Whispers of the Lake is the first time I have encountered author Shanora Williams and it is gripping enough that I will definitely seek out more of her novels to read. It is also my first advanced readers copy (ARC) received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to them and to Kensington Publishing for providing a book.

The novel centers around the relationship between Rose Howard, an experienced investigative reporter three months out of a relationship, and her former best friend, travel vlogger and influencer Eve Castillo, who caused the end of Howard's marriage by sleeping with her husband. The rift between the ex-friends is greater than that of the marriage with Rose struggling to come to terms with both.

Throughout much of the novel, Rose criticizes her friend's actions as being "just like Eve" -- irresponsible and inconsiderate of others -- while wondering why she even cares at this point. Even after being contacted by Eve's younger sister who has not heard from her in some time, Rose finds herself torn between helping or just chalking it up to one of Eve's little stunts. Of course, being the investigative reporter she is, Rose does try to determine the cause of her former friend's disappearance.

Eve's last known location is a booking in a tiny lakeside cottage deep in the woods of North Carolina. In her efforts to find her, Rose books a stay at the same cottage and ultimately discovers much more than she ever bargained for.

The novel is rich in characterization. The reader comes to distrust Rose's neighbors around the lake as well as the residents of the nearby town of Sage Hill as much as she does. Nobody is above suspicion. The descriptions of the cabin and the area surrounding the lake evoked my own memories of vacations in heavily wooded areas when I was much younger.

The reader is left with admiration for Rose's determination to find her ex-friend despite the growing realization that Eve is an even worse person than Rose is willing to admit. This comes about through several entries from Eve's digital journal sprinkled throughout the book. This is not a nice person and yet her former friend puts her life on the line to find out answers. Is there a deeper reason that we don't know about?

I give this book four stars as it kept me intrigued from start to finish, packing in plenty of thrills in under 300 pages. It will not be the last Shanora Williams novel that I read.

Synopsis

At the height of her career, investigative journalist Rose Howard is feeling the weight of her seemingly flawless life. With her marriage crumbling, she finds herself in dire need of a break to recharge and figure out her next steps. Clarity strikes when she realizes her old best friend, Eve Castillo, isn’t answering her calls while on vacation at a cottage in North Carolina. Despite knowing Eve's tendency to be unreliable—one of the reasons their friendship fell apart—Rose decides to make the trip to the peaceful town of Sage Hill. Upon arrival, Rose is shocked to find that Eve has disappeared, leaving behind her purse and passport, even though she had plans to travel abroad. The friendly cabin owners' stories about Eve's stay don’t quite add up, and the once-welcoming locals start to become less cooperative. Rose can’t shake the feeling that something is off, and she’s determined to uncover the truth behind Eve’s sudden disappearance.

My Thoughts
I just finished my first book from this author, and I’m pretty sure it won’t be the last. I was totally into it the whole time! The pacing was fast, and the plot twists were really well done without being too easy to guess. The way the author writes made it easy to connect with the characters. I kept asking myself what Rose, the main character, was thinking, but overall, it was a fantastic read. If you like drama and thriller/mystery, you should definitely check this book out when it comes out on June 24, 2025.

Thank you @Netgalley and @Kensington.parties for allowing me to review this ARC.

“Whispers of the Lake" may be shorter than the longer novels some readers are accustomed to, including myself, but it packs a satisfying punch with its rich atmosphere, layered storytelling, and emotional depth. The novel masterfully weaves suspense and introspection, drawing the reader into its quiet yet haunting world. Every word feels deliberate, making the pacing tight and impactful without sacrificing character development. It’s a story that lingers long after the final page, proving that brevity doesn’t mean a lack of substance—if anything, it enhances the experience.

Thank You NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Your best friend betrayed you. But now it appears she’s missing and you are desperate for answers.

This book is packed with suspense and unanswered questions. My favorite chapters were the ones of Eve’s journal. She has such a mysterious and chaotic vibe about her. I was very invested in the story and really had no idea how things were going to play out. The unknowns just kept piling up and left my head spinning.


Thank you so much NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the arc!

I thought the story was really interesting. It held my attention the whole time. Highly recommended!

