What a great fast paced suspense thriller
It ahead multiple narrators which can be a bit confusing initially.
The premise and pacing were good.
Some hard hitting subjects were tackled so well.
A good book

Unfortunately not for me. I found the number of points of view quite confusing, and to me the book didnt quite pull off what it was trying to achieve. Just not for me.

At the start i was like cool this is going to be a good book but as i read on i started to lose interest to many characters jumping from one to another. Cutting bits storts like at the point of who the bad one is could of gone into more. In all was not inpressed at all.
Poor badly writen

This book drew me in from the cover with the broken lollipop and then reading the back with a 20th High School Reunion, I knew I would love it as I love these type of books with a revenge twist as one of my favorite horror movies is Valentine where the bullied victim from High School gets revenge on those popular girls who made his life hell during a reunion. This book starts with Katy Burch organizing a reunion and getting in touch with some of her old classmates and we get a glimpse of where they ended up and whether they met some of their goals from school. One of Katy's ideas was to make a modern yearbook about their lives these days, someone though has hijacked this idea and sending out Q and A's of their own and these are threatening the classmates as their dark and dirty secrets are coming to light. We have single woman Katy who secretly wants to have a baby with her gay classmate Luke whom she forever had a crush on, Luke who dreamed of being a broadway star and ended up a flight attendant who loves to get wasted, Annabel who was the Queen B and Jarrod her boyfriend who ended up teen parents and now dealing with a druggie son, Grace and her four kids and police officer husband Tom, Zach who was a bully and class clown who had a change of heart and now a Doctor, Good Guy and a father of a Down Syndrome child, Melissa who got her chance to rule as a CEO but her marriage though is less to be desired and then Robbie - the boy they all bullied and made his life a living hell. I loved the twists and turns of this novel and did not see the ending coming. If you love mysteries and revenge to those who deserved it, then check out Who We Were - an Australian novel by Aussie author B.M Carroll.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book, well-written with good characters, not a thriller as such but a good read. Recommended.

“Annabel Moore: pretty, popular, poisonous.
Grace McCrae: couldn’t go to the toilet without Annabel.
Zach Latham: thought he was so fucking funny, the idiot.
Melissa Andrews: stuck-up bitch.
Luke Willis: gay as Christmas.
Katy Buckley: always trying to be everyone’s friend.
Jarrod Harris: Annabel’s on-and-off boyfriend till he got her up the duff and became full-time ‘on’. Jarrod is the one he despises the most.”

The second standalone thriller by B.M. Carroll, WHO WE WERE is about the power of childhood cruelty and how it can shape us into the adults we become. The way we were versus the way we are now. It raises the question and explores the notion "do people really change?"

It's been twenty years...but all is not forgiven.

As someone who was always on the periphery during high school, Katy Buckley is keen to prove to everyone that she is now somebody. The class of 2000 from Macquarie High School is approaching twenty years and Katy, now a science teacher, is organising a reunion and thinks it would be a great idea to update the yearbook entries reflecting their present day lives.

Throughout the course of putting together plans for the reunion and tracking down old classmates, someone has decided to take the updated yearbook idea to a different level by writing their own version of the entries and then sending them to their respective recipients. The emails are official looking and mimic the previous entries yet revealing mean and harsh facts, private aspects of the lives these former students would rather not share. At first it was thought to be a joke, albeit a cruel one. But then the entries continue, revealing innermost secrets and private fears...and no one is exempt.

At school, Annabel was a "mean girl". She was pretty and popular and had friends trailing in her wake. Now she is 37, married to her high school sweetheart Jarrod with three children - Jemma, Daniel and Mia. But Annabel's life is not as perfect as outwardly seen. And someone knows what she and Jarrod have tried to keep quiet.

Grace was Annabel's bestie in school and remains so to this day. She is now married to hunky Tom and has four children - Tahlia, Poppy, Lauren and Billy. Her big regret was listening to Annabel's ministrations about "dropping" who was not socially acceptable...and someone knows this. Someone also knows her deepest fears about her daughter Lauren, who is anxious of just about everything.

Melissa was always destined to succeed...although she didn't succeed in keeping Jarrod. Not after just two short months when he revealed that Annabel was pregnant and that he was sticking by her. Now Melissa is married to Henry but lives alone in her apartment overlooking Bondi Beach. Henry has a separate house in which his teenage children live with him because they have refused to accept Melissa. At least she has a successful career as marketing director...but is she happy? And how does this person know about her living arrangements and secret fears?

