4.5 ⭐️ Advanced Reader Review!

Ren Taylor is back where she started in life: in her hometown having just accepted a job to teach at the local high school. It’s hard being back in the town where her sister was killed, and Ren can’t stop seeing her everywhere. It’s even hard to escape the scandal that still surrounds her sister’s death.

Before the school year starts, Ren meets a fellow teacher, Bryson Lewis. He’s handsome and charismatic, and all his students love him. But Ren knows men like him…the more she watches him, the more suspicious she becomes. When Ren notices Bryson’s close relationship with one of his students, she becomes concerned that history is going to repeat itself. This time, Ren is taking matters into her own hands.

My thoughts: I flew through this book! I would wake up thinking about this book, and go to sleep thinking about this book. I was totally invested in the story and the characters. I loved the “good for her” aspect to this story. That being said, this is a super heavy topic, very important to take seriously. I think the author did just that. Nothing about the teacher/student relationship felt romanticized; it felt real. (Please check content warnings before reading)

The story moved at a nice pace, and the setting was very small town in the South. There is a bit of a supernatural element to the story, but it doesn’t take over the story by any means.

My only critique of the book was that the beginning moved a bit too fast for me. I’m not sure if we ever got an explanation on why Ren moved back. Other than that, I loved this book!! 4.5 stars.

I recently saw this upcoming thriller shared several times on social media, so I was thrilled when I was sent an ARC of it! This was a solid and well written thriller!

This story starts with Ren returning to her hometown to teach high school after being away for 10 years. She was hoping the town had forgotten about her and the murder of her sister, but they hadn’t! Ren is triggered when meeting the teacher across the hall Bryson and it brings up memories surrounding the events of her sisters death. As she sees Bryson getting close to a student, Ren is determined to not let history repeat itself, even if her dark secrets must come to the surface.

This story was wild with Ren hanging out with her sister in ghost form! While parts of the story were not super believable, I found myself hooked into the story and read it very quickly! I was shocked at the turn Marlee Bush took the story in the last 20% and it was not one of the theories I had running as I read the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush is a psychological thriller set in the eerie echo chamber of past trauma—literally. Ren Taylor returns to her old high school, a place steeped in tragedy for her: it’s where her sister Margo died years earlier under suspicious circumstances. Why would anyone go back to the scene of such personal devastation, you ask? Good question—and one several characters ask too. But Ren has her reasons, even if they’re murky, obsessive, and just a little bit haunted.

And I mean haunted. Margot’s ghost is very much present, providing commentary, warnings, and sisterly sarcasm throughout. There’s something really compelling about the way their bond continues after death—though Ren doesn’t always listen, which felt oddly out of sync with their past closeness. Their dynamic raised questions for me, especially considering Ren’s deep reverence for her sister when she was alive.

When a student from another school goes missing and another is seen leaving charismatic teacher Bryson Lewis’s classroom in distress, Ren spirals into full investigative mode—driven, intense, and absolutely consumed. Her connection to another teacher from the past, Mr. Henry, adds extra layers to the plot, as well as to Ren’s damaged worldview. Bryson is charming, the students love him, and the red flags are immediate for Ren. While the plot has some intriguing elements and a few solid twists, I found many of the beats predictable, and the atmosphere, which could have elevated this story, felt disappointingly flat. The high school itself, the town, the setting—all of it read as vaguely sketched rather than fully realised, which made it hard to feel immersed in Ren’s world.

Ren herself is a complicated character, and while I appreciate a morally grey, psychologically scarred protagonist, I found it difficult to emotionally connect with her. Her trauma defines every aspect of her, but there’s little contrast or growth that gives her arc momentum. It left me feeling like I was observing her from a distance rather than being pulled into her head—an issue when the entire story hinges on her perspective.

Still, for a debut, Bush’s writing shows promise. The pacing is solid, the sisterly dynamic has depth, and the bones of a good psychological thriller are all here. With a bit more atmosphere and nuance, this could’ve been a four-star read. As it stands, it’s a respectable three stars from me—and I’ll be curious to see what Bush writes next.

