As soon as I saw sorority girls in the description, I knew this book was written with me in mind and I was totally here for it. Kaira Rouda delivers a juicy, sharp, and totally addictive ride with We Were Never Friends, and I devoured it in one sitting.

This book is part sorority reunion, part murder mystery, and fully packed with twisted secrets, passive-aggressive perfection, and women who know how to hold a grudge. The Theta Gamma Mu sisters are all grown up, but their drama? Still absolutely unhinged. From the overly polished hostess to the boozy widow to the picture perfect cardiologist with a skeleton or two, I was living for every catty exchange and buried bombshell.

What I loved most was how Rouda plays with memory, female friendship, and the roles we cling to, even decades later. The story moves like a slow-burning fuse, and once the secrets start unraveling, you’re locked in. And let’s be honest: this Palm Springs mansion setting? I could practically smell the overpriced perfume and fake sincerity.

Add in one seriously creepy callback to a tragic Spring Break and you’ve got a dark, satirical, twist-filled mystery that proves not all friendships were built to last.

Rich women behaving badly? Always a yes for me. And this one hit all the right notes: layered, biting, and wicked fun.

3.5/5

I really liked the premise of this book, I thought it sounded so dramatic and fun and just like a tv show I would absolutely love to binge.

This follows a bunch of sorority sisters who have a little reunion together later in life and they have had to deal with real-life adult stuff over the years. But their drama and dynamics remain the same.

I think that this might be strange to say, but I really wish that this book was longer so that I could really get more detail and depth. This could've been so much juicier and I really wanted that. I think that this story needed more time and depth to truly built those dramatics and make it even more climactic. When I finished this book, I was just left wanting more. I did still have fun with this book and I do think that a lot of people will be entertained with it and have a good time. So I definitely would recommend it.

And like I said at the beginning, this feels just like it could be a really great and dramatic tv show. And I would very much like to see that happen. I think that would be so much fun.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

Always a favorite of mine, Kaira Rouda has upped her game with her latest, We Were Never Friends. Right out of the gate, this one starts with a bang. The fast pace makes you breathless and keeps you gasping at the twists.

Sorority sisters come together to celebrate the engagement of two of the sisters' children. What ensues is a chaotic showdown as a result of a tragedy that occurred during their university days. As they turn against each other, the secrets, cover ups, and lies told in the past come spewing out. They will stop at nothing to inflict as much pain and damage as they can.

The story is told through the multiple perspectives of the sisters, and the chapters are short and totally bingeable. Most of the characters are unhinged and totally unlikeable, which makes a great storyline even greater. There are lies, secrets, duplicitousness, and narcissism. So much narcissism it made me laugh. This is a definite must-read, and if you haven't read Kaira Rouda before, do yourself a favor and check out her other mind blowing suspense novels.

Thanks to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy

We Were Never friends is a fantastic popcorn read, written in accessible language, with lots of characters and reality TV style drama.

The gist of the story is that Beth is horrified her daughter Celeste is getting married to her old sorority sister Roxy's son. The engagement party will be held in Roxy's Palm Spring home, which her husband Ryan has decorated after a resortwhere their friend Sunny died twenty-five years ago.

The book was definitely a beach read for me. Perfect for people who enjoy a fast read with lots of characters and dialogue!

This book has more drama than a Bravo show.

However, it was still a solid read. It was a quick, popcorn thriller with so many twists and turns that it was extremely easy to read in one sitting. As one who does not like locked room books (yes, and I keep reading them) at least this one was enjoyable. The thriller aspect wasn’t as thriller-y as I would have liked and some of the characters were just too much for me.

If your looking for a quick, entertaining read - I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

College sorority sisters (Roxy, Amelia, Jamie, and Beth), gather at the lavish home of Roxy and Ryan Gentry. Who would have believed that Roxy’s son Zack, and Beth’s daughter Celeste would meet and fall in love. They are all gathered, along with the memory of Sunny who tragically died while they were in college, hoping to reconnect and celebrate this couple's engagement.
But it is quickly apparent that the book title definitely applies to these women. Even though Sunny is no longer with them, her presence is felt everywhere in this house. Why? All will be revealed.
Roxy and Amelia were selfish, self-centered, and basically rotten to the core. When I wasn’t shaking my head at their incredibly oblivious behavior, I was, well, rather shocked by what each of them would do to get what they wanted. A page flipping beach read for me, with so many secrets and lies that come bubbling to the surface.

