Ashley Audrain’s second book, The Whispers is a suburban domestic thriller that focuses on the lives of four women who are neighbours in an unnamed North American city. Where it takes place isn’t relevant – the focus is on the people and the events tied to this small suburban area. These are people who live close enough to gaze in their neighbour’s windows and can hear conversations in the yard next door. Living in such close proximity has given the neighbours the illusion that they know a lot about each other. But that false sense of familiarity is fractured after something unpleasant occurs at a neighbourhood party.

The party is being hosted by Whitney and Jacob in the garden of their massive three-storey house. No expense has been spared on catering. Whitney takes pleasure in noticing that her guests are impressed and somewhat envious of her attention to every perfect detail. The only thing she’s unable to control is Xavier, their ten-year-old son, who insists on wearing a stained T-shirt. Although he was instructed to take care of the younger children, he has not followed through with Whitney’s request.

When Whitney finds him in his third-floor bedroom eating all the treats that were in goody bags for the other young guests, she loses her temper and begins yelling and swearing at him. It’s a nice warm day, the windows in his room are wide open, and everybody at the party hears the angry exchange between mother and son. Within minutes Whitney’s image as the woman who has it all is ruined. The moment is saying, “Something isn’t right here.” A whisper.

Other neighbours at the party are key characters in the story, including Blair, Whitney’s best friend, Blair’s husband Aiden and their seemingly perfect child Chloe. Blair envies Whitney’s lifestyle and attentive husband. Whitney envies Blair’s ease with motherhood. Then there are Rebecca and Tom. With no kids, their lifestyle seems free and easy to the others, but they desperately want to be parents. An older couple, Mara and Albert, were invited to the party but chose not to attend. However, they can hear everything through their hedge.

The narrative of the book goes back and forth between the time of the party and nine months later when Xavier ends up in the hospital after a fall from his third-floor bedroom window in the middle of the night. His condition is critical. He’s in a coma and it’s not clear whether he will survive the fall. He is the victim in this suburban domestic thriller.

Jacob was away on business at the time of the accident, leaving Whitney alone for a while by Xavier’s bedside. The details around Xavier’s tragic accident are unknown. Canadian author Ashley Audrain tells the story from the perspective of those living in the neighborhood. As the book opens with a man returning to his marital home after being with another woman, you will be looking for signs of Whitney having an affair.

Although there is a sense of what the men are feeling, the primary focus is on the women and the challenges and expectations they face around friendship, career, marriage and motherhood. Audrain pulls open the curtains and shows us what is going on behind closed doors. Sometimes it’s not a pleasant image but the views provided feel authentic, especially regarding the grief caused by miscarriages. We see how elements from past relationships can inform the present, whether it is neglect, extramarital affairs, or controlling, belittling behavior to a spouse or child. We also see the damage that children can inflict on one another through bullying.

The action in The Whispers is character-driven and it’s a slow burn as we gradually learn the truth about each of them. Like the characters in the book, we don’t immediately see the truth for what it is. Not until the end can we look back in hindsight to finally understand those whispers.

Fans of domestic noir will also want to read Audrain’s first book, The Push.

@ashleyaudrain has done it again! Wowwwww this was so good! I loved her previously novel, The Push, and knew had to get my hands on her newest release. I had absolutely no idea which direction this book was going to go. I had so many predictions in my mind and none of them came true (which I love in a thriller). That last sentence though… 👏🏼 🤯 I loved this. Thank you @netgalley and @penguinrandomca

The Whispers kept me gripped from start to finish. A domestic thriller that brings the reader in and leaves them wanting more.

A perfect fit for bookclubs! 4 Stars.

I really love Audrain's dark writing, her debut novel (The Push) is one of my recently favorite books. However, I did enjoy The Push a bit more than The Whispers. I feel The Push was more of a thriller and had more suspense/tension throughout. It took a little bit longer for The Whispers to become truly engrossing - once it did though I was unable to put it down and read it in one sitting. The Whispers is certainly more of a psychological drama so I would bear that in mind before reading this story. The Whispers also covers similar themes of The Push, however I feel that The Push did this in a more unique and unexpected way. This may be a personal critique though, as I admit that I have read the "all your neighbors have secrets" trope a lot and am a bit tired of it. Comparisons aside- I do think The Whispers was still very well written book and I recommend it.

Multiple POVs and alternating timelines sometimes do not work for me. Throughout this novel though Audrain expertly handles the shifting perspectives and time jumps. I was never confused at any point. Each character has a very different voice and I felt each brought an unique perspective on motherhood. I would argue that none of the characters are without fault, and are all morally grey. This gave these characters a greater level of complexity and unpredictability. I really never knew how the characters in The Whispers were going to act or react. This uncertainty is why the ending was quite impactful for me. The characters are also varying degrees of unlikeable. I find it a testament to Audrain's writing that I can find sympathy still with these more unlikeable characters.

Overall I recommend this book and I cannot wait to read what Audrain writes next.

