Whispers of the Lake wasn’t quite as exciting as I was hoping for, but it was still a solid read. The story moved at a slower pace, but it had a nice atmosphere and some well-written characters that kept me interested.

Honestly, I think this would be even better as an audiobook. With the right narrator, the mood and tone could really come to life and make it more engaging.

Even though it didn’t totally wow me, I’d still recommend it to my friends and fellow book lovers—especially those who enjoy slower, more character-focused stories with a bit of mystery.

Shanora is a heavy hitter in the suspense thriller world and Whispers of the Lake was no exception. Although this was a slow burn, I was left on the edge of my seat the entire time trying to figure out what happens next!
Rose’s role as an investigative reporter came in handy even when she wasn’t thrilled about a new assignment that became painfully close. I could read this story over and over again!

Whispers of the lake is such an easy read. Every chapter has you wanting to know more. The plot twist was totally unexpected, which is rare when it comes to thriller books at times. The main characters' thoughts and commentary are relatable. Reading this book feels like a movie. It's a 3.75-to-4-star rating for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book to review.

This was a fun mystery novel, and I enjoyed it a lot. I am looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you, Kensington Publishing, for my copy of "Whispers of the Lake." Ms.Shanora Williams did it again with this book. I love all her books, and this is one of my favorites so far.

The way the drama is dropped in the beginning of this one with journalist Rose had me immediately all in. Throughout the entire book I wanted to know what would happen next. When Rose starts her investigation to find her social media influencer friend Eve, the small town did feel like a faint “whisper” you can’t shake off with the sketchy side characters. I loved how I could feel the atmospheric tension I need in a psycho thriller. I found myself questioning what I would do if I were in Rose’s shoes. How would I handle the betrayal, the secrets, the lies? Would I go all out for someone who hurt me? Nahh… 😮‍💨

This one had its perfect blend of suspense, emotional depth, mystery/thriller, and twists that’ll keep you turning pages to find out all the answers. Am I being vague, a tad bit because, no spoilers from me!

Another thing, I did not guess the who! That right there is going to always be a win for me! If you’re into books that make you think about trust and loyalty, gives you the atmospheric tone to match the plot all while keeping you engaged, Whispers on the Lake is definitely worth adding to your TBR or better yet, preorder! 😉

Shanora has done it again! Whispers of the lake was a book that I just could not put down. What a suspenseful story full of love, friendship, and forgiveness.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)
Whispers of the Lake by Shanora Williams is a slow-burn suspense that grips you tighter with every chapter—layered with betrayal, secrets, and just the right amount of creep factor to keep you up at night flipping pages.

We follow Rose, a woman watching her marriage fall apart. As if that isn’t enough, her best friend Eve—who she's currently on the outs with—suddenly goes silent. No texts, no calls, nothing. So Rose heads out to Lake Aquilla, a place already wrapped in its own eerie energy, to figure out what’s really going on. What she finds isn’t comfort… it’s a web of disturbing clues, unsettling neighbors, and secrets buried so deep they nearly drown her.

And let’s talk about Eve. Through scattered journal entries, we get glimpses into her mind and her past—but instead of answers, those pages bring even more questions. The emotional tug-of-war this book creates had me constantly asking: Do I even forgive Eve? Like… girl. You did a lot.

The strength of this book lies in its atmosphere and emotional unraveling. The lake house setting was peak creepy, and the neighbors? Yeah, they deserve their own thriller. The pacing was slow at first, but it pays off big time—delivering a strong and satisfying finale full of gasp-worthy reveals.

If you're into twisted friendships, dark secrets, and slow-building tension that explodes at just the right moment, add Whispers of the Lake to your TBR.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing, Dafina, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange with my honest review.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for an early copy of Whispers of the Lake!

I’ve been looking forward to a new Shanora Williams release for way too long. She is an auto buy author for me and her thrillers just hit different.

Whispers of the Lake is more of a 3.5 stars for me, but I still had such a good time with it nonetheless. You can always count on Shanora to deliver a super messy, dramatic, dark thriller! This one was little less dramatic/messy than her others, it was a bit more straight forward of a thriller/less twisty than I’d expect - which is why I gave it a 3.5! But I still had such a fun time and will read whatever Miss Williams puts out next.

Shanora Williams knows how to write a thriller. This one was no exception of thrilling, roller coaster of emotion, kept you guessing. I loved how she writes and and she keeps you captivated throughout the whole story. Check this one out when it releases!

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

Whispers of the Lake was a true page turner for me… I finished it in basically one sitting!! I enjoyed the fast paced nature of the story, the back drop, the writing and overall, think it was a solid 4 star story. I was a tad disappointed in the ending but would still recommend this one to any thriller fans.

Thank you NetGalley! I love Shanora Williams and so enjoyed this book. The characters were amazing and really helped set up the story. I was in awe of how selfless Rose was despite what her friend did to her. I was definitely shocked by the twists and turns in this book

"When the smile vanished, he pointed the gun at my face."

Shanora has a way of pouring into her characters and setting the scene to give us everything we need as a reader.

I was so invested in this story!

If your best friend betrayed you in the worst possible way would you still search for her? At the beginning of the book I was yelling at Rose telling her, "Girl you better than me!"

As the story progressed and I was yelling at Rose to find Eve!!

This is a fast past, thrilling "Who Dunnit" that will keep you guessing until the end!

This is my first time reading anything by Shanora Williams. I was immediately hooked and couldn’t put it down. I don’t really know how to write a review for a thriller but I liked every minute of this book. I can’t wait to read more of her work.

