In this intriguing thriller by Shanora Williams Rose Howard and investigative reporter decides to put her feelings of betrayal aside to find her missing life long best friend Eve Castillo who goes missing from a trip to a lake front cabin in North Carolina. Rose discovers the small town isn't quite what it seems and their hiding many secrets. I really enjoyed how this story unfolded and was captivated the whole time. Thanks Netgalley for the eArc copy and Shanora Williams for allowing to be apart of the advanced readers team.

This is my first Shanora Williams read and it wont be my last. Her storytelling is gripping and kept me locked in through this entire book. Thriller isnt my typical genre but this was a great read. I loved the twists and turns and messiness of the plot.

This was dramaticccc....and I loved it!! I loved reading this from Rose's pov, with eves perspective added in through journal entries. It started slow, which I was worried about due to it being a shorter novel, but once it took off, I was hooked and along for the ride. I loved how this author rode the line between mystery and thriller. It was not an original concept for a thriller, but it was still so fresh to read. I would definitely recommend this to my friends, family. and followers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a gifted copy of this novel!!

This author does it again with an absolutely bingeable thriller with a setting that is perfect for summer. Compared to her other thrillers, I didn’t feel an immediate “hook” with this one; however, it didn’t take me long to get invested in the story and start flying through chapters. This author also has a fabulous way of writing twists that you will not see coming, and this book is no exception. There were scenes at the end that, if I was watching the scene play out in a movie, I would be watching through my fingers because of the intensity. This book is told mostly from one POV with some journal entries mixed throughout, and I enjoyed the blend of both. Definitely recommend this one a read for old and new fans of this author alike!

Thank you to NetGalley, Shanora Williams, and Kensington Publishing for the eARC. I really enjoyed this thriller that beautifully wove cultural depth into its narrative. A powerful exploration of unresolved childhood trauma and how it echoes into adulthood—filled with betrayal, loss, heartbreak, and ultimately, the pursuit of forgiveness.

This was a fun, quick small town thriller. I read through it pretty quickly. Some parts did fall a little flat for me but overall, it was fine. I did guess the ending pretty quickly into the story which is a bummer but overall I did enjoy it. Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Whispers of the Lake by Shanora Williams was a fantastic story.
I thoroughly enjoyed this riveting suspense book.
The Holiday has the right amount of plot twists, great characters, and the writing is just intriguing.
It was hard to put this one down because the writing was fantastic!

In this book, we are following our main character Rose, who is going through a lot. Eve and her husband have just separated, and she is no longer speaking to her best friend, Eve. However, when Eve's sister calls Rose, to let her know Eve is not answering her phone, and seems to be missing, Rose knows she has to track her down. She traces Eve to an AirBnB in a small town, and begins hunting for her friend. But the AirBnB owners stories don't add up, and the townspeople are becoming less and less friendly the more Rose hunts for her missing friend. What happened to Eve, and will it happen to Rose too?

This was a very solid, small town mystery. I loved Rose, she was a character that was very easy to root for and love. I thought the creepy small town elements were very well done. I loved the commentary on unresolved trauma, and how it can cause a person to hurt those they care about, even when they don't want too. We get journal excerpts from Eve's journals delving into her trauma, and why it causes her to behave the way it does. What didn't work for me was the resolution of the mystery. It felt like the solution came out of left field, with no breadcrumbs throughout the story to lead us to this conclusion. I enjoyed this one but didn't love it.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Publishing | Dafina and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. My apologies for the delay in posting, I have had continuing familial health challenges to contend with in the past months.

This is billed as a psychological thriller, but it reminded me of nothing so much as an old-fashioned potboiler - or call it a soap opera, or in more modern terms, a telenovella, or a horror movie where you shout "don't go into that room" at the screen. I realize I am an outlier, but I found it badly written, way too many inconsistencies from one chapter to the next, and completely foreseeable in terms of plot twists, not to mention loaded down with extraneous information while missing out on details needed to help make the plot make sense. Were I not conscientious about writing reviews for the ARCs I have been granted, this would have been a DNF for me.

