For some reason, I love reading about psycopaths, and this was no exception. I liked getting into Chloe's head, and the others in the "experiment". The suspense was great, but the ending was somewhat disappointing.

(Review copy from NetGalley)

My thanks to Random House U.K. Harvill Secker for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Never Saw Me Coming’ by Vera Kurian in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is set on a university campus in the District of Columbia, USA. We are introduced to Chloe, a first-year student. On the surface she’s an ordinary girl-next-door type. Yet in actuality Chloe is a diagnosed psychopath with an IQ of 135. The publishers reveal: “her hobbies include yogalates, parties, and plotting to kill Will Bachman.”

So who is Will and why the private vendetta? All is revealed in due course. Meanwhile, we learn that Chloe is in receipt of a full scholarship as she has been invited to be part of a secret clinical study of young psychopaths run by the university's Psychology Department. Then a series of murders on the campus brings a new focus to Chloe’s life as she partners with fellow participants in the study to uncover the truth.

I always enjoy a well written campus novel and in addition this proved an unusual whodunnit. Aside from the usual twists, red herrings, and body count, there are threads of wry, dark humour running throughout the narrative. Most of this was provided by Chloe, who may be a psychopath but is quite a charmer. There are also contributing chapters from the point of view of Andre, another participant in the study. Andre provides a different perspective on events as well as on Chloe.

Overall, I was very impressed by this novel. It’s also amazing that this was Vera Kurian’s debut. In addition to writing, she is a scientist with a PhD in Social Psychology and this background clearly informed her narrative.

Definitely recommended.

Chloe is starting at university in a programme for psychopaths, with the idea of studying and helping them intergrate into society after schooling finishes. Chloe has a deeper plan for being here, she is going after the man who hurt her when she was younger he needs to play. Could her plan be thwarted however when it becomes clear a killer is on the loose and targetting those in the programme.

This was a very dark and twisted tale. No one is instantly likeable but it goes with the territory of the plot. The plot was fairly slow but built steadily once I got into the story. The ending was well done and tied the story off. I had figured out who was behind the killings but I liked that little twist as pointed out by Chloe to the cop at the end. The writing is detailed if a little graphic at times. I did grow to like Andre though. Her plan to kill Will does get lost a little in the course of the other murders though. It seems a little rushed when it gets to it. However its still a worthy read if you like a dark tale where maybe it isnt just the psychopaths in the world we have to worry about.

I devoured this book in one sitting, frantically turning pages, trying to keep pace with a book full of psychopaths. On paper, we should hate the lead character. Chloe appears to be a social media gripped, bubbly, starbucks drinking, legging wearing, first year college student. Who also happens to be a manipulative, remorseless, psychopath. Not in a manner of speaking. But a medically diagnosed, 100% genuine psychopath. She is part of a secret clinical study taking place in the college of a group of people just like her. Young psychopaths, trying to be normal. The study is trying to establish a method of them fitting fully into society, and proving that not all psychopaths are murderers.

Until suddenly there is a murder on campus. Swiftly followed by another. And another. The finger quickly points to a psychopath from the group. Who else would be a suspect? It doesn’t help that Chloe’s sole purpose for attending college is to kill Will Bachman. Yet she insists she is not a killer. Finding themselves working together, some of the study's participants try to put aside their mistrust of one another to find the real killer. Provided it is not one of them that is.

I was enthralled by this book until the very end. Then I wanted more. To read it over immediately. It was an absolutely gripping read. Chloe is the epitome of antihero, telling us from the start she wants to kill someone. Yet you find yourself rooting for her. Don’t tell me that it was just me and my darker side?! She really wins us over. The complexity of a book filled with uncaring, unemotional psychopaths who struggle to make human connections, and to understand emotions, suddenly finds you caring more for them than they ever could for themselves - or have they just manipulated you?

*I received this book for review from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

I love thrillers with unique concepts and that’s exactly why I wanted to read this book. With dark academia vibes and a focus on psychopathy, I knew this would be right up my street.

