Definite YA vibes for this one but I’m sure the setting and main characters’ ages played a big part in that.

This story had a fantastic premise and pretty interesting characters, but it attempts too much and, in doing so, loses focus. There are some twists and the big reveal but they weren’t exceptionally satisfying, just ok. This had more potential but that’s not a bad thing for an author’s debut (at least as how I see it).

All in all, this was highly readable and I did enjoy it. I will look out for the next by this author and would recommend this one to a younger audience who isn’t an avid thriller/mystery genre junky.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and HARLEQUIN -Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada) for a copy in exchange for a review.

Chloe is attending Adams University for free. She and six others have been enrolled in a secret program to help them become productive members of society. They have been diagnosed as psychopaths. Chloe has gone to this college where Will is going. Will did something unspeakable to Chloe and she is determined to get even. When she arrives at the University, she signs in to her program and gets a special watch that can get them information that may give them that she is experiencing an emotion. When a student is found dead in the psychology building, a dangerous game may be starting. Who killed the student. Was it one of the psychopaths in the study or someone else? The next day another student is murdered. Will Chloe and her “friends” be able to find out before they are killed?

The suspense runs throughout this novel. I couldn’t stop reading the book. There were twists and turns in the story some misdirected me. This novel is not what I would consider just as a mystery but also a thriller. It is well written. I recommend this novel to anyone with an interest of psychopaths and/or a thrilling mystery.

Never Saw Me Coming takes place at John Adams University, a college with a special program devoted to studying psychopaths. When someone begins murdering the subjects involved in the study, Chloe Sevre, one of the psychopaths, becomes determined to track down the killer.

This book was a really fun, original thriller. It started a little bit slow for me, but I ended up really enjoying it. The psychopath angle led to some really interesting characters and lots of suspects.

One school.
Seven psychopaths.
One murder.
Have fun!! LOL
This is a wonderfully original novel.
I’ll be looking for Vera Kurian’s next book!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great 'popcorn read!'

SUPER QUICK and sucked me into the plot almost right away. Books set in a school or university just jive with my vibe (yes, I did type that on purpose. Just go with it).

This is a super quick read, and doesn't fall into any of the super annoying ticks of "unreliable narrator". There are only a couple of characters that are really likeable, but all of the characters are interesting, and how the interact is really well crafted. I did find some of the transitions annoying and difficult to follow, and as though sometimes the author was impatient to get to the interaction at the expense of atmosphere- one small example of many in the book is when a character is going to meet another in a bar, and it just describes the person chewing watching the tv- there is no description of what the person is eating. It's a small nit-pick, but there are enough transitions like this that it does get a bit annoying. Mainly what I really enjoyed about this book is I felt like I was given a glimpse of what living in D.C. might be like- I think everyone already experiences the news as a constant background, but the reality of having protests etc. basically in your backyard, the observation that even college politics are taken more seriously in the District (paraphrasing that), it just gave a very real feeling to the book. The book also mentions real cases, and while not necessarily listing studies in the same way that an actual research paper would, seems to fairly accurately give summaries of a lot of current trends in abnormal psychology. It also mentions "the gift of fear' which is a great non-fiction book. Some of the story felt more implausible- the idea that book had never been written about a prolific serial killer- there's ALWAYS a book, even if it's not written by someone close to the case. And other things- you kind of have to accept that it's a work of fiction to even accept that these things would occur the way they did- a study putting an entire student body at risk, and then having some of the participants murdered- most universities would handle two murders in less than a week very seriously and have taken action well before anything else. Another troubling facet- the killer seems to have inhuman abilities to stalk multiple people at the same time, and completely disguise who they are until the end. I don't want to give spoilers, because I think this book is worth reading and a great read for October. Ultimately, it does a unique thing- makes you care about otherwise unlikeable characters. You don't expect it to end the way it does, and it keeps you entertained until the last page. You also just have to suspend your sense of "could this actually happen" on a number of levels. But it's fiction, it's fun, and it is a unique contribution to the thriller/mystery genre.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian.

