Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Holy moly, what a book!! Yet another great book by Sara Foster!! This is an absolute must read!!

Reminiscent of The Handmaids Tale, this is a frightening look at how easily women's rights are stripped away so easily, right under their noses with barely a whisper! Set in the near future, the main female characters are impressive in their determination. Absolutely love the character of Geraldine.

This novel is both amazing and incredibly uncomfortable. In post-covid Britain, surveillance is now the norm. There’s been an increase in stillbirths, and time is running out to work out why and how to prevent it. Teenage girls who are pregnant are going missing. I do loving reading a good conspiracy theory novel and this had me on the edge of my seat. I did find that being set so close to now, and relating it albeit distantly to covid made it more difficult to read.

I loved The Hush. I was drawn into this book from the very beginning. This Margaret Atwood-esk dystopian thriller makes you think about all the controls that have been put in place since the start of Covid. Foster’s book is timely and a warning on what can happen if we don’t keep our politicians in check.

On a different note, I enjoyed the multiple perspectives from mother and daughter. It gave a sense of depth to the novel that couldn’t have been achieved without these two voices. There is also something about British writing that encapsulates place and time so well. Overall, this is a must-read for me.

This review is based on NetGalley ARC provided in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.

A decade after the pandemic, life is slowly settling down in the UK with government regulations and monitoring of the people to avoid another pandemic. Amidst economic and human crisis, the government monitors every individual with a wrist watch that tracks the movements, much to the anger of the people and their freedom. Things start to spiral down when babies, healthy and perfect are born unresponsive. Suddenly pregnant women, and sometimes their whole family, goes missing. Emma, a midwife is troubled and worried about these births and tries to be there for the suffering mothers. When her daughter, Lainey, a 17 year old school girl gets into trouble, she along with her mother tries to help her and solve the mystery behind the whole dilemma.

Partly dystopian, this book is a female-centred mystery thriller with so much maternal power and emotions seeping through it. A bit slow to start, the book was interesting, fast and had so much power given to the mothers. I loved the book and the plot which was different and eerily scary.

The first book I have read set in post pandemic times with a very dystopian feel. I found that off putting at first and didn't want to read it but I am so glad I did, It is really well done and I enjoyed it. The themes are thought provoking and reminded me of The Handmaid's Tale in some ways. If you are looking for something a little dark that is a page turner, then you won't be disappointed! Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the advanced copy. Much appreciated.

Set after the pandemic, with the world still recovering. Part mystery and thriller, part dystopian, you cannot help being caught up in the world the author creates in this novel. Kept me turning pages rapidly and up late reading to finish. Absolutely loved it!

Cast your mind forward to a post-COVID Britain, where frequent health checks are the norm and there are significant climate catastrophes. A new disaster is upon us, with a large number of babies not breathing at birth despite appearing otherwise healthy. Coined Intrapartum X babies, the latest epidemic puts a huge strain on hospital workers and leaves researchers desperately searching for answers.

The Hush paints a bleak sombre world of increased government surveillance, all in the name of protection. Under the Orwellian-style government, citizens must wear watches at all times that track their location and are also believed to be able to record their conversations.

“The system that supports you can also be used to control you”

The novel is written from the perspectives of Emma, a midwife at a local hospital and her teenage daughter Lainey. Starting with conspiracies about pregnant teens going missing and the censorship of a YouTube site by ‘PreacherGirl’, the public’s liberties are slowly slipped away as the government turns more and more autocratic.

I don’t normally read many thrillers (this was my second for the year) but omg, this was amazing! A fantastic piece of dystopian fiction.
I loved its speculative nature and the way it felt relevant and quite plausible. It provided interesting commentary on the moral question of freedom vs. safety as well as strong female leads driving the protection of women’s rights.

I really loved Emma’s character! She had such a big heart and wonderful character development throughout the book. She was always striving to do the right thing and standing up for those around her.

I also loved the symbolism of the Matryoshka dolls and the ending closed things out rather nicely!