Zach was one of those boys who just loved taking the piss out of everything and everyone...and using it as his "party piece" just for laughs. He was insensitively cruel without really thinking about it; he just wanted to be the centre of attention and make everyone laugh. But Zach had a defining moment not long after leaving high school which changed the course of his life. He became a doctor, gave back to the community, married his beautiful wife Isabel (also a doctor) and has a son Carson, who is a joy to his life. But Carson is not a normal child and as much as Zach loves him, he also fears for him. And someone knows these fears. They also know of his deepest secret which he has never confessed to his wife.

Luke was naturally funny and someone who was, strangely enough, comfortable in his own skin. He came out as gay as a teenager, which enraged his father who refused to accept his son as a "faggot", so he escaped to the other side of the world after graduating and became a flight attendant. Now living in London with Aaron, Luke wants nothing more than to marry the love of his life but can't find the courage to ask him. But someone knows something else about Luke...something he didn't even know. And drops on him a bombshell that leaves him reeling...

Katy was a science nerd with bright red hair. It was a given that she would not be one of the popular ones. But neither was she cruel. She was kind and always tried to be everyone's friend. She would leave birthday cards in their lockers on their birthdays...for some it meant the world. To others, like Annabel, it only fueled their hate of her. Now Katy is a science teacher and doesn't take no crap from the type of kids she used to shy away from. But Katy is lonely. She is 37 and single...and she wants a baby. And she knows who she wants to ask to donate to her cause...as does somebody else.

Jarrod was Annabel's on-again/off-again boyfriend throughout school until she fell pregnant and then he devoted his time and effort into being a good husband, father and provider for Annabel and their baby. But Jarrod did something that someone has never forgiven him for...

And then there is Robbie. Robbie was the one everyone taunted and made fun of. He was the easy target with his epilepsy and his sensitive nature. He was the butt of everyone's jokes. And yet no one bothered to take the time to get to know him. He was depressed, he hated life and he hated himself. When he was 18, Robbie left home suddenly and never returned...until now.

Everyone had a part to play - both now and 20 years ago - and these malicious accusations stir each of them and their lives, wondering who is taunting them? Who knows these things about them? And how do they know? It is unclear just who is responsible for these malevolent grievances with so many hiding secrets. But who is desperate enough to embark on a sadistic revenge for mistakes made when they were no more than children?

These disturbing and slightly threatening messages begin to unsettle the group as some find themselves suspecting others. Katy begins to have second thoughts and wonders whether she should just cancel the whole thing but she is encouraged by the others to persevere.

But then a shocking assault leaves them all wondering if it is related to the messages or something else entirely. And as the group look back on their teenage behaviour twenty years ago, mostly with guilt and remorse, they begin to realise that such actions may have borne a resentment which could now become motive. And as such, only one person comes to mind. But would they? Do they have the capacity? The ability to undertake such a malicious action with such malevolence? Or is there someone else they have failed to recall?

Unfolding through seven perspectives, WHO WE WERE is clear and concise in narrative so that the reader is not left discombobulated by the sheer number of POVs. Each narrative flows seamlessly into the next at each perfect moment, building a picture of each of the characters as individuals and as a whole. It is cleverly told and very well written, dealing with a multitude of problems from teenage bullying and cruelty, loneliness, depression, anxiety, insecurity, drug use, rebelliousness disability and homelessness. The depiction of each of these issues is convincing.

Whilst not a thriller as such, WHO WE WERE was indeed a mystery of sorts that makes for an addictive and compulsive read from beginning to end. I couldn't get enough of it...even if it did remind me a little of my own terrible teenage years at school. It has been likened to Liane Moriarty's "Big Little Lies" although I couldn't agree or disagree having never read it.

But what WHO WE WERE does do is beg the question "do people really change?" The way we were versus the way we are now. For most of us, school is a time we would probably rather forget...for different reasons more than likely. But for some it's a time that, while we would rather forget, still haunts us through the taunts we received and the cruelty we endured. I was not one of the "mean girls" (I loathed them); I was one of those taunted and belittled who was not worthy of their popularity...so I could really empathise. Part of me was Katy Buckley, wanting to be everyone's friend although I wasn't as smart as her...and in no way would I become a school teacher and revisit that awful time daily.

As a side note, I was thrilled to discover the Irish born author now resides in my city of Sydney and so therefore I was familiar with many of the places mentioned that I could picture them, such as Manly and Bondi Beach. It's always a refreshing change to recognise places I have actually been to...for example when one of them was trying to decide whether he would have more success with hailing a taxi (in Manly) at the wharf or the beachfront. Hahaha...both places are next to impossible.

A thoroughly engaging read I couldn't put down, WHO WE WERE is an enjoyable well-written tale with a plot that rapidly becomes addictive. I have no hesitation in recommending this thoroughly gripping read.

