Thank you for the opportunity to read this book but I have to admit, it seemed to go on forever. I was interested at first but then became convinced that there was a big plot twist and that actually Jen, the mother, was having some kind of breakdown. Why were Lana and her father having secret talks while Jen was crawling down the hall? Did Lana put condoms on her feet to cause the marks on her ankles - seriously? Why would Jen go back to the site where Lana went missing and then enter the caves without telling anyone? I'm sorry to say that it was a relief to finish the book and move on to something more interesting.

After loving Emma Healey's debut novel Elizabeth Is Missing, I had big expectations for Whistle In The Dark. Was it even possible to top Elizabeth Is Missing? I wondered. Well, this did not disappoint. It follows one mother, Jen, as she seeks to find out what happened to her teenage daughter, Lana, after disappearing for four days in the Peak District. It is a story about maternal love, and the agonies that come with it.

The novel's biggest strength, for me, is how realistic the family dynamics are. Jen's despair is something that is likely to be familiar for many readers, but for all the heart wrenching moments there are just as many comical ones. The family, for all their worries, still know how to make a joke.

The novel concludes neatly, which I know is something that a lot of readers like, but for me seemed a little convenient. When there are issues involved like those in Whistle In The Dark, answers often elude those who seek them. Despite this, I was relieved for Jen, if not myself. It's a great read, and the ending almost didn't matter to me, given it's brilliant and original take on a topic that is becoming more widely discussed. I would highly recommend it - particularly for daughters who have no idea how much our mothers worry!

Really struggled with this book, which is a shame as I loved Elizabeth is missing, I couldn't warm to the characters and just couldn't get in tto the story, I'm afraid it just wasn't for me

I really enjoyed ‘Elizabeth is missing’ and was glad to be able to read this.

This is deals with the family relationships and dynamics of dealing with a depressed teenage who goes missing for 4 days and refuses to talk about what happened. She has a difficult relationship with her parents - particularly her mother - who are desperately trying to make sense of what has happened and help their daughter.

You begin to question her mother’s sanity as she seems to be unravelling in her efforts to understand her daughter and herself.

Jen finds answers at the end and a new beginning heralds the family.

A very satisfying read which kept me busy during another snow day!

I found it hard to engage with the characters in this book. I didn't particularly like any of them and I didn't understand why the Mum let Lana behave the way she did. For me the first half was too slow and repetitive and all the suggested links with the occult left me cold. As I did not identify with any of the characters I lacked any real interest in finding out what happened. When it was revealed in the final chapter, I found it to be a real let down. Sorry but it just didn't work for me.

There are some interesting ideas in this novel and some of the descriptions of the ways in which the family reacts under the pressure of their teenage daughter going missing for a time are very good. But the narrative didn't sustain my interest entirely and I thought the ending was a little rushed.

I liked the Peak District setting as this is a place I visit a lot and the dark peaks added to the atmosphere.

Reading this book was a real chore and I really struggled. I kept picking it up and putting it down again and not returning to it for days.
The first half of the book was very slow and to me had the feeling that the author was just writing for the hell of it. There were characters popping up for no reason (that I could see) and I felt as though nothing really happened.
All of the characters were vile and I felt no sympathy with any of them. In fact, the sheer amount of moaning from the characters had me almost just giving up.
I had expected that when we finally found out what had happened to the daughter who had been missing it would be a massive plot twist, but it really was very much an anti-climax.

A very well written story about how a family cope after their teenage daughter goes missing for four days. Exploring complex family emotions at the same time as trying to figure out why she went missing and where she was, this book keeps you hooked from beginning to end.

I enjoyed this book, it wasn’t what I was expecting but I enjoyed it never the less.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Emma Heaney for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

A gripping read! I requested this book as I'd read another by the author - "Elizabeth is Missing" - and this one didn't disappoint.

Set partly in the Peak District (not far from where I live), it's an intriguing tale, covering the mysterious disappearance of a teenage girl. The family relationships (particularly between mother and daughter) are realistic and well explored. I also liked the faintly supernatural tone to parts of the writing, and the way the author understands how people feel under major stress - who hasn't felt as if they are going slightly mad at such times?

Looking forward to reading more by this author - which says it all really.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

Not what I was expecting at all very troubled relationships of a seemingly normal family After Lana the daughter is found a lot of issues arise which are quite troubling but give a good insight into self harm and I'd say mental issues that are told very well by the author think it would appeal to a younger reader but all in all not a bad read

I struggled to get into and finish this book. , A teenage girl, obviously with issues, disappears for twenty days, only to reappear none the worse for wear. On one level she is fine, her mother panders to her, the police investigate sure something has happened to her, but the fifteen year old refuses to talk about it. I found the teenager sulky, moody and a fairly unappealing character and the mother not much better. Sure, much of the book was about the family dynamics, but I found it dull and uninvolving and really could not care less what the teenage girl (I've even forgotten her name) got up to during her twenty day disappearance. This novel has no chance of repeating the runaway success of "Elizabeth is Missing" which was miles better than this.

