Having read some rave reviews for Emma Healey's debut novel, I was keen to read this book.

Whilst being intrigued to find the answer about why Lana went missing, I became frustrated by the convuluted story about the family relationships.

I am aware that my review does not reflect the opinions of many other readers, but I found this book rather hard going.

I didn't warm to the characters, well crafted though they are.

However, as I had to find out what had happened, I suppose a 3 star rating must be awarded.

Oh, and yes there is an answer.

My thanks to Netgalley and Viking for a copy of this book in return for this review.

I really enjoyed Emma Healeys first book ‘Elizabeth is missing’ so when I saw that this was available I became very excited and requested it straight away.
Always a little apprehensive when reading second novels by authors i have just discovered in case the second doesn’t live up to the first, but I needn’t have worried, Whistle in the dark exceeded my expectations and had me hooked from the first page.
The story surrounds the disappearance and return of Lana and is told from the viewpoint of Lana’s Mum Jen. This topic is handled very well, dealing with trauma, mental health issues and the family dynamics when coping with such an event.

Well done for covering and dealing with such a delicate subject so well. I couldn’t put this down and read it in one night, highly recommend

This is a well written book which I enjoyed reading.

A beautifully observed exploration of the often fraught relationship between a mother and her teenage daughter.

During a painting holiday in the Peak District Jen's 15 year old daughter Lana goes missing for four days. When she is found by a local farmer she refuses to say where she has been and what happened to her. Naturally Jen is desperate to have answers to these questions.

The novel carefully deconstructs the following weeks and the interrelationships between Jen, Lana, her older sister Meg and Jen's husband Hugh. Lana is a troubled child who has self-harmed in the past.

The characters are very well drawn and Jen's frustration with Lana is clearly evident as is Lana's stubborn refusal to be drawn on her experience. Issues around social media, family and friends relationships, expectations and beliefs are cleverly addressed.

This is a gently written novel with some wry observations about families and society in general.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

I think this story about teenage depression is very timely and very apt but it wasn't for me. The girl goes missing in the Peak district and when back in London, the family are keen to find out where she's been and why. There was a lot of heartache and serious issues in the book which were examined and treated with a deft touch, It wasn't normally the kind of book I would read but something compelled me to read it and I am very pleased I did. The writing was lovely and the author looks at her subjects very well indeed. It was just poignant and tricky to read for me and very very sad.

⭐️⭐️ 2 Stars

Really struggled with this book and sorry but I had to force myself to keep going as I hate to give up on a book.

I confess I prefer a book to hook me in and keep me engaged however there was nothing here to do that.

Instead this is a slow burner book; deep, dark, descriptive, with a gradual build up. This may be another reader’s preference and if so then this is the book for you.

I found the characters difficult to gel with and so I lacked interest in actual finding out what happened.

Not for me sorry.

Thank you for the chance to read Emma Healey s new book . Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it as much as Elizabeth is missing. I found it quite slow and a little boring. I was disappointed in the plot. Sorry but it wasn't for me

This is a book you will remember for a long time, you won’t want to go to bed until you have read the next page.

This is a story about a teenage girl who struggles with her mental health. She goes missing for 4 days, and turns up unharmed, but doesn't talk about what happened to her over these days, I like Emma Healey's character building. I'm sure there are a lot of people who can relate to them. The difficult family dynamics were well portrayed as well. Generally, I don't find the subjects of mental illness and different lifestyles well written often, but I think the author did a good job on that. I found the end a bit too predictable and the plot a bit too sad for my taste. But, all in all, it's a well written book.

This is a haunting novel, which I enjoyed very much. The relationship between the mother and daughter was a heightened version of every mother and teenage daughter relationship. The trauma of the daughter’s disappearance brings to a head the underlying conflicts within the family, but, ultimately the strength of their love for one another carries them through. Although the reader is caught up in the anguish, there are light touches and moments of humour. A feel good ending. This is a book that I would enjoy rereading at leisure.

I loved Elizabeth is Missing so was really intrigued to read this new novel from Emma Healey. The overall concept is strong and so gripping - Jen is struggling to cope in the aftermath of her teenage daughter Lana’s disappearance. Although Lana has been found and appears relatively unscathed, she either can’t or won’t tell her parents where she has been or what happened to her. Jen becomes increasingly desperate as she tries to connect with her daughter and solve the mystery, and veers quite wildly from fearing a brutal kidnapping to entertaining thoughts of the supernatural.

What really made this stand out to me, though, was the intricately drawn and deeply believable relationship between mother and daughter - the push and pull, the frustrations and misunderstandings. Lana is spiky and awkward and occasionally affectionate, she feels smothered by her mother yet clearly needs her. I really thought the author’s exploration of this relationship was impressive.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and Net Galley.

An OK read for me. I loved Elizabeth is Missing and was sorry to finish it, but felt this isn't on the same level as that. I found I wanted to get through this book but felt indifferent at the end of it. Sorry, not for me.

I haven’t read this author’s previous book ‘Elizabeth is Missing’ but I do remember hearing a lot about it, so I was quite excited to read her latest book ‘Whistle in the Dark’. The first page immediately drew me in, it is pretty unusual to start at the point where the missing girl is found and then covering the aftermath and I found this immediately intriguing. The mystery lies in discovering what happened to Lana whilst she was gone and how the whole family adjusts to her return. The characters are realistic, the narrator is Lana’s mother Jen and throughout the novel I felt that so many different aspects of her personality were slowly explored and revealed. The relationship between mother and daughter is a real focal point of the novel. I felt this was a really skilful portrayal of the difficulties of a mother trying to relate to her teenage daughter and the disappointment when she is totally unable to do so. Their relationship is so full of tension and at times it is actually quite painful to read because it felt so real. The issue of mental health, particularly depression is something that is dealt with well in this book. The author does a beautiful job of showing how depression can overwhelm a person completely and change their personality into something else entirely. There is also a focus on the effect that dealing with a child with mental health issues can have on the rest of the family. The author explored these issues with great subtlety which added another layer to the story.