What can the WHISPERS OF THE LAKE reveal? Shanora Williams knows!

Rose Howard is an investigative reporter who tries to present to the world that she has the perfect life. But when her ex best friend crosses the line and violates the most serious girl code, her world implodes. Rose is now flying solo, as she cuts both husband, Cole and best friend, Eve out of her life. Looking for a story that will give her foothold to a promotion at Premier Daily she sets out to find one.

When Rose is contacted by Eve’s sister, Zoey about Eve being out of contact, she initially blows it off saying that she no longer cares for Eve and it’s not her problem. When Zoe.y continues, Rose heads to Lake Aquilla in Sage Hill, North Carolina, which was the last place Eve, a travel vlogger was known to have been. As Rose searches for clues, she interviews the landlord, towns people, and local law-enforcement. Why did Eve suddenly go off the radar and where is she now? As Rose gets closer to the truth, she finds herself in Dire Straits, and faces serious attempts on her life. Finally, with help from an unexpected source, Rose learns what happened to her old friend.

This was a good story about old friendships, girl code, and the secrets we sometimes keep even from ourselves. The writing was clear and concise which led to an enjoyable read. I could feel my pulse quicken and the tension ratcheting up as Rose got closer to the truth. I have enjoyed Shanora Williams in the past and this was no exception. I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a thriller so I was really looking forward to Whispers of the Lake as the premise sounded interesting.

Whispers of the Lake is a book about a missing woman, broken relationships and a lot of secrets. After a falling out and no contact for 3 months investigative reporter Rose heads to a small town in North Carolina to look for her ex-best friend Eve who has vanished without a trace.

After arriving in Sage Hill looking for answers it quickly becomes apparent that some of the locals aren’t telling the truth and the deeper Rose digs the more dangerous it becomes. Rose is either a really fantastic friend or she has no sense of self preservation because a lot of the decisions she made were questionable, especially when it came to ignoring instructions from the police.

Eve’s point of view is presented in the book as pages from her journal, which I really liked, but no matter how much backstory was given I just didn’t like her and that made it hard for me to care or be concerned about her.

Told mostly from Rose’s point and with short chapters that should have made this easy to read it didn’t quite land for me. The thrills weren’t thrilling, the twists were somewhat predictable and Rose was almost as unlikeable as Eve. I didn’t hate it, but I didn’t love it either.

3.5- 4⭐️

I have loved everything I’ve read from Shanora Williams. Some of the things I loved about WHISPERS OF THE LAKE are the way the author makes you think hard about what you would do if you were in Rose’s shoes. With a book like this she also makes you constantly think about what twists & turns are coming & what they’re going to be. This was a fast paced mystery. I wish it had a bit more thriller vibes added in but it was still enjoyable. The narrators of the audiobook really brought the characters/story to life.

Rose and her husband have broken up after she catches him with a girl her family took in when she was little. She is determined to never speak to Eve again after the betrayal, but when a mutual friend says Eve, an influencer, isn't responding to calls or texts Rose feels she has to try to find her. She traces Eve to a town where she rented a cabin and things get intense. What secrets are the locals hiding? Definitely a good read.

See my review to the audio book… but what I will say again is …
This is a five star read.
A diverse group of characters with the main characters being women of color.
I was hooked from the first chapter.
My mouth was on the floor at the end.
Everyone should read this book.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved Rose's character. I loved that she was still so willing to find out where Eve was/what happened to her, after what had happened in their friendship. I'm not sure I'd have been able to offer forgiveness in that situation.

My heart ached for everything that Eve and her sister went through when they were growing up, but I didn't really like Eve very much.

I was suspicious of almost everyone in that town, but even still, the reveal of who was behind Eve's disappearance had me shocked! That's not who I was expecting at all.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC.

Whispers of the Lake is another gripping read from Shanora Williams and it definitely won’t be my last. This fast paced, twisted thriller kept me on my toes from start to finish. Just when I thought I had it figured out, the story took another unexpected turn.