Roxy calls upon her sorority sisters for a twenty-five reunion in her husbands renovated home in Palm Springs. During spring break one of their sisters died in a pool at a resort in Palm Springs. None of them have returned to area for that tragedy has caused much grief for them all.
…
Roxy’s son and Beth’s daughter are celebrating their engagement at the Gentry House with the sorority sisters. Instead of it being about the lovely couple the sisters become sidetracked as the traverse dangerous territory into the buried secrets of that night during their senior year of college.
…
To make it even more eerie Ryan decorated the home as a shrine to honor Sunny who was his girlfriend at the time. Everyone is creeped out by the familiarity of the decor.
…
From the moment the sisters enter the room it’s obvious these sisters are not friends. They are caddy and self-servicing women. The night of Sunny’s death proves how callous these sisters are.
…
This is a character driven story amongst four sorority sisters. The more time spent with each person reveals cracks in the foundation of who they were in their college years. The blame of that night stretches far and wide leaving everyone at the Gentry House shocked by each revelation. It was a wild ride of confessions. The layers of lies was unexpected. Kaira Rouda navigated a decent route through the secrets of these sisters. I’d venture to say it was scandalous what these women were up to.

You never really know what’s gonna go down when old friends come back together, especially when there’s history and secrets involved. This one moved fast and had so much going on, I was hooked from the start. The tension, the twists, the unraveling truths… it kept me flipping pages nonstop. Because let’s be real here, no matter how deep you try to bury it, the truth always finds a way out.
Big thanks to the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts!

We Were Never Friends follows a group of Sorority sisters who get together years later to celebrate of engagement of 2 of their children. One of the sister's died mysterious at a vacation retreat, or did she? There have been several sightings of her
Secrets are exposed, people die and questions arise! Kaira Rouda's new book will keep you in suspense till the very end! 4 stars

What a deliciously messy, twisty ride! We Were Never Friends is basically the sorority reunion from hell; secrets, old grudges, and plenty of backstabbing packed into one deadly weekend. I couldn’t look away from these unhinged characters and their drama filled pasts colliding in the worst (and best) ways. Perfect if you love your thrillers sharp, scandalous, and dark humor. Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

You just never know what's going to happen when old friends gets together. This was a fast paced book that had so much going on. Truth will always come out..

Thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for a early release of this book.

Kaira Rouda is the QUEEN of popcorn thrillers, and her books are one of my favorite guilty pleasures. She does crazy perfectly and her downright awful, devious, salacious characters always keep me entertained. This bingeworthy tale about a sisterhood of fake friends and the lengths these women will go to keep their secrets was truly disturbing. I knew from the beginning that some of these sisters couldn't be trusted, but I didn't expect my jaw to drop to the floor so many times. Unbelievable! I flew through the pages like Superman on a mission and devoured this book in about four hours! I would have liked more of an epic ending, but I enjoyed this story regardless. If you're a fan of Rouda's, I think you're going to have loads of fun reading this book. I would definitely recommend this one!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

We Were Never Friends is aptly named. These women say (and do) things to each other that no real friend ever would.
The story follows a group of sorority sisters on a reunion weekend to celebrate the engagement of two of their adult children.
Once they arrive, they realize the location is eerily similar to the place where one of their sorority sisters died 25 years ago.
I didn’t find the book unrealistic because of what happened, but because of how the characters spoke to one another. It just didn’t feel natural. I can’t help but think a stronger edit could’ve made a big difference.
Loved the cover, though!

I really wanted to like this one because it sounded right up my alley. Ended up not being what I was hoping for. It is very fast paced and an easy read, I'll give it that. I felt like there were a lot of characters but honestly, they all kind of blended together and I had a hard time keeping things straight. Nobody really stood out to me. I had a hard time getting into this one and I'm bummed about it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Shout out to my good friend Angie for recommending i run and grab a copy of this book while they were available! The synopsis definitely sounded like a wild ride so I have no regrets.. also the book cover is extremely pleasing to my eyes, it’s giving summer thriller aesthetics and I love it.

