I think this is my new favorite Kaira Rouda book. I was hooked from the first page. What could go wrong at an engagement party/sorority reunion? Turns out - everything. There was so much drama and so many secrets and I just ate it all up. And despite the murders and secrets, there was a very sweet mother/daughter storyline that I really enjoyed. This book is a fast-paced, fabulous popcorn thriller. I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley for this arc. And as always, thanks to Kaira Rouda for writing such an engrossing book!

Kaira Rouda has done it again!

Meet 4 college sorority sisters of Theta Gamma Mu as they gather together for a weekend to celebrate the engagement of Roxy's son to Beth's daughter. Let the party start!

Very fast-paced with quick chapters keeps the reader engaged and wanting to see what happens next!

We Were Never Friends is full of surprises, twists, and turns with some very dark outcomes. I read in one sitting as I just couldn't put this down.

Loved it!

Thank you POISONED PEN and NetGalley for the ARC.

This was a fast paced “popcorn” thriller with lots of drama, dark humor, and unexpected twists. I appreciated the short chapters and I love a book with multiple POV’s. Definitely add this book to your TBR!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. Rouda books are always great and this fast paced juicy one was no different.

This was a binge worthy read!! When sorority sisters reunite for a weekend to celebrate the engagement of their children, Celeste and Zach, they get more than they bargained for!

The cast of characters in this book was so fun! Frenemies showing up years later to create more chaos. A decades old “accidental” death of one of their sisters is reexamined and the truth comes out for that fateful night 25 years ago.

When I tell you that I couldn’t put this book down!! Rouda has a way of creating these diabolical characters that keep you hooked!

This book is thrilling but a bit unrealistic. Sure, we've all experienced high-school level drama, but not like this, and in adulthood? Just a little too dramatic for my tastes.

Hmm… okay, let’s start with the positives—because there are a few bright spots worth spotlighting.

This is a fast-paced, popcorn-worthy read that practically flies by in one sitting. The drama? Sky high. The pacing? Blazing. And if you’re a sucker for locked-room mysteries like me, you’ll find yourself flipping pages just to see what twisted little surprise is around the corner.

Now, let’s talk about the true stars of this high-octane sorority showdown: Roxy and Amelia—two unapologetically narcissistic, drama-churning, villainess-level characters whose egos are so inflated they could float over Palm Springs. I couldn’t stop laughing at their ridiculous POVs, their claws-out cattiness, and their ability to completely derail a party with just a smirk and a champagne flute. Over-the-top? Absolutely. But wildly entertaining? You bet.

That said, the mystery itself feels more like a bubble bath of soapy twists than a gut-punch thriller. The character development is a bit thin, and while secrets and confessions swirl around like a storm, they rarely hit with enough force to shock. It all feels a little too daytime drama at times—more “reunion special” than “true crime doc.” I also found the ending somewhat underwhelming, with too many loose ends and questions left unanswered (and sorry, I don’t enjoy filling in the blanks myself).

Plot-wise: The setup is juicy. Roxy Callahan Greer—a ruthless, relentless queen bee—is throwing a 25-year sorority reunion and engagement party for her son Zach and his fiancée Celeste (daughter of her former sister and outsider Beth Harrison). It’s 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.

Beth, the smart-but-always-second-best scholarship student, shows up with caution in her eyes. Jamie, the golden girl turned top cardiologist, brings her perfect husband in tow. But then comes the uninvited Amelia Dell—a fiery redhead with a toxic smile, a boy toy on her arm, and a vendetta that could torch the whole weekend.

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. A sandstorm and nearby fire trap them in the house, turning the luxurious celebration into a locked-in whodunit—complete with potential ghostly revenge.

Who’s guilty? Who’s innocent? And will they make it out before the truth burns them all?

Despite the promise of an eerie, twisty thriller, the execution didn’t quite land for me. It leaned a little too hard into soap-opera theatrics and sacrificed depth for drama. But still, I was hooked enough to keep going—thanks to the laughably awful, scene-stealing antics of Roxy and Amelia, and the breezy structure that made it easy to power through.

So I’m rounding up my 2.5 stars to a generous 3 stars—for the sheer entertainment value of its deliciously detestable antiheroines and its bingeable, drama-packed plot. Not my favorite of the author’s works, but a light, fun read if you’re in the mood for a salty sorority spectacle with a murder twist.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for sharing the digital reviewer copy of this upcoming mystery with me in exchange for my honest thoughts—I truly appreciate the opportunity! Looking forward to the author’s next work, hopefully with more grounded characters and a sharper mystery punch!

Kaira Rouda is the queen of duplicitous characters, dark humor, and twists you can't see coming! I couldn't put her latest, We Were Never Friends, down! I loved the multiple povs and the short chapters kept me totally hooked! There were some fun easter eggs to her past books, too, that I enjoyed. The Palm Springs setting was also lots of fun. Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the early reader. copy!