This gothic story was pretty good. It definitely had the creepy gothic story vibe to it. The strange mother and son factor captured my imagination. Unfortunately, the story moved a bit too slowly for my liking. However, I loved the narration as it went really well with the creepy surroundings and definitely added to the atmospheric nature of the story.

This book is definitely worth the read. With lots of mystery and twists. I enjoyed listening to the audiobook. Though at times I was confused at whose point of view I was in, but it did not ruin my overall enjoyment of the story. if you like gothic tales then I recommend for you to pick up this book.

Narrator - 1

I'm really sorry to say this but I really dislike this narrator so very much!!
I didn't find her soothing and the way she structured the sentence with emotion and affect did my head in.

Story 2

Aside from the narrator I really didn't like this story. It's been done so many times before. Nothing about this felt unique.

**I will no be reviewing this book and any social media outlets due to low rating. As I haven't paid for it I don't feel that's fare*'

Eerie, creepy and gothic perfectly describe this tale of obsession. While trying to unlock the mystery behind her sister’s untimely death, Freya is captivated by Byrne Hall. This story definitely had some spooky moments. The narration of this mystery adds a level of suspense and unease. Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the audiobook.

Unfortunately, I cannot properly review this book, as it would never download and has now disappeared from my shelf. I tried and tries to get it to download but it would never go beyond 10 percent Very disappointed!

I want to thank the author and Netgalley for gifting me the audio version. I was not so sure about this book when I first started reading it, but as it story progressed I was intrigued. It is not a fast pace story and the author spells it out who really murdered the sister (that is my opinion, I knew who it was). The main character female did drive me crazy at some parts in the book. To me she should never have went ahead and lived with the love interest just after meeting him a few days. And as their relationship was obviously becoming very toxic she should had left right away. But all in all the story was very interesting and fun to listen to. The narrator did a great job.

The Whispering House was an interesting mystery.

At times I found myself a little confused with the series of events as they seemed to jump from one thing to the next. The ending wasn’t as satisfying as it could have been. I think I had hoped for more to be shown with Freya and her father since the book started out so strongly with both of them.

This was one of those books that sounded great in the pitch but left wanting in the presentation. The story never reeky went anywhere, which is probably because it didn't start anywhere. A woman goes to a wedding right next to where her sister killed herself. The house is off limits but she takes her drunk self into it anyway, thinks she sees her sister's picture, and then passes out. So of course she decides she needs to bother these people. She takes off work, packs a bag, and sets off. Passing signs saying everything but "Go AWAY!" she approaches the house to find a man and his mother with a very unhealthy codependency. So, of course she starts having sex with the guy and just never leaves. I think the British accent was supposed to make this charming but it was just another gaslighting misadventure following what should have been a one night stand. There was some stuff about the house talking to the mom that was supposed to make it creepy, but it wasn't. The change between sisters' stories was often confusing and I found myself wondering who we were talking about again. The narration was bland.

Oh my goodness. I wish I had better things to say. This book sounded so promising but I just could not get into it.

I really liked the description of the book, and thought it would be a creepy gothic style novel given the setting in the giant house. However, I just never got that creepy vibe I was looking for.

At some point in the story one of the girls (it lost my attention so I'm not even sure if it was Stella or sister), is talking about how she wrote something, got a good way through it and scrapped it and I honestly thought that was setting up a hard departure from the original story (and maybe it is and the narration just killed it for me). but if it's not intentional it's really problematic because it was very clear (at least to me) that the first half of this book was not going anywhere, and I don't feel like the second half cleaned it up any.

Possibly it's the narration, the female British narrator is a bit drab and monotone, even on 1.5 speed it just honestly became frustrating to listen to because it was so easy to tune out. I would give this author another go but would definitely want to purchase a print copy.

This was a gothic thriller set in the elusive Byrne Hall house. The imagery was very dark and creepy but interesting enough to keep me from getting turned off. In my opinion, this book moved extremely slow. I got about halfway through and thought to myself "is ANYTHING going to happen?" It did eventually pick up in pace but left me a bit unsatisfied. I felt that the dead sister had a very vague backstory and I would have liked for that to be filled in more. I also found the protagonist to be very frustrating and not at all likable. Overall, I felt this to be a predictable and a bit lacking in suspense. I did like how easy it was to feel like I was in the house though because the imagery was so vivid.

