What a fun ride! First, I'd like to comment on how much I like the cover of this book, it's unique and fantastic! Anyways, this book was a complete surprise for me. I thought the characters were well developed and the story was unpredictable and brilliant! Can't wait to see what she writes next

The Hush

This is NOT easy reading. The themes and plot points turn this literary novel into the next Handmaids Tale, something horrific.

Living in the times we are now feels a bit traumatic, and this book might be playing on those strings a bit.

Unfortunately, this one was a bit too close and I felt it was lacking some elements of mystery and intrigue.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this advanced copy!

I started this book over a month ago, and just couldn't get into it, but, as it turns out, the second time was the charm and I was totally hooked. The story was thrilling, heart-warming, and such a poignant discussion on being a woman. Emma's and Lainey's relationship felt very real and complex and I loved getting to read both of their perspectives (though I think I preferred Emma's just a tad more). Some of the characters felt a smidge underdeveloped, but the plot was so exciting that it pretty much made up for that. The political and interpersonal intrigue was so fun to read and really made for a captivating story.

Unfortunately, though I enjoy Sara Foster’s writing, The Hush wasn’t for me - I can’t enjoy a story set in a post-Covid world that is worse than our reality during the pandemic, probably especially so as a Victorian who spent half a year in lockdown. I’m sure loads of readers will love The Hush though! Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Hush. I'm sorry that I could not finish this one.

A phenomenal look at what the future holds if the world continues its path. Watches that monitor your temperature, blood pressure, location, and more. There would be bans on who could have children and under what circumstances. The Hush examines what daily life would look life and the consequences of disobeying a directive.

The book is action packed. It is stimulating and thought provoking. The situations the characters found themselves in and how they handled each was inspiring. The book is far too realistic for comfort which is a great thing. We cannot afford to be passive in these unsettling times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and have found myself discussing the ideas with others often. A must read.


I received an ARC from Blackstone Publishing through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

This is a great sci-fi novel as it's relevant and chilling! Why are all the baby girls in this society either born dead or die within hours? Now there's a mandate that any young woman 17 or younger becomes a ward of the state when they are pregnant. See where the danger is? Lainey is the daughter of Emma who is a midwife in a local hospital and has seen first-hand the pain and suffering these women who give birth to girls face. That's all the plot you get....the rest you must read for yourself as nothing is as it appears and government has unlimited power (chilling in itself)! So just get this book and enjoy even as you get goosebumps!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

This was an intriguing book. It is set in the near future after the Covid Pandemic has passed. Everyone must wear bracelets and be monitored at all times. It is said to be for safety and health. Still, things to do not seem right. A girl speaks up on social media because her friend has gone missing. Many other young girls appear to be missing, too but perhaps that is untrue and just a rumor. People are becoming frightened and don’t know what to believe.

The biggest threat is something Emma, who is a midwife at the local hospital sees everyday. Babies that seem perfectly healthy are at birth are still born. No one seems to know why. It is a very dangerous time to get pregnant. Then Emma’s daughter, Lainey is pregnant and that is terrifying. Both know that the government is hiding something.

So, this becomes quite a great thriller. It is hard to know who to trust and believe. I liked the book because it was really a different kind of story, but was fast paced and I wanted to know what would happen next. I could understand the panic the characters were feeling. I loved that there were three generations of strong women working to protect the newest generation, the female baby. My own heart was beating extra fast. Definitely, worth reading to find out.

Thank you NetGalley, Sara Foster, and Blackstone Publishing for an ARC of this book. I really enjoyed it.

A near future dystopian novel. This was just ok. It’s a bit “too”. Too much escalation too quickly and too easily resolved for all of that.

