What a couple of twists in this one! I enjoyed the lead up to these twists though at times it felt a bit slow going, I was still pretty invested in the happening between the Mrs. Barley and Stina. When we got to about 80%, things really started to ramp up and I think I was properly shocked. I did find some parts of the book hurried, which is weird when it also felt slow but there was a sense of rush during a couple of scenes that seemed strange to me. But overall, this was entertaining and enjoyable. My apologies for taking soooooo long on reviewing this!

The book was archived before our group could download it. We are sure that we would have enjoyed the book judging from the reviews it has received.

The beginning part of the book was really creepy. The second half really went slowly.
I did start to get a bit bored and found it not creepy anymore.

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

This was a very atmospheric narrative, making it perfect for Halloween but I do think the story was a bit prolonged, especially towards the end.

Moving to their new cottage in the countryside means a fresh start for Stina and Jack. But, it would seem that their neighbour is a little bit odd. The fact that most of the village fear this old lady doesn’t put Stina off her growing friendship with Mrs Barley, but even she cannot deny that there are some strange things taking place next door. With a random visitor (whom only Stina can see), disturbing noises at night and unusual trinkets, a lot of evidence mounts up against Mrs Barley. Stina wants to maintain her friendship with who she considers a sweet little old lady but cannot ignore the growing doubts based on the stories she has heard.

I liked how chilling Clark makes the narrative. There are plenty of clues that would suggest Mrs Barley is a witch and I loved how Stina tries to argue logic, despite the evidence she has seen. Visiting her neighbour, Stina finds trinkets and odd ornaments in Mrs Barley’s living room. Coupled with the fact that people seem to get poorly if Mrs Barley has taken a dislike to them, well, I was expecting there to be a chapter featuring Mrs Barley stirring a cauldron!

Yet, Clark doesn’t fully invest in this narrative which I thought was a real shame. There is so much emphasis on the possibility of the supernatural that I did not want it to be explained by reason and logic. I thought this omission was a bit disappointing because of how many spooky and inexplicable events that occur as a result of interacting with Stina’s neighbour. Indeed, the death of one of the characters in the story felt so connected to Mrs Barley that I wanted my supernatural hunger to be fulfilled… but it never really came.

Although this is full of atmosphere that can get your goosebumps tingling, it cannot be denied that this is quite a slow narrative. It takes a while to get going and I don’t think this was helped by the lengthy chapters detailing how Stina and her husband met, or the background to her friendship with Reggie. In my opinion, I don’t think these added much to the overall narrative and I do feel they could have been condensed.

By the time I reached the last few chapters and some truths were being revealed, I was definitely ready for a conclusion. But Clark keeps her readers waiting and I wanted this story to be wrapped up quicker than what it was. I thought the final explanations were a bit underwhelming and I thought Stina’s confessions to be less shocking and more surprising. They didn’t feel like they fit in with the rest of the narrative and I thought the writer could have capitalised more on this aspect of Stina’s personality.

Don’t get me wrong, I really did enjoy this book and I liked how unpredictable the story was. The isolation that Stina feels, despite living next to a seemingly lovely neighbour, was really effective and helped build the tension. Yet, the slow pace of the story and the lengthy conclusion did lessen the overall impact of this spooky narrative.

With thanks to Avon books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A sleepy country village, gossip and something a little strange. Mystery and intrigue is what drew me to this unassuming book. More mystery than horror or gore, but it has enough to keep you guessing to end,

While the story telling is slow, it isn't dragging. Like a summer stroll, but pay attention as you go because its the small things Clark mixes into the story.

I wasn't too keen on the characters or the back story of Stina, but it didn't interfere with the story or the enjoyment of the book.

Grab this book for a weekend read without other plans, this book makes you think about it away from the page.

Not for me. I found it a struggle to read this, it started full of promise but I skim read the final 50 pages or so.

This was full of suspense, drama and mystery with a really well written plot, I would recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller!

A page turner that will entice those that like to be kept guessing. When a couple embark on a new start they meet ther new neighbour who seem a lovely lady if a little odd. A very enjoyable read and I will be watching for more from this author.

How well do you know the woman next door? Mrs. Barley is a real character. This was such a thrilling read. I really enjoyed the way Clark wrote out the suspense and the storyline of Stina and Jack.

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

Stina is experiencing many exciting changes. She has married Jack, the love of her life, they are expecting their first child, and they have decided to leave London and move into a charming rural cottage. Their new neighbor is an elderly woman who seems quite friendly, albeit a bit odd. But they soon find out that Mrs Barley is also somewhat of an outcast in the community. Even though they hear whispers about her eccentricities and even hints of the supernatural, Jack and Stina find her to be nothing but helpful and kind.

Whisper Cottage is a slow burn with an eerie atmosphere and elements of creepiness. However, there were times that the story moved too slowly as it revolved around Stina and her inner thoughts. While there are many events occurring throughout the story, some seemed fairly extraneous and the paranormal aspects of the story tended to drift away. The ending was surprising, although there were loose ends that were never addressed or resolved.

In some ways it seemed as though the author was trying to cram too many things into the plot and it became a bit muddled. However, for a debut novel it had some very good elements and I would most likely read another book by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Dark and eerie! A great thriller to keep your attention. Quite fast paced so easy to fly through! Thank you for this ARC.

When Jack and Stina move into their rural cottage excited for a fresh start what could go wrong? Their neighbour Mrs Barley is not all she seems. This is an edgy haunting read that I enjoyed.
Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a creepy one but very enjoyable, I got through it in no time, first from the author and I’ll look out for more offerings! Very good book and one I’ll recommend to others

I actually received this in paperback from a friend I share books with.
She'd recommended it and I recognised it from requesting it from Netgalley.
Thought I'd review here also.
This book gave me chills and reminded me of a book by Ruth Ware.
I'd recommend this book if you're looking for a creepy, page turning thriller.

Stina and Jack are expecting a child and decide to move from the city to an idyllic countryside village. They find a lovely semi-detached cottage with lots of potential, but they struggle to work out what to make of their elderly neighbour, who seems to be outcast by the locals. Whilst she mostly seems kind and welcoming to them, Stina becomes increasingly anxious when she alone sees a mysterious figure on their neighbours' property and begins to hear strange noises in the night.

I was drawn in by the atmospheric cover and prologue.. The majority of the story revolves around Stina's inner thoughts, with a big reveal at the end of what has really been going on.

3.5⭐️

A decent read with an eerie atmosphere. The story was quite a slow burn but had injections of creepiness that kept me reading. The ending was good however a bit confusing and felt that some explanations were forgotten.

Stina and Jack move to a lovely home in the country, trying to get a fresh start. They have some work to do to get the house up to par with the one next store, but they're ready to get started. They befriend the neighbor, Mrs Barley, but they hear stories from the others that live in the village about how strange she is, they hint that she may be a witch.

This book had twists and turns galore! I would most definitely read something else by this author.

A chilling prologue, the story was intriguing initially, then it derailed for me. The prose was slow and too descriptive. I would have liked an easier way to tell me this story. The creepy atmosphere was nice, the rest was okay.