Good leaders delegate. That’s why when Brianna and Sarabeth complain they were supposed to have room 16 at the front of the house, not room 26 at the back, I send them to Zara, the junior I strong-armed into serving as Property Chair, and when a sophomore whose name I don’t know asks when rush practice starts in the morning, I direct her to Caro, our Recruitment Chair.
As President of Gamma Gamma Alpha this year, I need to save my energy for ensuring we have the most successful rush, secure the best social calendar, and keep our top-tier reputation intact. Dealing with minor Move-In Day disputes and inane questions is below my pay grade.
I moved into the house yesterday, taking advantage of my status as President to escape my father’s claustrophobic split-level a day early. Spending the night alone in the spacious, three-story sorority house—not even our house mother had moved in for the season yet—felt indulgent. So indulgent that I didn’t even respond when Christian invited me over to the Dungeon. I refused to squander my time alone for that dirtbag, no matter how much I’ve missed his touch.
Now, I stand among the fat white columns on our grand porch, the southern heat and humidity resting thickly on my skin, and watch the bustling action up and down Sorority Row. At each house, just like ours, girls are moving in, carrying boxes of skincare and strappy dresses and ring lights, squealing greetings after spending the summer apart. It’s astonishing how little dignity some of these girls have.
Next door, a silver SUV pulls up in front of the Theta house. The back door opens, and out steps Shay Wright. She’s wearing a matching set of athletic wear, the kind that rich girls like the ones that populate these houses wear for leisure, not actual exercise, and it has the effect of making her long, thin limbs look even longer and thinner. She must be starving herself again to look like that. Good. Shay Wright is the worst, and she doesn’t merit a single moment of inner peace.
She glances in my direction, and I return a cold stare, letting her know just how little interest I have in playing nice with her, even if we both happen to be President of our respective sororities this year. But Shay’s gaze moves over me without stopping, like she hasn’t even seen me. My blood heats; no one ignores me, especially not Shay Wright.
Then her parents exit the SUV, her father laughing while moving to open the trunk and her mother smiling and snapping photos of Shay and the Theta house with a gold-cased iPhone. Hatred surges through my veins and makes my hands curl into fists. It’s not fair that Shay has two involved parents, that neither of them are dead or an alcoholic. Shay doesn’t deserve it. She knows what she’s done.
And this is the year she finally pays for it.
SISTERHOOD ABOVE ALL by Kathleen Barber with Amayah Shaienne
Genre: Thriller
Release: July 2026
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link
Any girl would kill to be a Gamma.
Being a Gamma at Southern State University means belonging to the most desirable, exclusive sisterhood there is. For Ava, it means even more—it’s the last connection she has to her beloved late mother, and she’ll do anything to wear the Gamma letters.
But the Gammas didn’t become the best house on campus by letting just anyone in, and every prospective pledge is expected to earn her spot. As president, Madison is the ultimate gatekeeper, and she has a special test for Ava.
Rival sorority Theta is nipping at the Gammas’ heels for the top spot on campus, and president Shay is proud they’ve gotten there by rising above the hyper-competitive gamesmanship that consumes other houses. She knows she’s made some enemies in her quest to change the Greek system from the inside, but she can’t imagine the depth of Madison’s resentment for her … or how far Ava will go to become a Gamma.
The sisterhood, the parties, the elite status—and the connection to her mother—are what Ava has always wanted, but she never guessed the cost of membership would be so high. Three women, two houses, one dead body: rush has never been this messy.
Meet the author
Kathleen Barber is the author of Truth Be Told, which was adapted into a series on AppleTV+ by Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine media company, Follow Me, Both Things Are True, and the forthcoming Sisterhood Above All (with Amayah Shaienne). A graduate of the University of Illinois and Northwestern University School of Law, she now lives in Washington, DC, with her husband and children.