Loved the premise of the book especially after following BamaRush on TikTok. I think this book is a fun beach read but some of the plot was just too unbelievable, the characters a bit too unlikeable and forced (they are 26 but the writing felt like they were 40!).

Rush Week follows the BamaRush craze by placing a mystery into a group of sorority alumni during homecoming week. If you like YA thrillers and hate followed the BamaRush hashtag on TikTok, this book is for you.

I received a free copy of, Rush Week, by Michelle Brandon, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Annabelle, Brooklyn, Asana, and Taylor were sorority sisters, now they are back at their alma mater University of Alabama, for rush week. I could not get into this book at all.

Rush Week was well written and fun to read. Each girl had her own issues she was hiding from the group and it was quite a ride uncovering them. Would have loved more detail about Greek Life, but it's always fun getting a glimpse into that world. I was not super excited that the black mailer was Lily Walker, it just seemed weird that a mom would do that to her own daughter.

I thought this book had an intriguing premise, but it didn’t really work for me in the end. I was drawn in by the idea of sorority sisters revisiting their past during Rush Week and the suspense of the stolen “Spill Book,” but I felt let down by the execution. The drama-packed story promised dark humor and scandals, but I found myself struggling to connect with the characters. I felt like the characters were poorly developed and made frustrating decisions that didn’t make sense to me. I had a hard time sympathizing with their actions, and their lack of depth made it difficult for me to fully invest in their stories. While I appreciated the attempts to explore themes like friendship, secrets, and redemption, I felt like the characters’ behavior often came across as exaggerated or shallow.

Overall, I thought the book was okay, but it didn’t leave a strong impression on me. I felt like the characters’ actions and motivations were too far-fetched, which made the story less engaging. It might appeal to readers looking for light, over-the-top drama, but it wasn’t quite what I was hoping for.

Rush week was a valiant attempt at capitalizing on the "Bama rush" craze of recent years, but it unfortunately lacked meaningful character development or plot fluidity. It was an easy, light fast-paced read, but I found it to be bogged down by cliched and inorganic dialogue, unlikeable characters, and a plot I could not get invested in.

Its giving... Pretty Little Liars and Mean girls had a baby during rush week with SO much JUICY DRAMA!
I absolutely love the fact that we get to read an entry from "The Book", before every chapter begins because they are always SUPER JUICY and SCANDALOUS.
I also enjoyed how we got to flip-flop between past and present of all 4 of the FMC's, so we could see how the were back in their college days compared to their lives currently.
Its a tad-bit confusing at first at first while trying to keep up with 4 different ladies as well as their past and present, but hold tight because as you read, it gets alot easier to follow.
& I absolutely love how everything tied up at the end.

Disclaimer: i have NEVER attended college, therefore i also never experienced the "sorority life"... well, except through #BamaRush tiktoks of coure. lol. BUT if its anything like what is in this book... I am glad i never had the chance to experience it. In fact, i would consider myself one of the lucky ones! lol.

I want to thank NetGalley, Michelle Brandon, and Harper Collins for my ARC copy, in exchange for my honest review. Thank you !

This story peeked my interest when seeing a juicy, drama filled story loosely based all that we love from Rush Week on TikTok and honestly some of the stereotypes we would expect from a novel about sororities. This story follows a group of new Alabama sorority girls over the course of years and in the future while they are trying to keep their secrets and mishandling from coming to light. It overall was very surface level without much depth, characters you could take or leave and an overall plot line that fell flat. There wasn’t much development, a little too base din stereotypes and lacked a plot line that wrapped it all up nicely by the end.

This was a cute, funny story that definitely is for fans of Rush TikTok! I felt like the characters were a bit cartoonish and unlikeable, but it held my interest.

Secrets, lies and drama are in no shortage in this entertaining Mystery Thriller.

This book felt like I was watching a dramatic sitcom, everything was a little over the top but it worked really well with the characters and plotline. The alternating timelines (past & present) and multiple POVs was a nice touch and something I really enjoy seeing in Thrillers.

I'll definitely checkout future releases from this author in the future.

Thank you Michelle Brandon, Net Galley and William Morrow for providing me with an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

Rush Week by Michelle Brandon was definitely not for me. The rich self-entitled characters who rationalized all their bad deeds as being acceptable because they were rich and members of a sorority did not sit well with me. The excessive sex and sexual assault did not sit well with me either. Perhaps I am not the demographic they were looking for as I thought this was a book would be a cross between Mean Girls and Legally Blonde but it is more Real Housewives of Alabama. It is a bit crass and self indulgent for me, with very little mystery and suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the advanced copy.

