Absurd in a manner kind of akin to that goofy-fun aughts movie The Skulls. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

There’s been some well-founded criticism of this book that the story could easily have been made better given the premise and that it’s a bit ridiculous, but it’s also a fun read and well-paced.

It’s a bit odd that there’s no murder here, just buckets and buckets of blackmail involving some pretty far-fetched personal secrets as well as a sort of burn book type of item. It makes the stakes feel a bit low for the reader, though aside from some not-too-detailed sexual assault plot lines, that also makes it an easy and entertaining read.

I really appreciated that Brandon didn’t use this as a platform to trash sororities or the Greek system in general, acknowledging the problems that occur but also pointing out the good things about it as well.

And though there’s no real mystery (it’s kind of obvious who the villain is), the story keeps you engaged and the protagonists are actually all pretty likable.

Thank you Michelle Brandon ( @michellebrandonauthor ), Avon Books ( @avonbooks ), and NetGalley ( @netgalley ) for allowing me to read Rush Week (out now).

It’s Rush Week…no really, it is. And what a better way to supplement the #BamaRushTok videos than by reading this book.

Four estranged college friends, sisters in Alpha Delta Lamba, are heading back to their alma mater, the University of Alabama, for Rush Week, five years after their graduation. Returning not purely out of sisterly love, but because each is threatened with secrets they thought were buried.

Switching between them and now, we watch the girls live out their four college year and the current rush week.

A great read, especially during Back to School. Each of the girls had such a unique story, and I would have never guessed the blackmailer.

#RushWeek #NetGalley #MichelleBrandon #AvonBooks

This book was clearly giving nods to the influx of social media attention on “Bama Rush” from a few summers ago. This was what drew me in too, as I couldn’t help but think that the wild scenarios of Bama Rush were rife for literary exploration. I enjoyed the multiple POVs and getting to see the past and present, though I did sometimes have trouble keeping up with each new chapters time and narrative. This book was full of drama, complicated friendships, and lots of secrets.

The story is about 4 women who were in the same sorority in college who get a threatening message regarding their Spill Book from their college days. Now as alumnae, they are to come back to their former sorority house to deal with their past as a time capsule gets opened.

I DNF'd this. The concept sounded like so much fun. I did Greek Life at one point in time and was excited to read something scandalous. This wasn't that. The characters were so unlikable and unrealistic.

I also couldn't get past all of the Tiktok slang throughout. Is the recruitment week supposed to take place in 2020? This story is supposed to be 5 years after them going through the new member process and the flashbacks include things that were not popular until at least 2021. It was like the author based the book on all of the documentaries based on Bama Rush from 2022-2023 and random bits of Pretty Little Liars and Scream Queens.

Thank you, NetGalley for letting me read this ARC.

3.25/5

Rush Week by Michelle Brandon was an entertaining and overall enjoyable read. It reminded me of One of Us is Dead by Jeneva Rose and Mean Girls.

We are taken into the world of a group of 4 friends involved in greek life at the University of Alabama. It is told in a dual timeline in the present day and from 5 years ago when they were in college.

Each character has a different personality and secrets that they keep, making the storylines branch out in many different directions. The reasons why these friends stopped talking to each other after graduation come to the surface and are revealed through the Spill Book.

This book speaks to how you don’t truly don’t know someone completely. You only know how much they show and tell you.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Four sorority sisters return to their alma mater to circumvent the reading of the infamous "Spill Book" that could ruin them all! Sounds like a terrific premise for story, and I was hooked as soon as I read the description.

The story is told in multiple point of views, and with a now-and-then timeline, so it takes a little bit of time and effort to be sure whose voice you are reading. That was the first problem I had with this book. The content was exciting as they describe how much this scandal this Spill Book can bring to them, but I had to work to figure out who exactly was telling the story.

These characters, Taylor, Annabelle, Brooklyn and Asana aren't the most likable characters either with all their privilege, but they may appeal to the Tiktok crowd. I really thought that the opening of the time capsule seemed to be happening too soon and that some of this was far-fetched, but I decided I'd stay on the ride.

Overall, I liked the story content, but found that the pacing was a bit slow and dragged things down for me and the unlikable characters annoyed me. I did like the incorporation of today's technology and social media.

Let me start with this: I am obsessed with college setting books, and Rush Week fed my obsession like it was my last meal before Bid Day.

This book is a glitter soaked, secret filled rollercoaster of chaos in all the best ways. Think dark academia meets Mean Girls meets #BamaRushTok, but with way more secrets, sabotage, and scandal. I ate up every single page.

We follow four sorority sisters who thought they left their secrets back in their college days… until a time capsule (yes, with their confessions inside) is suddenly dug up, and someone’s threatening to spill it all. It’s deliciously unhinged. There’s blackmail, betrayal, sisterhood on the edge, and the kind of messy drama I live for.

Michelle Brandon nails the Southern sorority world: the big hair, the fake smiles, the old-money energy, and the desperation to protect your image, even if it means burying the truth. It’s wicked, funny, a little dangerous, and has a dark undercurrent that makes it more than just a fluffy guilty pleasure.

If you loved Big Little Lies but wished it was set during college Rush Week with a few dirty martinis and TikTok references thrown in, this one’s for you. I seriously need this to be a series, a show, a movie, anything. I’m not ready to leave the University of Alabama, or these girls, behind.