Following The Push, Ashley Audrain proved to be a promising author with domestic psychological thrillers and picking up this read had me anticipating for something fun and eerie to dive into!

After a freak accident with her child Xavier, Whitney is left distraught and hanging by a thread in the hospital already grieving and questioning her maternal conscience. Blair, her closest friend and neighbor, tries to console and help Whitney but develops strain and distance from her when she learns of new information that threatens her weakened marriage even more. Rebecca, another neighbor and doctor looking after Xavier has her own plate full with issues she's kept under lock. Her own longing for an impossible future is reflected when she finds out about the accident. Mara, the oldest neighbor and a passerby to the other ladies is about to go through another life change, one that she's not too sad about but reminds her of her biggest loss in life, one that has her meddling in the present day's conflicts between the other women. The women are all interconnected in ways unexplainable and they will soon realize it while waiting for Xavier's progress.

I went into this one with great interest. As the story developed, it weaned out and left me in mixed feelings. There was always a buildup for something more and in the end the suspense relief only give us sprinkles of things I had suspected already. Because of the tension that I had built up in my head, the last bit of the book and the ending fell a bit flat for me. The characters weren't out of the ordinary with their build, though their individual feelings with motherhood and what they wanted for themselves kept me engaged. I enjoyed how the author always dives into topics and feelings a mother has. No mother is the same as another and the author conveys this wonderfully with the destructive thoughts a mother easily have and then wipes it off with her everyday responsibilities.

I didn't love this one but I can appreciate what Ashley Audrain wanted to explore into with this novel.

Four women.
Blair, the devoted wife and mother.
Rebecca, the doctor struggling with infertility.
Mara, the elderly neighbour harbouring a deep heartbreak.
And Whitney, the career driven, bad tempered mother who takes center stage when the whole neighbourhood witnesses an epic outburst at her son Xavier.
So when Xavier end up in the hospital later that night, everyone is left wondering if this accident was an accident at all.

From the first chapter to the very last word, this book had me. I loved the multiple POV chapters, these women… so messed up. A deliciously dysfunctional neighbourhood that made for a great read.


While mysterious and entertaining this book hits on some pretty tough subjects, primarily infertility and miscarriage, so be aware before picking this one up, it can get pretty graphic.

Wow, another hit from Ashley Audrain. I loved her first book The Push and couldn't wait to get my hands on this one.

Briefly a synopsis of the book. The Whispers is a dark tale of motherhood woven throughout a group of neighbours. At first I was a little confused with the alternating POV's but after a few chapters I got used to it. Each characters story was so important to the overall plot. Ashley's writing is so raw and propulsive, I found myself consumed. I wanted more and the book hangover after was awful.

Trigger warnings: miscarriage, infertility, child in hospital

Thank you to Penguin Random House Publishing and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

It’s hard to follow up a book like The Push, which had me second-guessing and holding my breath. Still, I expected the same level of plot.
The book explores different women’s experience of motherhood but winds up being more judgemental than exploratory. I wouldn’t classify this as a thriller but rather a domestic drama.

The good: this book has excellent character development, interconnected story-lines that work really well together.
The bad: the author definitely has a consistent writing style which worked really well for The Push but not nearly as well for this story. While the individual stories went well together, there were too many of them that weren’t explored deeply enough and I finished this with more questions than answers.
The ending was also pretty anti-climactic.
Without giving too much away, I may have liked this book if I wasn’t expecting a thriller and another Push.

The Whispers is a page-turning, drama-filled domestic thriller that is told from the perspective of four housewives. This was my first Ashley Audrain book and surely won't be my last. This was also my first advanced reading copy which was so exciting!
What I liked:
-The story flows very well for a book written from four perspectives and love how they all intertwine
-The characters are expertly crafted and feel like real people with real emotions
-The last chapter (especially the last line of the book) is gratifying.
Oh look, if it isn't the consequences of your own actions!
As a warning, this story contains detailed descriptions of heavy subjects such as miscarriage and infidelity.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!

As soon as I read The Push and saw that Ashley Audrain was releasing another novel I immediately put it in my list to read. The Whispers did not disappoint! I loved the different point of views from each character. I also really liked the neighbour hood drama aspect of this book. This book kept me in my toes and made me want to keep reading all the way until the end.

Y’all….. this book was absolutely wild. A whole entire roller coaster. The twists & turns were magnificent. Totally unexpected, and heartbreaking. I related to Rebecca the most as I’ve also struggled with miscarriages and infertility. The heartbreak she endured made me cry more than once😭 There’s one quote from her that I really loved, that absolutely broke my heart, it goes:

“But this is the thing about miscarriage. It is not an event, something that once happened and has ended. Miscarriage goes on and on, follows a woman through her days and her dreams, and then she will have blissful split seconds when she forgets, when her brain can still feel the gratification of having that baby, until she remembers the baby is not hers anymore, and hasn’t been for days or even weeks. There will be blood that soaks her sheets and odor she can’t recognize. There will be appointments where they prod her, make sure she’s spat everything out, because if not, what’s left from that life could kill her. She will think of herself as a vessel that can only expel, that will never find pleasure again in being entered.”