It is difficult reading this book not to draw parallels between it and The Handmaid’s Tale. Both books feature a government that has taken control of women’s reproductive rights. Both are well written and not out of the realms of possibility. A fact that is both fascinating and frightening.

Set eight years in the future, Covid is only the beginning of humanity’s problems with a new plague sweeping across the UK. The plague causes a phenomena that results in stillbirth of otherwise completely healthy babies. Emma, a midwife, learns that her 17 year old daughter is pregnant and the race is on to keep Lainey and her baby safe.

This book scared me even though is not meant to be scary. It merely showcases human nature in an authentic way and humans are sometimes not very nice. It is easy to see how those in power couldcross “the line” in the interest of keeping people safe. In uncertain times with fear governing people’s decisions, defining “the line” becomes difficult. Is it acceptable to sacrifice the rights of a few in order to save the lives of many? I like that Foster’s didn’t try to have all the answers. Her protagonist Emma just wanted to protect her daughter and her patients. The bigger issue loomed over her conscience but never influenced her decisions.

The Hush is closer to our own world and has a more optimistic overtone than the Handmaid’s tale. It allowed us to hope for the human race. It was an enjoyable read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for a copy of the book in return for my unbiased review.
This review is my own opinion.

I enjoyed this book a lot.
The near-future setting and premise are scarily realistic and reminiscent of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale.
Lainey's young adult story is interwoven with her mother's more adult storyline, making this a good fit for all ages.
The story was engrossing and thought-provoking, but I was a bit disappointed with the way it was wrapped up.
Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.

“The Hush” by Sara Foster is a novel set in a near post COVID future, where a new health crisis is developing. Babies are being stillborn at an alarming rate with no apparent reason and
Emma, a midwife, is feeling the pressure.
The government is controlling and protests are frowned upon. When pregnant teenage girls start to disappear…conspiracy theories start to surface.
Then Emma’s daughter Lainey finds herself in the same position. Confused and scared, she reaches out to her best friend, mother, mysterious grandmother and others for help, and despite their best efforts, “disappears”.
A plan is set in motion to solve the mystery and rescue the girls. Will they succeed?
I found the novel satisfying in parts…the basic premise draws you in, but the relationships seem undeveloped and unrealistic. If my 17 year old daughter came home pregnant to someone I barely knew, I’m not sure I would have been so level headed. And why was the father of this baby seemingly sidelined? What were the issues between Emma and Geraldine?
A good read but left me wanting more. Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.

Sara Foster has knocked it out of the park with her latest book The Hush. While being set in a dystopian future it is terrifying close to real life and offers a glimpse into post-pandemic future where new-born babies are targeted by a virus that is stealing their life away upon delivery.

When pregnant teens start to go missing and slowly so do their families it sets alarm bells ringing with dedicated midwife Emma. Things swiftly take a dark turn mixed with politics and rebellion, while Emma remains on a mission to save the babies before it is too late! With so much tension The Hush will keep you on the edge of seat, turning pages at warp speed desperate to see just how this story will unravel. It is full of strong female characters and a well-developed plot and is one I recommend you read immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the advanced reading copy it was one I thoroughly enjoyed.

New epidemic is going on, most of healthy babies wouldn't take a breath at birth and they called it Intrapartum X babies. Several pregnant teens also disappear without a trace, included The Preacher Girl who posted a viral whistle blowing about cover-up inside the government body.

Emma, works as a midwife in maternity ward and the sum of mortality rate of the babies terrifies her. Meanwhile, her daughter, Lainey is pregnant and trying to keep this secret to herself.

This book sets in England in a not too distant future post pandemic where everybody has no more freedom and monitored through smart watch, the screening of body temperature and saliva for entering certain premises, all the information are sending to the government. I'm just imagining if this covid19 is not getting better, would we live in that kind of life? Emoji

Hush is a gripping dystopian story from start to finish with a few strong female characters. While reading this book, I keep trying to reassure myself that this is a fiction, as I feel whatever Foster describes in this book is entirely plausible.
The ending of the book is giving a promise for another sequel (I really hope so )

"....but it's been clear for awhile that the government would like to have more control on the rate of reproduction..."

