Thank you to Net Galley, Edelweiss, the author, and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I, like many other reviewers, find that this is a tale somewhat difficult to buy into. While the author acknowledges some embellishment for the sake of storytelling (such as filling in certain details to move the narrative along), it feels like more than that.

I don't pretend to be an expert in anything, let alone authenticating memoirs. While she certainly seems to be describing various neurodivergent behaviors, I (again, like other readers) don't know if "sociopath" is quite the right term. But who am I to say?

Either way, this one didn't work for me.

Sociopath really hit me hard in the best way possible. I don’t think a book has ever made me reflect this deeply or changed my perspective so profoundly. Patric Gagne’s memoir is a powerful exploration of what it means to be different, and it resonated with me as an autistic woman in ways I didn’t expect.

What struck me most was Gagne’s exploration of sociopathy itself. She doesn’t shy away from discussing how her lack of typical emotional responses made her feel like an outsider. Yet, instead of accepting societal labels, she challenges them. Gagne highlights that sociopathy isn’t synonymous with being a monster; it’s about understanding and accepting a different way of experiencing the world.

The writing in the book really struck a chord with me. When she talks about wanting to tell her younger self, <i>“In that moment, I wanted to race back in time to the child I once was and take her face in my hands. 'You're not bad,' I wanted to tell her. 'I swear to God you're a good kid, a kind kid. Don't let anyone tell you different. Wait for me. I wanted to beg. Wait for me and I'll prove it to you,'” it’s like she’s voicing something many of us have felt. We all have moments of doubt, especially when the world seems to label us unfairly. Gagne’s exploration of anxiety and the quest for connection is so relatable; it reminded me that we’re all just trying to navigate our own paths, often feeling lost along the way. </i>

This story isn't just about sociopathy; it's about the universal human experience of feeling different and seeking acceptance. Her exploration of building meaningful relationships and finding love, despite the challenges posed by her sociopathy, is truly inspiring. It shows that connection and empathy can take many forms, and that we shouldn't be quick to judge or dismiss those who express themselves differently.

This book is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of human nature and the importance of embracing neurodiversity. Patric Gagne has created a narrative that challenges our preconceptions and encourages us to look beyond labels. I walked away from Sociopath with a renewed appreciation for the diversity of human experiences and a deeper commitment to accepting people as they are.

3 stars - I read it but will probably not think about it again.

This is a mixed review. The title 'Sociopath' is definitely catchy, and the blurb hooked me. It started a fascinating story about a little girl who didn't understand her atypical responses to certain situations. I was totally there for it. But as the book went on, it just got more and more far fetched and sketchy.

In a search to figure out how to say Patric's name (Is it Patrick or Patrice? It's Patrick btw, and I found it really odd the pronunciation of her name or fact it's typically a male name never came up in any of the stories in the book) I found some interesting articles and threads on Reddit about the author. There were questions about the validity of her PhD (she repeatedly mentions her undergrad at UCLA, but only refers to her graduate studies as being at “a small school nearby”), if Patric Gagne is even her real name, and why is her CV is mysteriously hard to find.

She enjoys a life of privilege, living rent free in her dad's LA house, mingling at the Playboy Mansion, managing musicians behind the scenes at the Roxy, and maintaining a peculiar, romance-adjacent relationship with a rock star who she gives a pseudonym.

She says she wrote the book to help sociopaths like herself, as the medical community often lumps them together with psychopaths, doesn’t truly understand them, and lacks treatment plans. While I did learn about the clinical aspects of sociopathy, which she clearly linked to her own behaviors, the book reads more like a fictional story. She claims sociopathy exists on a spectrum like other conditions but mainly shares her own struggles and what works for her. This might be comforting for other sociopaths to know they aren’t alone or ‘evil’ as often labeled, but the book doesn’t provide content that would actually help them.

This book feels like another chance for the author to shout, “I’m a sociopath!” - just as she did with every new person she encountered throughout her life in the book. In the end, I find it hard to believe much, if not all, of what was written, which aligns with the typical traits of a sociopath: full of lies.

What an electrifying and compelling biography! While diving into Patric's book, I felt a thrilling sense of discovery, as though I was privy to something forbidden. Like many others, I had never truly dissected the differences between sociopathy and psychopathy, nor considered that these personality types could exist on a spectrum similar to autism. Patric masterfully brings human emotion to a subject often devoid of it, which is no small feat. Throughout the book, I felt as if I were walking in Patric's shoes, gaining insight into their thought processes and life experiences.
Patric's work is crucial in raising awareness about mental health, particularly concerning sociopaths. Their approach encourages society to shift its perspective from fear-driven shunning to a more nuanced understanding of these individuals as having unique personalities with their own strengths and weaknesses. Equipped with the right tools, sociopaths need not bear the stigma of being seen as criminals. Instead, they can be recognized as people with different, but equally valid, ways of navigating the world.
This book should be essential reading for any college course on Abnormal Psychology. Its insights and empathetic portrayal make it one of my top picks for the best books of 2024!

What an electrifying, compelling bio! I almost felt naughty, that I was reading something I shouldn't while diving into Patric's book! I must admit-like most others, I have never dissected the difference between sociopathy and psychopathy, and considered the fact that these personality types could fall onto a spectrum, much like autism. Patric brings a real human emotion to a subject about people who supposedly don't have emotions, and what a feat that is! I felt like I was in Patric's shoes the whole book, and appreciated the breakdown in thought process provided in their life. I think what Patric is doing is very important work-bringing awareness to mental health in regards to sociopaths, and that society should shift their views from shunning them due to fear, but rather consider them as different personalities with their own strengths and weaknesses. Armed with the right tools, sociopaths don't have to carry the stigma of being deviants hellbent on a lifestyle of crime. I think this ought to be required reading for any Abnormal Psychology college course! This is one of my picks for best of 2024!

