I really enjoyed this creepy and distressing thriller. The plot was pacy and atmospheric, I felt drawn into Abi's world and her art - and her desire to create something from nothing and her fear about Grace returning. Although I harboured my suspicisions about Grace and who she really was, this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the novel.

This book started off quite slowly but developed into an OK read, until that ending !! I didn't like that ending

The House of Whispers is a read which grips you from the outset as it sheds like on two former uni friends reconnecting. The twist is easy enough to figure out but it brings with it a deep sense of satisfaction as you watch the plot unfold as you figured. But what's great about this book is it's so masterfully told by Anna Kent that you don't lose interest all.

What a fun read this was! OK, I guessed the 'main' twist halfway through but, even then, the story intrigued me enough to not lose any interest - and the ending was great! Totally wild but great. PS: I could totally see this made into a movie.

A new author for me, and one I would happily read from again! Enjoyed the book, realistic characters and an intriguing plot line. I would recommend it to friends. The author managed to achieve a balance of tone and ensured that I looked forward to picking up the book and becoming absorbed in the next chapter- sometime I find my interest is lost if I have to read it in stages due to life taking over, this was not the case here! Thank you.

I loved this book. I think mainly because of Abi, who tells most of the story and is emotionally layered and hugely engaging in a beautifully melancholy manner.

She is an artist who struggles with herself on many levels…her college friendship with Grace ended in turmoil, now years later Grace has returned. This affects Abi in a strangely emotional way, both positively and negatively.

This novel is all about what goes on beneath the surface -as things unfold you are completely hooked from first page to last, whilst some of what is coming you’ll work out, this is an edgy and cleverly plotted book that reveals its secrets slowly and in an absolutely riveting way.

I thought this was wonderful..one of those books that lives and dies on the back of its main protagonist and Abi wins the day.

Recommended.

Many years ago, Abi and Grace were best friends, going together through all the rites of passage that university offers and confiding in each other. However, although very charismatic, Grace was a very needy person and Abi often felt drained by her demands. So when Grace gets in touch many years later, Abi, now happily married, is initially cautious of rekindling their university friendship that has clearly run its course, and her husband Rohan is not keen on Grace either. But then events start to gather pace, with unbelievable results….This is a rollercoaster of a book that demonstrates just how much damage so-called ‘friends’ with secret agendas can do to you. An utterly compelling and believable story, I read this over the space of just a few days and highly recommend it. I will definitely seek out Anna Kent’s earlier novels now…

This book had me hooked from the start, a dark creepy thriller that I raced through with a very clever conclusion.
Abi met Grace at university and the two girls became best friends , they became estranged but now Grace is back and wants to be back in Abi's life. There is an underlying darkness going on throughout this story which I couldn't quite put my finger on but when the facts are revealed it all made perfect sense. A very enjoyable read and I will certainly be watching out for more by Anna Kent.

Grace and Abi meet at university, they have very different light and shade personalities. Several years on, Abi has married Rohan Allerton and they have renovated a neglected house in which Abi has a studio for her expanding art career. They are happy until Abi gets an email from Grace who has been in Australia for the last few years, she is returning and wants to reconnect. Why does this cast a shadow on Abi’s life?

This is a very good psychological slow burn thriller that examines a toxic relationship which Abi demonstrates in a sequence of horrifyingly violent portraits of an ageing Grace. The atmosphere of fear is added to by the house which emits a creepy and ghostly vibe. The characters are really good, Rohan and his family are portrayed vividly and are extremely likeable although his mother is OTT! They make a really good contrast to Abi who is perplexing and enigmatic. The anticipation of the arrival of Grace is very good and you feel how it weighs on Abi. When she does appear she is everything you had expected, a manipulative and controlling emotional bully. It’s like watching a slow motion crash and awaiting the impact. When it comes it’s excellent and very powerful although not entirely unexpected as the warning signs are there.

Overall, a good quality psychological thriller that makes for compelling reading.

With thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the arc for an honest review.

Okay. I will try and make this review not to sound confusing as I don't want to say too much to give the story line away.
As I was reading this book I found myself thinking this isn't what I thought it was going to be, I enjoyed the book very much but had a different plot in my head from reading the blurb.
As I got to the end of the book I was thinking when is the character going to do what I thought she was going too.
And then along came the twist OMG!! had not thought of that ending but what a good one.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me review this book and I hope it made sense without giving too much away.

This book was a little slow at the beginning but then it soon picked up pace. The ending was quite predictable and not original. It was an average read and unfortunately nothing special.

3.5 stars


This builds up tension really nicely when you get invested in the story of a toxic friendship between Abi and Grace,that started in uni.
Then,little things started to twig,and you realise you're looking at a whole different story.
Or at least that's how it was for me.
Nicely done.

I love a good toxic friendship!

The start should have been shorter, I was waiting with anticipation for Grace to arrive and when she did the book really took off! Destructive and all consuming, House of Whispers is definitely one that will leave you reading late into the night. Abi was a wonderful character, written well a little quirky and strange with plenty of hidden secrets.

I just wish it had ended differently....I’m pretending the twist didn’t happen because it was unimaginative and a joke! It makes absolutely no sense! It’s hinted at through the story but I thought it was a red herring!

With a different ending this would be a 4.5 book but it currently deserves a 3.

Absolutely loved this book, it kept me hooked in from the start all the way through. I did suspect the ending but couldn't be sure so it was still good to see how it turned out...

A brilliant read. Read in 1 session and was gripped. I did guess the ending about half way through which was a shame, but it still kept me reading to the very end. If there is anything I could say to improve this book, I think it needed something more for the ending.. maybe a part 2,

#HouseOfWhispers #NetGalley
An excellent psychological thriller.
Grace returns to Abi’s life, years after they fell out at university, Abi can’t help but feel uneasy. Years ago, Grace’s friendship was all-consuming and exhausting.Now happily married, Abi’s built a new life for herself and put those days behind her. And yet as Grace slips back into her life with all the lethal charm she had before, Abi finds herself falling back under her spell…
Abi’s husband, Rohan, can’t help but be concerned as his wife’s behaviour changes. As their happy home threatens to fall apart, he realises that there’s something deeply unnerving about Grace.
Characters were deeply satisfying with a twist I never see coming. I loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for giving me an advance copy.

It's not often I finish a book and think to myself "what an absolutely ridiculous ending"

Are we really supposed to beleive the whole premise of the book was a figment of the main characters imagination? What about the cheating with the ex boyfriend? The clothes buying, the mess, the toys in the spare room?

I understand the twist was meant to be huge and shocking and a thinker...but it just didn't work, it left the book feeling distinctly amateur.

It's a shame the ending was so rushed an unbeleivable as I did enjoy the writing style and was looking forward to the climax.

Would not recommend to my friends. Thanks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.