FABULOUS! This gave Mean Girls meets Greek the TV show meets One of Us is Dead! I loved every page of this book!. Loved all the betrayal and secrets. I want more!!

3/5 Stars – Fun Concept, Mixed Execution

Rush Week by Michelle Brandon has an entertaining premise—college drama, secret alliances, and the high-stakes world of Greek life—but the execution doesn’t quite live up to its potential. The book starts strong, with a fast-paced introduction to the characters and setting, but loses momentum as the plot unfolds.

Some twists land nicely, and the dialogue feels authentic, but the character development falls a bit flat. A few emotional beats are rushed, and certain plotlines could’ve used more depth or resolution. Still, there’s enough tension and drama to keep you turning the pages, especially if you enjoy campus-based stories.

Overall, Rush Week is a quick, engaging read with flashes of brilliance, but it doesn’t fully rise above the genre’s tropes.

I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

A dark academia twist on Greek life and loyalty. The sorority setting is pitch-perfect, with enough secrets, manipulation, and rivalry to keep things juicy. Michelle Brandon doesn’t shy away from exploring toxic friendships and the cost of ambition. It’s not a light read, but it’s a binge-worthy

2.25/2.5 ⭐️

eeeekkkk. this just absolutely did not land for me. I.. I wish i loved it as a greek life stan and a sorority sister I was really excited to read this and the fact that it’s marketed as a thriller I was like YES let’s do it.

well… I had a lot more issues with this book than positives and I probably wouldn’t recommend it.

This took me so long to get through. The plot is very minimally there. I felt like I was reaching a drama or contemporary fiction a lot of the book but then every so often you’d have the scene that leads you to believe the thriller advertisement but overall it felt like there was too many minor stories that the major one kind of got lost.

A lot of the main plot points felt really unbelievable. I understand the stigma around Sororities, Fraternities and their alumni but I would say a lot of the events were pretty far fetched.

Overall, I was really disappointed in this. Sorry! It just wasn’t for me.

If you go into this book seeking an easy, dramatic mystery based in "Rush-Tok" greek life dramatics, you will be happy with this book. If you are seeking something deep, emotional, or a dive into 'the machine' and behind the scenes of greek life, you will be disappointed. This was a quick, somewhat silly read with a couple of plot holes. It skims the expected amount of sorority-esque drama and the buzz of rushing, but does not really develop the characters and their relationships to one another in a way that feels honest and timely.

This was chaotic, but fun still. I felt like it was a little long for the plot that was actually happening. I felt like the character were hard to get into and honestly were a little hard to tell apart initially. The ending was anticlimactic. :/

I really wanted to like this one, but it ended up just okay for me. I saw the appeal of the Bama rush storyline, since that topic has become quite popular now on social media during back to school, but it just didn't execute well. It was fast-paced and easy to read, but never really wowed me or had me on the edge of my seat with suspense/twists.

Loved the premise of the book especially after following BamaRush on TikTok. I think this book is a fun beach read but some of the plot was just too unbelievable, the characters a bit too unlikeable and forced (they are 26 but the writing felt like they were 40!).

Rush Week follows the BamaRush craze by placing a mystery into a group of sorority alumni during homecoming week. If you like YA thrillers and hate followed the BamaRush hashtag on TikTok, this book is for you.

I received a free copy of, Rush Week, by Michelle Brandon, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Annabelle, Brooklyn, Asana, and Taylor were sorority sisters, now they are back at their alma mater University of Alabama, for rush week. I could not get into this book at all.

Rush Week was well written and fun to read. Each girl had her own issues she was hiding from the group and it was quite a ride uncovering them. Would have loved more detail about Greek Life, but it's always fun getting a glimpse into that world. I was not super excited that the black mailer was Lily Walker, it just seemed weird that a mom would do that to her own daughter.

I thought this book had an intriguing premise, but it didn’t really work for me in the end. I was drawn in by the idea of sorority sisters revisiting their past during Rush Week and the suspense of the stolen “Spill Book,” but I felt let down by the execution. The drama-packed story promised dark humor and scandals, but I found myself struggling to connect with the characters. I felt like the characters were poorly developed and made frustrating decisions that didn’t make sense to me. I had a hard time sympathizing with their actions, and their lack of depth made it difficult for me to fully invest in their stories. While I appreciated the attempts to explore themes like friendship, secrets, and redemption, I felt like the characters’ behavior often came across as exaggerated or shallow.

