This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!

This was my first book by Kaira Rouda for me and it won’t be my last. I absolutely loved her writing style. This thriller grabbed my attention right away and held it till the end.

A juicy, twisty read! We Were Never Friends leaned more toward brat-pack drama than psychological mystery, but I was still fully immersed in this riveting train wreck of dark humor and bad behavior.

This suspenseful novel was set against the backdrop of a glamorous Palm Springs estate. It centered on a reunion of former Theta Gamma Mu sorority sisters, where old grudges and long-buried secrets erupted and turned the weekend into a storm of tension and drama.

Kaira Rouda has become a go-to author for me—I’ve read ten of her novels so far, eleven counting this one. I’m drawn to her sleek, sharp, and compulsively readable style. She blends dark humor with biting social commentary, adding a satirical edge that makes her stories stand out. Her prose is direct and conversational, giving her books a fast-paced, bingeable feel, but what keeps me coming back is the way she weaves in psychological tension beneath all the glossy drama.

We Were Never Friends hooked me with its juicy setup—a sorority reunion at a glamorous Palm Springs estate filled with tension, secrets, and Rouda’s trademark dark humor. The pacing was quick and addictive, making it easy to fly through, and the mix of flawed characters fueled plenty of drama. That said, the women were so unlikable at times that it was hard to root for anyone, a few twists felt predictable, and some subplots didn’t quite connect to the main story. Still, it delivered enough over-the-top intrigue to keep me entertained.

Overall, I’d recommend We Were Never Friends to fans of Kaira Rouda or anyone looking for a quick, drama-filled thriller laced with dark humor. It’s an entertaining read if you’re in the mood for messy secrets and sharp social satire.

Thanks Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary advance copy in exchange for my feedback.

This author’s books are hit or miss for me and this one was a hit. It was fast-paced and had really good character development. Definitely one of my favorites.

We Were Never Friends is the kind of book you pick up for “just a chapter” and suddenly realize you’ve finished half of it. It reads like a cocktail of Big Little Lies and Desperate Housewives, shaken up with a dash of dark humor.

The ending doesn’t tie everything up neatly, which may frustrate readers looking for justice or closure, but I thought it fit the messy, toxic world Rouda created. Some secrets don’t stay buried, and some friendships are better left in the past.

Verdict: A juicy, bingeable psychological drama about old friends, new enemies, and the dangerous lies we tell to keep up appearances. Best enjoyed in one sitting, preferably with a martini in hand.

Thank you, NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Kaira Rouda for this ARC.

This book was a tough one to put down. Friends who went to college and are somewhat forced to have a reunion because two of the rivals have children that are getting married. Beth's daughter is marrying Roxy's son, Beth isn't happy and Roxy is controlling everything. It seemed liked she was the typical mean girl in college and has only gotten worse now that she is married to money. Then you add Amelia and Jaime into the mix.
Felt like Amelia was a mean girl and Jaime was a follower. Beth should have stayed away from these toxic girls/women. Back to the reunion which is really an engagement party for the kids, but the kids kind of gotten forgot and end up as background characters. The women have drama and secrets that they are keeping from each other and when they all come out, it all blows up! Oh, I forgot to mention that a storm also decided to crash the reunion so that also added to the already crazy weekend. I also forgot to mention that the men in the women's lives are just as crazy as these women are. They must have had the most toxic friendship that I have ever read. I kept thinking this is a Lifetime movie! I need to see this on the screen! This is a must read if you like suspenseful books with drama and unlikeable characters!

**Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC of this book.

This book is basically a sorority sister reunion gone completely off the rails. Roxy, the rich and snobby sorority sister, decides to turn her son's pre-wedding event as a chance to reunite with the old crew. From the start, you can just tell it's going to be a disaster of an event. Roxy's new mansion feels eerily similar to the last place their best friend Sunny was seen alive, her marriage has strange undertones, and of course, secrets start bubbling up fast. Before long, someone is killed during a sandstorm, everything spirals into chaos, and then another sister is lost.

