Let's start by saying that Chloe and six other students have been diagnosed as psychopaths and in exchange for participating in a study, they each receive a full scholarship. Can you imagine this ticking bomb?

Our main character wants to be in this program because she plans to kill Will Bachman, in revenge. But with a place full of psychopaths she has to plan her moves if she wants to end up alive. The plot is full of lies and points of views!

I really enjoyed this one! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

"Let's face it, if there are seven psychopaths on campus and someone is killing people, odds are it's one of us."

Definitely a unique concept. A university offers full scholarships to seven psychopaths in exchange for their participation in an ongoing medical study. The rest of the student body doesn't know, one of the students is there with the specific intent on killing another student, and the person in charge of the study had interactions with a serial killer several years prior. This book felt very much like a teen slasher film, but from the point of view of the possible slashers, and I think it will appeal to more of a YA audience. What happens when multiple potential killers have to work together to save themselves? How can you trust someone who is, at their foundation, untrustworthy? Like I said, definitely a new way to look at things. The story and the characters are done well. My only question was when did the psychopaths actually attended class?

I had such high hopes for this book as the premise was quite alluring. I was ready to meet the seven diagnosed psychopaths who were so encouraged to attend Adam's College, free tuition and all. All that was required was that they wear watches which periodically asked them their behavioral status plus go to sessions where their "abilities" would be tested. Imagine though, as a parent who sent four kids to college myself, finding out the school had diagnosed sociopaths running about? Lawsuit time!

Anyway one of the seven is murdered followed by another and then amid finger pointing, with one of the psycho girls on the trail of a student who did her wrong years ago, we meet a bevy of the students and the head of the study, all of whom seem freaky.

Great premise but unfortunately, the story was over told, (at least 100 pages worth) and I found myself making a sprint for the ending. Others have mentioned that it had a YA feel to it and I do agree.

Sadly, I was disappointed, but do realize it was this author's first outing and I guess she needed to put in everything into her book (kitchen sink included).

Thank you to the author, Park Row, and NetGalley for a copy of this story publishing today.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this book I knew I had to read it, not only because I hardly ever find books which utilise the college setting in such a way but because of how interesting the premise was. A psychology study taking place on a campus with seven diagnosed psychopaths, a series of murders and a quest for vengeance? SIGN ME UP. I am pleased to say that this pretty much lived up to my expectations, there were a few issues which I’ll touch upon later in my review but overall this was just so freaking good.

One of the novels biggest strengths is definitely the sense of suspense throughout the novel, with clever twists, reveals and misdirects which will keep you hooked. In a novel of this nature you usually can’t trust the majority of the characters but in this case, you can trust them even less considering that our main cast consists of characters have literal psychopathic tendencies. I really liked how the story developed and how Kurian intertwined Chloe’s revenge plot with the serial killer who is loose on campus and makes us suspect literally every single character.

I don’t think I’ve ever read about / through the perspective of a character quite like Chloe but I enjoyed it so much. Chloe is sharp, intelligent and unapologetically herself in all ways and is on her own personal quest for vengeance. I’m SO here for the ‘women seeking revenge on people who have wronged them’ trope and this is a firm addition to that collection.

I never expected to empathise with a character like Chloe or even Charles, because the way they experience the world and move through their lives as psychopaths is so vastly different than me but somehow it ended up happening anyway. There wasn’t this whole ‘good’ vs ‘evil’ dichotomy in the novel which is sometimes so reductive and bland, instead we get this glimpse into these very complex minds, I mean sure they have regular college kid concerns but there’s another layer here which was super interesting. They do some questionable things absolutely, but how much of it can they really be held accountable for when they operate from a completely different understanding? Like truly different? It’s strange but interesting reading.

The whole psychology aspect is central and after a little research about the author I found that she is an a scientist and has a PHD in social psychology which makes a lot of sense in terms of the more clinical parts of the novel. Dr Wyman is the psychologist who runs the study in the book, alongside his research assistant Elena. I really liked the idea of a study like this and how it’s centered around seeing if people with such disorders can change their thought patterns and behaviours, kind of like a nature vs nurture type deal.

I think this is largely due to how Kurian crafts her character perspectives so well. We have three distinct characters; Andre, Chloe and Charles who are each part of the programme and have to band together to find the killer who is after them. The dynamic between this trio was some of my favourite bits in the book, we have the simmering tension between Chloe and Charles and Andre who is kind of drawn to them but also equally wary of them for obvious reasons. They’re like the worlds most unlikely trio / scooby gang and I’m here for it.

