I really enjoyed The Push but for me The Whispers was even better. It had the same uncomfortable feeling that all was not going to end well in a very riveting way. It’s a physiological thriller that was very hard to put down. Flawed, true to life characters searching for honesty and meaning in themselves and in their relationships , with little success. I don’t feel like we were quite finished discussing Mara at the end of the book though. But that last line……perfect!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for this preview.

Goosebumps with that final sentence! Audrain hits it out of the park again with the newest from #thepush author. It's a character-driven psychological drama. The characters are so thoroughly and thoughtfully developed, and this one hits differently as a mom. Overall, the book was absolutely incredible and I had a hard time putting it down. From the very beginning, the reader is hooked by the intense and uncomfortable scene that unfolds at the party. I was very impressed with the complexity of the characters, and how intricately each woman's story unfolds. THE WHISPERS is a must-read that offers an unfiltered and candid perspective on women and motherhood following a perplexing tragedy. As the domestic thriller unfolded, I found myself constantly comparing it to Big Little Lies (which I loved). I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves an emotional and intriguing storyline!

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. 5 stars for DNF as I cannot read this due to the content about miscarriage. I was approved for this book prior to my own miscarriage, but I cannot read it now. I apologize for the inconvenience.

The Whispers a slow-burn domestic drama that focuses on the lives, secrets and lies of four suburban women. The story has a Desperate Housewives feel with its family dysfunction, a mysterious incident, issues about motherhood, and the roles of today's women.

The story pivots around a mystery that begins during a neighbourhood party. Whitney Loverly is the mom that seems to have it all, but during the party she's hosting, she is heard viciously screaming at her 10-year-old son Xavier by her guests. Hours later, Xavier is found severely injured under his third story window and rushed to the hospital. Through the eyes of Whitney, Blair, Rebecca and Mara, readers witness the secrets, dysfunction and despair within their lives and slowly the picture of what really happened that fateful night when Xavier was hurt comes to light.

There's a lot going on and for the most part it works. The characters are generally an unlikeable but interesting bunch, and the tension remains high, but readers will have to suspend disbelief in a few places. There is a large cast and I found it sometimes difficult to differentiate between some characters (I ended up making myself a character list to keep things straight).

The mystery kept me intrigued but it was how Audrain compassionately weaves important social issues facing women that make this book stand out. We are privy to their hardships, doubts, feelings of invisibility and heart-wrenching losses that I believe is relatable to many of today's women, moms and women who desperately want to be moms. Audrain does not hold back on her vivid descriptions of the emotional, psychological and physical toll women face. The descriptions are so well-written that I advise readers who may be sensitive, particularly to those who have suffered miscarriage to be aware that these issues are prevalent throughout the story.

The Whispers is an intense, emotionally raw, sometimes uncomfortable domestic drama that will provide excellent discussion and will leave readers with an ending that will have them gasping.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Viking Books for the complimentary copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain in quick, rapid fire thoughts.

-Audrain has a way of writing that baffles me. How does she take all my deepest, darkest thoughts, mix them up, and make them darker than the darkest no-moon night? How does she make me cringe and need to set the book down, but then crave it, and pick it up moments later?

-The Whispers is no different from The Push in that regard, but instead of watching one car crash that I can't pull my eyes away from, there are four.

-These four car crashes have each multiplied and have me running around between them, in order to try to save someone, but instead I end up saving no one.

-How is it possible to relate to every main character, but yet none of them all at the same time? The rabbit hole Audrain jumps into this time is vast, hollow and filled with keep-you-awake-in-the-middle-of-the-night thoughts.

-I suddenly feel insane as I read, as I slam the case closed on my Kindle at the end of each chapter, wondering what on earth I'm reading, and why I'm reading it. Only to flip the cover back open and read one more chapter, hoping for a different outcome.

-BRILLIANT

-There is no other book that I have said the F-word more while reading.

If you're prepared to read about the darkest day of your life, the one you know you should have done better, tried harder, given more, screamed less... then read The Whispers.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Such a good book! I read this obsessively. So many twists and turns and fantastic characters! The premise is somewhat dark but it does what this author does so well, illuminates deep seated fears that people often don’t even want to vocalize. In similar fashion to her last book, The Push, Ashley Audrain expertly walks the line of exploring some of our darkest fears without crossing into territory that is far-fetched or unbelievable.

