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The Hush
A multigenerational, female-led thriller, and a terrifying conspiracy that goes right to the heart of the British Government.
Six months ago, in an English hospital, a healthy baby wouldn’t take a breath at birth. Since then there have been more tragedies, and now the country is in turmoil. The government is clamping down on people’s freedoms. The prime minister has passed new laws granting authorities sweeping powers to monitor all citizens. And young pregnant women have started going missing.
As a midwife, Emma is determined to be there for those who need her. But when her seventeen-year-old daughter Lainey finds herself in trouble, this dangerous new world becomes very real, and both women face impossible choices. The one person who might help is Emma’s estranged mother Geraldine, but reaching out to her will put them all in jeopardy …
The Hush is a new breed of near-future thriller, an unflinching look at a society close to tipping point and a story for our times, highlighting the power of female friendship through a dynamic group of women determined to triumph against the odds.
Six months ago, in an English hospital, a healthy baby wouldn’t take a breath at birth. Since then there have been more tragedies, and now the country is in turmoil. The government is clamping down on people’s freedoms. The prime minister has passed new laws granting authorities sweeping powers to monitor all citizens. And young pregnant women have started going missing.
As a midwife, Emma is determined to be there for those who need her. But when her seventeen-year-old daughter Lainey finds herself in trouble, this dangerous new world becomes very real, and both women face impossible choices. The one person who might help is Emma’s estranged mother Geraldine, but reaching out to her will put them all in jeopardy …
The Hush is a new breed of near-future thriller, an unflinching look at a society close to tipping point and a story for our times, highlighting the power of female friendship through a dynamic group of women determined to triumph against the odds.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published November 2, 2021
150 people are currently reading
8063 people want to read
About the author
Sara Foster
13 books731 followersSara Foster is a critically acclaimed, bestselling fiction author with a passion for psychological suspense and a keen interest in exploring zeitgeist issues and strong female characters in her nail-biting novels. Her latest, When She Was Gone (2025), begins when an au pair and two small children vanish from a remote Australian beach, and is a race-against-time thriller, exploring themes around misogyny, wealth, power and control.
Sara is also the author of dystopian thriller The Hush and seven more bestselling novels. Two of her books have been optioned for television, and You Don’t Know Me was adapted into a chart-topping podcast series by Listnr. Sara has a PhD in creative writing (studying maternal representations in fiction) and lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
Follow Sara on Substack at Story Matters (for readers) and The Resilient Author (for writers). Or visit her website: www.sarafoster.com.au
Sara is also the author of dystopian thriller The Hush and seven more bestselling novels. Two of her books have been optioned for television, and You Don’t Know Me was adapted into a chart-topping podcast series by Listnr. Sara has a PhD in creative writing (studying maternal representations in fiction) and lives in Perth, WA, with her husband, two daughters, three cats, Luna the cavoodle and Sunny the bearded dragon.
Follow Sara on Substack at Story Matters (for readers) and The Resilient Author (for writers). Or visit her website: www.sarafoster.com.au
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 586 reviews
November 2, 2021
This thriller was action-packed right from the beginning.
Set in the near-future after COVID, the British government has issued sweeping mandates that slowly begin to look a lot like Big Brother, stripping people of their human rights. For some unknown and horrifying reason, an increasing number of otherwise healthy babies are born unresponsive. The government’s response to this crisis is to heavily monitor the health and whereabouts of its citizens via smartwatches. On top of all that, young pregnant women have started to go missing, sometimes with their entire families. When Lainey, a seventeen-year-old girl, suspects she is pregnant, her mother and grandmother do everything in their power to protect her.
This thriller is fast-paced and has one shocking revelation after another. It’s told from Lainey and Emma’s perspective.
There’s not much to critique with this one. It kept my attention, but it was a touch too quickly paced to what I normally read. Otherwise, I found this to be a gripping novel.
3.5 rounded up.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the near-future after COVID, the British government has issued sweeping mandates that slowly begin to look a lot like Big Brother, stripping people of their human rights. For some unknown and horrifying reason, an increasing number of otherwise healthy babies are born unresponsive. The government’s response to this crisis is to heavily monitor the health and whereabouts of its citizens via smartwatches. On top of all that, young pregnant women have started to go missing, sometimes with their entire families. When Lainey, a seventeen-year-old girl, suspects she is pregnant, her mother and grandmother do everything in their power to protect her.
This thriller is fast-paced and has one shocking revelation after another. It’s told from Lainey and Emma’s perspective.
There’s not much to critique with this one. It kept my attention, but it was a touch too quickly paced to what I normally read. Otherwise, I found this to be a gripping novel.
3.5 rounded up.
Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for the arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 22, 2023
A decade after the pandemic that swept the world, the maternity hospitals started losing babies. Reaching full-term and being born only to not take a breath. The magnitude of the disaster was hitting all areas of the British Government, including the Prime Minister and her cohorts. Emma was a midwife, a compassionate and caring woman to have at the birthing mother’s side. Emma’s seventeen-year-old daughter Lainey was in her last year of schooling and suddenly she was in trouble. Her best friend Sereena stood by her side, helping her in every way she could. But the smartwatches they wore meant the government monitored their every move.
Young teenage pregnant women were going missing, and in some cases, so were their families. Lainey didn’t want to become one of them so she and Emma got in touch with Emma’s mother, Geraldine Fox, who did all she could to help Lainey. But suddenly Lainey was one of the missing, and Emma, her good friend Meena (Sereena’s mother) and a couple of other trusted friends began plotting. They needed a plan – but up against a powerful government with followers all over the country, would it be possible to work against them?
Wow! Breathtaking and intense – The Hush by Aussie author Sara Foster is a thriller with bite! What an amazing and original storyline, which is focused on the strength of women when they face adversaries trying to hurt their children. Two particular males made the grade in this story – Dylan and Nick – while the rest and main cast were the women, strong, determined and courageous. The Hush is an outstanding read which I recommend highly.
With thanks to the author for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Young teenage pregnant women were going missing, and in some cases, so were their families. Lainey didn’t want to become one of them so she and Emma got in touch with Emma’s mother, Geraldine Fox, who did all she could to help Lainey. But suddenly Lainey was one of the missing, and Emma, her good friend Meena (Sereena’s mother) and a couple of other trusted friends began plotting. They needed a plan – but up against a powerful government with followers all over the country, would it be possible to work against them?
Wow! Breathtaking and intense – The Hush by Aussie author Sara Foster is a thriller with bite! What an amazing and original storyline, which is focused on the strength of women when they face adversaries trying to hurt their children. Two particular males made the grade in this story – Dylan and Nick – while the rest and main cast were the women, strong, determined and courageous. The Hush is an outstanding read which I recommend highly.
With thanks to the author for my uncorrected proof ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
October 30, 2021
The Hush is a dystopian thriller, and I loved it!
Times are changing in the near future. The government is now monitoring everyone. Young pregnant women have gone missing. Emma is a midwife whose teenage daughter, Lainey, becomes pregnant. Now the danger is at their doorstep in this scary new world.
The Hush is also a story of female friendship and found family. Dystopian thrillers often freak me out. I’m serious. They feel real, and like maybe only two steps away from happening in some cases. The Hush is written in an authentic and dynamic way, with excellent tension. Check this out if you are looking for a unique and powerful story.
About the book: A multigenerational, female-led thriller, and a terrifying conspiracy that goes right to the heart of the British Government.