For a book just over 220 pages long, it sure packed a lot in! Rose, jilted by her best friend and soon to be ex husband, is frustrated when her ex best friend's sister won't stop calling. When she answers and hears her former best friend Eve is MIA, out of love for Zoey, Eve's sister, she starts looking into it. Would it have been better to just brush her off? That's for you to unravel as you journey with Rose with tidbits from Eve's journal sprinkled in. It's mysterious, it's suspenseful, it's heartbreakingly frustrating. I don't envy Rose, but I feel for her!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a review. This is the second book by Shanora Williams that I have read. This book definitely held my attention and I didn’t know what to expect. We got to know the missing best friend through various journal entries and I found her to be very unlikable - even with the added context of her past. Rose still trying to find her despite Eve’s transgressions was admirable but Eve did not deserve the privacy of their close friends and family not knowing why they fell out.

A travel influencer is missing and Rose is worried about her friend eventhough she’s disappointed in her for sleeping with her husband.
…
Rose is an investigative reporter looking for answers about the disappearance of her friend.
…
Whispers of the Lake had a rough beginning one where I had to gather pieces of the puzzle from a box with a missing picture. Whispers of the Lake is a missing person mystery thriller. Eve has always been a wild child getting herself caught up in promiscuous situations. Rose never expected to be betrayed by her friend. When Zoey asks Rose to look into her sister’s disappearance she honors her request. The story takes readers to Twilight Oaks a small town located near a lake. The story was okay. I wasn’t entirely invested in the storyline. It had a few dull moments. I was expecting something creepier and darker. I appreciated the effort and dedication to writing an original story.

Whispers of the Lake fell flat for me. I wasn't a fan of Eve's so I never really cared what happened to her. And many of the scenarios Rose puts herself in did not seem believable.

I really enjoyed this story. The mystery was great but I will say I did not like Eve. I was able to connect with the main character and felt for her struggle. I also thought it had to much sex in it even though they were brief scenes. The ending left me satisfied and I will definitely check out other books by this author. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC!

Shanora is about to be my go-to for thriller reads. This is my second book by her, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Rose was a good friend even though Eve did her dirty. I don't know if I could've done the same. The twists and turns in this book had me on the edge of my seat. I thought I figured out who was behind Eve's disappearance, but I was completely wrong. When all was revealed, I was shocked. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thanks to Kensington Publishing for the ARC of this book. Not exactly my style but a fun, quick thriller.

This book is the definition of a page turner. Once I started I couldn’t put it down. This story is told through a 1st person POV of the FMC with flashes of past tense POV with journal entries of the missing character Eve.

From the 1st few chapters I really wanted to hate Eve because her character is written with so many toxic layers. But I emphasize with her story and ended up rooting for her growth. The way Shanora writes allowed me to fully connect with characters that I might normally loath. The story was fast paced, and the plot twists were believable without being predictable. I definitely recommend reading this book if you’re looking for drama, mystery & and character growth.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for this Advance Readers Copy ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to Shanora Williams, Kensington Publishing, and Netgalley for the e-arc of this book! This is a quick thriller read- under 300 pages! Switched between Rose present tense and Eve’s journal entrys! It kept my attention the entire read & kept me guessing on what happened to Eve! This book publishes on 6/24/25!

Thank you to NetGalley , the publisher and Shanora Williams for the ARC of this book!

Once again Shanora Williams delivers an incredible read that you simply don’t want to put down . I literally read this is in two sittings because I had to know what happened next. The short chapters and alternating viewpoints with Eve’s diary made this a quick read . The chapters kept you hanging on for the next word .

If your former best friend wrongs you in an unforgivable manner do you still care for them? A moral dilemma and a mysterious disappearance That is the unimaginable situation the main character Rose finds herself stuck in throughout this novel . After nearly 3 months of no contact due to a fight her former best friend is missing and she has to fight to process her mixed emotions while she wanders out to find Eve , her former friend.

While some small things felt predictable, I think overall the information and clues were sprinkled in perfectly throughout. Every single character and story event kept you guessing what was actually happening until the last moment. The characters are flawed and raw in a way that makes the storyline even better. Overall this was a 5 star read for me . I look forward to reading more from this author in the future .

