Reviews with content warning for Toxic friendship - Șoaptele

I read this book a lot faster than I was expecting to. There was so much going on, and so much happening constantly throughout it that it just kept me completely hooked the entire time. There wasn't a dull moment or a character's point of view I liked less than the others. All four women had such compelling point of views and compelling storylines and the way they all weaved together as the story progressed was incredible. It was exactly what I was in the mood for and gave me everything I needed to read. The writing itself was really good too, and I loved the different portrayals of motherhood and marriage from all the different points of view. Overall, I would highly recommend this book, it was so good! As with most thrillers/darker books though make sure to check trigger warnings!

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princessxnicole's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

I’m gonna rate this how I did “The Push”, as I loved it just as much as her debut. The only thing keeping me from 5 stars is the both of them having very quick endings.

WOW!!! An incredibly fascinating second novel from Ashley Audrain. I was immediately invested in the deep tangle of suburban domesticity between the three families at the helm of this story, and even the fourth family’s insights sprinkled throughout. Audrain commands your attention with every page, every insane detail that feels hot in your hands, like juicy but disturbing neighborhood gossip you’re only so lucky to be privy too. Like you are one of the periphery moms, whispering about only the surface of the twisted, mangled iceberg.

This is as much a novel about marriages and parent-child relationships under pressure as it is a novel of suspense. Which is to say, this isn’t exactly a thriller, but very much so an intense domestic drama that leaves you clutching at your pearls, as they say, as the characters’ lives unravel. A child in a coma, due to mysterious circumstances. His parents, his neighbors, none of them quite who they seem. Rumors everywhere. Lies as abundant as a cup full of sugar.

I throughly enjoyed this one. I loved the intensity, the explicitness, the shock, every character interwoven into another in the most unexpected ways. This is a deliciously spiraling novel that makes you think a whole lot about the lives of those acquaintances around you that may be entirely different from what you only see from the end of the driveway. Or overheard from an open window…

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znvisser's review against another edition

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reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was absolutely positive I would love this, because I devoured Audrains debut and I couldn't stop thinking about it for days after. Furthermore, I love multiple POVs and found the themes intriguing. However... This didn't work for me. Mostly because I found the characters *very* boring and the plot quite uneventful. While I can see some parallels with things I loved about The Push, the attempts to create tension and twists just didn't hit as hard in The Whispers. It's certainly not the case that I could predict all details, but the trails were easy to follow so I didn't turn out surprised by any of them either. Next time I'm getting excited about a sophomore novel I'll be trying to temper my enthusiasm, because I'd rather be persuaded than disappointed along the way.

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morepagesplease's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

Dysfunctional marriages, infertility, people complaining about marriage

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gondorgirl's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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mysterymom40's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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amandalorianxo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Audrain did it again. Pushing the envelope when it comes to the topic of children, pregnancy, infertility, infidelity, miscarriages and secrets. We meet the four women who are inter connected in this story, all of them harboring something that can impact the other in more ways than one. Whitney- the mom who physically looks like a dream but emotionally is not fully mature enough to handle herself. Blair, the “best friend” who feels as if her husband should appreciate her more but doesn’t speak up enough. Rebecca, the doctor who doesn’t have kids and tries her best to reach out to her neighbors. Mara, Last but not least, is the Portuguese immigrant who lost her son a long time ago & sees a strange resemblance in Xavier.

I do wish Mara had been given a little more of a central role but everything’s picks up during the second half of the novel. Audrain was also great at giving us a red herring when it came to the affair that occurs. We initially assume it’s one devious couple when it’s actually someone else.

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