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There are currently 23 member reviews
for Never Saw Me Coming
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Sharon P. (San Diego, CA)
In the heads of psychopaths
Wow! Solid 4.5-5. I took a half star off because the characters are not very likable (however, no great shock as they are mostly psychopaths and vapid college kids.)
However, the book is quite a page-turner. I finished it in 24-hours and did really enjoy the tale as something unique—albeit it was very hard to relate to the subject and main characters in order to build some empathy. That said, it was fascinating to read more about psychopaths and kudos to the author for allowing us into their heads.
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Melissa H. (Stowe Twp., PA)
Psychopaths you will love!
A reviewer said this was a book they wanted to portion out to make it last but also didn't want to put it down, which is a perfect description of this fantastic debut!
The premise of 7 psychopaths in a college clinical study when 1 is murdered is intriguing enough to get you to open the book and from there you will have a hard time closing it until you reach the last page!
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John W. (Saint Louis, MO)
Unusual Who Dunit Novel
The main character Chloe is an 18 year-old that changed her name from Michelle and identity after being raped and videotaped when 12. Chloe has been labelled a psychopath — empathy and a conscience, and part of a program studying psychopaths at a university in Washington, D.C. Her rapist is also a student athlete at the same school. At the beginning she continually is focused on killing him and his death couldn't come soon enough.
The novel is primarily told from Chloe's point of view. Alternating chapters are told from the perspective of other characters that interact with Chloe. While this writing style provides greater insight into all of the characters and their thoughts it at times becomes cumbersome. My personal preference would have been that the entire novel was told only from Chloe's perspective.
Another odd aspect of the novel is most of the action occurs in the first half of the book with the balance of the book focused on the characters attempting to figure out what happened and what's happening now. There's also a bit of a twist at the end of the book.
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Lupita G. (Plantation, FL)
Insight into the Psychopathic Mind...
This debut novel started out strong, with Chloe Sevre - a Freshman student at a Washington, D.C. college. What makes her stand out is that she's a psychopath, and is part of a psychological program to study people with psychopathic tendencies. For her participation she gets a full-ride scholarship at the university. But her main reason to being there is to avenge her rape against Will - an upperclassman and typical frat boy.
Chloe's plans to avenge Will come to a halt when students in her program drop dead, and there's a serial killer on the lose. So, she starts to spy on who could be the killer, and she starts working with two fellow students, one of them is Andre, who is also part of the program, but who isn't a psychopath, just pretending to be one in order to get the scholarship. Andre is a big true crime fan, so he joins Chloe in solving the murders.
Although the premise had a lot of promise, the book fell flat midway, then picked up a bit towards the end when the murders are solved. The chronology of the days was a bit confusing, and the length of the book was longer than it should be, but it was an enjoyable read with many interesting plot points, and it gives you a fascinating look into how the mind of a psychopath works.
I give this three stars, rounding up to three and a half. This will come out in September 2021, and I thank BookBrowse for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Frances N. (San Francisco, CA)
unsettling
A college campus, a program for teenage psychopaths and a serial killer .. a most unsettling melange of characters. Charles is working to understand his disorder, Chloe is letting her freak flag fly and Andre is trying to blend in; but somehow maybe they are all quintessential unreliable narrators. And is the serial killer part of their group? Or just preying on the group? This is a really disturbing, yet fascinating read.
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Eileen S. (Marlboro, NJ)
Never Saw Me Coming by Vera Kurlan
I just finished reading Never Saw Me Coming by debut author Vera Kurlan. I very much enjoyed this fast paced, suspenseful, psychological thriller. I found it interesting that this novel was written mostly from the perspective of college aged students who also happen to be diagnosed psychopaths. The whodunit aspect is weaved throughout the novel and keeps you guessing until the very end. I found myself savoring the last several chapters as I didn't want it to end! Bravo! Well done. I recommend this book to anyone who likes this type of book as well as to those looking to read something new and different. I can't wait to see what the author will write next as I will read that too!
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CINDI
Never Saw Me Coming
Never Saw Me Coming with it's modern setting and age old theme had me from beginning to end. At first the characters and storyline is so interesting. As the story continues and more characters are introduced the book seems to take on a Scooby-Doo theme. That is even mentioned toward the end of the book. But it all comes together in a surprise ending.
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