I recently heard an interview with a couple of authors discussing how books like "Gone Girl" and many of the current thrillers on the market have set the bar high for readers' expectations of suspense. Well, you can add They Never Learn to the list! I thought Layne went to some really dark places with her sadist/sociopath Malcolm in her first book Temper. But Scarlett, the psychopathic professor in They Never Learn has Malcolm beat by a long shot!

In this book that explores the boundaries between men and women, women and women, Layne tells the story of two women leading parallel lives. Scarlett is a university professor whose rage against the injustice of men getting away with rape leads her to kill, without questioning her own morality. Carly is a university student whose emotional growth has been stunted by a psychologically abusive dad, who becomes protective and obsessed with her new roommate.

In alternating chapters, we see similarities in the lives of these two women, as the character development increases along with their outrage. As one develops an attachment, so does the other. As one is wronged by a man, so is the other. As one rejects a lover, so does the other.

The book reaches a crescendo almost half way through that literally made me gasp out loud!

Even though the pacing slows down a bit after the mid-point, you will still be invested in finding out if Carly makes a connection with anyone, or if she finds the strength to assert herself. You'll want to find out who Scarlett's next victim is, and why, and see if she makes a mistake that will be the end of her killing spree. And you'll want to root for her no matter how evil and twisted she is, because in the end, she's a victim as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for an advanced reader's copy of this thrilling read!

In the modern era of men getting away with everything, "They Never Learn" is the perfect book of what happens when those same men get what they deserve.

Carly is a freshman at Gorman University - escaping home for the first time. She's awkward, uncomfortable...but finally free of her father.

Scarlett is an English professor at Gorman University. She's talented in her writing and teaching....as well as killing boys and men who abuse women.

This book is.....amazing. It's every pent up revenge fantasy wrapped up into a LGBTQ+ story. While there are SOME problems (In the year 2004 - Fiona Apple, Weezer and Oasis would be dated. Those were more my college years of 1997-2000.), this is *chef's kiss* near perfection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

📚 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 / 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪 📚⁣⁣
⁣⁣
Title: #TheyNeverLearn
Author: @laynefargo
Publisher:@gallerybooks @scoutpressbooks
Pub Date: 10/13/2020⁣⁣
Type: #Paperback #FinishedCopy⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
Total Pages: 352⁣
Genre: #Mystery #Thriller⁣
Must Read Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⁣⭐⁣💫⁣

My thoughts:
1. Never piss Layne Fargo off 2. READ EVERY BOOK BY LAYNE FARGO! 3. If you're looking to pick up one book this year that features a bad ass FEMALE serial killer that you actually root for, it should definitely be They Never Learn. What a remarkable, fast paced and twisty one this was. There is just something so special about slipping between the pages of a Fargo novel. I am never disappointed and I truly didn't want this book to end. This was a highly atmospheric novel that transported me back to my college years and I absolutely adored all the mentions of my hometown, Pittsburgh, which made me really connect with scenery and plot (*I think I know THE Italian restaurant in Shadyside*). This is not your traditional "whodunit" - as the killer is made known from chapter one and the reader has the distinct pleasure of following along on the journey where she seeks revenge on men who have wronged women - physically, emotionally and mentally. But ... who is Scarlett? Why is it her life's goal to bring justice upon these men? That, my friends, is the most delicious piece of the novel. All in all, I truly enjoyed this one. I will follow you wherever you go, Layne! Thanks for the roller coaster ride! 🔪🔪

Unputdownable 4.25 ⭐️

They never learn follows the acts of two women, Scarlett, an English Professor at Gorman university & Carly, a freshman at the same university. If bad men are punished for their sins, does it make the punisher vigilante or a psychopath? I knew Scarlett is wrong, but I could stop admiring her 👀

Scarlett has been getting away with murdering “bad” men for a decade. She picks her victim, stalks them, knows about them completely and meticulously gets her kill. Did I mention she hasn’t been caught? Not even once? Carly is a shy, socially awkward freshman who gets her revenge on her father and then when her beat friend is assaulted, she turns to killing.

Wondering how these two women are connected? It slowly weaves together in the second part of the story. When you realise the connection, you’ll definitely go - wow 😳 (I did!!)

Utterly fascinating, dark, unputdownable crime thriller!! I think the author has done a marvellous job by letting the readers know the killer & the victim! Its like a horror movie - you know the victim and scream to them that the ghost is behind & read to pounce!!Read if you want/like a serial killer novel with a bonus feminist touch.

