This book is about a group of sorority sisters that had a reunion. secrets from the past were reveled and tragedy struck at the place they were staying. Connections from the secrets of the past start to come to light. This book has good twists and turns. overall, a good read, kept my attention but one of the characters bugged me as she was so whiny and that took away from the story a bit for me.

3.5/5.
this book was not bad at all, i think there’s some parts that could be better, like the memories parts; i wish they were like separated or with a different font, it was hard to understand sometimes. it was surely entertaining, the plot twists were good!

While it was an easy, light read, the ending felt a bit too predictable for my taste.
It’s one of those books you enjoy in the moment — simple, cozy, and fast-paced — but I’m not sure it’s one I’d revisit.
That said, sometimes that’s exactly the kind of read you need: low-stakes, low-stress, and just enough intrigue to keep the pages turning.

This addictive and witty thriller by Kaira Rouda offers a thoroughly engaging and suspenseful reading experience. I was immediately drawn into its compelling premise, which explores a sorority reunion weekend where old rivalries and long-buried secrets come to a head.

The narrative focuses on a group of former sorority sisters: the meticulously planned hostess, Roxy; the sharp-tongued Amelia; the seemingly perfect Jamie; and the always-an-outsider Beth. Their reunion at a location eerily reminiscent of a past tragedy involving their late friend, Sunny, serves as the perfect backdrop for their long-simmering tensions to erupt. As I read, I felt the palpable drama and suspense, wondering what shocking secrets each woman was hiding and what really happened all those years ago.

The book maintains a steady, intriguing pace, with layers of deception and past scandals being revealed with a clever, darkly humorous tone. The suspense is expertly managed, keeping me consistently invested in the character dynamics and the unfolding mystery. While some plot developments might feel like a fun, dramatic train wreck, the overall execution and the clever spin on the revenge thriller made for a very satisfying experience.

I appreciated the author's ability to craft a story that is both a thrilling mystery and a deep dive into toxic female friendships and suburban drama. It's a solid choice for those who enjoy psychological suspense with a compelling cast of characters and a wicked sense of humor.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

This was quite a fun summer read. The setting in Palm Springs really set the tone for the reunion of sorority sisters with big secrets! Whilst it was quite far fetched and sometimes the dialogue was unrealistic, I enjoyed the different characters and how the different personalities clashed. A fun, quick summer thriller!

I loved every aspect of this book. I was mad a lot and then happy and then and again. I was waiting for stuff to happen and I’m so glad my guess was correct!!! Definitely by far one of my favorite reads this year!!

I know exactly what I am getting from a Kaira Touda book; a great escape from Real Life, and over the top story and at least 1 character you love to hate. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I have read different books from this author and loved it I’m a big fan but this book was a different kind of vibe a bit slow paced but good !!!


Meet the sorority sisters of Theta Gamma Mu:

Roxy Callahan Gentry, the ruthless former sorority president and current hostess who has painstakingly choreographed every detail of this weekend—even matching the cocktails to her couture—to prove that she remains their undisputed queen
Amelia Dell, the widow drenched in old money and alcohol, with her big pot-stirring spoon and uninvited boy-toy in tow
Jamie Vale, the double-legacy pledge, straight-A student with no sparkle, now a top cardiologist with a picture-perfect family—and a well-guarded bad habit
Beth Harrison, the scholarship student who never quite fit in and was only admitted because her best friend Sunny insisted that the two were a package deal
Sunny Spencer, the carefree and beloved friend to all, or so it seemed—until she wasn't
They've been summoned to Roxy's luxurious Palm Springs vacation home to celebrate the engagement of her son to Beth's daughter. But the refurbished 1920s estate is eerily reminiscent of the hotel where tragedy struck during Spring Break twenty-five years ago. Long-simmering tensions and shocking secrets begin bubbling to the surface like bodies—because while the weekend was supposed to be about celebrating the future, it's not so easy to bury the past…

For fans of Shari Lapena, Mary Kubica, and B. A. Paris, We Were Never Friends is an unputdownable, riveting train wreck full of dark humor and bad behavior.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is a new to me author. Sadly, this did not work for me. I was glad it was short and a quick read. It is a super twisty turny thriller but with so many characters and a ho hum plot, I found myself not caring about it at all. I did read it a few hours.

Celeste and Zach are getting married. And they are the kids of sorority sisters. Ryan and Roxy are Zach’s parents and Beth is Celeste’s. A group of sorority sisters reunite together for a celebration. Back when they were in school one of their sisters died mysteriously and it has haunted each woman for different reasons ever since. As the weekend continues the newly renovated property has eerie resemblances to the place that their sister - Sunny died. Amelia and Jamie also are along for the weekend. Things start to happen- a death, weird sightings, documents left around , a weather issue impacting their ability to leave and each woman struggles to keep their secrets about that night secret. Ana what’s with Ryan who was the boyfriend of Sunny before she died all those years ago. As the weekend continues so does the intrigue and the secrets start flying out. We find out exactly what happened and why and everyone played a part. I enjoyed the character development and how the story played out. I am huge Kaira fan and this did not disappoint.

Well.. I’m not sure if I read the same story as some of the other reviews.

To start with the positives:
This was a popcorn thriller. Quick, easy read and had several twists and turns. The premise was enticing and I hung on to the end.

