Strap in for this superb thriller, the newest novel from star writer Ashley Audrain, which – like her smash hit, The Push – brilliantly handles themes of parenthood, relationships, fidelity and deep-seated trauma. The stage is a stylish suburban neighbourhood, the players are four women connected in ways they could not fathom. A weekend party at the Loverly’s house turns sinister when mum Whitney loses her cool and shouts at her 10 year old son Xavier, her aggression clearly audible to the gathered guests downstairs: nine months later, she is in hospital at Xavier’s bedside while he lies in an induced coma, having fallen from his bedroom – or did he? We then hear from Whitney’s neighbours – Rebecca, the young doctor who lives opposite the Loverleys and is battling her own, completely debilitating fertility issues – Mara, the elderly neighbour who sees everything – and Blair, a stay-at-home mother who’s come adrift since becoming a parent. Juicy, gripping, packed with women being awful to each other in one breath yet seeking their support with another, this is a brilliant beach read of a thriller that you’ll chomp through in a single sitting.

This riveting novel will have you hooked from page 1. Nothing is obvious until all the threads are pulled together. This book will have your mind racing with all sorts of possibilities. A page turner that is hard to put down.

Each woman in this story has their own regarding motherhood and their relationship.
Audrain shows here how vastly different it can be for every woman. Without the people around us fully knowing or without us knowing people know.

The first half of this book we are getting know each of the women, their family dynamic and view on motherhood. While we also get some questions. Who is cheating with who? What happened to Xavier?
Both questions are answered but we are left wondering what happens next. Does the truth come out? What happens to each woman and their lives going forwards with reveals that happen?

Well I finished this in a day so that probably gives a good indication how much I enjoyed this one! I love this authors writing style and she doesn’t shy away from some really dark topics. I would describe this as less of a thriller and more on the family drama side of things but without a doubt still a 5 star! Also absolutely love the cover.

Big thanks to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The families on Harlow Street - like families everywhere - have their own issues to manage, their own secrets to protect, and their own relationships to maintain.

The four couples featured in Ashley Audrain's Whispers are very different, their sometimes-conflicting priorities all too evident. And some of those neighbourly bonds are balanced on a knife edge. So it takes just one crisis to bring everything crashing down.

The story is told from the perspective of the four women belonging to these couples. Whitney, who faces as much judgement as she does envy for her lifestyle as a working mother who supposedly has it all; Mara, the mother of a son with special needs (something for which she blames herself); Blair, the stay at home mother, who is battling a sense of mission drift; and Rebecca, who has suffered a series of heartbreaking miscarriages that have left her emotionally hollowed out.

Audrain tells the story with a surgical precision when it comes to dissecting the emotions of the individuals concerned that is somehow married to a deep empathy, which forces the reader to confront and feel what these women are going through. This is an important book, which does not shy away from exploring the darker side of marriage and motherhood.

A dark family drama that I absolutely loved! This book follows four very different women and their experiences of motherhood, from not being able to have a child to having a neurodiverse child, Audrain portrays the characters with such depth. The book focuses on why these women make the choices they do, many to strive to be the best mother they can be. Whilst Whitney’s son fights for his life, the other mothers look on with their theories of what’s happened, when they all have secrets they’re hiding themselves. A great read, I couldn’t put it down!

Dark and intense drama which is raw and hard to read in places.

The premise drew me in because it’s so salacious and I really wanted to know what happened.

I liked that the author took the time to give background on the characters because it made the second half of the book so much more page turning!

Another fantastic book from this author, it’s got SO MANY toxic relationships coming at you from all angles, secrets, lies, a serious accident, and lots of twists and turns (although I did guess a couple, I missed a fair few!)

It was such an interesting dive into how women perceive themselves and each other, vs how they think other women perceive them. And how upbringings shape these perceptions.

It didn’t quite live up to The Push for me (but how could it that was a 5 star banger!) but I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a thriller and a mystery.

Just note the trigger warnings, particularly related to fertility issues.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

A gripping, plausible story with strong characters. I found myself getting anxious wondering what the outcome would be! Life as a mother isn’t always easy, nor does it go to plan. Whitney’s son has an accident which fuels all the whispers in her neighbourhood.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It’s a brilliant story of 4 different women, whose secrets come to the surface after a serious incident befalls a child on their street. So well written with really well developed characters, this is a truly great read that I highly recommend!

It’s official, I will read absolutely anything by Ashley Audrain. I inhaled her debut, The Push, when it was released a couple of years ago and have been waiting very patiently for her next masterpiece and here it is 🙌🏻 I wasn’t sure that anything could top the emotions I felt while reading The Push but Ashley has for sure knocked it out of the park again with The Whispers. She just has that magical way of putting words together that makes you physically NEED to keep reading to find out what happens next.

The Whispers is made up of several perspectives from women who live in the same neighbourhood: high-flying career woman Whitney who is mother to 10-year-old son Xavier and younger twins Thea and Sebastian; Blair, devoted stay-at-home mother to daughter Chloe; Mara, who is in her mid-eighties and takes note of all the comings and goings of her neighbours and finally Rebecca, a doctor who is struggling with recurrent miscarriages. There is a LOT to unpack between all of these women and their families and I honestly could not peel my eyes away from the pages. When Xavier is taken to hospital after a tragic fall from his bedroom window, doubt creeps in and sours relationships, suspicions are rife and the tension between all of the characters is t h i c k.

