An interesting premise for a story about childhood friendships and how they can shape your life. Enjoyed the twists and turns and how you never really knew who was telling the truth.

I couldn’t put this book down! Grace Goodwin returns to Clearwater, the town where she was brought up, and expects to be welcomed back by her old friend Anna. However, the friends are now in their thirties and Anna has moved on and has three new friends. She doesn’t want to be reminded of a tragic event that happened during their childhood. Soon, she disappears. I loved ‘the whispers’ from the other mothers at the school gate. There’s lots of tension and intrigue in this novel. It’s cleverly written, fast-paced and a fascinating study of the perceptions of friendship. I loved it! Highly recommended.

A great read with the tension between two old friends building with each chapter. The twists were not totally shocking but written well so still very enjoyable.

Enjoyable read, a few twists that i wasn't expecting. Enjoyed the style of writing switching between Anna and Grace

It took me a couple of goes to get into this book but I am glad I persevered! The four friends and their children kind of melded into one at the beginning, however, once I got properly into the book and the story focussed more on the two original friends it became more interesting. I liked the way we heard the story from several different viewpoints, it was very cleverly written. I did find it a bit repetitive at times but there were enough twists to keep the story flowing and I did enjoy it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story follows Anna and Grace who were best friends as children but when Graces family move to Australia when they are teenagers Anna is left behind. Fast forward several years and Grace has moved home, she is keen to fit into Anna's life exactly where she left however it seems clear early on that this is not what Anna wants. Graces narrative leads you to believe Anna has fallen in with the wrong crowd clique of school mums however as the story progresses it's clear there is more to this friendship than initially meets the eye.

Its a fast paced novel and a very enjoyable read I would recommend.

Oh My Goodness- Grace is the very epitome of the psycho "friend" who just cannot take a hint!
When Anna disappears after a night out Grace becomes obsessed with finding her- interrogating Annas friends and making a nuisance of herself with Annas family and with the police.
With a dodgy shared past Anna and Grace are stuck in a friendship struggle now wher Grace wants in and Anna wants out and Grace seemingly has a hold over Anna from what went before.
Lots of intrigue, lots of suspense and lots of questions about the how and whys!

The Whispers by Heidi Perks
I give this book 3.75 stars

A MISSING WIFE.........AND FOUR FRIENDS.
Anna hasn't been seen since a night out with her four closest friends.She wouldn’t just abandon her loving husband and a son she adores.
So what has happened to her?
At the school gates, the rumours start. Anna's oldest friend Grace is searching for answers, and certain that someone is hiding the truth.
And as the pressure mounts, it won't be long before something cracks..........

A very enjoyable fast paced psychological thriller.The book unfolds with an intriguing past and present storyline,told by childhood friends Anna and Grace.
Friendships,,loyalties,secrets and lies,Things aren’t quite what they seem.....so who will you believe?
A recommended read for 2021
With thanks to Netgalley,Heidi Perks and Random House UK,Cornerstone for my chance to read and review this book

Anna and Grace are best friends from childhood through to their late teens, when Grace and her parents emigrated to Australia.

Anna’s life has, of course, moved on; she’s happily married with a young son, and belongs to a close-knit group of four friends. Then she gets a message to open her front door and, standing there, is Grace, back from Australia. Anna’s friends appear to be jealous of Grace and don’t want to include her in their group, they want to keep Anna all to themselves.

They all go out for an evening, including Grace, but the following morning they discover that Anna didn’t return home the night before. Grace seems to be the only one who’s worried and trying to find her.

A brilliant read with a dark twist, and I’ll definitely be reading more by this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, RandomHouse UK and Cornerstone for an advance reader copy in return for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have read a few books by this author and have enjoyed them all. This had great storyline and great characters and kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. Enjoyed it.

Anna and Grace were teenage best friends. 20+ years later, and with families of their own, Grace moves back to the small village to be near her old friend. But things are no longer the same between them.

A story which illustrates that different perspectives yield different pictures - both of current times and of history - this is a dark and twisted tale of friendship.

Grace Goodwin leaves Australia and returns home to Clearwater near Weymouth, Dorset with her daughter. She expects to pick up where she left off in her teens especially with her then best friend Anna Robinson. However, Anna has a new group of friends, a Gang of Four and it becomes apparent there is much resistance to Grace’s overtures of friendship. This intriguing examination of toxic friendship is told by Grace and Anna as well as the whispering onlookers at the school gate.

