Thank you to Penguin Random House of Canada and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest reveiw.

Four couples, living as neighbours and friends, are coming to grips with a tragic accident that occurs on the night of a summer BBQ being hosted by Whitney and her husband Jacob. Their son Xavier has fallen out of his bedroom window to the ground below, or was he pushed? After the entire group of party goers has heard Whitney screaming at her son, this question remains in all their minds. Whitney isn't the only one with secrets, each couple has secrets of their own. In the days after the BBQ we are drawn back in time to follow events leading up to a night that will change everything.

I couldn't get enough of this story. Just when I thought I knew what all the lies and coverups were, I get to the last page and was blown away by the conversation between Whitney and her son. Xavier asks his mom what will happen and Whitney is not sure what he means. Xavier then says "To you, when I tell them everything"

EVERYTHING!!! Now my mind is reeling, wanting to know what that means! I will be coming back to the story, again and again, thinking about all the consequences and reactions of each and every one of these characters for a while to come.

I felt like this was more Women's Fiction with suspense elements than a thriller, per se. It was well written and the author is very talented. It left me feeling sad about people in general. Definitely needs trigger warnings for miscarriages, abuse, etc.

I was immediately drawn to Ashley Audrain’s latest release, eager to recapture the same gripping intensity that I experienced with her previous work, The Push. That book left me sleepless, teetering on the edge of my seat, and consumed by a potent mix of unease and anxiety—a testament to the author's mastery of the thriller genre.

However, I soon discovered that The Whispers defies easy categorization, veering away from the thriller genre while remaining true to the thematic depth that made The Push so compelling. Although unexpected, this shift in genre did not diminish the book's quality; on the contrary, The Whispers stands strongly on its own merits.

I would classify The Whispers as literary suspense, drawing parallels to the works of Liane Moriarty. While there is an obvious inciting incident where someone's life hangs in the balance, the majority of the book delves into the inner thoughts of four suburban women. As the reader, we are left guessing about what truly transpired and who bears the responsibility. The women themselves are trapped within their own perspectives, grappling with their own guilt while questioning the motives and actions of those around them. It is within this realm of simmering suspense that both the characters and readers find themselves immersed.

Audrain has masterfully crafted Whitney, Blair, Rebecca, and Mara, endowing them with remarkable depth. Through their individual narratives and the lenses of the other women, we gain a multi-dimensional understanding of each character, recognizing that reality's truth lies somewhere in between. These women are the protagonists of their own lives, much like we are in ours, and it is within this exploration of character that the book's magic truly shines. Flawed and capable of making seemingly unforgivable choices, they force us to reflect on our own motivations and question whether, in our own quests as main characters, we too make choices that may cast us in a villainous light. Audrain intentionally presents these characters as partially unlikable, inviting us to confront ourselves in their reflection.

The setting of The Whispers in suburbia is deliberate; the meticulously maintained gardens, backyard barbecues, and school mom group chats all serve to capture a way of life familiar to many. It not only provides a backdrop for the story but also unveils the hidden secrets simmering beneath the surface, glimpsed through the windows into the lives of neighbours whom we often keep at arm's length.

One thing is abundantly clear from reading two of Ashley Audrain's books: she fearlessly explores the gritty aspects of motherhood and marriage. In a culture that often romanticizes these roles, showcasing flawless children in perfectly staged photographs and gushing about marital bliss, Audrain pulls back the curtain to reveal the dirty laundry, the decaying food in the fridge, and the smouldering resentments and fears harboured within women's hearts.

As I reflect on The Whispers, I find myself grappling with mixed emotions. It is undeniably a well-crafted and beautifully raw piece of work. Yet, it defied my expectations, particularly in terms of its genre (thrills are not to be expected from this book). Experientially, The Push held a stronger grip on me, but thematically and literarily, The Whispers surpasses it. Needless to say, I greatly appreciate Audrain's ability to venture into different creative territories, and I will continue to pick up her books.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

A boy falls from a window. Is he pushed? Was he thinking of ending his life? Is something else a foot? As he lays in a hospital bed, the layers are peeled back.

Three women's lives are examined through the lens of their relationship with motherhood.

One, a doctor at the hospital treating the boy, desperately wants to be a mother-- and so what does that mean? How much is she willing to endure to get there?

The boy's mother, who was heard screaming at him during a backyard party, struggles with being a mother. She loves, however, her work. So how should we think of her? Do we pity her? Is she horrible? Is she a bad mother?

The neighbour across the stress is the perfect mother--has put her life on hold to be the best mother for her daughter. But... is she happy?