At times it does feel like the book would have benefitted with better pacing because a lot is crammed in to the last twenty percent and earlier in the novel there are times when things could have been way more tightened up. I also think that there were certain threads in the novel which could have had less page time to enable more important or necessary moments to happen instead.

Overall, I liked how the storylines wrapped up which makes it work as a stand alone novel but also leaves the door open for a sequel. I would love to see what happens next for these characters but I’m not sure what the plot would be but I’ll leave that up to Vera Kurian if she decides to grace us with another instalment. Rest assured, I’ll definitely be on the lookout for any such news!

If you want a unique and exciting thriller to read which is genuinely unpredictable and filled with dark humour then definitely give Never Saw Me Coming a read.

I had the opportunity to read this through Netgalley as an ARC. I’ll read any book that takes place in an academic setting and involves murder. Kurian did an excellent job creating unreliable narrators/characters. Everyone was a suspect and no one could be trusted, especially those diagnosed as psychopaths. I will absolutely be keeping an eye out for Kurian’s next novel!

Have you ever read a book where you’re rooting for a psychopath? Maybe. How about a team of psychopaths?! Probably not.

This was a super fast-paced, interesting read that kept me hooked until the end. I was surprised that I found myself being pretty attached to Chloe (and Andre and even Charles) by the end of the book. I think some events were drawn out while others were a bit too short/underwhelming (most of the big action scenes), but overall it was well-paced.

REVIEW:
Pack your bags- you’re headed to college!
You’ve got a free ride, HECK YES!
Just a few tidbits:
-you will wear a watch at all times in order to log your mood and whereabouts
-you will participate in computer ‘simulations’ against your peers (who you don’t know)
-you will attend therapy sessions, ya know..because you:
-you MUST BE A DIAGNOSED PYSCHOPATH
Chloe is one of seven selected students to participate in a clinical study of psychopaths. Her reasoning for joining? A free scholarship? Nope- Revenge! Enter: Will Bachman, who has 60 days to live. While Chloe is plotting how to kill Will, murders around campus begin to shift her focus from him to keeping herself alive. Can she trust the others in this study, who are also labeled psychos- just as she is, to help catch the killer before they are next?

I absolutely loved the premise of this- seeing everything through the eyes of Chloe and how she acts and reacts to the world around her. I typically love a relatable MC, but she honestly was so refreshing and quirky that it all worked perfectly and I found myself liking her. (Does that mean I’m eligible for the panel study too? 😉)
It wasn’t your typical read, you didn’t know who you could trust and who you couldn’t which made lots of little twisty reveals more enjoyable.
Towards the end I felt that the initial plot point of the revenge plan was overshadowed by the hunt to catch the killer, and I felt that it dragged on. Overall, a wild ride into the mind of a psychopath!

Thank you #netgalley and to the author for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Oh, the premise! What a great plot for a murder mystery/thriller! Vera Kurian's storytelling in NEVER SAW ME COMING had me intrigued from page one.

I've noticed many reviewers on Goodreads have commented that this book reads like it was intended for young adults (YA). To be clear, this book is not for the young adult audience. There are certain rules that apply to books written for a young adult audience, and this book steps outside those rules. This is definitely an adult book. Just because a narrative voice sounds similar to those you may find in young adult books does not make it one.

A few of the things I loved about this book:
1. The first chapter sucked me right into the story.
2. The internal exploration of psychopaths was fascinating.
3. The reunion (no spoilers) of a character and his family at the end actually choked me up with tears! Nice surprise there.

While I loved the premise of this book, there were multiple elements that kept me from giving it a five-star review:
1. I was overwhelmed by the large cast of characters. At first I thought this was a storytelling device to keep the reader guessing about the serial killer, and who knows, maybe it was, but when the killer was revealed, no spoilers here, I was disappointed. Instead of having such a large cast of characters, I wish Kurian would have developed the three main characters more.
2. Personal pet peeves: lots of crude language and unnecessary sex scenes
3. The changes in points-of-view were constant and confusing.
4. The referrals to pop-culture, including social-media hashtags and brand names, were tiring.

My favorite passage from the story:
"Charles was too curious about meeting another psychopath to be annoyed. But Emma didn't fit the bill of what he thought they were supposed to be. He thought psychopaths were supposed to be ... well, like him. Charming and charismatic and able to get what they wanted from people. She seemed more like someone had taken a mouse and dipped it into warm water to make tea."

NEVER SAW ME COMING by Vera Kurian was a fascinating page-turner with an insightful exploration of psychopathy.


