I definitely understand why this follow up to The push is getting such mixed reviews. I found it quite challenging to follow the multiple POV and alternating timeline plot. Where the book is strongest for mr was the great infertility and multiple miscarriages/losses rep and the great shock ending. This will be a difficult read for some so definitely be aware of triggers going in. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and @prhaudio for a complimentary ALC in exchange for my honest review!

I have been loving domestic thrillers lately, so I just needed to request this book. The Whispers is a fast-paced read that follows four women who live in the same neighbourhood. After a tragic accident, the characters must navigate their changing relationship dynamics as they discover secrets and lies about themselves and one another.

I loved the women-driven storylines and how the author examined motherhood through many POVs. This author is extremely talented in writing unlikeable characters, and there were many times throughout this book when I felt beyond uncomfortable with the character's actions. I am giving this a 3-star rating because it felt like a domestic drama rather than a thriller, and the author ended the book on a cliffhanger which I am not a fan of.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

Whitney’s 10 year old son, Xavier fell out of the window in the middle of the night and now is in the hospital. He is on a coma, and the doctors don’t know if he will make it. Whitney refuses to leave his bedside, and also won’t talk to anyone.

Was it an accident or not? It turns out that the families in this quiet suburban area have many secrets, that unravel as the plot progresses.

Initially I was really engrossed in this book. However, I felt that the plot dragged and meandered in the middle. It did pick up at the end, but that didn’t wholly redeem it for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with this eARC to read and review.

I was completely blown away by this book! Audrain, expertly juggles the intersecting plot lines of the mothers in this story. So many jaw dropping moments. I was wrong every time I thought that I had things figured out. The epilogue was inspired inspired, wow!

The whispers by Ashley Audrain was such an honest, real representation of different mothers at different stages in their lives. Being a mother, or trying to become a mother is not for the faint of heart. In each of the portrayals of these women you really feel like Ashley Audrain has lived these lives herself the writing is that good. Your whispers can be your intuition, or can be other peoples opinions. Navigating which ones to listen to can be so hard. Is the life you’re living the best one that you could be or is it a new different life you can’t even imagine at this moment?

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the whispers ARC in exchange, for my honest opinion.

The Whispers is a combination of thriller, psychological drama and women's fiction.

It is a character driven book that follows four married women who live on the same block: Whitney. Blair. Rebecca. Mara.

Whitney is a workaholic with 3 kids. She doesn't seem to enjoy being a mother. Blair is Whitney's "best friend". She is a bored and unfulfilled stay at home mom with a daughter. Rebecca is a doctor who desperately wants a baby. Mara is an older woman who watches her neighbors.

This book is full of secrets. It deals with some very difficult topics. And has some amazing reveals. I found it riveting. And the last lines of the book! What the heck!???!?!?!??!

Exciting news, folks! The Whispers is hitting the shelves next week and it's already getting some serious hype. If you loved the author's debut novel, The Push, then you're in for a treat because The Whispers has a similar vibe.

The story is told from the perspectives of four women who are all at different stages of motherhood and life. But be warned, this book deals with some heavy stuff, so make sure you're ready for it.

One of the moms, Whitney, seems to have it all together, but things take a turn when she ends up at her son's hospital bedside. The story takes place over just a few days, but it jumps back and forth in time to reveal some dark and heartbreaking secrets.

Now, I wouldn't necessarily call this a psychological thriller. It's more like a suspenseful women's fiction story. The neighborhood where the story takes place is full of whispers and secrets, and everyone seems to be watching each other.

I will say that the characters aren't always the most reliable or likable, but that just adds to the suspense. There are plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing, and I found myself unable to put the book down until I knew what had happened.

The ending did feel a bit rushed, but it was still satisfying. I also had to suspend my belief a few times, but overall, this was a really entertaining read. So if you're looking for a gripping story that will keep you on your toes, give The Whispers a try.

My thanks to Penguin Random House CA (via Netgalley) for a digital arc in exchange for honest review.

