Never Saw Me Coming

Complex Story With Interesting (But Unnecessary) Commentary In Finale. This is a particular idea that I didn't really know I was drawn to until reading Victoria Helen Stone's Jane Doe books, about a slightly more mature psychopath than these college students here. So when I saw the premise here, I pretty well had to check it out. The overall story works well and will keep you guessing - and you're most likely not going to guess right until the final reveal. The various aspects of psychopathy shown work well, and work well to show that everyone can lead a fairly normal life - thus helping (a bit) to destigmatize the condition. Including the romance that at least a few other reviewers panned - I enjoyed it for showing that even true psychopaths are capable of it, though admittedly this isn't a romance book and thus that element is never a core focus of the tale. The switching from character to character was usually abrupt and could have used a bit better editing, perhaps naming the character at the top of the chapter and even breaking into a new chapter (with character name) when a perspective jumps mid chapter. But that is perhaps something that could be seen at the beta/ ARC level (and this book is still almost two months from publication as I write this review) and perhaps corrected. So if you're reading this review years after publication, know that this particular issue may or may not exist any longer.

The commentary in the finale, about the doc and his perspectives, wasn't really necessary but did provide an interesting, rarely seen wrinkle. One I happened to know about outside of this book and largely agree with, so it was refreshing to see it both discussed and discussed in such a positive light here. But again, it was ultimately unnecessary for the tale and thus a bit of a momentum killer in the final stretch. (Though fortunately it is fairly brief, so there is that at least.)

Overall a truly enjoyable read with a fairly rare and possibly unique premise. Very much recommended.

Chloe isn't your average college freshman. She's a psychopath. No, literally. She's attending college as part of a program with six other diagnosed psychopath students, designed to monitor their moods and feelings, and just maybe to help them learn some semblance of empathy for other people. The scholarship is nice and all, but Chloe has plans of her own – she's there to kill Will Bachman for a wrong done to her years ago.

The students aren't supposed to know each other. They're never supposed to meet. But when oen of them ends up dead, and then another, Chloe and two other students in the program work together to sort out who's doing the killing. Can they figure it out before the killer takes them out, too?

This was a fascinating concept for a book! Chloe is an engaging main character – sharp and funny, and always calculating how to turn any situation to her advantage. She's a psychopath, a “bad guy,” but she isn't. Sure, she wants to kill Will, but he did her wrong. In her mind, that justifies his death. If Chloe were a real person and I knew her, I suspect I'd find her mostly likeable, if coming off a bit of a mean girl sometimes.

Someone killing program students is an entirely different matter, though. That isn't acceptable, largely because Chloe values her own skin, and if she's dead, she can't take Will out.

Charles and Andre, the two program students working with Chloe to figure out who's behind the killings, are interesting as well. Three young people with the same diagnosis, yet very different in their backgrounds and personalities, their relationships, and how they present themselves. Their interactions are fascinating. Can they trust each other? Is one of them the killer? Who's lying? Who's not exactly lying, but maybe gaming the others a little?

And the ending. I'm not giving it away, but I didn't see it coming until it whapped me upside the head. I love books where I don't figure it out ages before the big reveal!

This was a unique take on the thriller, and a bang-up debut from Vera Kurian. Five nail-biting stars from me. Thanks to Netgalley and Park Row Books for an advance reader copy.