“I’d been so focused on running away, I’d almost missed what I was running to.”
We Were Never Here – Andrea Bartz
My Rating
In Summary of We Were Never Here
“Emily is having the time of her life–she’s in the mountains of Chile with her best friend, Kristen, on their annual reunion trip, and the women are feeling closer than ever. But on the last night of their trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen says the cute backpacker she’d been flirting with attacked her, and she had no choice but to kill him in self-defense. Even more shocking: The scene is horrifyingly similar to last year’s trip, when another backpacker wound up dead. Emily can’t believe it’s happened again–can lightning really strike twice?
Back home in Wisconsin, Emily struggles to bury her trauma, diving head-first into a new relationship and throwing herself into work. But when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit, Emily is forced to to confront their violent past. The more Kristen tries to keep Emily close, the more Emily questions her friend’s motives. As Emily feels the walls closing in on their coverups, she must reckon with the truth about her closest friend. Can she outrun the secrets she shares with Kristen, or will they destroy her relationship, her freedom–even her life?” —Goodreads
WARNING: sexual assault violence, manipulation, gaslighting, toxic friendship & co-dependency, gory
READ IF YOU LIKE: suspense thrillers, mysteries, books about friendship, traveling
| Positives | Negatives |
|---|---|
| Interesting relationship between main characters | Emily’s reflections on past events become repetitive |
| Accurately depicts how toxic/abusive relationships can progress | Ending and other parts of plot are a bit too over-the-top to believe |
| Great, attention-catching start |
“Just because a feeling is real doesn’t mean it’s true.”
The Review
You know how sometimes a book is overhyped, but it doesn’t quite meet expectations?
Unfortunately, We Were Never Here was that for me.
Here’s the thing, though – this wasn’t a bad book. I found parts of it entertaining and the dramatic irony was there (yes, I was silently rooting for the protagonist to figure it out), but it wasn’t a memorable thriller for me in the long run.
Do I think it’s still worth a read?
It couldn’t hurt… but I wouldn’t raise your expectations too high if you are an avid thriller/suspense reader.
If you are fine with slow-burn thrillers that are not always realistic, go for it. I personally enjoyed that the premise surrounds best friends rather than a typical romantic relationship, so that captured my attention; if you are looking for a change of pace for thriller characters, this could be a fun one for you.
I mean, who doesn’t love the casual drama of “why do you keep killing these guys?” between friends?
Another day, another murder!
If Andrea Bartz publishes more books, I will happily read them. But will I pick We Were Never Here up again? Probably not. If you decide to give this one a chance, let me know you opinions on it!
We Were Never Here Book Information
- Published: 2021
- Publisher: Ballantine Books
- ISBN: 9781984820464
- Format: Hardback (purchased through Book of the Month subscription service)
- Length: 304 pages
Archetypes & Anecdotes 
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