Overall, I thought the book was okay, but it didn’t leave a strong impression on me. I felt like the characters’ actions and motivations were too far-fetched, which made the story less engaging. It might appeal to readers looking for light, over-the-top drama, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

Rush week was a valiant attempt at capitalizing on the "Bama rush" craze of recent years, but it unfortunately lacked meaningful character development or plot fluidity. It was an easy, light fast-paced read, but I found it to be bogged down by cliched and inorganic dialogue, unlikeable characters, and a plot I could not get invested in.

Its giving... Pretty Little Liars and Mean girls had a baby during rush week with SO much JUICY DRAMA!
I absolutely love the fact that we get to read an entry from "The Book", before every chapter begins because they are always SUPER JUICY and SCANDALOUS.
I also enjoyed how we got to flip-flop between past and present of all 4 of the FMC's, so we could see how the were back in their college days compared to their lives currently.
Its a tad-bit confusing at first at first while trying to keep up with 4 different ladies as well as their past and present, but hold tight because as you read, it gets alot easier to follow.
& I absolutely love how everything tied up at the end.

Disclaimer: i have NEVER attended college, therefore i also never experienced the "sorority life"... well, except through #BamaRush tiktoks of coure. lol. BUT if its anything like what is in this book... I am glad i never had the chance to experience it. In fact, i would consider myself one of the lucky ones! lol.

I want to thank NetGalley, Michelle Brandon, and Harper Collins for my ARC copy, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you !

This story peeked my interest when seeing a juicy, drama filled story loosely based all that we love from Rush Week on TikTok and honestly some of the stereotypes we would expect from a novel about sororities. This story follows a group of new Alabama sorority girls over the course of years and in the future while they are trying to keep their secrets and mishandling from coming to light. It overall was very surface level without much depth, characters you could take or leave and an overall plot line that fell flat. There wasn’t much development, a little too base din stereotypes and lacked a plot line that wrapped it all up nicely by the end.

This was a cute, funny story that definitely is for fans of Rush TikTok! I felt like the characters were a bit cartoonish and unlikeable, but it held my interest.

Secrets, lies and drama are in no shortage in this entertaining Mystery Thriller.

This book felt like I was watching a dramatic sitcom, everything was a little over the top but it worked really well with the characters and plotline. The alternating timelines (past & present) and multiple POVs was a nice touch and something I really enjoy seeing in Thrillers.

I'll definitely checkout future releases from this author in the future.

Thank you Michelle Brandon, Net Galley and William Morrow for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Rush Week by Michelle Brandon was definitely not for me. The rich self-entitled characters who rationalized all their bad deeds as being acceptable because they were rich and members of a sorority did not sit well with me. The excessive sex and sexual assault did not sit well with me either. Perhaps I am not the demographic they were looking for as I thought this was a book would be a cross between Mean Girls and Legally Blonde but it is more Real Housewives of Alabama. It is a bit crass and self indulgent for me, with very little mystery and suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy.

2.5 rounded up to three. As a former sorority girl I was so excited to read about bama rush and the machine, but this just didn’t deliver. First of all, the reason for stealing the “spill book” made no sense to me. I mean really? Also, the ending? That’s it?

The characters were really shallow and I didn’t like any of them. I don’t know if this was rushed, but I think it could have been better? It’s obvious the author did a nice job researching some of the Bama rush videos etc. but that was about the only pro for me. Wish I liked it more!

SYNOPSIS: 4 former sorority sisters are meeting back up to welcome new members into the sisterhood. But that’s not the only reason they are all back. Years ago their pledge class wrote their deepest darkest secrets in a “Spill Book” which wasn’t supposed to be unearthed for another 100 years. Surprise! It’s been dug up and someone wants to dish secrets!

As a former sorority girl myself, I couldn't wait to dive into this one! This felt like Pretty Little Liars meets Bama Rush. Each chapter is told from a different POV and then also alternates between present day and back when the girls were in college, This book does deal with a lot of subjects that could be triggering to some to some, including s*xual a**ualt, drugs, drinking and hazing. I loved that the author let us in on the secrets of the 4 girls with their entries into the books as chapter headings. The stories all intertwine and remind the girls what brought them together in the first place. So much drama to get wrapped up in and perfect for a summer beach read!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC!

Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025