Title: We Were Never Here

Author: Andrea Bartz

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Penguin Michael Joseph

Publication Date: 21st July 2022 (paperback)

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Emily is on holiday with her best friend, Kristen, in the stunning mountains of Chile. They’re having the time of their lives until, on the last night of the trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find it covered in blood.

Kristen claims a backpacker attacked her. She shouted, but no-one heard. She struggled, but he was too strong.

She had no option but to kill him.

With no evidence of the assault, Emily must help her hide the body. . .

Back home, Emily tries to forget what happened, but a surprise visit from Kristen forces her to confront the events of that night.

As the walls close in on their cover-up, Emily asks herself: can she really trust her closest friend?

Review:

I love a good thriller about female friendship and We Were Never Here fits the bill perfectly! The story follows Emily, on holiday with her charismatic best friend, Kristen, in Chile. On the last night of their holiday Emily enters their hotel room and finds it covered in blood. Kristen claims she has been attacked by a backpacker they met earlier and that she had to kill him to defend herself. They decide they have no option but to dispose of the body and cover the killing up. However once Emily has returned home to Milwaukee, Kristen shows up unexpectedly and Emily starts to question whether her best friend is really who she believes her to be.

I couldn’t put this tense psychological thriller down. It totally drew me in and made me want to figure out just what is going on in this seemingly unbreakable yet slightly disturbing friendship. The writing is sharp and full of an underlying dread as more and more is revealed about Kristen’s history. I loved the intensity and the drama that unfolded when Emily begins to question Kristen’s true nature. Smart, dark and an unnerving slow burn of a reveal – I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a fantastic summer thriller!

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Thank you to Kallie and Penguin for having me on the buddy read and providing a copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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