Release: May 27, 2025
Author: Marlee Bush
Publisher: poisoned pen press

Rating: 4.25 ★ 

The Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush is an intense and captivating thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story centers around Ren, who returns to her old high school as a teacher, hoping to move past the tragic events that led to the death of her younger sister, Margo. As Ren confronts her grief and the lingering scandal that has haunted her town, she begins to notice something unsettling: the history of Margo’s death might be repeating itself.
Ren becomes suspicious of Bryson Lewis, a charismatic and well-liked physics teacher, especially when she sees him growing closer to one of his students—a girl who reminds her of Margo. As Ren delves deeper into her past and the mysterious dynamics of her small town, she finds herself determined to stop history from repeating itself and protect the girls from falling into the same dangerous patterns.
What makes this book stand out is the perfect mix of suspense, emotional depth, and a gripping plot. The emotional weight of Ren’s grief and the trauma she carries from her sister's death is beautifully balanced with the heart-pounding mystery of the present. The twists and turns in the story are unexpected, and the writing style keeps you hooked from the first page. The small-town setting, with its secrets and gossip, creates a compelling atmosphere that draws readers in, making it hard to put the book down.
Ren is a relatable and well-developed character, and her journey of unraveling the truth behind her sister’s death while battling her own distrust of authority makes for an engaging read. However, the book does touch on sensitive topics, including grooming, which might be triggering for some readers. Despite this, the author handles the subject matter thoughtfully, creating a story that is both emotionally impactful and thrilling.
While there are some transitions between past and present tense that can be a bit confusing at first, once you get used to the writing style, the story flows smoothly. The unexpected twist at the end is particularly satisfying, leaving readers with plenty to think about long after the last page.
If you enjoy a fast-paced, emotional thriller with twists that keep you guessing, The Whispers of Dead Girls is definitely worth picking up. It’s a haunting and powerful tale of grief, suspense, and the lengths we go to in order to protect those we love.

Summary

The Whispers of Dead Girls follows Ren Taylor, who returns to her old high school ten years after her sister’s tragic murder. Though she hoped to find peace with her past, the town still remembers her sister's death, and Ren is haunted by the memories that won’t fade. She’s also still reeling from the scandal that destroyed her childhood.
Ren’s world shifts when she meets Bryson Lewis, a charming and attractive physics teacher who seems to captivate everyone around him. Despite his outward appeal, Ren is deeply suspicious of him, especially after noticing his growing closeness with a student who reminds her of her late sister. As Ren becomes more paranoid, she fears that history is about to repeat itself, and another young girl may fall victim to the same fate.
Determined not to let this happen again, Ren decides to take matters into her own hands, even if it means confronting her own dark secrets. As she digs deeper, Ren is forced to face her past head-on, risking everything to protect the girl and stop history from repeating itself.

Favorite Quote:
"some ghosts don't haunt you from beyond the grave. They live in the spaces between our thoughts, whispering when we least expect it."

I liked this book until the last few chapters, but it completely fell apart.

SPOILERS
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The author made a very bad choice when she decided that a teenage girl lied about being sexually assaulted by her teacher. As if it’s not difficult enough for women to speak out without someone helping perpetuate the idea that they’re liars who just want to take men down. 🤦🏽‍♀️

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

solid, well-written, thriller which has some slow starts but some strong vibes as it goes on. 4 stars. tysm for the arc.

I really enjoyed this one overall. I read Marlees debut novel last year and when I saw she was releasing another one, I jumped at the chance to read it. Again, she did not disappoint. This was such a gripping read from the first pages. First, you want to know about Ren & what happened with her sister, Margo. But then you're sucked into another web of complexity as we are fast forwarded years later to Ren teaching at her old high school, and trying to solve another tragedy involving a teacher and students, 2 of which passed. I liked the jumping back and forth, and I liked how what happened to Ren as a teen affected her as an adult and how she handles things, specifically men, in her life.

The ending of this story had me absolutely floored and that's why I can't give his a full 5 stars like I was intending. I feel like the ending just didn't give true justice to the victims in this story, and that kinda irked me a bit. But overall, a solid thriller. Gripping, slow paced mostly until the last half of the book, and lots of secrets and twists - you truly won't see the ending coming.