It isn’t a bad book, but I can’t honestly call it good. I was interested in the first 50% and then got utterly bored in the second half. There’s too much preview of what happens on her self-discovery journey to make it interesting. I was much more into hearing about her misbehavior than how she tamed her wild side by accepting herself. It also didn’t make much sense or clarify how she stopped acting out.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

"Sociopath" offers a raw and insightful look into the life of someone with sociopathy. The memoir starts strong with compelling childhood experiences but begins to feel a bit repetitive in the middle. Despite this, it provides fascinating insights into sociopathy, distinguishing it from psychopathy, and emphasizes understanding this often misunderstood condition. Gagne’s honesty is both enlightening and thought-provoking.

I’m a sucker for mental health memoirs and this was a doozy. The author’s self reflection is remarkable

Memoir of a sociopath trying to bring light to the disorder and recounting her own experience. This was good, not great. I enjoyed getting a better understanding of what sociopathy means and feels (or doesn't feel) like to the individual and recognized some of the feelings of being an outsider and not knowing why, if for a different reason. I guess there are some questions about the veracity of some of the details, but it felt mostly authentic to me, not that I am a great judge of character. If nothing else, it was interesting reading. 3 stars.

Raw, insightful, and informative book on all the struggles and strengths of individuals who are affected by sociopathic tendencies. I would recommend to any individual, not just mental health individuals.

Such an insightful book. It's easy to think that a sociopath is created after a time in life but it's also easy to see that the traits you are born with remain....

An interesting account of the perspective of someone who has self diagnosed as sociopathic. While I understand that this was a memoir, I would have liked to have seen more literature referred to in relation to the topic.

Sociopath was a captivating read. It was really interesting to be inside the mind of someone with a diagnosis that is not oven explored at this level. It was eye-opening to be along for the ride as the author shared her various experiences beginning as a child and reflecting back on what she's learned. I would recommend this book to others learning to better understand someone's experience with mental illness.

Did not finish this book. As a psychologist, I did not find it believable and/or interesting. Too wordy and unengaging.

This book is bad for so many reasons that have nothing to do with the actual “sociopath”.

The book is very anecdotal which makes sense because duh it’s a memoir but she’s a psychologist and talks how her own thoughts and experiences made her curious about what she was experiencing however there is a lot of blame on others in her life. I thought this book would explain her life story of coming to grips with it and how SHES adjusted to find her place in society but instead it’s kinda about how she made everyone around her adjust to her. I didn’t learn much about antisocial disorder.

One example is that she talks about how she doesn’t care about how anyone else feels and talks about she never addresses how she’s mitigated that but maybe that’s what it this book is and I’m the wrong audience for it

Honestly, this was a DNF for me. I'm a therapist in mental health and was really excited about the topic from a first-person POV. Stylistically, though, it was off-putting. Granted, in memoirs it's pretty much a given an author will make up dialogue, but once she was an adult, every conversation she had with someone read like a (very repetitive) treatise. She also kept repeatedly pushing this grumble about fake sociopaths, like a "sociopathic-er than thou" attitude. Eventually, I started questioning whether her experiences were real. That given, I learned a lot, particularly about how sociopathy shows in children/teens.

This was an incredible book that teaches the other side of sociopath life. Patric did amazing work to get to know her disorder and find a way to overcome it by helping others learn about it, as well. She got a degree and has her own patients to treat and assist in their journey. It was a cool book to learn where she came from, how she started, how far she got, then how she overcame. Definitely recommend.

This book takes a while to get going, but when it does, I could not put it down.

Tackles difficult situations with honestly and that is the force of this book - honesty, even though it is very hard to read.

Well written and I hate to say entertaining considering, but it is.

Thoughts: Absolutely fascinating! Popular culture has a habit of portraying sociopaths as violent and evil human beings, but author and diagnosed sociopath Dr. Patric Gagne sets the record straight in this brutally honest memoir. Dr. Gagne gives readers a glimpse of what life is like for someone with sociopathic traits, including the struggle to be understood, to be diagnosed, to explain sociopathy to others, and to find any semblance of help that might make a sociopath feel more "normal". After reading Gagne's memoir, I recognized that I have completely misunderstood sociopathy. Gagne explains sociopathy and its traits, along with what life is like for a sociopath, in such an easy-to-understand way that I can't help but feel frustrated for her and others like her who have felt so unheard and who have been so misunderstood for such a long time. Gagne patiently explains to readers how sociopathy is almost like a learning disability in regards to learned emotions, and once I read that it instantly clicked for me. Gagne also patiently and (surprisingly) empathically explains what life is like for those close to her and others like her, both the good and the bad. Gagne doesn't sugarcoat in any way, oftentimes sharing to the point where readers may find themselves uncomfortable, but her candid honesty and relatable writing kept me engaged in invested in everything she had to say. Even the epilogue had me hooked! I've already recommended this to my friend who is a counselor, and I think this is a must-read for anyone who wants to know more about psychology and/or sociology.

**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.**

I tried really hard to give this one a shot. While it was interesting at times, it was very long and very repetitive. I think this could be a good book for the right reader, unfortunately that just wasn't me. Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read!