This character driven story was well written and engaging much in the vein of YOU and Dexter. Except Kurian had the task of balancing multiple characters with psychopathy and she did it brilliantly. I adored the way this story slowly unravels and the scope of it becomes larger until you are fully immersed in the world with these characters..Because this book has a few different narrators there were lots of tendrils of storylines that we were constantly following but it never felt overwhelming or confusing. I also appreciated how Kurian still made time to let the characters naturally develop and we really got to know our main characters intimately. It would have been so easy to make the study participants all seem one dimensional but instead Kurian really showcased the different sides of psychopathy which gave each character their own distinct voice. I will say that if you are not a character driven reader than parts of this book may not work as well for you as they did for me since this book mostly feels like a character study. There is a lot of action and twists and turns but there are also quiet moments where we are just getting to know our characters and those happened to be my favorite parts. I did think the ending was satisfying but also farfetched at certain moments. It is an odd feeling to have strong emotional connections to characters who are supposed to be on the “bad” side and yet it is something that Kurian easily succeeded at. For that reason, I highly recommend this book to any fan of true crime or psychology because I think you will also find a lot of value in reading this. I also recommend this to anyone who loves to delve into characters because this is where the book really shines.

Format: audiobook

This was the first audiobook I’ve ever listened to. I know, it seems unlikely but it’s true. I’ve only ever read books never listened to them. Until now.

I want to preface this review by saying that perhaps some of my critiques of this novel is shaped by the fact that it was my first audiobook and I’m not used to that format.

Firstly, I felt like some parts of this really dragged. Again, maybe because it was an audiobook but I was so consumed by it in the beginning but I felt like some of the chapters towards the middle were really not needed. I was entertained by the story, but it could have been executed a bit better.
There were so many unnecessary twists and turns and talking about who the murderer was and speculations that my interest fluctuated throughout. Sometimes I felt exasperated and bored by the plot line and the characters.

While I have many critiques, I did ultimately enjoy it and felt entertained by it at least some of the time. I didn’t care what happened to the characters all the time, but I was also invested in the storyline? I suppose I have mixed feelings.

I was hooked as soon as I read the blurb. What a premise--a collection of psychopaths on a college campus who end up being the target of some sort of attack. The way that Chloe's story and focus on killing Will played into the overall story was good. Charles was my favorite character because he seemed to be more developed than the others. I hope to see another book about this group in the future!

Thank you to Park Row Books and NetGalley for the e-arc for review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Park Row Books, and Vera Kurian for a free electronic ARC of Never Saw Me Coming in exchange for an honest review—and of course, to Indigo for having early release copies on the shelves!

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian was published on September 7, 2021 - OUT NOW!

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian is such a fun, clever, and original read, with an absolutely fascinating premise—seven college students, who are classified as psychopaths and part of the university’s clinical study to understand the minds of psychopaths, are seemingly being stalked and killed off one by one.

Chloe Sevre, the main character, is one of these seven students.  Apart from being a psychopath and part of the clinical study, Chloe’s real purpose for attending John Adam’s University is to get revenge on someone who harmed her in her childhood.  As Chloe begins her hunt to find the person who hurt her, it becomes clear that she, along with the other participants in the study, are being hunted themselves.  Reluctantly, Chloe works with two other psychopaths to find the hunter in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, before they become the next dead bodies found in the psychology department. 

Here’s what I loved:

The premise—it is so original and so clever.  It's refreshing reading something that feels new.
The psychopathic characters—Chloe is so fun and interesting.  I really enjoyed her personality or, should I say, lack-thereof? The psychopaths, although they had less depth to them, were just as interesting.
The setting—I love when books are set in schools and universities.  Dark academia may very well be my new favourite sub-genre of crime fiction and this book excelled at creating the perfect darker school setting.
The short chapters—short chapters are EVERYTHING, especially in longer books.  These help give the book a faster reading pace.

Here’s why I didn’t rate it 5 stars:

Despite the short chapters, some parts of the book were extremely dense and really slow.
The book jumps between characters for almost every chapter.  Some of these jumps and transitions are clunky and sometimes I needed to re-read the first page in order to figure out whose character the chapter belonged to.
The ending—as much as I don’t like to rate thrillers on their endings, this one feels a little rushed and predictable (once you get to a certain chapter in the book) and I did, in fact, see it coming.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this one—especially if you're a fan of dark academia and books featuring psychopaths!

You can also find my review on my blog: https://rebekahreads.ca/never-saw-me-coming-by-vera-kurian/
bookstagram review: https://www.instagram.com/p/CTp3JySr48c/

What's the worst that can happen with seven diagnosed psychopaths at the same college? John Adams University has a program to give a scholarship to seven students that just happen to be psychopaths in exchange to meet with them and do little studies.