2.5 rounded up to three. As a former sorority girl I was so excited to read about bama rush and the machine, but this just didn’t deliver. First of all, the reason for stealing the “spill book” made no sense to me. I mean really? Also, the ending? That’s it?

The characters were really shallow and I didn’t like any of them. I don’t know if this was rushed, but I think it could have been better? It’s obvious the author did a nice job researching some of the Bama rush videos etc. but that was about the only pro for me. Wish I liked it more!

SYNOPSIS: 4 former sorority sisters are meeting back up to welcome new members into the sisterhood. But that’s not the only reason they are all back. Years ago their pledge class wrote their deepest darkest secrets in a “Spill Book” which wasn’t supposed to be unearthed for another 100 years. Surprise! It’s been dug up and someone wants to dish secrets!

As a former sorority girl myself, I couldn't wait to dive into this one! This felt like Pretty Little Liars meets Bama Rush. Each chapter is told from a different POV and then also alternates between present day and back when the girls were in college, This book does deal with a lot of subjects that could be triggering to some to some, including s*xual a**ualt, drugs, drinking and hazing. I loved that the author let us in on the secrets of the 4 girls with their entries into the books as chapter headings. The stories all intertwine and remind the girls what brought them together in the first place. So much drama to get wrapped up in and perfect for a summer beach read!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the ARC!

Publication Date: July 22nd, 2025

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

2 ⭐️

The premise of “rush week” had me captured, but the book just didn’t deliver the same intrigue & wonder as the summary promised.

Rush week follows a group of young ladies who are rushing the same sorority, adl. We follow them becoming friends, parties, ootds, Greek toks, drugs, only fans, zaddies and more drama.

We then are switching back and forth between their modern day lives and their former lives. Someone is trying to blackmail them all. They are all summoned back to the university of Alabama for rush week. They are all on a mission to figure out who is blackmailing them.

We find out asana was also in a secret society that was attempting to take down the machine. This is the part the book totally lost me.

It all seemed very immature and petty. Maybe I am just not the demographic for this book.

Unfortunately, would not recommend.

3.75 STARS

The drama, the twists and turns!

I am a sucker for sorority stories... especially thrillers. I love the way Michelle Brandon used the sweetness of sisterhood to balance out the sinister underbelly of secret societies, betrayal. jealousy, and more.

Like Pretty Little Liars: College Edition.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book. 3 stars overall - the plot moved along really well, but had a hard time keeping all of the characters apart - it wasn't until about halfway through the book that I finally got everyone sorted out. I did think the final ending/twist felt a little flat; Was still a nice book (and would be a great beach read) but not 5 star worthy.

Rush Week was a phenomenal read, combining suspense and women behaving badly along with the power of said women supporting each other to make a fairly unique story that captured my attention.

For any who have seen the TikTok storm of Bama Rush, or the documentary following that, this gives an inside look into that but throws in a look at what might happen to some of the more privileged of a sorority sisterhood. I loved the first hand accounts of rush and how our main characters, four women who all have out of the ordinary upbringings, grew up together and apart throughout their time in their sorority. None of these women start out especially endearing but as we dive deeper into their time in college (alternating with the present five years post graduation) they start to become more understanding and their wicked deeds, which are about to be exposed, make a little more sense.

Completely fun, this isn’t for shrinking violets as we have storylines focused on OnlyFans, Sugar Babies, a more privileged and more secretive version of Ashley Madison, and sexual assault. But if you aren’t offended by any of that, Michelle Brandon writes a most colorful and salacious tale that is a grown up look at what happens next for Alabama Sorority Sisters that, while likely not realistic, felt like the sequel we could only hope for with those TikToks.

This was a bit of a miss for me and I DNF. timelines felt sloppy, and the plot just felt a little too silly for me. May work for some!

This was a ride, the story went back and forth between the past and present POVs of 4 friends while they try to find out who is threatening them it was a good book. I wasn’t expecting the ending.

I know I was pretty invested in all things Alabama Sorority Tik Tok so I don’t think any of this felt new to me but it was highly enjoyable. It’s very much a rich people’s problems book, which I love. White Lotus vibes where you’re watching people make the most ridiculous decisions. This would be a great beach read.