Five messy, scandalous stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book feels like a mix of Mean Girls and the scariest side of TikTok, sorority girls. The different POV’s worked for me but the rest of the story was a bit too slow for me.

This was a mix of Mean Girls and I Know What You Did Last Summer and I was confused through most of the book. I'd like to say that I have a really good reading retention when it comes to soaking them in and doing my reviews but for the most part this one left me with a feeling of "what the hell just happened" and not in a good way. I gave this one 3 stars because in theory it's a really good concept for a book but the execution was off. It was way too back and forth with the timeline which normally works when it's done just right but this one needed some transitional pieces. It definitely gave some interesting outlook on greek life and I was surprised that I wanted to know more. I will for sure be looking for similar types of books to this one.

DNF 34 percent this was not for me the writing was crass and not entertaining and it felt like the whole book was just written with the purpose of being over the top the story was barely there and really didn’t make sense. I would like to thank NetGalley for a chance to read this book for an honest review.

2.5/5

Four freshman meet at the beginning of Rush Week at The University of Alabama. They become fast friends, pledge the same sorority, and experience college life together, but hold some secrets very close. Five years after graduation, they are brought together again for Rush Week and to open a time capsule that wasn’t suppose to be opened in this lifetime. Someone knows all the dirty little secrets and is ready to spill them. Those secrets could end up being very costly.

Ripped from social media accounts and documentaries about sorority life, this book was full of entitled girls being mean, not to mention hiding some very juicy secrets in a “Spill Book”. It reminds me of nighttime soap opera. Campy, spicy, over the top. Dual time that I found at times hard to follow. The ending wasn’t as fulfilling as I had hoped.

Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you NetGalley for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fun ride! I enjoyed the before and after perspectives. This book follows 4 friends from their time in a sorority to now- 5 years later. It was interesting to see the character development and the fact that our past decisions come back to bite us.

3.5 Great premise and setting, strong writing, but it wasn't my kind of read. I was hoping for a more of a literary tilt in the storytelling, which is nothing against the author-- it's just not the type of book I'd pick up. But I'd certainly recommend it to readers looking for a juicy page-turning book!

A great premise but a lackluster novel, Rush Week was hugely disappointing. The plot was thin, the characters one dimensional, and the writing style difficult to follow.

Four Alpha Delta Lambda sorority sisters return for #BamaRush week five years after graduation. Back in their undergrad days, they each wrote their deepest, darkest secrets in a “Spill Book,” a book that went into a time capsule that they didn’t think they’d ever see again in their lifetime. But the time capsule has been exhumed and the Spill Book stolen, and the thief is threatening to expose all their dirty laundry on Bid Day.

If you’ve been a fan of #RushTok and its #OOTDs, the Bama Rush documentary, or Mean Girls (the “Spill Book” is very Burn Book coded), then Rush Week might be for you. It’s soapy, scandalous, and sometimes steamy, with salacious secrets running the gamut from a sugar baby, an Only Fans girl, and a jewel thief, just to name a few of the skeletons in these sisters’ closets. It’s juicy and entertaining, even if the big reveal didn’t have quite the impact I was anticipating.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me an advance copy of this book.

My friends daughter has recently attended a "SORORITY" college and from her stories, I know that this was hitting all the right marks. A fun, crazy ride that I enjoyed thoroughly

Five years after graduating, four former sorority sisters find themselves back on campus for the opening of a time capsule. When they buried it, their secrets were supposed to be buried forever, but now during Rush Week, those secrets are in danger of being exposed. The girls "Spill Book", a place where they kept their darkest secrets, has been stolen and someone is blackmailing them.

Rush Week feels like The Real Housewives of Greek Life and Pretty Little Liars had a baby. Fast paced and heavy on the drama, the premise of the book is interesting. The dual timeline flips from college years to present day and works in building up the suspense. I think my problem lies in the characters. They feel very stereotypical, catty, privileged and not likable. Then some of the dialogue can get to be a bit much and seem melodramatic. If you were a part of Greek life at all, some parts are just wildly exaggerated or flat out wrong. Overall, if you are in the mood for an entertaining, over the top, messy read add Rush Week to your list!

Thank you to NetGalley, Michelle Brandon, and Avon for this ARC! Publication date was July 22nd 2025.

I received this as an ARC, and it was not good. At all. I hate leaving bad reviews, but there isn’t much good about this book. None of the characters were engaging or relatable. They just really weren’t developed well at all, and neither was the plot. Normally I like the use of flashbacks, but here, it was just confusing. And the “Oh my Chanel” and “What the Prada” exclamations were cringy. I could go on, but that’s unnecessary and kinda mean.

I’m grateful for the ARC opportunities, I just wish this is something I could recommend.

This book is unlike anything I’ve read before. I definitely think there is a side to Greek life on college campuses that can be destructive and although fiction, I think this book provided a good depiction of that. Initially, each of these four women feel incredibly toxic and unapologetic in their behaviors. As the book progresses, they each have some redeeming qualities; we see that they each were desperate for acceptance and friends. I loved the story being told from the four different POV’s and in alternating timelines. The book kept me entertained and kept me guessing about how it would all unfold. Overall, it was an enjoyable, yet somewhat dark, read. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Oh my gosh, the TTTTEEEAAAA 🤯 Gossip Girl vibes crossed with academia set in the south was bound to be a disastrous win! Such a great pool read!