One of my favorite reads of the year. This was so good and twisty. I loved every minute of getting to read this book. This is my second book by this author and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

This book was absolutely addictive and gripping. I seriously WOULD NOT even start this book unless you have cleared your schedule because you will not be able to put it down!!!

I absolutely flew through it in one sitting and it genuinely was unputdownable! A true page turner absolutely rammed with suspense, tension and everything you want when you read a psychological thriller.

I finally turned the last page at 1am. Yes. this book is that good!!! A definite MUST READ!!!!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!

This is a very good book for YA and a short read due to the short chapters, for an adult reading a thriller though it does lack in the thriller aspect. Am I giving this a bad review no, because it's meant to be more YA and I believe YA would adore this book if they want to try the thriller aspect.

I was eager to read Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush, because I greatly enjoyed her debut When She Was Me. I dove into Whispers of Dead Girls with a positive attitude and an open mind.

Ultimately, I am not recommending this book because of the twist. I feel it does not do justice to victims and it is actively damaging to propel stories like this into people's consciousness, even when presented as fiction.

Things I enjoyed:
-The main character and the steady reveal of her secrets
-The high school setting
-The tension between the MC and her primary suspect

Three and a half stars rounded up. Marlee Bush’s “Whispers of Dead Girls’ is the second book she’s had published. It’s a standalone from her debut novel.

Ren Taylor has returned to her hometown to teach biology at her old high school. It has been 10 years since the death of her older sister, who was a senior and had almost graduated. On Ren’s first day in her new job, she meets Bryson Lewis, a physics teacher whose classroom is across the hall from hers. Based on what happened when she and her sister were in high school, Ren is immediately suspicious of Bryson and his intentions/interactions/behavior towards his female students.

When she notices he seems to have taken an interest in one particular female student, she begins watching him closer and “investigating” him. Early on, I found most of Ren’s behavior to be unrealistic and felt she reached her conclusions based on faulty assumptions/hypotheses. Later on in the book, things leveled out for me and the storyline seemed to have been tightened up by the author.

I will say, I realized partway through the book that I had read her first book and enjoyed it. To be honest, I enjoyed her debut novel slightly more than this one. Both books, though, have (good) aspects to their plots and writing style that most authors I’ve read don’t explore.

Overall, I recommend this book. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC.

Well, I loved this the first book, When She Was Me! Gave it 5 stars. This one is good too. Had fun reading this one. It's not the typical fast-paced thriller but more a mystery you want to solve. It grabbed me and I knew there was something more behind this than you first think.
The story is about Ren and her sister Margo. You get to know the story about the death of Margo but also what is happening on this school, in their hometown. But that's not all. There is also something dark about Ren and the bond between her and her sister Margo.
It kept me going and read this one in two days. I loved it!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

I think most teenage girls at some point end up having a crush on that one high school teacher. You know the one, everyone likes him, he's easy to talk to, makes jokes in class and when he smiles you just know it's for you. You start to get all dreamy and planning your future but what if that one teacher and that one crush haunts you forever? That's when you hear the whispers, The Whispers of Dead Girls pushing you to do what is right, to protect these young girls, find the answers, keep them safe and from making that same mistake. You know how they feel, you know what the others are saying about them, you know the grief, the guilt but you don't know the twist so you have to read this book!
The author does a great job of telling Ren's story, a teacher who is suspicious of a student's crush on another teacher along with the her own crush from the past and all the guilt, grief and danger that comes along with it all with an unexpected twist. It has a great combination of suspense, emotions and what's going to happen next thrill.

This book is just wow! The characters were well written, the plot was excellent, and I was hooked the entire time. Ren was a bit complex, but I cheered her on throughout the book. The book was great and kept me engaged so I finished it in one sitting.

Think A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, but from the teacher's perspective. I devoured this book in one sitting. It was impossible to predict the outcome and the twists along the way were shocking. I never expected the ending which is just how I like my thrillers. This is one thriller of 2025 not to miss!

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a good book. It was intriguing and fast paced due to shorter chapters, but I really did not like Ren at all and I did find some of the external story lines to be a bit overwhelming.