I would like to thank #BMCarroll, #NetGalley and #ViperBooks for an ARC of #WhoWeWere in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Serpent's Tail / Profile Books in exchange for an honest review.
Who We Were is the story of a group of people who all attended school together. Years later, a reunion is due but someone is sending everyone nasty emails spilling secrets from their personal lives. There was also an incident that happened at the school in the past which we learn more about as the book unfolds.

Initially I was overwhelmed by the number of characters, and it did feel like there were slightly too many POVs. However, the characters were pretty distinctly written so once you got used to who was who, it was easy to keep track of. The various plots were interesting enough, and it was fun to see how the storylines came together. I would say this is closer to Big Little Lies in tone rather than a traditional psychological thriller.

I am reviewing this a few weeks after I read it and sadly I can't remember anymore detail, but I know this was a well-written thriller and one I definitely enjoyed reading at the time. I found the style very compelling and easy to read, and I would certainly like to check out this author's other work.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Unfortunately I was unable to get in to this story and had to put it down. I'm sure for all larger Thriller fans than myself, however, it was a highly loved book and appreciated by the right readers.

I found this book hard to like. It's about a group of people invited to a school reunion. However they all begin to receive notes/emails containing unpleasant facts about them. I found it difficult to connect with the characters but continued to read it as I wanted to know the truth.

I enjoyed this one for the most part. The mystery kept me guessing until the end. However, the "thriller" angle of the story took a back seat to the lives of all the characters. The characters themselves were intriguing, so that definitely went a long way in keeping me interested. So ya, I liked it, but it wasn't something that blew me away.

Katy organises a 20-year school reunion, determined to prove that she is no longer the shy girl she was in high school. Her idea to update their yearbook to show what everybody has achieved in their lives takes a sinister turn as someone starts sending hurtful messages, containing secrets many of them would prefer didn’t come to light.

A story told from multiple perspectives and switching between the present day and their school days twenty years earlier could have been confusing but it really worked. It helped that the characters were interesting and authentic and it actually kept the story running at a fast pace.

Despite being a psychological thriller, Who We Were dealt with a variety of relatable subjects including bullying, loneliness and mental illness. A really addictive read which had me guessing and changing my mind the whole way through.

Unfortunately I think this book is a little incorrectly marketed as a thriller, while the book does have a bit of a mystery element it is not in anyway a thriller in my opinion.

The overall story was enjoyable enough but I couldn't connect to the characters at all and I thought the ending was fairly predictable.

Again this is not a book that belongs to a genre that I usually go for so I consider myself a newbie in rating books within this realm. I did enjoy it more than I originally expected although it became a little too dark hitting home in an unpleasant way so I would suggest that trigger warnings are added in the beginning of the book in case some readers like myself would like to know about before they invest themselves into reading this book. Overall a great read nonetheless!

The book should come with a warning. It will induce a plethora of feelings in you throughout and especially after you finish, which I might still have slight trouble identifying. There’s definitely sadness as parts of the book will be upsetting and there’s hopefulness and some sort of satisfaction that you get after reading a good book.
Well now that I got that out of the way, I can tell you what the book is about -

Katy, a science teacher has been trying to organise a twenty-year high school reunion and a new yearbook that would show where everybody is in life and what they have achieved since leaving the school. She’s been locating past classmates, chasing down confirmations and replies and all seems to be on track until news reaches her that somebody has been playing a joke, and sending out emails with sensitive information, written in a yearbook format similar to the one she’s been asking people to fill out. It seems the former popular group that she never had been a part of, is targeted, except that she is now also included. Soon, the notes become more threatening and menacing, finding their way into their homes and playing havoc with their lives. Who is responsible, and what do they want?

Perspective from which we see the story unwind, changes with each chapter. Each of the many characters is a completely different voice - some I liked more, some less, but what they have all in common is that they come off sounding authentic and real. There is sense of reminiscence and nostalgia throughout, as they try to figure out who they were once as teenagers and who they have become since. Some feel they need to make reparations whilst others have no such qualms, and instead continue to occupy the same headspace as they did for most of their lives, until life starts catching up even with them, forcing change, however much unwarranted.

Carroll dissects the high school experience and dives into a wide range of topics, that will at one point probably ring with some similarity to your own. To make the point that no situation is ever crystal clear and its repercussions might range from underwhelming to explosive, she occasionally picked a shared memory and pried it open by having different characters recount it from their point of view. It was interesting to see the play of perception and emotion, some reinforced by the characters’ already held beliefs and attitudes. A few of those memories seemed to haunt some of the characters, whilst others refused to spare them a second thought.

