This was a decently entertaining audiobook.

Pros:
-narration- I listened at 2x
- dual POV
- great main character who wants to find out what happened to her ex best friend even though she betrayed her.

Cons:
- too many characters, it got a bit confusing
- some of the characters were useless and provided nothing to the story so it felt odd they were included.
- I was expecting something a little bit more twisty

All in all, this audiobook would be worth a listen or a read

Audio Book Review -Dominique Franceschi and Jasmin Walker deliver an intricate tale with just the right amount of style and suspense creating tone. Thoroughly absorbing story of fear and suspense and discovering the disturbing truth concealed within plain sight

Your ex “best friend” goes missing, do you care, are you happy……….. are you involved 👀. Rose and Eve have been besties for years, sharing secrets, triumphs and losses until the ultimate betrayal occurs. Now Eve is missing, is this a game, a misunderstanding or is Eve really in trouble. I give this story a solid 3 stars. I did listen to it on audio, the story flowed well and the narration was good. I do believe the characters could have been developed more. I finished the story without really knowing much more about the characters than I did at the beginning. There is not a lot of twists but the writing does keep you guessing until the “big reveal” though it’s not really that big. This story does have a bit more spice than this authors thriller’s usually do, nothing too graphic but definitely more. Also check your trigger warnings if you trigger easily.

I was hooked from beginning to end! Whispers of the Lake had me fully invested—every character had me side-eyeing and second-guessing, and Shanora really kept me on my toes the entire time. The suspense was perfectly paced, and the twist? Wild! What’s even crazier is that with how well this was written, she still could’ve taken the ending even further, and I would’ve followed her there without question. This was such a satisfying read. Easy 5 stars from me!

I actually liked this book a lot as a thriller. So as a thriller I would have given it 5 stars, however, there were some glaring problems in my opinion. Based on these problems I might have given it a 2, but I set aside my personal opinions to try to round out the review.

I think this book is a mildly harmful to victims/survivors of SA. Even in the end when the FMC has a chance to address it she just says yeah I feel bad but I still never would’ve been best friends with her like…I fear we missed something. I do know how Eve described it which is why the FMC’s reaction kiiiind of makes sense but not really.

I constantly had to battle myself, truthfully. Because the whole book Rose absolutely shit on Eve. Given the information she had that makes sense, but given what we know it didn’t feel right. Combine that with her pretty much doing the same thing before the (let’s be honest here) SA happened, and I fear she wasn’t actually a good friend. I think a lot of her behavior afterwards was self-serving.

Finally, I am a therapist. Therefore, no therapist worth anything is going to plant such a big idea like her being secretly jealous of her friend the whole time in her head. Specifically when it doesn’t fit the situation. She said no, he did it anyway, and she froze. That’s pretty clear cut. So no, she didn’t “do it” because she secretly harbored this lifelong resentment for her friend. And that’s a harmful narrative to push, ESPECIALLY from a therapist. But I had to dial it back because that’s not something everyone might know or understand.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

This book was not at all what I expected. I loved being taken into the creepy woods and not being able to rely on how I felt about any of the characters.I listened to this book as an audiobook and I would highly recommend doing so because the Narrators did a beautiful job telling the story.
This book is told from dual perspectives on dual timelines. The explanation of these characters made me feel like I was searching for my lost friend. It took me a couple chapters to get invested but once I was hooked I could not wait to find out what happened. The author did a wonderful job taking me into the world she created and I did not want to leave.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC audiobook.

3.5 stars!

I liked this story. It was fast paced and mysterious.

There are lots of characters introduced and the reader goes along with Rose as she tries to unravel what each character might have to do with her friend's disappearance. As the backstory of each character and their relationships began to unravel it becomes more and more mysterious and the reader is left to wonder who knows about what happened to Eve.

While I didn't particularly love Eve and what she has done, the journal entries do provide a backstory to her life and her motives for actions. The small town vibes and 'inner circle' of the town's characters brought a good amount of the mystery to the story.