I don’t want to share too much of the plot because it is better to go in blind and be swept away. I will say that it is a book that ponders what it would be like to potentially lose a child. It also delves into a lot of questions about motherhood - the sacrifices it demands, a mother’s quest to maintain her own identity, the difficult journey to actually becoming a mother and the guilt that comes along with parenting. I thought this book had some incredibly spot on observations and insights regarding all of these issues. It was a really well written book with great suspense and scandal. You will love it!!!

It is important to note that there are some very graphic descriptions of miscarriage that could be very triggering.

4.5 rounded up. The book follows the perspectives of Whitney, Blair, Rebecca, and Mara - all are neighbours and some are friends. There is lots of jumping timelines leaving breadcrumbs of multiple plotlines. The main plot is related to Whitney's son who fell from his 3rd storey window in the middle of the night. We are left to unravel what actually happened and if it was an accident. The other mystery revolves around 2 of the neighbours having an affair with each other, but we are left guessing the individuals.

I expected to get frustrated with the number of POVs and the jumping timelines, but this was such a compelling read that I didn't care.

Thoroughly enjoyed and had trouble putting it down!

The Whispers is another page turner by Ashley Audrain that reels you in from the first to the last chapter.

Secrets is the name of the game.

Secrets have a way of surfacing and coming out.

Tragedy strikes in the neighbourhood where Mara, Rebecca, Whitey and Blair and none of them are that likeable. Love it.

Suspense and twists and turns will keep the lights on.

That's all I am saying except get your copy of The Whispers and don't leave it to long on your TBR pile.

The Whispers will find its way on Bookclub picks I am sure.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House, Viking for a page turning read.

I really wanted to like this one as I so enjoyed The Push. This felt lacking and there were just too many characters/couples and storylines to keep track of. That last line though? Full body chills.

Well that's definitely a memorable way to end a story!

This is my first go with Audrain but it won't be my last. I will absolutely be picking up her debut THE PUSH after this experience. There was something about her writing that just sucked me in and considering I'm really struggling to read right now that was a huge win.

While I saw this marketed as a thriller, as well as a mystery, I think it's more accurate to call this a domestic drama. But mystery? Absolutely. Even though, barring the mic drop at the end and a little bit related to the children themselves, I did see a lot of this coming as it unfolded. With maybe.. one other complication I won't hint at that was an interesting twist. But none of this took away from my enjoyment or, again, my inability to put the book down.

The majority of this does deal with motherhood and it's many many facets. I found it fascinating how authentic each situation, and each woman, was written; how each of them felt so different but also not just merely as case studies to hold up against the other. This felt very real, very modern, and there's something here for everyone and for so many different experiences. Also, as someone who has no interest in motherhood, I was still very much drawn in to the struggles and the resentment, the complexities and the sacrifices, and, above all, the love.

I'm really glad I took a risk on requesting this one because I have no idea if I would've made the time for it otherwise. And while I don't quite know who I would recommend it to, I have to think that if you enjoyed the author's debut, you'll like this one, too.

A close-knit neighbourhood is struck when Xavier, a young boy, falls from his third-story window leaving him in a coma. But was it a tragic accident, or was something hidden at play? The Whispers provides four different perspectives; Whitney, the mother of Xavier; Blair, Whitney’s friend; Rebecca, a nurse desperately trying to start a family of her own and Mara, an older woman who is living with her past but keeping an eye on the happenings around the neighbourhood.

I read The Push by Ashley Audrain for a book club, and I loved the discussion it generated, particularly with women. Each woman brought her perspective to such a chilling tale. The same can be said of The Whispers. I loved that Audrain branched out into multiple POVs. It paid homage to the different lives a woman can find herself in.

It dives into the challenges of balancing motherhood, a career and identity in a society that is always watching and judging. Often, in books with multiple POVs, there is one or two that I gravitate towards. That wasn’t the case in The Whispers. Each woman’s story was intriguing, heart-wrenching and challenging to put down.
The suspense and mystery play out in perfect timing, and the ending is so good. As I finished the novel, I turned to my boyfriend and told him about it. I couldn’t keep it in. The most impressive part of Audrain’s writing is her ability to write those scenarios and situations that almost feel too personal or uncomfortable to read about, such as child abuse or infertility. She makes you question your beliefs and notice that not every situation is black or white; there is a ton of grey.

I highly recommend this novel to anyone who wants an excellent chilling mystery. I think this one will be incredibly popular, just like The Push.

The Whispers will be released on June 6, 2023!