[I received an advance copy of this book for free from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way influenced my opinion.]

A debut novel by Vera Kurian, Never Saw Me Coming is a college campus psychological thriller. Adams University runs a clinical study on psychopaths by offering free tuition and accommodation. Chloe is one of participants, who lacks empathy and fails to comprehend emotions like guilt and fear. When a murder occurs in the Psychology Department, Chloe is intrigued and then she discovers the next victim. Can she trust the other psychopaths whom she needs to help her find the truth? With its marvellous premise and strong psychological basis, this is a truly a twisted tale of revenge and bizarre psychopathic heroes. Whilst an enticing tale that draws you in with great characters and tension, the ending was somewhat anticlimactic, yet still a four-star rating. With thanks to Harlequin Publishing and the author for an uncorrected proof copy for review purposes.

I was excited to read this book because it sounded so interesting. I found it to be too slow for me and the distinction between the different narrators was lacking so they sort of just started blending together. I did enjoy the ending and I never guessed who the killer was.

This book shocked me right from the beginning to the end, and I don't think I took a breath in between! It's a thriller about a college study on psychopaths. Students who participate in this study get their college education completely paid for, and the researcher is trying to teach them to exist peacefully in society. It's such a unique premise and the way the story is told really takes you inside the minds of the participants. To top it off, their participation is completely confidential so for much of the story both the characters and the reader are trying to figure out who else is a participant in the study. The story follows the POV of a few different participants in the study as well as a few of the surrounding characters and they sure don't disappoint! They are charming, intelligent, unpredictable, diabolical, and I'm not just talking about the psychopaths. I highly recommend this unputdownable story.

Never Saw Me Coming is a wonderfully mind-bending book that I really enjoyed. There is the usual tension and excitement filled "whodunit" and survival, yes. But the extra fun bit is, everyone is a psychopath, so who exactly can be trusted? Not the narrator, certainly. Not her classmates in the psychopath program, that is for sure. And since the whole program is so sketchy and secret, not anyone in charge either.

And sure, Chloe is plotting to kill this huge asshat named Will, but it's really fine. In fact, you'll probably hope she succeeds, if you're anything like me. The thing is, I think this is why the book is so fresh and readable: because we, the reader, get to experience the sort of person we aren't, the sort of person we can't even wrap our minds around properly. (At least, I hope, for most of us anyway.)

It also is unsettling because Chloe and her fellow 'paths are quite charming! They are smart, too, and know what society expects from them, and as such, are able to fit that mold. And because of their diagnosis, they're seen as less sympathetic murder victims, which is kind of crap, but also very thought provoking. Basically, this is a wild ride that I thoroughly enjoyed, and one that made me think while I was being entertained.

Bottom Line: Rooting for psychopaths is fun, who knew?

4.5 stars. I have been in the mood for thrillers and campus novels lately and this gave me the best of both. Add in some murders and college psychopaths and you get this engrossing story with fantastic characters who I could not get enough of. I think thriller lovers will really enjoy this one.

3.5 ⭐️ Rounded up.

Started off strong and held my attention for the first half, but the ending was somewhat disappointing.

2.5 ⭐️
I was very interested in the premise of a group of psychopaths at university, but it feel short of my expectations.

Narrated by 3 unreliable narrators, it left you guessing at what was the truth, which is definitely a point for Kurian.

I feel like more subject research was needed. As for one thing, the language used was not accurate for 18-20 year old students ex: “let’s triage” to say let’s hurry up when cleaning out a storage unit. Another was the reference to outdated technology.

Even though Kurian tried to build suspense throughout, I still found the book slow paced, perhaps because I didn’t feel a connection to the characters. I also found her use of acronyms annoying as she did not explain them so I had to stop and really think what she was saying before preceding with the story line.

Thank you to Net Galley & Killer Crime Club for the free ARC!

What I Loved
What I loved the most about this story is the awareness it brings to the many faces of the mental health disorder psychopathy and the lack of research on how to help people with this disorder. So little is known so that misconceptions and fears surround the disease. But being in the heads of people with psychopathy also makes for an edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller.

Narration is done in the first person, through Chloe Sevre, and in the third person, focused on Charles and Andre, which adds to the uncertainty, suspense, and thrills. All three are unreliable narrators, as goes with the diagnosis. Still, the unreliability is most notable with Chloe since the reader is experiencing the story the way she chooses to tell it. And she can tell a tale as few others can.