The audio production for this one is great. Both narrators did a great job for the two POV in the story. Eve's journal entries give the reader a sense of her story and the narrator, for me, was fantastic for this part. Rose's narrator was also well-suited to her POV.

Whispers of the Lake was a deeply engaging listen with just the right balance of suspense and emotional depth. Shanora Williams has a way of writing characters that feel incredibly real, flawed, vulnerable, and fully developed. I found myself completely invested in their stories from the very beginning.

The plot unfolded at a perfect pace, with enough twists and tension to keep me hooked, but it never lost sight of the emotional core. I loved how everything came together in a way that felt satisfying and meaningful. The audiobook narration added an extra layer of immersion, making the characters and atmosphere come to life.

I’m giving this one four stars simply because there were a few slower moments where the pacing dipped slightly, but overall, this was a beautifully written and memorable story that I’d definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance audiobook copy!

ALC 🎧 Review: Whispers of the Lake by Shanora Williams
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub Date: June 24, 2025. (Out now!!)

This one kind of fell flat for me. It was predictable, and I didn’t really like any of the characters. I’m so bummed because it sounded so good, and I’ve enjoyed her other work. In my opinion, this might be one to skip. 😅

Thank you to @netgalley and @recordedbooks for this ALC in exchange for an honest review.

🌊🏡

Rose Howard is exhausted from trying to manage her seemingly perfect life. With her marriage to her one true love collapsing, she desperately needs to rest, regroup, and decide which way to go next. The direction becomes clear when she discovers that her former best friend, Eve Castillo, isn't responding to attempts to contact her at the North Carolina cottage where she's vacationing. Rose knows Eve can be flaky and irresponsible—that’s why they fell out. Still, Rose heads to the tranquil small town of Sage Hill… Rose soon discovers that Eve has vanished without her purse and passport.

I absolutely devoured this book! It literally had me on the edge of my seat! I enjoyed all of the twists and turns and definitely did not expect the ending!

1st time reading a book by Shanora and she didn't disappoint. Very fast paced. The story was like a roller-coaster and gave you a mix of feelings and kept you guessing.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

Thank you to Netgalley, RB Media, and Shanora Williams for this ALC of "Whispers Of the Lake" in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very fast paced and I was able to complete it in one sitting, as it kept my attention and I needed to know what happened to Eve.

I really enjoyed the multiple POV, through Rose's storytelling and Eve's diary. We were able to see both sides of an extremely complex relationship.

This was my first Shanora Williams novel but will not be my last. I look forward to finding other books that she has written now.

I never go into a Shanora Williams thriller with any expectations because I know she is going to twist and turn me out of them LOL. And boy did these twists and turns turn and twist!

Whispers of the Lake is a gripping, atmospheric tale about chosen family and sisterhood, and ushers in discourse around two important topics:
1) How far would you go to find a best friend who's done the unthinkable to you?
2) How much do we, consciously or unconsciously, expect bad things to happen to people who live their lives in ways we don't understand?

When investigative reporter Rose's best friend Eve goes missing after a visit to small town Sage Hill, Rose pushes past Eve's recent betrayal and goes to search for answers relentlessly. Sage Hill is a tight-knit town committed to holding in each other's secrets, so she is met with lots of zipped lips and cold shoulders, but Rose's journalistic skills, Eve's journal, and Rose's work connections lead her down a path she never expected.

I really love thrillers that make us challenge the way we think about things. So many times we engage with true crime stories and hear about the woman who lit up a room then learn they've been brutally murdered. Or we read about the party girl who slept around and aren't surprised when they go missing. This book forces the reader to face these biases head on and navigate with a main character who must first put aside her grudges and inability to forgive to find the answers she seeks. I thought this aspect of the book was very powerfully-written and engaging.

While I would consider this more of a mystery than a thriller, I thought the campy nods to horror movies were engaging—and frustrating, as always—but they added to the atmospheric value of the narrative. The first half is slow, but the second half is so worth hanging around for.

