Two best friends for 10 plus years, Emily and Kristen enjoy taking yearly exotic trips together. On their current trip to Chile, Emily returns to their room on their last night and finds Kristen has killed Paolo, the cute backpacker, she took back to their room. Kristen claims it was in self-defense. Now this is not the first time they find themselves in this position. A year earlier, on their trip to Cambodia, Emily was in a similar situation. They find themselves once again trying to cover up a murder committed on foreign soil.

When they return to their homes, Kristen acts like nothing really happened but Emily is struggling. With Kristen acting so strangely, Emily does some digging and finds out things she didn't know about her so called best friend and starts to question everything she ever knew about her.

This was a fantastic book. It was suspenseful and I thought the ending was brilliant. I will be recommending "We Were Never Here" to my friends.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Kirsten and Emily are best friends who meet once a year and travel to a new exotic location. Until their last two destinations leave dead bodies behind. While Emily slowly is haunted, Kirsten seems not to be affected. Emily is trying to forget what happened so she doesn’t sabotage her relationship with a new man but Kirsten seems to be determined to monopolize Emily’s time. As Emily gets more uncomfortable with her friends motivations she begins questioning the past and realizing she may not know her friend as well as she believed. 
The authors previous novel “ The Herd” was one of last years most buzz worthy books.  I found the wrap up a little contrived but I enjoyed the crazy girl vibes and it has me side eyeing acquaintances.

When death strikes Emily and Kristen’s annual reunion trip, it seems like a violent tragedy.

But when it happens again the next year, that’s can’t be a coincidence, right? Last year on their annual reunion trip between best friends Emily and Kristen, another backpacker ended up dead. This year, Kristen killed a cute backpacker in self-defense after he attacked her. Both deaths were oddly similar.

Once back home, things don’t go back to normal, especially not when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit. Kristen is Emily’s closest friend and she like they knew each other better than anyone else, but now she’s wondering if they know each other at all.

And. Ok. I freaking loved this! Twist after twist! The last line of the book had the wheels in my head turning. Also, I love reading about crazy, toxic friendships/frenemies and Emily and Kristen definitely fit that category.  I haven’t read any of Andrea Bartz other books, but I’m definitely checking them out now.

**Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this. Review to be posted on goodreads and blog two weeks before publication date

We Were Never Here is tension-filled, compulsively readable thriller that explores the bounds of female friendship. While on a backpacking trip in Cambodia, Emily and her best friend find themselves covering up a murder committed in self-defense. When they end up in similar position the following year, Emily begins questioning Kristen’s unsettling behaviors, revealing troubling truths about the past. I found Emily to be a highly relatable character as she struggles to cope with past trauma; however, her naivety regarding Kristen was very frustrating. Plotwise, there are some pacing problems, particularly in the middle of the book, but the story really takes off in the second half. Although predictable at times, I ended up enjoying this unnerving tale of obsession. It reminded me of some of my favorite classic stories about dangerously codependent relationships. Thank you to Random House - Ballantine and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

A creepy look at friends who are involved in an assault and murder while backpacking that becomes a stalking and a question of how well you know your so called bestie Builds tension throughout with well drawn characters. An easy read but gets a little convoluted towards the end.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Wow, Andrea Bartz continues to put out solid thrillers! 

Two friends, Emily and Kristin have been lifelong friends, they reunite for a trip to Chili when an incident changes their lives. Both girls have troubled pasta and as they navigate through their lives are becoming unhinged and out of control. 

I thought I saw the end coming but I didn’t. Such a great book! 
Thanks to NetGalley for my advanced ebook copy.

I enjoyed the book. What a ride. Everything was so relatable in the way you feel like it could easily happen to anyone. 
The opening scenes in Chile, I felt like I was right there. I loved the background story with Cambodia. There was a mystery to the book with the friend Kristen. I kept turning the pages, eager to see the drama unfold.

