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A review by archaicrobin
We Were Never Here by Andrea Bartz
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
We Were Never Here is going to be a hard pass for me; for a thriller this was one of the most boring books I’ve read in awhile. We Were Never Here is another book that was on my radar from Reese’s book club and like many of her book club picks so far that I’ve encountered, this one was very underwhelming.
Emily and Kristin are best friends that get together once a year to catch up and travel to some exotic locale. Unfortunately, on their most recent trips each gals night has ended with an assault and MURDER. After the most recent trip, Emily is trying to forget what happened and move on from the deadly secret the two girls once again share, reminding herself that it was self defense. However, as Kristin’s weird behavior escalates Emily starts to wonder if either murder was an accident, or if Kristin has more to hide then she does.
This sounded like such a good premise and I was ready for some strong female relationships and what I got was dull, boring, characters and an even more boring plot where all the action is in the first few and last few chapters. I had to switch from the physical book to the audio version, and listen to it at 2x the speed just to finish this book. There was nothing original here, and the writing was so awkward. Andrea Bartz has the strangest metaphors I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing and it took me out of the story because I’d be sitting there trying to figure out wtf she even meant!
I love thrillers, I read a ton of thrillers, and I say pass this one up. It’s not worth the time, it’s not worth being a book club pick, and it does not deserve the ratings it has.
Emily and Kristin are best friends that get together once a year to catch up and travel to some exotic locale. Unfortunately, on their most recent trips each gals night has ended with an assault and MURDER. After the most recent trip, Emily is trying to forget what happened and move on from the deadly secret the two girls once again share, reminding herself that it was self defense. However, as Kristin’s weird behavior escalates Emily starts to wonder if either murder was an accident, or if Kristin has more to hide then she does.
This sounded like such a good premise and I was ready for some strong female relationships and what I got was dull, boring, characters and an even more boring plot where all the action is in the first few and last few chapters. I had to switch from the physical book to the audio version, and listen to it at 2x the speed just to finish this book. There was nothing original here, and the writing was so awkward. Andrea Bartz has the strangest metaphors I’ve ever had the misfortune of hearing and it took me out of the story because I’d be sitting there trying to figure out wtf she even meant!
I love thrillers, I read a ton of thrillers, and I say pass this one up. It’s not worth the time, it’s not worth being a book club pick, and it does not deserve the ratings it has.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Blood, Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Grief, Suicide, Death, Murder, and Sexual content