The story follows Rose as she investigates the mysterious disappearance of her friend. Told through Rose’s perspective and Eve’s haunting diary entries, we get two distinct voices and emotional depths that enhance the suspense. Rose’s journey is more emotionally driven, but it never slows the pace and truly it adds a compelling layer to the thriller at hand.

The characters are deeply flawed in all the best ways, making it impossible not to get caught up in their secrets, lies, and chaos. I loved every messy minute of it.

4.5stars-WHISPERS OF THE LAKE by Shanora Williams is a contemporary, adult, psychological thriller focusing on investigative reporter Rose Howard, and the search for a missing, former friend.

Told from first person perspectives ( Rose), and journal entries from Eve Castillo, WHISPERS ON THE LAKE follows investigative reporter Rose Howard . On the fast track to make senior reporter, Rose’s energetic investigation into an adulterous politician will take a backseat when a call from a childhood friend begs our heroine to look into the disappearance of travel vlogger Eve Castillo. Eve and her sister Zoey were once best friends with Rose Howard and her husband Cole but a personal betrayal pushed Eve out of Rose’s life, and in the interim, Rose refused all of Eve’s attempts at apologies and reconciliation but a desperate phone call from Eve’s younger sister Zoey, finds Rose on the hunt for the woman who destroyed her life. From unanswered emails and phone calls, Eve’s last known location finds Rose on the road, to cottage country in North Carolina where the local inhabitants have something to hide. Questions without answers, hide the secrets buried in Sage Hill, and local law enforcement is unwillingly to play along.

The world building follows several paths that all lead back to Sage Hill, North Carolina. As Rose begins an investigation of her own, the closer to the truth finds our heroine with a target on her back, and the possibility of never returning home.

We are introduce to several interesting and questionable secondary and supporting characters including Eve’s sister Zoey, Rose’s sister Diana and their father; hacker Nico, Rose’s ex husband Cole Howard, and her friend with benefits Jayson Daniels, as well as Sheriff James Reed, his nephews and niece Alex, Damien and Rory; Officer Kennedy Windsor, and several townies and locals.

WHISPERS OF THE LAKE is a story of secrets and lies, betrayal and trust, family and friendships, moving on without regret. The thought-provoking character driven premise is dramatic, dark, twisted and edgy; the characters are numerous and animated .


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Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington publishing for the ARC.. All opinions are my own

This was the first book that I have read by this author and have to say that I enjoyed it. The pacing was quick, the storyline interesting and the main character had a decent amount of depth. The ending was obvious pretty early on because the guilty party didn't really fit in when he was introduced into the story and there was way too many attempts to point it in another direction.

The back story about scars from our past affecting our behavior as adults was good. It was also a good reminder about the power of forgiveness. Overall it was an enjoyable story.

It’s wild how one bad man can shatter a good woman’s entire world.

Fresh off a devastating betrayal and the collapse of her marriage, Rose Howard doesn’t get the luxury of healing time. Her former best friend, Eve, has gone radio silent while holed up in a North Carolina cottage—and something doesn’t sit right. Despite their fallout, Rose drives straight into Sage Hill, a small town where the charm feels a little too staged and the people a little too quiet.

Eve is gone—passport, purse, and plans all left behind. The deeper Rose digs, especially after finding Eve’s private journal, the more twisted the truth becomes. This isn’t just a disappearance. It’s a puzzle built on secrets no one wants unearthed.

Tense, atmospheric, and laced with emotional grit, this thriller delivers on betrayal, mystery, and the haunting weight of unanswered questions. A slow-burn unraveling you won’t want to look away from.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Kensington/Dafina Press for the ARC. Released June 24, 2025.

Whispers of Lake is a captivating Psychological thriller which keeps yon on the edge of your seat and makes you keep on reading the story. The twists and turns that Rose faces while investigating is quite interesting and thrilling.

I Really loved and enjoyed the story and Highly Recommend it to all readers.