This book being marketed as a thriller/mystery is going to make it problematic for a lot of readers. This is a complex, very much character-driven drama that pulls you right in and takes you for a wild emotional ride.

“The Whispers” deals with complex issues that are mainly related to motherhood and marriage. It is clearly written for a female audience but not in a cliché, cheesy way. We have a story about a woman who loses herself in the motherhood; a woman who can’t find a “mother” within her; a woman who desperately wants to be a mom and a woman who has lost her child. If you’ve read “The Push”, Ashley Audrain’s debut novel, you already know how deeply the topic of motherhood resonates with the author. I am not a mother myself just yet, but I was able to sympathize with all four characters and their stories, that were so cleverly intertwined in this book, and shed a light on important topics that women struggle with that are often overlooked or being hushed by society.

I would strongly recommend this to anyone, but I can see how it can be triggering for someone sensitive to the miscarriage topic. I would probably not pick this up if I knew about it upfront, but I am glad I did regardless. Even though this is a rather heavy read, it does not leave you with a bad aftertaste. It leaves you with some food for thought and I know I will never forget reading this one.

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy of this book.

I wish I had liked someone, anyone, a little bit more in this book. Yes it was a page turner, yes there was back-stabbing, unforgivable actions, and big drama, but by the end of the book I just wanted to feel like there was some reason for all the chaos and at least one character to root for. Lots of topics covered on the dark side of motherhood and could definitely be triggers (see below). A fast paced psychological thriller that will have you wondering if anyone is trustworthy and sincere.
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
3.5 / 5 stars

💕You might like this book if:
🔹 you like cagey woman who are wrestling with their role as a mother
🔹 you like domestic thrillers, nosy neighbours, and selfish characters
🔹you like books that explore the idea of generational trauma

⚠️ trigger warnings: miscarriage, child abuse / neglect

This book got me out of a major reading slump. I had a very hard time putting it down, even when I needed to because I wanted to know everything that happened. I think I enjoyed this even more than The Push.

I have a hard time with most books that have alternating character POVs because I'll inevitably have characters and storylines that I'm not as interested in finding out about. That wasn't the case with this though. I was super drawn into all of the complex characters and all of the stuff going on with them. Some of the characters were intentionally hard to like, but they sure were all interesting and well-fleshed out. It was easy to understand why they were making the choices they were and to feel for them, even with all of the different things at play at the same time. This kind of reminded me of Desperate Housewives, especially the darker more mysterious storylines from it.

Ashley Audrain does it again! Immediately after reading Audrain’s first novel The Push, I knew I would pick up anything she wrote, and The Whispers did not disappoint. This is one I will for sure be purchasing for my personal library.

I felt connected to the characters right from the beginning of the story, and throughout I was angry, scared, and sad right along with them. And THE ENDING 😳

An absolute must read!

4.5/5 stars from me, I cannot wait to pick up Audrain’s next novel already.

4.5 Stars!

Everything is not always what it seems. People can put on a smile and pretend like nothing is wrong while deep down inside they are falling apart. Nobody could ever know exactly what is going on behind closed doors in someone else’s house.

In The Whispers we follow four different families, all with their own challenges. Their lives are intertwined, not just by their proximity to each other, but also due to friendships and other happenstances.

Xavier, a young 10-year-old boy, and oldest of the Loverly's children, is in a coma after falling out of his window in the middle of the night. Soon the neighbours are wondering what happened and, via flashbacks, recall an incident between Xavier and his mother during a birthday party 9 months prior and wonder if the boy actually fell out of the window or if something much more sinister has been going on in the house with the seemingly perfect family.

I basically swallowed this book whole. It has been a long time since a book has gripped me so much and I read every chance I got. The novel is full of twists and turns and kept me guessing with every page. I read Audrain's debut novel The Push when it was published and liked it, but The Whispers is far superior to her debut in my opinion. It is dark and twisty and portrays motherhood in all of its forms throughout the book.