"In all the babies Rachel has analysed, there's hard to spot damage to a tiny part of the DNA sequence."

"...It'll be a country of puppets"

The Hush by Sara Foster is an unusual story set in a post-pandemic future where a new virus emerges that is killing healthy new born babies. The British government introduce new laws that limit individual freedoms but particularly that of women, to try and deal with this crisis. Everyone is monitored with watches they have to wear - where you are and what you say is known by the powers who rule.

Prior to Covid-19 I would have taken this story as pure science fiction, however, our perceptions have been altered and our new normal has changed our lives, probably forever. So, consequently, there are many aspects of this story that challenge us including the issue of how far does a government need to go to protect society? Also the focus on women makes it even more pointed as it appears that their place in society in being increasingly diminished.

Well written with a carefully developed plot with several twists that keeps the reader interested.

A highly recommended read with a lot of issues for discussion.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers Australia for an ARC to read and review.

The Hush is the seventh novel by British-born Australian author, Sara Foster. Seventeen-year-old Lainey Aitken fears she may be pregnant. Getting a test done has turned difficult with the government’s new rules, but her imaginative best friend, Sereena Mandalia has a plan.

While Lainey has a very understanding mum, being pregnant is a problem: pregnant teens, and sometimes their families, are disappearing without a trace; and the number of stillbirths has risen dramatically, with no good explanation. So Lainey is worried. And having that pesky Liam Whittaker, who happens to be the son of the government Health Secretary, hanging around her doesn’t help.

Overworked, exhausted and demoralised by the stillbirths she attends, midwife Emma Aitken is concerned for her daughter, especially when she is detained by police for taking part in a protest. But when her serious situation is revealed, she does not hesitate to back Lainey up with all she has in reserve, even if it means begging help from the mother who abandoned her.

The near-future that Foster describes does not stretch the imagination very far at all: compulsory wearing of government-issue smart watches that track and monitor; laws that restrict freedoms surreptitiously passed; a much-worsened climate crisis; corrupt, greedy politicians; all are realistically depicted.

Her characters are believable, the reader is quickly invested in their fate, and it is heartening to see these women support each other in their fight for basic human rights. The story is fast-paced, taking place over a mere eight days, leading up to a nail-biting climax.

Topical, relevant and entirely credible: this is the best dystopian fiction you will read this year, so gripping that once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down until the final page.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley, Better Reading Preview and Harper Collins Australia.

When I read the blurb on this I was a little sceptical that I would like it, but was swayed by the reviews.
Very happy that I read it! In fact, found it very hard to put down. This is set in the not too distant future. In a post-COVID world in England the population is now used to having their health and movements closely monitored.
Now there are a spate of stillborn babies and maternity care is being heavily monitored and controlled. Emma is a midwife and starting to wonder what is happening to all of the pregnant teenagers who have all but disappeared from the ward. Her daughter Lainey, seventeen years old, is also concerned about the number of teenagers disappearing, including her friend Ellis who was pregnant.
The mystery becomes a nightmare as the situation becomes a lot more personal for both Emma and Lainey.
Hard to put down once you start, this is a ripping good story.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia for the opportunity to review this digital ARC.

Hmmm interesting story - considering the times we are living through right now.
Lots of thoughts come to mind when reading this book - about tracking, control, women's rights, conspiracy and more.

The book moves well ... and when reading this, you tend to ask yourself questions, and feel all the right emotions, as well as wanting to ensure that something like this never happens. Government Control is something that people are standing up against all over the world and at times this book reminds me that we need to be more proactive and not allow tracking etc to become the norm in our lives. But we all know that standing up for what we believe can also make us a target.

Being written from the view of mother and daughter really worked in this book. I think at times both of them struggled pretending that everything was normal, when in fact everything was not normal, not in their control ... as they try to navigate their way through their every day lives, in the world as it is today.

A time comes where all people are monitored by watches, temperature checks, a place where the government watches and hears every single thing you do. Set a few years after covid, comes another pandemic that affects the unborn baby; leading to a series of unexplained stillborns.

