Dnf at 50%. This was difficult because the entire premise of an outlier and the Clerkey institute is fascinating but I just couldn't get behind the writing. It dragged on and on without feeling like it was saying anything! There were so many characters I couldn't keep anything sorted in my mind. Maybe it would get better but I was dreading reading every time I had to pick this book up.

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was well written, the characters were interesting and the story was gripping. The content of the book was well thought out and the two storylines connected effortlessly. The fact that the main protagonist was a psychopath and yet a brilliant scientist and productive member of society, The interesting part is that there are two psychopaths and when you add in an ex boyfriend, a marine biologist a reporter and pirates you get a hell of a story. Can't wait to read this author again.

Cate is an outlier. She spent most of her childhood in an institute for children with psychopathic tendencies after the death by fire of her mother and stepbrother. A fire it was thought she’d set. As an adult, she is a brilliant neuroscientist at the helm of a company with a revolutionary cure for Alzheimer’s . But Cate has little to no empathy, no fear, and would still meet the definition of psychopathy. What makes her an outlier, is that she is one of only two of the children from the institute who have gone on to a productive, successful adult life.

When Cate learns of the other, she is determined to find him or her. The Outlier, is the story of Cate’s search to find her childhood friend, companion, and fellow patient, and the discoveries she makes about herself and their childhood. It takes her into a world of scientific experimentation, environmental causes and damage, and human relationships.

I would give this book a solid 3 1/2 stars. Interesting characters and story; lots of thought provoking ideas and a mystery to solve.

A school dedicated to psychopaths was what initially drew me in to this book. There are two major storylines that eventually intersect and, although confusing in the beginning with numerous POVs and seemingly similar characters, come together to create a quite interesting read.

If you enjoy delving into the minds and thought processes of psychopaths and have a deep interest in the environment, energy sources and wildlife, this book may be right up your alley.

I look forward to more from this author in the future.

Original Review on Goodreads

Gratitude to the author, to Random House Canada, and to Net Galley for the advanced review copy of the e-book in return for an honest review.
4.5+ stars!
In a word: WOW. This book was captivating and intriguing; I found myself wanting to race through it while also wanting to savour every word and page. The characters were complex, the plot carefully woven. The intersectionality of issues and contexts was skillfully addressed in the narrative.
I so very much enjoyed this literary adventure! A powerhouse of a debut novel, I look forward to reading more from Elisabeth Eaves.

Smart and Scary
I was #gifted The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves from @penguinrandomca and @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
The story follows Cate Winter, a successful neuroscientist who has invented the cure for Alzheimer’s and is about to sell her biotech company for a LOT of money. However, Cate isn’t your average neuroscientist. She grew up at the Cleckley Institute, a facility for the rehabilitation of psychopathic children. It’s a secret she doesn’t share with anyone. Even though she seems to be the institute’s only success.
That is, until she learns of another ex-patient who seems to be an outlier like her. Not only has he stayed out of jail, but he too has made his mark in business and science. The fact that his identity is confidential doesn’t stop her from tracking him down in Baja, California and discovers he has invented a new technology to stop global warming. She does everything in her power to get to him, and see if it will help uncover some questions about herself and her success at the institute.
This was a fast-paced read, that kept me wondering what these characters had up their sleeves. And while based in a scientific world, I could follow along on this smart psychological thriller, and all the twists it held. The author really let us into Cate’s head and how she thought, and you found yourself having sympathy and understanding for a woman who appeared to have no moral code, no fear of consequence and is ruthless in her life and business.
There were chapters told from Cate’s POV, and there were chapters dedicated to two other characters that laid out a secondary storyline about dead fish and much more science that I could understand at times, and it sometimes felt hard to follow. And while I’ve never been to Baja California, the descriptions were rich and powerful that I could smell the sea salt and feel the sand on my toes.
I gave this book three and a half stars. It was fast-paced, and left me feeling uneasy about what was next – which I like in a book. The secondary plot came together in the end, and I could see how everything was connected, but there were moments that I wasn’t sure it would. Cate was so well thought-out as a character, and you loved her and loved to hate her.
The book is due on bookshelves August 2, 2024.
#bookreview #elisabetheaves #theoutlier #psychologicalthriller #mystery #thriller #fiction #2024reads #readmorebooks #gifted #womenauthors #debutnovel #bookishcanadians #bookthoughts #bookaddict #bookrecommendations #netgalley #penguinrandomca #randomhouse

At a very young age, Cate Winter was deemed to be psychopathic and a danger to herself and others. Thereby, she was sent to a uniquely special school for psychopathic children where she undergoes continual observation, psychiatric interviews and brain scans until the age of 18. The purpose of which is to determine whether psychopaths, if treated as children, can be guided into more normal behaviour as adults. As the story begins, Cate is a woman 34 years of age and a renowned neuroscientist enjoying a very successful life. Her childhood is one of secrecy and she wants it kept that way. Even from her long time friend and business partner, Jia.

Over the years Cate stays in touch with her school's psychiatrist as they meet for an annual 'review' session. Recently, she discusses a compulsion to reacquaint with another former student, Hunter Brandt, who seems to have fallen off the radar. It seems Cate and Hunter are the only two 'successes' of the Cleckly Institute. At last word, Hunter was a highly intelligent scientist and owner of a corporation working on developing a form of 'fusion' energy that does not cause harm the environment and would be free to everyone.

Eventually, Cate hires someone to do an extensive search to locate Hunter, They are successful, finding him living in the Baja peninsula under a different name. Cate decides to take a 'vacation' to the area.