Thanks to Net Galley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers and the author for a chance to read and review this book.

I haven’t listened to a book narrated by Elizabeth Klett. I enjoyed her narration, but I am always a sucker for an accent.

I really liked the gothic feel of the house and the idea of the story, but the book felt a little flat. I was hoping for a little more about Freya’s sister Stella and I’m not sure I understood the end. The twist was unexpected.

I loved the narrator for this title, they really helped bring the story to life and give it a sense of setting. It felt gothic, and like I was in a isolated setting somewhere in England. I found it engrossing, and mysterious. The gothic themes were well tied in, and I could get lost in them. However, there were a lot of questions left unanswered. It’s points could be redundant, or just not there at all.

I loved the idea of juxtaposition of an artist, and their relations with mental illness and villainous archetypes. The house heavily influences the main character, and it felt like I had to wait until 60% of the book was over for it to pick up and get interesting. There are many things the book lacks, though it shows real promise as a gothic mystery. Like characterization, complex plot lines, and depth.

I want to sincerely thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with an audio arc of this book!!

The Whispering House is a gothic thriller. Freya Lyle is a troubled young woman. Troubled because her sister Stella Lyle committed suicide 5 years before. Troubled because her last words to Stella caused her to have tremendous guilt. When she goes to Byrne Hall for a relative’s wedding, she sees a portrait of her sister Stella. She becomes entangled in the lives of Cory and Diana Byrne. This book was very engrossing. I could not stop listening! I just had to find out what happened next. Cory and Diana were so creepy. The book went back and forth between Stella before she died and Freya now in the aftermath of Stella’s death. This book was full of creepy house, creepy people, trauma, and abuse, all the makings of a great gothic thriller. I also loved the narrator’s voice. Thank you to Netgalley and HighBridgeAudio for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

This was not the greatest book. I was left wanting the whole way though and the ending fell flat. This had potential but didn’t quite make it there. The book seemed disjointed at best.

I’d like to leave a longer review but there is not much to say. I could give you a synopsis but that can be found anywhere and with nothing to add to it would be pointless.

With that said I would have to give it a 2 star rating, maybe a 2.5 at best. I didn’t wish to finish it but continued hoping at least to have a big finish that was worth it but sadly not. Disappointed!

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks

I’d like to say thank you to Netgally and Elizabeth Brooks for allowing me to have this ARC of her newest book. A gothic story filled with mystery and artists are my favorite and I was so excited to get this book! This is A LONG review simply because I had a lot of feelings and thought this book would turn out differently. There is also spoilers so please read with causion!

Freya Lyell is a daughter of well-known artist critic and has craved to be in the world of art but after her sister’s death, nothing was the same. When she stumbles upon a portrait of her late sister by accident in a rundown mansion that was near the site of her sister’s death, she is full of questions. She can’t let this feeling go and decides to drop everything at home and go back to Byrne Hall to investigate. She finds herself falling for the home’s owner, Cory, who is an aspiring artist that is taking care of his elderly mother in the massive home. She is so blinded by the artist life that she could have at Byrne Hall with Cory, that she misses multiple red flags. The longer she is in the house, the more her head clears, and she sees what is really going on.

I really enjoyed the gothic perspective of this story. A run-down mansion surrounded in woods and the ocean on the other side is truly my favorite setting. I also enjoyed that there was a lot of artists in this story. A big focus of this was paintings and there is just something about slightly insane artists that hold a special place in my heart, even if that artist is the villain. I liked how the author gave us flash backs of the girls growing up, Cory’s life prior to meeting Stella and Stella’s last days on earth. There are parts of Freya’s character that I really like. The pull that made her go back to this run-down mansion simply because there was a clue of her sister there. Her passion for art and longing to be something more really resonated with me.