Ren accepts a job teaching at her old high school. Here she hopes to make peace with her past, but the fact that her murdered teenage sister is still immortalized in town makes that challenging. Ren can’t stop seeing her sister everywhere she goes, and she’s still distraught by the scandal that both ruined her childhood and killed her sister. Soon, Ren meets physics teacher Bryson Lewis. Bryson is both handsome and charismatic. The more Ren watches him from across the hall, the more suspicious she becomes. Then, she sees him developing a close relationship with a girl from one of his classes, a girl who reminds her of her sister. Ren is terrified that history is about to repeat itself. This time she won’t sit back and watch. This time Ren will do something before it’s too late.

This was my second book by Marlee Bush. She hooked me right from the beginning. I read this book pretty much in one sitting. The small-town atmosphere featuring a gossip hotline is just perfect. The main character, Ren, is very relatable, and it’s easy to root for her in the story. Clear your schedule for this one because once you start, you won’t be able to stop. I recommend this one to anyone that enjoys twisty thrillers! I give it 4.5/5 stars.

I found this book lacking as a thriller. It might be great marketed as a YA book. It just wasn't for me.

Whispers of Dead Girls
Marlee Bush
05/27/2025
Poisoned Pen Press

Meet Ren Taylor, a very flawed protagonist who will challenge yours, hers and everyone else’s moral boundaries. She will encourage you to broaden your understanding, and prompt you to reflect on how you would respond in those situations. Ren is part vigilante and part anti-hero.

10 years earlier Ren lost her sister and best friend Margo. Margo’s murder, and the truth and facts around that murder, are dropped little by little, but only one person knows the truth. Since then, Ren has been hardened toward men. She finds herself back home, teaching at her former high school, where she lost her sister and finds too many similarities to her sister’s murder when compared to current missing and murdered girls, and sexual predators. Ren wants to make sure victims are heard, but what if the victims are not victims at all? What if Ren just always sees the worst?

This book is a fast paced, heart wrenching read with twists and turns that will keep you up all night reading. There really is no way to stop. The reader needs to know what happened to Margo; what happened in Ren’s past that made her become so cynical and distrusting of men and anyone in authority? What will stay with you long after you finish is Marlee Bush's ability to balance the emotional pull and importance of the topics among the pages with a heart-pounding plot!

My sincere thanks to NetGalley, Marlee Bush, and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The book follows Ren Taylor, who returns to her small hometown to take a teaching job at the high school where she once faced the tragedy of her sister’s death. Now, a decade later, Ren is still haunted by her sister’s murder, quite literally sees Margo everywhere, and when a series of disturbing disappearances begin to mirror her past, Ren becomes obsessed with stopping history from repeating itself. Her suspicions fall on Bryson Lewis, a male teacher who seems way too familiar with the victims. As Ren delves deeper into the mystery, she must confront the dark secrets of her past and confront a reality she is hiding even from herself.
It's a good book that could be exceptional, not to mention empowering, if it wasn't for a false note close to the ending, and admission of guilt that should not be there, or at least not in this form. Sadly it weakens the essence of solidarity and shared perspective present for the majority of the plot, solidarity of hurt girls, broken girls, girls exploited and dechieved, silenced and disregarded, powerless against men in position of authority, confused by their own feelings, suffering from betrayal and stripped of safety and innocence.
That being said, it's still a deeply sad, emotional and intimate story and it surely will resonate with many readers, especially female ones.

#WhispersofDeadGirls #NetGalley

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 4 Stars
This book follows Ren, haunted by her sister’s untimely passing, and her journey back to where it all began. She is back to her home town, starting a new job at her old high school. She grows mysterious of the teacher across the hall, noticing that things aren’t right between him and a fellow student. But her sister is always there with her, even though she is dead.

There’s a lot of things I liked about this book. The writing style was quick and zippy, and definitely kept me wanting to turn the page to see what was happening next. However, sometimes the author would switch between past and current tense in an unclear manner, so it was a little hard to follow in the beginning before I got used to it.

A fair warning, there is a LOT of grooming in this book. Not sure I would have picked it up had I been aware, but I don’t regret reading it. Overall it was a solid thriller with a twist I did not guess!

A huge thank you to Atria Publishing and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts!

Wasn’t able to read this one digitally but I did order a copy of the book so will be reviewing it after I’ve read it. I’m really excited for it as I’ve only heard great things about it.