Review : Whispers Books 1-3 by Tara West (YA)

---

Book Blurb

Whispers, Books 1-3 Sophie's Secret: Sophie Sinora and her BFFs struggle to keep their strengthening paranormal powers secret while trying to fit in at school. Her teacher's suicidal thoughts, a threatening locker bully, a teasing school flirt, her hormonal pregnant sister, and the tension between Sophie and her friends, only add to her problems. Hopefully, she can fix them in time to save her teacher's life and her social life. Don't Tell Mother: AJ's mounting frustrations at home and school could turn her into a ticking time bomb. She knows the first step to solving her problems is to gain acceptance from her mother. Then AJ's green-haired boyfriend knocks on the door. AJ's ability to foretell the future is driving her and her mom further apart, and if she doesn't tell her mom about her horrible vision soon, her brother will die. Krysta's Curse: Krysta Richard's ability to talk to spirits is getting in the way of her social life. Just as the chemistry between her and her lab partner, Bryon, is about to ignite, a homicide detective asks her to summon a murder victim, her drunk father suddenly takes an interest in her life and her dead friends enlist her in a crusade to save their decrepit cemetery.

Amazon

Goodreads

---

Toot's Review by Stacy Sabala

Sophie’s Secret:

Sophie has lost weight and is back at her old school after a year in private school. She also has a secret, she can hear others’ thoughts. She has two best friends, Krysta and AJ, who also have special gifts. Krysta can talk to spirits and AJ has visions.

Sophie is trying to fit in and even has a crush. Unfortunately her crush seems to be a jerk. Her friends are trying to warn her but she doesn’t want to hear it. It takes her older sister’s mistakes and the cutest boy in school to get her to see the truth.

Don’t Tell Mother:

AJ doesn’t get along with her mother. It seems she can’t do anything right. AJ excels at basketball which her mother doesn’t seem to care since she never comes to the games. Her mother is trying to make her into the perfect person and denying AJ’s abilities. AJ is not anywhere near perfect. She has visions, her boyfriend has a green Mohawk and she is known as a bully at school. No one messes with her.

When one of her visions involves her brother, AJ has to convince her mother that her gift is real. She is not perfect and her mother needs to accept her just the way she is. Her brother’s life depends on it.

Krysta’s Curse:

Krysta can see and talk to ghosts. She is used to it. She just wishes her father paid more attention to her. He is never home and when he is he is drunk. She accepts the truth of her life. Now all she wants is to be a model some day.

When two ghosts ask her to save their graves from a new mall project, Krysta is not happy. She wants the mall, plus she is only fourteen. She doesn’t have much say or ideas that would make a difference.

Things change when her hot, new chemistry partner asks her to study with him one night. They get mixed up in a murder investigation and Byron has close ties to the new Crossover Mall project. He tries to help Krysta with her promise.

However, Krysta learns more about her mother when she meets an old family friend who has shocking information. What she thought she knew about her mother and her dad was not even close to the truth. Her life will never be the same.


I like this series and having all the books together makes it easier to read. The storylines of all three books are interesting and age appropriate for teens. There is just enough drama, romance and friendship issues for any fifteen year old reader. The special gifts of each girl add a paranormal twist which makes all three stories fun to read. I recommend them as a great YA series giving them a 4 out of 5.