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  • We Were Never Here

  • A Novel
  • Written by: Andrea Bartz
  • Narrated by: Becca Tobin
  • Length: 11 hrs and 9 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (402 ratings)

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We Were Never Here cover art

We Were Never Here

Written by: Andrea Bartz
Narrated by: Becca Tobin
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Publisher's Summary

New York Times Best Seller • Reese’s Book Club Pick

“This book is every suspense lover’s dream and it kept me up way too late turning pages.... A novel with crazy twists and turns that will have you ditching your Friday night plans for more chapters.” (Reese Witherspoon)

A backpacking trip has deadly consequences in this “eerie psychological thriller...with alluring locales, Hitchcockian tension, and possibly the best pair of female leads since Thelma and Louise” (BookPage), from the best-selling author of The Lost Night and The Herd.

A Marie Claire Book Club Pick • Named One of the Best Books of the Year by NPR and Marie Claire

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 the trip, Emily enters their hotel suite to find blood and broken glass on the floor. Kristen says the cute backpacker she brought back to their room 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 headfirst into a new relationship and throwing herself into work. But when Kristen shows up for a surprise visit, Emily is forced to confront their violent past. The more Kristen tries to keep Emily close, the more Emily questions her motives. As Emily feels the walls closing in on their cover-ups, she must reckon with the truth about her closest friend. Can Emily outrun the secrets she shares with Kristen, or will they destroy her relationship, her freedom - even her life?

©2021 Andrea Bartz (P)2021 Random House Audio

What the critics say

“A book that skillfully examines toxic friendship at its most extreme.... When the reckoning arrives, it shows that sometimes, we should fear our friends a lot more than strangers.” (The New York Times Book Review

“A page-turning thriller about two best friends whose annual reunion trip goes wrong - one of them may or may not have ‘accidentally’ killed a fellow backpacker! - transforming their friendship as they once knew it.” (Marie Claire

“Bartz takes the idea of a ‘frenemy’ to new heights.... Yet another expert vivisection of female modes of communication and competition.” (Los Angeles Times

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What listeners say about We Were Never Here

Average Customer Ratings
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    1 out of 5 stars

Did I read the same book as everyone else?

I was so excited to read We Were Never Here and was disappointed from beginning to end. The writing and narration were fine, but the story itself was boring, predictable, and slow-moving with zero twists or creativity. Did I miss something? Did I read the right book?? Please enlighten me.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Loved it but with a few critiques

Absolutely loved the story and the narration! I loved that the women were the ones who were to be feared. The book was a bit slow at times, I found Emily repeated thoughts multiple times. Later, the book picked up. Overall I would definitely recommend!

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I liked that it wasn’t totally predictable

While I found moments of this predictable, I did like that it had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing to the end. I really had only one complaint. “Stop. Stop! STOP!” The line was used sooooo many times, and the annoying way it’s performed each time was like nails on a chalkboard. If I’d been reading it it would have been fine, but as an audiobook it was irritating and distracting. The narrator was a bit flat outside of that, so it was always jarring by comparison. Great story, and I wish I had the time to have read it instead of listening to it!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

WAY too descriptive

I love a good word flourish. however, this book over described everything. The way the light switch felt beneath her fingers the way her door key felt in her hand. the way that turn signal clicked on and off like the beating of a hummingbird's heart... way too many descriptions. I found myself wishing I could fast forward so we could just get to the story. because the story itself is quite good.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting story

Good story but the writing was very flowery. I just found that the metaphors in every single description were a bit much.

I didn’t love the narration but upon reflection it was a good choice for the lead character.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Hope

Oh my gosh . I really enjoyed this book holy moly I feel like there could be a part two of this book

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent Story

I always enjoy stories about friendship and this was a great story!!!! The narrator was incredible and I will look for more books read by her!!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Have you ever had a toxic best friend?

I just loved this book! Best-friendship gone wrong! It explores that awkward phase in a friendship that one friend is starting a serious relationship and the other is jealous but trying to be supportive!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Entertaining and Suspenseful

Really enjoyed the story line and narration. It was suspenseful and kept me wanting to read more.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Pretty good, but not great!

It was decent, but not a super exciting thriller/mystery novel like I was anticipating. I found the first half of the book slow, then it picked up & got more interesting towards the end. All in all, it was good, but not great!

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