This book, and writer, are excellent. 4.5 stars rounded up and the only thing lacking, for me, was the ending. But maybe that's the point as there are no easy answers here.

Ashley Audrain's newest book "The Whispers" is the book of the summer. A domestic thriller that walks a similar path as her 2021 breakout "The Push", while breaking fresh ground with four points of view from characters that feel familiar and real. "The Whispers" takes the intense, almost character study, nature of "The Push" and applies it to a more accessible, twisty, summer thriller beach read -although make no mistake, this is no romantic comedy. Audrain continues to write beyond the barriers of comfortability in an effort that provides a very real portrait of the deepest and darkest parts of humanity that are far more common than many have or like to admit. 5/5

To be honest, I was underwhelmed with this one. I thought the premise sounded fantastic – a child fall’s out a bedroom window….how does that happen? Who’s to blame?

Unfortunately, the story focused on a small group of neighbors. Out of the 8 adult characters, I found only 2 that I wanted to root for. The rest were the type of neighbors I would do my best to avoid.

But I kept reading, waiting for some kind of redemption that never fully came for me. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t hate the book….just felt more ambivalent about it overall.

***Received with thanks from Netgalley and the publisher***

I am so glad I loved this. Audrain being a friend of a friend and a Canadian author I have always wanted to champion her books. Although I loved the writing in The Push, I found it to be extremely visceral and triggering. The Whispers was also visceral but much easier on my psyche to read. I enjoyed the multiple POV's and the few twists, but most of all once again, the ending delivers a gut punch and leaves the reader breathless.

I loved Ashley Audrain's compelling debut novel "The Push" so I was very excited to receive a digital ARC of "The Whispers" - it did not disappoint. This book has all of Audrain's trademarks - slow-to-unfurl dramatic narrative style, subversive discourse about motherhood, complex and multi-layered characters. That said, it's not for everyone - it is definitely triggering with respect to a host of domestic topics including miscarriage, infertility, mistreatment/misunderstanding of a child with a disability, death of a child, and infidelity.

Thank you Netgalley, Ashley Audrain, and Penguin Random House Canada for my advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Whispers is so multi-layered - just when you think you have figured it all out, another kernel of truth slips out. Ashley Audrain's ability to bring characters to life, allowed me to really understand their compulsions - to understand why they behaved as they did. Even the unlikable ones. Harlow Street (which coincidentally is the name of the street that I grew up on!) is full of secrets, lies, and desires. Perhaps because we sometimes envy our neighbors' s "lawns", it certainly made me water my grass just a little bit more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Whispers, by Ashley Audrain - much-acclaimed author of The Push (which I loved!) - I really enjoyed this well-paced and well-written novel about suburban neighbours who are put to the test when a ten-year-old boy falls out of his bedroom window in the night. I found it a little more subtle but still highly readable and enjoyable.

what a whirlwind this book was. I found it very hard to put down, which is a struggle when you’re participating in a readalong!

I went through many feelings on my reading journey. it was very emotional, uncomfortable, and not all that farfetched, which amps up the uncomfortability. I’ve heard it has similarities to her previous book, THE PUSH (which I haven’t read) so if you’ve read that then I’m sure you’ve experienced some of the same feelings.

⚠️ there are many triggers in this— if you have difficulty reading about miscarriage, death of a child, domestic abuse, or ableism… skip it.

Move over Liane Moriarty! Domestic thrillers has a new queen!

I love the page-turning suspense of Audrain's work. The way she presents these everyday characters in situations that make you cringe, but are still very relatable is absolutely incredible! I found myself curious about how I would react in each of the scenarios described in this book. Riveting. And, her endings!!!!!

But, above all else, I loved this sentiment (and the line!), "She'd once heard them described as the whispers - the moments that are trying to tell you something isn't right here. The problem is that some women aren't listening to what their lives are trying to tell them. They don't hear the whispers until they're looking back with hindsight. Feeling blindsided. Desperate to see the truth for what it is."

Happiness is easy to share, but fear and pain and crazy are best kept hidden. And that is what we see in 4 women who are neighbours and can literally see into each other’s lives.

There are many potential triggers covered, and Audrain does not shy away from the difficult stuff of these women’s lives. Fear of not living up to the expectations of motherhood, the ‘unusual’ child, infidelity, abuse, suicide, miscarriage.

The women you warm up to and the women you dislike, the fine line between trust and encroachment, the appreciation and the disappointment you might find with your mate are all within these pages.

Audrain does not hold back with her thoughts, she does not censor what she wants the reader to know. And there is something tantalizing and satisfying as we look through those windows too. In spite of all the issues it covers, don’t give up on this one.