As a heads up, the book discusses miscarriages in great detail and while I do think it is a necessary and important topic to be talked about, it is just as important for people going through a hard time with fertility and loss to know before going in blind.

The Whispers reminds me of Desperate Housewives and would be enjoyed by people who liked the show. I also think people who enjoyed Verity by Colleen Hover or The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena would equally enjoy The Whispers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

When The Push was released, I wanted to stand in a bookstore and hand it to everyone who came in and tell them they had to read it. It was a huge-selling book that needed no push to read. I feel the same about The Whispers, which releases on June 6, and I suspect it will be another one that flies off the shelves.

I loved The Push and the thought-provoking themes of the darker side of motherhood Ashley Audrain explored. Nobody writes about motherhood or delves as profoundly into it with the understanding of the pressures women feel as she does. She is brave, honest, bold, and, at times, heavy-handed with themes of motherhood, exploring troubled children and their troubled mothers, along with the secrets they keep and the things we don’t talk about, and I loved it all.

What is going on between the cover

The whispers begin in the backyard after overhearing a scene between a mother, Whitney, and her child Xavier. Months later, the unthinkable happens, and Xavier is in the hospital, and Whitney won’t leave his side. The whispers start again as the neighborhood women try to piece together what happened and Whitney’s part.

My two cents

Ashley Audrain explores the uncomfortable truths of motherhood and fidelity from the contrasting POVS of four neighbors as she explores their private lives. They are different women from each other but are linked in ways they never suspected, and they all feel the demands that motherhood puts on them. We see their unspoken fears, desires, and shame and how that affects them as mothers, wives, and women. The pace is slow as we are told the story with little dialogue, and it took me a bit to get into it. The tension and suspense increase with the knowledge that something awful happened, creating a compelling sense of dread. I clicked the pages as fast as I could to find out what, and I was left speechless when that final line was delivered.

I loved the dynamics between Whitney and Xavier; that added a thrilling element to the story. None of the characters are likable, and they give us plenty to whisper about. The women are not mother-of-the-year material; nothing is redeeming about the men. Whitney is not your stereotypical selfless mother who would do anything for her kids. I loved the honesty of the uncomfortable truths that confirmed that not mothers put their children first or should be expected to be mothers just because they are women. Ashley Audrain reminds me why I love to read and gives me plenty to think about while challenging those traditional expected roles for women and beliefs of motherhood.

I still remember The Push, and I will remember The Whispers, and both are at the top of my favorite list of stories that explore women’s roles. I highly recommend it!!

The story begins at a party in the Loverly’s backyard, the most expensive house on the street. There are 3 children living here, three year old twins and a boy of 10. The older boy, Xavier seems to be a bit of a handful, not listening to his mother, Whitney, but his dad, Jacob tells her “ boys will be boys” and not to rise to his taunts. At the party ( and Xavier doesn’t want to be there), Whitney goes upstairs to see what he’s doing, doesn’t like what she sees and loses it. Unfortunately, everyone in the garden below, hears the stream of profanity spewing from her mouth. Fast forward to nine months later and Xavier is brought to hospital having fallen from his bedroom window. He’s in a medically induced coma. How did this happen? Did he fall out of the window? Is his mother responsible? The neighbours have their opinions on the tragedy. Blair is a stay at home mom, bored with her life and a stale marriage. Rebecca is a paediatric ER dr and is very concerned about Xavier but she has her own problems that are overshadowing her work. And then there’s elderly Mara, who at 82 is basically invisible but seems to see and know all that is going on. These three women share their stories, as does Whitney. Whisper, whisper!
This is a domestic thriller at its best!! I couldn’t put it down as it kept drawing me in, the more intense it got.
The truth does come out and when it does….WOW!

Highly recommend this book, you won’t be disappointed.

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and NetGalley for my advance ecopy. And a huge thank you to Ashley Audrain for this thrilling read!

A deep dive into the sublime and the unpleasant, the pretense of living large, and the sheer awfulness that may be hidden, under deceptively ‘normal’ exteriors.