Here’s where I struggled:
While this was quick, it was only 216 pages and because of that the timeline felt very rushed and made the story unbelievable. The characters were pretty one-dimensional and there were just a lot of things that didn’t make sense to me or seem near as emotional as they could have been because the story was so rushed.
The writing was also a struggle for me. It was just a bit more juvenile than I’m used to reading.

Overall, I just wasn’t feeling it. I’d try again with another book to give a 2nd chance but if the other books are like this then they probably aren’t for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing this book, with my honest review below.

I’ve found Kaira Roada has written some of my favorite thrillers, with We Were Never Friends carrying a slightly different vibe while still being as interesting as her others.

Focusing on three sorority sisters who never wanted to see each other again - especially at the renovated house of one which eerily looks like a hotel where an event took place that drove them apart. When a fourth sorority sister comes to visit the weekend, which was meant to focus on the upcoming wedding of the kids of two of our MCs, all bets are off that this will go well.

These ladies are still connected by Sunny, whose death occurred years ago with each carrying a secret that sheds light to the circumstances surrounding it. Sunny is meant to be the light that draws people like moth to a flame but I wish we spent some more time getting to know her (and seeing our MCs in the past). Without this it was harder to care about the explosive secrets, though they were salacious. I do hope Beth’s daughter comes to her senses and Ryan’s own secrets are revealed, but besides this and some thrills I wasn’t able to get as engrossed in this story as I would have liked. If you like Kaira Roada already you know you’ll get a fresh story with all her books, and I will say this one doesn’t change that.

Kaira Rouda knows how to keep you entertained and this was juicy!! I read this in one sitting and it was just one secret after another. For about 90% I was glued but I felt the ending was a bit abrupt and lacked the usual shock ending her books typically have. Still a fantastic popcorn read!

I did not like the majority of the characters in this novel and the plot had some plausibility issues. The book was well written and had decent pacing but was overall just okay.

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Soriety sisters- friends or enemies?
They meet at Roxy’s home in Palm Springs to celebrate her son and Beth’s daughter’s engagement.
The strange thing is the house has been remodeled to look like the motel where Sunny drowned. What’s with that?
Tension and secrets come out causing accidents to happen. Is this a celebration or what?

3 stars. I enjoyed it, but didn’t love it. It kept me interested but the characters weren’t lovable.

Wow. What a fast paced thriller. I truly enjoyed this book and could not put it down. There were so many twists and turns that were unexpected. It was truly a unique story about sorority sisters sharing a secret and their role in a tragic event 25 years earlier that impacted the present. I recommend this book to all mystery lovers.

Perfect summer beach read, or porch read, or vacation read! Psychological suspense that’s subtle throughout the story, then jumps out to grab you by the throat near the end. This book explores superficial relationships formed by circumstances, by shared experience rather than by true values and then implodes those friendships in the space of a weekend years later. Will definitely be reading more by this author!

If you like fast paced, soap opera "Days Of Our Lives" type drama thriller, this book is for you!

I actually really enjoyed the story itself, and I read this in one day! Although some aspects of the book were a bit predictable, there were also alot of twists and turns you don't see coming thrown into the mix too!

Some parts were rushed through which made the characters reactions to certain important sub plots seem a bit unrealistic, but all in all, this was a fun ride!

⭑ ⭑ ⭑ ⭒ ⭒
3.5 stars

♰ One thing about me? I’m always going to eat up some catty drama. If a book has people fighting, throwing jabs, being messy and unhinged? I will love it. And this book delivered.

ᝰ.ᐟ I really, really enjoyed it. The drama between the girls? Excellent. The suspense of slowly discovering what kind of evil each of them had done? Delicious.

ᝰ.ᐟ The plot basically follows a woman named Beth, whose son is getting married to the son of her old sorority sister, Roxy. So obviously, Roxy invites the whole old crew to stay in this house… except the house is an exact replica of the hotel where their old friend, Sunny, died. 👀 Yeah.

ᝰ.ᐟ From there, secrets start unraveling. We start seeing who really did what, and how Sunny ended up dead and let me tell you, everyone had dirt.

ᝰ.ᐟ I loved the drama. I loved the mess. I loved watching everything unravel. The only reason this isn’t rated higher is because the ending felt underwhelming. I just know Zach isn’t going to be a good husband and Ryan… ugh, Ryan was such a bitch and somehow faced no real consequences for anything he did. It didn’t feel satisfying.

ᝰ.ᐟ As for characters

ੈ𑁍 Beth
Sorry. Insufferable. Miss “morally superior” when we all knew she wasn’t perfect

ੈ𑁍 <b> Roxy </b>
I liked her… until I found out she baby-trapped Ryan and Practically SA’ed him

ੈ𑁍 <b> Jamie </b>
Indifferent at first, but honestly? Impressed by her reveal. She carried herself.

ੈ𑁍 <b>Amelia</b>
Queen. Icon. My favorite. She was nosy, messy, unapologetic, and I loved her for it. I was so shocked by her final reveal. Though it should’ve been obvious

ᝰ.ᐟ Overall? This was fun. It was messy. It was dramatic. It gave. The ending dipped a little, but the ride was good enough that I didn’t care.

ᝰ.ᐟ Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.