Chloe is the main character of this novel, and she is planning on killing another college student named Will that just happens to also go to John Adams University. You follow her as she is tracking down Will and making her plans, as well as, running into some of the other diagnosed psychopaths.

While I enjoyed the book, I didn't really find myself excited to get to day 0. The plot twist did not really surprise me either.

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin publishing for the galley.

A highly intoxicating suspense that holds readers captive with unreliable narrators and a slow-burn plot twist. Vivian Kurian offers a unique storyline and engaging characters.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the arc of #NeverSawMeComing which was read and reviewed voluntarily.

Chloe is a diagnosed Psychopath. She is just like any normal college kid, except she's planning to kill a boy who wronged her. No big deal, totally normal stuff, until you surround her with other psychopaths.
John Adams University is running a clinical study on psychopaths. Seven students are being studied, their identities kept secret. When students start dropping dead, Chloe makes it her mission to find out who else is in the study. One of them is targeting the student psychopaths.
What happens when a psychopath is hunting psychopaths? The hunted fight back.

I am a huge fan of books told from a villians perspective, especially if they are a psychopath. So when I requested this book, i was pumped up for some craziness. Mixing a bunch of psycho kids in with normal college kids is a reciepe for disaster, and I was ready. Unfortunately it wasn't nearly as intense as I was hoping it would be.
The characters were great, but too likeable. I loved the chemistry between Chloe and Charles, and would have loved the whole book to be just them! Everything else kind of fell flat for me. I knew exactly where the book was going from the beginning. Nothing really shocked me. I wanted more psycho from the psychopaths!!

This was a really intriguing story, and though the genre was categorized as General Fiction and Mystery/Thriller, I think it could also be considered New Adult.

This story begins with Chloe Sevre who just started her freshman year of college. Oh, and did I mention that she’s a psychopath? Well, so are six other students who were accepted to a program run by a prestigious psychologist. With tuition paid in full, how could they possibly pass up the opportunity?

But Chloe Sevre isn’t just there for the education. She has her sights set on killing Will, a childhood friend who wronged her in the worst possible way. Will she get her revenge, or will her attempts be foiled by the other psychopaths in the program? Suddenly the other students are dropping like flies, and it looks like Chloe could be next.

I enjoyed reading this book, and I thought it was a great thriller. Luckily, the author kept me guessing the entire time because I never guessed who the killer was. In fact, it was the last person I thought it would be, so well played, Ms. Kurian!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4209641851

Psychopaths rule! At least they think they do! A group of seven diagnosed psychopaths have found themselves in an experimental college clinical study. Most of the college community doesn’t even know the study exists. They are monitored and have sessions with a famous psychologist who put this study together. He was part of a serial killer’s team years ago. The group must wear smart watches at all times for tracking, complete experiments and help answer questions about how they are feeling at certain times. You see psychopaths have no empathy and feel no emotion. Most think the world revolves around their needs and wants. Tuition for these students is free. They do not know each other. Until one of them is killed. And one of them finds the body.

Then they begin to find each other, one by one.

Chloe is a freshman. She is smart, pretty, knows she must make lots of friends on campus and be popular. She is a psychopath. She is really at the school for the free tuition because she is planning to kill a student who goes to the school who did something to her when she was a younger. She has been stalking him since then and her plan is to commit the perfect murder.

Charlie is a seasoned psychopath. He has been in the program for a few years. He comes from a very wealthy family who are embarrassed by him. Charlie does have a faithful girlfriend who tries to keep him under control, but psychopaths like Charlie know how to manipulate very well. And Charlie has a wandering eye. Her name is Chloe.

Andre is a fake psychopath. Because he had been in trouble as a teenager he was able to manipulate his way into the study. What he is really there for is the free tuition. Although Andre can try and think like a psychopath, he cannot truly feel like one. He has found Chloe and Charlie and does not trust either of them. And he shouldn’t.

As the dead bodies begin to pile up, the group begin to accuse each other of being the killer. So how is it possible for psychopaths to try and put their psychosis aside and make an effort and work together? Very difficult. But they have to because whoever is killing has set their sights on them.

Is the killer a psychopath? Can these very challenged young adults put all the pieces together before one of them is the next victim? What happens when a group of non-caring, narcissistic, passionless, unexpressive psychopaths must work together? An incredible crazy ride!

This book was truly a wild ride from beginning to end! I’ll admit, I got a little lost with the differing perspectives to start, but I got there eventually.
Chloe is very much a singularly minded character after revenge, with a good reason, too. Charles is your average ”Pretty College Boy Who Will Definitely Go Into Politics”, and Andre is probably my favorite character by far.
I feel like parts of the overall story are maybe a touch convoluted, but overall, I really enjoyed reading it.
A fresh take on a psycho story, with a definite twist ending, I give <strong>Never Saw Me Coming 3.5 out of 5 pumpkin scones. Thank you to Park Row Books for providing a copy in exchange for review.

