Genre: Thriller
Pages: 349
Rating: 3.5
Goodreads Rating: 3.92
Preface
I started this book April 2nd and finished April 5th. I choose this book as a recommendation from ChatGPT, based off of other books I have read and enjoy.
Layne Fargo has a background in theater and women’s studies. She has published 6 novels, including works like Temper and the Favorites. She currently lives in Chicago.
Plot Introduction
They Never Learn follows two main characters, switching point of view every chapter. Carly Schiller is a freshman English major at Gorman University. She is very awkward and is struggling with so many new experiences, especially coming from a not so happy family life. Her and her roommate become close friends, maybe a little more than friends. When her roommate is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly works tirelessly to help her through it, even if her roommate doesn’t want it.
Scarlett Clark is an English Professor at Gorman University, who is hoping to get a fellowship in London. She keeps to herself and harbors a big secret: she is a serial killer. Scarlett studies, hunts, and kills men who she deems evil. She kills rapists and abusers, often making it look like a suicide. Before leaving to London for her fellowship, she decides to move a fellow professor to the top of her list.
“Even in his final moments, I doubt he learned his lesson. But I didn’t kill him to teach him a lesson; I killed him to carve him out of this world like a tumor. And I’d do it again.”
― Layne Fargo, They Never Learn
My Review
Given that I enjoyed this book overall, I rate it 3.5 out of 5. There are many good things about this book, but there are also some annoying things.
My biggest issues is that Carly is awfully annoying, especially in the first half of the novel. The best way to describe her personality is awkward quirky girl. She overthinks simple interactions and is very unsure of herself. While most freshman are sort of like this, Carly takes it to an extreme. I almost had to mark this book as DNF due to how annoying I found her. Thankfully, Scarlett made up for it.
Scarlett was the most enjoyable part of this book for me. She was sure of herself, but also morally grey. Unlike most serial killers, she was smart and thought out her murders, never leaving evidence or patterns. While I don’t agree with her taking justice into her own hands, it is at least interesting that she does so. The novel wrapped up nicely and included twists that were unexpected, but you could go back and figure out. I would say that this was worth the read.
