Can a person with psychopathic tendencies be a functional and productive member of society is the question I was asking myself as I was delving into this entertaining read. The answer is yes, somewhat... Loved this surprising novel

Never Saw Me Coming is a thriller set on a college campus, as a girl plotting to kill someone finds herself in danger when a string of murders occur. Chloe is a first year student who looks normal, likes parties, and is taking premed classes, but she's also part of a secret clinical study of young psychopaths run by the psychology department. She's also plotting to kill Will Bachman, another student at the college. However, when other people—rumoured to also be part of the study—start being murdered, Chloe might also be under threat, and she might have to try and find some allies in the other study participants.

I was drawn in by the campus setting, and it works well by giving a typical backdrop to a very atypical situation. The book is split into chapters, either narrated by Chloe or third person narration focused on a few of the other characters, which feels typical of this kind of thriller, especially when you're not sure who to trust as everyone is manipulative or lying in some way. This structure occasionally gives some nice payoffs too, and insight into how the characters view each other. The actual plotlines are quite straightforward, but they are gripping and a bit of 'true crime podcast' type vibe to them (I assume, I don't do true crime podcasts).

I will say that I can't appraise the "psychopath" stuff or anything said about the study or those involved as I don't know anything about psychology, but it did feel like it did the serial killer thriller thing of making a lot of bold pronouncements about types of people (and occasional stereotypes about mental health). The study is, for a lot of the plot, more of a conceit than something that is looked at in depth, however, and mostly it's an escapist campus thriller with some antihero characters.

As ever, I find it hard to read a thriller with this kind of American setting without mentioning Point Horror, and as I loved the 'Nightmare Hall' books back in the day, I was hoping on an up-to-date, possibly a bit less trashy update to those, and Never Saw Me Coming did deliver on that, as a book that plays on the stereotypical college girl with Chloe and also goes for rich frat boys as well. Not necessarily a nuanced book, but a ridiculous serial killer thriller with a college setting.

Never Saw Me Coming - Vera Kurian

On reading the premise I was instantly drawn to this book.

An American college psychology department running a research study inviting teens on the psychopathic scale to come and study there, all college tuition fees paid in return for taking part in regular surveys and simple experiments.

So, a highly original setup, I started reading with very high hopes.

Chloe is the central character, and her parts are in first person, and honestly by far my favourite bits.

There's a lot going on, a revenge plot counting down the days to the intended murder, a hunt for a video of a past crime, there's also another murderer on campus, there's also a lot of cyber hacking. Perhaps too much, I felt overall it lacked direction and momentum with so many sub-plots vying for attention.

Cleverly, we aren't informed on how many psychopath students are part of the the program, they don't know themselves before Chloe and friends start investigating.

There is some very nice writing throughout the book.

My main issue was the amount going on, I wasn't getting deeply involved or feeling much tension as it felt a little fragmented with so many plot elements going on.

There is some really nice writing, with some great turns of phrase, good characters and plenty going on, but sorry to say not much tension.

I really wanted to love it, but found I was reading out of curiosity how it would end, rather than being compelled by the plot. I would definitely want to read more from this author, I felt with a bit of editing / trimming and a more direct structure this could have been a really great book.


Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage.

This is actually a mindbending thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat until the last page. I enjoyed the main character and really could root for her.

Chloe is bad ass! I loved reading this book and being in her head.

She is unapologetically herself, and embraces the fact that she is a diagnosed psychopath. I enjoyed this book a lot, even though it got a bit slow in the middle.
The last few pages were very fun and I hope we get a sequel!

This is quite an unusual book with an interesting premise. The plot is well written and the main character is very interesting and well-detailed. It is a good book which is full of suspense and it definitely kept my interest throughout.

Chloe Finch is no ordinary young woman. She’s a psychopath, and as such, she’s part of a clinical study of others like her at a college. Chloe is fixated on one man, and she spends most of her time plotting, dreaming about killing him. A series of murders on campus diverts her attention away from her obsession; she might be a psychopath but she wouldn’t kill without a good reason. With help from the other members of the study, she sets out to uncover the killer, all too aware it could be someone close to her. This book was so unique and Chloe is a perfectly implausible heroine. Smart, slick and very dark