Cover Image: The Hush

The Hush

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'The Hush' is a gripping near-future thriller. With its compelling plot and relatable characters, it offers readers a thought-provoking exploration of contemporary issues.

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"The Hush" by Sara Foster is an exceptional literary journey that seamlessly blends mystery and psychological tension. Foster's exquisite prose skillfully paints a vivid picture of the Australian landscape, immersing readers in its beauty and intrigue. The characters are multi-dimensional and relatable, each grappling with their own secrets and fears. Foster's masterful storytelling keeps the pacing engaging, with suspense building steadily throughout the narrative. The intricate plot, complete with unexpected twists, ensures readers will be on the edge of their seats. While the conclusion ties up most loose ends, a touch more depth in certain character arcs could elevate the story even further.

Nevertheless, "The Hush" stands as a brilliant testament to Sara Foster's ability to craft a gripping and evocative tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page.

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I went into this book with some trepidation, knowing that the subject matter was going to hit home pretty hard in a fertility sense.

In a world not so different from ours, in the UK there is an epidemic of otherwise healthy babies not taking first breath after birth. Everything is suddenly turned upside down and the government swiftly enacts harsh laws to control the turmoil and its citizens. It's a book with a multi-generational story of female friendship and found family.

It had great pacing and really kept me engaged in the plot. The suspense element was well-done and I thought it was a very smart, if a tad scary in a dystopian way, story. Hard to put down and a good read.

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A decade after the pandemic that swept the world, the maternity hospitals started losing babies. Reaching full-term and being born only to not take a breath. The magnitude of the disaster was hitting all areas of the British Government, including the Prime Minister and her cohorts. Emma was a midwife, a compassionate and caring woman to have at the birthing mother’s side. Emma’s seventeen-year-old daughter Lainey was in her last year of schooling and suddenly she was in trouble. Her best friend Sereena stood by her side, helping her in every way she could. But the smartwatches they wore meant the government monitored their every move.

Young teenage pregnant women were going missing, and in some cases, so were their families. Lainey didn’t want to become one of them so she and Emma got in touch with Emma’s mother, Geraldine Fox, who did all she could to help Lainey. But suddenly Lainey was one of the missing, and Emma, her good friend Meena (Sereena’s mother) and a couple of other trusted friends began plotting. They needed a plan – but up against a powerful government with followers all over the country, would it be possible to work against them?

Wow! Breathtaking and intense – The Hush by Aussie author Sara Foster is a thriller with bite! What an amazing and original storyline, which is focused on the strength of women when they face adversaries trying to hurt their children. Two particular males made the grade in this story – Dylan and Nick – while the rest and main cast were the women, strong, determined and courageous. The Hush is an outstanding read which I recommend highly.

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I loved the idea here but I couldn’t follow it properly. I love the authors other books so this was a bit disappointing. Will definitely watch the screen adaptation with the hope of understanding the storyline a bit better on screen.

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I appreciate the opportunity to review this one. Unfortunately I was unable to download it before it expired. The premise really stuck with me however so I ended up buying myself a copy to read.

I really enjoyed this dystopian novel, it reminded me a lot of the handmaids tale, end of men and children of men. Reproduction issues/control really is it's own subgenre of dystopian fiction these days and it's always interesting to see different authors takes on such a personal issue.

I enjoyed that we got to see the pov of both the mother and daughter, it was refreshing when most dual pov are a couple. I struggled a little with the pacing of the first half of the book, almost waiting for the other shoe to drop. However once I reached the midway point I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

Definitely recommend this one to fans of the genre.

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Interesting theme and strong characterisation. Personally, I found it a little hard to read after all the lockdown fatigue due to COVID-19 however.

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I was unable to finish reading and complete a review of this book before the download copy expired. My apologies for this; it is much less likely to happen with Kindle format books.

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Thank you HarperCollins Australia for the opportunity to read this book.

This book was a slight detour from my usual genre of choice however, I loved it. A dystopian thriller very aptly set in Post Covid Britain.
Once I got settled into the book I couldn’t put it down.
Highly recommended.

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I was excited to read this because of the original storyline, and it didn't let me down.
It was fast paced and had me guessing with no clue who to trust.
I loved the abundance of strong women at the forefront of the story. Would highly recommend this book!

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What an awesome, action-packed dystopian thriller this was!!!
I don’t have much to critique about this one except that it very well could’ve been longer and our female leads could’ve had a bit more depth. Otherwise, amazing.

This book may hit a little too close to home for some, being set in a near-future and post-pandemic world, but I found this added to the intensity and uneasiness tenfold.

In this multi-generational, female-led thriller women are losing their babies at death after carrying healthily to full-term. Young pregnant women start to go missing as more and more babies aren’t taking their first breath in the world. Emma, a midwife, is doing her best to help and comfort women during this horrible time when her 17yo daughter faces trouble. Emma must reach out to her very distanced mother for help, which could very well put all 3 of them at greater risk than they were to begin with.

Just writing the synopsis makes me want to buy a physical copy and reread it lol this was so intense and well thought-out. Loved that The Hush was also about found family and female friendship which we STAN ty Sara Foster.

I wasn’t blown away by the writing like I am with some thrillers, it was definitely the plot that had me hooked above anything else, and I’m not dying to read Foster’s backlog but I will definitely pick up a new release if she drops one.

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Very interesting concept, but I personally found it too slowly paced and the relationship between mother and daughter wasn't what I would have expected - choices made or reaction regarding the pregnancy.

Many people seem to have loved this book, but it wasn't one for me.

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Interesting read. A cross between a thriller and a mystery. Not sure at first if I was going to enjoy, but the more I read the more interesting it became. Not on my top ten list of reads personally but I am sure others loved it. First time reader by this author so I will keep a lookout for more books.

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Such a great read! I love Sara Foster's writing style. I highly recommend this book. Such a different vibe from other books I have recently read but in a good way.

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Rating: 3.5
Book # 113/100

It's not bad... it starts really slow but then everything starts happening very fast. It could be a triggering read as it is about this dystopian future, after the pandemic and horrible climate events. A future in which 1 in 5 babies are stillborn and no one seems to know why. Given the hype this book is receiving, I was hoping for something different... I enjoyed the second half of the book but I'm not sure I would recommend reading it...

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The Hush by Aussie author Sara Foster is a thriller with bite! What an amazing and original storyline, which is focused on the strength of women when they face adversaries trying to hurt their children. Two particular males made the grade in this story – Dylan and Nick – while the rest and main cast were the women, strong, determined and courageous. The Hush is an outstanding read which I recommend highly.

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Terrifyingly too real. Really big brotherish. Very creepy. I felt for the characters. My first by this author and I'll be reading again.

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Sara Foster is now on my list of authors to look out for! This book is a brilliant read, will keep you interested, intrigued and forming opinions!
The storyline, characters and readability will have you hooked!

Huge congratulations and thanks to Harper Collins and Sara Foster for a fabulous must read!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Holy moly, what a book!! Yet another great book by Sara Foster!! This is an absolute must read!!

Reminiscent of The Handmaids Tale, this is a frightening look at how easily women's rights are stripped away so easily, right under their noses with barely a whisper! Set in the near future, the main female characters are impressive in their determination. Absolutely love the character of Geraldine.

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This novel is both amazing and incredibly uncomfortable. In post-covid Britain, surveillance is now the norm. There’s been an increase in stillbirths, and time is running out to work out why and how to prevent it. Teenage girls who are pregnant are going missing. I do loving reading a good conspiracy theory novel and this had me on the edge of my seat. I did find that being set so close to now, and relating it albeit distantly to covid made it more difficult to read.

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