NEVER SAW ME COMING by Vera Kurian was an unexpected thrill. While the read was not as tight and pacey as thriller readers may be used to, the unique hook and darkly fascinating characters drew me in until the last page.
This one reminded me a bit of Leigh Bardugo's NINTH HOUSE and is perfect for fans of dark academia.

Never Saw Me Coming was a much slower burn than I was expecting. Get a bunch of psychopaths together at a university and let them loose and I was expecting much more chaos and murder than I got. So I think my expectations of this one really let me down. It was a slow burn drama with some interesting takes on psychology.

This was a very fast and easy read. Good premise but did lose its was at times, adding in random plot lines that didn't really go anywhere and one of the major ones felt quite rushed at what was expected to be a key part of the book. It did keep you guessing and changing your mind in true who dunnit fashion. I would read more by this author

An interesting, twisty thriller about a bunch of college kids...who happen to be psychopaths. Who can you trust? ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

Chloe Sevre is going to Adams University on a scholarship and has been eagerly waiting to get into the university that Will is going to. She has a beef to settle with Will and she's been waiting a long time to make this happen and has been strategizing on settling things once in for all. She is a psychopath and has been admitted into a special program at Adam's University that is funding her education; all she has to do is participate in their research project. There are only seven other psychopaths in her program and she doesn't know who they are.

Things start getting a bit complicated, one of the students in the research project that Chloe is in has been murdered and then a second one is murdered. Chloe is feeling like someone is following her around and that she is being watched. She has to settle things with Will and figure out who the murderer is. Can she trust Charles to help her solve or Andre, who are also in the same program as her.

I read this book for the Girly Book Club as it's our book for October. For me, fall feels like a perfect time to read a book like this, something a bit creepy with a bit of mystery theme. It was a fast paced book with some twists and turns. I had the suspect down to two people and was able to figure out who it was close to the end. The book was a thrilling read and kept me interested throughout it. It was scary but not too scary so I wasn't feeling anxious. I would rate this book 3.75 stars.

3.5/5

From the moment I saw the cover of Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian I knew I had to read it. And really it was just a bonus that it has one of the most unique premises I have heard of for a book. What happens when you have 7 psychopaths at a college together? Something bad is bound to happen and there are plenty of bad things that happen in this story. These aren't really likable characters, but in an odd way I really loved Chloe, so it's perfect that she was the main viewpoint. We also get a couple of other viewpoints as well and I loved the way that kept me on my toes. I had no idea going into it that this was a debut, and I think Kurian is off to a fine start, especially if she has more unique concepts up her sleeve. This does read like a young adult novel which I was perfectly fine with, although I was hoping it would go a little darker than it did.

When I listen to an audiobook, I always go into it not knowing who the narrator is because apparently, I like to be surprised. So, I was especially happy to find out Brittany Pressley narrates Never Saw Me Coming. When you listen to a lot of audiobooks like I do you definitely end up having favorite narrators, and Pressley is one of mine so obviously I will be recommending the audio to everyone I know. She was killer (no pun intended) as Chloe, and she did a fantastic job (as always) with the other viewpoints as well. The storyline does get a little dark, especially when we learn what happened with Will and Chloe, but overall, it isn't too bad so even if you are a squeamish reader, I think you can handle it. My only grievance with Never Saw Me Coming was that when I got to the end, I had one of those "that's it?" moments that I don't really love. I really liked the entire book up to that point, and while the ending was a bit lackluster for me, that does not mean I am giving up on Kurian. I loved the majority of the book and am excited to read whatever her sophomore novel is, which hopefully comes out in the near future since I hate waiting...

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Amazing book - I loved it! Such an interesting premise for a book that I have not come across before. It was well-written and suspenseful. Highly recommended!

Imagine going to school being one of seven people who are diagnosed as psychopaths. Is there a "cure" for psychopathy or a way for them to learn to dampen their impulse control.. or.. or.... I LOVE the premise of this book. LOVE it. However, something got a little lost for me as I was reading.

We get different POVs and of course, I liked being in Chloe's head the most. She is vengeful, intelligent and manipulative... you know, all the best qualities of a psychopath. 😉 And I love that she put so much energy into getting revenge for her past, 12 year old, self. But then that storyline kinda got lost along the way. I had actually completely forgotten about that part a few times. But then you're going to give me murder and psychopaths working together to try and figure out who the killer is? Ok ok... you pulled me right back in. I just think maybe it didn't flow as cohesively as I would've liked and I felt my attention fading once again.

This is a tough one for me to review. I LOVE the concept and enjoyed the easy read of it. I just wish I could have maintained my full interest for the entirety. As such, I'm going down the middle for this one.

This psychological thriller was such a great read. I loved the idea and haven't really read anything else like it before. It's going to be a hit when I get it in my library.

Thank you to the author, Silent Book Club, and Park Row Books for this gratis copy.

3.5, rounded up. I was engrossed with this story from page one--how fascinating it is to be in the mind of young psychopaths, whom readers are called to consider as being reliable, yet completely unreliable narrators. Never Saw Me Coming is fast-paced and has multiple narrators whose voices are distinct from one another. There are multiple moving parts and some implausibilities, which really showed their colors in the final quarter. The ending made me groan; I was disappointed with the final reveals.

I will say, I was surprised to see that this book is classified as adult fiction. I felt it predominantly read more like older YA, stepped-up versions of Jessica Goodman's They Wish They Were Us and Courtney Summers' Sadie. I could see myself recommending this one to high schoolers and adults generally interested in psychology and true crime.

