This was an interesting read which I did find quite hard to finish! The plot felt slow for me and I just didn't feel much suspense within the story, it did feel like some parts were unnecessary or too drawn out. I found it a little hard to connect with the characters.

I dnf this one. Sorry it just was not for me. I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters or even the plot for that matter. Just felt very amateur.

The intriguing write up on “The Outlier” was the hook for me.
I was engaged fully in the researched study of children who demonstrated psychopathic tendencies in predicting ways to channel their futures in socially acceptable behaviours. However, as I neared the end of the book it brought to mind a quick wrap up of a thriller movie that left the audience somewhat disappointed or let down.
All in all I liked the book and the subject matter, The conclusion however fell short of my expectations.

This debut novel had an intriguing premise and a compelling protagonist when she's introduced at the beginning. The whole 'psychopath trying to find a kindred spirit' storyline was enough to make me read on as Cate struggles to believe that she can be a productive member of society and doesn't have to end up dead or in jail as so many of her counterparts at the Checkley Institute have. The fact that Cate has proved to be exceptional and successful makes her an 'outlier' and she feels driven to find the only other outlier who's matched her success.. When other points of view are introduced however, the effect is somewhat jarring. Luciana and Gabriel are necessary to the plot but having whole chapters from their POV tends to detract from Cate's more gripping storyline. At times I felt I was reading two different books. This book is about Cate so I'd rather have seen the events through her more fascinating lens. Also, taking out the other POV's would have made the flashback chapters about Cate's childhood more effective, because when they're added to the current mix they create a jumbled effect as we jump from one POV and time period to another. Eventually the storylines came together to form a fairly gripping conclusion, but I do think the author lost an opportunity to really dig deep with Cate and her relationship with the fascinating Dr.M rather than making this a run of the mill action thriller. .

The novel is about journey of self realization of Cate, who was raised in an institute for psychopathic children, due to some incidents in her childhood. Of the many children in the institute, Cate becomes a successful scientist, discovers a cure for Alzheimer’s. After her company’s sale closes, Cate goes down south to Baja California Sur on vacation and to track down an old fellow institute graduate, also a psychopath, also a successful fusion scientist, though shrouded in secrecy. Cate’s quest is to meet the other successful person from the institute, hoping he is her soulmate, but finds something unexpected.
I enjoyed the book! the locale in Mexico, on the water, the mystery about the fish, all were interesting. This novel reminded my of something that Michael Crichton would have enjoyed writing, an adventure. A good quality read: 4 out 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Outlier - 5 stars.

Psychological slow burn thriller meets James Bond. Elisabeth Eaves' debut novel captures all the right notes that you expect in this tale of a statistical anomaly on a path to find out more about herself by searching out the one other anomaly who she is sure can shed some light on who she is. As the tale progresses, we become charmed for our outlier Cate and truly discover that she really is more than a brain scan and a survey result.

I very much enjoyed this debut. It was tense and gripping yet made the outlier Cate truly human. This strong and very unique main character was joined by a well written and emotive range of other characters whom you also rooted for, insofar as their struggles became inextricably connected. As debuts go, this might be my favourite of 2024 to date. The Outlier is an absolute must-read for mystery and thriller fans.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Canada for access to a copy for review.

A strong 3 stars for this debut novel from Elisabeth Eaves.

Cate is a scientist who has developed a cure for Alzheimer's (not the most believable plot point, but whatever) and is in the process of selling her company. Her friend and business partner is making sure Cate stays out of trouble as the deal closes. A bore Cate on the other hand begins to dig into the ther "outlier" from her school days. Cate is a diagnosed physhopath and spent her school years with other children with the same diagnosis. Only Cate and one other are outliers in the study data. so she sets out to track him down.

The setup and first half were on the slow side. I think the last third was a lot stronger than the beginning. The story is told from three POVs: Cate, Gabriel, and Luciana. Luciana is a marine researcher as is Gabriel. Gabriel is also Cate's ex. Cate track Hunter (her ex-classmate) to the are where Luciana has found fish dying oddly. Gabriel is there also looking into the fish die off. There is a lot going on, but it does all come together.

I enjoyed this. I don't think there was a as much tension as I expect from a thriller and I'm not sure Gabriel adds a whole lot. This is a thriller that is just as much a character study of Cate.

Thank you Net Galley for this ARC. I was intrigued by the premise of this book. One diagnosed Psychopath who is able to function in society and not commit crimes looking for another who may be the same. It was interesting to think of psychopathy on a spectrum as this author details. I enjoyed this book and read it rather quickly. I enjoyed the book and the main character's reflection in to her past.

I really wanted to like this book, but it was too slow for me. It was dragging its feet to get to the point and I wanted to stop but I read on.

An audaciously twisty psychological thriller in which finding the killer is only one of two mysteries its anti-heroine, Cate Winter, tries to unravel. The other: when pushed to extremes, what is she herself capable of?! Good book! This book had suspense, intriguing, murder, mystery and a few crazy twists and turns! The story was interesting! I would recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

When a synopsis says things like "treatment facility for the rehabilitation for psychopathic children", color me intrigued. When I heard someone compare it to Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurian, I immediately clicked the request button.