The Hush is a new breed of near-future thriller, an unflinching look at a society close to tipping point and a story for our times, highlighting the power of female friendship through a dynamic group of women determined to triumph against the odds.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Times are changing in the near future. The government is now monitoring everyone. Young pregnant women have gone missing. Emma is a midwife whose teenage daughter, Lainey, becomes pregnant. Now the danger is at their doorstep in this scary new world.
The Hush is also a story of female friendship and found family. Dystopian thrillers often freak me out. I’m serious. They feel real, and like maybe only two steps away from happening in some cases. The Hush is written in an authentic and dynamic way, with excellent tension. Check this out if you are looking for a unique and powerful story.
About the book: A multigenerational, female-led thriller, and a terrifying conspiracy that goes right to the heart of the British Government.
The Hush is a new breed of near-future thriller, an unflinching look at a society close to tipping point and a story for our times, highlighting the power of female friendship through a dynamic group of women determined to triumph against the odds.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
October 13, 2021
Can I just start by saying this is NOT a book you want to read when your eldest daughter is going through labour with her first baby and you are miles away and cannot contact her! Had I read the blurb again I would have waited. Anyway its all good now, mum and bub are well, but this book put me through the shredder. Still it was great to have another EXCITING book hot on the heels of the previous exciting book.
I thought this was really well written. The pace was perfect and it got more dramatic as we closer to the end. Set in the near future it’s a slightly dystopian story about government overreach, the quest for power, a mad scientist, cover-ups and all sorts of corruption. Sounds like business as usual! It’s 7 years post COVID and the climate crisis has deepened and caused widespread flooding around the world. The UK is, however, also facing a threat of a different kind. Babies are are increasingly being stillborn. Yikes! At first it was about one in five cases which soon increased to one in three. Expecting mothers are increasingly nervous and citizens are being increasingly surveilled to supposedly ‘ensure their safety’ but it feels increasingly Orwellian.
This is the scenario in which we meet Laniey, a 17 year old high school student. She and her best friend Sereena plan to steal a pregnancy test from a pharmacy because Lainey suspects she is pregnant but there are rumours of teenage pregnant girls going missing and she’s scared. Her mum Emma works at the local hospital as a midwife and the work is increasingly getting her down. The infant deaths are demoralising. Of course Lainey is pregnant and you will be shocked at how far the authorities go to control all this. It is quite frightening - all the more so as it is also quite plausible. This creeping incrementalism of government control creeps up on you until you suddenly realise you have little control over your own life. While the government overreach is breathtaking it’s also quite concerning to compare what happens in the book to what is going on in some parts of the world, including democracies.
Well, Lainey and Emma and friends and family and underground resistance fight back. But the result is by no means guaranteed and there are casualties along the way. I don’t want to say any more about the plot but this was very smart writing with just the right mix of fiction, suspense and plausibility. I really enjoyed the book, although I was much happier after finally speaking to my daughter. Many thanks to Sara Foster via Netgalley for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly. 4.5 stars rounded up.
I thought this was really well written. The pace was perfect and it got more dramatic as we closer to the end. Set in the near future it’s a slightly dystopian story about government overreach, the quest for power, a mad scientist, cover-ups and all sorts of corruption. Sounds like business as usual! It’s 7 years post COVID and the climate crisis has deepened and caused widespread flooding around the world. The UK is, however, also facing a threat of a different kind. Babies are are increasingly being stillborn. Yikes! At first it was about one in five cases which soon increased to one in three. Expecting mothers are increasingly nervous and citizens are being increasingly surveilled to supposedly ‘ensure their safety’ but it feels increasingly Orwellian.
This is the scenario in which we meet Laniey, a 17 year old high school student. She and her best friend Sereena plan to steal a pregnancy test from a pharmacy because Lainey suspects she is pregnant but there are rumours of teenage pregnant girls going missing and she’s scared. Her mum Emma works at the local hospital as a midwife and the work is increasingly getting her down. The infant deaths are demoralising. Of course Lainey is pregnant and you will be shocked at how far the authorities go to control all this. It is quite frightening - all the more so as it is also quite plausible. This creeping incrementalism of government control creeps up on you until you suddenly realise you have little control over your own life. While the government overreach is breathtaking it’s also quite concerning to compare what happens in the book to what is going on in some parts of the world, including democracies.
Well, Lainey and Emma and friends and family and underground resistance fight back. But the result is by no means guaranteed and there are casualties along the way. I don’t want to say any more about the plot but this was very smart writing with just the right mix of fiction, suspense and plausibility. I really enjoyed the book, although I was much happier after finally speaking to my daughter. Many thanks to Sara Foster via Netgalley for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly. 4.5 stars rounded up.
September 28, 2021
Set in a near future, post-covid Britain, still recovering from the social and economic effects of the virus, but also dealing with rising sea levels and floods caused by climate change. Post pandemic, the government has gradually mandated several new laws in the interests of community health and safety and now everyone is required to wear a smart watch. Initially the watches were to monitor peoples’ health and well-being, but now they are capable of monitoring their location, track their spending and even record their conversations.
The country is also grappling with a new emergency as a sharp increase in stillbirths is being reported. Babies are being born at term, after a healthy pregnancy but never take a breath. Scientists are racing to find out what is wrong with these babies and expectant mothers are being closely monitored to see if a cause can be found. When pregnant teenage girls start disappearing, there are rumblings on social media of a government conspiracy.
Emma is a midwife in a London maternity hospital, at the front line of the new epidemic of stillborn babies sweeping the country. When her teenage daughter, Lainey becomes pregnant Emma knows she will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
This is a scary dystopian world with shades of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, where politicians have gradually gained coercive control post-pandemic over the population in the name of community health and are now seeking to take control of women’s pregnancies and childbirth. The novel is populated with strong female characters who are not prepared to sit back and let this happen. Lainey herself is courageous and resilient and is fortunate to be surrounded by strong women in her mother and their friends as well as her fiercly feminist grandmother, who are all prepared to fight for her and to discover why pregnant teens are being taken and uncover the mystery surrounding the stillbirths. It makes for a gripping plot in a thoughtful and thought-provoking novel.
With thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for a copy to read
The country is also grappling with a new emergency as a sharp increase in stillbirths is being reported. Babies are being born at term, after a healthy pregnancy but never take a breath. Scientists are racing to find out what is wrong with these babies and expectant mothers are being closely monitored to see if a cause can be found. When pregnant teenage girls start disappearing, there are rumblings on social media of a government conspiracy.
Emma is a midwife in a London maternity hospital, at the front line of the new epidemic of stillborn babies sweeping the country. When her teenage daughter, Lainey becomes pregnant Emma knows she will do whatever it takes to keep her safe.
This is a scary dystopian world with shades of 1984 and The Handmaid's Tale, where politicians have gradually gained coercive control post-pandemic over the population in the name of community health and are now seeking to take control of women’s pregnancies and childbirth. The novel is populated with strong female characters who are not prepared to sit back and let this happen. Lainey herself is courageous and resilient and is fortunate to be surrounded by strong women in her mother and their friends as well as her fiercly feminist grandmother, who are all prepared to fight for her and to discover why pregnant teens are being taken and uncover the mystery surrounding the stillbirths. It makes for a gripping plot in a thoughtful and thought-provoking novel.
With thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for a copy to read
April 21, 2022
Come one, come all to witness the birth of an autocratic government in this brilliant novel that had me on the edge of my seat and gasping in places. This frighteningly feasible book is set in a post-Covid world and looks at the government's disturbing reaction to multiple crises such as climate change, dealing with the social and financial aftermath of the pandemic, and the rapidly increasing number of babies not surviving birth. The authorities slowly develop a strangle hold on it's citizens with Big Brother level monitoring and surveillance, the curbing of rights, and alarming mandates that give the state control over women's bodies. The women in this novel are intelligent and fierce. I wanted a bit more from the ending so I think there is room for a sequel. An excellent dystopian thriller.
CW: Descriptions of babies not surviving birth on page
CW: Descriptions of babies not surviving birth on page
August 31, 2023
The Hush is a sobering dystopian story set in a post-pandemic Great Britain. The country is reeling from the effects of the pandemic, global warming and economic problems. But most worrying for the country is the sudden unexplained rate of stillbirths, given the term Intrapartem X, that’s suddenly increasing.
The people of Britain are being closely monitored by the government with the wearing of government issued watches now mandatory and the use of cash has been discontinued. There’s no doubt that the people are being continuously monitored and, to a large extent, being controlled like never before.
Lainey Atkins is a seventeen year old schoolgirl whose life is about to be drastically changed if the pregnancy test that she and her best friend Sereena has just stolen returns a positive result. There have already been an alarming number of pregnant teens who have gone missing, never to be seen again and the government refuses to acknowledge their disappearance despite the growing outcry being heard.
Her mother, Emma, is a midwife at the local hospital and is part of the frontline fight to save every precious new life. Although she’s overworked and exhausted, her life is about to become even more complicated when Lainey, first, is arrested for taking part in an illegal protest and, second, reveals that she’s pregnant.
When there are eyes and ears everywhere monitoring your every move, each conversation, every unexplained trip and all signs of acting against the new government laws could lead to severe consequences. This is the problem facing Emma, Lainey and a few of their friends. So the task of trying to find out what really happened to the missing girls makes this a sizzling thriller with danger found at every turn.
This near-future thriller, where the civil rights of the citizens are no longer respected and a form of martial law has become the norm, pits the people against their government with fear and suspicion becoming the dominant emotions.
There are one or two slight problems I had with the premise to this story. The main one is that, even though England is the only country in the world suffering the Intrapartem X births, no-one appears to be questioning why it’s happening nowhere else in the world. It seems immediately clear to me that someone has created this epidemic for their own purposes but an entire country appears to have accepted the new status quo without much opposition. Perhaps it’s a commentary on the preparedness of the majority to accept the word of those in power. (Although, as we’ve all witnessed in 2020, that is definitely not how many people actually react).
But because this becomes a pulse-quickeningly fast-paced thriller that surges from one close call to the next, I found myself completely drawn into this parallel world. The Hush is a book that will appeal to readers looking for a well-contrived near future story with a strong and believable warning message. It’s also a story that provides hope that truth and justice can fight back against the morally bankrupt.
The people of Britain are being closely monitored by the government with the wearing of government issued watches now mandatory and the use of cash has been discontinued. There’s no doubt that the people are being continuously monitored and, to a large extent, being controlled like never before.
Lainey Atkins is a seventeen year old schoolgirl whose life is about to be drastically changed if the pregnancy test that she and her best friend Sereena has just stolen returns a positive result. There have already been an alarming number of pregnant teens who have gone missing, never to be seen again and the government refuses to acknowledge their disappearance despite the growing outcry being heard.
Her mother, Emma, is a midwife at the local hospital and is part of the frontline fight to save every precious new life. Although she’s overworked and exhausted, her life is about to become even more complicated when Lainey, first, is arrested for taking part in an illegal protest and, second, reveals that she’s pregnant.
When there are eyes and ears everywhere monitoring your every move, each conversation, every unexplained trip and all signs of acting against the new government laws could lead to severe consequences. This is the problem facing Emma, Lainey and a few of their friends. So the task of trying to find out what really happened to the missing girls makes this a sizzling thriller with danger found at every turn.
This near-future thriller, where the civil rights of the citizens are no longer respected and a form of martial law has become the norm, pits the people against their government with fear and suspicion becoming the dominant emotions.
There are one or two slight problems I had with the premise to this story. The main one is that, even though England is the only country in the world suffering the Intrapartem X births, no-one appears to be questioning why it’s happening nowhere else in the world. It seems immediately clear to me that someone has created this epidemic for their own purposes but an entire country appears to have accepted the new status quo without much opposition. Perhaps it’s a commentary on the preparedness of the majority to accept the word of those in power. (Although, as we’ve all witnessed in 2020, that is definitely not how many people actually react).
But because this becomes a pulse-quickeningly fast-paced thriller that surges from one close call to the next, I found myself completely drawn into this parallel world. The Hush is a book that will appeal to readers looking for a well-contrived near future story with a strong and believable warning message. It’s also a story that provides hope that truth and justice can fight back against the morally bankrupt.
October 15, 2021
Set in the near future this is a thriller that reflects a tendency to authoritarianism in governments in response to a crisis (with particularly sinister reasons here!). The crisis here is at birth, babies are dying before taking a breath and the numbers are increasing. The main characters are Emma, a midwife and her teenage daughter, Lainey. Everybody is monitored by a special watch for ID, payments, security, health checks etc. The story builds slowly establishing the characters and their friends and circumstances. From about half way through I really got into it and found it hard to put down. Missing young pregnant women, conspiracies, crackdown on protests, women’s rights disappearing, lots of issues and ideas to think about. A great read.
February 8, 2022
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**4.5 stars**
The Hush by Sara Foster. (2021).
In the 6 months since the first case of a terrifying new epidemic - when a healthy baby won't breathe at birth - the country has been thrown into turmoil. There are new laws to monitor everyone, and several pregnant teenagers have vanished. Emma, a midwife, is determined to help those who need her. But when her 17-year-old daughter Lainey finds herself in trouble, this dangerous new world becomes very real. Emma's estranged mother might be able to help but reaching out will put them all in jeopardy...
I found this to be a truly fascinating and engrossing read. Set in the near-future, it's actually a bit scary how believable this story was. Society is going along as best as it can after years of a pandemic, climate change, economic downturn etc when all of a sudden England is faced with a terrifying epidemic where many otherwise healthy babies are being stillborn. The government's reaction seems to be intense laws with constant supervision, while pregnant teenage girls are just disappearing. I was both horrified at the idea, and horrified at how easily I could imagine it! The story moves between Emma and her daughter Lainey's perspectives; I enjoyed both. The book really highlights the strength of female relationships when loved ones and friends band together to support one another in times of need.
Overall: I have no hesitation in recommending this very well-written and interesting novel, I thought it was fantastic.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
**4.5 stars**
The Hush by Sara Foster. (2021).
In the 6 months since the first case of a terrifying new epidemic - when a healthy baby won't breathe at birth - the country has been thrown into turmoil. There are new laws to monitor everyone, and several pregnant teenagers have vanished. Emma, a midwife, is determined to help those who need her. But when her 17-year-old daughter Lainey finds herself in trouble, this dangerous new world becomes very real. Emma's estranged mother might be able to help but reaching out will put them all in jeopardy...
