The Whispers by Heidi Perks REVIEW

 The Whispers

by Heidi Perks

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Synopsis

Anna loves Girls’ Night with her friends. With the kids safely in bed, it’s a chance for the women to let loose, enjoy some wine, and just laugh. But after one lively evening, Anna doesn’t arrive for school drop-off the next morning—or the next, or the next.

Everyone, especially her husband and young son, are frantic with worry but none more so than Grace, her childhood best friend. Grace is certain that someone is hiding the truth about Anna’s unexplained disappearance. As rumors fly and accusations are whispered among neighbors, Grace decides to take matters into her own hands and find out what happened to Anna…or die trying.

Review

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Grace and Anna were closer than sisters, until they were 17 years old and Grace moved away with her family. Now 19 years later Grace has moved home and would love nothing more than to rekindle her friendship with Anna. However, Anna is standoffish and seems to prefer the company of her current friends than getting back their old friendship. One night Grace is invited out for drinks with Anna and her friends, that is the last night Anna has been seen by anybody. Now Grace must dig up all the clues she can find to figure out if something was done to her, if she had an accident or if she left on her own accord.

This was a very slow burn which isn't something I tend to enjoy. I have enjoyed it in certain books, however in this case I feel like it could have been sped up significantly. It reminded me of a soap opera where little twists are slotted to keep the interest of the consumer without disturbing the slow progression.

The story itself, was actually really good. I really enjoyed the unreliable narrator. I kept going back and forth from "oh this was predictable" to "no wait I was wrong" to "no I was right" and back again. I didn't like any of the characters and I didn't trust any of them. They were perfectly written for this story. Making them so unlikable increased the confusion on who could really be trusted and who has secrets they want to stay buried.

You should read this book if you're interested in:

- unreliable narrators
- toxic female friendships
- slow burns that unravel just enough to keep you reading