Andrea Bartz Popular Books

Andrea Bartz Biography & Facts

We Were Never Here is a New York Times bestselling mystery and thriller novel by author Andrea Bartz. It is Bartz's third novel, and it debuted on August 3, 2021, published by Ballantine and written in the first-person narrative. The novel follows Emily and her friend Kristen as their backpacking trip has deadly consequences—with an eerily similar to a trip the pair took the previous year. Throughout the novel, Emily must confront her friendship with Kristen and the secrets they keep from each other and those around them. Synopsis Best friends Emily and Kristen Czarnecki are vacationing in Chile on their annual reunion trip. On their last night in the country, Emily returns to find the body of a backpacker named Paolo, a man who Kristen was talking to at a local bar. Kristen claims that she killed him out of self-defense, as he was trying to rape her. This reminds Emily of a trip the two of them took last year to Cambodia, when another backpacker, Sebastian, sexually assaulted and attacked her and also wound up dead. When Emily returns home to Wisconsin and Kristen returns home to Australia, Emily tries to bury her trauma with work at a company that sells organic cat food. She also vows to distance herself from Kristen. This plan is derailed when Kristen arrives for a surprise visit and Emily learns through news coverage that Paolo's body was found and that he was the son of wealthy Americans. Eventually Emily begins to realize that Kristen killed Paolo in the hopes that a shared trauma would bring them closer together and that she is obsessed with Emily. When she learns that Emily wants nothing to do with her, Kristen tries blackmailing Emily with photographic evidence. Emily attempts to briefly flee to Arizona with her boyfriend, but Kristen shows up on their trip. Meanwhile, police have released a sketch of their murder suspect (a woman that looks like Kristen), as well as news that Paolo was drugged before he was killed, confirming Emily's suspicions that Kristen was lying about it being self-defense. Emily also uncovers disturbing facts about Kristen's history, including the fact that she was institutionalized following the suicide of her best friend from childhood named Jamie Rusch. Ultimately Kristen manages to get Emily alone and near a cliff face. Emily realizes that while Kristen killed Paolo, she herself killed Sebastian. With this in mind, she tries to push Kristen off the cliff. This fails, however Emily's boyfriend arrives at the last moment and hits Kristen with his car, causing them both to go over the cliff. Aaron survives the fall and Emily confesses all that has happened. He helps her get a lawyer, who is able to keep the police from building a successful case against Emily. Reception The novel peaked at number three on The New York Times fiction bestseller list, number 10 on the USA Today bestseller list, and number five on the Publishers Weekly bestseller list. We Were Never Here was the August pick for Reese Witherspoon's monthly book club. It was also the August pick for the Marie Claire Book Club. The book was on The Washington Post's beach-reads list on August 21, and The New York Times crime columnist, Samira Sedira, said the book "skillfully examines toxic friendship at its most extreme."Buzzfeed called the novel a "hauntingly suspenseful thriller." References. Discover the Andrea Bartz popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Andrea Bartz books.

Best Seller Andrea Bartz Books of 2024

  • The Herd synopsis, comments

    The Herd

    Andrea Bartz

    Why did the founder of a glamorous coworking space for women disappear? Her best friends will risk everything to uncover the truth in this “propulsive thriller” (Marie Claire) from...

  • We Were Never Here Summary synopsis, comments

    We Were Never Here Summary

    Instant-Summary

    We Were Never Here A Comprehensive Summary Andrea Bartz is a Brооklуnbаѕеd jоurnаlіѕt аnd аuthоr оf the forthcoming thriller We Were Never Here. Hеr dеbut thrіllеr, The Lost Ni...

  • The Lost Night synopsis, comments

    The Lost Night

    Andrea Bartz

    What really happened the night Edie died? Years later, her best friend Lindsay will learn how unprepared she is for the truth in this “impressive debut” (People) from the New York ...

  • The Spare Room synopsis, comments

    The Spare Room

    Andrea Bartz

    Staying with a friend and her husband is sexierand deadlierthan anyone could have imagined, in this “delightfully salacious” (Shondaland) domestic suspense novel from the New York ...

  • Call Me Elizabeth Lark synopsis, comments

    Call Me Elizabeth Lark

    Melissa Colasanti

    Your daughter went missing twenty years ago. Now, she's finally back. You thought she had returned a few times in the past, and your husband tells you she's not the one, but you fe...

  • The Family Plot synopsis, comments

    The Family Plot

    Megan Collins

    A HIGHLY ANTICIPATED, BEST BOOK OF AUGUST SELECTED BY POPSUGAR E! NEWS LIFESAVVY CRIMEREADS AND MORE!“Exceedingly entertaining.” The New York Times “Umbrella Academy meets Tan...

  • The Search Party synopsis, comments

    The Search Party

    Hannah Richell

    A spellbinding lockedroom mystery about a glamping trip gone horribly wrong when a powerful storm leaves the participants stranded and forced to confront longheld secrets and a sho...

  • We Were Never Here synopsis, comments

    We Were Never Here

    Andrea Bartz

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 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...

  • Thicker Than Water synopsis, comments

    Thicker Than Water

    Megan Collins

    In this “twisty, propulsive thriller” (Robyn Harding, internationally bestselling author) from Megan Collins, two sistersinlaw are at painful odds when the man who connects themthe...

  • The Golden Spoon synopsis, comments

    The Golden Spoon

    Jessa Maxwell

    “This delicious combination of Clue and The Great British Bake Off kept me turning the pages all night!” Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling authorOnly Murders in the Bu...