📚 ARC BOOK REVIEW 📚

Whispers Of Dead Girls By Marlee Bush
Publication Date: May 27, 2025
Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

📚MY RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Thank you SO MUCH to my sweet friend Carrie Shields for gifting this #gifted book to me and to Poisoned Pen Press for gifting this #gifted ARC to Carrie! ❤️ Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review too!

📚MY REVIEW:

Last year, I absolutely devoured Marlee Bush's debut, When She Was Me, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on her upcoming thriller, Whispers of Dead Girls. So it was everything when my sweet friend Carrie offered to send me an ARC of it. And let me tell you: I am fully convinced that Marlee Bush is a MASTER at bringing out the darker side of sister relationships in really suspenseful and twisty atmospheric thrillers. I'm also convinced she may have had a sister who locked her in a closet for long periods of time when she was a child, but that's a whole other conversation for a different day. 😉

After being away for ten years, Ren returns to her hometown and takes a job teaching at her old high school. She hoped maybe the town had forgotten about her past, but no such luck: her murdered teenage sister Margo is still immortalized all over town and the scandal that came along with Margo's tragic death still surrounds Ren in rumors. When Ren meets handsome fellow teacher, Bryson, she's triggered by memories of her past and she can't help being suspicious of him. Ren notices Bryson's close relationship with Olivia, a high school student who reminds her so much of Margo, and Ren feels compelled to try to rewrite the past by doing things differently this time around.

Heads up: the underlying current of #metoo vibes is really strong in this story, so if that's a trigger for you, it'll be good to be aware. Bush took this heavy subject and somehow managed to write an atmospheric small-town suspense with a mystery so thick that that part of the story almost fell to the background. Almost. Ren is a wildly unhinged character, and since she's constantly hanging out with and talking to the ghost of her dead sister, you're never really sure if she's accurately reading a situation or if she's a few cards short of a full deck. But I didn't care. I cheered her badass self on, even while I simultaneously wanted to close my eyes and pretend I didn't see what she was about to do. She's a loveable character, without a doubt, and the more I learned about her past, the more difficult it was to root against her.

While this book required some suspending of my disbelief, the suspense and the plotlines kept me turning every page as quickly as I could until this puzzle was solved. Is there anything more unhinged than an unreliable main character trying to right the wrongs of the past and rewrite her teenage traumas, all while her dead sister's ghost rides shotgun with her feet on the dash? Nope, there sure isn't. The suspension of disbelief is completely worth it, as Bush delivers a knockout punch of twists and unexpected turns in this wildly captivating read. Out May 27th.

#WhispersOfDeadGirls #MarleeBush #PoisonedPenPress #NetGalley #NetGalleyReviews #ARCs #thrillerreads #thrilleraddict #thrillerlover #booklover #bookreviews #bookrecs #bookrecommendations

Thank you so much @poisonedpenpress for the gifted E-ARC and the opportunity to read and review!

This was a solid thriller! Ren moves back to her hometown and takes a teaching position at her old high school. She is sort of an unreliable narrator with a chip on her shoulder. Her sister was killed when they were in high school and she carries that with her and blames herself. We don’t really know what happens but when we find out it was definitely unexpected.

Because she blames herself she is hyperaware of a girl that is seemingly being taken advantage of by a fellow teacher. She is hellbent on helping this girl because she couldn’t help her sister. What transpires is a troubling story and a twist ai didn’t see coming!

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press & Marlee Bush for this read!

I literally binged this book and could hardly stop! Our protagonist Ren leads us on a chase to find out what has really happened when girls have gone missing / gotten killed in the area. A combination of a classic thriller with a supernatural twist, this book really does give more than one shock along the way!

The author managed to make me question the truth of our narrator and others and the ending was definitely unexpected!

If you are after an addictive thriller with a supernatural twist and an unexpected ending -- this book is for you!

Out 27th May!!

Wow this was a page turner with so many twists kept me guessing till the end. Well written and entertaining did not see the end twist coming and will definitely be reading more from Marlee Bush this was a 3.5/4 read for me. I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This was solid!