The narrators were engaging and easy to listen to—I enjoyed the audiobook very much!

Thank you to Kensington Publishing, Dafina, RBmedia, Recorded Books, Shanora Williams, and NetGalley for sending me an ALC and an ARC!

4 ⭐️s
1 🌶️

**How far would you go for someone who betrayed you?**
After discovering that her best friend slept with her husband, she vanishes and she finds herself pulled into a dangerous rabbit hole trying to help the very person who hurt her. The premise was strong, filled with tension and emotional conflict, and it hooked me early on. While the story was solid overall, I expected a twistier ending given how suspenseful the beginning was.

This was my first read from this author, and I’m definitely open to picking up more of their work.

**Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5**

3.5 stars
Whispers Of The lake centers around the disappearance of Rose's ex best-friend. When social media influencer Eve goes missing, her sister asks Eve's former best-friend for help tracking her down. Reluctantly Rose starts to investigate, being the true investigative reporter that she is and finds herself down a rabbit hole in a small town covering its dirty secrets.
Told mainly from Rose's POV interspersed with Eve's journal entries.
The book gives a realistic set of characters with their own history and flaws. A Reluctantly heroine in Rose who I have to say is not the usual annoying bad decision maker we often see in books like these. Rather she is a mature level-headed woman making sensible decisions. Eve is a sympathetic character who shows us her true colours warts and all and help give an extra layer to the story Rose unravells.
With a few twists and turns the story is well paced and intriguing throughout, however having listed on audio I do feel like the narrator was lacking in emotion towards the end of the book when things turn high stakes. She kept her voice rather calm which did not fit the scene. Apart from that she was excellent throughout and of course this wouldn't be an issue when reading instead.

many thanks to RBmedia who provided me with an audio copy of this book via NetGalley for review. All opinions are my own.

I read this book in 1 day! It was so good. It really keeps you guessing the whole time. It's suspenseful and mysterious at the same time. The ending threw me for sure. I was not expecting it.
Definitely a good read, I loved it! 🤗

Whispers of the Lake by Shanora Williams had a solid premise and some great twists, but the pacing dragged a bit, I found myself waiting too long for the real action to kick in. The narrator was okay, but her delivery felt a little over-exaggerated at times, which pulled me out of the story. Not a bad listen, just not a standout for me.

Well damn.... that my friend's is what you call a thriller! I was shook, shocked and speechless! That was so damn good writing!

Rose, an investigative reporter, goes looking for her former best friend, Eve, after she learns she’s gone missing. Rose follows in Eve’s footsteps to try to find her and tries to untangle her last steps.

This is a solid psychological thriller with an interesting storyline and realistic main characters. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and character development.

I’ll definitely read more books by this author and look forward to catching up on her earlier thrillers.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media and the author for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Shanora Williams delivers another twisty, unputdownable ride with Whispers of the Lake! I flew through this story—fast-paced, short chapters, dual POV (Rose in the present, Eve through journal entries), and a mystery that pulled me in deeper with every chapter.

Rose is that "I'm a stick beside her" kind of character—even when you're yelling “you big dummy!” in your best Fred Sanford voice at some of her choices. But that’s what makes her compelling. She's layered, loyal to a fault, and just reckless enough to chase a disappearing act to a lakefront town with secrets.

Eve? Whew. Unlikable, unreliable, but very intriguing. The tension between past betrayals and present danger adds so much depth. It’s more mystery than thriller—small-town secrets, shady locals, and lies stacked like firewood waiting to ignite.

The dual audiobook narration by Jasmin Walker and Dominique Franceschi is chef’s kiss—they brought Rose and Eve to life.

Five stars from me for the vibes, the unreliable characters, the gasp-worthy twists I didn’t see coming, and a pace that never lets up.

Would I help my ex-best friend after she did the unthinkable and then vanished? I don’t know... but Rose did—and I was strapped in for every wild, jaw-dropping moment of it.
Thank you to RB Media for the ALC. Thoughts and opinions are my own.