Thank you Netgalley, Gallery/Scout Press & Layne Fargo for the ARC in-exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first book I read by Layne Fargo. Sometimes with a new author you have to get used to the style but not this book. It's an easy read. The story is about Scarlett Clark a professor at Gorman University and Carly Schiller a freshman at Gorman University.
You get to know both and you will suddenly realize the connection between the two as you continue reading.
It’s a credit to the author when you actual start to sympathize with the serial killer and hope she goes shot free. It really is an amazing story that will have you pick up the book to continue reading the minute you have a bit of time.

Well, well, well, what do we have here?????

Scarlett Clark is an English Professor by day and a woman who murders men who she feels deserve it by night. Just when she is preparing for her biggest kill yet, the college begins to investigate the growing number of "suicides" on campus.

Carly Schiller is trying to survive freshman year. She wants to dive into her studies but her roommate who enjoys breaking the rules has other plans. As the roommates becomes closer, Carly becomes obsessed with making the young man who sexually assaulted her roommate at a party pay for his actions.

Grab a seat, buckle yourself in and enjoy this dark twisted ride! This was a fast, fun and captivating read. We are not supposed to root for the killer, are we? That would be so wrong, but it feels so right.

So how do these two storylines relate? Will they merge? Did you see the connection coming? My hand is waving in the air, I figured that little bit out, but it did not affect my enjoyment of this book at all.

This was bloody good. A real killer of a book!

A riveting not-to-be-missed book!

Thank you to Gallery/Scout Press and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

Confident and unflappable, Dr. Scarlett Clark earns respect as a valued member of the Gorman University Literature Department. She is prouder, however, of her secret life. She identifies rapists and abusers who would otherwise go unpunished, meticulously studies them, then kills them to make it look like an accident or suicide.

However, her last kill was one too many, the star quarterback whose death attracted attention. In response, the university established a suicide prevention task force that decided to review all of the deaths on campus over the last several years. To protect her vigilante identity, Scarlett sidles up to Dr. Samina Pierce, a psychology professor in charge of the task force.

Unlike Dr. Clark, freshman Carly Schiller virtually thrums with anxiety despite her academic prowess. She reveres her roommate, self-possessed sophomore Ashley Hadley. When Carly sees Ashley sexually assaulted at a party, though, Carly becomes possessed by thoughts of revenge.

Is there room enough for two vigilantes on the Gorman campus, especially under the keen scrutiny of Samina Pierce?

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘓𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 is a fun, fast-paced feminist revenge fantasy offering a way to get justice when the “proper” channels fail. At the same time, it explores issues of sexuality, power, and consent. Some moments were very shocking to me, some a bit more predictable, though the path was never boring. Both Carly and Scarlett imagined extremely violent scenarios—they were disturbing but also fascinating. I, at least, had to wrestle with the idea of sympathizing with them and wanting them to escape capture.

Fans of thrillers, particularly by Samantha Downing, Alice Feeney, and B.A. Paris should take special note.

MORE POSITIVE REPRESENTATION OF QUEER WOMEN IN THRILLERS PLEASE!(Yes, I realize this is a three star review but that part really is the most important)

Unfortunately, the "big reveal" came way too early and we spent the rest of the book kind of delaying the inevitable. Nothing was as big as the one moment at 50% where I went WAIT WHAT (even though I probably should have seen it coming) and it left the rest of the book (even wholesome queer women!!) kind of in the dust. In the beginning I liked Scarlett's sections but then it switched to Carly's sections. They couldn't both be interesting at the same time apparently.

I loved the concept but with everything in Scarlett's story peaking at 50% and everything in Carly's story pretty much STARTING at 50% it left the pacing jagged. At least the chapters were short. And I loved the way Scarlett's sections always started out with a statement about men getting what they deserve or dying or something. That was a clever little addition. But, again, with so much nonsense drama between illicit affairs among the professors / students / teaching assistants was just so much distraction.

They Never Learn is a thrilling experience! Told from the points of view of 2 women, it details college life for one and professor life for the other. I really liked how the professor planned her murders. I really felt for Carly as she navigated the dangers that college life holds. The twist totally surprised me! I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others!

I'm a big, big fan of Layne Fargo! Her debut, TEMPER, was phenomenal, and this her new one carries on in that same vein. Your heart will be in your throat at the wild twists and layers constantly peeling back to take you by surprise. This story is smart and sexy and you won't believe what happens! Thank you, Netgalley, for this ARC.

