigue, baiting girls into stupid fights for fun, having affairs with professors.

The trick to undetected mischief is to have a look on your face like you’re just heading home to do laundry.

He reminded me of Gaston from Beauty and the Beast except with better hair.


My Review:


This was a stellar read; brilliantly paced, cunningly plotted, and breathtakingly insightful. The storylines were deftly penned and perceptively written from multiple points of view and I was quickly pulled into an oddly compelling and somewhat disturbing vortex of devious scheming, emotive story threads, keenly clever snark, and shrewdly detailed observations and inner musings. I was intrigued, perplexed, enthralled, and riveted during perusal and cringed with annoyance when my reading was interrupted, as I didn’t want to miss a thing. Vera Kurian may well be an evil genius as well as a master storyteller and has titled her book with 100% accuracy, as I never would have foreseen this ending on the horizon.

3.5 Stars
Never Saw Me Coming is a psychological thriller about a group of psychopaths who consent to be part of a study at a university in exchange for free tuition and room and board. Someone has murdered one of the group and Chloe must team up with 2 others in the group to figure out who is responsible.

I won't say I absolutely loved this one, but I was entertained. Having a cast of characters who are psychopaths was interesting. The story is told through several points of view. Chloe being my favorite. Chloe really has no F's to give. She has a mission for revenge and will do whatever it takes to accomplish it. I'm not well versed in the psychology of psychopaths so I can't really comment on the accuracy of the characters. I did figure out the killer, but I that didn't take away from my entertainment. I would recommend this one.

I thought this book started off quite strong with a psychopath main character who is seeking revenge for an unknown reason. That’s why I didn’t love the change in POVs to some of her classmates at times, I thought it took away from the strength of the book. Then, it just seemed like too many things were going on and while fun, lessened the true mystery part of it. I liked this one, but did not love it. 3 stars ⭐️. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the copy for review.

I love dark acedemia novels and this one I could not put down. Chloe is one of 7 students that are in a unique study involving psychopaths. Chloe has been planning revenge to kill Max and he also goes to school there. Her plan to kill him is so detailed and organized.

Plans do need to be shifted when dead students are found murdered. Her and some other psychopaths try to collaborate, but really none of them believes or trust the others…because who would trust a psychopath?

I read this in one sitting and was quite captivated with hearing thought from a true psycho!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Park Row Books, Vera Kurian, and Netgalley for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.


I have been wanting to read this one since I saw the cover and a lot of people talking about it, and I’m so glad I had the opportunity! For one thing, I don’t think I’ve ever intentionally read a book with a psychopath as the main character, and honestly I felt like I was on the other side of a Criminal Minds episode. They don’t always have to chase psychopaths but when they do, those are some of my favorite episodes.

I thought it was interesting that Chloe’s college had this program to be honest, and I was kind of surprised to know that people actually agreed to be part of this program. Would someone who is a psychopath want to be studied and tracked for research? I don’t know, but I thought that was really intriguing to hear about. So when one of the students part of the program is found murdered, the tables officially turn. Who did it? Would it be someone obvious, or someone we wouldn’t ever expect? The hunt begins, and Chloe has to figure out how to save her life while trying to end another’s life on the side.

This was such a great mystery thriller – high points on the thriller part. I have been slowly trying to get back into more thrillers and this one was one that I think will stay with me for a long time. It’s odd, wanting to see Chloe succeed in her goals, especially when one of them is to kill the man who wronged her in such a terrible way, but I mean… I get it. I would rather her get her revenge than have her killed by the murderer knocking off the other students in this program. I think hearing from Chloe’s point of view was the perfect way to tell this story, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The concept of this book is definitely unique if nothing else. We follow a renowned psychologist's clinical study of college kids- each one diagnosed a psychopath. A club of psychopaths working together doesn't seem like trouble at all. But soon there is someone hunting them. Is it one of their own or someone completely different?
The book sounded right up my alley but it didn't exactly hook me like I anticipated it to. I was excited to get a story from the POV from the pyshcopath(s). They are so rarely supposed to be the protagonist you root for. But still the characters were hard to grasp. They weren't relatable (probably because of how cold they are).
They didn't have any emotion (duh) and their decision making was for sure questionable.
I really tried to like Chloe and sympathize with her but she just felt so bland and icy.
The converging timelines and POVS were also hard to follow at times. The dark side stories giving background/motivation to each character were definitely the most interesting.
The plot was GOOD and had potential but it all just fell a bit flat for me here. Perhaps my reading rut contributed to this? Unsure, but for now it left more to be desired.

