AHHH - I love Ashley audrains writing it is just so enticing and vivid and leaves me hanging on every word. This book was such an interesting look at the variations of motherhood and marriage that work concurrently and against one another at all times. While not better than the Push in my opinion, it was still so well written and compelling and I honestly will read anything of this author going forward - 4.5

This is a story more about people than an event.  A young boy falls from a bedroom window.  There is speculation around the circumstances.  From this point we are introduced to all the players on the street who are supposed to be friends. 


These are not my kinds of people.  They remind me of the Real Housewives TV shows.  If you like these sorts of people then this is a good read. You learn everything about these dysfunctional people in a well written way. I thought the author really grasped how children think. 


I was surprised by the ending and thought it was absolutely perfect.

I loved The Push so was excited to get an ARC of The Whispers. Wowzers! For the longest time I had no idea where this story was going. It was fully character driven and delved deeply into the lives of four women living in the same neighborhood. The book focused on the challenges of motherhood.

Whitney is a woman who has it all - a big beautiful house, a powerhouse job, a handsome husband who adores her and three healthy children. When her oldest child Xavier is seriously injured, questions arise concerning her parenting. Rebecca.is a doctor who desperately wants a baby. After five miscarriages, her husband Ben is done trying. Blair is the perfect mom to ten year old Chloe but her suspicions rise to catastrophic heights when she discovers what looks like a piece of torn condom in her husband’s things. Mara is the invisible older neighbour next door to Whitney. No one pays her or her husband Albert much attention but in her everlasting grief of losing her son Marcus, she sees everything going on in the neighborhood.

These four lives were intertwined beautifully. Each woman carries a burden related in some way to motherhood. The author did a fantastic job creating dichotomies between each character. Yet, the prose sometimes went too far off course for me. It focused too heavily on backstories about these women. It was during these tangents that the plot stalled for me-and I skimmed chunks of narrative. At about the 70 percent mark, the story really comes together though and I was absolutely glued. It rockets along at that point. The ending was interesting and I’m still unsure how I felt about it.

Definitely a thoughtful read but not as captivating as her last book. Thank you #NetGalley.

Set in an affluent neighbourhood, THE WHISPERS revolves around four couples.
One summer day, the Loverlys host a barbecue for their neighbours and their children.
Whitney Loverly appears to be the perfect hostess and also a successful businesswoman. Blair is a stay at home mom and Whitney’s best friend. Rebecca is an ER doctor who is struggling to have a child of her own. Mara is their elderly neighbour who immigrated with her husband from Portugal many years ago. Despite all the changes to the neighbourhood Mara and her husband remain in their home on Harlow Street.
During the barbecue, Whitney sets out to find eldest son Xavier. She discovers him in his room playing video games. Their strained relationship is clearly evident when Whitney looses her cool and yells at Xavier with such venom the barbecue below goes silent beneath Xavier’s open window.
Nine months later a tragic event occurs involving Xavier. He has been rushed to the hospital after falling out of his third floor bedroom window. Whitney is in shock and refuses to talk to anyone. Rebecca is on duty in the ER when Xavier arrives and performs the initial treatment.
Unaware of what has happened Blair and her daughter Chloe wait for Xavier so they can walk to school together. When he doesn’t show up Blair goes ahead and takes Chloe to school. Being Whitney’s best friend, Blair is puzzled as to why she hasn’t heard from Whitney and wonders what is going on.
The story is told from the four women’s perspective over the course of the next few days. Secrets and past are revealed bit by bit leading up to the tragic event.
I thoroughly enjoyed THE WHISPERS. The pacing was excellent and characters were engaging. I thought the ending was absolutely perfect. Definitely would recommend THE WHISPERS to readers who love a well written suspense novel.
Thank you to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for allowing me early access to an advanced digital edition of THE WHISPERS by Ashley Audrain.

I was engaged and also very uncomfortable in some parts. Audrain is very open and honest about the struggles of motherhood- including the parts that most dont talk about. The story was very interesting, but i found it slow at parts.

