Thrilling, mysterious, gripping from the first page. Absolutely amazing read, a fantastic page turner

I support women's right and women's wrongs

This is a beautifully crafted masterpiece of female rage, and honestly, we need it!

Scarlett, so composed and professional, has a hidden side filled with a rage about to bubble over. She notices everything and keeps the indescresions in her mind whilst plotting how best to prevent these predators from harming more women.

In contrast, we see young Carly's eyes opened to the injustices, and her experiences become compounded until it's a hard to contain rage. I really felt for her as a character. A girl trying to find her place at college, but is forced to deal with these new complex emotions caused by the unacceptable actions of others.

This book shares the complete dismissal, the victim blaming, and the cover ups of ‘boys being boys’. This is exactly the narrative we need, so satisfying to see all of pent up rage flowing so freely on the page. The world needs more Scarletts.

The author details so beautifully that you feel fully immersed within the story, and feel that rage within yourself too. Absolutely a five star read!

Thank you to Vintage, Random House for this advanced copy. I cannot wait to read more from this author!

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo is a heart-pounding, breath-holding psychological thriller with a female Dexter vibe. The plot is incredibly entertaining, and I loved the unexpected twists throughout the story—they were so satisfying! The ending completely melted my heart. I find myself questioning my own morals because, while the actions in the book are clearly wrong, they also feel so right at the same time.

This book tackles heavy topics such as r@pe, grooming, cheating, murder, abuse, stalking, toxic relationships, and much more, so be cautious if any of these themes could trigger you.

The narrative flows quickly, featuring short chapters that alternate between two main characters: Scarlett and Carly. Scarlett is an English professor at Gorman College and a serial killer whose sole purpose is to eliminate awful men. She has a clear mission and no regrets—until she makes a crucial mistake.
Carly, an exceptionally bright girl who has lived a sheltered life, is a student at Gorman College. She becomes friends with her beautiful and confident roommate, Allison, which expands Carly's world and eventually drags her into some dark events.

Originally published on October 13, 2020, the book will be re-released on July 3, 2025, with a brand new cover.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Vintage for this copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of They Never Learn by Layne Fargo.
I've had this book on my wishlist for a long time and was thrilled to see that it is now being re-released for UK readers.
If you enjoyed the MindF*ck Series, then this book is for you! We follow English professor turned serial killer Scarlett whose aim is to hunt and rid the world of the predatory men on the college campus. We also get the POV of troubled teenager Carly who attends the college and finds that she must also begin a hunt of her own.
Unputdownable! 5⭐️

This was insanely good. The female rage in this book, I wanted to kick a door off its hinges several times. It had me feeling all kinds of different feelings.

I LOVED Scarlett, she was such a badass and I just loved her as a character. I think I may have a little crush on her. Carly, I think as a person, I could potentially give or take, BUT her character arc was so good to see and I really admired what she was trying to do for her friend.

I haven't physically read a book this quick in, well, ever, I don't think. I smashed it out in just under 24 hours. I just couldn't put it down once things really started picking up. I've had my eye on this book for literal YEARS. It originally came out in 2020, but we haven't been able to get it here in the UK. So I'm thrilled to A. be lucky enough to read an ARC and B. it live up to the hype.

Obsessed! Obsessed!

This book was just something else. And wow to that. I thought the dual Pov allowed so much thought,nuance and perspective. Yes we all know what this book is about in terms of what one character is doing. But boy if people take that the wrong way,or as the issue here then that a them issue.
The characters had so much depth to them. We could hear them,feel them and yes feel very much for them.
I didn't know where it was going to end up. These books you have to let go of the "if it was me,or am I bad for following this with glee" it's a book. But also underneath all that is something vital,important and needing thought issues.
Aside from all that though Layne has bought such skill to the plot,pace and characters
You get it. I got it. We all should get it. A brill book that had me from the get go and in so many more ways than one.

This book was incredible!! I couldn’t put it down and can’t stop thinking about it!!

Scarlett is a high achieving English professor but she leads a double life as a serial killer. Her targets are men that have committed crimes against women. She has been leading this life for many years. We also meet Carly a student who wants to protect her friend from a predator whilst also fighting her feelings for her. I can’t say anymore because I don’t want to spoil this book - but I highly recommend reading it!

The writing was so immersive and had a very fresh narrative! The mystery running throughout and the way Scarlett and Carly’s stories merged was written really well! Very riveting and a completely different type of story from the authors previous novel: The Favourites- but equally as engaging.

This is the feminist serial killer story I didn’t know I needed!!!

They Never Learn is a twisty, gripping dark academia thriller, which I DEVOURED. I loved this book so much, and I am entranced by these characters! …. Also, sapphic characters !!!!