There was a lot of beautiful parts of this book, but of course there was some things that I did not love. I am not a fan of the whole “girl dropping her entire common sense, family, friends and life for some man she just met”. I hate when characters are portrayed to be these smart and strong women just for them to ignore all the red flags. In Freya’s case, it really bothered me because this was the location that her sister supposedly picked to commit suicide and there was a massive portrait of her sister in the home. Her mind should have been already cautious but instead she ignores it all. She clearly had her reservations when he gave her the ring, which THANK GOD. It just really rubbed me the wrong way when she decides to live with this man after only knowing him a handful of days. I also really did not understand the whole ghost situation that the author was trying to portray. After reading the title I thought this would be more or a gothic horror tale, but it was not. The mention of ghosts is maybe a handful of times, which looking back was only the mother so many that was a sign of her insanity. Either way, I was hoping for more on that front. Lastly, I did not really understand the last days of Stella’s life. We know by the end of the story that Corey is controlling and is clearly toxic. However, I wanted to know more about why Stella was locked away, only to be freed to her death. I did not understand that entire situation but reflecting back, I suppose no one could really understand a man who is so completely obsessed with someone that they would harm them, nor a mother that will kill over someone tearing apart her sons artwork.

Overall I would rate this book 3/5. There were things that I liked, but almost more things that I didn’t. I felt like there could have been so much potential in this story and it just kind of fell flat, FOR MY LIKING. If you like more realistic horror stories than this one is for you. I am still sad that Freya did not get her revenge and that the true story of what happened to Stella was never recovered.

Here is what I wish the story were: a dark and twisted book filled with a haunted house, a sister who was tortured and a sister that fell into the same trap. Maybe Stella’s ghost comes to Freya and starts to feed her information of what actually happened, while Cory’s ghost of a father is doing everything he can to prevent the truth to come out. She has nightmares about what actually happened, and Cory starts to turn more and more feral. Freya ends up putting the puzzle of the obsession that ended her sister’s life and she takes her revenge in a slow, painful way. The ghosts of the house are so thankful to see the end of such a horrible blood line that they take his soul and leave to find peace after this death. Cory’s obsession with Freya was so profound that he left her Byrne Hall. Stella stays to keep Freya company in Byrne Hall and the sisters get another chance to mend their past and hearts.

Way too confusing without much substance. Also could be way shorter. I wanted to know more about the sister that committed suicide.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Whispering House was a pretty mysterious and thrilling audiobook to dive into. No wait, that's what I was hoping it was going to be.

Unfortunately, it doesn't actually become interesting until about halfway through the book. Or maybe that's just my feeling towards it. Plus it doesn't help some of the characters have little to none backstory. They are just there - plain and simple.

Once everything was slowly starting to pick, it took me a hot minute to realize that this was actually lacking a bunch of other things. Or, again, it could just me and this weird day of not falling in love with books.

In the end, it did have some good things about it - the predictability and how quickly the book went by. I just wish I got more creepiness and such. Then the rating would have been a lot higher.

I really enjoyed the gothic setting of this story. The vibe was creepy and unsettling, while still being realistic. The storyline was only okay for me. I really enjoyed the narration.

This book was so close to being a good book. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things that were just a little off, and kind of ruined it.

I really enjoy dual timeline books. But usually they are logical and organized and make sense. The dual timelines in this book, and the switching between them, just felt forced and disorganized. There was no rhythm to the alternating, so it felt jarring when a switch did occur. And it was so uneven in length also, with much much more time and attention devoted to the current-day story. The house seems to loom large in the story, but the amount of detail spent on the house, it's history, it's 'demons' is very limited. Any spooky moments in the house felt forced, especially the scenes with the elderly mother. And for all of her disjointed thoughts about the house whispering, or speaking to her, there was never anything made of that. So even the book's title fell a little flat.

The narration was well done, and the book is not without any redeeming elements. While it's not my favorite 'spooky house' thriller, others may enjoy it more than I did.

This book is about Freya working to get over her sister's suicide. She is attending a wedding at Byrne Hall and sees a portrait of her sister, and in turn, eventually becomes involved with the residents of the mansion. The controlling Cody and his sinister mother.

This book dragged and dragged for me. I was super excited about it but it was way too detailed and it felt odd and confusing at times.