Anna has it all; a loving husband, a son and three best friends.
The return of Grace, Anna's childhood friend, whom she hadn't seen for many years, puts pressure on Anna to keep the balance between all her friends.
But when Anna disappears after a night out, it seems that only Grace is worried about her.


This was a good and gripping book with an unexpected turn halfway through. However, it is also a book that had me on the fence about the rating.
The story kept me steadily interested until the twist, which made me pick up my pace and race through the rest of the book. Unfortunately, the ending fell flat for me and because of the disappointment it brought, I decided on 3 stars.
Nonetheless, it was a good and entertaining read, and I definitely recommend it.

Another fantastic read from Heidi Perks
When Grace returns from living in Australia for the past 20something years, she hopes to rekindle her friendship with childhood best friend Anna. However they have grown up, Anna has new friends can Grace fit in where she used to belong?
There are secrets hanging over this friendship, what are they and what will happen between them both?
Told from Anna and Graces prospectives and the whispers of the playground gossip we piece together the truths behind their relationships
A very enjoyable read that I struggled to put down
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read

I enjoyed this book, the premise was really good, I liked the writing style and it had great character development, but I found it a little too slow paced for me.

It tells the story of Grace, who has returned from Australia and expects to still be best friends with Anna - they were inseparable as children. But it doesn’t quite work out like that and we soon realise that things aren’t what they seem. Grace feels like an outsider and when Anna disappears after a night out, everything changes!

It was full of twists and turns, some which I didn’t guess, but unfortunately I guessed the ending, which did let it down for me. Overall, an enjoyable psychological thriller.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC.

A good, undemanding read for a cold winter’s day in front of the fire! When Grace returns from living in Australia to the small English seaside town where she grew up, she expects her relationship with her best friend Anna to take up where it left off many years ago. This slightly far fetched premise runs throughout the book as it increasingly become apparent that things were not as simple as they seemed in their past close friendship, I did find the book absorbing, but was not convinced by all of the characters and found some of the relationships and settings somewhat contrived at times, and the writing style a little disjointed.

Grace returns from living overseas since her teens, expecting to be welcomed back by Anna who was her best friend before she left. Things couldn’t be more different, Anna has moved on to a new group of friends who are less than welcoming to Grace. Then Anna disappears, everyone seems evasive even her husband. Grace is determined to find out what has happened and begins asking questions.
Not everything is as it seems, this examines female friendship and the lies we tell each other. It’s an interesting thriller, I was never quite sure who to believe - always a good sign. Thank you Netgalley for letting me read an advance copy.

I did enjoy this book but it was not as gripping and fast paced as her usual.
I found it a little far fetched and lost my way with it a hit because of that.
I also didn’t warm to the characters particularly.
It was a good book just not as good as I expect from Heidi Perks

A real wild ride. This novel is fast paced, gripping and absolutely chock full of secrets lies and cover ups.

Grace leaves Australia to move back to Dorset. She hopes to pick up where they left off with her best friend Anna. But Anna has moved on and her new group of friends have no interest in Grace joining them.

This is psychological thriller at it’s best.

I.ve never read any of Heidi Perks’ books, but this was a wonderful first. Full of twists I didn’t see coming, a eerily believable plot about the depths friendship can run, and in this case, ruin. I did guess some bits, but that didn’t disappoint my overall reading, and I thought it was a well thought out, fast paced thriller! Although, I do question the title name, as I felt the mother’s little sections didn’t really offfer much even though these were the ‘whispers of the playground’ iluded too!

The Whispers is a book about friendship and how it can sometimes go wrong. The friendship between Grace and Anna is an interesting one and I loved the way it was written - so that it left you feeling sorry for Grace until the very end. It was very dark but well written which made it difficult to put down. There was nothing predictable about this book which left you guessing until the end. Highly recommend.

The story is told over the course of a few months with some flashbacks. Grace has recently returned from Australia to the small town of Clearwater where she grew up. She is hoping to rekindle her childhood friendship with Anna but finds it difficult to close to her as she is always surrounded by her other three friends. After a night out with Anna and her three friends, where she again feels left out, Grace discovers that Anna didn’t return home and is missing. She reports this to the Police but they don’t appear to take her seriously.

This book is all about perception and the opinions you form based on what you have been told. I didn’t particularly warm to any of the characters but I think this was the intention of the author. Another fantastic read from Heidi Perks which I highly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Right from the outset this book was gripping. Another brilliant read from Heidi Perks. Great characters with lots of twists and turns. Absolutely brilliant read. It is one of those books you just don't want to end.