The premise, the blend of storylines, the characters ... I enjoyed; but the problem I found is after the initial set up and suspense in the beginning set up, the actual story evolving, although intersting, was slow. Also, all the characters became unlikable, with the exception of Mara maybe. The actual reveal of what happened was good and I it did surprise me as I had thought it was going to be something totally different, but it came so close to the end that by then I just wanted to finish and was over it because it sort of just ended right after that and I almost wanted to know how the characters lives had changed. So the first 5% of the book and the last 5% were great. The whole 90% in between had moments but also was almost like who cares when the end comes. I think if the reveal happened sooner and there was more about after the reveal this could have been great. Also, Whitney and Blair are just messed up and really need help and they made me uncomfortable and I didn't really get them. If it was just one of them ok, but the fact that both of them really had issues was just too much.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc.

Oh my gosh, this book was amazing. It made me feel all of the emotions that the women/wives/mothers experience..the love, the guilt, the hatred, the jealousy, the anger…ALL OF IT. I really have no words to properly explain my thoughts (maybe I should’ve let it digest a bit instead of immediately providing this feedback?!!) but I was hooked.

Motherhood is complicated, this book paints a dark and raw picture of that!

When a boy from an affluent family falls out of a window into a coma, the families in the neighborhood reflect on their lives and their role in what lead to this boy being on the precipice of death.

TW for miscarriage! Whether women are desperately trying to become a mother or loathing the idea of it, this book is very honest about the martyrdom of motherhood.

This was a pageturner for me, subtracting a star because one of the characters (Mara) didn’t quite fit into the story IMO. While her story is interesting, her observer role wasn’t a highlight in the story.

Ashley Audrain knows how to write a book that keeps you extremely engaged and uncomfortable, all at the same time. Her books are darker topics, that will make you want to stop reading, but at the same time you won't be able to because her writing is just that good.

I was nervous that The Whispers wasn't going to live up to how amazing The Push was but I was EXTREMELY wrong. The Whispers is another one that will stick with you and have you screaming at that ending. It's like, I seen it coming, but I didn't see it coming, but I seen it coming, and then was completely shocked when it came 🤣. These are going to be some characters that you're going to love to hate. Definitely a must read

3.5 stars

The premise was intriguing, and while I didn’t dislike it, this book unfortunately just didn’t live up to my hopes. Like many of the other reviewers, I really enjoyed The Push and, because of that, had high expectations for this next book, but it just wasn’t as good. The last line, though, was impactful. Beautiful cover, okay story; I’m still excited to see what her next book will be, though.

3.5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC!

This domestic suburban drama brought me back memories of watching Desperate Housewives which is, in itself, not a bad thing. I think that my expectations for this novel were high simply because of my enthusiasm and enjoyment of Audrain's debut. I was expecting something a lot grittier and more fast-paced than the reality of The Whispers.

That being said, this novel is quite cinematic and the pacing and time jumps were easy and enjoyable to follow. Each of the women had their own distinctive personality, making them both realistic and likeable, save for their obvious flaws.

I would recommend this for anyone who loves neighbourly drama, those who peep out their windows, and for readers who love a little anticipation.

i feel a bit bamboozled because the push was this immersive, terrifying thriller about mother/daughter relationships. and this seemed like it was going to be a suspenseful domestic thriller with a similar plot surrounding mother & child but this was so boring. the first 50% i spent wish for it to end and when i finally got into the last 50%, the story just leaves you feeling like you wasted your time.

i'll read more from this author in the future but this was sadly a disappointment.

Wow. As a mother who lives in a close neighborhood, I was deeply moved, nay disturbed, by this book. It is very well written and contains many many grains of truth. A working mother whose children are secondary to her work, a perfect mother who does everything right, a woman who didn’t want children until she found that she couldn’t carry a pregnancy to term, and an older woman whose life has been very unloving and unfulfilled. All were seeking greener pastures, albeit in different ways. An accident in one of their families with a child brings things to a head in the neighborhood, and all are involved in some way. In the end, they all reconcile their reality with their unreality. For all, ther are no happy endings.

After reading and loving Ashley Audrain's debut novel "The Push" I was thrilled to read her second novel "The Whispers".
This story is about motherhood and four women who live on Harlow Street, in an upscale neighborhood. When tragedy occurs secrets are revealed involving their relationships, insecurities and everyday lives.
A compelling domestic drama and mystery with an "OMG" ending!
I highly recommend this page-turner!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada/Viking for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

🗣️Review 🗣️
The Whispers- Ashley Audrain
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This book was good. However, this book was very unsettling, and at times difficult for me to read. Let me explain…

I found the event that the story centred itself around was horrifying and was hard to read about. Having said that, Audrain does an incredible job of building tension and discomfort for her readers while also keeping a tight grip on them through her story and character building. Multiple times I questioned whether I could keep reading, but I truthfully needed to know how things would unfold.