Mean Girls for grownups! A well written story of a college professor who turns vigilante. I was not impressed with the glorification of violence, nor with the idea to judge others in order to defend one’s own lowly actions. Yet, I kept reading, and it was a good story and mystery. If you carry loads of repressed anger, feel the need to make things right and the law be damned, or support the #metoo movement you will probably enjoy this book. I realize this is fiction, but this is not a book to serve as a role model for women of any age. After the first few pages, I was appalled to the point of not reading further but kept plugging away. There is only One true judge and it’s not the professor nor anyone on Earth. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh, my! College English Professors have a life I didn’t know about. At least Scarlett Clark does, she can get away with murder. This is great psychological thriller. Every year she looks for the worst man on campus. She does more than just look. She murders him. I really liked Scarlett. She is a book lover, but she’d scare the bejabbers out of me. If you read this prepare for a roller coaster of a ride, there is no point until the very end when you can take a deep breath.

Full disclosure: Another reviewer disappointingly spoiled one of the twists, so I went into this book with that knowledge. While I expected it to be *the* twist, I was so excited to find that it was one of many turns the author wove into the story. I don't want to risk doing the same thing to another reader, so I'll just say this: There are so many unusual elements to this story, and many plot points I expected turned out to be completely different. Despite the heavy subject matter, it was still a fast read and I highly recommend it.

Wow, what a ride!

They Never Learn was a super incredible story about women empowerment and taking sexual, physical and mental abuse into their own hands. While I will say, the murder of ANY person shouldn't be sensationalized, this book delves into the idea of a woman in a position of authority, taking the lives of men who abuse women. And in a fictional, fantastical standpoint, I am here for it! The fact that women are brutalized by men on a daily basis, that they are victims of the system, makes me sick. In this book, one of the main characters takes the responsibility of judge, jury and executioner upon herself when the justice system fails these women. Meanwhile, we have a student attending the same college who is dealing with a very similar situation under very different circumstances.

Scarlett Clark is a professor at Goram University. Every year, she takes it upon herself to murder the most deserving man on campus. She is meticulous and she is great at what she does. With her latest victim, the red flags begin to pop up within the school and a task force is assembled by Dr. Mina Pierce, to investigate these deaths and the patterns they fall into.

Carly Schiller is a student at the very same school who is the complete opposite. The victim of categorically unknown abuse from her father, she is using Goram University as a means of escape. Her new roommate Allison befriends her and tries to pull her into the mix, but Carly remains awkward and closed off. When Allison is attacked at a party, something changes in Carly and she will stop at nothing to see this abuser found out.

This was such a raw and unnerving thriller and I enjoyed every minute of it. We have two very different women at the same school, dealing with extremely similar things in very different ways. I thought this book was brilliantly written and kept me on the absolute edge of my seat through it's entirety.

4+ Stars!!!!
I am a big psychological thriller fan ~ love to figure out “whodunit”.
However, since we know right off who is committing murder to bring rapists to justice, I wasn’t sure this was going to work for me ~~~
…Wrong!

Story alternates between two narrators Scarlett and Carly.

Scarlett Clark is a feminist and college professor at Gorman University who is out on righting the wrongs done to women. Every year she searches for a guy who needs to be punished!!!
Oh hum so we know Scarlett is killing nasty guys. She has been getting away with murder for years. She is clever and leaves no trace then goes off to teacher English.
However,
I was more curious about Carly Schiller a freshman student at Gorman. She is a nice girl, but an introvert with baggage who is anxious to go away to college and leave her controlling father. Her roommate Allison is a party going Sophomore ~ certain not two who normally would end up as roommates.
Carly soon becomes obsessed with Allison. She worries about her life style and wants to protect her.

Soon the twist comes and these two narrators collide!

This story did not disappoint!!!!
Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press plus author Layne Fargo for this early release granted in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 13, 2020

The publisher has requested no quotes from the book be used until the final copy is published and I will respect that, but oh how I wish I could share just a line or two to give you a glimpse of what you're in for!

Layne Fargo has created a novel that sucks readers into a world filled with turbulent psychological (pathological/ psychotic) suspense, grabbing them with the very first sentence and not letting them go until the final word. What a read!

Scarlett Clarke, an English professor at Gorman University, is compelling, brilliant, and well-thought of; but she is also one dark and twisted woman. She's a serial killer and proud of it. Her killings are justified because she only murders men who deserve it, and she is very good at what she does. She's been doing it for 16 years now, and she's never been suspected of a thing. She's already carefully planning how to do away with her next victim.

Carly Schiller is a freshman at Gorman University. Shy and awkward, she has no idea how to fit in, and doesn't care if she does. She'd rather NOT be noticed. Truth be told, she's just glad to be away from home; if she ever sees her emotionally abusive father again it'll be too soon.