Chloe is just an average college student looking for a good time. She's excited to go to parties, date cute boys and have the full college experience. But Chloe also carries a giant secret. She is a psychopath, and she plans to kill Will, a boy who hurt her many years ago.

But Chloe isn't a lone psychopath. Due to a study being done at her university, her and other students diagnosed with psychopathy have been granted scholarships to attend. But in order to do so, they must be willing to participate, including being tracked, and taking various tests. Everything seems normal until one of their fellow study participants winds up dead. It turns out someone is targeting their group, but who and why?

A great premise, but I just couldn't get into this one. There was so much flipping between who could and couldn't be trusted, who was and wasn't a psychopath, and the surface level relationships they all had with each other that caused me to lose interest. None of the characters was compelling enough for me to ever get invested. Overall, not my favorite.

Thank you to the publishers for providing me with a digital copy of never saw me coming for the Girly book club.

I really enjoyed never saw me coming and found it to be a fantastic premise. Psychopaths being haunted but by themselves or is there someone else. Ironically I guessed the bad guy but enjoyed it just the same.

Never Saw Me Coming is a psychological thriller about a college girl who participates in a study at her school. The study is unusual, it's for psychopaths and this girl, Chloe, is a psychopath. It's told in 1st person POV from Chloe's perspective and some 3rd person perspectives as well. Chloe is an enigmatic narrator, I was drawn to her from the beginning. The study was interesting! This was definitely a compulsive, can'- put-it-down read! There's some wild and unbelievable parts of the book- but it's about psychopaths! Yes, why I love to read about this is beyond me but I do and I wanted to read about Chloe. There's a true mystery when someone in the study is targeted for murder!
Couldn't put it down, a bit unbelievable, well developed and well liked characters, a compelling read- Pick it up!
3.5 stars

This was the first book I read by Vera Kurian. I will definitely read more of her books. The characters were very well developed and engaging. I really felt I was inside the mind of a psychopath. It took multiple chapters before Chloe's motive is revealed.
I loved Vera's writing style. Even with many complicated characters, I felt I was able to keep up.
This is a must-read thriller.

As someone who reads thrillers non stop, I was excited for this one. It took me forever to finish because I just didn’t enjoy it. I think the storyline had potential but fell flat very fast.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A book with a different take on psychopaths. This was an interesting read. A little unbelievable but still enjoyable. It took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, I enjoyed it. I would recommend it as a rainy day type read. It's like a B thriller movie. I thriller with a unique test.

I'll definitely try this author again.

I love thrillers, especially psychological thrillers, so I was really excited to read this book. Sadly, this book was disappointing and not competitive for its genre. There are so many really great authors and books in this genre, so it's hard not to compare it to others I've read.

There are lots of characters in this book, none of which are likable and most of which are complete psychopaths. You will learn a lot about of psychopathy by reading this book as well as get a sneak peek into the mind of a psychopath.

This book has all of the elements of a solid thriller, and while it's not bad, I just can't say it's great either. No one can be trusted. There is no "good guy." It's twisty, but a little predictable. I can't say I will remember this book in the future, nor would I recommend it to any of my bookish friends.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A definite page turner! Vera Kurian's Never Saw Me Coming was a psychological thriller for the times! Social media trolling, clickbait, spyware, stalking, revenge plots, liars, geo-tracking, fights breaking out, murder, hostages, AND it all surrounds a college study about psychopaths!

With multiple points of view, Never Saw Me Coming is the story of several psychopaths, all lured to the same college, their tuition costs covered, so long as they agree to be part of a secret graduate study on psychopathy. But when psychopaths are the narrators, how do you know who's telling the truth? Who can you trust? What alliances are real?