Emily and Kristen are the very best of friends.  They’ve had each other’s backs since meeting in college and have grown closer through the years, even more so after Emily is assaulted on one of their girl’s trips.  So when a year goes by and they take another trip and Kristen is assaulted, is it really just coincidence?  And how these two best friends handle the aftermath of the assault, did they really NEED to do what they did, or is Kristen manipulating events to keep Emily close?  I thought this was a really good read, great description and characters, with a lot of insight into Emily’s thoughts and feelings.  I wish the very last page would’ve been left out (I just always hate when authors have to try that one last twist), but aside from that, I thoroughly enjoyed!

Special Note:  Thank you from the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to finally have a refreshing and unique plot for a thriller. Immensely enjoyable and hard to put down. A must read!

I really enjoyed this book. I think Bartz is definitely an up and coming suspense author. This book centers around a friendship that could either be endearing or toxic. As the book unfolds, the reader is forced to decide is this is a friendship to be adored or is something more sinister happening. The ending comes as a shocker!

Despite being able to see where this was heading very early in the story, I still enjoyed it.  I can't say too much more without spoiling the plot but I can say that some of this was CRAY CRAY as the kids say today.

Kristen and Emily are the best friends every woman yearns for. They’ve been with each other through it all, literally for better and for worse. 

Everything seems just peachy until the girls set of on yet another international adventure, and commit another murder. 

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Is Emily the fool, being played by emotionally disturbed Kristen? Or, are things even darker than you could ever imagine?

I can’t wait for others to finish the book so we can discuss. There’s so much to talk about with this one!

This book centers around friends Kristen and Emily, who have a decade under their friendship and also...two accidental murders done on their international travels.

Without giving away the plot, certain, significant parts of the book felt inevitable, like there was only one solution, which made the book predictable in some ways. Still, it was a book you want to read to see how it all shakes out.

I enjoyed the beginning and especially the end, but the middle was like walking through mud, slow and tedious, and I found myself skimming as Emily yet again thought about her past, her family, etc. That was repetitive and could’ve been trimmed down, even though if Emily was real she’d likely be ruminating nonstop.

Having read all of Bartz’s novels, I’d like to see her explore a topic other than codependent toxic female friendships—all of which involved murder. I was a bit let down to see that her *third* book was about this subject, so here’s hoping she moves on with her next book.

I read Andrea Bartz’ The Herd last year and liked it, I think, more than most. It wasn’t my favorite, but it was enjoyable and I had a fun time reading it. I hoped to get a similar experience out of We Were Never Here.

The book starts with a familiar premise. The protagonist, Emily, is an average woman, about to turn thirty, with a job she likes but doesn’t love and bad luck with romance. Her best friend, Kristen, is more attractive, more charismatic, and more exciting, but nevertheless showers Emily with constant attention and support. All is well until Kristen gets Emily in serious trouble that could end with both of them in jail. I’ve seen versions of this dynamic in other female-focused mysteries and thrillers, so we’re not exactly breaking new ground here.

That said, the setup to this story – roughly the first quarter of the book – was very well-written. Bartz transported me to Chile with her detailed descriptions and lush imagery, and I thought she handled the death that kicks off the book, Kristen killing the backpacker in self-defense (not a spoiler, it’s in the synopsis of the book), and the aftermath perfectly. This was, in my opinion, the best part of the book: getting to know Emily and Kristen, witnessing their idyllic Chilean vacation take a turn for the macabre, learning what happened the last time they took a trip together, seeing how Emily handles it.

But this book was something of a roller coaster, because the next quarter was easily my least favorite part of the book. We’re introduced to Aaron, who’s nice and inoffensive and lacking in substance in the way that almost all male love interests in female-led mysteries and thrillers are nice and inoffensive and lacking in substance. Completely two-dimensional and boring. And Emily’s feelings for Kristen were so inconsistent, from extreme devotion and dependence to wanting to put distance between them and continuing to waffle back and forth between the two. Emily’s feelings and reactions in general were inconsistent during this part of the book.

