We Were Never Really Friends: A Horror Novel

by Timothy King

202 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication April 14, 2026

Reviews

[Crys · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yall, the speed with which I binged this 🤣! From the first page, we hit the ground running and soon, we were sprinting full speed ahead. This was so fast paced. Long-time friends finally come together after a year apart to visit an island that was purchased by one of them. The friend group is made up of a few couples and there is a lot of drama and toxicity going on. Let’s throw them all together on a remote island.. what could go wrong!? Wait a minute.. is someone else on the island!? Things start to go terribly wrong. Timothy King doesn’t ease off the gas for a single moment in this one. To me, it felt like a whodunnit (Knives Out?) meets Scream.. on an isolated island. No one can be trusted. I had no doubt that Timothy would knock this one out of the park. He always does 😅. Now that I know the ending, I feel like I need to go back and read it again!

[Michelle Bingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! You want to talk about a book that will make you laugh, cringe, swear and gag a bit? then this book is absolutely the book you need to read!
Timothy King is an absolute master at delving into relationships and finding the best And worst of humanity. He brings those innermost thoughts we all have to life and runs wild with them.
I have read all of Tim's books and I am NEVER disappointed! ❤️❤️

[Rhonda Bobbitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most heart racing stories I've read in a long time. When I say you won't be able to put this down... get ready for a wild ride. You will think twice before going on that weekend getaway with friends.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I couldn’t put down by Timothy King!! This was an awesome fast paced slasher that delivered on the action.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

If "toxicity horror" were a thing, this book would be the gold standard! "We Were Never Really Friends" combines so much viciousness and drama with the best kind of survival and vacation horror, it doesn't take long to realize you've signed up for a wild ride: non-stop backstabbing, shameless cheating, the most unhealthy social vibes topped with strong slasher elements, the story set on a remote island, no holds barred - this is a definite banger by any standard! Just make sure to bring your own popcorn lol

Reading this felt like being caught unawares in the middle of a brawl, where everyone ends up at each other's throats, while the real disaster is brewing in the background. This group of childhood friends and their wives do act like real people, or no less ridiculous and outlandish than certain real couples we all know, messy relationships and what not, but King's writing accepts no filler, making every story turn come vividly alive - noone is off the table, even if (with a couple of such huge hints) it's easy to guess the identity of the killer. Deciphering the why, however, was not at all obvious; add the memorable killings and the action sequences, and you've got a truly savage book with a totally unexpected ending!

Highly recommend if you enjoy slashers, island horror, and stories where the ugly side of marriage is a character in its own right!

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Roger buys his wife a private island, he invites his old friends to stay for a few days. Four couples, each with their own secrets and simmering problems, arrive expecting a fun, luxurious getaway. But the mood quickly shifts when Chris is injured and swears he saw a man in camouflage lurking in the woods. Who is he? And more importantly, how are any of them going to make it off the island alive?

Hoo boy, he’s done it again.
This was a fast-paced read that had me hooked from page one. I’ll admit, though, every single character annoyed me at first. The men acted like they were still in high school, and the women weren’t much better. There was so much cheating and toxic behavior that I found myself thinking, when they start dying, they kind of have it coming. I was genuinely bracing for it to happen to each of them.
But then the deaths started, and they were brutal. As awful as they’d been, I found myself feeling bad for them.
I figured out who the man in the woods was fairly early on, but I couldn’t quite piece together the motive until everything was revealed.
Yet another brilliant read from a fantastic author.

[Catriona Mowat · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a group of friends travel to their friend’s private island for a weekend away, there are more than secrets lurking. As they find themselves fighting for their lives and each other, they realise that maybe they were never really friends after all.

This is a blood-pounding, high tension horror that really keeps your heart racing. The characters are all terrible, in the best possible way, and they are written so expertly and so realistically that you really do feel like you know them intimately.
The story is fast-paced and chilling, with incredible world-building that you can really picture the story happening around you.

With gore, mystery, humour, drama, and chilling revelations, once again Timothy proves that he is a star on the rise. Firmly cemented as an auto-buy author for me, this is his year. Trust me, this one deserves hype

[Breanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timothy King is at it again! From the very first page, the prologue sets the tone with intensity and immediately pulls you in. There’s a sense of unease that only grows the longer you read!
What starts off as a simple getaway to a private island with friends quickly spirals into something much darker. The suspense builds and makes it impossible to put down! This isnt your typical who done it, it’s darker and far more brutal. The tension between the characters keeps you guessing, and the isolated island setting adds to the claustrophobic, dangerous atmosphere.

[Crystal Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of Advance Copy Received from Author

This starts with a bang and doesn’t let up. The interesting thing, at least for me, is that I hated every single one of the characters, but I’m giving it 5 stars. Usually if I don’t like the characters I don’t bother to finish the book, but with this one I don’t think I would have rated it this high if I didn’t hate everyone. I think everyone got exactly what they deserved and I’m totally here for it. I also loved the connection at the end, but I don’t want to spoil anything so go read it and find out for yourself 😊

[Ameriah Rain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timothy King has done it yet again! Another book that hooks and reels you in the whole time. I didn’t want to put this down.

4 couples and best friends are going on their yearly trip to a private island owned by one of the group members. Most are excited to go, others not so much, but why? Maybe the secrets, scandals, and affairs have something to do with it. This is a must read and is available for preorder now!

[Christopher Dahman · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re a fan of the Scream franchise, you’re going to love this book.

This is a fast-paced, “who’s the killer?” slasher with the most toxic group of friends I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about. The tension never lets up!

Timothy King delivers an intense ride packed with action, drama, and twists that kept me guessing the entire time. Nothing felt predictable, and that’s hard to pull off in a genre like this.

And the ending? Let me say this in all caps: PERFECT.

If you love messy friendships, high-stakes secrets, and classic slasher vibes with a modern edge, this one absolutely delivers.

[Shaya White · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you thought seven rabbits was good wait til you get ahold of We were never really friends!
Timothy king blows it out of the water again with this gripping slasher style horror.
Read in one sitting i was white knuckling through this brutal novel from start to finish!

If you are in the mood for blood and drama this is the book for you!

[Amber Adams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Timothy really killed it with this one! (No pun intended) From the beginning things are tense and it doesn’t take long for this story to ramp up into a full blown bloodbath! This book is chock full of juicy drama among frenemies, creepy slasher tropes and a ton of gore! If you are looking for fast paced, nonstop action this is your book!

[Crystal DeBoard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my first book by Timothy King, but definitely not my last. A slasher that was everything I didn't know I needed. The death scenes were great and the ending was perfect. A quick horror read that I devoured and enjoyed.

[LZW · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in one sitting! For us Gen X ppl it was like Melrose Place x Revenge! Totally played out like a movie in my head, loved the ending so much!

[Alexandra Nisneru · Rating 5 out of 5]

pending full review