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First We Were IV

Alexandra Sirowy - Author

The central tension is how a group’s attempts to pursue justice can shift towards revenge, with consequences the friends cannot control.

More about this book

Hoping to ensure their friendship will outlast high school, Izzie and her friends form a secret society devoted to mischief that rights wrongs and pays back debts, but it spirals out of control when the whole town wants to participate. Izzie, Viv, Graham, and Harry. A secret society of four. The rules: Never lie. Never tell. Love one another. They're devoted to mischief that rights wrongs and pays back debts. At first. But as their escapades get recognition, other people start wanting in. They broke the rules. What started as a game of friendship spirals into something beyond their control: revenge; death; rebellion.

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

Discover

Justice· ExplainedRevenge· ExplainedConsequences· Explained

Consider

Violence and harmSocial conflictFear and suspense

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

justicerevengeconsequencesfriendshipsecrecybelonging

Fiction

Themes in Context

Justice and revenge

The friends begin with pranks intended to right wrongs, then investigate a long-buried murder as their activities grow more destructive.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The narrative emphasises moral complexity and the possibility that good intentions can have catastrophic unintended consequences.

Talk about: At what point, if any, do the friends’ actions stop looking like justice and start looking like vengeance?

Friendship and secrecy

The four friends create IV in hopes of keeping their friendship intact, with rules to never lie, never tell, and love one another.Provisional reading

Talk about: If the group grows, what seems to matter most to the friends: keeping their promises, protecting one another, or preserving the society?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The opening reveals that one friend is absent before the story explains how the four became close, creating a mystery that drives the narrative.

What Deserves Attention

The story includes a teenage girl’s death, an old murder, school bullying, and severe harm to some animals as the group’s actions escalate.

A Conversation Worth Having

If the friends’ actions are meant to bring justice, what signs might show that they have crossed into revenge?

Reading Approach

Consider reading together or checking in as the pranks intensify; this gives you a chance to pause on the consequences without spoiling the mystery.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Justice and revenge: The precise outcomes of the escalating actions and the final resolution are not established here.
Friendship and secrecy: How the narrative ultimately judges the friends’ loyalty and secrecy is not established.

First We Were IV by Alexandra Sirowy | Open Library

Limited information

Checked: 1 October 2026.

Relevant to: Justice and revenge; Friendship and secrecy

FIRST WE WERE IV