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85th out of 1,073 books
—
6,108 voters
Whisper (Whisper #1)
by
Phoebe Kitanidis (Goodreads Author)
I’d love a cup of coffee. I wish she knew how pretty she was. I wish I could drop this kid in the dryer sometimes. I just want her to be happy. I hope she didn’t find out what Ben said about her. I wish I knew how many calories were in a bite of muffin…
Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest des...more
Joy is used to hearing Whispers. She’s used to walking down the street and instantly knowing people’s deepest, darkest des...more
Hardcover, 281 pages
Published
April 27th 2010
by Balzer + Bray
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I really enjoyed this novel. Normally I stop reading a novel once I see any cursing... okay, maybe that is an overstatement. It makes me want to put it away but in some cases, like this one, it isn't enough to warrant not finding out what happens next! It had a very emotionally raw (in a good way) feel to it not in terms of the writing style but in terms of the characters and their personalities. I am really happy I read this book and it was definitely a one sitting book for me. (Even if I was f...more
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Whispers is an excellent twist on the young woman's passage into adulthood theme. Joy is every teenager, but with something extra, the ability to hear the mental 'wishes' of others. All her life she's heard their best thoughts and hopes; now turning sixteen, she begins to hear their ugly wishes too. I enjoyed Kitanidis' humor and her ear for young people's voices.
Joy would be a normal girl, except for the fact that she Hears Whispers. In other words, she Hears what others desire, their desire-thoughts. In possession of this hereditary gift, Joy likes to make people happy, to give people what they want, which is the opposite of her sister's choice—use it to make people's lives miserable.
Like I have said since I closed this book: I have no words to describe how much I loved it! It is like no other "hearing thoughts" story. It is such a different, criative,...more
Like I have said since I closed this book: I have no words to describe how much I loved it! It is like no other "hearing thoughts" story. It is such a different, criative,...more
3 likes · like · see review
2 1/2 stars. This book is about accepting oneself and making oneself happy instead of trying to be what everyone else wants us to be. It shows the benefits of being able to hear other people's thoughts, but also the harm that other people's thoughts could do to us, our self image, and our relationships. I thought those messages were good, but I didn't appreciate the amount of cursing in it. I didn't think it was necessary to use so much of it. I also wasn't crazy about the love interest. It wasn...more
Joy can hear people’s thoughts. All the women in her family can. They call them whispers. Joy uses what she hears to try and make people happier. Her sister Icka, hides from the world. During an argument, Joy hears Icka wish to kill her hearing dead. So when Icka goes missing Joy will do whatever it takes to find Icka before she hurts herself.[return][return]I almost stopped reading because this book was so slow to take off. There was a little too much setup angst between Joy and Icka. However,...more
May 15, 2013
Sara
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
everyone
Recommended to Sara by:
I found it myself
This.Was.The.BEST.BOOK.EVER!
Oh God, when I first read into it, I thought the hearing thoughts thing is a cliche, but boy could I be more wrong?
The author, Phoebe Kitanidis is a very good one indeed.
I loved Joy's Character, so innocent and sweet, thinking that her sis is the bad guy She too, couldn't have been more mistaken.
To be honest, Jessica's character is so like me.
Okay I do not do drugs or smoke, but I'm a truly Rebellious teen. I'm mean, rude and hurt people. lol its true!
Anyway, I didn't...more
Oh God, when I first read into it, I thought the hearing thoughts thing is a cliche, but boy could I be more wrong?
The author, Phoebe Kitanidis is a very good one indeed.
I loved Joy's Character, so innocent and sweet, thinking that her sis is the bad guy She too, couldn't have been more mistaken.
To be honest, Jessica's character is so like me.
Okay I do not do drugs or smoke, but I'm a truly Rebellious teen. I'm mean, rude and hurt people. lol its true!
Anyway, I didn't...more
Well, since I’m still not finished with “The Judge” (and honestly.. I should be by now) I figured I would switch up my schedule a little and bring you the review for “Whisper” a little early.
This was a book I pre-ordered a few months ago and I’m glad I did. I have been so wound up in request lately that I have barley had time to read anything of my own, and when I finally find the time to indulge myself, I devour it in just a few hours.
There are aspects of “Whisper” that were original, and some...more
This was a book I pre-ordered a few months ago and I’m glad I did. I have been so wound up in request lately that I have barley had time to read anything of my own, and when I finally find the time to indulge myself, I devour it in just a few hours.