So who this book would appeal to: anybody who loves a quick read, a fast paced book that jumps you straight into the action and keeps moving at a quick speed tempting you to just finish the read in one sitting because the drama keeps coming and doesn’t let up, essentially this is for my popcorn thriller lovers who are invested in the tea and the petty drama.

Roxy and Amelia are the queens of drama, they are catty, bitchy, egotistical and seem to hold so much power in their manicured hands, and im here for it. Obviously their characters were detestable but in the best way that leaves you entertained from your hate for them 😆 This is essentially the plot of the book, dont go in expecting a deeply psychological thriller, this is very much surface level murder mystery style with a few twists, but fun nonetheless.

This works well as a palette cleanser read or something in between heavier themes.

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Kaira Rouda for the #netgalley #gifted copy!

Publishes : February 3rd 2026

Sisters by name. Strangers by choice. And now?

Twenty-five years ago, they ruled campus as the glittering it girls of Theta Gamma Mu. Now, four former sorority sisters reunite for an engagement weekend hosted by Roxy Callahan Gentry, the perfectly polished queen bee who's committed to curating the illusion of a perfect life.

The guests include:
Roxy, the flawless host with a ruthless streak and a guesthouse full of secrets
Amelia, the old-money widow with a younger man, a mean streak, and a fully stocked minibar
Jamie, the picture-perfect doctor who’s hiding more than just her prescription bottle
Beth, the outsider-turned-success story still carries the weight of everything she wasn't
In spirit also is Sunny, the golden girl who once held them together—until her shocking death tore them apart

But when the celebration turns deadly, and the home is nearly identical to the hotel where one of their own died during Spring Break all those years ago.

What really happened to Sunny that night?
Why were they all so desperate to forget?
Who invited revenge to the reunion?

#kairarouda #posionedpenpress #wewereneverfriends

Like many, I will read anything Rouda writes as she never disappoints! In this one four Theta Gamma alums reunite--for an engagement party-- in. Palm Desert where one of their "sisters" drowned years ago. Of course they all have different memories of that and now--with husbands in tow--they must "make nice" as it's a celebration! Vacillating in time, the novel details their friendships, their jealousies, and the need to be the center of attention. It's one I flew though at warp speed as Rouda hooks you from the first page and never lets go until the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

When I get a Rouda book, I drop EVERYTHING because I know I will lock myself away for hours to read it. She always delivers a fun story that is DELICOUS, DEVIOUS, ENTERTAINING and must be DEVOURED!

We were never friends, “We were sisters”. Theta Gamma sorority sisters share secrets, jealousy, old grudges, murder, tension and frankly some mean girls! When they went their separate ways after college, they never imagined they would EVER see each other, but when two of their children get engaged, the sisters are brought together again.

The sparks fly and the chaos continues!

I think Kaira Rouda just became the queen of popcorn thrillers! I could not put this down!

Sorority sisters reunite at an engagement party for their kids, Celest and Zach. It just so happens to take place in a house that looks eerily similar to the hotel they stayed at during their spring break trip 25 years ago where one of their friends “accidentally” died.

What could go wrong? I think the answer is everything. Plan to pick this one up and not be physically able to put it down until it’s done!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! This was wild!

Sorority sisters, Beth and Roxy, reunite for a weekend to celebrate the engagement of their children, Celeste and Zach, Roxy, mother of Zach, also invited sorority sister Jamie. Then uninvited Amelia shows up! This is all happening at her newly renovated, over-the-top Palm Springs estate, eerily similar to the hotel where their friend Sunny died decades ago. Coincidence? Of course not. Cue: mysterious ghost sightings, drunken confessions, secrets that should’ve stayed buried, and a suspicious death that throws them all back into a familiar nightmare. The story leaned a little too hard on soap-opera theatrics and sacrificed depth for drama. But, I was hooked enough to keep going. This book is a light, fun read if you’re in the mood for a salty sorority spectacle with a murder twist.

#netgalley