4.5 stars rounded up
I liked this book, it did a lot of the things I wish I could do, but I feel like the biggest twist happened too early, so the rest of it dragged a bit. ( )

rounded up from 3.5 stars

Enjoyed reading, but comments and ratings had me expecting more. ( )

the mystery overall deserves 3 stars but i bumped it to 4 for the wlw couple coz i loved it and also the commentary on rape culture and men abusing their power ( )

LOVED this book!

We've all met one or a few of those guys that think women can't function without them. They provide the support, wants & desires that women need to survive. I wonder how many of these predatory men would continue their actions if they knew that women had finally had enough and were not going to tolerate it anymore ....I wonder.

This author has written another book "Temper" and I can't wait to get my hands on it. After only reading one of her books, it's safe to say, she will be an auto buy for me. ( )

Sometimes a good vigilante story with a sociopathic main character is just what you need. A little black and white in the man hate, but then again, this was from the point of view of a serial killer who you aren't exactly supposed to like, so I guess that's on brand.

The ending was a lot convenient and not much to my liking in general, but over all this was an entertaining story that I listened to while organizing my overflowing library. ( )

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkedWKyvDnc/

Layne Fargo - They Never Learn: I’d like to be pleased there’s a female serial killer revenge sub-genre, but mostly I’m not. This is excellently crafted, notwithstanding. #cursorybookreviews #cursoryreviews ( )

Author Fargo, you get one extra Star just for being the author who wrote my fantasy.

This book begins with a punishment for a Brock Turner lookalike, named Tyler. He's a football boy in the University where the protagonist teaches.
"Tyler believes clean living means a stronger game. So while his frat brothers got wasted on cheap beer and skunk weed, Tyler restricted himself to sipping his homemade energy drinks. Five boys raped Megan Foster, but only one of them did it while Stone-Cold sober.
Looking back, the signs were there from the first week of class--the way Tyler always picked the seat right behind Megan's, flicked her curtain of brown curls back while she was trying to read. Told her, even as she shrank away from him, you'd be so pretty if you smiled."
Triggering.

For any woman who suffered use and abuse of her body at the hands of men who told her that they "loved her," this book is made for you.

When the protagonist is in college, she takes a writing course with a professor, Alex. He is very handsome, and very supportive of her creativeness. She writes a paper for the class:
"The story isn't about her and Bash [a boy who gave her best friend a date rape drug, and almost raped her, but for Carly's intervention.]. It's about a woman who's catcalled by the same man every day on her way to work - until she can't take it anymore and decides to murder him. At first she's planning to kill him quickly, cutting his throat with a butcher knife. But she can't let him get off that easy, not after he's harassed her for years on end. So first she lures him into an abandoned building, ties him to a chair, and puts duct tape over his mouth to muffle his screens while she peels his fingernails off one by one. Then she pulls out the knife."
A fellow student is shocked, and objects to her story, as Carly reads it out loud in class.
The professor is supportive, but he tells Carly that he needs to make sure that the class is a safe place for everyone.
"FUry flares in my chest again, chasing the tears away. Nowhere is safe, not while guys like Bash are out there taking whatever they want from whoever they want to, with no one to stand up to them. My story was fiction, but it was about how the world should be - how it would be, if we could turn men's actions back on them. Make them fear us instead.
This reminds me of Adriana, a student, and friend of mine, when I was a tutor at University.
She and I fantasized about El Día del Macho, An imaginary day, once a year, when you could kill one man, and get away with it. I even started a short story about it, But never finished it.

Carly comes to University scarred from years of abuse from her father. He treated her and her mother like second class citizens, and carried on love affairs with other women besides her mother.
She believes at first that Allison's friend Wes is one of the good guys. But in the end, she finds out he's just like the rest.
"Wes takes my aggression for passion, groping at me, pushing his coat off my shoulders. He thinks I want him, when all I want is to hurt him. I want to hurt him so much it overwhelms me, blood shrieking in my ears, louder than the wind, louder than the small, pathetic noises of pleasure he's making at the back of his throat.
He's just like the rest of them. Bash, Alex. My father. They want us to bend and bend, let them say and do whatever they want to us. They get away with it, over and over again."

While the alternating chapters of Carly and Scarlett are a bit dizzying, I loved this book. It gets an extra star just for the premise: punishing men who take advantage of women, who take women as objects, and then just throw them aside. ( )

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES ( )

"He wasn't afraid of me, I write. That was his first mistake."