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian
Rating 4 ⭐️ (CawPile rating 8.00 )

C- characters - 8
A - atmosphere - 8
W - writing Style - 9
P - plot - 8
I - intrigue - 8
L - logic - 8
E - enjoyment - 7

Fast-paced thriller and debut novel!
The beginning of the book was good, the middle okay (paced somehow dropped) and at the ending, I was surprised.

I like how the author wrote and described every character and that’s really impressive because I was thinking that I’m not going to know anything about them. That was a surprise for me. You get the know each of them very well!
Chloe is an interesting character, she made a book going on!

If you love the thrillers and you love guessing until the end of the book this is the right book for you.
I was neutral and I didn’t choose the sides until the end when I figured out who is the killer.
The book can go in the category of genre YA and I agree with that. While you, you can use your own judgment.

I agree with @flowersfavouritefiction that the premise was unique!

I know that the author’s background is Psychology and because of that, I would love to see more psychopathic storylines in the next book.

Thank you @harpercollinsca @parkrowbooks and @netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in advance!
Pub date was on September 7, 2021.

Brittany Pressley’s narration was perfection for the role of Chloe and honestly I wish the story focused more on Chloe and less so on the others. It often felt like too many hands were in the pot and things got a little messy.

I enjoyed this one. Didn’t love it but I binged it in 2 days so there’s that.

3.5 stars

We all know that sociopaths are self-centered, manipulative, and sometimes even dangerous, but what happens when the sociopaths who thought they were attending school for a secret observation program become targeted for murder?

Before diving into Never Saw Me Coming, I'd seen all kinds of reviews regarding the plot. Some people loved it, some people thought it was outlandish, but everyone seemed to agree that it is a compulsive read. I'm happy to report that it indeed is compulsive, and while the last 25% is a bit wild and unbelievable, it did not hinder my enjoyment of this novel one bit. A fabulous example of how character driven suspense can be even more engaging than plot, plot, plot, and I love how the interactions between the characters in the program were just as intriguing as the actual mystery at hand of who is murdering the campus students. Highly recommend the audio if you're looking for an engaging narrator as well.

This mystery was really good and I was kept on my toes the whole time, never guessing who the culprit was. I had many guesses along the way and I kept vacillating, but I never got it right. I did come close towards the end though.

Dr. Leonard Wyman heads a program at John Adams University for psychopaths, and people diagnosed with psychopathy have antisocial behavior, lack or empathy and remorse, and they tend to be very manipulative and liars. So when various students in the program became suspects, it was super difficult (if not impossible) to sort out who might be lying, who was telling the truth, and who was embellishing the truth, so it was what kept me guessing the whole time.

I liked all of the main characters in the story, partly because I realized they had a mental illness so that "excused" some of the things they did. I found it interesting how well they not only understood each other, but how they also were able to be manipulated themselves.

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion of the book.

#NeverSawMeComing #NetGalley

This one was awesome! I loved the unreliable narrator but I mean they are all psychopaths so even if they were not unreliable, could we really trust them? This seems to be a trend in thriller is these days. Additionally, I loved the academic setting, Fall always reminds me of back school so I was drawn to this academia thriller in the fall. Highly recommend this thriller. I was turning the pages to get to the shocking end.

One gripe was with the arc itself. The font was too small for me to read and it did not have permissions to make the font larger. I had to go buy a copy when it released,

YA book that was enticing then not as much but still finish-worthy. Interesting premise. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

Never Saw Me Coming was unputdownable! This is how a psychological thriller should be written.

We follow three psychopaths as they navigate through college and participate in a study centered around their psychopathy. Chloe one of the subjects was a completely irredeemable human being and didn't care. I didn't like her but I wanted to see how far she would go with her craziness. All I will say is Will Bachman was an unfortunate soul who dared to cross Chloe.