Whispers of the Lake tells the story of investigative reporter Rose reeling from the end of her marriage. After a devastating betrayal, Rose is ready to move on from her soon to be ex husband and former best friend Eve. After learning that Eve has been non responsive for several days after checking into a North Carolina cottage, Rose decides to book a quiet getaway there herself to prove that Eve is just being her normal flaky, evasive, and irresponsible self.
As soon as Rose arrives in the quaint and small town, she feels an uneasiness and that she is extremely unwelcomed. It becomes clear that there is more that meets the eye in this place and maybe Eve was not ghosting everyone after all. A series of unfortunate mishaps begin after Rose begins to ask questions about her former friend and the last events taking place before she disappeared. What is everyone hiding? What happened while Eve was here?
This was a 4*read, thank you to Author Shanora Williams and Kensington for the E-Arc and the chance to review it!

Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for an arc of Whispers of the Lake. This was a great, fast paced thriller that unfolded the way I like my thrillers and mystery books to do. The start of the book was kind of slow moving but the addition of the journal entries from Eve really helped move the story along as it gave a second POV but in a smart way. Rose was too good of a person and she is better person than me after what happened with Eve. Eve was hurt soul. She was done so wrong and I liked that Shanora made you sad and mad for her.
Great book! 3.75 stars.

With an ominous cover such as Whispers of the Lake, I was excited to see where this psychological thriller was going to take us.

Shanora Williams gives us Infidelity. Generational trauma. Toxicity. Friendships. Family. Crooked small town. And so much more in her latest fast-paced thriller told over a couple of days.
Rose is separated from her best friend, Eve because of some choices she has made that ultimately destroyed their friendship and Rose's marriage. But when Zoey, Eve's sister, asks Rose to help look for a radio silent Eve, Rose can't help but get involved. Clues lead her to a quiet cottage on a lake in Sage Hill where Eve was last seen. But the people there are hiding something and Rose can feel it.

Told completely from Rose's POV with excerpts of Eve's journal entries, we follow investigative reporter (and armchair detective) Rose as she slowly gathers clues to Eve's disappearance. The whole town and the inhabitants of Sage Hill gave me the creeps. But that was the whole point, right? Trust no one and the secrets they hold.

From the setting to the cast of characters, Williams set the tone for a page turning thriller. The chapters were short and gave us that sense of urgency while giving us "just enough" before giving us more. And including Eve's journal entries helped us to understand the troubled woman and her actions while giving us a few clues to follow. I had a hard time liking any of the Sage Hill community because I almost felt like everyone was guilty, but that made it all the more exciting. But then there's Rose. One fierce AF woman, but almost too trusting. I still was rooting for her.

With the twists, flawed characters and all the secrets and lies, and one heck of an action-filled ending, this book is completely bingeable and a perfect summer read.

ARC REVIEW
Shanora never lets me down. Even when I think there is no way I could love her next book more than the last, she seems to prove me wrong.

Whispers of the Lake is twisty thriller that had me guessing the entire time. Shanora knows what she is doing. Your mind will be going in so many directions trying to figure it out.

Rose is an investigative reporter, with a former best friend, Eve, that has gone missing and a marriage that is falling apart. Rose and Eve have not spoken in 3 months, after Eve completely broke their relationship with her unreversible actions. Rose wants absolutely nothing to do with Eve but also can't bring herself to ignore the fact that no one can get in touch with her. Not quite understanding why she cares as much as she does, she makes her way to Sage Hill to try and find out what kind of trouble her irresponsible, ex- best friend has gotten herself into. While there, she realizes that Eve's lack of contact may be more urgent and serious than she first thought.

In addition to blowing your mind as a psychological thriller, there is also a mental health aspect:
"Here's something people are aware of but will never fully accept. Hurt people really do hurt other people."

Eve has a traumatic history of abuse and unfortunately, this was the leading cause of her irresponsible, hurtful behavior throughout the story. Not that this can be used as an excuse for her actions, but I think it's important to keep it in mind when deciding how much you dislike her character while reading.

I highly recommend this one to all of the thriller lovers out there! Such a smooth, gripping and easy to keep up with read, told from Rose's perspective with inserts of Eve's digital journal entries. Get this one on your TBR!

Thank you, Shanora Williams, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

When her former best friend (it’s complicated), Eve, goes missing, and her last known location is an isolated cabin along a lake in a small town, investigative reporter Rose decides to do Eve’s little sister Zoey a favor and look into things. She rents the same cabin, expecting to find that Eve is merely taking a break from the world or looking for attention. But what she finds is something far more sinister.

The story is told in a linear fashion, from Rose’s POV, but is interspersed with Eve’s journal entries.

This was a super suspenseful story that really just keeps getting better the further you get into it. Rose isn’t one to give up investigating, so she really digs into the mystery and uncovers the cast of strange cast of characters that inhabit Sage Hill, the town the cabin borders. And let me tell you, they are freaking strange. That element really added to the creepy atmosphere and the overall mystery.

Not to mention Rose is a great character. She’s going through some tough times and seeing that journey and going through it with her is something that I enjoyed. She’s a “real” character, not a Mary Jane stereotype, which I liked. She’s was also a good friend, but realistic (you’ll see what I mean when you read the book).

The ending was really good. I didn’t see it coming, but it made total sense. I was completely satisfied with how things turned out. The author did a great job with everything.

Overall this was a great read that I really flew through. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good thriller full of twists and turns!

I love how fast paced this was, while simultaneously having a good build up. At the end of each chapter, I kept telling myself I would "only read one more chapter" but I found myself not able to stop at times.