Like most freshmen (and freshwomen!) Chloe Sevre finds herself juggling her Bio and French coursework with the demands of college life, including partying and navigating new social circles. Unlike most of her peers, though, she is also juggling her plot to kill her childhood rapist, who likewise is attending Adams University in DC. She’s attending Adams on a scholarship of sorts, invited as she is to attend for free as long as she participates in a research program designed to study psychopaths. It’s an intriguing premise, and Kurian’s plot answers the question of “what could possibly go wrong by gathering a group of psychopaths together in one place to study them?”. But someone begins offing other participants in the study, and Chloe has the added problem of ensuring she’s not a victim at the same time. Kurian captures both the stress of that first year in college and the mindset of those who, like Chloe, suffer from the violent chronic mental disorder. At times you will empathize with Chloe and fellow study participant Charles. At others you will despise them, and that’s okay. There is enough mystery and second-guessing in this plot to keep any fan of thrillers turning the pages. You will love this debut novel by this promising author.

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian is a fast-paced, fun thriller about three students trying to track down a murderer at their Washington DC college. The three main characters are students participating in a university psychopath study, a program aimed at rehabilitating those with psychopathic tendencies; but early on two students in the study are killed. The story is told in the perspectives of the three students and I really ended up enjoying their stories even if they could be dark at times. It’s twisty and swiftly paced which kept my interest and had some unexpected conclusions. I was about a third into the book, but waited for the audiobook to finish because it’s read by one of my favorite narrators, Brittany Pressley. As expected, it’s fabulously read and I flew through it in a day! A perfect thriller for the fall.

Thank you Park Row / Harlequin and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

The Review

This was such a fantastically written and gripping thriller. The author takes the classic balance of whodunnit mystery storytelling and haunting thriller vibes and flips the script by having the targeted victims in this case diagnosed psychopaths. This is so unique, as it explores psychopathy as a diagnosis and mental health condition rather than a term just for unhinged criminal minds, while also exploring that facet of the general public’s thinking with morally corrupt characters that fit this description. The layered and complex nature of the character development is what really invites readers into this narrative, delivering shocks and twists not seen since the revelations of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

The atmosphere and tone were what really captured my attention as a reader. The author perfectly found the right blend of chilling personality traits from not just the mystery “killer”, but the protagonists of this narrative as well, and the dark humor that readers can’t help but shakily chuckle at. Readers won’t be able to help to get chills as the author delves into the mindset of these characters, and you won’t be able to help to imagine how many people you know or walk by every day, harboring these thoughts and mindsets. That’s always a good indication of a successful thriller.

The Verdict

A masterful, haunting, and engaging mystery and thriller read, author Vera Kurian’s “Never Saw Me Coming” is a must-read thriller of 2021. The unique character perspectives and chilling atmosphere are incredible driving forces to keep readers invested, and the shocking twist revelation of the killer and their motivation will leave readers falling off their seats.

Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian is a thriller novel with a bit of mystery wrapped up with it. The book follows Chloe, a freshman at John Adams University who receives a full ride scholarship to participate in a confidential study. However this study is not your ordinary study. Instead, it follows a group of 7 students diagnosed with psychopathy including Chloe. However the study is not the only reason Chloe as at John Adams and soon her life becomes intertwined with the other students after two are murdered.

This book has a fantastic premise and was what hooked me from the start. The book is told from multiple perspectives, but is mostly from Chloe's narration. There are some narrators such as the graduate student Elena who only show up once or twice which can make knowing who is narrating a bit difficult at times because the chapter names don't indicate the narrator. However the narrative voice from each character was compelling, particularly the students with psychopathy. It was interesting to see how gender, age, class, and other factors influenced how their psychopathy manifested.

The pacing was intentional, with each chapter building upon the last. At times it was a bit jumpy with it seemign like things went unmentioned before picking back up a few narrators later. Regardless, the build to the end was well done and I loved trying to solve the various mysteries of who the psychopath/killer was and who was running the instagram account.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book for those who want a bit of mystery with their thriller and an original premise.

Many thanks to the publisher Park Row Books and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Looooved this! What a unique & interesting premise. This one was so fun and I couldn't put it down. I loved the characters and the whole feel for this one. So good!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

Never Saw Me Coming is one of the most engaging and absorbing thrillers I have read this year. It’s so good!!!!

Right from chapter one I was hooked on the story. Chloe, a freshman at John Adams University in Washington D.C, is a diagnosed psychopath. She’s been given a full ride scholarship to attend the University if she participates in a study about psychopaths set up by a program director at the University, Dr. Wyman. But Chloe has a dark secret and has given herself 60 days to finish something she has been plotting for years.

That premise alone would have drawn me in, but we also get perspectives from several other students in the study as well as the psychologist, Dr. Wyman. Multiple POVS, especially in a thriller, always make the story better IMO. It added to the tension and suspense in a satisfying way.

