[3.75 stars]

The girls of Alpha Delta Lambda are sisters for life, sworn to keep each other’s secrets for life too. However, some secrets in ADL are no longer safe. During their time in the sorority, Brooklyn, Asana, Taylor, and Annabelle, write their dirtiest secrets in the Spill Book - along with their other active sisters. When the Spill Book is placed in the ADL time capsule, they’re certain nobody will lay eyes on their secrets for 100 years. However, after their house mother dies, the capsule is opened prematurely and their secrets are out in the open. With days left until Bid Day, the girls are being blackmailed with some of these secrets. All four head back to Bama to uncover who is behind these messages before it’s too late. Maybe what happens in the sororities doesn’t always stay in the sorority.

I flew through the first half of this book in a day! I absolutely hated the four women, which made me want to keep reading. However, as we got closer to figuring out who was behind these messages, I found myself losing interest. The second half didn’t have the same appeal as the first, and I kept getting distracted and forgetting what was going on. I did enjoy this a lot! More than I thought I would when I initially started reading. I also may not have connected as much toward the end since I did not have Greek life at my college(s). I think if you have some experience, or are obsessed with RushTok, you’ll really enjoy this! No matter what, this is a quick read that will (likely) draw you in quickly.

3.75 stars
I am rounding up the 4 stars and I know people will probably question my taste in books.
Rush Week was insane, inappropriate, and a train wreck. But I deliciously enjoyed it. I think because it was so out-there yet also makes you feel that some of it could really be believable. This was Pretty Little Liars on Panhellenic sorority girl steroids all happening at the University of Alabama...Roll Tide! With seeing and hearing different stories from today's college ages young adults and knowing what happens behind fraternity/sorority doors, made this story something I couldn't put down.
The 4 young women each horrible, yet respected and weirdly liked. Their secrets...crazy, outlandish, and yet something you somewhat think can or does happen. The Machine at Alabama...100% factual, just go watch the documentary that came out recently. This is definitely not a PG sweet, young college book for those faint of heart. I just wish there would have been a bigger punch at the end.
Thank you Avon (William Morrow) and NetGalley for this early copy of Rush Week in exchange for my honest opinion.

Rush Week
by Michelle Brandon
Avon (William Morrow)
7/22/2025

This was a bit of a slog to get through. It seemed much longer than it needed to be and it felt like the author was piling on big secrets for effect. Surely a group of 4 girls could not have done so many things?

The premise was also a little frustrating. Who would actually reveal all their darkest secrets in a notebook they knew someone was reading…and continue to do it when it was clear that person was using others’ secrets against them? I just couldn’t buy off on it.

The characters were all unlikeable so I didn’t really care if their secrets were exposed or not. I just couldn’t get invested in this one.

I will say the writing was good and the author built suspense well. I also really like the look into Greek life. I know this was dramatized, but just the explanations about how Rush Week worked and these girls’ super expensive outfits were fascinating.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This one releases on July 22.

A rare miss for me. This is a familiar tale of four young women returning to a place they shared and dealing with festering secrets and lies. Annabelle, Brooklyn, Asana, and Taylor were sorority sisters at Bama and they are back for Rush Week. This careens between past and present and between the four of them. I got lost in all the back and forth and then realized that I didn't much care for any of them. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Over to others.

ARC REVIEW

Rush Week
by Michelle Brandon

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 (3 out of 5)

Publishing date: 7/22/2025

I was initially drawn to this title because I was in a sorority in college. However, I went to a very small school with about 5000 students, so my Greek life experience was MUCH different than described in this book. It's inspired by #bamarush which is the process of rushing/joining a Greek organization at the University of Alabama, made popular on Tik Tok.

Its giving Pretty Little Liars vibes, for sure! A group of sorority alumni are blackmailed back to campus and someone is threatening to spill all their secrets.

It felt long. It did drag for me at times and I found my mind wandering. I also didn't love the characters and honestly couldn't keep up with their back stories and details. The chapters bounced back and forth between people and even by the end of the book, I couldn't remember who was who. 🤷

Overall, just an okay read for me. I liked the premise but it fell short for me. But like I always say, you may LOVE it 😉
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I thought rush week was very fun read for anyone who went to a college or university with a greek life system. I could relate with the characters as i also have been out of college for 5 years and could see myself and my friend group if we went back. very fun read.

thank you netgalley and the publisher for this fun opportunity. to read this advanced reader copy.

I was SO EXCITED for this book, but it ended up being a complete miss for me. DNF at 40% I wasn't invested in any of the characters and didn't love the storyline. Still fascinated about the idea of a book about sorority rush, but sadly this one wasn't the one I wanted.

DNF at 10% + I skipped and read the ending. In the first 10%, I was icked out by various content and did not dig the vibe.

This story revolves around four freshmen at the University of Alabama who all set their sights on the most coveted sorority on campus. We get insight into each girl’s motivations as the story flips back and forth between the past and the present, chronicling their journey to the top.