There are aspects of “Whisper” that were original, and some...more
I'm glad that I actually read through the whole book. At some points, I was tempted to drop it and start up another book, but I've been doing that a lot lately, so I told myself I had to finish this book. I didn't hate it as much as I thought I would, I actually liked it. Sure I didn't like the main heroine Joy, but I enjoyed watching her grow. She went from a brat who thought herself so kind and all sorts of "I'm Glenda, the good witch" to an adult-like teen who's finally starting to see the ho...more
Joy was gifted at birth with a special power that allows her to hear Whispers - snatches of wants and pleas from those surrounding her. The gift was passed down from her mother, who gave it to both her daughters- Joy and Jessica. For as long as she could remember, Joy has used her power to make others happier: when she hears a friend Whisper about a certain food, she makes it for them. Her sister Jessica uses Whispers to make others miserable, to doubt themselves. Joy is certain Jessica enjoys b...more
We don't exactly start off on a bright note with the main characters; having the protag fight with her sister doesn't tend to make either of them likeable, even though Jessica's cat in a worse light than Joy. (Her nickname's "Icka"... I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.)
Then there were the usual problems: detailing how the protag lived life with the power, the usual diversion of cute boys, and a not-so-subtle hint at who the real love interest would end up being. The first of those problems m...more
Then there were the usual problems: detailing how the protag lived life with the power, the usual diversion of cute boys, and a not-so-subtle hint at who the real love interest would end up being. The first of those problems m...more
2010 has been one heck of a year for books! All of these debuts have blown my mind away! And Pheobe Kitanidis' debut, Whisper, delivers just like all the others. The concept of this book is the fact that our protagonist, Joy, can hear thoughts, or whispers. Kitanidis put a great twist to this story making it her own. Joy can't always hear what people are thinking; she's not a mind reader exactly, and I found this to be...VERY refreshing. I literally sighed with relief when I found this out. Not...more
jadiiiiiiiii....
awal2 baca novel ini jadi terkesan kayak novel teenlit luar, yg masalah utamanya slalu berbau teman-teman skolah, anak-anak populer, cowok, dll. soalnya tokoh utamanya, Joy, ini tipe anak SMU yang rela ngelakuin apa aja asal dia gak dibenci org-orang dan teman-teman di sekolahnya. intinya, dia ingin punya banyak teman. yah walaupun seringnya dia harus nahan ego sendiri.
nah yang bedain crta ini ama teenlit biasa tuh, si tokoh utama dan keluargnya punya "berkah" atau "anugerah" bis...more
awal2 baca novel ini jadi terkesan kayak novel teenlit luar, yg masalah utamanya slalu berbau teman-teman skolah, anak-anak populer, cowok, dll. soalnya tokoh utamanya, Joy, ini tipe anak SMU yang rela ngelakuin apa aja asal dia gak dibenci org-orang dan teman-teman di sekolahnya. intinya, dia ingin punya banyak teman. yah walaupun seringnya dia harus nahan ego sendiri.
nah yang bedain crta ini ama teenlit biasa tuh, si tokoh utama dan keluargnya punya "berkah" atau "anugerah" bis...more
3.5 stars
I was really excited to get Whisper in the mail the other day. I started reading it pretty much immediately.
Joy, the main character in the book went through a lot in this 288 page book. She was extremely nice to her friends and that didn't work out for her most of the time. Joy was always pleasing someone. Her sister was so mean to her, it was aggravating. It was sad to read about her distant father, that is always a tough topic for me to read. It was heartwarming to see her father come...more
I was really excited to get Whisper in the mail the other day. I started reading it pretty much immediately.
Joy, the main character in the book went through a lot in this 288 page book. She was extremely nice to her friends and that didn't work out for her most of the time. Joy was always pleasing someone. Her sister was so mean to her, it was aggravating. It was sad to read about her distant father, that is always a tough topic for me to read. It was heartwarming to see her father come...more
To be honest, I didn't really read the whole thing, just up until the first few chapters then I skipped to the part where the story starts to happen but here's what I thought of what I DID read.