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

Four families. One neighborhood. One night where everything goes wrong. What happened, and why?
We follow the four families from the POVs of the women, Blair, Rebecca, Whitney and Mara, during the time leading to the accident while Whitney is sitting on her son's bedside in the hospital, refusing to speak. Everybody has a theory about what happened. But it turns out that all of them has something to hide too...
I was let down by the marketing of the book as a thriller, so I was very underwhelmed as I kept waiting for the thrill. This is a literary psychological drama without the thrill present in The Push. It was character driven, and as I could not relate to any of them, it made it hard for me to read through. Don't get me wrong. The writing is beautiful. It's poetic and all of the characters are very richly developed and flood and raw. There is also a very strong motherhood theme as in Ashley Audrain's first book, and make sure to check your trigger warnings. However the pacing was kind of took me about 20% of the book to kind of be able to figure out. Who is who and to distinguish each of the voices. Finally, I would've prefered if the explaination of what happened happened sooner, even in bits and pieces, than in the very last chapter. I felt it was not worth the struggle. But I loved the epilogue (and that last sentence was gripping!).
I received an advanced review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this book. This is not your typical mystery/thriller. There is no murder, but there is mystery built into this story for sure and some aspects bring to mind more of a psychological "thriller". The book looks at some really interesting themes surrounding the women in 4 different families. We have the neighbourhood "Queen Bee", Whitney with her husband Jacob and 3 children, one of whom is her son Xavier who a big chunk of this story revolves around. We also have stay-at-home Mom Blair and her husband and their one daughter. Then we have Rebecca, a doctor and her husband Ben, who can't have kids but desperately want them. Finally we have the elderly couple next door, Mara and Albert who have lived on the street the longest and we see that Mara knows/sees a lot more about her neighbours than she lets on. We see throughout the story, the lives of these women and how they are intertwined. We see their hopes and fears, their bonds and things that will test their friendships. We see the things that drive them and the things that hold them back. They're imperfections and flaws. Whitney is not as polished as she appears, Blair is not as perfect as she appears, Rebecca is not as indifferent to having a family as others assume since she is a doctor and Mara is not as "invisible" as she feels as we get to know her backstory a bit. The men in the book play their parts and are some of the reasons there are mysteries at the core of this story. Even Whitney's son, Xavier, who is gravely injured in a fall plays a key role in showing a different side of Whitney. The mystery surrounding these women, their families, their secrets are well written and really only get fully revealed as the story is coming to an end. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending...it was a bit abrupt for my liking, but at the same time, it was also surprising. But it left me wishing there was more after that. Great book overall though!

Thank you for the advanced readers copy in return for an honest review

Mara - retired living with her husband Albert, Blair married to Aiden and one child,Rebecca - doctor and childless and Whitney married with 2 children and a temper

This book is about these 4 women and what they go through as friends and in their personal lives.

In the first couple of pages, I was thinking I wasn’t going to like this book but as I kept reading I found I quite enjoyed getting to know these women and what each has gone through.

Ashley Audrain is quickly becoming the expert of great endings! The Whispers, like The Push, had one of these and I wanted to speed through my reading to see how it all ended. Very satisfying!

After pre-teen Xavier falls from his bedroom window late at night, his mother Whitney sits by his bedside steadily as he is in a coma. Whitney and her husband Jacob are close with the other neighbours and in this story we meet each set of neighbours and discover they each have their own issues. Questions are raised about how a young boy falls out a third storey window in the middle of the night when he should be sleeping.

I loved the older neighbour Mara who came from Portugal with her husband years ago and had a son with some developmental disabilities that her husband didn’t manage well. She was a quiet character with a heartbreaking story.

Audrain has written a good mix of likeable but mostly unlikeable characters. Hints at the individual storylines were dropped effortlessly into the bigger story and created tension.

I did find it a little bit tricky to keep the three women’s husbands separate in my mind and often referred to my notes. The men weren’t of importance in this story and I think that is why the author didn’t build their characters.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and look forward to whatever Ashley Audrain writes next.

Thank you to @netgalley and @penguinrandomca for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinions. The Whispers comes out June 6, 2023.