I really like Shanora Williams, so this is a little hard to write, but here we go.

Every ridiculous cliché of the "girl in a horror movie" you can think of happened. Tripping while running, hiding and almost getting caught, having no cell signal but not trying to find it, ignoring what the police tell her to do, etc etc. I spent at least 50% of this book getting irrationally angry at Rose for what stupid decisions she was making. I think I rolled my eyes and had to stop reading at least once a chapter because it was so frustrating to read; I would have finished this much sooner if I didn't have to literally take breaks to avoid the ridiculousness.

The other thing that really bothered me about this book was Eve as a character. I feel like the audience was being <i>told</i> to like her, instead of actually feeling empathetic and liking her. Oh she made a bad decision? Here's a journal entry of exactly why she did it according to her therapist, so feel bad!! I almost feel like a bad person for not liking her, because it was written out for me why I should feel bad and like her. If that makes any sense at all.

Overall, this was not my thing. Check out some other thrillers from this author instead of this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5

This was an enjoyable thriller, but is ultimately not a favourite for me.

We follow Rose, who has just split from her husband and is no longer speaking to her best friend, Eve. However, Eve’s sister gets in touch with Rose as she hasn’t heard from Eve for a while, which is unusual. Eve is a travel blogger so Rose books the cottage Eve stayed in (the last place Eve was known to be) in order to find her.

We have a lot of shady characters in this small town that Rose visits, which definitely adds to the already eerie atmosphere of the creepy cottage. I enjoyed this aspect, as well as the setting in general.

I also liked the pacing of this, I was never bored while reading this book and it left me intrigued from start to finish with wanting to know what happened to Eve.

I didn’t love our main character and feel she made some really annoying decisions which I found irritating. I also think there was maybe one too many characters in here, some I don’t think we’re hugely necessary.

Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast-paced thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I definitely do recommend giving this one a go.

Rose is rebuilding her life. After filing for divorce and distancing herself from her former best friend, she’s immersed in her work as a journalist- breaking a story on a well-known, shady billionaire. All is well until she receives a frantic call from Zoey saying she can’t find her sister and Rose’s former bestie- Eve.

Despite their fallout, Rose senses something is wrong and embarks on a mission to find her. The suspects are piling up and her life is certainly in danger but she’s determined to find out what happened to Eve and where she is.

From the 1st page, I was hooked and rearranged my reading schedule to finish this in one day. Shanora Williams thrillers always leave me hooked because they’re fast-paced with amazing plot twists- this book was no different.

This was such a good, addictive page-turner.

Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the advance reading copy of this book.

Investigative reporter Rose Howard is exhausted from trying to manage her seemingly perfect life. With her marriage to the man she thought was her one true love collapsing, she desperately needs for one thing to go right.

While striving for a promotion to senior reporter, her efforts are interrupted when she learns her former best friend and travel vlogger, Eve Castillo, isn't responding to attempts to contact her at the North Carolina cottage she's reviewing. Rose knows Eve can be flaky and irresponsible. And after Eve breaks the ultimate ethical friendship code and crosses boundaries to the point of no return, Rose wants nothing to do with her. Still, Rose heads to the tranquil small town of Sage Hill . . .

Rose soon discovers that Eve has vanished without her purse and passport—even after booking a trip abroad. The personable cabin owners’ accounts of Eve's stay just don’t add up . . . and most of the town's initially hospitable inhabitants become increasingly less helpful . . .

Rose's instincts tell her the solution lies somewhere in Eve's—and Sage Hill's—past. To get answers, she’ll have to ask inconvenient questions, stumble onto shocking truths, and face vicious attempts on her life. But some truths are best left alone. And secrets Rose never saw coming could easily sink her, and her future, without a
trace . . .

This book kept me guessing right up to the end! This is the first time I've read a book by this author, and hopefully won't be the last! 3.75 out of 5 ⭐️

Absolutely stunning! My favorite Shanora Thriller by far!!!! I DEVOURED this book! It kept me guessing and I could not turn the page fast enough!!!!