This book had the potential to be good but was too rambling to be able to stick with it

I was underwhelmed by this book. For me the first half was too slow and engaged in thinking about the occult, devils, hell and all stuff which just padded out the book. Lots of pointless characters who really did not add much to the story and descriptions that failed to be totally relevant. The daughter returning from 4 missing days and then clamming up just lingered through the whole book without being really built upon. I just got bored by halfway. Then, in the last third of the book something stirred and the last section was interesting and well described. It felt real and kept me tense. If the first part of the book had the same pressure and description the book would have been better.
Maybe this type of book is just not my style, but I won't read her other novel to find out.

I loved this book, it was the sort of novel that grips you and don't let go. The text is fluid and the descriptions memorable, thrilling and tense and sorrowful. I won't spoil it with anything else, just read it when you get the chance to!

If you have already read Emma Healey’s moving debut novel Elizabeth is Missing, a decision to read her second, Whistle in the Dark, is a no-brainer.
Fifteen- year- old Lana who is suffering from depression, has been found, having been missing for 4 days in the Peak District. She is unwilling or unable to explain what has happened to her during this time. Jen, Lana’s mother discovers that relief is soon replaced by an insatiable urge to fill in the gaps. She stalks her daughter and devours her social media pages, jumping to conclusions in the hope of finding clues. But as her frustrations build, despite the support of an understanding husband and a clear-minded older daughter, her own emotional strength falters.
Whistle in the Dark is a grim read at times, as Lana’s illness and her mother’s paranoid reaction wreaks havoc on their family life. It is not without its lighter moments, in the shape of Jen’s well -meaning but misguided friend Grace, and the seemingly uninspired counselling of Dr Greenbaum.
This is a touching and genuine portrait of troubled family life, and on the potentially adverse effect caused by fanatics on flawed individuals. Unexpectedly, it often felt easier to empathise with Lana than with Jen.
I cannot make up my mind whether the ending felt a touch contrived or satisfying, I will settle for both, but regardless, it makes your heart beat faster.
My appreciation to Netgalley and Penguin Books (UK) Viking

I hate writing bad reviews but in my opinion this book was dreadful. It dragged on and nothing really happened. I didn’t like any of the characters and I didn’t understand why the Mum let Lana behave the way she did. I only persevered with the book as I wanted to know what had happened to her When it was finally revealed what had happened to Lana (in the last chapter) it was a real let down. She didn’t even disclose it herself. Sorry but it just didn’t work for me.

I was eager to read this book. Loved the idea of the story and the book started out really well. To be honest I got quote bored and found myself not picking up my kindle to read or checking out new releases on amazon instead of persevering with the story. I had to give up in the end as I wasn't enjoying the book and found myself skim reading and having to re-read sections because of something I'd missed. Maybe I'll try it again another time but this just wasn't for me.

I haven't read the author's previous novel "Elizabeth is Missing" though I had heard great things about that book and on the basis of that I jumped at the chance to read this book. I wish I hadn't.
I struggled, really struggled, with almost every part and aspect of this book. The author wondered off on tangents like through streams which made the story feel broken and difficult to follow. I struggled through chapters that seemed to drag.
The characters had little to endear me to them which made it difficult to really care what was happening to them or what they had to say.
I finished the book, but it was a really struggle and in hindsight perhaps it just isn't my genre or perhaps I missed something fundamental.
I'd say give it a go if you loved the author's first novel. Grab it and dive in, maybe you'll enjoy it more than me.

Thank you for Netgalley and Penguin/Viking for the Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I absolutely loved Elizabeth Is Missing and was very keen to read this latest novel by Emma Healey.
Our protagonist Jen has a 'normal' family life and a good (if somewhat flawed) relationship with her two daughters.
When Jen's daughter, Lana goes missing and reappears a few days later claiming to have no memory of the event, Jen is thrust into turmoil. She is determined to get the truth about what happened even at the risk of alienating Lana in the process.
As the story progresses we read a painful and harrowing description of teen depression and the devastating impact it can have on a family. Despite this the book is hilarious in parts, particularly as Jen struggles to interact with her two daughters and is met with typical teen eye rolling and sharp put downs!.
I loved this story and cannot praise it highly enough. 5 star rating.

The concept of this book was really interesting. A teenage girl goes missing and when she turns up she says she can't remember where she has been. The book absolutely dragged and at points it was almost painful to keep going but I had to find out how it ended. The ending of the story was very good so its just a shame the middle was so long drawn out.

To be quite honest I expected something completely different from this novel after reading the blurb. Instead of the thriller and crime novel I expected, „Whistle in the Dark“ explores a family‘s changing dynamics and relationships after the daughter‘s disappearance and subsequent reappearance.

Unfortunately, none of the characters are all that likeable and I kept expecting the plot to really get started but it never really did in my opinion. The story just kind of plodded on without a real climax. The two main characters don‘t really manage to resolve anything and the conclusion just didn‘t do it for me.

Overall, I enjoyed the writing of this novel more than the storyline and the characters.

