“I’m not like that… I’m like a good psychopath.” Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurlan

3.5 stars. This was so interesting! Told from the point of view of 3 young adults who are in college and are diagnosed as psychopaths.

Well, actually, it should’ve just been the POV of Chloe, as she clearly is the lead character here. But we see into Charles’ and Andre’s head too. So wish the the author just stuck to Chloe but having Charles and Andre does move the story along and adds to the general did-he/she-do-it?

Chloe, Charles and Andre are part of a study of psychopaths. And people are being killed in a rather brutal manner. And though they are supposed to be anonymous, the 3 kinda come together when it turns out the people murdered are part of the program too.

So which one of them in the program did it?

I enjoyed this book, and enjoyed the adventures of these 3. Adventures. Ha! What Chloe did wasn’t an adventure but…not going to spoil it. And I like that I didn’t guess who did it till near the end.

I’m kinda hoping now we see more of Chloe, Charles and Andre. it’s that fun to read.

Thank you Park Row and NetGalley for the arc. I enjoyed it.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This was a definite page turner and will appeal to anyone who loves a good mystery!

This book was wild and very unique. Chloe appears to be any other girl next door when she starts her freshman year at college. In reality, she is a psychopath enrolled in a clinical study in exchange for a full scholarship. Members of the study begin to die in chilling and mysterious ways. Chloe and the other students in the trial have to figure out what is happening while trying to keep themselves safe.

This story has a creepy vibe from the thriller element but it is also a look at how personality disorders are viewed and addressed in our society. Each character is brilliant and different in their own ways but it’s hard to tell who is capable of what. This was a fast read and I was captivated the whole time. I also loved the campus setting, it allowed for a wide variety of characters to add to the mystery. I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thanks to Vera Kurian, Harlequin, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book held my attention from beginning to end. I think Chloe is my favorite psychopath of all time. She's an adorable psychopath.

The concept is actually rather interesting. It's a controlled experiment in whether or not you can help a psychopath function normally by learning correct situational behavior. I like how it points out not all psychopaths are killers. They walk amongst us as anyone who has ever worked in a government office knows.

The storyline was fabulous, as are all the characters, but it would be an honor to be killed by Chloe.

What a page-turner! I fell asleep reading this three nights in a row. Not because of boredom- but because I kept reading until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. This thriller will keep you guessing until the end.

4 stars 🌟🌟 🌟🌟

I loved this book! It was a super fast paced, can’t put it down read. I loved the psychopath element and found all of the characters to be quite interesting. Definitely recommend if you like murder mysteries!

Big thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin - trade publishing for the ARC in exchange for my review!

Never Saw Me Coming should’ve been a book I loved. The main character, Chloe, was a psychopath. That in itself was very interesting. She was also apart of a clinical study, studying psychopaths on her college campus. Oh, and she also wants to kill another student named Will, but things get complicated when people from the study start getting murdered. Tell me, what is not to love! But yet again, I found myself getting impatient.

Thank you to NetGalley, Vera Kurian and Harlequin for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

This book has such a unique premise and I adored it! The idea of having a bunch of psychopaths go to the same school for a doctor to do tests on and suddenly murders start happening to said psychopaths - who isn't interested?? I loved the characters and how different they were even though they are psychopaths and how interesting they were. They all were better at faking feelings and I thoroughly enjoyed it! It has the most surprising ending and I can't wait to see what Kurian's next novel is about!

Even though this is a serious subject, the author's sense of humor is wonderful! Aside from that, it's a great campus thriller with memorable characters. Charles was particularly interesting and gave me hope that those with personality disorders can be treated. This was an intelligent book that was a wild ride for me. I'm not particularly good at solving good mysteries, but then I really don't try to as I like to go along for the ride, so it was a surprise to me who the actual murderer was.
The sand filtration site was fascinating and I'd recommend looking up images to get a good sense of what it looks like.
I'm looking forward to future books by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.

#NeverSawMeComing sucked me in right away and I devoured it. I really enjoyed the unique plot and short chapters. I wanted a little more from the ending but this is definitely my favorite #campusthriller book I’ve read so far!

There have been so many campus themed books this year that I’ve all campused out. I really love the premise of this but the execution didn’t really work for me.

What a truly refreshing thriller! Not your normal overdone plot. For me, this book was a little long but I loved being in chloe’s head! The story started off strong, but Ended up lagging a bit in the middle. Overall a well done thriller w a great main character. This one is a fun read for sure!

