We Were Never Friends

By: Kaira Rouda

Narrated by: January LaVoy, Hillary Huber, Tara Sands, Patricia Santomasso

Sisters? Forever. Friends? NEVER. Who knew a reunion weekend could be so deadly?

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.

I should have skipped this one

I read the reviews and saw that several people said that they didn’t really enjoy it, but I decided to try it anyway. It’s hard to leave a review when there is such little depth in a book. I usually enjoy this type of story, but definitely should have skipped this one.

Meh

I’m a sucker for college reunion books. The blurb for WE WERE NEVER FRIENDS sounded like a perfect fit for me.

Former scholarship student Beth’s daughter is marrying former queen bee’s son bringing together invited and uninvited former sorority sisters.

Told from multiple points of view, Beth was the only somewhat-tolerable former sister.

The over the top resolution felt anticlimactic.

Good starter thriller

📕 BOOK REVIEW 📕

📗 We Were Never Friends
✍️ Kaira Rouda
📣 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3/5


We Were Never Friends is a twisty, popcorn thriller with a whodunit vibe that kicks off when a dead body is discovered in the same place where, 25 years earlier, a sorority sister died during spring break. It definitely gave me Desperate Housewives and Mean Girls vibes — messy friendships, buried secrets, and plenty of drama simmering beneath the surface.

The story takes place at an engagement party for two former sorority sisters’ children. It felt a little odd that the only guests were other sorority sisters from 25 years ago, which made the setup seem somewhat forced and random.

When a sudden dust storm rolls in and traps everyone together, long-buried secrets begin to surface. There were entertaining moments, and is packed with drama, and constant reveals. The writing is pretty simple, making it a quick and easy read. However, at times random events felt thrown in or unrealistic, and I occasionally struggled to keep up with all the characters and details. By the end, I was left feeling like a few too many questions went unanswered and still thinking…WHY are these people here together?


One thing that really stood out as strange was that after a body is discovered, they bring it into the house and lay it in the living room under a sheet until the police arrive—then continue with the engagement festivities as if nothing has happened. It feels unrealistic and, at times, almost comical, as though there isn’t a dead body in the next room.

If you enjoy messy friendships, sorority drama, suburban chaos, and fast-paced, slightly predicable thrillers, this might be one to try. It would be a great mindless beach read !!!

It was ok.

The book moves fast which is good. It feels a bit like a soap opera. I don’t want to give any spoilers away but I found the end disappointing. The high point is that the performances were very good.

Worst book ever

This is one of the worst books I have every read/ listened to. The whole book just drafged until the end where everything just got so crazy very quickly. Just not good at all.