Whistle In the Dark by Emma Healey a sublime five-star read. What a book, I missed the authors first book Elizabeth is Missing but I will be going back to read it as the writing was so great, it was descriptive and honest without being over the top. The story is mainly about Jen and her 15-year-old daughter Lana but there are other characters that bring the story to new levels of depth older daughter Meg brings another facet to the story. The story’s main focus is the four days that Lana is missing, and those four days cause Jen to unravel trying to find out what happened during them. I promise you will be just as crazy as Jen to find out what happened by the end of the story.
This was a read that I couldn’t put down and I know when someone asks for a good gripping drama this will be the one I will be recommending, it shows the complexities between family’s especially mothers and daughters. The author also deals with issues of mental health amongst many of the characters in a great manner it shows the true reality behind it not the glossed version we so often see in writing.
I can’t wait for more to read from this author, there is a talent at putting words on a page I love seeing.

An enjoyable read, but not as much so as her first book. The ending was somewhat predictable. There were real flashes of brilliant, but Healey surely has the capacty a bigger, deeper book in her than this one.

An unflinching depiction of how depression can affect a family, and an intriguing and original mystery. Healey is great at exploring the delicate and often tangled dynamics of a family, and for me this was the greatest strength of the book. The book is subtle but gripping.

When Jen's daughter, Lana, disappears whilst on holiday in the Peak District, Jen is relieved and thankful when Lana reappears 4 days later, relatively unhurt. But Lana's strange disappearance hasn't solved her depression and has only made Jen worry more for the safety of her daughter. What did she do whilst she was gone? Why can't she remember? Why does she sleep with the light on? What is she hiding?

This novel beautifully charts not only the experience of a teenager struggling and suffering with depression, but also the worries, fears and paranoia of a parent who wants to show that she understands but can't stop asking the wrong questions.

Healey poignantly covers the desire to know 'why' when answers aren't easily given whilst a combination of clues, paranoia and imagination point towards a thriller-style answer for Lana's disappearance.

Neither of the main characters are particularly likeable; they are both extremely flawed, anxious and inconsiderate, but this is what fleshes out Jen and Lana so well and makes this such a compelling novel.

I work with children who struggle with their mental health and, somehow, this book never feels judgmental or critical. Instead, this novel feels much closer to the truth.

This sophomore outing by Emma Healey has all the lovely, descriptive flavour and eloquence of Elizabeth Is Missing but is somehow without an essential ingredient which made her debut so powerful. Perhaps it's the autobiographical element, the simple, raw truth of the first book? I found myself distanced from the mother and daughter here, in turn irritated with both, and unsure as to why. It might be that the themes are a little mystical and hard to grasp for my taste - maybe I just didn't believe in the characters.

An excellent,compelling read,examining modern family life and the problems presented by a teenager suffering from depression.The characters are beautifully drawn and realistic,and the small details described are exquisite.
The plot hinges around the 4 day disappearance of Lana,the teenage daughter of Jen and Hugh, during a painting holiday in the Peak District.She returns, but claims to have no memory of what happened to her .Jen ,her mother,cannot rest till she finds out what happened and resolutely continues in her efforts until she does. The plot builds to a wonderfully written and very satisfying ending.
Highly recommended-a wonderful piece of writing.

the book explores some very important and relevant topics in society today. the story is narrated by Jen, whose daughter Lana goes missing for 4 days. When she is found, Lana is won't tell anyone what happened to her, and she has changed. Whistle in the Dark follows Jen as she tries to reach out to her daughter who has been struggling with depression, whilst trying to find out what happened to her in those 4 days. I appreciate the topic of this novel and how in depth depression was discussed and addressed, however I felt the narration to be quite exhausting to read and I found myself willing for the book to end as it was a bit stale throughout. I did enjoy the story, and I found both Jen and Lana to be relatable, I just felt that Jen's narrative was almost unreliable and i felt perhaps Jen was the mentally unwell person in the story. I feel Whistle in the Dark may suit readers in their late teens perhaps, and it may help a lot of people understand their depression and learn some healthy ways to address it.

I loved 'Elizabeth is Missing', it was captivating and compulsive. I looked forward to reading this follow up a great deal, but somehow I just cannot get on with it. I think it is well written and is investigating a difficult subject with great sensitivity but I realised 50% of the way through I didn't care at all about any of them. I wanted to shake Jen, and Lana was rude, disrespectful and infuriating. I will try again with this book but it's just not my scene.

Very different from her previous book, 'Elizabeth is Missing' about dementia, this novel explores the complexities of teenage depression and the effects on the family. After an unexplained disappearance of her daughter, Jen is obsessed with discovering how and why this terrifying episode has happened, whilst desperate for her daughter to return to some sort of normality after her ordeal. In revisiting the months and weeks leading up to the disappearance, Jen analyses her daughter's state of mind and tries to make sense of the events. An absorbing read with a range of insights into teenagers, depression and varying reactions to both.

Story of a troubled teenager who goes missing for four days, and her relationship with her family. Good insight into family complexities, twist at the end.