I wondered after The Push if Audrain could come up with something just as good, and the answer is a resounding yes.

I love the author's writing style. It's direct and unembellished, never heavy-handed, so we get to know the three couples whose lives intertwine not through lengthy descriptions but slowly but surely through what they say and what they do. Every character in the book has secrets and, living so close as they do, tension simmers throughout the novel. There are little insights on every page into their emotions, their relationships, their suspicions, their insecurities.

On the sidelines are Mara and Albert with a whole sad history of their own, treated almost as outsiders by the three younger couples. Mara is a fascinating character and we really get to the heart of her story despite her being a relatively minor player.

As in The Push, motherhood is a strong theme, explored sensitively and in detail, one woman desperate for the babies she cannot carry, another whose career means more to her than her children, and the third seemingly doing everything right.

I could not have foreseen the ending. It left my imagination working overtime wondering what the future would hold. Of all the last lines in all the books I've ever read this is up there with the very best.

What next from this brilliant author?

After the push, I was so keen to jump straight into this new release and even with such high expectations, I was blown away! It's so twisty and there are so many secrets and subplots that I coukdnt get enough. It gives big little lies type vibes. The secrets that all these families are keeping behind closed doors and that eventually find a way to spill out into the light. I didn't find it terribly thrilling but I did love the psychological aspect. Another winner!!

I give it all the stars. Ashley had a lot to live up to in my expectations following ‘The Push’ but Oh Em Gee she smashed it out the ballpark with this one. It’s a blinder of a book that follows a group of neighbours all facing challenges in the wake of a tragic event. It’s quite dark and gritty but handled lightly, if that makes sense? Ashley writes hauntingly well which pulls her reader into the centre of the story wondering how it is all going to unravel and then pull back together again. That last page is a right old sucker punch - what a great way to finish it!

Another unputdownable dark and twisty thriller from Ashley Audrain, which will find you questioning every single character, and your own experience of motherhood. If you enjoyed The Push then you're bound to enjoy this one too. Personally I found the ending a bit of a letdown but I'm going to go back and read the last few chapters again as it's very possible I missed something. This would be a great one for a book club as it's bound to trigger lots of interpretations and debate.

You should already know about Ashley Audrain from her debut The Push...

I couldn't wait to read The Whispers.

If I were to imagine my perfect blend psychological domestic drama it might be something like this.

Imagine a small group of friends or neighbours, like in Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, each with their own issues and secrets, mix with the ‘deep in their anxious minds’ character writing of Charlotte Levin and the disturbing real life issues that Lucinda Berry writes about.

The Whispers deserves the comparisons with the very best in the genre.

The balance between the four neighbouring families is perfect, each has their own stresses, secrets and regrets. I was hooked on each characters' subplot and couldn't wait to see how they would all come together.

Absolutely compelling, heart wrenching, emotionally involving writing. It feels real.

An absolute must read, I already know this book will be a contender for my book of the year.

Thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House

This was a fantastic read which will have you gripped from start to finish.

It is about four different families who are neighbours with all them having secret which they don’t want the others to know. I was immediately draw in from the first chapter and once I started I could not put it down. Great domestic thriller which will have you gripped to the very end. Will definitely be shouting from the roof tops about this book as it was excellent.

I loved The Push and was eager to read this, the author's second novel. It concerns four families who are neighbours. Blair, stay at home mum married to Adrian, with daughter Chloe; Whitney, married to Jacob - she is a high flier who loves her job more than her three children; Mara and Albert from Portugal, whose son died a few years before and Rebecca, who is a hospital doctor married to Ben. She has had several miscarriages and is desperate for a baby. There are lots of secrets in these relationships and they are all explored in a beautifully executed plot. I was immediately drawn in and found it compelling reading. The only slight criticism I would make is that, whilst the women are well-rounded characters, the men are very much supporting characters and they merge into the background.

A powerful domestic drama/thriller shows just how badly we try to hide our innermost secrets and the way those end up bursting a hole in the lives of those around.