This may be a good fit if you:
- are drawn to books about psychopaths
- care about the environment
- enjoy beach settings
- like thrillers involving greed and corruption

This book started off strong for me. Cate is a brilliant neuroscientist who grew up at the Cleckley Institute. While many of her peers struggled in adulthood, she discovers another successful ex-patient exists, and she makes it her mission to find them. *Hooked.* This leads her to Baja California Sur where local marine biologists are stumped by mysterious deaths. *Interesting.* I was curious to find out how everything would come together.

By the end of the book, the excitement from the beginning had waned. I came for the psychological aspect of the institute and was pleasantly surprised by the unique environmental element, but I wasn't as invested by the end. Some of the story is about money and funding for business ventures, and those topics don't always hold my interest in thrillers.

Rating: I liked it! (3)

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for access to this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

With apology, this was a DNF. While I liked Cate, the plot dragged and I never got to where it felt like anything truly approaching a thriller. It may have been my mood, but I simply wasn't entertained.

Thankyou NetGalley and Random house Canada for this advanced reader copy for this debut book!

The blurb was so intriguing that I was so excited to get into it. A bunch of kids with psychopathic tendencies being somewhat reprogrammed to be ‘normal’ is a truly delicious premise. It gave me a bit of stranger things vibes and I was hoping for something like that.

The book is nothing like that. It reads like two completely separate stories that eventually merge into one not so intriguing mystery.

I liked Cate a lot and I would’ve loved to follow her story and interactions only. The research done for this book by the author shines through on every page but for me it never became a thriller that it promised to be.

Two stories in one, both unique and interesting and they dovetailed well at the end. I found the information about the psychology of the sociopath enlightening, specifically that there is a spectrum similar to autism. Characters were developed and believable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.

The Outlier by Elisabeth Eaves is an interesting, complex story that follows the successes and challenges of diagnosed psychopath Cate Winter.
The book starts off a bit slowly, but builds as it goes along. It is full of scientific jargon in varied fields, ranging from medical to nuclear physics, that for the layman comes across somewhat as technobabble. I have no idea if the terminology is accurate, but it comes across as such.
The characters are difficult in which to become invested, whether by design for the psychopaths among them, I'm not sure. However, I found the 'normal' human characters somewhat one dimensional as well.
The book is technically well-written and features various points of view that make for greater depth. However, I found it quite predictable as soon as I read about mutilated fish and the mechanics of extracting an element from seawater.
Thank you for the ARC of #TheOutlier from #NetGalley.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Outlier releases August 6, 2024

<i>“I studied people like I studied cell behaviour and calculus, trying to grasp their nuances so I could emulate them.”</I>

Cate is one of many children who exhibited psychopathic tendencies and grew up institutionalized at Cleckley.
Now a successful neuroscientist in her 30’s, she has become one of two anomalies out of the entire alumni group, indicating that the early intervention and treatment succeeded in reducing criminal behaviour.
Filled with a desire to find someone who understands her on a deeply psychological level, she seeks out Number 98, the other outlier.

This started off strong, but the introduction of new character pov’s (Luciana/Gabe) and the plotline surrounding dead fish really disrupted the pacing and enjoyment for me.
I understood how everything was eventually connected, but I wish the narrative was more streamlined towards the institute and expanding upon the dissection of character behaviours that built up from their time as teens through more flashbacks.

Out of the roughly 350 pages, there was one sentence that stuck out like a flashing light and it was: <I>“What if we are building psychopaths who are simply better at hiding it?”<I>

I love thrillers that lean towards being more of a character study, so I think I went into this looking for something a bit more in terms of breaking down psychopathic behaviours that didn’t quite satiate me. Perhaps if we had Dr. M and Hunter’s direct pov’s instead of the marine biologist and ex-boyfriend, it could have achieved that.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.
I thought this was an interesting and unique storyline. It took some time to develop each of the characters, but I felt that it was done well.
I had some mixed feelings about Dr M and his project. Cate was a very interesting character, so driven but also seeking answers about herself from her past. I liked the Hunter and Cate plot and how the author tied in the other storylines. Overall I enjoyed this book.

Thank you so much for this ARC!

An intriguing premise with a beautiful cover! Reading truthful facts about psychology/psychopathy in a fictional story is a 10/10 for me. This book started SO strong and I was hooked. Unfortunately, after about 30% my interest was waning. My eyes glazed over with the scientific facts and then lost interest. However, as a debut author, I would definitely read another book by her, this premise just lost me as I went along.

Great writing and very descriptive scene setting.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
I was definitely intrigued by the description however had a difficult time getting into the story. I ended up skimming parts of it.
I would definitely recommend it as a new author it just didn't hold my attention.

I found the description of this book compelling and was excited to read it. While it was enjoyable, it wasn't quite what I expected. A more accurate rating for me would be about 3.5 stars. There were many characters and plot points that engaged me, but somehow I wasn't riveted. However, there was enough going for The Outlier that I would certainly suggest that others pick it up and see if they have a different reaction.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read a digital ARC in advance of publication.