The elevator pitch for Never Saw Me Coming is sensational. Seven psychopaths get a full college scholarship if they agree to participate in a psychological study and wear a smart watch. Chloe, the main protagonist, has another agenda. Kill her childhood abuser.

Unfortunately, the characters are not differentiated well. They also don’t seem very psycho. Or maybe being inside a psychopath’s head is boring? No wonder they become serial killers, lol.

In addition, the pacing feels off. Usually in thrillers there are waves of action and suspense. In Never Saw Me Coming, there are many more lulls than swells.

So, between the slow pacing and my lack of connection with the characters, this book gets 3 stars from me.

Thanks to Park Row, Harlequin Books, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This story captures the reader’s interest right away. The first page starts with our protagonist, Chloe, setting the timeline for murdering another student. The setting is a college campus in Washington DC during a season complicated by protests. The core group of people we are following are all anonymous to each other, but enrolled in a psychological research trial that has provided each of them scholarships to attend the university. The trial is a study of psychopathy and trying to show that interventional steps to retrain the way that they process information and behave can help them to live more mainstream lives.
The problems begin when a murder occurs in the psychology building and the dying person is found by one of the students enrolled in the study. Naturally everyone is uneasy with this event but then a second murder occurs, involving another participant in the study and now there is a serial killer. Several of the students find other participants and they start to try to work together to find out who the murderer is. Of course, none of them know each other well and being psychopaths, are particularly uncertain as to who to trust and not trust. The one thing they do know is that the major professor conducting the research was the treating psychologist of the most notorious serial killer in the past 20 years that the school has had.
How does present day tie into the history of the school and the psychologist’s involvement with the prior case?
Can they stay safe and who can be trusted?
Who might die and who might live?
Lots of questions and the author does a good job of tying things together in an interesting way.
Definitely recommend!
#NeverSawMeComing #Netgalley #Harlequin #ParkRow

I loved that this book was nothing like I've ever read before!
Solid "WTH" is going on type of read. Fast-paced & entertaining.

University is a strange time, full of new people, new classes, new expectations. What you don't expect is psychopaths, per se! But at Adams University there are at least seven which means I was hooked into Never Saw Me Coming straightaway. What a ride! Thanks to Harlequin, Park Row and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit that I'm a True Crime fan that doesn't yet entirely understand the difference between psychopathy and sociopathy. I know there is a difference and I know that it is an important one, but I couldn't quite explain the finer details to you. I do know the stigma around it is intense, in part due to the very easy way in which we use the word 'psycho' as an insult, joke, or film title. So imagine you are a psychopath and are invited to become part of a study that aims to not "fix" you, but give you tools to cope, to appear more "normal"? I found this a fascinating idea and thankfully Kurian does take the time to walk the knife's edge between the fun and drama of her plot and the more earnest discussion of mental health and psychopathy.

Chloe has a plan. She is part of a clinical study of psychopaths, which means she has to be smart about her plan. But as a psychopath, that should come easy to her. She has no idea who else is in the study but this quickly changes when another member is found dead. And not just dead, but straight-up murdered. Together with Charles and Andre, two other students in the study with their own secrets, she tries to balance finding a murderer while trying to get away with potential murder. The plot of Never Saw Me Coming is a riot and I loved experiencing it through Chloe, Charles and Andre's eyes. They each have a clear and different voice and their experiences vary wildly as well, which gives the reader various viewpoints with which to approach the plot. I must say Chloe was my favourite, even though she is a bit dramatic and does occasionally run riot. Her actions aren't always logical, but they were

Vera Kurian crafts a brilliant story that takes some Dark Academia influences but makes them shiny and new. There are secrets, weird professors, old buildings and death, but it never runs along the expected lines. At times the two plot lines, Chloe's plan and the murders taking place, battle for supremacy, but Kurian manages to bring them together satisfactorily in the end. Kurian strikes a great balance between high tension and light moments, making sure we never forget that were dealing with young students who also want to hang out, date and drink, not just hunt down killers. While Never Saw Me Coming technically doesn't end on a cliffhanger, I would love for Kurian to continue with these characters. What can I say, I adored these three characters!

Thrilling and snappy, Never Saw Me Coming was a delight to read! I adored the characters and enjoyed the high stakes plot. I can't wait to read more by Vera Kurian!

9/9: Edited to include link.

