SISTERHOOD ABOVE ALL

It’s rush week at Southern State University, and some girls would do anything to get their bid.

Freshman Ava Nichols has just one wish: to join Gamma Gamma Alpha, the sorority her mother, who died nearly two years ago, belonged to and idolized. To Ava, Gamma has everything she’s been hoping for: “I want the status, the friendship, the social calendar, the connection to my mother, all of it.” Head of Gamma is Madison Archer, a calculating and intensely ambitious president who may not be a legacy, but has clawed her way to the top and will do anything to keep that spot. Next door, rival house Theta Kappa Xi is led by Shay Wright, a prelaw student who’s proud of the house and sisterhood she’s managed to cultivate, but who’s increasingly unsettled by blackouts and stretches of lost time. Madison, who’s hated Shay since they knew each other as kids, covertly assigns Ava a task meant to shake Shay’s confidence during an important recruitment party. But when the plan spirals out of control and someone falls from a balcony, things get even more dangerous. As rumors and suspicions spread, buried secrets are unearthed, forcing each girl to decide how far she’s willing to go to protect herself—and her sisters. Co-written by author Barber and TikTok content creator Shaienne, a University of Alabama student who rose to prominence during the 2022 Bama Rush, the novel feels strikingly authentic. The particulars and social tensions of Greek life are vivid and convincing, and the shifting perspectives heighten the suspense as readers uncover the rising stakes alongside the characters. Fans of the TV series Scream Queens will appreciate this deadly take on toxic sisterhoods. As Shay muses, “Recruitment is…not not like the Hunger Games.”

Pledging may have deadly consequences in this twisty campus thriller.