I loved the premise - messy sorority sisters reuniting years later as two of the sister's children are getting married to each other, with buried secrets and drama just waiting to explode. Unfortunately, the execution fell a little flat for me. The characters weren't as developed as I feel like they should have been, and I never felt truly connected to them. At times, it reminded me of those campy B-movie thrillers - fun and chaotic, but missing a little depth.

That said, I didn't hate it. The vibe was dramatic, chaotic, and had plenty of California sorority-girl energy. If you want a quick over-the-top mystery that doesn't take itself too seriously, this could definitely scratch that itch. And while this wasn't a five-star read for me, I'd still pick up something else by Kaira Rouda in the future.

I would give this 3.5 stars. This is my first Kaira Rouda book, and I will likely try another.

A son & daughter life event celebration for two of the characters brings "5" sorority sisters together again - Roxy, a wealthy over-bearing control freak, Jamie, a successful doctor, Amelia, a widowed DC socialite who was an univited guesst, Beth, the attractive and unassuming former scholarship recipient, and Sunny who was tragically lost during a college getaway. How well they all knew (or didn't know) each other back in college and in current day unfolds throughout the book, and the connection each had to the tragedy adds a phenomenal twist. The secrets from college as well as current day are revealed and none of the sisters leves the celebration as they arrived. The reader experienced a delightful bond between mother and daughter which is only strengthened in the process. Absolutely an entertaining, quick read - a popcorn thriller one might say.

Things I liked:
This was a really quick read! In a short period of time the author does a great job of developing the characters - from the start you have a good understanding of what they are all about. I like the popular approach of breaking the chapters up by character, and the flashbacks to the old sorority days were quick and easy to follow. The storyline was definitely entertaining. I was a fan of the secrets all of the characters had related to the tragic event from back in the sororoity days and how they were revealed throughout the book There was not a single lull in the book.

Things I didn't like:
Some of this was far fetched. When I got to the reference to the Hologram Machine, all I could think of was Scooby-Doo. The transition of the male characters, Ryan and Bret. from where they started to where they landed did not transition well for me. It happened too quickly. I felt like the author was really trying to rush the last quarter of the book. She seemed to give up on them and dumped them. Had the transition been slowed down and been a bit more realistic it would have been a 4 star for me. All of the questions that needed to be answered about Ryan and Bret we sort of dumped on the reader. The storyline behind Bret especially was good and unexpected, but the circumstances surrounding the transition by the end of the book, especially Ryan were unrealistic.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisened Pen and Kaira Rouda for the much appreciated and entertaining ARC!

Loved that this book had multiple perspectives as it made it a really good page turner and got me following it straight away and questioning what was happening next. Even the characters that were (unlikeable) were still intriguing and well written. I liked the style of writing but towards the end the book felt a little rushed and some of the twists I could see coming! Overall a great read and a big thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced reading!

I really enjoyed this one. The characters were very well drawn, often awful, but in a way that made them feel layered and complex rather than flat. That mix of glamour, secrets and bad behaviour kept me hooked, and I liked how the different points of view gave you little pieces of the puzzle as the story went on.

The plot itself was very readable. It had that pacey, “just one more chapter” quality, and while some of the twists were a bit predictable, it did not really matter because I was caught up in the drama and wanted to see how it all played out.

Overall, it is a fun, fast read with a cast of messy, complicated characters and plenty of tension simmering under the surface. Definitely one I would recommend if you like thrillers built on character drama.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this arc!

This was a nice little thriller told by the sisters pov. It has twists and turns and held my attention. It was a good Saturday afternoon thriller.

We Were Never Friends is a fast-paced, twisty domestic suspense that kept me intrigued from the start. Rouda has a way of making even the most unlikeable characters fascinating, and I found myself hooked on the messy drama. The alternating perspectives gave good insight into the tangled relationships and added tension. Some of the plot turns were over-the-top, but that’s part of the fun with a story like this. It definitely delivered that compulsive, bingeable quality I look for in thrillers. Overall, it was an entertaining read with enough drama and scandal to keep me turning the pages.