Carly's roommate, Allison Hadley is everything Carly is not. Beautiful, outgoing, and full of confidence, she wants to help Carly enjoy the entire college experience, introduces Carly to her friends, and takes her along to weekend parties. Carly, a bit awed by her friendship and attention, begins to become obsessed with Allison. When something bad happens to Allison, Carly is filled with anger. The more she thinks about it, her thoughts take a very dark turn and her anger turns into rage looking for an outlet.

Oh, fellow reader, plan to start this book when you have a few hours because you won't want to put it down! This is a captivating well thought-out story of vigilante justice with characters you won't soon (be able to) forget, and enough OMG! moments tossed in to keep you thoroughly entranced. Very. Well. Done. This gets 5 stars from me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. Expected publication is 10/13/2020. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Scarlett is a killer. She meets out her own justice on men who do horrible things to young college girls. She's meticulous and careful. The first chapter puts you right into one of her kills.
Carly is a freshman at Gorman college. Her friend and roommate Allison is attacked one night at a party and Carly vowes to help her as she can.
A dark, sexy, and gritty thriller! This was a real page turned. I couldn't wait to see what Scarlett would do next. There is a part of the story where certain things line up and I was pleasantly surprised. This was just as good as her first book, Temper!

They Never Learn is Layne Fargo's sophomore novel. I really liked it, although I found the ending to be too neat for my tastes, I suspect it will please readers more than Temper which had a much more nebulous ending.

They Never Learn has two storylines, the first being about a murderous professor named Scarlett, who as the novel opens is revealed to be a serial killer who kills men who she feels deserve to die. The second strand is about a freshman at the same college named Carly who discovers, over the course of They Never Learn, that she herself has quite a bit of murderous rage toward men who abuse women.

I found the convergence of the two storylines to be excellently done and a very ingenious way of explaining how and why actions of the novel take place.

My only problem with the novel is that I felt that Mina's love for Scarlett came on very suddenly and very strongly and I didn't entirely buy the novel's conclusion. Having said that, I still think They Never Learn is an outstanding thriler that asks a lot of questions about who deserves justice and why and how that justice should or should not be served. It will definitely make a lot of readers think, and raises so many important questions about why and how women are victimized and how the justice system frequently fails them.

They Never Learn also serves as a scathing and well-deserved indictment of the way many colleges and universities handle complaints by female students against male students and how frequently these complaints are dismissed or swept under the rug.

Overall, I found They Never Learn to be very satisfying and I very much enjoyed reading about Scarlett and Carly and how their paths converge and why.

Absolutely recommended for all collections. Readers who enjoy intense psychological thrillers that ask important questions about social justice should absolutely read this.

Scarlett is one of the best English professors. The only thing she is better at than teaching is killing. She doesn’t just murder for murders sake though. Her victims always deserve what’s coming to them. If only they would learn to respect the women in their lives. When her latest murder doesn’t go to plan, things get out of control. Can Scarlett keep the cops from finding out her secret?

Ummmm HELLO thriller you didn’t know you needed. You know how at lest half the thrillers you read are about a man killing women, or trapping them in rooms/homes, or just abusing the crap out of them? Well meet Scarlett Clark. She is making every one of them wish they never laid a finger on anyone. I loved the story, the characters, and the multiple points of view. It was such an engaging and quick read, but also so great to see a badass female take the reins! If this book isn’t on your radar, it needs to be. Scarlett Clark is doing what most women wish they could when faced with men like this.

If I could dedicate a song to this book it would be Maneater by Hall & Oates. The women in this book are vicious! Especially the main character Scarlett Home girl really loves killing men as an act of revenge for their crimes against women... and shes very good at it. She's been killing for 16 years on or near the campus she teaches at and has never been caught. But people are starting to get suspicious about the growing body count in the small town where she lives. Will Scarlett be found out at last?

Not only do we get Scarlett's POV but we get Carly's as well. Carly is a student at the same college where Scarlett teaches. Carly forms an intense friendship with her room mate Allison. So when shes witnesses Allison being sexually assaulted at a party she's filled with rage and is determined to make this boy pay by any means necessary. It's really interesting to see the story play out and see how their path's cross.

This book was so compulsively readable. I could not put it down. I love a strong female lead and this definitely had that going for it. It was one bad ass feminist thriller! And as crazy as I might sound saying this.. I was rooting for Scarlett the whole time. I was definitely into the whole femme fatale thing she had going on. I would 100% recommend this to other thriller lovers.