Another interesting aspect of Whistle in the Dark was the structure the author used. The book is made up of lots of mini chapters of variable lengths, some very short and with different headings. There were many short chapters which take the reader out of the main story and explains something about a character or a flashback to the past. I found this style very effective as I have never read something quite like it before. I always enjoy reading something a bit different! I also liked the way the author writes, I found it difficult to put down despite it not being full of action or drama. There were some parts in which I felt the story was meandering slightly but I was always hooked back in by the author’s writing. There was a real feeling of unease and paranoia, like something terrible was about to take place throughout the whole novel which did not subside even with the conclusion. I like that sort of uneasy slow burn in a mystery, however it may not be for everyone.

Overall, I liked this book very much. I do wish certain things had been more thoroughly explained but I really loved the atmosphere of the novel and I thought the characters of Jen and Lana and their relationship was dealt with beautifully by the author. I will definitely read more from Emma Healey who seems to have a real skill for capturing the intensity of mental illness and showing how it really can and does affect everyone. This is not a book packed full of twists and action, however it is an unusual and thought provoking mystery with a sinister feeling of not quite knowing what is real and what is not.

Dark and intense, this book kept me guessing to the end. Like the main character Jen, I worried about where her daughter Lara had been and what she could have experienced when missing. Although similar in theme to a lot of books with missing teenage daughters, the impact of depression on a family, and relationship issues, this book was different in style with the inclusion of letters, articles and other unusual ways of telling the story. This made it stand out. Beautifully written, I had a real insight into Jen's world.

On the surface this book is about the agonising aftermath of 15 year old Lana's four day disappearance. Her mother Jen has all those concerns you'd expect - will she be found alive or dead & later concerns about what did happen. However the book is primarily about much more than that. It is about Lana's crippling depression & how that effects her family around her, in particular her Mother, Jen.

This isn't actually a very jolly book though there are moments of lightness. Lana is a young girl who is seriously hurting, lacking in self-confidence and very unhappy. She lashes out at those around here, primarily her mother. This means that Jen spends a lot of time walking on eggshells and not wanting to upset her. She fears to ask the questions she so desperately wants the answers to, as she seems always to send Lana into a spiral of despair. Consequently Jen allows Lana to walk all over her.

There are a lot of questions raised in this book about teenage depression & how it affects the family around them. Lana was fortunate to have a therapist but the support for the family as a whole seems to be weak. Jen naturally is out of her depth - how would any of us deal with such a fragile daughter? There are questions raised about the support available to young people and their families. There are also the very current questions about social media and the pressures on young people today.

I was pleased that we found the answer to what happened to Lana during her missing four days. As the end approached I was getting more doubtful that we'd never find out, which I would not have appreciated. However, that was really a side issue. The missing four days are really just a plot device on which to hang the observations and concerns about a young girl's depression. I am glad that I read the book as the questions raised are important. However this is not a book to read for the sheer enjoyment of a good story.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.

After the first chapter I wrung my mum and couldn’t stop moaning about how much Jen frustrated me as a mother. Not that I am a mother or am anywhere close to being one. And thankfully I can’t relate to losing a daughter in anyway. But for some reason I felt I had a right to make that instant judgement. One hour later and well into the book a wrung my mum again to apologise. To apologise for misjudging a mother, I loved Jen, I can’t relate to her experience but there is something in her everyday struggles, in her relationships with her daughters, her husband and her mother that everyone can click with. As whose family is easy?

The instant hook was in starting the book from the moment Lana was found. The instant relief that comes at that point was strange as I hadn’t felt any of the struggle you normally do when stories are told about missing children. But the struggle was there and as I got pushed more and more into it I fell deeper into the story and the characters lives. This book is absorbing, beautiful, picturesque and haunting. The imagery and ideas that Jen and Lana create to communicate with each other are wonderful. And I loved being able to be in that moment Jen right until the very end. This is a great book and Jen is a great mother.

I actually could not finish this book as it was so depressing. I don't feel I can give a fair review but I can say that the actual slow pacing and characters will appeal to many people. Its a very moving book and touches on depression a lot. Also the relationship between mother and daughter but just not got me.

I thought the book started well and I was engaged but unfortunately that didn't last very long. I found the mother's submissive attitude towards a daughter, who needed support, to be beyond irritating. The greater part of the book was muddled and when I had finished reading it, I wondered what it had all been about. Not for me.

This is a slow-burner of a mystery novel which also depicts the raw psychological effects of teenage depression on a mother/daughter relationship. There is not much in the way of suspense until the final chapters, but the revelations gradually build into a nail-biting denouement, guaranteed to give a claustrophobe like myself nightmares, especially as the main action takes place in the Derbyshire Peak District, which I know well – and in which a certain crucial feature of its topography is involved in solving the puzzle.

This deals with the serious topic of how parents can deal with a teenage girl who is depressed and self-harming but the choppy writing style and broken up sections got between me and the story. Told mainly through the mother's PoV, this will be emotive for the right reader - I don't think I am, sorry.