Ashley Audrain’s latest mystery thriller The Whispers centers on four families who are neighbours and friendly. At the core of this book are secrets, lies, and paranoia. The most gripping question is what does it mean to be a mother?

What I like about Audrain’s books is that she is not afraid to push the envelope she confronts topics in a raw and honest way which can make readers feel uneasy, but it does not stop her.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain

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* Thank you to @netgalley and @penguin for providing a digital copy of The Whispers in exchange of a honest review.

I love domestical thrillers like this one! It took me a while to remember and recognize the different caracters but when I finally got it, the story was entertaining. It really is the perfect summer thriller.

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Slightly underwhelming to my admittedly high expectations (due to the popularity of The Push). I picked it up several times and the first half of the story took me a bit to get into. Although well written, there were several heavy plot lines that were at times very difficult to read. I am glad I persisted and read this book, it jus5 wasn’t one of my favourites.
**Several TW for this novel including: childhood abuse, fertility troubles/miscarriage, suicidal concepts
Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC of this novel.

The Whispers is a page-turner, psychological family drama. Just like in The Push, Audrain dials in to all our insecurities as mothers. The novel deals with the secrets we keep, marital challenges, and the trials of working and being a mom. I really enjoyed The Whispers, but not as much as I enjoyed The Push, which was in my top 10 in 2021. Ashley Audrain is a mastermind of psychological family drama and an auto-buy author for me! Do be careful, though, as this one comes with many potential triggers.

First and foremost thank you Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I have had this authors debut novel "The Push" on my TBR since it was released. I haven't picked it up yet because the fact that it is surrounding motherhood makes me nervous. After picking this book up and thoroughly enjoying it I am regretting my decision because it was a heck of a ride and I was hooked from chapter one. This author has definitely become a must read for me.

There are four couples who live in the same neighborhood and their lives are filled with drama. This drama is a spider web and connected to each other some how. The minute you think you have it figured out this author rips that out from under you and showcases something else completely. The story telling in this book is unmatched compared to other books trying to do the same thing. The web of lies and connections is easier to follow than I thought it would be, making the book a quick but thrilling read.

There are a ton of relationship and parenting issues discussed in this book, or at the very least mentioned. Some of these issues are ones that will hit home for some women and make the book a bit harder to digest. As someone this has happened to don't give up and keep reading it is worth it in the end. A few of these topics were a little too close to home for me and at one point I wasn't sure if I could continue reading and give it the rating it deserved because it hit so close to home. However, I championed through and I am so glad I did, the topics are discussed but not necessarily in an "appropriate" "adult" manner. Though as a person who people watches sometimes I think that it was the most realistic and believable part.

I did find the ending of the book to be anti-climactic. It seemed like the author wanted to take the easier way out of the story. There is nothing wrong with that as I think the book was still excellent, I was just expecting more. The way that each character is discussed at the end made me extremely happy to see their endings, but the one POV I wanted to actually see in depth was short, sweet and to the point. This was extremely frustrating as I thought more was happening. The best way I can describe it was the book felt like it was ending on cliffhanger, Don't let my opinion fool you, in no way does it end that way but because of what I was expecting to happen that's how it made me feel.

Overall I think this book is one that should be read and talked about at length. I think a lot of women are going to relate to it more than they initially thought, with that said, please be sure to check trigger warnings. I will have a small list under my review. There were a few things in here brought up without any preamble and I think for some people that could be harmful. I will definitely be adding this author to my auto-read and keeping an eye on what she is writing/releasing next.


Trigger Warnings:
1) Child Loss - This is discussed as well as a scene on page.
2)Infidelity - This is discussed as well as a scene on page
3)Death - On Page
4)Child Injury/Death - Discussed and on page
5)Emotional Abuse - On Page
6) Suicide - Discussed
7)Grief - On Page
8)Bullying - Discussed

Ashley Audrain does such a great job writing about complex mother-child relationships and this book is no different. It switches POVs between 4 women who all live in the same suburban neighbourhood and dives into the “what lies behind closed doors” storylines.

