The Whispers
Ashley Audrain
Puplication date: 20th July 2023

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First off, thank you so much to Netgalley and the Author Ashley Audrain for an advanced reading copy of this highly anticipated follow up to her 2021 best seller runaway success 'The Push'. I was so excited to be approved a copy of this one and it moved straight to the top of my TBR list.

It was everything I knew it would be and I absolutely loved it.

I can't fault a single thing about it, it was an easy 5 stars from me.

The Whispers is a dark character driven family drama.

Just like with 'The Push', I was hooked from the very first page.

The book follows four different women who live in the same neighbourhood. The plot revolves around the event at the centre of the storyline - Whitneys son is fighting for his life in hospital after a fall from his bedroom window.

Audrain writes in such a raw and honest way. Every character, every experience of motherhood and each individual family dynamic is so vastly different - the characterisation is so well developed and theres such a mix, some likable, some unlikable, all with their own flaws and secrets yet you really get hooked on their storylines. This depth to the characterisation is what makes the book stand out in my opinion.

As the story progressed there were some shocking revelations - everyone had their own theory about what happened and all have their own secrets they are hiding themselves.

There were a few surprises in store and THAT ENDING!!!! That last line was EXPLOSIVE!!!

Audrain has definately created a niche with these two books 'The Push' and 'The Whispers' and I already cannot wait for her next book.

This book touches on Motherhood, Womanhood, Jealousy, Deception and Miscarriage/Infertility - to name a few.
It was perfectly paced, the writing style just flowed, it had a well developed storyline with supurb characters.

It was Gripping, intense, hard to put down and just an utterly fantastic read!!!

I couldnt rate it higher if I tried.
It was flawless.

Defo one not to be missed guys!!
Enjoy ❤️

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After reading 'The Push' a couple of years ago, I was so excited to read this one! Audrain's the Push was in my top books of the year - unfortunately I cannot say the same for 'the Whispers'

I struggled to get into this book. I found the female characters to be similar, so I struggled to keep up whenever I picked up this book again. I had to keep reminding myself as to who was who.
The premise was exciting, but it didn't grip me throughout. I wanted to know what had happened, but I was still slightly confused.

I enjoyed reading, but barely compares to 'the Push' for me!

I really enjoyed The Push so was excited to read her second novel. This was a slow read that I flew through on the first day of my holiday. I thought it was a good read but it lacked some depth in the characters because of how many there were or it lacked that tenderness that I felt when reading her first novel. I do enjoy a multiple POV though.

A dark and suspenseful neighborhood drama!

Thanks NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the ARC!

Audrain pulls us into the depths of motherhood just like in her renowned debut – The Push. Her character portrayals have that sinister edge to them and it’s no different here.

Synopsis -

Following Whitney, Rebecca, Blair and Mara - neighbors on Harlow lane, we understand their family lives and journeys of motherhood in all its colors and flavors. The narrative keeps flashing back to one eventful afternoon of neighborly gathering in September at Whitney’s place, where - an incident triggers a domino effect leading to a fateful morning when Whitney’s 10 year old son Xavier battles for life in a hospital bed.

Audrain explores the various aspects of what it means to be a mother with 4 very different women and what happens when they are pushed to their emotional limits -

Whitney, who has it all – a thriving career, beautiful home and three precious children, but she is someone who struggles in her own way with motherhood.

Meanwhile Blair, is the doting stay at home mom to Chloe, but is far from feeling happy about her life or even good about herself.

Mara, the elderly woman, is busy silently people watching from her porch as she battles with her own demons and guilt, hardships and loss of her past, while she also harbors a fair share of secrets.

Rebecca’s character is perhaps the most hard hitting. As a doctor, she is struggling with multiple miscarriages and its trigger warnings galore when it comes to her story. The enormity of her grief and loss have rendered her heart as cold and hard as stone – the hopelessness and despair unbearable. The descriptions were agonizingly graphic and my heart truly broke for her.

The mystery of the events leading up to Xavier’s fall slowly builds, and finally crescendos into an explosion of excruciating lies, malice, betrayals and desperately hidden secrets revealing the hard naked truths.