Chloe is a smart, regular looking girl with a long-term grudge that must be avenged. She also happens to be a psychopath. At her college in DC, she is part of an innovative study on psychopathy led by experimental professor Leonard Wyman. No one outside of Dr Wyman’s research team know who else is in the program -not even the participants themselves. But then, a couple of students are murdered on campus and coincidentally, they were both part of Dr Wyman’s program. Chloe takes it upon herself to find out who the killer is because she knows that statistically, it must be one of her fellow psychopaths and it appears that they’re hunting people just like her.

The concept of Wyman’s study is fascinating to me and I would have loved to have been one of his research assistants, if this was a true story. Chloe is determined to kill a boy called Will, who wronged her years before and I never had any doubt that she’d achieve it. Watching her hunt for him and feeling her frustrations build was a slightly unsettling experience but I was on board with her mission after learning what exactly Will had done.

The idea of a reptilian part of the brain that is hell-bent on violence and chaos delighted me. Although psychopaths are apparently quite rare in the general population, I have no doubt that many of us without psychopathy will be able to relate to it. I think we all have a snaky part of us that wants to simply lash out and eliminate the bad things (and bad people) of the world.

Another student in the program is Charles, who Chloe forms a close bond with. There were moments where Charles was trying to figure out the emotions that he feels. He seems to go through an actual process of labelling what his emotions could be. Psychopathy comes with the inability to recognise and experience feelings of fear, remorse and empathy but there were points where I seriously began to doubt some of these ‘facts’ about the condition.

The main reason for Wyman running the program is his deep belief that psychopaths can be saved from becoming criminals. It’s an argument that I believed more and more strongly as I got to know Chloe and Charles. In so many ways, they were both products of their upbringing and past experiences rather than any kind of biological anomaly in their brains. I felt sure that with the right treatment, they could both perhaps learn how to form stable, mutually beneficial relationships and even develop empathy.

There is a lot of science and discussion around psychopathy and how it presents. I found these parts really interesting and I know that a lot of other readers will too. Kurian also manages to weave them in so these parts don’t feel out of place or information dumpy, which I thought was excellent. These insights were important to understanding why psychopaths behave the way they do and therefore gave me a broader understanding of why the characters were behaving the way they were.

Chloe’s mind is shaped by fantasies and how she thinks things should pan out. However, she often comes out with a line that hits hard and that speaks a huge semblance of truth. Perhaps it is her blunt, emotionless personality that brings the honest truths out to the forefront without any flowery dressing up. She is a fantastic unique character to spend time with and I was desperate for nothing but good things for her.

Somehow in a book about psychopaths, there is a romance and I was living for it. They do come together under less than great circumstances and you should be warned that there is infidelity involved (as you might expect between two people who have zero empathy or remorse). However, towards the end there are some really lovely moments between them and they turn a lot of what psychopathy is supposed to be on its head.

Never Saw Me Coming is a dark-hearted, twisty thriller with very complex characters who are actually very easy to root for. I didn’t see the finale coming at all, so the title fits the eventual climax perfectly. It’s expertly and sensitively written and I got a lot more out of it than I ever imagined I would.

An interesting, suspense, full of twists, and told from a fresh perspective. It’s not often I find myself rooting for the psychopaths, but there’s a first time for everything! It’s a good page turner for true crime lovers. It was a great read to kick off the autumn season!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me a copy in exchange for a review

A plot involving psychopaths and serial killers? Sign me up please.

This book had a unique plot set on a college campus where 7 psychopaths are involved in a secret study in exchange for a scholarship. That alone makes for an interesting read. Add in the mix a killer that seems to be picking off the participants one by one and you have a murder mystery on your hands but with highly intelligent psychopaths trying to find the killer.

The story is told by a few of the participants and I think the author captures the mind of a psychopath really well. Or at least how I would imagine it. I was rooting for Chloe but I think Charles was my favourite character.

The book is also full of dark humour that I think would appeal to fans of Dexter.

Chloe Sevre’s hobbies include yogalates and frat parties; she’s an honour student, looks the typical girl next door, and she’s going to kill Will Bachman, the childhood friend who wronged her. She’s part of a seven-strong clinical study of psychopaths – who, like her, can’t comprehend emotions like fear and guilt, and lack empathy – but when one of the students is found murdered in the psychology building, everything shifts.