The whodunnit of the mystery of the two murders of people in the study is jaw-dropping. However, I must be honest – I figured it out in its entirety just over halfway through. I've been on a roll figuring out the conclusions lately, and I'm a licensed counselor, so I don't know if it is really that obvious. It still held my attention without fail and kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

The romance that wasn't really a romance between Chloe and Charles is just as fascinating as the characters themselves. Andre described them together as "… the charming white couple who claimed their car broke down in front of your house in a home invasion movie. Of course, you let them in because surely they weren't dangerous…". I loved that description as it concretely stated what I thought as I read their interactions and felt their chemistry.

Characters
I don't know that any of the characters are likable or relatable except for the most minor characters like Chloe's roommate. Yet, I was oddly drawn to Chloe. She fascinated me much as characters like Harley Quinn fascinate me. They are so broken yet so amazingly resilient that I'm in awe of just how they function from moment to moment. Charles is also fascinating in his own way has been an arguable success story for the program. And Andre – he intrigues me because what we are told about him does not jive in many places with the reaction of the people closest to him. These seeming contradictions had my radar up.

What I Wish
My main wish is that the story had stayed focused on Chloe and her past as well as her current plan. I love when thrillers remain focused on one plot thread, as those stories tend to keep me focused as well. When students start turning up dead, Chloe's plot thread becomes sidelined to the thread of who is killing the students participating in the study. There are only 7 of them, so the choices seem very few. Though interesting, I also felt that this whodunnit thread was not developed to the point where I could easily suspend my disbelief.

To Read or Not to Read
If you're looking for a fascinating thriller that is also somewhat of a study on people with psychopathy, Never Saw Me Coming is precisely the book you are looking for.

Never Saw Me Coming was a complete page-turner! Kurian does an excellent job bringing you into the minds and world of her psychopaths in a way that is both believable and spine-tingling. Expertly weaving tension, suspense, and a clear knowledge of how the mind works, Kurian has crafted one of the best thrillers of 2021 that has you rooting for her protagonist from page 1, despite knowing her sinister plans for murder. Not only is it entertaining, but you feel like you're learning psychology along with the characters while still feeling like the book is accessible and easy to read. The cast of characters was intriguing and dynamic, and the plot unique. I can't wait to see what Kurian gives us next!

A group of diagnosed psychopaths are attending a university in Washington DC – John Adams University. They have been selected to be part of Dr Leonard Wyman’s Multimethod Psychopathy Panel Study, a secret study that aims to train them to live a more normal life. One of the seven students is Chloe Sevré and she is joined by others including Andre Jensen, and Charles Portmont. The study group are having their movements and moods monitored using smartwatches. Chloe has a plan of her own; she is plotting to kill another student, Will Bachman who is an old school chum. But when other students start dying, one of whom is found in the psychology building, a game of cat and mouse ensues.

The backdrop of a university campus works well in this disturbing thriller that I became engrossed in very quickly. The story is told in an interesting format; the reader hears from Chloe, Andre and Charles for most of the narrative. Chloe is the dominant player being the hunter and the hunted, and her pieces are imparted from both the first and third perspectives. Although I couldn’t say I actually liked any of the characters, they all had fascinating aspects and redeemable traits. Charles is solid, academically with a nice girlfriend and political aspirations. Andre is someone who experiences tragedy at a young age.

Never Saw Me Coming is a darkly comic, complicated tale that takes unreliable narration and shakes it with a huge dollop of distrust. With its twisty, meandering path, and a satisfying ending. I’m pleased I chose to read this great début and I’ll be keeping my eyes peeled for more from Vera Kurian.

A special thank you to Park Row and the author for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request, received via NetGalley. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian is a clever book about Psychopaths who are in a University Program to study their Psychopathy. The book switches between 3 narrators who are part of the program and how they navigate college life, relationships and a murderer who seems to be targeting members of their program. The book was an interesting ride although at times unbelievable. I found it interesting as well in that I did not find any of the characters likeable and I felt that the ending was a bit rushed in who the actual killer was. There wasn't much leading up to why the killer was and why the group was targeted. It was very rushed to get to the end and other side stories were too long. Still an enjoyable read, thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I finished Never Saw Me Coming a couple of weeks ago, but held off on my review bc I’m not good at reviews.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I loved the idea of psychopaths becoming the hunted-a very intriguing concept that left me staying up late into the night/early morning to finish.
The idea of a college/university having a program that studies the inner thoughts and behaviors of psychopaths to try and give them a fighting chance at a “normal life” is thrilling within itself. Now, add in murder and you have to figure out who you can trust when you are surrounded by fellow psychopaths. Who can be trusted? Can anyone be trusted? Your life will depend on your decision.