They Never Learn
by Layne Fargo

I just.....I loved it.

As you can see from the reviews and ratings on here, this is very highly rated. I can see why. I really liked it. I cannot even put into words how impressed with the writing I was.

In a world where thrillers no longer surprise-this one surprised.

However, to properly review this book, I need to first admit I can understand the feelings of the people who did NOT like it.

And also I feel a bit of a hypocrite for liking it. Will explain a bit later.

But first-there is NO POSSIBLE WAY to do this AT ALL without spoilers. No way. So if you want to read this book-and I hope you do-please skip my review. Because I am going to be using spoilers all over the place.

SPOILERS:

Now. I said I understand the negative feedback. I do. Because, in many other books, I have written the same.

I cannot even count how many books I have rated on the low side, because the sociopath never gets what's coming to them. I mean-I do that all the time. It is a pet peeve of mine.

So for the people complaining that this book glorifies a serial killer-I hear you. This is why it does not get a five from me. I was disturbed. But for the first time I had to give it a high rating anyway.

The writer made me care. She made me sympathize with this woman. Now admittedly it was Carly I was sympathizing through much of the book and this is before the big reveal. But it was painful. That girl was so unloved and thrown away. The rage building within her was heartbreaking to watch. I wanted to reach into the book and scream "someone do something! Someone save this girl!"

Nobody did obviously.

Then when the big reveal hits about halfway in, I gasped out loud.

I have not done that in years. It's been years since I FELT the twist. I have become numb to twists because almost all mysteries have them so I just do not feel much when they occur.

I FELT this. Was NOT expecting it and I screamed: OMG-They are the same fucking person!!"

This book deserves a high rating just for that.

The murders? Here is how I see it. Although I loved the book, I could not take Scarlet's half as seriously, mainly because of the end. It did get a bit crazy and I started having to suspend disbelief. Also in real life, this could never happen because Scarlett is-or in real life would be- a sociopath and they cannot fall in love or even sympathize with others. So, what I am trying to say is yes, I kind of felt contradictory toward Scarlett but I also knew I was reading a book-LOL. So, I was able to distinguish between the fact that no way would I feel anything for her in reality but this was indeed a book where sociopaths can fall in love and make new and exciting lives for themselves. Anything's possible in fiction!

One of my all time favorite books is Daughters of Eve which is so different then this but also shows how quickly wanting justice can go to wanting vengeance. I recommend that book as well.

As for "They never learn" I really wish the author had at least made Scarlettt stop killing at the end. It would have been nice to think her soul had been healed, she'd found love and she did not need to do this anymore.

I remain utterly wowed by the strength of the twist.Carly's story obviously deeply affected me. I almost wish the whole story had been hers alone but also wish she had not become who she eventually did. This brings up the whole "nature versus nurture" theory. Would Carly have beena different person if someone had helped her? What would have happened if Allison had never been assaulted? Or if her assault had been taken seriously by University? Or if her mother had damn well LOVED her?

Would she still have wound up evil?

I guess we will never know. But this book will stay with me for quite awhile. It wasn't perfect but it was both poignant and fun. It was touching yet wacky. It was deeply thought provoking and surprising. A strong four stars from me for a very unique book. ( )

So cynical ass me picked this up and was repulsed by the first person POV touch, but I let it ride. This story is about two Scarlets. Scarlet Clarke, a college worker, and Carly, whose real name is Scarlet(so they allude to both being named Scarlet). Scarlet is an established female Dexter who only kills men, namely rapists and -implied- pedophiles. Carly is a budding one.

My assumption from the description was they would meet and join forces, that's how it comes across, but no, they never do. So don't read if that's your dream outcome. These two POV characters only are implied to glimpse each other in passing. Which is our red herring that really confuses things.
My sibling assumed maybe this was past and present Scarlet, like how she came to be, and how she was near her "end".

We just so happen to be following two Scarlets as our main POVs which switch from one to another per chapter. Both females. Both bisexual. Both female leaning.
A lot of coincidences.

Despite not expecting to like this book, I loved it. It's not perfect, and fixates way too much on a "girl power" undertone. There's these constant implications that were this a male killing female predators or pedophiles, it would be frowned upon or he'd be taken out for it. It's hard not to feel soured by it. Scarlet only kills men, which means we never find out what she'll do if a woman rapes or a woman is a predator. It's very one-sided.