Roughly the third quarter of the book is where it started to get good again. I thought I had fully figured out what was happening and was impatiently waiting for Emily to catch up, but then Bartz started throwing curveballs. She took advantage of Emily as a sort of unreliable narrator to make me question her interpretation and, in turn, my interpretation of events. As she gradually upped the ante and started painting Emily into a corner, I was completely on edge and couldn’t stop reading.

And then the book ended on a lukewarm note. Parts of it I saw coming, parts of it I didn’t. I’m always torn when it comes to mysteries and thrillers; on the one hand, it’s not very much fun when you predict the ending, but on the other hand, too many authors go out of their way to write an unpredictable twist ending and it ends up coming out of nowhere and not making sense with the rest of the book. Bartz managed to do neither but also sort of do both. I don’t know if that makes any sense, but that’s how I left the book feeling.

Overall, an entertaining read that was about what I expected having read The Herd. I would pick up another book by Bartz in the future if I’m in the need for something quick and thrilling, but she won’t be making it onto my list of favorite authors.

I have read and LOVED all of Andrea Bartz’s prior novels so I decided I would go into We Were Never Here completely blind!  Such a good decision!!  Andrea Bartz is a master at creating an intricate storyline that’s unputdownable and I think this gem could quite possibly be my favorite from her to date!  I am usually pretty good at predicting the outcome of thrillers and this novel totally stumped me— love that!  I aways have people texting me asking for summer book recommendations and We Were Never Here will be at the very top of that list this summer!  In a year when grabbing a book to “escape” has become more essential than ever, I highly recommend We Were Never Here to everyone!

Really wonderful book. It took me a bit to really get into it, but oh boy once I did I could NOT stop reading. Thank you Netgalley!

3.5 rounded up
Good characters but bizarre relationship/friendship.  Loved the premise of the story, rather scary.  Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

What the actual heck did I just read??  And I mean this is the most awesome way ever!!!!  OMG talk about a mind F***!!  We Were Never Here focuses on two friends Kristen and Emily.  Sometime ago, Kristen moved to Australia and her and Emily reunite once a year for a trip.  The story picks up with them in Chile. and  there is a incident that changes their lives. 
 Oh I so want to give more away about but the book is not due to come out until the summer and OMG its so so so awesome.  I mean this book totally grabs your attention and doesn't let it go.  Kristen and Emily are such interesting characters.  Especially Kristen as you try to make sense of her and what her motivation is.  You can actually say the same about Emily. Both girls come from not the greatest pasts.  Emily doesn't really get along with her parents and Kristen's parents were killed in a fire when she was younger.  I mean what a pair.  What a story.  This is a thriller as it seems like Kristen is becoming slowly unhinged and Emily is also loosing control.  Honestly, I thought I knew how it would end, since all the signs pointed to it, but the end!  OMG the end.  It leaves you with soooo many questions! 
Thank you so much to #Netgalley, Ballantine Books Random House Books for the ARC.  This was amazing!!

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This was a fun and entertaining read that I expect to see a lot of this coming summer. The author wrote The Herd which was another psychological thriller. Her writing kept me on the edge of my seat, wondering about Kristen and her mysterious past. I will recommend this book to friends looking for a quick, enthralling read!

Emily and Kristen, best friends since college, love to travel together. Unfortunately, people keep dying on their trips. After the second time it happens, Emily begins to wonder just how well she really knows Kristen. As Emily begins to explore Kristen’s background, she finds even more bodies. Can Emily find a way out of this friendship- alive? 
Andrea Bartz has written a fast paced, thrilling adventure. You can feel the fear and paranoia throughout and it was a hard book to put down. Emily’s perspective was the perfect one to write from and it kept the reader guessing through out. I am so happy Bartz has two other books for me to read!