It felt very Gillian Flynn with a dash of the supernatural thrown in. To be transparent, I have only read Sharp Objects by Ms. Flynn, and I didn't like it very much, but that's the best comparison I can offer.

I enjoyed the sense of dread pervading the story. It added a palpable tension and claustrophobia that was enjoyable. I liked the small town setting/high school teacher MC combo because it gave Ren more of a reason to be so passionate about helping the girls at her school. I also enjoyed the back and forth between Ren and the apparition of Margo.

However I thought there was a little too much brooding from Ren and not enough actually happening. I felt the flashbacks were done confusingly. And the ending was a let down - too sudden and not very satisfying.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

"Life is the only thing more painful than death." Ren has a taste for blood. She lost her sister years ago to a man, who like many, slip through the cracks and prey on young girls. She's returned home to teach at the school where it all happened and finds that a very similar scenario seems to be playing out with an overly friendly teacher. Ren is haunted by her past but channels this pain into a crusade of justice to protect the girls that are left.

Marlee Bush captures exactly what it feels like to be young, vulnerable and wanting to be seen. As well as the ugly side of life, another charming and dangerous man.

Overall, a highly bingeable and addicting read! Whispers of Dead Girls comes out 5/27/25!

From the very first page, this psychological thriller gripped me and was hard to put down! It’s a phenomenal read, masterfully crafted to explore the darkest corners of grief, guilt, and the unbearable weight of feeling hated. The atmosphere is haunting, pulling you into a world that’s as emotionally raw as it is chilling.
The author builds tension by slowly unraveling buried secrets that cast long shadows over the characters’ lives. Just when you think you understand what’s going on, a mind-blowing plot twist flips everything leaving you reeling in the best possible way.
The writing style is simply outstanding—sharp, evocative, and deeply immersive. This is storytelling at its finest. I’m already eagerly awaiting whatever this author writes next. If you’re a fan of intelligent, gripping thrillers that stay with you long after the last page, this one is an absolute must-read.

Whispers of Dead Girls is a slow-burn thriller told from the perspective of Ren, a teacher who takes a position at her old high school. Coming home brings back memories (and the ghost!) of her sister who died in an accident years ago. When local girls start disappearing, Ren suspects that a teacher from her school is involved in their disappearances and decides to take matters in to her own hands.

This was such a dark and moody read. I love a thriller with an unreliable narrator and Ren did not disappoint. She was deeply flawed and complex but also relatable. The ending was …. unexpected. I’m still processing how I feel about it.

Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I will post to my social media close to or on publication day.

I loved Marlee’s debut thriller so I was thrilled with the opportunity to review her latest book. Once again she did not disappoint!! Whispers of Dead Girls was a bit of a slow burn but I also found myself not wanting to put it down. The twists at the end I did NOT see coming. There are some flashback moments and sometimes it’s hard to tell at first if it’s the present or past but it’s fairly easy to pick up on. I will definitely keep reading Marlee’s books. I am a fan!!

Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush was a great mystery/thriller!

We are introduced to our FMC, Ren Taylor, who is returning to teach at the school she attended in high school. Upon coming back, she is confronted with aspects of her past as things around her seem to be history repeating itself. Determined to not let the same things happen again, Ren sets out to help those she couldn’t years before.

I’ve never read Marlee Bush prior, but I would definitely pick up her other works! This was such a fun read with lots of unexpected reveals.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the author and publisher of this book for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

first time reading your work, Marlee, and i’m officially a fan. whispers of dead girls is haunting in all the best ways. ren can’t escape the ghost of her murdered sister.. literally. no matter where she goes, her past clings to her. as she returns to her hometown and tries to piece her life back together, more girls start to go missing. the line between reality and memory begins to blur, and ren spirals. is she there to protect, or is she part of the danger?

This book had great creepy vibes, but I kept thinking it was too similar to other books I'd read before.
It starts out when Ren Taylor, returns to her hometown and former high school a decade after her sister's tragic death. As she navigates familiar halls now filled with new faces, she becomes entangled in a web of suspicion surrounding a charismatic physics teacher, Bryson Lewis, whose behavior with a student mirrors the circumstances that led to her sister's death. Could he have had something to do with it?