Some of the subjects explored throughout the book are focused on the pressures women can face including balancing the expectations and reality of having children and also juggling work and family life. In both of her books, Ashley expertly holds up a magnifying glass to the uncomfortable truths of motherhood and marriage. The four women of Harlow Lane could not be more different from each other in terms of personality but find themselves intricately linked in ominous ways as the story progresses.

I was entranced from the first page until the last and I obviously have to mention THAT ENDING. That final sentence. I was on the actual edge of my seat and am still thinking about it now! Genius. An absolute solid five stars from me for this thrilling, gripping and intense rollercoaster!

Huge thanks to Jen at Penguin Michael Joseph for an advanced copy of this book (and also a Netgalley digital copy!) in exchange for an honest review.

Another enjoyably twisty family drama from Ms Audrain. I like her writing style and found this, like the Push, quite a page turner.
Its always fun to discover human flaws beneath perfect veneers, but i did find myself wanting more depth from the characters - maybe fewer affairs and a bit more about Mara, particularly towards the end.
Thank you to netgalley and Michael Joseph for an advance copy of this book.

Synopsis ——The whispers started long before the accident on Harlow Street . . .

Was it at the party, when Whitney screamed blue murder at her son?

Or after neighbour Blair started prowling Whitney's house, uninvited?

Or once Rebecca and Ben's childlessness finally puts a crack in their marriage?

But on the terrible night of the accident, the whispers grow louder, more insistent.

Neighbours gather round. Questions are asked. Secrets are spilled. And the gloss on everything begins to rub off. Everyone is drawn into the darkness.

Because there's no smoke without fire.
No friendship without envy.
And no lie that does not conceal a devastating truth . . .

Blurb ——-

I enjoyed the Push when it came out and was thrilled to get this one to read .

Written in a raw honest and emotive way the novel follows four women . Whitney, Blair , Rebecca and Mara .
Is there such a thing as a perfect mother Whitney thinks there is but it is definitely not her. Career driven with a temper against her 10 year old son which comes to light at a September garden party where she is over heard .
Blair a mother to Chloe who she nurtures has a ‘creepy ‘and obsessive behaviour and is often found in Whitney’s house when no one is there .
Rebecca the doctor who is desperate for a child but miscarriages leave her in despair and no hope .
Mara is an elderly neighbor who watches knows more than people realise and has issues of her own .
Throw in an affair , all the partners and Whitney’s son Xavier falling from a bedroom window !
You have a plot , sometimes uncomfortable ,sometimes intense . what happened ?as you follow their lives all begins to unravel !

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain was a disturbing read. There really wasn’t a character I liked yet they all had such complicated back stories which helped explain their flaws. The story chugged along very well with intrigue, duplicity and weirdness which kept me guessing. I think Ashley formed the characters well and packed a decent few surprises in along the way. Four stars from me

I wish I had been more involved in this, but it wasn't more than fine for me - I didn't feel connected to or invested in the characters, who didn't feel particularly distinctive, and I found my attention wandering regularly while reading. Not nearly as compelling as I had hoped.

My first book by this author. I would read another one but I do feel that this was missing something. I did not feel a connection with the characters. The character Whitney was one that I could especially not understand. I finished the book and there is a surprising twist at the end but it was lacking something, unfortunately.

This is my first novel by this author but I will certainly be reading The Push now!

An amazing plot with characters that you really invest in. As a mother myself, I was able to relate so closely with so many of the scenarios and it was a pleasure to finally have that!

4.5-4.75⭐️

It centres around a group of neighbours, concentrating on the women, some with kids, some trying to have it all with high powered jobs, a stay at home mom, one without kids, and an elderly woman who sees how much the world has changed.
At the core is Xavier a young boy who has a head injury following a fall from his bedroom window.

We get to know each of the neighbours with their detailed back story. There’s quite a few characters to keep track of. It’s a very character driven story. There’s still plenty of twists and turns. It explores various aspects of motherhood, the good, the bad and the ugly, and the all consuming desperate need to be a mother. It’s also explores friendships, relationships and betrayals.

It took me a good while until I was really engaged, which is the only reason this isn’t instantly a 5⭐️

The author really draws you into the neighbours lives, and emotions. I didn’t particularly like most of the characters. It’s got fabulous emotional depth. They are all very different, all having very different experiences. My favourite was Rebecca. My heart went out to Mara, and Xavier absolutely broke my heart.

My final thoughts when I reached the end are OMG! it’s so intense and emotional, I feel wiped out.

That ended so strongly, it literally took my breath away. I’m torn on the rating, as it took me til 50% in to fully engage which is a long time.

I highly recommend this book. I think it will stay with me.

I didn't think much of this book, I found it to be just another drama about wealthy white woman who moan about their privilege and don't really respect anyone's boundaries. Also there was no trigger warning about the disturbing and vivid descriptions of the miscarriage.

Just - wow. I adored The Push and have read that one twice - which I rarely do - and The Whispers wholly met my very high expectations. Audrain really is the new queen of the literary thriller.