I absolutely loved the premise of this book and the blurb had me intrigued so I knew I had to request it. Unfortunately it did not like up to expectations for me. The twists were predictable, I actually got to the point I was sighing at how predictable it was. The ending was absolutely messy and it feels like they just threw a random person into the mix with no expiation on their origin. I liked the idea of multiple point of views but it got to the stage I had to keep checking who’s POV it was as they were all bleeding into each other and there was no major telltale on who was who. I feel this book had so much potential but the amount of inconsistencies were just too much for me to take it seriously. I’m sure someone will love this book unfortunately for me I didn’t enjoy it as I predicted it all.

What a fun read. Lots of happenings I didn't see coming. LOVED that the chapters were written in the different "sisters" voices. Easily recommned this one to readers of women's fiction.

Ahh this book was the perfect thriller palette cleanser I needed. * I was gifted this book in return for an honest review from NetGalley.*

We Were Never Friends starts off with Beth and her daughter Celeste, who is engaged to Beth's former sorority sister, Roxy's son, Zach- I know, keep up - And Roxy, who apparently enjoys being center of attention and flaunting her money, turns this engagement party into a reunion of sorts for the rest of their sorority crew.. minus one; Sunny who passed away on a Spring Break trip in college. AND the location for this gathering just happens to be a renovated home designed to look like the resort Sunny died at, and Roxy's husband is in the designer.

WOOF. Get all that? This book is a whirlwind and a very fast paced, need answers kind of read. It was unpredictable, creepy, spooky, and just a wild ride. I will be thinking of this book for a bit.. I look forward to more reads from Rouda.

What a crazy weekend that was. I wasn’t a massive fan of the inner dialogues of the characters, some of the writing felt a bit clunky to me. But I enjoyed the overall story and it was a nice easy read. Thanks NetGalley for this arc!

I really liked the multiple POVs and the writing style. It made for a very quick and easy ready. However, Very odd book with very odd characters and pretty boring twists, unfortunately. Beths meekness and general 'better than everyone, not your typical girl because I'm poor and morally better' got annoying really quick. Through all the drama her daughters safety was an afterthought each and every time. What do you MEAN you arent calling the police when her safety is directly impacted?! He is literally stalking your daughter but youre just going to ignore that? Alright.
The party was for her daughter and fiance, yet they barely feature, being entirely 1 dimensional characters.
Jamie was boring, a character that added nothing. Roxy & Amelia at least had a little spice in their characters, although entirely unrealistic. I usually don't see any plot twists coming, yet seen almost every single one in this book.

I really wanted to love this, but it just fell flat for me.

This was a great read! I loved how it kept me in the edge of my seat and all the twists and turns it portrayed. It would be interesting to see what happens to the characters in another book.

This was a fun quick read for lovers of bottle episodes of series - you know when the characters are basically confined to an enclosed space, bottled up tensions and drama comes out. The book was that - featuring Housewives of Beverly Hills type characters. All of them deeply unlikable, but you still felt compelled to stick to the story. All this is paired with decades-old feuds and a murder mystery.
I loved the concept but had some slight issues with the delivery. The conversations felt rather stilted just simply not the way people talk. I felt that we got some of the info several times - the book could have been about 50 pages shorter.

All in all I had fun, thanks to the author for providing me with the opportunity to read this book!

Review of We Were Never Friends
This book had a lot of promise, and I was really enjoying it at first. The atmosphere and setup drew me in, but it quickly started to feel repetitive—like the constant reminders that the house looked exactly like the hotel. After the third or fourth time, it felt unnecessary, as if the story was just circling back instead of moving forward.

What disappointed me most was the ending. It didn’t feel complete—the weekend wrapped up, but the storylines didn’t. What happened with Ryan? With Roxy? And the Sunny lookalike—there was one line from her perspective, then nothing. That thread just disappeared. The lack of closure left me unsatisfied, like the book just stopped instead of finishing.

Overall, it had potential, but the repetition and incomplete ending really held it back for me. I was disappointed because I really enjoyed it until it just stopped in what felt like the middle of the book