The premise of this story is super intriguing and unique, and as a psychology major myself it really drew me in. Kurian did a fantastic job of presenting a psychopath’s mind, while at the same time attempting to show that not all psychopaths are dangerous or murderers. Not to say there wasn’t murder involved, cause there definitely was. The story itself was pretty good, however there are times where you have to suspend your belief. Also there is a very large part of the book that was supposed to be climactic but fell extremely flat and unexciting to me. So overall I give this one 3.5 stars rounded up.

I really enjoyed this book. I went in with no expectations but thought the premise was different that anything I’d read before (a school program for psychopaths??). At times I laughed out loud as the group of characters the story bounced around from was definitely entertaining and their differing personalities and levels of psychosis (although obviously fictional) were interesting. A quick read and well written, I devoured it in a day! Definitely would love to see this interpreted for TV/film.
This book shows you never really know a person for who they truly are…
3.5 rounded up to 4/5
Thank you to NetGalley as well as HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for this ARC! Definitely suggest this read!

I tried SO HARD to make this book work for me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @parkrowbooks for the #gifted eARC of “Never Saw Me Coming.” It comes out Sept. 7.

Chloe Sevre is “the hot girl next door” college freshman who arrives on campus with a mission: settling the score with a childhood friend who wronged her. She’s also a clinically diagnosed psychopath and participating in a university study. When another student in the program is found murdered, however, it changes Chloe’s entire calculus.

I wanted to love this book. I am the queen of abandoning books; there is no shame in my DNF game. But I so wanted this book to be for me. The plot is exactly the type of thriller I love. But it just wasn’t hooking me. I kept reading even when I was bored and no longer invested, but I’m officially calling it at 45 percent.

I’ve been hesitant to share books I didn’t like, because I’m a firm believer that most books just need to find the right audience. I might come back to this one at some point. If the plot sounds good to you, I’d encourage you to pick it up. I recently found a book because a Bookstagram friend didn’t like it — but the plot sounded fantastic to me and I like the author’s other books.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

Admittedly, I picked up this book one morning with the idea that I would read 50 or so pages and then carry on with my day. As it turned out I sat there for hours devouring the entire book whole, because OMG does this book have every single thing I love in a thriller.

A plot that is based on a group of psychopaths participating in a study who are being killed off one by one? A lead character in Chloe, who is DIABOLICALLY PERFECT and who I could read about 84 books on? A slow burn, highly tense, absolutely delicious tango between Chloe and the others in her group who she's not sure she should trust, because who trusts a psychopath?

YES YES YES - give me all of this please and thank you!

The way this story pulls together so many devious plot points together in a direction that you certainly aren't going to guess makes it the kind of book that I cannot get enough of. Wildly original and totally unique, I cannot recommend this one enough!

When I first read the description of Never Saw Me Coming, I remembered the scene in the latest series of Sherlock and how he explains to Dr. Watson the difference between a Psychopath and a Sociopath. The students in this story are exhibiting Psychopathic behavior, and a few come with Narcissistic Personality Disorder flavoring as well. These students are offered a free ride to a rather lovely university in compensation for being a lab experiment.

That said, my second thought was how the proposed experiment would never be approved by the IRB (Institutional Review Board) because the capacity to cause harm is through the roof. It turns out that merely causing damage is the least of their problems--someone or someones is killing off the students. Then again, does anyone care?

That's my issue with the story--between the "experiment that would lose its funding in a hurry" and no sympathetic characters, it's challenging to find a hook into the story. I can't recommend this without reservations.

2.5 stars

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC

Chloe Sevre is a psychopath. As such, she, along with six others, qualifies for a clinical psychological study being conducted at John Adams University. And also a free ride. Enrollment at this particular institution was imperative. It would give her convenient access to Will, a junior and...her target.

He may not recognize or even remember her. But, she will never forget. But, what if he does? That would complicate things. But, she would handle it. Then, another complication. Fellow participants in the study are being killed off. She may need help with this. But, who to ask? Should she team up with surviving participants? Can they be trusted? After all, HER life may be at stake. She couldn't care less about the others. They're just a means to an end.

I was so thrilled when I was approved to read this. Unfortunately, the book didn't deliver the same thrill. It had promise. Intriguing premise. Campus setting. Alternating perspectives. Short chapters. It started well, but then it started to drag. And the end... didn't work for me.

I was so excited to read this book. I loved the description and the title. Unfortunately, I found it to be unfocused and overhyped. The writing wasn't engaging and the characters felt superficial. It's definitely not worthy of the hype. I hope someone else enjoys it.

Thank you to Park Row Books for providing me with a copy of Never Saw Me Coming in exchange for an honest review!

1) I love women who get revenge.
2) This was a fun one.
3) I love women.

I instantly fell in love with our main protagonist, Chloe & it was her scenes/chapters that really kept me invested in Never Saw Me Coming! Giving this 3.5 stars (rounded up!) because I truly did enjoy my time with the story, however, I don't think it's one that's going to stick with me. However, the premise is A+++++.

For fans of You and Dexter, Never Saw Me Coming follows a cast of admitted psychopaths who are admitted to college as a group to be studied and helped. As people around them start to die, there's no telling which of them is doing it and whether they're the only psychopaths on campus. Fast paced and good for fans of darker comedies.

I have to admit that I was disappointed with this book. I felt it had so much potential but just didn't deliver. There was so much going on yet nothing was going on a the same time. I felt confused with all of the different suspects that kept entering the picture. This could have been so much better.