The ending felt slightly inconclusive, but had a sucker punch of an impact nonetheless. It left me wanting justice served as well as for the remorse and indignity to be felt by the wrongdoer.

SO good. Dark domestic noir, flawed characters, frenemies all over the place.
Definitely recommend.

I tried so hard to get into this book. The hype and advance reviews seemed to really sell this as a gripping novel. I could not follow the many characters introduced in the first chapter, Each character seemed to blur into another. I didn’t like the short, choppy paragraphs breaking up the flow of the story. It was almost discombobulating.

I had just finished 2 brilliant thrillers which I reviewed in the days prior which were both engaging from the first chapter. This confused me and despite the dramatic incident happening really early on I had no desire to push on. The writing style was all over the place and extremely hard to follow. Nothing endeared me to this novel.

I thought maybe I was just unable to focus so set it aside and started another book to review. Gripped from the first page, easy to follow, making me want more. So, two books prior and one tester nailed it for me that this wasn’t a book I was going to either enjoy or be able to get into at all. I’m disappointed as it’s really hyped up. I had read The Push and enjoyed it, this didn’t seem like the same author.

I rarely put down a book very early on but I knew from thousands of books and over 40 years of reading that if it wasn’t clear now it wasn’t going to get better.. So a rare DNF for me. If you read it you may love it. Just wasn’t doing it for me.

I loved the ending.

Ashley Audrain has authored a novel where a child’s accident brings out the truth of what’s happening in a small enclave of neighbouring houses.

I had a very strange reaction to the novel. I didn’t particularly like any of the characters but carried on reading till the end. However, I couldn’t get the storyline out of my head. Then I was in a coffee shop enjoying some “me time” but found myself eavesdropping on a table of women with school going children sitting next to me and realised that this book, is going to be a huge talking point not just among women but even men. It truly had quite the most extraordinary affect on me. Also, it brought back memories of being newly married and watching our neighbours all partake in key-swopping parties and the consequences of their behaviour.
Ashley Audrain, I must congratulate you for making me relive a period in my life. A period that I’d conveniently forgotten until today.
Rony
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

Wow, this is a tense and suspenseful read.
There are some fascinating and complex characters, friendships, and relationships throughout this story. I can’t say I found any of the characters particularly likeable, except for Rebecca. My heart went out to her. I was equally engrossed in all their stories and the relationship dynamics.
Whitney isn’t what you’d call a natural mother. Her friends are witness to her losing her temper with her son during a party, leaving them wondering what might happen behind closed doors. Soon after, a terrible accident leaves her unable to leave his hospital bedside. It seems to have changed her whole perspective on life and made her want to be the mother her children deserve. There are secrets though that, if discovered, could change her life forever.
I was desperate to find out what these secrets were and where the story would lead. OH. MY. GOODNESS!
It’s an uncomfortable read at times but entirely compelling.
That ending!!
Just brilliant!
**Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy via NetGalley**

If you like domestic drama crossed with psychological thrillers, with a touch of mystery, this is the book for you!

More domestic suspense vibes than thriller, this was gripping, full of drama, intense— combined with a LOT of characters and individual plot lines, this was a PAGE 👏🏽 TURNER 👏🏽. Following four women, their relationships, and the way their lives entwine in one way or another, this book is full to the brim with secrets and little plot twists, and was thought provoking, dark + emotional; everything I love in a book!

The blend of disturbing narrative with unreliable narrator was addictive and although I’d describe the pacing as slow burn, the confronting matter in each chapter was captivating. The last sentence gave me CHILLS 🤌🏼😮‍💨

Audrain does not hold back on the sensitive + deep topics and explores, in depth, the darker complexities of motherhood and marriage, as well as infertility, infidelity and parental guilt to name a few. Definitely check the content warnings for this: miscarriage in particular is quite graphically described.

I still need to read THE PUSH but am super excited to after finishing this one. A gripping, engaging and well written novel that I’d definitely recommend picking up!

[𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘙𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 @𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘨𝘪𝘳𝘭 (𝘐𝘎), 𝘎𝘰𝘰𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩.] —— 𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🥀

I really enjoyed this book….it told the story of neighbours from different perspective and how the dramas of their lives links and tangles….really great read

Even better than the push and I loved that novel. Once again Ashley Audrain perfectly captures what is going on in a women's mind and especially the thoughts we have as mothers the thoughts we don't think anybody else has. I had chills reading the whispers and I literally couldn't put it down. Truly excellent.

A domestic thriller focusing on four women and their experiences of marriage and motherhood and uncovering all their dirty secrets.
It’s disturbing and uncomfortable and hated most of the characters, but couldn’t stop reading.
The most thought-provoking book I’ve read in a while.
It’s a novel about what happens when we put our needs ahead of our children’s.
Would make the perfect bingeable mini series.
Thanks @ashleyaudrain, @michaeljbooks & @netgalley for the eARC

I really enjoyed this book. It is the story of 3 women, Whitney, Blair and Rebecca who are very different but are neighbours. One night there is a terrible accident involving a child. But what really happened? The whispers begin...... The characters are very interesting and I was kept guessing to the end, where there is one final twist. Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
Copied to Goodreads.

This book is going to live in my head for some time… The Whispers is an intense and raw depiction of various aspects of motherhood; the one who has it all, the one who appears “perfect”, the one who has lost a child, and the one so desperate to become a mother.

This was a different type of “dark” that I’m used to and boy did parts of it break my cold heart 💔💔 I purposely avoided The Push as I was right in the throes of raising a toddler when it came out… I’ll read it one day 😉😉

I empathised with all four characters. Some were more likeable than others, which was intended, but Audrain writes in such an evocative and powerful way that I couldn’t help feel for each of them. Some I could relate to in parts, and some I just wanted to wrap my arms round and protect 🖤🖤

There are some aspects which are quite detailed, particularly to do with pregnancy loss. I was aware from other reviews of how graphic these parts of the book were, and was a tad apprehensive… but Audrain wrote them sensitively and emphatically and, although difficult to read, I feel they were a vital part of the book.

A domestic drama with more of a thriller element towards the end, Audrain knows how to write a book that will pack a punch 🤛 🤛 And certainly an eye bulge, if not a jaw drop, at the very end… 👀👀

I was consumed by this book and I certainly look forward to more of Audrain’s in the future.

Whitney’s son Xavier falls out his bedroom window and is in a coma. Did he fall, was he pushed or did he jump?
I loved The Push and was really thrilled to be able to get my hands on an advanced copy of her second offering, The Whispers.

Like The Push, The Whispers is a thriller focusing on motherhood. It centres around the presumptions, the heartbreak, the secrets and the lies of four women who all live on the same street.
Another fabulous page turner by this talented author!

I loved Audrain’s first novel, ‘The Push’ and again in her second book she looks at the dark side of motherhood.

This book follows four women, who are all neighbours with each other. We follow their different stories about motherhood and relationships. Along the way, we find out everyone’s secrets and betrayals.

This is another twisty drama from Audrain and although I liked it, it wasn’t as good as the Push. I felt there was this big section in the middle where the book dragged a little. The beginning and the end were brilliant and I loved that final sentence!

I was lucky enough to receive an early copy of this. It’s out today, good read with a brilliant ending ❤️📚

Wow, what a book! I am still reeling from The Whispers despite it being over a week since I finished it. Ashley Audrain has a way of exposing the dark side of motherhood, of saying the 'unaaceptable' and bringing taboo topics to the forefront.

The Whispers is a totally suprising and unique book about the common place lives of a group of neighbours. If you like reading about toxic friendships and juicy scandals then this is the book for you. The events on Harlow Street are like an episode of Desperate Housewives.

"There is something animalistic about the way the middle-aged adults size each other up while feigning friendliness in the backyard of the most expensive house on the street."