I found this to be a truly fascinating and engrossing read. Set in the near-future, it's actually a bit scary how believable this story was. Society is going along as best as it can after years of a pandemic, climate change, economic downturn etc when all of a sudden England is faced with a terrifying epidemic where many otherwise healthy babies are being stillborn. The government's reaction seems to be intense laws with constant supervision, while pregnant teenage girls are just disappearing. I was both horrified at the idea, and horrified at how easily I could imagine it! The story moves between Emma and her daughter Lainey's perspectives; I enjoyed both. The book really highlights the strength of female relationships when loved ones and friends band together to support one another in times of need.
Overall: I have no hesitation in recommending this very well-written and interesting novel, I thought it was fantastic.
December 8, 2024
I believe this was my first book ever that I've read on my Kindle reader where I highlighted so many thing's!
Also I have to say ever since Covid I have been waiting patiently for a book similar to The Hush.
I am going to try to keep this review short & sweet.
The Hush is going to be the talk of the books this fall.
Here we are in London and sucked right into the British Government.
The two main characters Emma a midwife who works at one of the local hospitals and her teen daughter Lainey.
The entire country is in turmoil. Viruses, terrorism, climate change and now newborn babies are dying. And now pregnant teen girls have gone missing!
The government has taken away most of their freedom.
Wearing watches that tracks their every move. They can't use cash anymore only through their watches. Wild I'm here to tell ya!
Emma has seen this crisis first hand as she delivers still born babies. But she is determined to find out what is causing these babies death and how this happened. Now even more so when her seventeen year old daughter goes missing.
The story is told between Emma and Lainey as they live day by day in this hell they call life.
Which I absolutely enjoyed that, reading what they are thinking and feeling.
Ya'll I have never read a book as good as The Hush! Foster I freaking love you and your writing is top notch. So brilliant and amazing.
What I loved and enjoyed most was that this is actually something that could damn well happen to our country.
Thats what drew me in and had me turning the pages till 3am because this book talks about media fear mongering, corruption in the government.
I loved everything about this book!
The characters were awesome and Emma a mother who will stop at nothing to save her daughter and Lainey a girl is is brave and determined to do whats right!
Foster's writing was beyond great. Her storytelling is fabulous and will draw you in and keep you hooked.
So much for keeping this short and sweet huh!
I want to thank NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Sarah for this outstanding, remarkable, magnificent story!
Before Reading----
I've waited and waited for a book similar to The Hush for some time now!
Government tracking, A city in turmoil due to Covid and pregnant women start to go missing! Sign me the heck up.
Thank you Blackstone Pub for the chance to read this advanced ebook!
Also I have to say ever since Covid I have been waiting patiently for a book similar to The Hush.
I am going to try to keep this review short & sweet.
The Hush is going to be the talk of the books this fall.
Here we are in London and sucked right into the British Government.
The two main characters Emma a midwife who works at one of the local hospitals and her teen daughter Lainey.
The entire country is in turmoil. Viruses, terrorism, climate change and now newborn babies are dying. And now pregnant teen girls have gone missing!
The government has taken away most of their freedom.
Wearing watches that tracks their every move. They can't use cash anymore only through their watches. Wild I'm here to tell ya!
Emma has seen this crisis first hand as she delivers still born babies. But she is determined to find out what is causing these babies death and how this happened. Now even more so when her seventeen year old daughter goes missing.
The story is told between Emma and Lainey as they live day by day in this hell they call life.
Which I absolutely enjoyed that, reading what they are thinking and feeling.
Ya'll I have never read a book as good as The Hush! Foster I freaking love you and your writing is top notch. So brilliant and amazing.
What I loved and enjoyed most was that this is actually something that could damn well happen to our country.
Thats what drew me in and had me turning the pages till 3am because this book talks about media fear mongering, corruption in the government.
I loved everything about this book!
The characters were awesome and Emma a mother who will stop at nothing to save her daughter and Lainey a girl is is brave and determined to do whats right!
Foster's writing was beyond great. Her storytelling is fabulous and will draw you in and keep you hooked.
So much for keeping this short and sweet huh!
I want to thank NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and Sarah for this outstanding, remarkable, magnificent story!
Before Reading----
I've waited and waited for a book similar to The Hush for some time now!
Government tracking, A city in turmoil due to Covid and pregnant women start to go missing! Sign me the heck up.
Thank you Blackstone Pub for the chance to read this advanced ebook!
October 31, 2021
When I read the blurb on this I was a little sceptical that I would like it, but was swayed by the reviews.
Very happy that I read it! In fact, found it very hard to put down. This is set in the not too distant future. In a post-COVID world in England the population is now used to having their health and movements closely monitored.
Now there are a spate of stillborn babies and maternity care is being heavily monitored and controlled. Emma is a midwife and starting to wonder what is happening to all of the pregnant teenagers who have all but disappeared from the ward. Her daughter Lainey, seventeen years old, is also concerned about the number of teenagers disappearing, including her friend Ellis who was pregnant.
The mystery becomes a nightmare as the situation becomes a lot more personal for both Emma and Lainey.
Hard to put down once you start, this is a ripping good story.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia for the opportunity to review this digital ARC.
Very happy that I read it! In fact, found it very hard to put down. This is set in the not too distant future. In a post-COVID world in England the population is now used to having their health and movements closely monitored.
Now there are a spate of stillborn babies and maternity care is being heavily monitored and controlled. Emma is a midwife and starting to wonder what is happening to all of the pregnant teenagers who have all but disappeared from the ward. Her daughter Lainey, seventeen years old, is also concerned about the number of teenagers disappearing, including her friend Ellis who was pregnant.
The mystery becomes a nightmare as the situation becomes a lot more personal for both Emma and Lainey.
Hard to put down once you start, this is a ripping good story.
Thank you Netgalley and Harper Collins Australia for the opportunity to review this digital ARC.
November 2, 2021
The Hush is the seventh novel by British-born Australian author, Sara Foster. Seventeen-year-old Lainey Aitken fears she may be pregnant. Getting a test done has turned difficult with the government’s new rules, but her imaginative best friend, Sereena Mandalia has a plan.
While Lainey has a very understanding mum, being pregnant is a problem: pregnant teens, and sometimes their families, are disappearing without a trace; and the number of stillbirths has risen dramatically, with no good explanation. So Lainey is worried. And having that pesky Liam Whittaker, who happens to be the son of the government Health Secretary, hanging around her doesn’t help.
Overworked, exhausted and demoralised by the stillbirths she attends, midwife Emma Aitken is concerned for her daughter, especially when she is detained by police for taking part in a protest. But when her serious situation is revealed, she does not hesitate to back Lainey up with all she has in reserve, even if it means begging help from the mother who abandoned her.
The near-future that Foster describes does not stretch the imagination very far at all: compulsory wearing of government-issue smart watches that track and monitor; laws that restrict freedoms surreptitiously passed; a much-worsened climate crisis; corrupt, greedy politicians; all are realistically depicted.
Her characters are believable, the reader is quickly invested in their fate, and it is heartening to see these women support each other in their fight for basic human rights. The story is fast-paced, taking place over a mere eight days, leading up to a nail-biting climax.
Topical, relevant and entirely credible: this is the best dystopian fiction you will read this year, so gripping that once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down until the final page.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley, Better Reading Preview and Harper Collins Australia.