The twist at the end is well delivered, I expected to throw the book in anger, but no, it goes a different path entirely. Showing Mina has many facets, and is not just a married woman who becomes too curious as time passed. Mina is very lacking in depth and because of that -and the POV issue- we really will never know anything about Mina. This is why this isn't a five-star review. These are massive flaws, but they're not the end of the world.

There is a lot of "only men are evil" happening, despite Carly's female friends being quite the problem and worthy of being knocked down pegs. Sexual assault gets swept under the rug, and a lot of other things happen.

I really recommend Dexter fans read They Never Learn, but don't take it to heart. All sexes and genders can be bad or evil, it's not one-sided like Scarlet would like you to believe.


( )

Vigilante justice meets PhD.

Scarlett is a self-professed serial killer, plotting and planning her kills carefully, attempting to take out the worst of men.

Carly is a freshman on campus and just struggling to find her balance.

Told from alternating points of view, each story is individually alluring and then their worlds collide in epic fashion. From the first page, this story is original, witty, and mesmerizing. I was unable to put it down, devouring it in just two short days.

I'm not sure I'll be able to stop talking about it for awhile. Just when I think I know where things are headed, I'm sideswiped with a twist. Amazing work by Layne Fargo!

Thank you Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion. ( )

Yes, keep slaying them, girl. ( )

I liked the concept of this book--that men who abuse women will be punished even if the legal system and society aren't the ones who do it. The writing was good, but I didn't feel connected to the characters. I just couldn't suspend my belief enough to accept all the cards that fell the right way so that a sociopathic college professor could get away with murders every year on the same campus. ( )

Another unputdownable book that I devoured in one day! ( )

LOVED this book!

We've all met one or a few of those guys that think women can't function without them. They provide the support, wants & desires that women need to survive. I wonder how many of these predatory men would continue their actions if they knew that women had finally had enough and were not going to tolerate it anymore ....I wonder.

This author has written another book "Temper" and I can't wait to get my hands on it. After only reading one of her books, it's safe to say, she will be an auto buy for me. ( )

(Full disclosure: I received a free e-ARC for review through Edelweiss. Trigger warning for emotional, physical, and sexual violence against women.)

Scarlett Clark

“Why—” he starts, but his throat is too constricted to speak.
I put the phone in his twitching hand and lean over him, my body casting his in shadow.
“Megan Foster,” I say.
Tyler’s eyes widen—and this, this is my favorite part. The abject terror that takes over their faces. That’s how I know they’re finally seeing me, realizing what I truly am.

Carly Schiller

Next to the car ahead of ours, there’s a petite black girl standing on her tiptoes to hug her dad goodbye, tears streaming down her cheeks. He’s crying too but trying to hide it, clenching his jaw tight, squinting his eyes shut. I can’t imagine feeling that way. I can’t imagine feeling anything but relief at saying goodbye to my father. I let him hug me, though, because I know it will be worse if I don’t. It’s important to him that we appear to be a happy family, even if there are only total strangers around to witness the charade.

***

Usually I start off my reviews with a brief plot summary - but the synopsis for THEY NEVER LEARN is so pitch perfect, and I don't want to give any of the delicious twists away, so I think it's best to steer clear of the landmine of spoilers that await us in my notoriously wordy reviews. (Holy run-on sentences, Batman!)

Instead I'll just say: I'm a sucker for rape revenge stories, and THEY NEVER LEARN is a doozy. The story is told from two alternating points of view: English professor by day, serial murderer of on-campus misogynists by night, Scarlett Clark; and freshman student Carly Schiller, a mousy, anxious wisp of a girl who's finally exploring life beyond the shadow of her abusive father.

Sadly (or happily, maybe, in Scarlett's case; Dexter's gotta Dex), there's no shortage of abusers on the campus of Gorman college, located in scenic rural Pennsylvania. When Carly's roommate/crush Allison is assaulted by a fellow thespian at a house party, the trajectories of both women are sent careening on a collision course - with each other, and maybe also THE LAW. (Ironic, that: considering it cares so little about the impetus for all of this, e.g., violence against women.)