This book was okay, it ends on a similar note to her last book but with more characters it kind of felt like most of storylines didn’t wrap up as nicely as I would have preferred. A lot was left unsaid. 3 stars.

3/5

This was very mediocre, especially after The Push. It seemed like we were constantly going in circles between affairs and miscarriages, and the characterization of the 3 main women was really lacking. This was also definitely not a thriller, so shouldn’t be advertised as such. Also, I get that she was going for shock value but the ending was way too abrupt and rushed.

Ashley Audrain creates incredible domestic drama/suspense books with controversial characters and deep psychology behind it, she explores very dark sides of human psyche and this book is not exception.
Actually, speaking about darkness - yes, a lot of things characters do in this book are quite unhinged but also the author is just not afraid to talk about difficult or quite ugly things and exploring things like envy and insecurities or if mother’s love is always so perfect and how far it could take it.


The book has a huge list of trigger warnings which also looks like a spoiler list, so basically if any topic regarding motherhood or relationship is triggering for you - then you should skip it.

If anyone watched the movie Antichrist by Lars von Trier - well, it has something in common with The Whispers.

It is listed usually in mystery/thriller section but the same like it was with The Push - it is not a traditional thriller, there is quite ambiguous ending and some questions which are left unanswered and opened to an interpretation. If you chose this book for a bookclub - you’ll definitely get quite a discussion about it. If you need 100% answers from a thriller - then it is not a book for you.

author of The Push was a reason I read this one

are you guilty of something?
are you always looking around corners?
Looking for a fright?

read this one ....it is filled with everything you want out a dark novel

I think I've realized this author just isn't for me. There were so many characters I found hard to keep track of until just over half of this was done. I was pretty bored up until about 80% in when everything started coming together. But when it did come together I did really enjoy the end!

Thank you netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I found it a bit tricky to get engaged in this story (possibly due to my schedule), but once my interested was caught, I really started to be pulled into the story and drama that ensued. While I didn't enjoy some of the themes of the book, I appreciated the real and raw way in which the author portrayed The sites of these families. We hear from the perspective of the women but it would be interesting to hear more from the perspective of other characters in the book.

The story ended with frustration because I wanted more answers and maybe some vindication for Xavier. I had more questions than when we started.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Canada and the author for the advanced electronic copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

I keep wondering when I will understand the hype for this author but I think that maybe maternal thrillers are not for me. I found the characters way too stereotypical for the "type" of mother they were meant to represent. And the ending was just gross. This will be the last I try from this author.

I really struggled with this book. I’d loved the authour’s debut and, honestly, that’s what got in the way of my experience with this book. This book felt contrived from the start, but I pushed through it going it would improve. Unfortunately, the cast of characters never developed to the point of investment for me and it all felt a bit flat. Even the ending, so clearly designed to shock, felt predictable and prescribed. It was disappointing and 2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

My feelings about this book are very mixed. At times this domestic thriller is a good page turner and propulsive. However, at others, it gave me the icks and I felt very uncomfortable. It took me a solid 4 weeks to read this as I was continually putting it down due to my personal headspace and experiences relating to the long list of trigger warnings in this book.

This author does a good job of creating an atmospheric read and pushing the reader right to the edge with difficult topics. I think this will be a hit for many readers but, for me, certain parts were too vulnerable and close to home.

Last highlight goes to this twisted ending! It's a doozy!

This book is a stellar glimpse into motherhood and parenthood in all its forms. You will see yourself in some of the characters and you will judge - a lot. The author keeps us in suspense until the very last pages and then she leaves us without an epilogue! I found myself reading Goodreads reviews to see if others had the same understanding at the end. This book reminded me of Liane Moriarty’s masterpiece weavers of mom life in all its glory and ugliness.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
Trigger warning- pregnancy loss; hospitalization of a child; child abuse; marital affair.

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Ashley Audrain has a knack for writing both the uncomfortable narrative and the unreliable narrator. When mixed together, it definitely kept me reading.