The main characters were interesting and I found the discussion and exploration of psychopathy fascinating. The author has a PhD in social psychology and you can tell. My slight criticism is with a few of the secondary characters whom I wish had been more fleshed out and would have made the ending more impactful.

The pacing was masterfully done. I’m amazed that this is the author’s first book! Whenever the story came close to slowing down, we’d get another revelation or clue that would get me excited about the plot again.

And it was smartly written. Too many times I read thrillers and mysteries that have so many plot holes and characters who do things that don’t make sense, but I barely found any of this in Never Saw Me Coming. A few minor things gave me pause, but on the whole I was super impressed at how much thought went into plotting this story.

I’d highly recommend Never Saw Me Coming if you are looking for a fast-paced thriller with an unusual premise and enough red herrings to keep you doubting your predictions until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Park Row Books for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

A mixed bag thriller, Never Saw Me Coming looks at what it means to be a psychopath and if they can be cured.

Chloe is headed to college and has a plan. But her plan isn't books and boys, it's murder and revenge. Chloe has a past trauma that she wants vengeance for and at a DC-based college not only can she get that revenge, she can also get a full scholarship. Chloe is one of seven students in a clinical study of psychopaths and if there is a way to allow these people to adapt to the world around them. Things are going well as horrible until one of the students in the study is killed. Suddenly, Chloe isn't the only one with murder on her mind.

The mystery that unfolds interestingly as the study is the one that is targeted. Who wants these psychopaths dead? How even knows who they are? Has one of their own turned against them? Since none of them can trust one another, the reader can't trust any of them either. But we try to guess and lay emotional bets on the outcome.

Vera Kurian drives me crazy with the use of psychopath-- it's on almost every page and many times with multiple instances. Yes, we get. These people are psychopaths. Yes, we realize the psychopathic behaviors, you don't have to tell us every time it happens. We readers are smarter than you think.

The other issue is that I really don't like Chloe. While she is better than the main character in Catcher in the Rye, she is nowhere near as likable as someone with Dexter Morgan. While I want Chloe to complete her main objective, I can't stand her on a daily basis. She doesn't even attempt to really follow the program, she just doesn't want to get caught. With her lack of empathy, I can't empathize.

On the flip side, I did like most of the other characters. Kurian takes the time to look at the different ways antisocial personalities can manifest. Charles is more the social climber type, while Trevor lives up to the stereotype of no impulse control. This gives some realism that other writers might have passed on. I enjoy hearing their responses to the prisoner's dilemma and the trolley problem. There is a good nature versus nurture debate. There is a lot of power of nurture here that activates an inherent aspect.

An interesting concept, Never Saw Me Coming is a tense mystery that will remind you every other page you are dealing with psychopaths.

I really enjoyed the premise of this book. A group of students classified as psychopaths are given a full ride to college in exchange for being test subjects. They are part of a unique clinical study that monitors their mood and movements via smart watch. The idea is to find out what makes them tick. Interesting right??

I really enjoyed Never Saw Me Coming. The characters were interesting and their actions were fascinating, especially the psychopaths. I definitely felt their lack of empathy! Overall this was an entertaining read with a very satisfying conclusion.

Thanks to Park Row Books and Netgalley for my copy!

An old plot with completely new characters.
All the MC's are diagnosed psychopaths attending college.
Yes please!
This put a new spin on the "killer on campus" plot.
I was worried that the characters wouldn't be able to pull this together, but they are so vibrant and interesting that you get totally sucked into their lives.
Much love to NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing for my DRC.

Another novel about an unhinged female main character, another 4 star read. Give! Me! More!!! I loved this. I liked that Chloe was unapologetic in her thoughts and actions, and I liked that Kurian showed the contrast between her and Charles. He intrigued me a lot, and I really loved the way we got to know him. Andre’s POV was also great, and absolutely a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the additions of some of the other POVs added as I think they took away from the main plot. The cheating plotline also could have been tweaked and I would have preferred it to be, but I guess it makes sense with… who they are as people. Overall, I really enjoyed the novel and look forward to Kurian’s next novel!

Let's just take a trip down memory lane with a group of psychopaths. Fun right?!

What a wild and fun experience.

The premise is very interesting focusing on personality disorders and well psychopaths. Talk about a popcorn read my friends.

Lots of emotionless killings going on here. I was really hoping that there would have been more time for Chloe's revenge against Will. It's set up creepingly good and dying to know what/how it went down. But, as the story progresses, there are lots more characters and POVs throughout the story and Chloe/Will became a side plot.

This story was absolutely unique and fresh in the thriller genre. It was fascinating to look into the minds of a psychopath or into a mind that is quick dark.

And that ending... definitely didn't see that coming!

Thank you so much to Park Row for my arc in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 stars

Pub date : 9/7/21
Pub to GR: 9/6/21

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.