Reviews with content warning for Sexual harassment - Asla Ders Almayacaklar

It's really fun to be inside the head of a serial killer like Scarlett—someone I truly sympathize with, understand her motivations, and root for. I don't even want to call her deplorable. Questionable, sure. But fascinating and an intriguing protagonist. Carly and her storyline were a little less enthralling to follow... at least for the first half. The plot twist mid-way through the book

where you find out that Carly is Scarlett, and that that portion of the novel is set in the past

really shifted the direction of that plot and built up the intrigue. This book isn't a literary masterpiece or anything, but it is fun and an exciting read.

I think there's plenty to unpack in the feminism of the novel and the way that race and sexuality and class intersects with misogyny could certainly have been unpacked, but... ultimately I just don't think that's something this book meant to do; it's dealing more with the impact of sexual assault and the lack of response and support for girls and women who face various violence at the hands of men.

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sinaprst's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

love me some murderous sapphics

recommended reading ambience: https://youtu.be/hm0-ZTLRWEo?si=1hiWhxWUKpusUweS

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amejia's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes

4.5

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otterlyawesome915's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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maistfu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated

4.0

who doesn't love a bi female serial killer ?! and the female rage!!!!

obv not every single man on the planet is a predator but this is fiction. and even in this fictitious book there were good and decent men. the reality is though that there are a lot of bad men out there and i just liked the way the author brought it to extremes. women can be angry (and should be allowed to) without it being a fucking problem for men.

i loved the dual pov of scarlett and carly and the end was maybe cringy but it was everything to me.

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crushedvelvet's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

They Never Learn is a serviceable, misandrist (said with affection) thriller. It follows Carly Schiller and Scarlett Clark. The former a closeted, mousy freshman from a troubled home. The latter an English professor by day, and a feminist vigilante by night.

The book tries to tackle a smorsgasbord of issues. Domestic abuse, grooming, groping, rape, revenge porn, stalking, voyeurism... And the rape culture and victim blaming that enables and tacitly encourages it. It juggles so many topics that it fails to make time for contemplating their nature. The analysis starts and stops at "men suck" and "these things are bad" (which is true!). But I wish it spent time scrutinizing the norms and systems that enable predatory men to thrive.

Every character felt flat to me. Carly went from the good girl™️ archetype in YA to

a belligerent, sadistic burgeoning killer

. It was jarring & didn't feel organic. Nothing in her prior characterization hinted at even a kernel of this residing in her.

And as for Scarlett... She feels like a concept, not a person. Like if someone thought "what if Dexter was a woman and she went after predatory men?" & ran with it. Never stopping to consider who she is outside of that. Shes curvy, redheaded, kinda bitchy, she hates men... That's it. Whether it is bloodlust or injustice that compels her to kill switched from scene to scene. Whatever the plot needed at the time.

AND her relationship with Jasper, a student, just made her feel like a raging hypocrite to me. Regardless of him being a possessive freak.

On the topic of the plot, I've never read a thriller that failed to, y'know, thrill me. It was oddly devoid of suspense. The opening kill was lame and so were the following ones. The most intense twist is

Carly & Scarlett being the same person.

Great read for people who walked away from Gone Girl or Midsommar and thought "good for her".

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