3/5 stars
One word for this... DRAMA!
I dont think there was a page without some drama of some form, so much to unpack! A murder mystery with a... ghost? Not what i was expecting! Seeing how everyone is connected together was interesting and slightly addicting. not my usual kind of book, but i enjoyed it!

Thanks to netgallery for this ARC!

We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda is a suspenseful story with characters that really grow on you. When former sorority sisters gather for an engagement party past secrets are revealed. Plenty of drama enfolds and old wounds are uncovered.
A few old rivalries also flare up as the weekend progresses. A mystery from the past, which comes to light, makes for a good thriller.
This was a fun story with twists and turns and a few 'who dunnits' that kept me reading into the night!! A really great book!!!

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an amazing read. This just shows you can't change the past nor can you continue to live there. This book is about four sorority sisters that have come to celebrate two of their children's engagements. The problem is the house that it takes place at and the hosts and hostess. Lets just say that this book is amply named. I really don't think any of these folks were ever friends at any time.

We we start off with Beth, she is the girl that had no money, but she did have a scholarship and she had a brain. Beth also had the daughter that is engaged to Zach. Beth is a single parent as her husband is dead. The way Beth got into the sorority was with her best friend Sunny Spencer. Sunny insisted that they came as a packaged deal. After all they shared a dorm room together and that's how they became best friends as well.

Then we have Roxy, she was the Queen bee. Or at least she sure thought so. She was the former reigning sorority president. Roxy still thought she was today as she became the hostess to this engagement party for, you guessed it, her son Zach and Celeste.

Then we have Jaime, who is now a top cardiologist but harbors a deep dark secret that no one knows.
Then have Amelia, she is the widowed wife of a senatorand has new money and a new play boy and she has come to crash the party for the weekend.
Then we have have Sunny, and the entire story is really formed about her. She was a lovely person and lets just say that Ryan was in love with her, that's why twentyfive years before tradegy struck.

I have to say this is a fantastic book and I really thank you to Kaira Rouda this is my first book of yours that I have read an yes I will be reading your other books.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Poisoned Pen Press for the early read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ — We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda

This was definitely an enjoyable, drama-filled read. Think rich lifestyles, backstabbings, and plenty of juicy secrets waiting to spill. There was even a slight spooky element woven in at first that had me curious to see where it would lead.

It’s fast-paced and fun, and I flew through it. That said, the ending fell a little flat for me—I was hoping for more closure to tie everything together. Still, if you’re in the mood for a quick, drama-heavy story with lots of tension, this one delivers.

✨ Thank you to Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for my early reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

We Were Never Friends is an addictive and unsettling thriller that sets the tone from the start. The story unfolds over a weekend engagement celebration that doubles as a reunion for a group of sorority sisters and their families. Old rivalries resurface, past secrets haunt the group, and the tension continues to build with each revelation. Some twists are a little predictable, but they pile up in ways that feel deliciously dramatic. The characters are the highlight, especially the twisted, villainous ones that Rouda writes so well. While Beth felt a bit flat compared to the rest, the shifting alliances and dark motives made this a solid closed-room mystery that kept me hooked.

We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda opens with an intriguing setup: a privileged coastal community where everyone has secrets, and appearances matter more than truth. I was immediately interested in the layers of drama and the way the story highlights ambition, power, and the darker side of suburban life.

While the premise is strong, the execution didn’t completely work for me. The pacing dragged in places, which made it hard to stay fully engaged, and most of the characters were so unlikable that I struggled to care about the outcomes. I was also hoping for bigger, more shocking twists, but the reveals felt quieter than I expected for a book in this genre.

Overall, I would give this one 3 stars. Readers who enjoy slow-burn domestic suspense with messy characters and community drama may connect with it more than I did. For me, it was a solid idea that didn’t quite deliver the level of tension I look for in a thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Roxy, Amelia, Jamie, and Beth are four sorority sisters who are reunited to celebrate the engagement of Roxy's son to Beth's daughter. The party is at Roxy's desert home, which is eerily similar to a hotel they had their senior year Spring Break at twenty-five years ago. A spring break they can't forget because a horrible tragedy occurred, and now no one is comfortable staying in Roxy's home because of the similarities to the hotel. If the home doesn't creep them out, then the creepy ghost sightings, a dead body, and getting trapped in the house by a dust storm and encroaching fire might do the job. This book is packed full of petty drama and a lot of secrets. It's told in short chapters that keep this book moving at a fast pace. If popcorn thrillers with jawdropping twists are your perfect read, then make sure to add this one to your tbr.

The title and description sounded fun — sorority sisters back together as adults and secrets come out. This could have worked if these women were close in college or had established any sort of bond, but without that the stakes felt low. I don’t believe this is a spoiler you learn it from the start.

The other main issue is that every one is extremely unlikeable. It wasn’t fun to read when everyone is awful. I read the whole thing and was annoyed the entire time.

And don’t get me started on the reveal.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc. for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Sorority sisters reunite to celebrate the engagement of two of their kids who found love. When they arrive at the Palm Springs home, everything seems too familiar. It brings them back to 25 years ago on Spring Break when something terrible occurred. With an amazing cast of characters, Kaira Rouda has you questioning everyone and everything!

Palm Springs. A sorority reunion. Champagne flowing. Secrets boiling. And two women, Roxy and Amelia, who could single-handedly destroy a country club with one well-timed smirk.

These two? Walking disasters in designer heels. They don’t just stir the pot; they yeet it across the room. Every scene they’re in is like watching a reality TV catfight in slow motion, and I couldn’t look away. Were they likable? Not even a little. But were they entertaining? Oh, absolutely.