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian has an interesting premise. A university in DC has a program for diagnosed psychopaths to attend the school, tuition free, and in exchange take part in their research program. This requires wearing a tracking bracelet at all times and participating in numerous surveys at any given time. The participants are not allowed to know who else is in the program and this info is kept very confidential.
Chloe, a freshman, has been accepted into the program but has ulterior motives. She is there to get revenge on someone who wronged her when she was younger. She sets about trying to track this person's every move and come up with a plan to destroy him.
The story is also told from the perspective of Andre and Charles, two other participants in the program. Andre grew up in a working class family and desperately needed the scholarship. Charles is the rich kid whose dad is a politician. Everything comes easy to him. He has it made--perfect girlfriend, perfect life, etc. At least that is what he portrays.
When Andre finds another participant murdered in the Psych building and another murder soon follows, everyone is on edge. Is someone out to get the psychopaths? Or is there another motive? Andre, Chloe, and Charles are brought together due to these murders and figure out they are all in the program. They decide to figure out who the killer is.
The story started out one way (Chloe's desire to enact revenge) but soon went off on another storyline. The first part seemed to get lost. I did enjoy the story and it was an original plot. The characters were likeable even though they were psychopaths.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own. (3.5 stars)

I read the blurb of this book and it sounded right up my street as I love anything to do with true crime etc. On paper the premise works, actually in the book it doesn't work all that well. I felt the whole book was a drag, I actually struggled to finish it, I almost didn't at one point as it was almost painful. It was also really farfetched at the end when we discovered what was going on, which at that point I actually didn't care who or what was happening. I found the whole Will story just abruptly stopped after half a book of build-up. I also felt like it didn't know whether it wanted to be a thriller or a comedy. The saving grace for me was the character development, I started off thinking that all of the characters were really unlikeable but by the end they had actually started to grow on me, even though they were still rather questionable. I feel this could have been so much better than it actually was.

*Thanks to NetGalley, HARLEQUIN and Vera Kurian for the copy of this book. All views are my own.*

Psychopaths are among us and we may never even know!
Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for my eARC for review!
The premise of Never Saw Me Coming explores this idea at a Washington DC university with a program to study such clinically-diagnosed students.
Chloe Sevre and six others are in the program, largely unaware of each other and their tendencies until one such student is murdered. Then another. Chloe has a goal set to kill Will Bachman - can she avoid her own murder before getting to Will?
Yup, this is quite a unique academia thriller! I probably should have enjoyed it more than I did, but that's on me as it took longer to read than usual. I was also more interested in Chloe's story than others so things felt a bit weighted down. But again, that's me!
I do still suggest reading it for an intriguing storyline and twists, and solid writing! Recommended!
Released on Sept. 7.

“There was no background music or camera zooming in. This was real life. In real life, we don’t get to edit out the painful parts.”
 
When I read the book description and saw that this book was about psychopaths being involved in a clinical trial at college with some murder thrown in…I was like yup, right up my alley!!
 
The book is told in 3rd person mainly from perspectives of Chloe, Charles and Andre. I absolutely loved all 3 of them. This story was extremely interesting and unique because the main character Chloe, along with others, are diagnosed psychopaths. A psychopath narrator? Loved it! The entire book you don’t know who or what to trust so it constantly keeps you guessing and on your toes. The title of this book is very fitting because I sure as hell didn’t see it coming. I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. I also love that the author is a psychologist.
 
⚠️TW: rape, serial killer, murder, death, mental illness⚠️
 
Thank you to Netgalley, Park Row Books and Vera Kurian for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sooooo so good!!! Unable to put down! I loved the fact that it’s narrated from the actual psychopath POV. There were so many cool aspects to this book that made it very unique. It takes the murder mystery trope and puts a whole new spin on it. From the beginning we know that Chloe is out to kill Will.. but the question throughout that kept nagging at me was whether or not she actually would!
I kept thinking that through Charles she would gain a little conscience… it was interesting to see how their diagnoses effected each of them differently as well!
Then there was that ending…!!! I’m not going to say much bc I don’t want to give it away but I was honestly not expecting anything that happens in the end!!!
Very good. Would definitely recommend!
Happy reading!!

The title is getting a lot of buzz in my library system. The premise is creative, but I had a difficult time getting through this one- I have an extremely difficult time reading books with unlikable main characters. However, I think that the patron base is there for this one, and I do think it will see high circulation through word-of-mouth. It wasn't for me, but I definitely know many people who I can recommend it to.

‘Never Saw Me Coming’ was a gripping, wild ride! Full of murdery goodness, thrills, suspense, and characters who are legit psychopaths, this book was unadulterated fun and perfect for fall.

Never Saw Me Coming
by Vera Kurian
Pub date: Sept.7, 2021
Park Row

Wow! I was drawn to this book because of my interest in psychology. It is rare to read about the main character who happens to be a psychopath, but it is extremely difficult to find a book with many psychopaths represented, all in one story, all together hanging around, making jokes and just simply being themselves.

The overall story is unique and entertaining. I think those interested in psychology and glimpsing inside the mind of people who think completely differently will find this fascinating.
The ending was unsatisfying for me. I would have trouble recommending the book.
Thanks to Park Row and Netgalley for the ARC.
3.5 stars