I don't really read dystopian / scifi books but this one had an interesting premise, and I definitely recommend it. Lots of rich characters and deep setting, and page turning interest.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Seems like I have read several books lately that take place during or shortly after the pandemic. The Hush takes place 7 years after the world shut down due to Covid. Many things have changed in the world, including wearing mandatory watches that keep track of everyone and monitor daily health. Another thing that has changed is that many newborn babies are being stillborn with explanation.
Pregnant teenage girls have been disappearing. When Lainey discovers she is pregnant, she is terrified she will also disappear. Her mother is a midwife and has seen the terrifying things happening to the families of babies that never breathe. When she finds out Lainey is pregnant she knows she has to do whatever it takes to protect her.
I loved this book! It was super engaging and made me worry about what the future could hold. We never could have imagined what Covid did to the world and the repercussions could still affect us for many years to come.

This dystopian story is set about 10 years post-COVID, presents an all-too-plausible nightmare scenario. The suspenseful plot is vaguely reminiscent of “The Handmaid’s Tale.” This was a fast, entertaining read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hush is a slightly futuristic novel set about 10 years post pandemic. The government has turned authoritarian in light of an increasing number of babies being born stillborn. The main characters of our story are a midwife on the front lines of this new crisis and her daughter.

Right from the start, things are fast and furious, but not for lack of character development. The characters of this novel popped from the page and were so easy to connect with. One of my favorite aspects of this thriller was the strength of female friendships and relationships throughout the story. By the end of the novel, I was left so connected to the characters and storyline that I craved an epilogue or a sequel to know where they would be 5, 10 years for now. I will definitely be picking up more from Sara Foster.

Where to begin? This is an edge-of-my-seat dystopian thriller that felt…well, eerily plausible. Young women disappearing, babies facing an uncertain future, a government getting way too involved in the life of its citizens—and all the whole, a single mother and her teenage daughter have to face it together. I think the relationship between the mother and daughter is honestly my favorite part of the book—a relationship once a little distant (in a typical teenage way) became a closeness that left me feeling so emotional. And holy heck—the big twist! I won’t give it away, but this was easily one of the best books I’ve read this year!

This is Children of Men + The Haidmaid's Tale + 1984 + something else. I loved every single word.

5 stars.

📚Book 48 of 2021: The Hush by Sara Foster

🙏🏻Big Thank you to @netgalley and @blackstonepublishing for the ARC. The Hush by Sara Foster came out on November 2..you do not want to miss out on this one.

💬Reader’s Digest Version: The Hush takes place in England, roughly 10 years after the COVID-19 pandemic weaved it’s path of destruction and devastation across the globe. This post-COVID world looks vastly different than the one we are living in today, and presents a whole new medical phenomenon that is devastating families and throwing the country into a constant state of panic. When mothers come to the hospital to deliver their babies, nearly half of them end up as still births. Referred to as “doll babies,” these babies are born completely still and silent with no signs of life. This story focuses on a teenage girl, Lainey and her mother who both themselves deeply intertwined in this confounding mystery as they race to find a solution to this medical nightmare.

🏃🏻‍♀️My Take: Thriller meets dystopian fiction..sign me up! This book does not disappoint. I have stated previously that thrillers have been letting me down lately..Sara Foster’s book helped end my unlucky streak. First of all, I think my odd fascination with dystopian literature is I can actually see something similar to this happening, considering that state of the world right now. Peeking into the scary realm of possibilities of what our future could look like is like a train wreck you can’t keep your eyes off of despite how horrific it may be. I don’t know what this says about me, but 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️. This book is completely different than anything I have read before. Completely original plot, fantastic female-driven lead characters, and twists and turns throughout. My only gripe: I wanted more resolution with the ending….sequel maybe 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻 @sarafosterauthor … I won’t spoil it for you, but I cannot recommend this book enough.

⭐️my rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

A harrowing, intense look at power and corruption that will make you wake your kids just to hug them close.
I was blown away by The Hush, the suffocating exhaustion that the characters are feeling is palpable and it was an incredible commentary on what it takes to make a society finally say enough.
Emma, as a midwife and a mother is a wonderfully real portrayal of anyone just trying to get by in this world of uncertainty and fear and I found myself feeling that this book was so close to reality that it terrified me. An incredible, irrevocable read.

Futuristic 💥 Feminist 💥 Thriller 💥

“The Hush” by @sarafosterauthor is officially out in the world — and WOW. This is one of my top books of the year. Thank you to @blackstonepublishing for my advance reading copy!

