Book Review: We Were Never Here by Sophia Hannan

Title: We Were Never Here

Author: Sophia Hannan

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Genre: Horror, LGBT, Young Adult

Pages: 352

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Year Published: 2026

Format: Audiobook

"The remaining members of a ghost hunting show return to the haunted manor that may have killed their friend in this atmospheric, contemporary gothic debut perfect for fans of She is a Haunting and Delicious Monsters.

In July, Georgia Perry and Jules Park- secret girlfriends, covert art thieves, and cohost of a popular Youtube ghost hunting show- step into a haunted house to steal a priceless painting. A few short hours later, there's a knife in Jules chest and Georgia is is waking up in a pool of blood with no painting and no memory of how she got there. 

Now it's October, and Georgia is underwater. She hasn't been to class in weeks, and she's avoiding her old crew- and only friends- like the plague. But when the three remaining thieves get a call from the man who paid a hefty sum to keep them out of jail, demanding that they return to finish the job, Georgia has no choice but to return to her old life.

As estranged friends scramble to steal the painting with no cover story and no leader, they quickly realize that something is very, very wrong, and it's not just the suffocating memory of Jules or the prying eyes of their viewers. Between the strange shadows that begin to trail them and the nightmares plaguing Georgia's sleep, only one thing is certain: something followed them home from De Lys manor and it will do anything to keep them from going back."

My Rating: 1.5/5

This was one where I realized that I'm getting too old for YA, which is not the book's fault. My issue was that if you are a major criminal, you are not hiring these idiots to steal art for you. I should really read the blurbs on the YA books I pick up because when picking this up I had no idea this would involve art hiests. And without it I might have enjoyed it, but with it, I was distracted. Also, the horror didn't feel as terrifying as I would have liked. It seemed like everyone was just lacking communication skills. I don't think I would read anything else from the author at this time but hey, if this seems like your cup of tea, give it a whirl.

Sidny