The premise of the book sucked me in right away—as a fan of the old ABC Family show Greek—but as I moved through the book, it fell a bit flat for me.

The book alternates between the past and present (then and now) of four best friends and sorority sisters: Brooklyn, the social media and soccer star; Annabelle, the legacy and perfect Southern lady; Asana, the New York it girl with her family's empire, connections, and money at her fingertips; and finally Taylor, the one and only leader of the self-proclaimed BATA clan. Since the story hinges on the secret contents of the "Spill Book" it only makes sense that each chapter begins with a secret from one of the four girls from their college days, a fun and clever way to keep interest throughout the book. That said, the ending seemed a little anticlimactic for me...

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for this ARC!

A salacious tale of sorority sisters gone very, very wrong. Kind of like a grown-up version of Sweet Valley High, it's great for fans of Desperate Housewives, #RushTok, and Lie to Me.

These four sisters of Alpha Delta Lambda go way beyond the ordinary level of sorority scandal, and are downright felonious. Three of them come from very privileged backgrounds, while the fourth is on scholarship and desperately trying to keep up with the rich girls. Five years after graduation, they return to Bama for rush week because they're being blackmailed about their filthy secrets, which they had voluntarily written down in a notebook while they were in college.

Let’s start with the cover: I really didn’t like it. There were so many creative directions that could’ve better captured the tone and themes of the book, but this one just didn’t land. It felt like a cheap design choice that tried to be clever but came off as tacky.

I was initially intrigued by the premise — a group of sorority sisters returning to campus during Rush Week after being blackmailed, grappling with a resurfaced “Spill Book” and long-buried secrets. I did enjoy the drama for a bit, but it got pretty tiring about halfway through. I found myself struggling to connect with the characters. The story is told through four POVs, alternating between “then” and “now” in short chapters. While that structure had potential, the characters were poorly developed and often made frustrating decisions that didn’t make much sense. I had a hard time sympathizing with any of them. Their lack of depth made it difficult to get invested, and their behavior often came across as exaggerated or shallow — truly awful at times.

This book felt like the author just typed away without putting much effort into research, relying instead on surface-level stereotypes of Greek life. And adding The Machine storyline wasn’t all that necessary, just felt like an add on that wasn’t really well thought out even though it’s a real thing at Alabama (if you’ve ever went down that rabbit hole, you know). It read like someone who thinks they know how sororities and fraternities work because of TikTok. The writing lacked nuance and authenticity — just vibes and tropes.

The characters, supposedly in their mid-to-late 20s, either acted like they never grew out of their teen years or way too old for their age. It was inconsistent and often cringey, making it nearly impossible to engage with the story.

The pacing dragged at times, and honestly, the book could’ve been 50 to 100 pages shorter. I’d read a chapter or two, feel drained, and have to put it down. What started a promising read quickly became repetitive and exhausting. And the ending? Uneventful, anticlimactic, and totally unsatisfying. There was no real buildup or payoff — just a quiet fizzle instead of any meaningful reveal.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘮 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸 | 𝘈𝘷𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦-𝘈𝘙𝘊. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.💐ᡣ𐭩

There are reasons that I'm not on TikTok and don't understand BamaRushWeek or whatever.
There's also reasons that I wasn't part of Greek life. during college.

I lived in a house in the middle of Greek row called "POG" - Piss on Greek.

This story is full of dumb girls, doing dumb things, to make dumb friends.

Nah.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

A world of rituals, rules, traditions, promises, friendships, and trust are compromised when the past collides with the present. Four Alpha Delta Lambda graduates return "home" older, wiser, and some living a not so "picture perfect" life. When their deepest and darkest secrets once buried and left behind are soon discovered it will threaten to destroy their lives and legacy. One word of advise...when putting something into a time capsule ask yourself...what would you do if someone discovered it while you were still alive?

If you liked Pretty Little Liars, Gossip Girl, and are familiar with the Mean Girls Burn this dual timeline story takes you into the depths of Rush Week at Alabama University packed with plenty of drama, suspense, secrets, and spice. In a world where everyone is watching don't believe everything you read or hear, and be careful who you trust. Everyone has a price...what's yours?

This book was one with an amazing premise. But while I LOVED the Bama vibes and the campus setting, the plot fell a little flat for me.

In full disclosure, I’m a Bama Law grad. I love the campus. I love Greek life and Greek drama and gossipy books about the 1%. But I kept waiting for some HUGE reveals given all the foreshadowing, and this just didn’t deliver. I found it to have many plot holes, a disconnect between the MC’s campus lives and the time that passed between student life and their reunion, and a wholly unrealistic epilogue.

Overall, I really enjoyed parts of this, and if you go in expecting that there will be plot holes, it might be a better result. It was a fast read!

⭐️ 3.5 stars
If you like rich girl drama, gossip, and secrets then this is for you. I enjoyed the sorority aspect of it because sororities always gave me uncomfortable vibes, so paired with a mystery was very fun. There are a lot of secrets and a lot of now and then but the story at times dragged on to me. The reveal was a bit lackluster after everything but I still enjoyed the way there.

Thank you to William Morrow Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

Rush Week by Michelle Brandon had the potential to deliver a gripping blend of campus drama and suspense, but ultimately left me underwhelmed. The mystery element—centered around secrets and scandal within the world of Greek life—was the strongest part of the book and the main reason I stuck with it until the end. Brandon does manage to craft a few moments of genuine intrigue, and the final reveals provided some payoff for the buildup.

Unfortunately, the rest of the novel didn’t quite hold up. The characters felt one-dimensional, and much of the dialogue and plot seemed more concerned with surface-level drama than any meaningful development. The portrayal of college life leaned heavily on clichés, making it hard to connect with the story or take it seriously. At times, it came across as more style than substance.

While the mystery salvaged some interest, Rush Week ultimately felt like a missed opportunity. A more grounded approach and deeper character work could have elevated the story beyond its glossy exterior.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for a review.

As a girl who went to Alabama and specifically decided not to rush there I can see how some of this was so accurate and a lot of times where stuff seem conflated and overblown. At least I hope it was exaggerated.

I was in a sorority at another University before I transferred to Alabama so maybe that’s why this book wasn’t really for me but I can see how it’s interesting and different.

I went into Rush Week with high hopes—sorority secrets, alumnae drama, and that #BamaRushTok buzz had me hooked. Michelle Brandon delivers on juicy twists and a clever blackmail premise, and the alternating past-and-present chapters add suspense.

But in the end, the timeline jumps felt clunky, a few plot threads dragged, and some characters stayed too close to trope. It was perfectly serviceable, just not as binge‑worthy as I’d hoped for. Still, if you’re into Greek‑life intrigue and dark humor, you might find it more satisfying than I did.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

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.