Very well written, and a great idea for a story, but I just couldn't get into it. It felt like a 'I should want to read this' book, rather than a book that I couldn't put down. Too many books on my 'shelf', so I gave up after a few chapters.

Emma Healey very convincingly portrays a family buckling under the pressure of trying to cope with younger daughter Lana’s depression. Self- harming and at times close to suicidal, we see Lana mainly through the eyes of her frantic mother, Jen. When Lana goes missing for a few days during a holiday to the Peak District, the family fear the worst but she turns up relatively unscathed, refusing to discuss where she has been.
The majority of the novel focuses in close up on how Lana’s moods affect the whole family negatively. Jen is prepared to put up with anything Lana chooses to do or say and it is difficult to have much sympathy after 200 pages of Lana behaving like a spoilt brat because the author shows very little of her inner turmoil. Meanwhile, Jen becomes increasingly unbalanced herself and Emma Healey makes it very clear that those living in close proximity to the depressed cannot help but be changed by the experience – and not in a good way!
Whilst populated by plausible characters and set in a variety of places made recognisable by carefully chosen detail, this novel is not a success overall. It may be that Healey wanted to create something which would alienate her readers from her characters in order to mimic the effect of involvement with a depressive. (Often initial sympathy followed by frustration and irritation as the sufferer cannot ‘move on’ despite love and support shown by others.) The result is a drawn-out narrative into which is occasionally woven some literary references, including the Persephone myth which reinforces the idea that the call of the underworld is never far away for the likes of Lana.

This was the worst book I've read in ages. I stuck with it when all the whiny characters were winding me up. The banal, boring conversations that took place between all the unlikeable characters was nothing close to the escapism I read for. I was at least expecting an interesting ending or twist but it was not to be. What an anti-climax. Hours of my life I will never get back.

This story follows the lives of Mum, Jen and daughter Lana as they go to the peak district for an art holiday. Whilst there, one night Lana goes missing. Eventually she is found hurt, wet and dirty, but when asked says she can't remember where she has been for the last four days.

Once Lana is released from the hospital they return to London. Jen is watching her daughter's every move, physically or online looking for clues as to where Lana was or her state of mind.

This story I felt was just okay, but nothing to really get your teeth into. The story included the teenage/mum battle with self harming by the daughter and the watchfulness of a parent in that situation. It seemed to drag on for quite a while, and then suddenly ends when right at the end Jen decides to revisit the peak district to see if she can find any more clues as to why. With that part included in the synopsis I expected it to come up sooner.

I received this book from netgalley in return for a honest review.

I enjoyed this book a great deal. Lana is missing 4 days of her life - she disappears on a painting holiday in Derbyshire and 4 days later is found wet, cold and confused. Many theories emerge as to Lana's whereabouts and her mum Jen tries to piece together the answers. Mental health is a key theme to this book; Jen is paranoid and anxious, and Lana struggles with self-harm and suicidal tendencies. As the story progresses, these themes develop as we eventually learn the truth behind the missing days. A good read, gripping at times, particularly towards the end.

I found it hard to engage with the characters in this book and didn't fully understand what the plot was supposed to be. Disappointed not to have enjoyed it as I was very much looking forward to reading the book.

Emma Healey is the author of the bestselling 'Elizabeth is Missing', which I really enjoyed, so I was looking forward to this, her follow-up novel. Hmm, I didn't dislike it, but I won't be rushing to recommend it. I've been pondering how many stars to give it. I might just give it 3, only because the main characters annoyed me. Jen and her teenage daughter go on a bonding art holiday in the Peak District, but Lana goes missing for 4 days. When she is finally found, she refuses to say what happened to her. Well I was already annoyed - a massive search has been conducted by police and locals and you refuse to say what happened? Lana continues to be annoying by almost teasing her mother, pushing her to the edge, seeing that Jen worries about everything and wanting her to keep on worrying. The husband never really seems that bothered - why doesn't he share his wife's concerns about Lana? In fact, not even the police seem to want to take the incident any further. I'm not surprised Jen is overly fraught all the time. I thought the ending was a bit of let-down - was I expecting too much?

If you're expecting a mystery thriller about a missing girl, then let me tell you now it's not. It's more about mental health in teenagers, and the struggle of parents to understand and help them through it. It's a topic which needs handling in novels, but I thought it was a bit mixed up in this one.