The twists are many, and delightful: the BIG ONE at the 44% mark literally had me doing a spit take - I so did not see that coming, and it was one of those epic twists that forces you to see the story from an entirely new perspective, to reexamine everything you thought you knew. Plus it's just the first of many! Every time you think you've got a handle on where this story is headed, Farho throws you for a loop.

The mystery aspect of the plot is propulsive, as are the short, punchy chapters. I lost count of the number of times I promised myself "just one more chapter" before bed, only to repeat the lie ten more times before finally conceding. (Adulting sucks.)

All of the female characters are a revelation: complex, nuanced, and fascinating as heck. Even when you're not entirely on board with their behavior, Fargo does an excellent job of imparting understanding and compassion. (I want to say more but SPOILERS!) I'm sure that critics will argue that the men are more one-dimensional and predictable, cartoon caricatures of banal evil - and while it's fair to say most of the men at Gorman do indeed suck, I absolutely love what Fargo did with Wes (*chef's kiss*). Plus it's not like the women are free from sin - the big baddie is a female serial killer, after all.

But truly, the cherry on top is the ending, which is not all what I expected, or how these things usually go (see, e.g., Alex Craft from Mindy McGinnis's THE FEMALE OF THE SPECIES). Fargo deserves a round of applause for taking the road less traveled. Finally, a rape revenge/female serial killer epilogue I love to see. ( )

Professor Scarlett Clark has an interesting hobby - she likes to kill "bad" men in her free time. I found Scarlett to be an interesting and DEEEPLY flawed heroine. ( )

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo is a highly recommended revenge thriller.

Scarlett Clark is an English professor at Gorman University. Her other "job" is eliminating men who assault and rape women. The university system tends to ignore or excuse sexual assaults on campus and the professors who prey on young women. Scarlett doesn't. Every year she selects a man at Gorman who deserves to die for their actions and she meticulously plans out their murder. She has made every kill look like an accident or suicide and no one has been the wiser that she has targeted them for murder. Her last kill, a star football player, has drawn unwanted attention to that murder as well as past deaths on campus. Now the psychology department chair Dr. Mina Pierce is looking for patterns in all the deaths.

Alternate chapters follow reserved freshman student Carly Schiller and her confident, outgoing roommate Allison Hadley. When Allison is sexually assaulted at a party, Carly becomes obsessed with exposing the guilty man and seeking revenge after the medical clinic and the university don't take the claim seriously.

It is important to note that this isn't a novel about justice; it is a novel about revenge and a serial killer. And Scarlett may be seeking vigilante justice in her mind, but she is actually a sociopath and feels no guilt or compunction over her actions. She has no soul searching doubts about murdering her chosen victims. Now, if you can go with that, it is an entertaining, fast-paced novel with some twists (that you may see coming) and it will hold your attention to the end. It is a feminist novel taking on the campus rape culture by embracing a theme of revenge. The novel is set up as good versus bad, with all the males predatory and the females innocent. (While that can be the case sometimes, personally I believe that justice often can and does occur with the legal system.) Characters aren't all as well developed as I would like, but they are interesting.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Simon & Schuster.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2020/10/they-never-learn.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3595666460 ( )

They Never Learn from Layne Fargo is a wonderfully twisted tale that is right at the border of vengeance and justice.

I rarely mention book descriptions other than to make the point that I don't do synopses that are better done by the book descriptions, and giving even a brief outline of the plot is more like an elementary school book report than a review someone might use to decide whether to read a book. But in this case the book description (on at least 3 sites I have seen) does a wonderful job of setting up the reader to enjoy the book. Like many books, there is more than one basic plotline running through the book. Part of the fun, which starts as soon as you read the description, is thinking about how these storylines will come together. And in this book they come together in spectacular fashion.

If you enjoy a novel where you can pull for the murderer, where the line between right and wrong is as blurry as it is in real life, you should enjoy this work. The problem with vigilante justice in real life is that a lot of people have different ideas of what is right and what is wrong. Which means that if vigilantism is permitted, then everyone will be killing everyone else they think is "wrong," and in the current social environment with a narcissistic hatemonger pretending to be in charge, the country would experience all kinds of bloodshed. But in the limited world of a novel where the vigilante is still considered outside the law, we can decide whether we find their cause reasonable and then pull for them to whatever extent we feel comfortable. In this case, I pull for Scarlett all the way, I just wish she could spend some time in DC right now.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )

4.25 ( )