Told from multiple POVs of four women who are neighbors, both before and after one of their children falls from his bedroom window. A mix of whodunnit / didjadoit their secrets and intimacies are revealed. I was unsure of how it would end, which I always appreciate, and I do like a little cliffhanger moment, and it satisfies in this regard.

I did like the acknowledgment that motherhood does not come naturally or easily to every mother - that trying to balance work outside of the home and the work of being a mother is exhausting, and there is heavy judgment from others when mothering does not come first for some. This novel did give insight into the underbelly of those intrusive thoughts that come from exhaustion in seemingly taking care of everyone and everything within a family unit, which felt very raw and honest.

I didn’t think it was necessary to have this many people in the same single-block radius committing adultery, but perhaps infidelity is rampant in suburbia and maybe I missed the community newsletter. I did enjoy the insights and dynamics into the marriages, I just wasn’t expecting that much extramarital action.

Another solid read from this author, and I will definitely pick up her next novel as well.

~👩🏻‍🦰

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read a complimentary copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

Welcome to the suburbs. We follow the story of neighbours, Rebecca, Blair, Whitney and their elderly neighbour, Mara as there is an incident at one of the homes.. We see Whitney, a working Mom who is all about how she appears and cannot conect with her children, especially her oldest, Xavier; Blair who has left the corporate world to raise her daughter, but now feels trapped by the decision she made and Rebecca a nurse who is struggling with the realization of motherhood. The elderly neighbour, Mara, sees all and watches all, but keeps to herself.

These women are more intertwined than they realize and thwe story was well told, from one perspective to another. Some great twists and I enjoyed the ending. Great beach read.

Resentment, bitterness, loneliness, and insecurity are all things that I felt as a young mom of young children. I love my littles but felt like everyone else had their stuff together and no one spoke about the hard parts. Call it unkind, but a part of me wanted the folks who seemed to have their lives together to struggle a bit. The Whispers gave me a glimpse into that kind of destruction but on steroids!

This book tears away all of the pretense of perfection and gives us yet another look into lives that are far from the idealistic picture seen from the outside. It is dark and twisted and not at all hopeful. Most of the characters aren't very likeable and it kind of felt good in a voyeuristic way to watch their lives fall apart.

This was a bit of a slow burn for me and I found it harder to get into than The Push, and I didn't like it quite as much. I enjoy that there was no closure and the reader is left hanging once again. To me that's part of the appeal, which is strange because that isn't something I generally like. I'll be eagerly awaiting her next book!

Thank you to Ashley Audrain, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for providing me with an ebook copy of The Whispers for me to read and review. What a roller coaster of a story! I found it a bit slow to start with a large cast of characters to keep track of, but once it picked up the twists and turns and unexpected events just kept coming! The characters pulled at my heartstrings then made me hate them and back and forth throughout the whole book. The ending wasn't super surprising, however there were some remaining loose threads that weren't tied up. I do wish that we had a bit more closure on some of the aspects and characters, but overall it was a compelling, excellent read.

A solid four stars for the latest from Ashley Audrain. I knew I needed to read this after reading her debut novel, The Push, and loving it. Like that one, I also really liked this one and found it be to dark in nature. Not exactly a thriller, but definitely a domestic drama following the lives of a group of women in a neighbourhood. Of course, lives are intertwined, secrets and lies are all around and drama ensues.

Much like The Push, this book once again explored motherhood, mostly the darker parts of it and the things people don't talk about as often. It got quite dark and it should be noted that there are heavy trigger warnings with this one, so go into it well aware of what they are. I will list them below.

I really like Ashley's writing style and I think she may become an auto buy author for me. While quite ominous on nature, her books are well written and keep me on edge to see where the story will go.

If you like domestic drama/suspense be sure to check this one out.

Content warnings:
Infertility, still birth, miscarriage (at times extremely graphic in description), infidelity, death of a spouse, death of a child, talk of suicide, harm to a child.