The story was fast paced and kept me guessing but the ending was anticlimactic for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this excellent book.

Chloe Sevre is a freshman in college, and she wants what most people are looking for: adventures, good grades, and maybe even a hookup or two. Oh, and she plans to kill a guy named Will Bachman.

Chloe is a psychopath; diagnosed and given a full ride to this college if she participates in a clinical study. Chloe doesn’t mind the study as it gets her that much closer to Will, and she’s also really good at manipulation, as well as the ability to share what she wants, when she wants. Along with Chloe, we have two other POV’s – people also in the study. Nobody in the study knows about the others, but it doesn’t take long for these people to start figuring each other out…especially when they seem to be getting murdered one-by-one. I was really fascinated by this premise, and while you get various POV’s, Chloe definitely feels like the main character. She’s a psychopath, so why do you kind of root for her? You don’t want her killed by some random person, but you also kind of want her to get revenge on Will once the past details come to light.

I love how the author puts you in the position of rooting for Chloe and her psychopathic friends. You don’t agree with the things they do, but you also understand certain aspects of themselves and their behaviors. After all, they aren’t aliens. They might not have empathy or see the world like most, but they are human beings, and Kurian very clearly shows you that throughout the book.

I definitely recommend it for those who enjoy a psychological thriller, and the way the book ends, I kind of hope there’s a sequel.

Unfortunately, this book just didn't hit the mark for me. I love the premise—a study of psychopaths at a university where suddenly students begin to be murdered. While it started out strong, at about the 30% mark, I felt it start to drag. It felt like there were too many elements thrown into the plot, overcomplicating the main plot of the story. I also wasn't a fan of the multiple perspectives presented. Chloe was the most interesting character, in my opinion, and it would've left more mystery if we'd only heard her perspective.

While this was a miss for me, the premise was interesting enough that I'll be keeping an eye on Vera Kurian brings us next!

Damn. a book written from the perspective of a diagnosed psychopath? SIGN ME TF UP.

This book was beyond intriguing to read, mainly because it’s so interesting being from the perspective of someone who thinks so differently than I do, and processes information in an entirely different way, has attention to detail in literally every aspect. It was a wild ride, to say the least.

First of all- Chloe is a total badass and I 10000% understand holding onto this vendetta against Will. I was absolutely cheering her on all throughout. But then, ugh, Charles? I had such conflicting feelings about the two of them. I shipped them so hard for most of the book, and then had to keep reminding myself that Charles was also holding onto Kristen which was extremely unfair to her. Kristen was a character that I had immense respect for, homegirl definitely deserved better.

Andre’s perspective was an interesting one to read, trying to be a psychopath and adapting tendencies to be diagnosed as such is… whoa. Hardcore. Then to be teamed up with some true psychopaths and still go, for the most part, undetected? How wild. He must have been absolutely terrified.

The book made me think, seriously think, how many psychopaths have I encountered in my life? Interacted with, hung out with, without knowing? Without them knowing, maybe. What about how many undiagnosed psychopaths there are in the world? What a scary thought, and yet, they can be harmless. It was truly interesting to read about the case study and experiments they had to do for the program, and what Dr Wyman’s ultimate goal was for them. I love thrillers that make you think deeper, like this one did. It’s not just heart pounding, figuring out whodunnit, it’s on a whole deeper level.

My only qualm with this one was that a few things felt unresolved at the end. Did Chloe just get away with Will’s murder? That easily? Why didn’t Megan start her attacks sooner, why wait until her junior year? If she was truly as angry as she said she was. I didn’t understand why she waited. But maybe that’s the point, does anybody really understand a true psychopath’s reasoning BESIDES a true psychopath?

This book was HIGH on my TBR list. I was SO looking forward to it. Unfortunately it fell flat for me. I recently read For Your Own Good and The Girls Are All So Nice Here which both focus on College scandals and thrills. I wanted to love this one, but didn't. The characters were not relatable. The language and the way certain words were used were not indicitive to how College aged kids would even speak. The story was just blah and College based thrillers seem to have been a common theme the last while and maybe a bit overdone. I enjoyed parts of the book but didn't love like I had hoped. Thank you for the opportunity. Would definately give Vera Kurian titles another try.