We Shouldn't Have Come Here

by Sara Kate

Outer Banks meets The Hangover in a short thriller.


In a small Florida town, days after a drunken adventure to an abandoned prison, a group of friends find themselves heading back when two of their friends end up missing.

But what starts as a search for two friends, soon turns into a chilling fight for survival. Not just from a tropical storm, but from something far sinister inside.


Trapped between raging floodwaters, violent wind gusts, and an unrelenting threat, the group must find their friends and survive the night.

Genres: Mystery Thriller

188 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2025

About the author

Sara Kate (with a K) writes fast-paced psychological and survival thriller books with storm settings. She resides in South Florida where she travels in her RV full-time. Aside from writing, she enjoys rollerblading, photography, painting, and anything thriller/mystery related.

Reviews

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️| Super tense moments as this group of friends fight for survival! Stuck in an abandoned prison (that they shouldn’t be in, in the first place) these friends are seeking shelter from a violent tropical storm, gators, unexpected guest in the prison, floods, and more! I enjoyed the multiple POVs to hear everyone’s perspectives of the events taking place on this terrifying night. Some of these descriptive scenes made me feel as though I was watching a movie, and could visualize these scenes. The pacing was electrifying and kept me at the edge of my seat from start to finish. Recommended read & I will definitely be diving more into Sara Kate’s catalogue!

Publication 🗓️ June 3, 2025

[Jenny Coyne · Rating 5 out of 5]

rounding up from 4.5 stars

At first I wasn't sure about having so many POV, but you quickly get used to it.

Due to the loss of a personal memento during a drunken escapade the night before, 2 friends return to a burned down prison to find it. When they don't promptly return, the remaining 3 friends decide to go find them. They never expect to get trapped with a serial killer, an alligator and a pending tropical storm. Read on as they fight their way out through several obstacles only for you to be surprised by one final twist in the last chapter of the book!

Thank you to Sara Kate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rachel Browning · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We Shouldn’t Have Come Here” by Sara Kate:

I absolutely loved this wild, twisty thriller—it gave me serious The Hangover vibes, but darker and way more intense. What starts as a drunken dare leads a group of friends to explore an abandoned prison, and from there, things spiral fast. Two friends go missing, and the rest return to search for them—right as a tropical storm closes in. What follows is a heart-pounding fight for survival, not just from the storm, but from something far more sinister. The twists were absolutely shocking. This story had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. If you like high-stakes thrillers with escalating chaos and tension, this one’s for you.

[Laura Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

WE SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE BY SARA KATE.
Release date set for the 3rd of June 2025.
'Five friends. A tropical storm. And a nightmare they never saw coming.
Multiple povs but easy to follow along.
This is a short thriller and You'll find this book gives you The Hangover vibes but it's darker.
Really enjoyed this book.
Thank you Sara for my early copy ☺

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Days after a drunken night out results in a missing ring, a group of friends head back to an abandoned prison, but what starts off as a simple search for the ring and a couple of other friends turns into a night of unrelenting tension. A tropical storm barrels through the town and the group are forced to take refuge in the old prison. With each step, their situation gets more precarious.

Excellent story that has a bit of a hangover vibe thrown into an old abandoned prison in a storm. Perfect atmosphere and so much fun!

[Ali O · Rating 5 out of 5]

We shouldn’t have come here by Sara Kate
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Exciting! Suspenseful! Thrilling!
This is a very intense and action packed book!
A group of 5 friends, having a night of to much drinking, decide to go party in an old abandoned prison. The next day one of the friends, Danny, realizes his ring is missing and figures he lost it in the prison. This ring means a lot to him, so Danny and his friend Oliver go back to the prison to look for it. They don’t realize that there’s a terrible tropical storm headed that way. After the 2 friends seem to be missing, the other 3 go to the prison in search of their friends.
The story is full of twists and lots of jaw dropping parts! It’s a fast paced book all the way through. The way the author wrote the story with multiple POV makes it extra interesting!

Thank you to Sara Kate for an arc of this very exciting and entertaining read!
*It comes out June 3rd and I recommend picking it up!*

[Emily Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

An adventure goes wrong when people disappear. Something is after the others. Can they escape? Spine tingling.

[Brian Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this thriller. Usually when you have multiple POV’s it can get confusing but I believe this book flowed very nicely and made sense to me. 5 friends go on a drunk adventure that leads to more deaths than they bargained for.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pacing is electric, the suspense masterfully ratcheted, and the tension nearly unbearable. The writing is sharp and cinematic, with just the right blend of mystery, high stakes, and emotional intensity to keep the pages flying.

Taut, fast-paced, and relentlessly gripping, this is a must-read for fans of survival thrillers and edge-of-your-seat suspense. We Shouldn’t Have Come Here proves that sometimes, going back is the most dangerous choice of all.

[Jessica Huntley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Woah! This one was addictive to read! Fast paced, multiple POV and a never ending suspense thrill ride.
As a reader, you know from the get go that something bad is going to happen in that abandoned prison but you don't know exactly what.
That's the beauty of this book. And the end twist...WHAT! Didn't see that coming.
Another addictive thriller read from Sara!

[Denise Little · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hold on for the ride when you read this intense, action packed, scary thriller!! Stuck in an abandoned prison while a severe thunderstorm rages outside, these friends are just trying to get out of there alive!

Release date June 3, 2025

[Sun-young Peony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat! Sara Kate truly shines in this book! This author is amazing at telling a survival story. It's so exciting it'll keep you hooked, and you'll feel like you're right there in the story with the characters going through every tough moment with them.