I found that this story had quite a lot going on. It is told from the POV of 4 different women ( neighbours). Each woman is struggling with something personal & “The Whispers”, those dark, dreadful questioning thoughts that slip into your head every now and then, won’t leave them alone. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding each character, and how their stories overlapped. All the scandal, drama and devastation that these women face, made for an eventful read.

As a mom, as a woman, this story was a toughy. I didn’t like to sit and think on it too much as I was reading. I think that Audrain is talented ( this is my first book by her), her writing was incredibly well done, and I appreciated the way she pulled things together in the end. I just found this book to have a lot of intense & upsetting moments that I struggled with.

This is a good book, but I do not think it will be for everyone.

I definitely recommend checking into the TW before jumping into this read. ⚠️

Thank you so much to @netgalley, @penguinrandomhosu and of course the talented Ashley Audrain, for the e-reader copy of this book.

DNF - I will revist this book at another time but, for now, I am setting it aside; I just wasn't jiving with it.

I was looking forward to reading this book after LOVING The Push… but this was a disappointment. I thought it was interesting that Audrain took a deep dive into four suburban families and their individual struggles with marriage, infidelity, and other drama of being in a seemingly close-knit group. The first chapter hooked me, but after that, it got boring… I didn’t stop reading even though I really should have.. I just wanted to know what happened to the kid who landed in the hospital and how..I should have just skipped to the last chapter.

After reading The Push buy Ashley Audrain I was left speechless and have been anxiously waiting for her to release something new! It's finally here, and the last line of this book had my jaw on the floor!

This story follows four families within a neighbourhood, who are all dealing with very different stages and struggles of motherhood. When one of their sons falls from a third story window, we start to realize that everyone is keeping secrets are are interconnected in ways you wouldn't suspect.

It is so impressive how Audrain manages to write about such different variations of motherhood and really airs out a lot of the bad. She brilliantly writes unlikeable characters, has them do unlikeable things, and yet I can still empathize and understand why each of them are making the choices they are (even if they are awful ones).

You won't want to miss this! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

There are all different types of mothers. Those who make their children their entire lives and personality. Those whose children are now gone. Those who long to be a mother. And then there are those whose children are a nuisance, easier to pass off to someone else, those who whispers follow. The whispers that, maybe, they shouldn’t be a mother.

All these mothers coexist on the newly gentrified Harlow Street. Blair and Whitney are total opposites. One a dedicated stay at home mom, one a dedicated working mom. But when the Loverleys’ moved in across the street from Blair and her husband and daughter, they became fast friends. Each longing for what the other found so easy in their lives. When Whitney and Jacob Loverly host a summer backyard BBQ all is well, until it isn't. Having let her perfect façade crack and unknowingly giving her neighbors a peek into their real lives, Whitney must deal with the repercussions. Nine months later, the same boy who was verbally abused by his mother, falls out of his third story bedroom. The whispers start. Was it an accident? Had Whitney finally let her anger get the best of her? Were the Loverleys’ just neglectful?

The Whispers is a fast-paced, page-turning, neighborhood drama that will have you cringing and gasping throughout the book. A great summer read, with a jaw dropping final scene at the end.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Penguin random house Canada for the advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own

What did I just read!! The Whispers by Ashley Audrain is probably the darkest page turning, psychological drama I’ve read. It was disturbing, gut wrenching, emotional and all consuming. I could not put it down. Somehow it seems wrong to say I loved it, but I did. A definite 5⭐️ read for me.

The Whispers follows the lives of four very different women who are neighbours. Whitney, a married high powered business woman and mother of three. Mara an elderly Portuguese woman who sees everything but is all but invisible to her neighbours. Blair, a quirky devoted anxious mother, married to a husband with a wandering eye. And finally Rebecca, a married paediatrician who wants nothing more than to have a baby. At first glance it’s difficult to see how four very different women could be connected but when the unthinkable happens and Whitney’s 10 year old son falls out of his 3rd story bedroom window, The Whispers begin and the bizarre connections come to light.
The women’s lives are a messy tangle of lies, deception, secrets and conscious choices that have devastating consequences.

Thank you so much Penguin Random House Canada, Netgalley and Ashley Audrain for my arc of The Whispers in exchange for my honest review.