While Lainey has a very understanding mum, being pregnant is a problem: pregnant teens, and sometimes their families, are disappearing without a trace; and the number of stillbirths has risen dramatically, with no good explanation. So Lainey is worried. And having that pesky Liam Whittaker, who happens to be the son of the government Health Secretary, hanging around her doesn’t help.
Overworked, exhausted and demoralised by the stillbirths she attends, midwife Emma Aitken is concerned for her daughter, especially when she is detained by police for taking part in a protest. But when her serious situation is revealed, she does not hesitate to back Lainey up with all she has in reserve, even if it means begging help from the mother who abandoned her.
The near-future that Foster describes does not stretch the imagination very far at all: compulsory wearing of government-issue smart watches that track and monitor; laws that restrict freedoms surreptitiously passed; a much-worsened climate crisis; corrupt, greedy politicians; all are realistically depicted.
Her characters are believable, the reader is quickly invested in their fate, and it is heartening to see these women support each other in their fight for basic human rights. The story is fast-paced, taking place over a mere eight days, leading up to a nail-biting climax.
Topical, relevant and entirely credible: this is the best dystopian fiction you will read this year, so gripping that once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down until the final page.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley, Better Reading Preview and Harper Collins Australia.
December 28, 2021
Keep them meek and keep them scared.
Sara Foster’s The Hush, set seven years post Covid, is a dystopian novel that is highly believable in many aspects.
Smart watches are used to monitor a person’s health, every movement and purchase. Okay not so unlike present day Australia so far. It’s all for the citizens safety. So that’s okay?
When the still birth rate begins to dramatically rise new laws are introduced to monitor all pregnancies. Then pregnant teenaged girls start to go missing.
Anyone who posts or protests about these missing girls is dealt with severely and shut down immediately. The only right people have is ‘to obey’.
The Hush is so scarily real I raced through it. I was devastated at how helpless the people were and eager to see where Sara Foster was going with the plot.
Foster gives us a society where the very existence of human beings is threatened and a Government that is consumed with control and hidden agendas.
Friendship is an over-arching theme throughout the book, along with mother / daughter relationships. Women band together to help each other putting their own lives in danger.
I enjoyed the inclusion of the teenagers and how they banded together and were ready to protest about the way people were being treating. The way some of the teenagers got around the constant surveillance with the watches gave me a laugh. It was so believable.
I know the media had been shut down and threatened as well but I would have liked to have seen more of the spin the media put on the events.
I liked how the parts of the book were divided into the different stages of labour, very cute.
Sara Foster’s The Hush, set seven years post Covid, is a dystopian novel that is highly believable in many aspects.
Smart watches are used to monitor a person’s health, every movement and purchase. Okay not so unlike present day Australia so far. It’s all for the citizens safety. So that’s okay?
When the still birth rate begins to dramatically rise new laws are introduced to monitor all pregnancies. Then pregnant teenaged girls start to go missing.
Anyone who posts or protests about these missing girls is dealt with severely and shut down immediately. The only right people have is ‘to obey’.
The Hush is so scarily real I raced through it. I was devastated at how helpless the people were and eager to see where Sara Foster was going with the plot.
Foster gives us a society where the very existence of human beings is threatened and a Government that is consumed with control and hidden agendas.
Friendship is an over-arching theme throughout the book, along with mother / daughter relationships. Women band together to help each other putting their own lives in danger.
I enjoyed the inclusion of the teenagers and how they banded together and were ready to protest about the way people were being treating. The way some of the teenagers got around the constant surveillance with the watches gave me a laugh. It was so believable.
I know the media had been shut down and threatened as well but I would have liked to have seen more of the spin the media put on the events.
I liked how the parts of the book were divided into the different stages of labour, very cute.
March 28, 2023
In a dystopian near-future Britain, citizens are required to submit to monitoring of their movements, personal interractions and health. Over the past year, an increasing number of infants have been dying at birth, the victims of a phenomenon known as Intrapartum X - apparently healthy babies who despite all medical efforts fail to ever take a breath. The conservative government reacts by legislating around the rights of women - the purchase of pregnancy tests is regulated, all pregnant women must submit themselves to a barrage of tests and tracking, and a number of teenaged girls have disappeared.
Seventeen-year-old Lainey is facing a terrifying reality - she's fallen pregnant after a single awkward encounter with her classmate Dylan four months ago. Lainey's mother Emma is a senior midwife at the nearby maternity hospital, so she's more tuned in than most to the perils of being a pregnant woman in the present climate. Lainey and her best friend Sereena are also deeply troubled by the unexplained and sudden disappearance several months previously of their classmate and friend Ellis, together with her family. A social media personality, known as PreacherGirl has also vanished, after uploading a song calling attention to the number of missing teenaged girls.
After attending a protest in central London, Lainey, Sereena and Dylan come to the notice of the authorities, and their lives become increasingly pressured. Meanwhile, Emma is barely managing the horrendous stress and political interference she's subject to at work, whilst also worrying about what's causing Lainey to have become so distant.
A dramatic incident at Lainey's school brings matters to a head and the mother and daughter seek assistance from an unlikely source - feminist icon Geraldine Fox, who happens to be Emma's own long-estranged mother. Can these three strong and resourceful women overcome their generational differences to save Lainey and her child, and with the support of their female networks solve the mystery of the disappearing girls, thereby forging a way to a better future for all women?
It took me a little while to get into The Hush, and I frequently found it a disquieting read, illustrating as it does how easily long-fought for rights and liberties can be eroded under the guise of "the greater good". However, I found both Lainey and Emma sympathetic and interesting characters, and by the time the pace and tension ramped up in the second half, I was completely hooked by the story.
The Hush is a difficult book to pigeonhole into a single genre, as it successfully melds a range of thematic elements, including complicated family relationships, YA fiction, political intrigue, action-packed thriller and feminist discourse. It was an enthralling and satisfying read that I'd recommend to those who love books like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments and Naomi Alderman's The Power. What The Hush may lack in gravitas compared to those modern classics, it makes up for in accessibility by exploring many similar themes in the context of an engaging mystery-thriller plot.
Seventeen-year-old Lainey is facing a terrifying reality - she's fallen pregnant after a single awkward encounter with her classmate Dylan four months ago. Lainey's mother Emma is a senior midwife at the nearby maternity hospital, so she's more tuned in than most to the perils of being a pregnant woman in the present climate. Lainey and her best friend Sereena are also deeply troubled by the unexplained and sudden disappearance several months previously of their classmate and friend Ellis, together with her family. A social media personality, known as PreacherGirl has also vanished, after uploading a song calling attention to the number of missing teenaged girls.
After attending a protest in central London, Lainey, Sereena and Dylan come to the notice of the authorities, and their lives become increasingly pressured. Meanwhile, Emma is barely managing the horrendous stress and political interference she's subject to at work, whilst also worrying about what's causing Lainey to have become so distant.
A dramatic incident at Lainey's school brings matters to a head and the mother and daughter seek assistance from an unlikely source - feminist icon Geraldine Fox, who happens to be Emma's own long-estranged mother. Can these three strong and resourceful women overcome their generational differences to save Lainey and her child, and with the support of their female networks solve the mystery of the disappearing girls, thereby forging a way to a better future for all women?
It took me a little while to get into The Hush, and I frequently found it a disquieting read, illustrating as it does how easily long-fought for rights and liberties can be eroded under the guise of "the greater good". However, I found both Lainey and Emma sympathetic and interesting characters, and by the time the pace and tension ramped up in the second half, I was completely hooked by the story.
