Fiction• Mystery

Review: We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda

February 2, 2026

Synopsis:

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…

Review:

We start out story right off with the main event. A murder that will impact everyone for years to come and will boil over once the group is reunited years later.

That sounds like a good start to a story. With it being a Mystery Thriller, I’d lean more into the Mystery part of it. For a Thriller it felt a bit too soft for my liking.
Why you would hold a reception at the place where a former friend of you died? Sounded weird to me in the beginning but understanding the characters a bit more helped to show, that it was more about control and being superior. The group of friends could not have been more different, and it showed. They all contributed to the situation, and we learn it along with them.

Did some of the connections and intertwined stories feel a bit lacklustre? Yes. It kept me entertained. Overall, if you enjoy a murder mystery (in the style of *who has done it*) you’ll get a less intense version of it. Interesting enough to keep you guessing, but relatively easy to follow along with some finding being more surprising compared to others.

🌙 Recension: We Were Never Friends by Kaira Rouda
📚 Genre: Mystery, Fiction
📅 Release Date: February 3, 2026
📖 Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press
📱 Read as: Kindle
📗 available in various formats
💸 I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
🗣️ Language: English
📆 Pages: 272
⭐️ 3/5