While each book should stand on its own, this book is so clearly reminiscent of and building on the ideas of The Push that it's impossible to separate them.
The brilliance of The Push was very simple. A woman believes that her child is evil and we are left to decide if that is true, or if this mother is an unreliable narrator. It is told entirely from her perspective, so you are sucked into the world as she sees it.
The Whispers follows (primarily) three women: a career mom, a stay at home mom, and a woman having trouble conceiving. And the career mom doesn't especially like her kids. Something happens her kid and you're wondering what happened.
The problem here is that all of the women are bad people. And you know that they're bad because you get everyone's POV of everyone. The mystique of the perception of a child is removed when other people interact with that child and have different opinions. It ends up just being a grind about these super unlikable women being unlikable and hiding things from each other.
There's more to it than that, obviously, but it's a very slow moving book. Very little plot, lots of internal dialogue, lots of characters who have the answer but just refuse to tell us. It also ends in a very unsatisfying way that you could tell was trying to do the same thing as The Push's ending, but it just fell flat.
There's a good story in here, but I think it needed a different approach than The Push, which would make it a more standard domestic mystery thriller. Instead, it ends up feeling hollow.

This story was so multifaceted. A story about motherhood, marriage, and survival. Somehow a quiet, slow burn neighborhood story while also being an absolute page turner. Every women’s story was given the same care and detail - I truly felt and understood all of these women.. I knew, from reading The Push, that the story would be relatively straightforward - but this book had my eyes bugging out, my jaw dropping at some points. When some of the women’s secrets were revealed I was legitimately SHOCKED.

This book gave me season 1 desperate housewives vibes -getting to know the women, an innocent old woman next door who these self absorbed women don’t even look twice at. Mara’s story was one of my favourites. She gave her entire life for her son and husband - but even she has some of her own secrets. While my heart broke for these women and their hardships, they all did things that endangered their own relationships.

One of my favourite things about Audrain’s writing is how she can say much between the words. Things aren’t always laid out on the page - she leaves a lot to infer in her story, it allows your mind to wander, to jump to the conclusion - listening to your whispers - if you will. Another thing I love is the ending. It will not all be wrapped up in a perfect bow, you will be left on the edge of the cliff you’ve been careening towards the entire story. This is my absolute favourite type of ending - it leaves me wanting more.

After loving The Push, I knew I would read Ashley Audrain’s next book as soon as I could. The Whispers did. It disappoint! This book is told from the POV of the women on Harlow Street. There are so many secrets!! Everyone suspects each other and are also guilty of something. The last line of the book is stunning and I can’t get it out of mind! I will read anything Ashley Audrain writes!

From the international bestselling author of The Push comes an engrossing tale about the evolution of motherhood, how the act of becoming a parent changes every fibre of our being, and how far some are willing to go to protect not only the ones they love, but also themselves.

Audrain transports readers to manicured lawns and picture-perfect homes of Harlow Street, where we follow the intersecting lives of four distinctly different women.

As Summer draws to a close on a warm September day, Whitney Loverly, an enviable woman with the most expensive home on Harlow has invited the neighbours to a BBQ in her backyard.

All is well until her ten-year-old son Xavier disobeys her, causing Whitney’s temper to reach a boiling point. She tries her best to push the incident aside, but to her neighbours, she's no longer who they think she is, and her monstrous outburst will follow her like a bad omen.

Fast forward nine months, and Whitney’s neighbour, Dr. Rebecca Parry, is on the receiving end of an admission at the hospital. It’s Xavier, and he’s suffered a brain injury from a drop out of his third floor bedroom window. Cause of fall: to be determined.

Until that day in September, Whitney seemed to have it all: a husband who adored her, three children, and a successful career. And now with her son fighting for his life in the ICU, a string of events have led her friends to monitor her every move. Whitney Loverly's life is falling apart at the seams.

Did Xavier fall? Was it something her friend’s daughter said? Or could this really have been the result of Whitney's uncontrollable anger?

One thing Whitney feels certain of is that she is tired of failing Xavier. “The cruellest part of motherhood is that she has made him the way he is, every frustrating part of him.”

As Audrain’s masterfully constructed narrative unfolds through the perspectives of Whitney, Blair, Rebecca, and Mara, what becomes clear is that these are women who have loved, lost, and sacrificed. They have done it by virtue of becoming mothers.

Furthermore, what brings them together is their shared gut instinct, the whispers they hear, each of them desperate to see the truth for what it is. It’s these whispers, these instincts, that bind these women, yet may also break them.

Audrain proves yet again to be at the top of her game in this genre. Her use of multiple subplots, alternating timelines and various perspectives pushed me toward the finish line.

The Whispers certainly did not disappoint. It’s a book that I raced through at breakneck speed.

I’d been looking forward to reading this but I was underwhelmed. The characters’ lives intertwine and there are some twists but for me this one was a miss.
Thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada, and Ashley Audrain for the opportunity to read this ARC.