The Hush is a difficult book to pigeonhole into a single genre, as it successfully melds a range of thematic elements, including complicated family relationships, YA fiction, political intrigue, action-packed thriller and feminist discourse. It was an enthralling and satisfying read that I'd recommend to those who love books like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments and Naomi Alderman's The Power. What The Hush may lack in gravitas compared to those modern classics, it makes up for in accessibility by exploring many similar themes in the context of an engaging mystery-thriller plot.
October 20, 2021
The Hush is the first ‘post-pandemic’ fiction that I have read. I have no doubt there will be more novels like this to come, those that deal with our post-pandemic world against a backdrop of environmental destruction with ongoing health crises. The Hush is set in the near future, hard to pinpoint exactly when, but Covid is a thing of the not so distant past, its effects very much still informing the present. Everyone is required to wear a watch that monitors your health, reports on your well-being, location and activity, allows you to receive up to the minute government communications, whilst also telling the time and allowing you to pay for things – basically a tracking and listening device with a couple of thrown in for good measure benefits. The society we see in The Hush is what happens when measures implemented to keep people safe morph into an abuse of power at the highest level.
It’s bold to write a novel such as this right now, when many countries are still in and out of lockdown and we are rapidly converting to a society that checks in everywhere with our smartphones, where the vaccinated are bearers of a ‘Covid passport’, entitling them to more freedoms than those who aren’t vaccinated. Some might say that dystopian fiction such as The Hush has the potential to add fuel to the fire being stoked by those who don’t want to be so monitored, who are repeatedly protesting lockdowns, restrictions, vaccinations, and mandatory masks. Yet, conversely, what The Hush shows with such effectiveness is that it’s not the safety measures put in place that are the problem: it’s what those in charge of monitoring them are doing with them that is the real issue. Society in The Hush is in the grips of a mysterious medical phenomenon, healthy babies who are alive all through the birth process are still born. It appears random and is rapidly increasing in occurrence. Under the pall of this emerging crisis, society is once again plunged into panic and protest at the increasing restrictions being enforced.
I found this novel utterly gripping from start to finish. It was terrifying, to be honest, to see how rapidly a person could lose all their rights, to be so completely at the mercy of the authorities as soon as another crisis reared its head. The plot was layered with a complexity that was both clever and all too plausible. The focus on the control of women’s reproductive rights was also a timely issue to weave into this story and I also liked the sub-focus on the rights of teenagers being infringed. Not quite adults but no longer children, they were in a vulnerable place that the government was all too willing to exploit for their own gain. Sara Foster demonstrated the shocking ease with which a society can strip a woman of all her rights under the guise of ‘keeping her safe and well’. I am aware that there are many countries around the world where this scenario is not dystopian, nor fictious at all, but an all too real and present danger. There is a lot within this novel to unpack and contemplate. I thought it was excellent. A brave and bold narrative that packs a punch in all the right ways.
Thanks is extended to the publisher for the review copy.
It’s bold to write a novel such as this right now, when many countries are still in and out of lockdown and we are rapidly converting to a society that checks in everywhere with our smartphones, where the vaccinated are bearers of a ‘Covid passport’, entitling them to more freedoms than those who aren’t vaccinated. Some might say that dystopian fiction such as The Hush has the potential to add fuel to the fire being stoked by those who don’t want to be so monitored, who are repeatedly protesting lockdowns, restrictions, vaccinations, and mandatory masks. Yet, conversely, what The Hush shows with such effectiveness is that it’s not the safety measures put in place that are the problem: it’s what those in charge of monitoring them are doing with them that is the real issue. Society in The Hush is in the grips of a mysterious medical phenomenon, healthy babies who are alive all through the birth process are still born. It appears random and is rapidly increasing in occurrence. Under the pall of this emerging crisis, society is once again plunged into panic and protest at the increasing restrictions being enforced.
I found this novel utterly gripping from start to finish. It was terrifying, to be honest, to see how rapidly a person could lose all their rights, to be so completely at the mercy of the authorities as soon as another crisis reared its head. The plot was layered with a complexity that was both clever and all too plausible. The focus on the control of women’s reproductive rights was also a timely issue to weave into this story and I also liked the sub-focus on the rights of teenagers being infringed. Not quite adults but no longer children, they were in a vulnerable place that the government was all too willing to exploit for their own gain. Sara Foster demonstrated the shocking ease with which a society can strip a woman of all her rights under the guise of ‘keeping her safe and well’. I am aware that there are many countries around the world where this scenario is not dystopian, nor fictious at all, but an all too real and present danger. There is a lot within this novel to unpack and contemplate. I thought it was excellent. A brave and bold narrative that packs a punch in all the right ways.
Thanks is extended to the publisher for the review copy.
November 20, 2021
This was such a different book for Sara Foster and I have to admit I wasn't sure about it to begin with. But as I started to read it I became engrossed in the story and needed to know what was going to happen. Set in a future time, after the pandemic, it was a world that could very easily happen which is frightening. Being monitored by the government with smart watches and babies not breathing after birth, it will capture your interest and keep you guessing. Check out the synopsis.
"Lainey's friend Ellis is missing. And she's not the only one.
In the six months since the first case of a terrifying new epidemic - when a healthy baby wouldn't take a breath at birth - the country has been thrown into turmoil. The government has passed sweeping new laws to monitor all citizens. And several young pregnant women have vanished without trace.
As a midwife, Lainey's mum Emma is determined to be there for those who need her. But when seventeen-year-old Lainey finds herself in trouble, this dangerous new world becomes very real. The one person who might help is Emma's estranged mother, but reaching out to her will put them all in jeopardy ..."
Well worth a read.
"Lainey's friend Ellis is missing. And she's not the only one.
In the six months since the first case of a terrifying new epidemic - when a healthy baby wouldn't take a breath at birth - the country has been thrown into turmoil. The government has passed sweeping new laws to monitor all citizens. And several young pregnant women have vanished without trace.
As a midwife, Lainey's mum Emma is determined to be there for those who need her. But when seventeen-year-old Lainey finds herself in trouble, this dangerous new world becomes very real. The one person who might help is Emma's estranged mother, but reaching out to her will put them all in jeopardy ..."
Well worth a read.
October 15, 2022
Riveting, intense and chilling!!! This tale takes place not long after the Covid-19 pandemic. To think of the possibility’s of this really happening.. we’re already seeing freedoms being challenged over reproductive rights, also with climate change, eugenics and authoritarian ambitions in our governments.. so yeah.
There’s fear gripping the UK when stillbirth’s are sharply rising nationwide and nobody can figure out why. The government begins enforcing new health precautions to it’s citizens. One is a requirement to wear smartwatches.. OR IS IT REALLY a covert operation to monitor the population, spy on their conversations.. on them? There is a mandatory curfew. And then more frightening.. there’s the pregnant girls + their families disappearing without a trace. What is going on?
This follows the POV’s of Emma (a nurse) and her teen daughter Lainey. Lainey finds herself in trouble and keeps it hidden. But then she’s found out and is whisked away to a secret location by the government. This story not only plays out Emma and Lainey’s life threatening experience, it’s also about friendship, about a strong and determined group of women that work together to solve the puzzle and try to stop it.
