whitneydaniell

Summary

A sorority sister reunion for the books!

Palm Springs is the perfect desert backdrop for an engagement party and reunion of the sisters of Theta Gamma Mu. As the women arrive at the recently renovated home of Roxy and Ryan Gentry, they quickly get an eerie feeling of déjà vu—and that sets the tone for the rest of the weekend.

They’re there to celebrate the engagement of Roxy’s son, Zach, to Beth’s daughter, Celeste, but when the past begins to resurface, these friends realize just how much they don’t know about each other—or about what really happened the night Sunny died twenty-five years ago.

The refurbished 1920s estate is eerily reminiscent of the hotel where tragedy struck during Spring Break all those years ago. Long-simmering tensions and shocking secrets bubble 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.

Character Summary

Meet the sorority sisters of Theta Gamma Mu:

• Roxy Callahan Gentry – Ruthless former sorority president and current hostess, who has painstakingly choreographed every detail of the weekend—even matching cocktails to her couture—to prove she’s still queen.
• Amelia Dell – A widow drenched in old money and alcohol, armed with a pot-stirring spoon and an uninvited boy-toy.
• Jamie Vale – The double-legacy pledge and 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 they were a package deal.
• Sunny Spencer – The carefree and beloved friend to all… until she wasn’t.

My Thoughts

Delete. Delete. Delete… I’m finding it.

What in the world did I just read? This book is all over the place, and I don’t even know where to begin without sounding too harsh. Every single one of these women is unlikeable, and under no sensible circumstances would they still be friends—unless they all have some shame kink.

Beth, our main narrator, is written as the downtrodden, poor scholarship student who is MENSA-smart. She’s the ugly duckling everyone knows is cute, with her only source of friendship being her roommate, Sunny. I suppose this backstory is meant to make readers feel for her, but it just came off as pathetic. If she’s so intelligent, why would she waste her time shrinking herself to be around these women? If anything, Beth frustrated me because she never spoke up or added anything of value—just went along to get along. People pleasers are the worst.

Roxy—ugh, I hate that name—is exactly who everyone says she is: crass, conniving, rude, self-centered, grotesque, and simply… a bitch. There is no reason anyone should tolerate her behavior. Jamie, the “superstar doctor,” is lumped in with Beth—spineless, with no self-preservation skills. I understand the intent may have been to make her meek so her reveal would be a shock, but her character was poorly executed.

Amelia… where do I even start? First plot hole: if she wasn’t invited and just saw Celeste announce a Theta Gamma Mu reunion in “the desert,” how did she know which desert and the exact address—especially since no one had ever been to this home before? Second plot hole: Amelia lives in Washington, D.C., yet somehow ran into Brett at a bar, and he’s also meeting Jamie for her “drop-offs.” Is he bi-coastal?

Between the haboob and the constant mention of bougainvilleas, I was over it. Wrap it up.

The final act was ridiculous. The reveal? Even worse. Why did this reunion also need to be an engagement party? The engagement subplot added nothing—Celeste and Zach were barely present. This could’ve been a straightforward reunion story, and it still would’ve worked.

And seriously—why have someone drop dead so early in the book with zero suspense or drama? Then, bring the dead body inside and leave it on the piano? Once a murder happens, that’s when a thriller should kick into high gear. Instead, they just went ahead with a formal dinner… while a dead man was on the Steinway.

Final Verdict

This is not the type of escapism I want in a thriller/mystery. I want actual thrills and actual mystery. With everyone stuck in one house for the weekend, the entire plot was obviously going to center on those present—it felt too predictable from the start.

The characters? Unlikeable. Every single one of them could’ve died, and I wouldn’t have cared. If I can’t root for anyone, I won’t care about the reveal, who’s hurt, or who goes to jail.

Maybe, with the rise of #BamaRushTok, there’s a niche audience who might enjoy this. But for me—a devoted thriller reader—it fell short in every aspect of the genre.

Acknowledgement

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advanced reader copy of We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda in exchange for an honest review.