There was just something about Never Saw Me Coming that made it impossible to resist this story, and I knew that I simply HAD to read it as soon as I first read the blurb. I mean, having a bunch of psychopaths as main characters and a setting on a campus? How can I say no to that?! And I have to say that this book more than delivered for me. Well written, suspenseful, entertaining, twisted... And without doubt recommended if you like a good thriller.

Never Saw Me Coming is a thriller that is extremely engaging, addictive and suspenseful at the same time. The key is probably in the fact that we have multiple psychopaths in the spotlight, and I love how this makes you question everything that is happening while at the same time strangely rooting for them. The character development is simply brilliant. Their interactions, reactions, flaws, actions... It all seems very realisticly done and I love just how likeable they are despite the fact that you probably shouldn't like them in that way. I definitely didn't expect myself to be rooting for them, that's for sure! But it really makes connecting to the story itself so much easier.

The plot uses a multiple POV structure, but the majority is told through the eyes of Chloe Sevre. Fellow psychopath program participants Andre and Charles both help giving insight in the whole situation as well, and they are also very useful for keeping you on your toes and putting you on the wrong track. Nothing is as it seems and we not only have serial killer references, but also the murders happening as well as Chloe's grand plan to kill Will. Everything seems to overlap, lines between good and bad are blurred and you will find yourself unable to stop reading until you reach the end and discover the truth.

The writing is extremely engaging, and combined with a well developed plot and fascinating characters I just kept turning page after page desperate to learn more. The plot twists are cleverly handled as well, and like I said before: having psychopaths as main characters is without a doubt very handy as you constantly wonder if they are hiding something and whether they are telling the truth. All in all Never Saw Me Coming turned out to be a very successful read for me, and I definitely can't wait what Vera Kurian has in store for us next.

A thriller centered around a college program centered around providing therapy to psychopaths in the hopes that they can live normal lights. Sign me up!

I loved this book from start to finish. As obvious from the premise, the main characters were flawed but so very interesting, funny, and enjoyable to read about. I loved the mental health and therapy rep in this book. Based on the portrayals of the various individuals in this story, I was not surprised to find out that Kurian has a PhD in social psychology. She fully expresses the complexity of an Antisocial Personality Disorder diagnosis and how, just like all mental health concerns, the cluster of symptoms is expressed differently in different people.

I loved the psychopath premise to this story line. In my opinion, that really gives you a true thriller reading experience. On the other hand, this book had multiple point-of-views that seemed to be all over the place. It was also a tad longer than it needed to be. The plot was unique (especially for someone that reads a lot of thrillers), and the ending made it worth the drudging through the middle, so I really am glad I took the time to read it.

As the rating suggests, I had mixed feelings about this book.

On the plus side, it was edgy, full of psychological tension, and always had me guessing what would come next. Kurian had my attention from the first page and never let it go. The basic premise of a serial killer targeting psychopaths was novel, brilliant, and captivating.

On the negative side, I suppose the sex and language were there to ensure we had a decided awareness of Chloe's lack of conscience. I can handle a bit of both but the intensity and frequency were a bit off-putting for me.

This synopsis had me at psychopath! Not sure what that says about me! haha

Never Saw Me Coming follows a unique group of 7 diagnosed psychopaths that are part of a study at University. It's told mainly from the POV of Chloe Sevre, a well-crafted and memorable character!

This novel has everything I love in crime fiction. A group of psychopaths. Check. A serial killer. Check. A dark academia setting. Check. Dark academia has been my go-to in this genre recently. I can't get enough!

Thank you NetGalley and Park Row Books for an e-arc of this new fun thriller! I'm definitely looking forward to reading more by this author.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

It’s no surprise that I love a good psychological thriller. Throw in a serial killer, an academic setting and I’m all in! This book was completely addicting and original and I loved every second of it!

What could possible go wrong when a group of psychopaths are invited to participate in a group study at a college so that their behaviors could be observed? That’s what we find here and I just loved that not only do we meet such an incredible and twisted set of characters, but that they all to their own degree become unreliable to some extent. My favorite, of course, was Chloe – what a trip she was. You just never knew what to expect from her and I could not get enough of her. While most of the book is narrated by her, there are some chapters that are narrated by other characters so that we get inside some of the other psychopath’s heads, too.

This book really kept me on my toes, guessing where things were ultimately heading the entire time. We know that Chloe is intent on exacting revenge for a wrong done to her years ago. But, it turns out someone else is looking to exact some revenge of their own on this group. It’s quite clever on the author’s part that you really aren’t sure where this all fits in…and who is behind things.

I had so many different theories as I raced through this book…and I love that. I thought I had this all worked out so many times, only to be completely blindsided in the end.. This book is cleverly plotted and the writing is sharp and engaging. I am definitely going to be keeping an eye out for this author – I can’t wait to see what she writes next!