What began as the perfect waiting game to strike her own revenge becomes a chase in which she is both a hunter and the hunted, as everyone seeks the answer while being under the strongest suspicion.

Welcoming readers with the intent and timescale for murder, this is a compulsive read – as unreliable narrators and plot twists aplenty build up, the hooks aren’t lacking. Chloe and fellow students Charles and Andre deftly build up the full picture while ripping it to pieces simultaneously. Truth never feels certain. The term ‘psychological thriller’ is thrown around often, but Never Saw Me Coming takes it literally; it goes beyond the tropes of psychopathy, showing the reality of living a normal, average life too.

Unsure who to trust from page one, readers fall deeply down the wormhole of seeking answers. However, the book does lose its momentum amid its many threads. But when at its strongest, Never Saw Me Coming is difficult to step back from – dark, complex, and gripping.

A mystery/thriller which is set in a college, where there is an ongoing clinical study running in the Psychology Department which is focusing on psychopaths.

The main characters are Chloe, who was raped when she was 12; Will, who raped her; Charles, who is a wealthy politician’s son; and Andre, who shouldn’t be on the study.

Other study subjects start dying, their murders are investigated by police but also by Chloe, Charles and Andre who suspect very one, even each other.

I really enjoyed this book, is was a dark thriller but also amusing.

Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free eARC of Never Saw Me Coming but that has in no way influenced my review.

A college with a secret group of psychopaths stalking the grounds. Yes please! I couldn't resist the pull of this book. I tried for the sake of my TBR. The shelves are bowing under the weight of my physical copies and the Kindle screams at me every time I switch it on. But realistically, what harm could one more book do? Hmmm? Particularly as Never Saw Me Coming sounded SO GOOD!

Chloe Sevre is a first year student at John Adams University and a diagnosed psychopath. That's OK though, she's not the only one. In fact, she's part of a secret study which counsels psychopaths and teaches them how to integrate seamlessly into society. After all, not all psychopaths are crazed killers! Chloe, however, has a personal vendetta which she must settle and the only way to do that is to destroy the person who wronged her. Everything was going to plan until a murder is reported on campus. Followed by a second. Someone is killing students. Putting her own plans to one side, Chloe joins forces with other students in the psychopath programme to find the killer. But is the killer a lot closer than they think...

Huge amounts of fun and highly entertaining. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and thoroughly enjoyed Never Saw Me Coming. Chloe is a bad-ass, kick-ass antihero and I became fully invested in her quickly. When someone starts killing off students, who do you blame? The psychopaths. But what if the psychopaths are the ones hunting the killer instead? And exactly how far can Chloe trust the other members of the study? They're adept at cheating, they know how to lie. They have no empathy, no conscience. It could be any of them really! I loved the concept of the book and I loved how well it's all put together. Alongside Chloe are Charles and Andre, who are also part of the study. Charles is more practiced at hiding his true self, whilst Andre isn't who he says he is. I really liked both of these characters. Together with Chloe they're a force to be reckoned with! Although the reader can never truly trust them...

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Never Saw Me Coming is a highly readable, very enjoyable novel which left me with a big ol' smile on my face. It's exactly the kind of book I love to read - a different and imaginative spin on the norm - and I loved the time I spent with Chloe & Co. This campus based, character-driven mystery was a pleasure to read and I heartily recommend it to those looking for something original and refreshing. Recommended

I chose to read and review Never Saw Me Coming. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

I really enjoyed this book! There are a few characters so plenty going on, but not too many that it gets confusing. It's fairly fast paced and everything is explained in the end which is always good. Even though the subject matter is a bit grim, it doesn't go into too much detail, which makes it more enjoyable. I definitely recommend this book. Thank you #netgalley

Free college scholarship to students who are classed as psychopaths run by a well known psychologist who believes they can be changed, all is confidential and no one knows who is in the small group only they wear smart watches that tracks moods and movements and they have to click on how they are feeling.
Then people start to be murdered and they happen to be in the group and everyone is a suspect.