In the present, each woman is coerced into coming back for the infamous bid week, but not for the reasons one would expect. Instead they are there to combat anonymous messages each has been receiving, threatening to release their “Spill Book”, a long buried arsenal of deep dark secrets, meant to be unearthed long after their demise. Only its revelations might be revealed much sooner, unless the fearless foursome can outwit their blackmailer.

I picked up Rush Week because I’ve always had a morbid fascination with Greek life. I never joined a sorority, but I did witness some of the shenanigans they got into second hand. But the first rule of Greek life is you don’t talk about Greek life, so when stories are written about the experience, even if they are fictional, I’m intrigued to get inside the heads of those who joined.

Unfortunately, this story was a twisted take on sisterhood, but not in the way I imagined. Each girl was more unlikable than the next, their need for justice made blurry by sordid sex and silly secrets. The craziness of the story ultimately overshadowed what could have been a great character account of college campus friendship and academic anarchy.

I expected a typical college drama, but this story had a lot more weight and heart than I anticipated. It dives into the pressure, competition, and complicated friendships that can come with trying to fit in. The main character felt so real to me. I could feel her excitement, her doubts, and the constant push and pull of wanting to belong while still trying to hold on to who she is. I appreciated how Brandon didn’t shy away from showing the messy parts of those friendships and the cost of chasing status. It felt honest and relatable in a way that stuck with me. The pacing kept me hooked, and I liked how the story balanced lighter, funny moments with some harder, more emotional beats. It wasn’t over the top, but it had enough twists to keep me interested until the end.

I was so excited for this book! I love books that have to do with sororities and after seeing so many Tik Toks from Alabama Rush Week, I had to read this. I also really loved the social media influence in this book, I am a huge fan of that. I enjoyed all the drama in this book, but it did fall flat at times. I definitely think it’s worth the read if you’re interested in sorority life, rush week or are a fan of social media.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book! However, it did take me a few chapters to really follow the timeline. I liked the Spill Book confessions at the beginning of each chapter, but they really didn’t correlate to the chapter. The time jumps were difficult to follow sometimes, and with 4 POVs sometimes it was difficult for me to remember what character the chapter was about!

I was intrigued by the concept of this book-- blackmail and intrigue set against the back drop of a southern sorority. It is a book version of BamaTok, which I am only semi-familiar. I did not rush a sorority, but I feel a lot of this is over-dramatized (or I hope it is!). I did enjoy the relationships between the girls. That kept me invested because the plot jumps around a lot-- pacing just feels uneven and rushed in parts. I wish more had been expanded worked in about the Machine. That could have added another dimension. It is a quick read and perfect for summer. I'm jut not sure it was necessarily the book for me.

This book is the fictional adaptation of RushTok, especially at the University of Alabama. It focuses on four girls from PNMs going through rush, pledging and all the way through five years post-grad. This novel is told in two timelines, one of the past during their collegiate years as all four hide juicy AF secrets and record them all in a Gossip Girl-style "Spill Book." In the present timeline, the foursome reunite as Bama alums return to campus in time for rush. The catch? They were blackmailed to return out of fear that their deep secrets would be publicly revealed. As I read, I found this was a compelling mystery/New Adult (these women aren't older than 25, which screams NA over women's fiction to me) novel that was written well and was totally intriguing to read through.

Content Warning: Sexual Assault

If you're interested in Bama Rush with their OOTD's, the infamous Machine, which is the secret service at Alabama that most have never heard of. This is a complete work of fiction about 4 women who were sisters of the ADL sorority.

Just wrapped up Rush Week and honestly…I’m still not sure how I feel about it. 🫣 It promised a peek behind the curtain of sorority life, full of secrets and scandal — and in that sense, it delivered. It does a good job capturing the vibe of college life in the deep South and isn’t afraid to dig into heavy, very real topics like date-rape drugs, abuse, and abortion. So fair warning: it’s definitely not a light read. The missing book plotline sounded so intriguing, but it didn’t really go anywhere surprising — and the pacing struggled. It started out really slow, then jumped around so much it was hard to stay invested. I also never really connected with any of the characters, which made it tough to care about the twists. If you’re curious about the darker side of Rush culture and want a messy, dramatic look at the secrets behind Greek life, this might be for you.

As someone who was in a sorority I’m always slightly weary of books that cover Greek life. This one was pretty fun and didn’t make me too annoyed. I thought it was fun and liked the different relationships between the girls.

I knew there was a reason that I didn’t rush a sorority. This really solidified that decision for me. I personally didn’t like this book. There were a lot of things that I found a bit questionable. The plot was really slow to start and then when it did pick up I felt like it jumped around a lot. I really never got behind any of the main characters which also made this book hard to read.
Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

I honestly enjoyed it. Was this book a compulsive, thrilling mystery? No. Was it entertaining and easy to pick up? Yes!

While the plot of the missing book led me to believe something more sinister was coming, it wasn’t. Honestly, that may have been the perfect cover for who had the book. However, it didn’t really matter to me as the relationships, secrets and friendships were the part that was more engaging.

Advanced reader copy provided by William Morrow and NetGalley but all opinions are my own.

Wow! I loved this highly creative book! Fiur sorority sisters return to Alabama to find out that their college secrets have literally been unearthed. Creative, engaging and a phenomenal good read!