When Whitney's son falls from his bedroom window the whispers begin. Was it a tragic accident? Did he jump or was he pushed? Whitney has secrets but she's not the only one. Blair likes to prowl around Whitney's home when noone is home. Rebecca and Ben have been trying for children for a long time, has their childless marriage begun to show cracks? 82-year-old Mara knows all their secrets if only someone would take the trouble to talk to her.

The Whispers is about motherhood in all its guises and it one hell of a read but it does deal with some difficult topics so be prepared.

Whitney is the envy of all her friends. She has the biggest house, a loving husband and three children, but she still isn't satisfied. Whitney loves her job, she lives to work and struggles to enjoy time with her kids the way she feels she should. Whitney particularly struggles with her eldest son Xavier and finds herself losing her temper with him quite easily.

"...the ringing of her own venemous, murderous yelling. The familar echo of her rage. The fever of possibilites registers. And then she notices. The wide-open window. Everyone has heard."

Whitney is envious of Blair and her obvious enjoyment of motherhood but Blair has problems of her own. She is convinced her husband is having an affair but she has no proof,

"But more than any proof she has, is a feeling. She'd once heard them described as the whispers - the moments that are trying to tell you something isn't right here."

Rebecca works every day saving children's lives and wants a child more than anything but she has suffered a series of miscarriages.

"Why doesn't she have children? Because she can't keep her own alive."

The author is excellent at writing about the invisible load women carry, the different types of motherhood and the silent battles that can be fought.

It's dark, twisty, and tense. A well written psychological thriller that kept me on the edge and turning pages.
Enjoyed it
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

My first thought on this highly anticipated second novel from Ashley Audrain was I wonder how much pressure she felt to deliver on this one. Like hundreds of thousands of other people I loved her debut, The Push. It must be incredible to have a debut novel sell so many copies and to be read so widely but the pressure that follows must be immense because I think like many readers, my expectations for this one were high.

The Whispers in the most part delivers. Objectively it is a decent intensely readable domestic thriller but I did not think it was as good a read as The Push was. Taken out of the shadow of the wildly successful debut, it is a good read and stronger than many books I have read in this genre.

The Whispers centers around four women who live in suburbia in an unnamed US city. The book opens at a neighbourhood bbq, drinks are flowing , everyone is relaxing and then the perfect hostess is overheard furiously roaring at her son and the perfect summer scene is shattered. Some months later that same child falls from his bedroom window in the middle of the night and is rushed to hospital , seriously injured, his mother bereft at his bedside , refuses to speak. Over the following days, the four women's circumstances and stories are told as everyone tries to work out how this child fell from a window in this perfectly pleasant neighbourhood in the dead of night.

Audrain writes the darker side of motherhood and families with great skill. She weaves themes of envy, ambition, intuition, loss, hope, rage and throughout this story and it is a propulsive read. Some characters are explored in deeper detail than others but it is the women and their motivations and inclinations that drive this story. Its well paced, suspenseful and all the threads come together for a satisfactory conclusion even if some details felt like they were just to shock rather than add to the plot.

A decent read. I look forward to Audrain's third book.

3.5 - 4 star

* I tend to not add content warnings but I feel this one merits one for vivid describtions of pregnancy loss.

* The Whispers will be published, tomorrow, July 20th.

I loved this book , I was gripped from start to finish. It is a story essentially about motherhood and how it can consume our lives. The novel centres around four female characters each with their own issues. A major event happens resulting in a young child in hospital in a coma. We as readers gradually get information that lead up to the incident. Whitney who is the mother of the child is struggling with being a mother and juggling work and home. I personally didn’t have much sympathy for her even though she is consumed with guilt. However I have immense sympathy for Rebecca and Mara. Rebecca is the neighbour and doctor who has had numerous miscarriages, and Maya is the old lady whose son has died years ago. I have never had a miscarriage and therefore can only imagine how traumatising it must be . I was immensely moved by the authors descriptions of Rebecca’s situation, I thought it was hard hitting and sympathetic. I felt Maras grief for her son and her loneliness. And not forgetting Blair who seems to be the “perfect” mother to her daughter. I found it moving , gripping, atmospheric and suspenseful. What an ending as well !