I felt the story was a bit long and dragged a bit in the middle but the plot was different so worth the read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is a great read. It is definitely a psychological thriller from a different perspective. It is quite a slow paced story but I think it works, as the story develops alongside the characters, who are quite likeable even though they are most definitely flawed. I think what makes this story though is the rich seam of humour that runs throughout the story and leaves you smiling when perhaps you shouldn’t be!

Imagine if a college psychology department initiated a program whereby it enticed (financially and interestingly) psychopaths to enrol both at the college academically but also for a side clinical study into them... What could possibly go wrong there? Especially when one of said students, Chloe, has a hidden agenda concerning a fellow student an incident in their past, and retribution... in the form of murder. What could possible go wrong...?
Well to find out, you'll have to read the book, obviously. Suffice to say it's a bit of a thrilling ride as, as well as Chloe, we also meet and get to know several of the other members of the trial. I was never 100% sure of what I thought of Chloe, the jury is still out there some several days after finishing the book, but I did manage better with Charles and really admired Andre for what he was trying to achieve. The characters are well drawn and develop well as the book goes on. The plot is well created and ably executed, if a little bonkers at times. Obviously with a bunch of psychopaths front and centre it's a little hard to keep track of what's real and what's manipulated but that's half the fun of this book. It's both plot and character driven as you will also find out yourself. Pacing is a bit hit and miss, mostly hit I hasten to add, but it more or less follows the narrative as it progresses. It is a bit slow burn at the beginning but stick with it, it does all come together nicely at the end. Nicely but maybe a bit over the top, but still left me satisfied.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

2,5
An interesting premis, but to be honest it didn’t fully live up to my expectations. It was too slow-paced for my liking and it could have been more compact. I’m sure many people will love this book though; it is at least very different from so many other books in this genre.
Thank you Harvill Secker & Netgalley for the ARC..

Never Saw Me Coming is a really refreshing thriller and an excellent debut from Vera Kurian.
Set on a university campus in Washington, the book is narrated by Chloe Sevre, a grade A student who also happens to be a psychopath. She is attending that particular college as she has been recruited into a secret study program for psychopaths with 6 other students. She is also there to kill Will Bachman who raped her when she was just 12 years old.
Her plans go awry when 2 of the other students on the program are horribly murdered. Realising she is now prey not hunter she reluctantly teams up with 2 other students to try and find out who the murderer is.
Blackly humorous in places, this novel zips along and keeps you turning the pages. It made a nice change from many of the other more domestic drama type thrillers that have been out recently and I really enjoyed it. With such a young cast of characters it doesn’t have loads of emotional depth but Chloe is a charmingly manipulative anti-heroine and her fellow psychopaths are great company. .
Thank you to #netgalley and #randomhouse for allowing me to review this ARC

For the premise I couldn’t wait to read Never Saw Me Coming. It’s a genre that is right up my street and I was expecting to be drawn in and devouring the pages. Sadly this book did not live up to expectations. Firstly I didn’t particularly like the way it was written, secondly, there were too many characters and thirdly it just didn’t grip me as I expected. I felt I had to force myself to finish it. Sorry but this book was was for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House and the author for the chance to review.

Not all psychopaths are murderers! Some can be nice! (Really?)

Dr Wyman is a program director at Adams University, who’s great idea was to put seven psychopaths in a research program together, give them tests, make them wear watches and monitor their feelings and mood swings! The whole idea of this had me hooked right from the start.

Chloe however has an agenda; to kill Will Bachman and get revenge for what he did to her when she was just twelve years old.

Shortly into the program, there is a murder. One of the psychopaths is dead! Soon after this first murder, another has an “accident” in the MRI machine! Along with her new friends Andre and Charles, Chloe tries to uncover who the murderer is, but with a study full of psychopaths, who can she trust?

Quite a few red herrings along the way, so just when you think you’ve worked it out, another clue pops up!

Written mainly in chapters counting down the days that Chloe has set herself a target for killing Will.

Overall a good story. I did feel a bit lost part way through and thought the book could have been slightly shorter. I would say this is probably aimed more at the YA sector due to being set on University Campus and obviously targeted more towards the US market but that didn’t deter from being a great debut novel.

Many thanks to netgalley, the publishers and the author for an arc.