It’s a dark and gripping, female-led dystopian/thriller that surprised me by how different it was written with feminist character’s, and I adored the remarkable mother/daughter bond between Emma and Lainey. Their love, support and protection of each other throughout their harrowing ordeal was beautiful to see. I really enjoyed this one. 4.5 stars — Pub. 11/2/21
There’s fear gripping the UK when stillbirth’s are sharply rising nationwide and nobody can figure out why. The government begins enforcing new health precautions to it’s citizens. One is a requirement to wear smartwatches.. OR IS IT REALLY a covert operation to monitor the population, spy on their conversations.. on them? There is a mandatory curfew. And then more frightening.. there’s the pregnant girls + their families disappearing without a trace. What is going on?
This follows the POV’s of Emma (a nurse) and her teen daughter Lainey. Lainey finds herself in trouble and keeps it hidden. But then she’s found out and is whisked away to a secret location by the government. This story not only plays out Emma and Lainey’s life threatening experience, it’s also about friendship, about a strong and determined group of women that work together to solve the puzzle and try to stop it.
It’s a dark and gripping, female-led dystopian/thriller that surprised me by how different it was written with feminist character’s, and I adored the remarkable mother/daughter bond between Emma and Lainey. Their love, support and protection of each other throughout their harrowing ordeal was beautiful to see. I really enjoyed this one. 4.5 stars — Pub. 11/2/21
October 21, 2021
This is a fantastic book and really considering the times we are all living in a must read. Set in a post Covid world where government infringements of our freedom are out of control and women's reproductive rights are once again being manipulated and threatened. This is a well paced thriller set in a world that is really not that hard to imagine. The books is well written and the emotions and the tension palpable. You will have no trouble believing it is reall. he female leads in this book are smart, fearless and extremely likeable. This books is as much about female friendship and the strength and wisdom women bring to the table as it anything else. The book gives us a satisfying conclusion but Foster has left the door open for a follow-up novel I for one and hoping that we get that novel sooner rather than later. In a flashback to the Handmaids tale there is underlining theme in this book that it would do us all well to remember. It is the small losses of freedom that we ignore that lead us to a real loss of freedom that once gone is really really hard to get back. This book really is a must read for every woman out there and frankly every man as well. Thanks to Netgalley the author and the publisher for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 26, 2021
I must say, having had a look at the reviews of this book, I am quite surprised that so many people love it. Not so for me. I found it slow moving, skipped through a lot of it, found the subject matter a bit weird and have come to the conclusion I don't like this genre of Dystopian (new age sci-fi) type read.
Unfortunately for me this is a book I just don't know how to review but can only say that it didn't pull me in, didn't make me want to keep reading, and didn't grab my attention.
Unfortunately for me this is a book I just don't know how to review but can only say that it didn't pull me in, didn't make me want to keep reading, and didn't grab my attention.
April 28, 2022
Gripped. That's what I was while I raced to get this finished before my loan ran out. This book was a bit of a slow burn for me but once it heated up I could not put it down.
Set in the dystopian autocratic world of Britain in the not too distant future, society is now very controlled. Everyone must wear a watch device that can track where you are, listen to what you are saying and monitor your life in many scary ways. (Just looked down at my iWatch in a suspicious way!) People's lives are more and more controlled, food security is a problem, fuel and energy are also controlled and on top of all that mothers are giving birth to stillborn babies in increasingly large numbers. Lainey is a high school student, and she has started to be very suspicious of what is happening around her, suddenly young girls are disappearing. Scientists are also disappearing and everyone's stress levels are rising exponentially. Any attempt to find out what is happening is squashed and a protest organised by students results in arrests and home detentions. Things are deteriorating quickly!
On top of this Lainey's mum is a midwife at the maternity hospital and the stress of dealing constantly with the distraught parents of the dead babies is beginning to drag her down. There is a lot going on. But soon things will escalate, even more, both Lainey and her mum will be put into extreme danger. I'm not going to say more as it would spoil it, but if you are a reader who loved Handmaid's Tale, The Power, The End of Men et. al. then this is going to be right up your reading alley. I thought this was incredibly well written and immediately went to seek out another book by this author. Loved it.
Set in the dystopian autocratic world of Britain in the not too distant future, society is now very controlled. Everyone must wear a watch device that can track where you are, listen to what you are saying and monitor your life in many scary ways. (Just looked down at my iWatch in a suspicious way!) People's lives are more and more controlled, food security is a problem, fuel and energy are also controlled and on top of all that mothers are giving birth to stillborn babies in increasingly large numbers. Lainey is a high school student, and she has started to be very suspicious of what is happening around her, suddenly young girls are disappearing. Scientists are also disappearing and everyone's stress levels are rising exponentially. Any attempt to find out what is happening is squashed and a protest organised by students results in arrests and home detentions. Things are deteriorating quickly!
On top of this Lainey's mum is a midwife at the maternity hospital and the stress of dealing constantly with the distraught parents of the dead babies is beginning to drag her down. There is a lot going on. But soon things will escalate, even more, both Lainey and her mum will be put into extreme danger. I'm not going to say more as it would spoil it, but if you are a reader who loved Handmaid's Tale, The Power, The End of Men et. al. then this is going to be right up your reading alley. I thought this was incredibly well written and immediately went to seek out another book by this author. Loved it.
December 25, 2021
The government wants to monitor all citizens., young pregnant women too. Then young girls start missing. Emma and Lacey are living in this new world and it is not easy, But, when Lacey is stealing a pregnancy test and it's only a matter of time until the police are catching her. Thanks to Netgalley for this book.
November 26, 2021
The Hush is the seventh novel by British-born Australian author, Sara Foster. The audio version is narrated by Cathi Ogden and Tamala Shelton. Seventeen-year-old Lainey Aitken fears she may be pregnant. Getting a test done has turned difficult with the government’s new rules, but her imaginative best friend, Sereena Mandalia has a plan.
While Lainey has a very understanding mum, being pregnant is a problem: pregnant teens, and sometimes their families, are disappearing without a trace; and the number of stillbirths has risen dramatically, with no good explanation. So Lainey is worried. And having that pesky Liam Whittaker, who happens to be the son of the government Health Secretary, hanging around her doesn’t help.
Overworked, exhausted and demoralised by the stillbirths she attends, midwife Emma Aitken is concerned for her daughter, especially when she is detained by police for taking part in a protest. But when her serious situation is revealed, she does not hesitate to back Lainey up with all she has in reserve, even if it means begging help from the mother who abandoned her.
The near-future that Foster describes does not stretch the imagination very far at all: compulsory wearing of government-issue smart watches that track and monitor; laws that restrict freedoms surreptitiously passed; a much-worsened climate crisis; corrupt, greedy politicians; all are realistically depicted.
Her characters are believable, the reader is quickly invested in their fate, and it is heartening to see these women support each other in their fight for basic human rights. The story is fast-paced, taking place over a mere eight days, leading up to a nail-biting climax.
Topical, relevant and entirely credible: this is the best dystopian fiction you will read this year, so gripping that once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down until the final page.
While Lainey has a very understanding mum, being pregnant is a problem: pregnant teens, and sometimes their families, are disappearing without a trace; and the number of stillbirths has risen dramatically, with no good explanation. So Lainey is worried. And having that pesky Liam Whittaker, who happens to be the son of the government Health Secretary, hanging around her doesn’t help.
Overworked, exhausted and demoralised by the stillbirths she attends, midwife Emma Aitken is concerned for her daughter, especially when she is detained by police for taking part in a protest. But when her serious situation is revealed, she does not hesitate to back Lainey up with all she has in reserve, even if it means begging help from the mother who abandoned her.