Highly enjoyable tale. Just when I thought I knew how it would all end I am suddenly reminded that there always two sides to any story and often neither bear any resemblance of the truth,

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for my copy to review on netgalley. I am a huge fan of Heidi’s so was thrilled to recieve!

Written in alternate timelines and narratives this gives the story a fast and fresh pace .

Thought provoking and captivating.

Unpredictable and exciting this is another great thriller from Heidi! Once you start you will be hooked as you want to know the truth.

A excellent portrayal of friendships old and new and what happens when they break down. Jealously,revenge,lies ,loss and love .

It also deals with hard topics and how they affect us from childhood to adulthood.

I highly recommend and do check out her previous books .

Published 18th March

I have read all of Heidi Perks novels so was delighted to receive the ARC of The Whispers in return for my honest review. Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Heidi Perks for this opportunity. I will be publishing my full review on 19th March as part of the official blog tour.

Anna and Grace had been best friends in their childhood until Grace emigrated to Australia with her parents. In fact, they had been inseparable.

Grace returns home to Clearwater, near Weymouth and arrives at Anna’s door expecting the friendship to continue as before. However, Anna is now married with a young son and a group of close-knit friends, Nancy, Rachel and Caitlyn, who seem to be over-protective of Anna.

The story is told from Grace and Anna’s perspective between the present and the past and there are many secrets and lies. As usual this author keeps the reader guessing and the final outcome is superbly crafted with a clever portrayal of the women.

Another outstanding read from Heidi Perks and not to be missed.

A young girl, Anna, struggling with the loss of her mother becomes inseparable from Grace, and so early life bonding and the attraction of attention from Graces mother ensure the friendship thrives until Anna makes a new friend, not something on Graces agenda as acceptable. Two decades later Grace returns from Australia to Clearwater, determined to rekindle the childhood friendship which has been magnified and romanticised over the years. However nothing is the same and Anna has a new life, a circle of close friends and appears reluctant to include Grace. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Grace ricochets between adoring devotion and jealousy and perceived slights. Two woman, one vengeful, one terrified; a series of mysterious events in the past which culminated in a fatality neither woman could forget and both remain scarred by the memory. The story unfolds of a toxic relationship told in alternative chapters through each woman’s perspective with past and present events colliding in the catalyst that cascades towards the inevitable ultimate tragedy that forms the thrilling conclusion. An unusual slant on women’s close friendships and loyalty issues. Many thanks to publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

This is an -edge-of-your -seat thriller that will make you forget everything else in your attempt to keep turning the pages. Young mother Anna Robinson has gone missing in suspicious circumstances since she enjoyed a night out with her four friends. The school gate gossip mills are working overtime, and at first it seems as if there is only Anna’s friend Grace who leaves no stone unturned to find out what happened to Anna. How far can you trust each of the characters in this novel? And what is the value of friendship? With lots of twists and turns and deceptive conclusions too easily drawn, this is an incredible thriller with a cleverly plotted ending.

I was excited to read this book as really enjoyed previous books by this author.

‘The Whispers’ tells the story of Grace Goodwin, who returns to the town she grew up in after living in Australia for many years. Grace is excited to return and to meet up with the best friend, Anna, who she left behind all those years ago.

Having been as close as sisters all the way through school and until Grace depart for Australia the reunion between the two should be highly anticipated but all is not what it seems and Anna soon appears to be distancing herself, keeping close to her new group of friends instead. Grace feels like an outsider and wishes she could have her old friend back, when Anna suddenly disappears after a night out everything suddenly changes...

I did enjoy this book but feel like the ending lacked a little something. It did keep you guessing throughout and does misdirect you well but it didn’t always hold my attention as much as I hoped. An easy thriller read though.

Thanks to NetGalley and Century for the advanced reader copy.

Great story with lots of twists and turns, taking you up to a finale that is never fully answered! Gripping throughout, I would totally recommend this book.

A well written and engrossing mystery, but I must add that it's not my favourite Heidi Perks so far to date.

It follows a woman whom goes missing and a newly returned best friend, who is obviously very worried about her.

But she seems like the only one who cares? Is it all what it seems?

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for ARC

Grace has returned to her home town after spending many years in Australia.
She has missed her childhood friend Anna and the two are reunited but things are not the same and Anna’s current friends are not happy about the situation.
When Anna goes missing things take a dramatic turn as everyone tries to find out the truth of where she has gone.
Some twist and turns in this story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.