I experienced the first half of this book as plodded along without holding much of my interest. But, I do have an attraction to the subjects of mental health and the human brain, so I persevered. The prose is not clinical, but it just moved too slowly for me. However, once the locale changed to Cabo, the introduction of new characters and what Hunter was secretly up to, there was a mystery to solve and I love to be an armchair detective.

Author Eves writes well and helps us understand more about the psychopathic brain through a more entertaining and fictional manner.

Thank you to the publisher for providing my advanced reading of this novel in exchange for my optional review. It's available to the public in August 2024.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Elisabeth Eaves' debut novel The Outlier is dynamite. I really enjoyed the strong plot, interesting characters and excellent writing of this book.
The story follows several different points of view, but the primary focus is Cate, a billionaire psychopath who grew up at the Cleckley Institute, a place for kids who were similarly diagnosed. She learns there is one other person who is an outlier, one who has never subsequently committed a crime and seems to have also accumulated massive wealth along the way. She wants to reconnect with him.
But swirling around in Baja, California, where this man, Hunter, lives, is a mystery. Why are all these fish turning up dead with gashes on their side? Cate's friend, a scientist, and a local couple are trying to figure out why. Hunter has arrived to build a resort-- or is it a resort? Is there something nefarious going on?
It's hard to believe this is a debut novel. It's really solid all-around. You will not be disappointed with this book.

I did find this book to be interesting and intriguing and it pulls you in from the start! I have never read a book by Elisabeth Eaves but I will definitely be picking up more of her books in the future.

Pretty greed thriller. Lots of twists and was easy to read. Like the plot and characters. Thank you NetGalley for this arc

The Outlier is a psychological thriller that delves into the question of nature vs nurture. While I liked the premise of this book (including the cure for Alzheimers) I found the format a bit difficult to follow at times. The different points of view were a bit confusing. However, that didn't distract me from enjoying the book. I was really intrigued by the home for psychopath children. It really piqued my interest, as it's not (in my opinion) an overdone topic. Well done, Elisabeth Eaves. I would read more from this author.

This thriller was right up my alley. Are we predestined to be bad, crazy? If it's nature, what aspects create it? If it's nurture, what symptoms teach it? I love psychology, especially the darker sides. This novel delves into it.

Great writing. Well developed characters. Intriguing plot. Satisfying ending.

This was an interesting and well written thriller where the main character is driven to learn if brain biology, early trauma, and psychological classifications can be overcome by someone or are destinies pre-determined. A side storyline is the ecological dilemma of sharing information vs. to violence leading to changes. The two stories merge with the characters coming together in a satisfying ending. The book did not have wild and unreal twists like some thrillers seem to have and was just people doing bad things for classic reasons.

'First little bits of her mind disappeared, phone numbers and addresses crumbling away like pebbles before a volcanic eruption.'

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this to be an interesting book, the whole discovery of a cure for Alzheimer's was very interesting to read, but I found other parts of the book fell flat, this is the debut for this author and I would look for another. The story unfolds from the point of view of several different people that appear to have nothing to do with each other. Cate, probably the best drawn character, comes from a very difficult background, she had lost her mother and brother in a fire she was accused of setting. She was with her grandmother for a while (who hid her matches) then in a special institute for individuals who score high on psychopathic tests, Cate was one of several admitted to a study/program to teach how to have empathy and overcome their 'natural' inclination. This part was told in flashbacks and included others as the story went on. Cate goes on to University and with her partner discovers the cure mentioned earlier, they sell it and are instant billionaires. A person from her past who had also been in the institute and was also considered an outlier, someone who scored very high on the psychopathic tests and Cate wants to find this person to see if they had overcome their inclinations and moved forward in life. It took a while for the story to develop, some dead fish are turning up and biology experts can't figure out why, industrial over fishing was first thought to be the cause, then someone much more sinister was discovered. The last part of the book tied all the story lines together the ending was satisfactory. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Peguinrandomhousecanada for the ARC.

Cate Winter was raised in a group home full of children like herself. All the children are deemed psychopathic and are under observation. Cate is a success story since most of the others end up criminals or in trouble but she is a successful business woman. Going through some papers she discovers she is not the only brilliant one and goes on a search to find the other surviving success story.
I had a very hard time getting into this book and almost quit reading it. The description of the book I found didn't exactly fit the story that much. I'm sorry but this is my opinion only I know others will probably enjoy it but it's just not for me.

This book by turns really intrigued me and I couldn't put it down, and then got slow in places. Overall I really enjoyed the mystery, and the finding out about the lead character Kate and her past. She is a highly complex being without empathy, yet she is so very human. It was Kate's character that kept me reading.

I chose to read this book because it had a positive review from Kelley Armstrong. She is one of my favourite authors so I thought The Outlier must be worth reading. It did not disappoint. I enjoyed it. The characters are interesting and keep you guessing what they may do next. I did feel like the ending left me wanting to know more. I hope that means there may be a sequel.

A fast paced exciting read. It wove together multiple themes in a fresh perspective complete with interesting characters with varied backgrounds. I highly recommend this entertaining book thank you

If you enjoy twisty, thrillers, pick up the outlier next. This book had lots of action, a great plot, and questions about morality thrown in.

Thank you to NetGally for this arc in exchange for my honest review.
The premise of psychology and psychopathic behavior drew me into the story. Having different pov of characters made it seem like two parallel stories were taking place. Some chapters jumped to different time lines without knowing. But the author was able to link the two stories to bring the last portion of the book to a more fast pace gripping end. I liked the complexity of Cate, the FMC in the fact that she never seemed to second guess her thoughts even with living with a socieital label.