“The Hush” is set in England, about seven years after the Covid-19 pandemic. A new public health crisis is unfolding in English hospitals: a spike in stillbirths with no discernible cause. Young pregnant women are going missing. Government surveillance — mostly via tracking devices worn as watches — is an accepted part of daily life. The book is told mostly via Emma, a midwife who’s on the front lines of the crisis, and her 17-year-old daughter Lainey.

I was completely riveted by this book and flew through it. Think <Angela Lansbury Eating Popcorn.Gif>. That was me the entire time I was reading. This book is very dark and leans a bit sci fi, and I couldn’t put it down. A five star read for me!

This one is for fans of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Brave New World” and “The Push.” I wouldn’t put it on a holiday gift guide (unless you REALLY know your recipient 😂) but if you’re into dark, female-led thrillers, you must order it immediately. I am going to have a massive reading hangover from this one.

The Hush by Sara Foster is easily one of my favorite books I’ve read this year. It is chilling and fast paced, yet is a gripping story of feminism and strength. This is an engrossing action packed dystopian thriller that everyone should have on their radar. If you only read one book this year, it should be The Hush!

Set in the near future, a post Covid UK is currently under the watchful eye of the government as hospitals are seeing a tragic surge in stillborn births. Therefore, the government has a begun monitoring the citizens closely by the means of a tracking watch. However, a number of young pregnant girls have begun disappearing and raising suspicions that they may have been taken against their own will. Emma, a nurse midwife at the local hospital, is seeing firsthand the stress this situation is having on new mothers. Soon she finds herself wrapped up in this frightening situation as her 17 year old daughter, Lainey, has a secret. With a cast of strong female characters there is a race to find these missing girls and discover what or who is behind this crisis.

I cannot recommend this book enough, it is powerful and eye opening. It tackles topics such as reproduction rights as well as basic human rights. It is primarily a female lead cast with strong family and friendship bonds. I alway enjoy the dystopian genre, but Sara Foster has taken it to a whole new level with this feminist thriller.

In this near-future dystopian thriller, surveillance of British citizens has significantly increased after the COVID pandemic, under the guise of keeping the nation healthy. Then, the doll babies came - one in every three seemingly healthy pregnancies ends in stillbirth, and only in Great Britain. Now security policies are at an all-time high as every pregnancy is monitored. Not only that, but teen mothers across the country are going missing, and seventeen-year-old Lainey has just found out she's pregnant.

You never know what you're getting into when you're approved for an ARC; this one fortunately was a surprise after the last several I read were low ratings. I read 90% of this fast-paced book in one sitting, albeit a long one as I was determined to finish it in October.

This book warns of the dangers of government surveillance in the name of security at the expense of human rights, particularly reproductive rights. Some of the policies that take place in this world may seem a bit far-fetched, but they go to show how in states of emergency and fear, those in power can use that fear to gain more power and harm those without it. We follow a mother, Emma, who works in the hospital as a midwife amid the doll baby crisis, and her daughter Lainey, who has just found out she is pregnant and has very few options - abortion has been outlawed, all pregnancies are monitored, and it seems that those her age who are pregnant are being kidnapped with no help from the police. Both of these characters were engaging and easy to root for as they are seemingly trapped in this position while their rights are being taken away. The sense of tension was well done and kept me turning the pages with very few interruptions. The very end was a little bit convenient for my taste (but left open-ended enough that it can be forgiven) and there was definitely a couple of instances of stilted, preachy dialogue that would never actually happen, but otherwise this was a very well done book that has a very important message to spread.

Based in the future, this book is a fast paced adventure that questions government control.
Teenage pregnant girls are disappearing, more babies are born with problems and every citizen has a watch that performs health checks and keeps the government informed on their location.
This is a fast paced novel from the start and it really does not let up. I am reminded of the Handmaids Tale. There is always a rebel.
This is also a female empowerment story. I loved it and devoured it.
Do yourself a favour.