Bush masterfully crafts an atmosphere thick with tension and unease. If you've ever lived in a small town you know how oppressive and insular it can be, where gossip lingers and the past refuses to stay buried. This serves as a compelling backdrop to Ren's internal struggles. She's the perfect 'unreliable narrator' and you wonder if she suspects Bryson just because it's convenient.

The author addresses the power dynamics between students and teachers, which is also applicable between young people and any adult in a position of authority. This was interesting and makes you think how brave you'd have to be at that age to defy authority.

The book is slow in spots so does have some pacing issues, but once you got past that the action kicked into gear and it became a fast read with many unexpected twists and turns.

I very much enjoyed When She Was Me, so naturally I jumped at the chance to request an ARC of Marlee Bush's newest novel Whispers of Dead Girls. Once again, Marlee delivers the perfect thriller, complete with a decades old mystery, family secrets, eerie settings, and a few unexpected twists. I was hooked from the very beginning and absolutely flew through When She Was Me (as with She Was Me). The perfect thriller to kick off the summer!

I wanted to love this but it didn't quite work for me. While I was initially invested in the storyline, I felt like it was confusing the way it would randomly jump back in time with no clear distinction. It was like the character was thinking about the present and would then flash back to something in her past and it would take me a minute to figure out which was which because the dual timeline plots were so similar. It had potential but sadly wasn't for me.

I loved Marlee Bush's debut novel and I was so excited to read her newest book. The premise was good and there was a lot of momentum and anticipation from the very start.
However, as the book got further along, there seemed to be missing pieces that didn't add to the suspense, they just felt like holes. I was left wondering if I had accidentally skipped some pages.
The ending is where I got completely left behind. It felt like I ran into a brick wall when I still hadn't reached my destination. I also was completely confused by the antagonist and their motives.
Overall, there is a lot to like about this book. I still liked it but just wanted more to really make this a 4 star read.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

I picked up Whispers of Dead Girls thinking I was in for a twisty thriller, but it turned out to be more of a slow burn mystery than I expected. Not necessarily a bad thing, just not what I was anticipating. The pacing felt a bit uneven; I remember hitting the 50% mark and realizing it felt like I was still stuck in the same place as I was at 25%.

One of the biggest issues for me was the way the book handled the reflections into the past. There were a lot of them, and they often felt disjointed or hard to follow. I found myself zoning out or having to re-read sections just to keep track of where and when things were happening.

And then there were the ghostly interjections from the dead sister. While it was a cool concept, it wasn’t always clear who was speaking or what was actually going on. That kind of ambiguity works in some stories, but here it just left me confused more often than not.

“Whispers of Dead Girls” had a solid foundational premise, and I did want to know how it would all turn out, but the confusing structure, slow pacing, and lack of emotional connection made it a bit of a struggle to get through.

Thank You #NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the chance to read this early in exchange for an honest review.

Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you, Marlee Bush, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley for this ARC!

After loving her debut novel, I rushed to apply for the ARC when I saw her second book pop up on her Instagram and NetGalley!

Bush set the perfect eerie, ominous tone for her small-town setting. With so many unknowns, this book was a wild ride; I was constantly second-guessing who was alive or a figment of Ren, our main character's, imagination.

While Ren was in high school, her sister Margo passed away, leaving her with a tremendous amount of guilt that shaped who she was. You can tell that everything she does, she doesn’t do wholly for herself; it’s somehow for Margo, as if Ren is trying to right the ultimate wrong.

When Ren returns to teach at the high school she and her sister attended, she is faced with questions and concerns about the male teacher across the hall from her. These questions stir emotions and bring back too many similarities to her own high school memories.

The side characters made the story feel larger than what we were getting from Ren’s perspective.

The last few chapters, as everything wrapped up into a delicious, confusing, and thrilling conclusion, were amazing, and I believe thriller readers are going to love this story.