Because the last line of the book cannot be beat.

Thank you #NetGalley, #AshleyAudrain, #PenguinRandomHouseCanada for this early copy in exchange for my honest review.

For more thoughts, see my blog https://morethanlettersonalinetoday.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-whispers-book-review.html.

Loved loved loved this book. The characters are so well developed it felt like Audrain had been writing about them for years. She interweaves the stories and lives of a group of neighbours and teases out a mystery that comes together in the final pages with another banger of an ending (those who read The Push will understand!). This is a drama and a mystery but the heart of the book is the characters' narratives - the complexities of motherhood and female friendships. Another hit for Ashley Audrain.
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for an opportunity to read this novel, in exchange for an honest review!

i was so excited about this one especially since the push is one of my favourite books. i think because i went into this expecting a thriller, it fell a bit short for me. the storyline and writing are both great and i love that it focused on different mother's perspectives. it took me a while to get through it because i was busier than i usually am & i found it hard to keep up with the characters & the relationships at times but that's definitely a me problem. i loved the ending of this book though & i really wanted to know what happens next

thank you to penguin random house canada & netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

The Whispers - Ashley Audrain


2.5⭐️

I’m not sure what to even say about this. I didn’t dislike the book and I feel like the storyline had a lot of potential. I also really enjoyed that we saw the private thoughts of so many characters.

But overall, it was just fine for me. I felt like at times the characters had traits that were so extreme that they were off putting and seemed like they were put in for shock value not adding to the story or character. And as this kept happening it just bothered me more each time. I also wondered why a book about women couldn’t have any of the women being happy.

I can see why this book has had some rave reviews but it just wasn’t for me.

This book was well written even with the different perspectives.
I did not want to put this book down. It will definitely be a staff pick at my store.
There is so much I could say but I don't want to give spoilers.

There are triggers such as miscarriage's, talk about suicide( teen), mentioning of child abuse.

This domestic thriller was such a page turner! We followed four women who are navigating their relationships and motherhood, each struggling in their own way. I appreciated the commentary on the expectations of parenthood (motherhood specifically), and how those pressures affect the child and the parent.

This book had some very difficult sections. I would be very cautious if any of these things are a personal trigger for you: graphic miscarriage, death of a child, domestic abuse, infertility, infidelity, and ableism.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Audrain does it again. Pre-bookstagram I completely fell in love with her debut novel The Push which is an amazingly well done psychological thriller that I still think about. This is definitely a worthy follow up though not a compulsive read for me in the same way. I picked up and put the ebook down several times before I finally purchased a paper copy and powered through to the end.

The Whispers follows four neighbourhood women and their different struggles and approaches to marriage and motherhood. One day a terrible incident occurs and one of their sons falls from a window and lands in intensive care. The whole book feels like the whispers, the gossip, the hunches of what we think might have happened, what goes on between closed doors, who the people we live next to actually are. It’s a domestic neighbourhood drama with a tense undercurrent and a lot of blunt depictions of the underbelly of motherhood—those who are battling with infertility, miscarriages and loss; those who struggle connecting or showing affection to their kids, maybe regret becoming a mother at all; those scared they’re replaying the sad stories of their own parents lives; those dealing with the emptiness of loss and guilt—Audrain is so powerful in her ability to once again show us how many different ways there are to be a mother, all the things we can be struggling with, how the grace we give to each other might save us in our darkest moments and just how deeply truly unknowable we are from our even our closest friends, partners, even ourselves.

She’s such a talented writer, I find myself so drawn into her stories, they’re always so beautifully plotted. And I think everything she has to say about motherhood is true and cutting and right.

Auto-buy author for sure.

This story enraptured me from the first chapter. I love the way Audrain builds up the characters while making them human, flaws and all. Not many authors manage to delve into the human psyche the way she does. At times you feel compassion for them, while they infuriate you the next minute.
This is a dark, twisted story that gives you a glimpse into the character's minds.
As women, the pressure is on us to be the perfect wife, mother, and career woman. We often hear the ‘whispers’ she mentions throughout the book, but we often ignore them. Generally, we tend to put other people's needs before our own, but in this book, the author explores what happens when we don’t.
This is a dark, twisted story that gives you a glimpse into the character's minds.

I rounded it up to four because I thought the ending left me with some unanswered questions. It was probably meant to, but I wanted a bit more. That being said, I definitely recommend this book!
Thank you Netgalley, Ashley Audrain, and Penguin Random House Canada for my advanced reader’s copy to read and review.