Overall this book was so good until the end. It was a bit unsatisfying compared to the rest of the story. I feel like we should’ve gotten more, there was basically no explanation. Which is probably the point but it left a sour taste in my mouth which is why I didn’t rate it 4 stars. I do recommend this if you like a who-dunnit type, with secrets & betrayals. Just because I had some issues with it doesn’t mean you will! HEAVY trigger warning for infertility and graphic miscarriages. Please read with caution in those regards.

WOW - the ending to this book is everything!!!

The book begins with a backyard BBQ with four families - who knew the lies, deception and deceit that were beneath the surface? A terrible accident occurs and the lives of the attendees will never be the same - never mind those that did not attend.

A gripping and realistic look at motherhood, guilt, miscarriages and women trying to have it all and then dealing with the consequences of their decisions.....

I couldn't put it down - and just had to get to the end to find out what happened.

Highly recommend!!

While I haven’t yet read The Push, I have heard nothing but good things about and was thrilled to read this one. However I was expecting a thriller and this is not it. This is a neighborhood drama and centres around different types of mother and drama. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m not a mother but I was utterly bored with this book. Yes I appreciated the suspense of secrets but I really wanted more of a wow factor. I think a lot of people will love this but it wasn’t for me

An amazing story of families that are struggling with their emotions. A child has a terrible accident and we see how the families struggle with their emotions. Intriguing characters that will draw you into their lives.

I'm not sure any other books will match my reaction to the ending of Audrain's last book, but I still really enjoyed this one.
Thanks for the chance to read and review!

My first book from this author and I can’t wait to read more. She gets right into the nitty gritty of the lives of these women. I found that the characters were very relatable. And definitely not a book that was easy to put down. I highly recommend this book

i love the way she writes her characters, they are so relatable sometimes which really makes you think about yourself

after reading The Push (and loving it) and finding out it was the author’s debut novel, I knew I would be a fan of hers for a long time to come. I have been anticipating The Whispers for months and when I got the chance to read it ahead of time, I could not contain my excitement. so, thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and of course, Ashley Audrain for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review!

let me start off by saying: I ATEEEE THIS UP. I read this basically in a day and could not put it down. the author has such a way with words and is so incredibly talented. I loved reading from the POVs of four women who all live in the same neighbourhood, who are all different and yet largely connected. the exploration of motherhood and womanhood was something I loved and much like The Push, Audrain really doesn’t brush over any uncomfortable truths and thoughts that some mothers go through.

some of the characters were sooo unlikeable and reading about them made my blood boil. I honestly wish this book was longer because I loved reading about the lives of each women and how they intertwine, but also because I desperately want to know what’s going to happen next!! the ending is driving me crazy because I wanted to read allll about the unraveling and if any revenge would take place but it was also perfect in its own way.

this was such a good suburban suspense novel and I was living for all the juicy gossip and drama. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and add it to my bookshelf!

One terrible night a 10 year old boy falls out of his third story window. The Whispers alternates between the perspectives of four women who are neighbours (one being the boys mother) and is told over multiple timelines, as they process their shock over what happened to the little boy, concern for his recovery, and his family, intertwined with dealing with challenges in their own lives. A tragedy like this makes people take stock of their own lives, and realize that they need to make changes, or be grateful for what they do have.

There is a plot to this story, what happened to Xavier the night he fell out his window. But, it is largely character driven, as we learn more about the lives and families of the four women in this story, leading up to the reveal of what did happen to Xavier.

The story exemplifies how truly awful people can be to one another, whether for reasons of power, privilege, upbringing, jealousy, insecurity or tragedy. Each woman was guilty of either small or big acts, which in some cases were so despicable, but were justified, in the worst cases, to make themselves feel power, in the best for relief from terrible pain, or to protect a loved one.

The story was well written and captivating, I was invested to find what would happen to poor Xavier and to find out what happened on the night he died. But, I had a hard time with the characters, with the exception of maybe one or two, they were just overall not good people and they just didn't really resonate with me. But, that is not a reflection on the book, a personal preference of mine is stories where characters might be flawed, but they are likeable.

I loved the concept of The Whispers introduced in this book, call it women's intuition, as I have always firmly believed in this, so I enjoyed seeing how this was represented throughout the book.

If you like complex stories of people and relationships, and don't mind morally bankrupt characters, then you will enjoy this one. But, please check for trigger warnings, there are definitely themes that might trigger some people.

💭 𝕄𝕪 𝕋𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤:

✈️ I love that this novel was chilling and disturbing but in a vacuum of attention. It sucked you right in even if you knew it was just going to get more triggering. It reminded me of My Dark Vanessa in that way. Too good to put down.

🔑 I like how, by reading about these fictional moms, it makes me want to be an even better mom. It really made me think about what kind of mom I am and how I can be better, for my kids. Not a lot of fictional books do that.

💍I found Mara's character a little misplaced. I definitely saw where she had a role but there were some parts that confused me because it was left unattended, in her case.