Never Saw Me Coming is a riveting and nail-biting psychological thriller set on a college campus, and boy does it pull out all the stops. Meet Chloe Sevre. She’s a freshman honour student, a leggings-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 and frat boy who grievously wronged her some time ago. Chloe is one of seven students at her Washington DC-based college who had been offered scholarships if they agreed to participate in an unusual and experimental clinical study for psychopaths—students like herself who have psychopathic traits, lack empathy and can’t comprehend emotions like fear or guilt. The study, led by a renowned psychologist, Dr Leonard Wyman, requires them to wear smartwatches that track their moods, movements and other biometrics as well as attend mandated counselling. It takes up a lot of time, but when she's not engaged in the study Chloe is busy plotting her long-overdue revenge. It has been six years since Will hurt her in such a devastating manner when she was only 12 years old. The only reason she is actually attending Adams University is that Will is enrolled there; it is nothing but a means to an end for Chloe. But when one of the students in the study is found murdered in the psychology building, a dangerous game of cat and mouse begins, and Chloe goes from hunter to prey.

As she races to identify the killer and put her own plan of poetic justice into action, she’ll be forced to decide if she can trust any of her fellow psychopaths—and everybody knows you should never trust a psychopath. This is a compulsive and refreshingly original thriller told from the viewpoint of three of the students as the plot twists one way and then another and the body count begins to steadily climb. This is a real treat—a clever, sharp, character-driven thriller with fantastic characters and a vividly conjured campus setting, the insularity of which adds to the suspense. The student psychopaths at its heart really worked their manipulative magic on me. Chloe is determined, intelligent, conniving and has a snarky and funny side to her that adds a lightness to the dark subject matter. Andre is kind of normal, almost a nerd, thrown into a situation over his head. He’s the emotional hook. And Charles is the tragic character who wants to be good but he’s awful, a poor little rich boy. Chloe as the addictive antiheroine is methodical, intelligent, unusual and takes charge, and even though her actions might be morally questionable, you can’t look away from her. It is an irresistible, rapid-fire thrill ride packed with drama, manipulation and action and even some irony and crazy plot twists thrown in for good measure. Scintillating and ripe with biting wit and verve, this is an immersive and hugely entertaining thriller. Highly recommended.

Chloe Sevre is a freshman at John Adams University in DC. We meet her on moving in day as she narrates in the 1st person. She has come to John Adams not just to study but to get her revenge on Will Bachman who assaulted her when she was a pre teen and filmed it. There is a countdown throughout the book to October 23 which is the day on which she intends to kill him – 60 days hence.
Did I mention that she’s a registered psychopath? And that Chloe isn’t her real name? She and 6 others are participating on a programme that intends to understand and ostensibly change the mindset of psychopaths. All that is required of them is to do experiments, wear a Smartwatch and complete mood logs. In exchange they have all their expenses at John Adams paid for. However, one of the participants isn’t a psychopath which leads to interesting observations of the others and events.
So Chloe begins her efficient planning on disposing of Will by the due date but this is interrupted by the horrible murders of 2 other students on the programme. Suddenly she’s confronted with an unexpected problem and she has to join forces with fellow psychopaths, Andre and Charles, to identify the murderer. Will they all survive? And why does the trail lead to a convicted murderer that the programme’s director was involved with as his therapist?
I felt that the author really caught the voice of Chloe and her co-students. She’s manipulative and knows how to get what she wants – nothing will stand in her way. She’s really just like any other 18 year old; chasing boys, bu-joing, keeping up her grades and anticipating a bright future once Will is efficiently dealt with. There are enough red herrings and dead ends as the twisty plot cracks along. nicely. There’s also a love story of sorts between her and a fellow student and a hint at the end that there may be more to come from Chloe and her sleuths.
However, the book did feel like a YA book and I felt that it should be marketed as that. It had a lot of humour in it and sharp observation even though Chloe wasn’t the most reliable of narrators. However, I thought that the love story between her and Charles slowed down the plot considerably as I was more interested in the killer being unmasked and who their next victim would be. I also felt that Will’s murder became an anti-climax and that was it. No-one seemed to care.
But a well drawn portrait of a character who I was supporting despite her misdeeds. Ultimately though it wasn’t for me but an interesting and entertaining heroine.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.