The near-future that Foster describes does not stretch the imagination very far at all: compulsory wearing of government-issue smart watches that track and monitor; laws that restrict freedoms surreptitiously passed; a much-worsened climate crisis; corrupt, greedy politicians; all are realistically depicted.
Her characters are believable, the reader is quickly invested in their fate, and it is heartening to see these women support each other in their fight for basic human rights. The story is fast-paced, taking place over a mere eight days, leading up to a nail-biting climax.
Topical, relevant and entirely credible: this is the best dystopian fiction you will read this year, so gripping that once you pick this up, you won’t want to put it down until the final page.
December 1, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley for a copy of this book for an honest review.
Holy moly, what a book!! Yet another great book by Sara Foster!! This is an absolute must read!!
Reminiscent of The Handmaids Tale, this is a frightening look at how easily women's rights are stripped away so easily, right under their noses with barely a whisper! Set in the near future, the main female characters are impressive in their determination. Absolutely love the character of Geraldine.
Holy moly, what a book!! Yet another great book by Sara Foster!! This is an absolute must read!!
Reminiscent of The Handmaids Tale, this is a frightening look at how easily women's rights are stripped away so easily, right under their noses with barely a whisper! Set in the near future, the main female characters are impressive in their determination. Absolutely love the character of Geraldine.
January 9, 2026
Fabulously thrilling speculative fiction, set in a near-future where a frightening epidemic is causing newly born babies to never take a breath. The country descends into turmoil, young pregnant women disappear without a trace and the government is passing laws to monitor all citizens.
This fast-paced story explores maternal bonds, female friendship, government control, conspiracy theories, and the determination of strong women to triumph against all odds, all with fabulous feminist undertones.
This is a fabulous story from Australian author Sara Foster, although has themes that may be difficult for some readers.
This fast-paced story explores maternal bonds, female friendship, government control, conspiracy theories, and the determination of strong women to triumph against all odds, all with fabulous feminist undertones.
This is a fabulous story from Australian author Sara Foster, although has themes that may be difficult for some readers.
October 15, 2022
I found myself really struggling to get through this one. From the beginning the writing gave me wattpad/fanfic vibes and this continued throughout the novel. None of the ideas felt fleshed out at all, characters felt one-dimensional and it jumped between a fairly slow pace to quite fast pace randomly. There were so many things that just did not feel plausible. Babies don't die until the exact moment they are birthed, like this also makes no sense scientifically? The virus was spread through bottled water? Some random org was kidnapping teenage girls, so much of the book hinted at this but it was such a let down. The author tried to make it thriller-esque but god the stereotypical creepy caretakers made me cringe. I literally laughed out loud when oh another random side character is apart of some secret network. This dystopia was trying to support feminism but it being so unrealistic made the whole thing feel silly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2022
Terrible. All the hype and it reads like it was written by a high schooler. While the premise is good it is barely explored in any depth, it’s repetitive and frankly pretty boring.
September 21, 2021
This is a pacy and confronting dystopian thriller set in a near future England, one which has moved on from Covid but is still scarred by its effects. It is "still tormented by years of lockdowns and losses...the time it had taken to get back to some semblance of normality beyond the Covid pandemics and food shortages". On top of that, climate change is wreaking havoc and there has been a steep increase in the number of stillbirths with as many as 1 in 3 babies dying at birth.
The population is tightly controlled by the Government. Everyone is required to wear smart watches that monitor them at all times. In addition, young pregnant women have started to disappear with rumours that they are being taken into custody by the Government for safekeeping.
Against all of this we have Emma, who is a midwife, and her teenage daughter Lainey who is pregnant. Emma is determined to keep her daughter safe but doing so means that she will need to evade Government oversight.
I really liked the thought that had gone into the way this world might operate and the second half in particular is very fast paced. There’s the mystery of why babies are dying and the thriller aspect is about how Lainey might manage to escape being taken into custody.
However I didn’t love this: the plot is improbable and relies on coincidences (it feels like almost every character had gone to school with another character). It also reads more like a YA novel, both in good ways (it’s fast paced and vividly captures teenage life) but also not so good (people divide neatly into “good” and “bad”). If you enjoyed this, I also recommend The Mother Fault or The Road to Winter.
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Australia for an ARC.
The population is tightly controlled by the Government. Everyone is required to wear smart watches that monitor them at all times. In addition, young pregnant women have started to disappear with rumours that they are being taken into custody by the Government for safekeeping.
Against all of this we have Emma, who is a midwife, and her teenage daughter Lainey who is pregnant. Emma is determined to keep her daughter safe but doing so means that she will need to evade Government oversight.
I really liked the thought that had gone into the way this world might operate and the second half in particular is very fast paced. There’s the mystery of why babies are dying and the thriller aspect is about how Lainey might manage to escape being taken into custody.
However I didn’t love this: the plot is improbable and relies on coincidences (it feels like almost every character had gone to school with another character). It also reads more like a YA novel, both in good ways (it’s fast paced and vividly captures teenage life) but also not so good (people divide neatly into “good” and “bad”). If you enjoyed this, I also recommend The Mother Fault or The Road to Winter.
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Collins Australia for an ARC.
January 11, 2022
Emma and Lainey seem to be living in two different worlds when Lainey discovers she’s pregnant. There’s a birth crisis, a post pandemic world, and even some climate issues swirling around the two of them, but the pregnancy really brings their storylines together. Why? Because pregnant teenagers are going missing.
And just like that summary, there’s too much going on here. The writing just feels emotionless - there’s a lot of telling but not a lot of showing. The pacing is another issue - there is so much detail given in the beginning of the novel on how Emma and Lainey spend their days and it drags. Then towards the end of the novel, things speed up so quickly that it doesn’t feel satisfying.
I feel like the novel wants to be about mothers and daughters and it does have some excellent scenes in regards to this. But it also wants to be a political novel, a thriller, a dystopian, and feminist novel all at the same time (while also reading like a YA novel?).
2 stars for the last 15% where I couldn’t put my kindle down. But also 2 stars for taking so long to get to that point.
And just like that summary, there’s too much going on here. The writing just feels emotionless - there’s a lot of telling but not a lot of showing. The pacing is another issue - there is so much detail given in the beginning of the novel on how Emma and Lainey spend their days and it drags. Then towards the end of the novel, things speed up so quickly that it doesn’t feel satisfying.
I feel like the novel wants to be about mothers and daughters and it does have some excellent scenes in regards to this. But it also wants to be a political novel, a thriller, a dystopian, and feminist novel all at the same time (while also reading like a YA novel?).
2 stars for the last 15% where I couldn’t put my kindle down. But also 2 stars for taking so long to get to that point.
December 7, 2021
Ugh, not sure what all the great reviews on Goodreads are on about with this book. It is exactly what the world of 2021 does NOT need - feeding conspiracy theories about a government takeover during a pandemic *face palm*. I would have persevered if it were either exciting or somehow compelling.. but it was neither, so I’ve thrown it in my did not finish pile about a third of the way through.
November 29, 2021
I wanted to love this book more than I did in the end. It had so much potential with a unique story line and the makings of a good mystery but it just fell a bit flat, particularly the ending which just seemed to fizzle out. Probably ended up a little too much into the YA genre for my tastes.
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