The novel manages to retain a high degree of tension throughout, with Carroll skilfully managing to throw the suspicion at several of the characters by having the protagonists form their own hypotheses. The ending seemed not overwhelmingly shocking but very much believable, eerily so because I could see it happening in real life.
Throughout, Carroll would jump from one moment in time into another by keeping the paragraphs brief, keeping your attention only where it was needed. There is nothing wrong in that except that it took some getting used to on my part, and probably the formatting of my early copy didn’t help, but otherwise it added to the immediacy that was felt by the characters as things began to escalate. Another thing that I think is worth praising, is how Carroll has written the female characters; they’re strong minded and not quivering in fear. Sometimes it’s easy to make the female characters, especially in thrillers, weak and needing man’s help and I was so glad to find that not to be a case here. Moreover, several scenes in particular with the character Melissa where especially to my liking, where she would refuse to back down much to the dismay of the men around her.

Overall, it was an absorbing, quick paced read that will resonate with many, and which brings up many important issues worth discussing. If you’re fancying a down to earth psychological thriller, this is definitely worth grabbing!

I read this for a blog tour.

This was a juicy thriller, with people's terrible secrets popping up all over, threatening the images they've chosen to present to the world.

High school for some is the high point of their lives - a sad fact, but often very true. For some of the characters in this story it's also very much the case that they're hanging onto who they used to be in the face of their disappointment at who they are now.

Cleverly plotted and suitably twisted, this book reminds you it's not always a good idea to look back.

who we were by B.M. Carroll
2/5

Katy is not the shy schoolgirl she once was, and she's looking forward to showing her classmates who she's become. Annabel was the queen bee, but her fall from grace changed her life forever. Zach was cruel, but he thinks he's changed. Robbie was a target. And he never stood a chance.
Their reunion will bring together friends and enemies, many for the first time in decades. But someone is still holding a grudge, and will stop at nothing to reveal their darkest secrets.

Because this book was told from 7 different perspectives It was hard to keep track of who was who and who they were in high school.
I didn't quite connect to any of the characters didn't have that wow ending which means that soon enough I will have most likely forgotten the contents of this book.

A character-driven psychological thriller, Who We Were is an exploration of regret, ruthlessness and revenge.

It all begins when Katy Buckley attempts to set up a 20 year high school reunion - and asks her former classmates to send updated yearbook entries, which would serve as a reflection of their current lives.

However, someone takes things to a new - and disturbing - level, brining a long-hidden grudge to light. And when one of the reunion attendees is brutally assaulted, it sends the characters into a tailspin: were the messages they've been receiving related to what happened? And who has been sending the threatening notes?

Who We Were is told from seven perspectives - all of whom were in the 2000 class of Macquarie High. The former students are all surprisingly relatable: none of them have found themselves where they expected they would be 20 years on, and their dialogue and interactions. feel like the kind of we have all experienced at some point or another.

Do you remember who you were in school?

This book is great - different personalities that make up a school going group, and each one is different, each one has a different way of remembering the past. There is a huge crescendo in this book that leads up to a big finale - you will not be disappointed!

A good book to take on holiday as it’s an easy read and not too demanding. That is if you can keep all the characters sorted out as you go. I liked the referring back to the original class book it helped to place what the students had been like twenty years ago.
The mystery is intriguing and quite original. I can’t offer any constructive criticism but it didn’t thrill me but I’m sure it will suit a number of others.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail, Viper and Profile.

A school reunion. 20 years after leaving school. An updated yearbook. I’m sure those of us who left school a fair number of years ago will relate to this book. How interesting it would be to see how the ‘popular’ girls and boys had fared in life since school. Have the quiet ones come out if their shells and blossomed?

Kate was one of the quiet ones. It was her idea to track down her classmates and show them she was now successful. She manages to find most of them but a few are harder to find including Robbie, who’s entry in the yearbook left no doubt he had no good memories of school whatsoever.

Kate asks for updates to the yearbook so she can have a new one printed. Letters and emails start appearing with ‘updates’ on their lives they would rather not share, and which have been sent by an unknown person, but who could possibly know such intimate details of their lives?

When one of the group is attacked and ends up in hospital in a bad state, they wonder if this attack was carried out by the same person who has been sending the emails and letters. Who could have such a serious grudge against them all?

The characters in the book are well written and we get to know most of them in depth. I guess most readers will relate to at least one of them.

The book was enjoyable although not quite in the ‘I couldn’t put it down’ category. I was gripped towards the end where the pace picked up and the culprit was revealed.