Now, plot-wise, this had potential for full-blown, locked-room thriller greatness. Old friends reunited, a suspicious death, ghostly whispers, and a literal fire trapping everyone in a mansion? Gimme. But instead of jaw-dropping twists, we get soap-level drama, more “The Real Housewives of Palm Springs” than Gone Girl.

By the end, I had more questions than answers, and not in a fun, solve-it-yourself kind of way. Still, it’s a fun, bingeable ride perfect if you’re in the mood for scandal, ego, and chaos disguised as a classy celebration.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. I came for the suspense, but stayed for the mess.

Recently I found new interest in reading thriller books therefore it lead me to this ARC copy from NetGalley.

This book follows 4 ladies who used to be from the same sorority house and are back together to celebrate the union of their offsprings. This reunion/ celebration was meant to replace the bad memories with happy ones but things don’t go exactly the way it was supposed to be.

I finished this book so quickly and thought that it was quite an easy read. Some parts felt alittle repetitive especially when there are 4 ladies expressing their point of view over the incident that has left a huge scar in all their hearts. Also as they introduced each character, they somehow kept repeating how much the decor reminds them of the hotel they spent that horrible spring break holiday.

I think as a thriller, it didn’t bring as much suspense as I expected. I kept reading to see where the huge twist will be. Yes, there was some twist but it wasn’t major enough to test the strength of my heart.

The ending was not very satisfying. I think the writer could have made Ryan a lot more psychotic. The girlfriend that looked like Sunny was quite anti-climatic. I can’t seem to feel the hate from Ryan if he really truly blamed Beth.

Lastly, as a mother, why would you let your daughter continue dating a stalker’s son?!

When a group of sorority sisters have a reunion as two of their kids are engaged, everything that could go wrong does.

This is one of those stories where everyone has something to hide and weird things just keep going wrong.

As much as I found the premise and events a little bit hard to believe, I also couldn’t stop reading. I was hooked into the chaos and the events that spiralled out of control. I had to know what happened and who did what.

If you don’t mind chaos, unlikeable characters and events that feel a bit out there, this is a great read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC.

This was a quick popcorn thriller and I appreciate it for what it was. The characters were all somewhat intolerable and obnoxious and I wasn't fully invested in them. But Rouda knows how to keep a story moving and keep those pages turning!

** spoiler alert ** First off, thanks Netgalley for the ARC.

I haven't read anything by this author, I've honestly never heard of her, but I saw the book on Netgalley and thought it sounded interesting, so I signed up for it.

The premise was good. The storyline had it there to be an awesome book, but it fell a little flat for me. There was too many POVs for me, there was secrets being spilt left and right so it didn't really make them hit so to speak because it was one right after the other with no real follow up or solving. The ending just happened without all the questions being answered. Maybe the book was too short and needed to be longer so it could be explained better?

Some of the characters were good, and the overall premise of the story had me, it just didn't really go over the way it should of.

What was up with Zack at the end? He seemed awkward about literally everything. Why was he so weird about calling Beth her name?

Why was Ryan relatively fine the whole time and then at the end, had gone batshit crazy?

Like I need more for the story to feel complete.

I’m not exactly sure where to go with this one but this just was not for me. All of the characters were intolerably annoying and I found myself several times during reading saying “who talks like this in real life?” Just generally entirely unlikeable characters, an unrealistic storyline, and a difficult read. I enjoyed the idea of the premise but really just didn’t like this one.

We Were Never Friends follows a reunion of sorority sisters over a weekend celebrating an engagement - a reunion that goes very south very quickly. Secrets and lies from sorority past surround a tragic accident(?) are unveiled and some are not who they seem to be. Sometimes secrets don’t always go to the grave.

WWNF was a fast paced and thrilling but easy read. The drama that unfolded between this group of friends seemed never ending and as they revisited what happened between them all those years ago in college, I was quick to put two and two together. I enjoyed this read but I will admit that there were some hits and misses for me. While I liked the different perspectives of the characters, it revealed some of the plot relatively fast, and there was a lot of info dumping all at once. I would’ve loved a slower pace to create more suspense.

I tried to get invested in the characters but beyond being sorority girls in their hey day I felt we didn’t get too deep a look into them - making it hard to relate or find some of them (Roxy, Amelia) likeable - aside from Beth who was probably my favourite character. I was still gripped by the mystery that unfolded and am looking forward to reading some more work by Kaira Rouda!

If you’re into messy friendships, ruthless characters, and thrillers that feel like a train wreck you can’t look away from, this one is for you. I devoured it.

I enjoyed this book, I read it in one sitting. The plot had a lot of unexpected twists and turns. Nothing is as it truly seems. I took a star off because it doesn't seem realistic in the situation of Celeste finding out that Zach was essentially sent to find and meet her (as part of Ryan's plot - although she didn't know about that) that she wouldn't be creeped out about it and then mad that he likes about just innocently meeting her. The ending with everyone just fleeing seemed odd too, especially Roxy leaving with Jamie and Greer randomly 🤷🏽‍♀️

Thank you net galley and publisher for this ARC. This book had lots of twists and lots of secrets revealed.

3.5⭐️
First off the book cover is gorgeous!

It was an intriguing read about college sorority sisters who reunite for two of their kids engagement party after 25 years. The reunion takes place at a location that eerily resembles the spot where one of their friends, Sunny drowned in a pool during their senior year of spring break. This tragic incident has haunted them ever since and the reunion brings back old memories and secrets each one carries from that night of the drowning. As the story unfolds each sister reveals their role in Sunny's death leading to a tangled web of lies and betrayals. The book is full of suspense and drama, but one plot that made me lower my star rating is the death of a guest, how it was handled and everyone just went on with the party like nothing. Like who does that lol, Overall the book is captivating with plenty of twists.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest thoughts. I appreciate the opportunity. All thoughts are my own.