Each of the four main protagonists in this story, women all, three of them fortyish and one an octogenarian, have secrets to hide. Secrets and fears, terrors really, that have to do with their essential womanhood, motherhood, personhood, and all the contradictory and compelling needs - jumbled and raw, in an ongoing struggle, that each of them must find a way to resolve. Until perhaps, regardless of the choices made, and the underlying motivations, in the end they will have nothing left but age, and distance, and an overwhelming sense of loss and regret.

Or is it possible to escape?

As each woman hears the ‘whispers’, the hair-tingling sense that other worlds, better worlds, beckon - the question really becomes, will any of them find it in their hearts to listen?

A domestic thriller of the highest order, part mystery and all unfurling writhing character-based drama, this book lifts the rocks and lets us look at what is slithering underneath. And it’s painfully clear, that, although we absolutely will not be able to turn away, we will definitely not like everything we will see.

A great big thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publisher for an ARC of the book. All thoughts presented are my own.

I was delighted when I received the opportunity to read this book in advance of the publication date. Ashley Audrain has a gift for writing prose that just hits you right in the gut. The passages are poignant and provide raw glimpses of motherhood. It's not a thriller but more emotional suspense or drama. I disliked most of the women throughout the book but there were instances when I felt empathy for them and that was due to Audrain's writing. Her characters are complex and realistic.

I would recommend this for readers who want to read about motherhood. But I would caution people to not compare this to Audrain's debut The Push. While both books touch on similar themes, this book is a much slower burn and they are quite different.

This summer is FULL of incredible releases. This book is no exception! 4.5 stars rounded up to 5! This book is so juicy it's ridiculously hard to put things down. Every time you think you've figured it out, you haven't. This book is going to be any domestic thriller lover's next favourite book! I cannot stop thinking about the ending, and that's exactly what you want from a book like this. Do yourself a favour and buy it on June 6th!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the eARC!

I want to thank NetGalley for the advance readers copy of The Whispers by Ashley Audrian.

The whispers for me was a slow start, as it follows the lives of four Suburban women; Whitney, Blair, Rebecca and Mara.

A neighbourhood party in the fall leads to whispers that a mother, may not be how she portrays herself to the eye. After, a tragic accident the four women is under suspension of what happened to Xavier on that Wednesday night.

The characters doubts, insecurities, and intrusive thoughts, had me hooked and I honestly could not get enough. The Whispers gave an uncensored look into motherhood, miscarriage, and infidelity.

The Whispers was a page turner for me.

I’m conflicted on how I want to rate this… I was bored for the first 50% but I didn’t hate the second half. This is categorized as a thriller but in my opinion this isn’t even a domestic thriller, more like a domestic drama. One of my notes while reading this book just says “Where’s the thriller? Where’s the suspense?” 😂 (I found these elements in the last little bit of the book but that wasn’t enough for me). If you really liked The Push, you will probably like this. I gave The Push 4 stars even though I wasn’t a huge fan and looking back, I should’ve given it 3 stars. I liked this book even less though. One major theme with the 2 books is a mother who hates her kid and I hate that “trope” (if you can call it that). You also might like this book if you liked Little Fires Everywhere. One of my least favorite things about this book is that it seemed randomly very sexual sometimes… with very descriptive, weird, vulgar descriptions. Huge TW for miscarriages!! The scenes were very descriptive and I found them very difficult to read. There is a subplot in this that I found to be completely pointless and there’s never any answers for it. I’m not sure what I feel about the ending, but it kind of feels recycled from The Push and overall I just don’t think I can give this more than 2 stars.

Thank you to Net Galley for the digital ARC of this book!

I was immediately engaged in the story as soon as I started. I really enjoyed how the story unfolded. It read almost like the events of a reality TV show but with the suspense and graphic description of a thriller. I loved the multiple perspectives and the implications of the ending of each of their perspectives. My only issue was that I wanted it to be a bit longer - the final climax felt a bit rushed and not quite rounded out.

Overall a great read and would definitely recommend!