Tropes:
- Friends in Crisis
- Abandoned Prison Horror
- I would say it's a "Survival Horror"
- Missing Persons Mystery
- Isolated Location
- Consequences of Recklessness

My favorite part was how the author made a seemingly fun night out become really terrifying. I felt really nervous when, as a group of friends, they suddenly discovered two of them were missing and had to go back to that A BIG NO-NO creepy abandoned prison. I mean, I can't help but imagine myself in their shoes. You'll wonder what you'd do if you were stuck there, caught between a huge storm and something truly evil inside. Very creepy.

I couldn't stop thinking about being in that awful spot. Trapped in that scary situation. Trying to save or find my friends.... survive the storm and whatever creepy thing was there. You really felt how hard they were struggling. And that made the danger seem much bigger.

Seriously, give this one a read! The author did an amazing job putting together an exciting story with REALLY scary parts. It’s a nail-biter from start to finish!

----------
NOTE: This is my personal opinion about the book. My goal is to share my experience, not to change anyone's perspective. Thank you to Sara Kate for giving me the opportunity to read this early.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a group of friends go out drinking one night, they end up partying in an abandoned prison. The next day, Danny realizes he lost the ring his deceased father gave him. Him and Oliver go to look for and end up missing. Can the rest of the gang find them while a tropical storm rages, or will they too become lost?

There was a lot of promise with this book! I really enjoyed them exploring the prison. I wish there was more build up to the big reveal. The tropical storm was a great idea to have in the background, it really raised the stakes. I wish there was a little more action, but the author did a great job sprinkling hints through out the beginning chapters. I would pick up this thriller again, it was a quick, fun read.

Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC of this book! This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

[Nikki B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

We Shouldn't Have Come Here is a multi pov story following five friends that are stranded in an abandoned prison during a severe tropical storm in Florida. One drunken night turned into a disastrous nightmare! The story was suspenseful and sucked me in from the beginning. The search for 2 missing friends led to the group uncovering a chilling scene! As the storm rages on, the group is fearing for their lives while taking cover from tornados, flood waters that are rising from the everglades infested with gators while being trapped in the abandoned prison with no power, barely any phone signal, and phone batteries running dangerously low. I also really loved the twist at the end! What a small world indeed!!! If you like fast paced stories that keep you at the edge of your seat, this is definitely one to check out!

[VDKeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let’s be real: We Shouldn’t Have Come Here by Sara Kate doesn’t ease you in—it throws you straight into the storm and locks the door behind you.

A drunken dare leads to a prison. Two friends vanish. The rest go back. What starts as a search turns into a fight for survival—against a hurricane, a crumbling building, and something far worse.

Sara Kate’s writing is sharp and drenched in dread. You’ll feel the storm, the fear, the unraveling. The characters? Flawed, real, and panicking. Just like you.

One twist floored me. Another had me yelling at the page. Every chapter? A punch to the gut.

This isn’t just survival horror—it’s personal. Brutal. Unrelenting.

Five stars. No peace. And I’m officially done with abandoned buildings.

[Marin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Summary:
Few days after a drunken adventure to an abandoned prison, a group of friends go back to prison to find their missing friends. But, with tropicač storm outside nowhere to run and something sinister inside, they begin they fight for survival.

Review:
"We shouldn't have come here" was a dark, tense and easy to read thriller which gave me "The Hangover" vibes, but far more sinister and dark.
Book was written in multiple POV, but very easy to follow and constantly keeping you on your toes and watch.

[Brianna North · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wild ride this was, right from the first page! As someone who is absolutely terrified of storms and lives in an area where we don't get hurricanes, this book hooked me right away and had my pulse pounding as the group of friends face challenge after challenge. I loved that it was set in an abandoned prison during a tropical storm - so eerie and unlike anything I have read before! This is my fifth read from Sara Kate and certainly won't be the last. If you love a good fast-paced thriller with a unique setting, I would highly recommend checking this one out!

[Sierra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick, fun, and page turning

I really enjoyed this quick read! Definitely had its twists and turns with an unexpected ending! Having recently moved away from Florida, I know all too well how quick a tropical storm can turn into a hurricane or quickly turn into multiple tornadoes and flash floods which are all over scary especially when your friends/family are out in it and I think the author got this across very well!

[Melanie Brownrigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read several books by this author and enjoyed each one. However, this one exceeded my expectations, putting me on the edge of my seat at several points in the story. There were times when I literally woke up in the middle of the night and had to read another chapter to see what was happening. I highly recommend this book.

[Taylor Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast paced, multiple points of view, and twists and turn on every chapter. Talk about a hell of a night. No spoilers you have to read it for yourself, the suspense had my eyes glued to every page. Definitely gonna read another from this author soon. (:

[Amethyst Maxey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC. This book was a bit slow until the 70% mark when all the action took place but it had a good premise overall. It was short and easy to follow despite the multiple POV.

[Shellyann Paape · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent, shocking, and didn’t see that coming. Parts seemed repetitive at times but I overall loved the story and really enjoyed this book and the ending.

[Aimee Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, fast paced, anticipation, suspenseful - descriptions are great and you can almost see if happening in your head.

[Joanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shocking twists

Shocking twists right up until the end. Definitely one of my favorite indie authors! Even though this took me awhile to read, I found myself thinking about it.

[Sabrina Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting storyline. Definitely grabs your attention. I enjoyed it. it was a quick read.

[Stephanie Rumbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting read! It was pretty short and had a lot of spelling errors but the story kept me interested the entire time.

[Hope · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wasn’t a fan of all the different POV
It was an easy read.

[Jen Thompson Foster · Rating 2 out of 5]

WE SHOULDN'T HAVE COME HERE was definitely a quick read and a page turner, but got very predictable.

[Rae Mayberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story, just a little rushed. I did like the different points of view. The story itself was great if it wasn’t so rushed. The creepy factor was there.

[Jolene Gelderblom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a great book. I really enjoyed it a good suspenseful quick read keeps you captivated.