This is a gripping psychological thriller that’s hard to put down. The observations of Anna, Nancy, Rachel and Caitlyn’s clique by the onlookers in the small town are very illuminating as well as what they witness of Graces’ reactions. The characterisation is very well done although most are not very likeable. The premise and plot are good and the pace is pitched perfectly keeping you invested in trying to establish whose perspective is correct and who is unreliable. The tone changes at about this thirds through as you realise that one of the women is obsessive, jealous, controlling and manipulative. There are so many secrets amongst all the women, there are lies, cover ups, plastering over cracks, toxic tension and an abundance of guilt. The problems originate in the past and I like the way we peak versions of those events until we arrive at what might have happened to haunt particularly one of the women. The finale of the events of the three months from September to the end of December is extremely tense and dramatic and almost makes you hold your breath.

Overall this is a gripping read with a good ending that is very enjoyable.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK Cornerstone:Century for the arc for an honest review.

Grace and Anna best friends grew up in Clearwater a small village in the UK where they were inseparable, more like sisters as Anna spent a lot of time in Grace's house until Grace and her family decide to move to Australia. Fast forward a few years, Grace and Anna are both married each with a child. Anna can't quite believe it that Grace is back and has decided to return to Clearwater after all this time. What has brought her back?

The story is told from both Grace and Anna's point of view and alternates between present and past.. Shortly after Grace arrived back home after a night out with Anna, Grace and Anna's friends, Anna goes missing. It seems like Grace is the only one that's worried? All is not as it seems.

All in all, I enjoyed this lovely story of childhood friendship and one event that had catastrophic effects on their friendship and their lives in general. Secrets, gossip, lies all surround these characters. But which of their versions are true?

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and Heidi Perks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A dark tale of a very twisted and dark friendship.

Grace and Anna were best friends, almost like sisters, then Grace moves to Australia when she was 17, the friendship slowly drifting apart.

Now over 20 years later, Grace is back and desperate to see Anna again.

Anna now has new friends who don't seem to want to welcome Grace into the group.

Anna has ghosts of her own and Grace's return had unsettled her.

Then Anna goes missing and Grace seems to be the only one who cares about where she is and what has happened to her...

This was a story about when friendships go bad, or maybe that they were always destined to be bad. Neither Grace or Anna were particularly likeable and maybe that's why actually they were kindred spirits, if they had chosen a different friendship path when they were younger, things might not have turned out how they did.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Grace and Anna have been inseparable as friends since they have been 5 years old . When Grace emigrated to Australia with her family as a teenager -they were devastated to be apart. Now 9 years later -Grace is back -and Anna should be ecstatic -but is she ?

What began as one side of the story -turned into a web of secrets and lies as the other side unfolded
If you liked Big Little Lies this is one for you.

Thankyou NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

Grace returns from abroad to her hometown. She still hopes that her childhood friend Anna is like her sister, but things change in 17 years and Anna has new group of friends and also a husband and a son.
One day Anna dissapears after a night in a pub. What happened and why? Is Grace the only one concerned?
Many secrets start to reveal themselves.

The story about friendship, inner turmoil and how time and experiences change us.

Overall good book.

A gripping prologue kick starts the book before going back 4 months previously when Grace returns from Australia to the small seaside town she grew up in eager to reconnect with her best friend Anna. Initially I devoured the book; Anna and her close group of friends attract gossip and the titular whispers of other women in the school playground at pick up, and I thought that this gossip was potentially going to be the source of the books drama. However, the gossipy asides soon retreat and the book that started out as a thriller turns its focus to the relationship dynamics between Anna and then Grace. Split between the past and the present and the view points of Anna and Grace the pace slackens and I found that my interest waned. Reveals were sad rather than gripping, and I didn't have sufficient emotional investment in any of the characters to really care. Whilst it started with a bang the book ends with something of a whimper.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advance copy in return for an honest review.

I liked this, but I didn't love it. The story of an unhinged woman obsessed with her childhood best friend was actually quite a good one, but there was never a wow moment for me.

The book is titled 'The Whispers' and parts of the book are written from the perspective of onlookers which I actually thought was a brilliant device and very much underused as these sections petered out towards the end, which made me question the point of them at all really. The relationships between the characters were interesting to read about and I did want to keep reading to see how things turned out.

I liked the writing style and would happily read more by the author. I would give this book a read if it sounds like your kind of thing, it was just lacking a bit of oomph for me.

This is typical Heidi Perks where the author leads you one way, then layers on another point of view giving a totally different impression. Told alternately from the perspectives of childhood besties, Grace and Anna, the story is divided into three parts. It's not until the third and final part of the story when you get the whole picture and can fully understand who's maybe not what they seem. Sadly though I didn't take to either of the women so wasn't rooting for anyone in the usual way. It was an intriguing read but for me somewhat lacked the pace, action and suspense of Perk's first book 'Now You See Her' which is one of my favourite ever books.

Told in 3 ways and it really shows......always read on! Nothing is as it seems when Anna goes missing. I loved the way this was set out and you got to know the characters as the book unfolded. I’m taking this to my next book club group as soon as it’s released.