A group of young expectant mothers have gone missing, including Laineys friend Ellis. When Lainey gets swooped up into the trouble head on, it's up to Lainey, her mother Emma and Emma's estranged mother to face the challenges ahead. This world they have known has just become a whole lot more dangerous than they expected.

Sara Foster's new book brings us a story about mothers' love, friendships, women's rights, empowerment and what it takes to risk it all for the truth to be set free.

The first few chapters were the hardest for me because of how confronting it was, but it took a lot of strength to go on and finish reading the book. I'm so glad I did, because I really enjoyed this book despite its content.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for allowing me to read and review this book.

★★★★.5

“𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶.”

If Sara Foster wasn’t on your radar before, she absolutely will be after this. Set in the near future in a post-pandemic world still reeling from the effects of COVID, a new virus threatens humanity. Healthy, full-term babies are coming into the world but are refusing to take a breath.

The Hush follows midwife Emma, on the front line of the Intrapartum X crisis and her teenage daughter Lainey, who is facing an unplanned pregnancy. With the government now monitoring all citizens, abortion declared illegal, and young pregnant women going missing, how will Emma protect her daughter and her unborn grandchild?

The most terrifying thing about this thriller is that it’s completely plausible. We already live in a world where people in power attempt to police women’s bodies, and we’ve seen first-hand how rapidly a virus can ravage the planet, making Foster’s story not at all beyond the realm of possibility.

And if you have a phone, a computer, a smart watch, a credit card, a bank account, you are constantly being tracked. We allow ourselves to be monitored every day in exchange for convenience, but how much of this luxury could be used as means to control?

“𝘕𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘴, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.” - sound familiar?

The heart of this story is in its beautiful representation of strong women and their relationships. Mothers and daughters, friends, family, clinicians, educators, women in power; fearless and unwavering in their dedication to one another.

The Hush has it all, conspiracy theories, climate crisis, women’s (aka human) rights, and my personal favourite, 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆! This dystopian thriller would absolutely suit anyone who’s a fan of The Handmaids Tale, so be prepared for a read that wows you as much as it terrifies you.

Thank you to HarperCollins Australia and Netgalley for the advanced electronic copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book is brilliant! The terrifying thing is but, a lot of what is happening in this story, is something I can imagine our future can look like. Not the Intrapartum X babies, but the whole government control, surveillance watches, health checks etc - a post COVID world. Hush is a very well written, gripping, addicting story. While some areas might be triggering to some in regards to the Intrapartum X babies, I found myself very anxious as the births were coming up and what their end results would be. The Hush kept me turning pages and devouring words like there was no tomorrow.

Book: The Hush
Author: Sara Foster
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Publication Date: 27th October 2021

TW: Still Born, Teenage Pregnancy, Kidnapping

Firstly, a dystopian thriller, who would have thought miss rom com would enjoy a dystopian thriller but can I just say from the get go I absolutely loved it, all of it!!

The Hush is set in Britain post Covid-19 which sucked me in right away as I think it’s so cool that Covid is already being written about it books!! The country and everyone it it are still struggling from the impacts of the virus. In addition to all the stresses, one in five healthy babies are being born still born and nobody can understand why. Because of this catastrophe all pregnant women are being monitored thoroughly down to your first pregnancy test!! On top of all that, there is a rumour that young people under 18 who may be pregnant are disappearing as well as some of there families and nobody knows where they are going!!

The story is told by midwife Emma and her teenage daughter Lainey and we see their perspectives on the whole situation in an every second chapter kind of motion. Honestly, I just couldn’t get enough of this story, from start to finish I simply just wanted more!

The book is so well written, the tensions and emotions felt throughout were palpable. Personally I think this story is an absolute must read and I would absolutely love to read more, it was eye opening and really kept me guessing, I loved it!!

Thanks so much to @netgalley and Harper Collins Publishers Australia for giving me the opportunity to read an advanced reader copy of The Hush in exchange for an honest review.