It took a little bit to get into the meat of the story, but once there I couldn't stop reading. So many high stakes moments, the problems becoming more and more severe. And then there's the issue that you, the reader, are rooting for psychopaths! It all comes to a head with some fascinating character changes as well as thought provoking ethics around humanity and psychopathy.

If you're in a reading slump, Never Saw Me Coming may be the character-driven psychological suspense story to shake up your shelf! Alluring premise, well-paced, and mind-racing evil deeds.

Unpopular Opinion Alert 🚨:

I was super intrigued by the summary of this book & was excited to read a fast paced thriller featuring a psychopath😵‍💫.

However, I was 100% dissatisfied and disappointed. It took me over two weeks to finish and honestly it became a chore. The storyline was creative and although it had so much potential it just fell flat.

𝑁𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑆𝑎𝑤 𝑀𝑒 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔 could 100% fall into the young adult genre. The young adult genre is not for me- young adult lingo makes me cringe (friends, I’m 30- I’m sure 10 years ago my opinion on young adult lingo would be different) the characters & personalities drove me nuts.

Let me just say that although I really did not enjoy this, it still had a creative & unique story line. Also those who adore the young adult genre might really enjoy this.

SYNOPSIS: “Meet Chloe Sevre. She is a freshman honor student, a legging-wearing hot girl next door, who also happens to be a psychopath. Her hobbies include yogalates, frat parties, and plotting to kill Will Bachman- a childhood friend who grievously wronged her.”

✨

Oh this book kept me on my toes all the way through! I love reading books that deal with psychology and personality disorders, such as that of Chloe. As cold as she is, she is brilliant and knows it. Now, she's who killed her study-mate but she's going to find out... but can she before she's next?

Welcome to John Adams University in Washington, D.C., where psychopaths are attending your classes, living in your dorm, you’ll never know who they are. Seven psychopaths, participating in a psychology department study, their actions and feelings being tracked through a smartwatch, the only people who know their identify is the researcher and his assistant When one of the seven is found murdered, followed by another, the participants start to suspect they will be next. Who could possibly know who they are? One student is a beautiful genius who came to John Adams seeking revenge, another a popular frat boy from old money who has been working towards making a change, and a boy with a troubled path who uses his misdiagnosis to help him get a full scholarship are at the heart of Never Saw Me Coming by debut author Vera Kurian. The three work together, never truly knowing who they can trust. Stories spun by a full cast of unreliable narrators leave you guessing, never knowing who is lying, and who you can trust. Full of suspicion, the students seek out the remaining subjects before a dramatic blindside conclusion. Could you trust a psychopath? Thank you to Harper Collins Canada, The Killer Crime Club, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book.

Chloe is just your average college freshman headed to school away from home for the first time- or is she? I wanted this to be completely spoiler free so I didn’t read anything ahead of time to spoil the surprises. So I was really surprised to find out that Chloe is not your average student. She is in a psychology lead scholarship program for Psychopaths. She and the other students in the program are monitored by a GPS tracker watch that she periodically reports and how she’s feeling. We come to find out that Chloe has come to the school mainly to enact revenge against her a sealant from childhood, Will. Unfortunately that part of the story is not fleshed out completely as other characters are introduced to and a larger story starts to develop with multiple murders and no one knowing if one of the Psycho Pass in the program are responsible or not. Are they able to go against their diagnosis and become well adjusted students or are they Destined to become life destroying murderers?
A really good, intriguing read. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

The whole premise of this book was wildly intriguing and while it was an interesting read I did have issues getting through it. I’m not sure if it was the pacing or the content but I found myself not wanting to pick it up. The last 100ish pages when the story was moving quicker we’re my favorite part. The ending was also finished and yet missing something for me as well.

Ever wonder if your college is doing some kind of secret research project and if your roommate or a friend is a part of it? What if that secret research project is for individuals who were diagnosed with having psychopath tendencies and these individuals were enrolled in your college, going to parties with you, share your dorm? This is a story of one such college and one such program. While the premise and about 2/3 of the book were really good, the end fell a little short.