First of all, Joy really irritated me because she was so infuriatingly naive and pathetic. However, there is a point in the story where she realizes this about herself and becomes a bit of a stronger character. I may be wrong in this but I don't think I missed much from what I skimmed because it seems lik...more
First of all, Joy really irritated me because she was so infuriatingly naive and pathetic. However, there is a point in the story where she realizes this about herself and becomes a bit of a stronger character. I may be wrong in this but I don't think I missed much from what I skimmed because it seems lik...more
Family dynamics and dysfunction are intertwined together to formulate the central theme of Kitanidis’ Whisper. Showcasing these themes is the paranormal ability whereby the girls in a given family have the ability to hear the thoughts of those around them.
The main character, Joy, is a do-gooding happy maker using the inner voices of those around her to fulfill wishes and dreams. Her sister, Jessica, however is more about the darker spiteful side of life. Completely isolated from friends and fami...more
The main character, Joy, is a do-gooding happy maker using the inner voices of those around her to fulfill wishes and dreams. Her sister, Jessica, however is more about the darker spiteful side of life. Completely isolated from friends and fami...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
First, the cover is amazing. I love the wispy depiction of a Whisper, and the subdued colors are brilliant for this book.
I love urban fantasies, especially when these fantasies don't include vampires, werewolves, fairies, unicorns, dinosaurs (actually, show me a dinosaur book and I will show you eternal devotion), and "Whisper" was right on the dot. Joy's power sounds really neat, but Kitanidis did a good job of demonstrating how every gift can be seen as a curse. When I first started the book,...more
I love urban fantasies, especially when these fantasies don't include vampires, werewolves, fairies, unicorns, dinosaurs (actually, show me a dinosaur book and I will show you eternal devotion), and "Whisper" was right on the dot. Joy's power sounds really neat, but Kitanidis did a good job of demonstrating how every gift can be seen as a curse. When I first started the book,...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
1 like · like · see review
Kitanidis took the saying “Read my mind” to a whole new level in her debut story. Joy the main character that is just like every other girl except for one little talent. She can hear the voices of people around her. It’s a gift passed on to the females of her family which they called the Hearing. The story focused on how Joy deals with her ability and her life. What’s refreshing about Joy is that instead of trying to ignore her powers she embraces it. Using it to help those around her, making he...more
I absolutely adored Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis! At first I was just reading this book because the cover really caught my eye and it was suggested to me by a friend. I checked it out from the library and I am thrilled to tell you all, that I am going to go out and buy (it is that good). I felt like I was with the main character Joy, going through everything she went through. And it wasn’t just that Phoebe Kitanidis can pull you into an emotional roller coaster but the fact that she pulled you in...more
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Since the age of three, when her sister first showed her how, Joy has been able to hear whispers. Whispers are people’s desires and wishes, the thoughts they think but don’t often express. Joy has always gone out of her way to try to give people around her their whispered wishes, but her sister Jessica isn’t as happy with her own ability to hear the whispers and goes out of her way to make people miserable by telling the truth they don’t want to hear. When Joy hears Jess whisper that she wants...more
Joy's whole life was summed up entirely by pleasing others, and giving what they wanted. She did this because it was what was taught to her to do with her ability to Hear. Hearing Whispers was something the women of her mom's side of the family were born with. Dealing with the constant desires--wishes, hopes, dreams--of the people around her was bombarding when she was little. By the age of eleven, Joy could handle the Whisper's and even grant some of them. However, with her sister, Jessica, it...more
Joy can Hear people's thoughts and desires, as can the other females in her family, including her mother and older sister, Jessica a.k.a. Icka. Jessica doesn't handle the gift well. She Hears the negative, not the positive. Joy Hears both, until things start going wrong. The splitting headaches come more often. Soon she hears a rare and scary Whisper from her sister. Only Jamie, the loner boy, can help her and he's got a gift of his own to share.
Shout out to all debut authors! I've seen so much...more
Shout out to all debut authors! I've seen so much...more
The women in Joy's family all have a gift--or curse--they can Hear Whispers. Whispers are mental expressions of people's deep desires and part of this ability includes the urge to fulfill these wishes in some way. In high school, Joy has used her Whispers to make many friends, but her sister Icka seems to only use her Hearing to make Joy miserable. On the eve of Joy's birthday, Joy is terrified Icka will cause her social standing to plummet, but when her family life is suddenly changed, she find...more
Have you ever wished you could hear what people were thinking about? Well, in Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis, that is just what the main character, Joy, can do.Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis is a kind of mystery book that has to do with the gift of Hearing. Joy’s family, except for her father, all have the skill of Hearing. Hearing is when you can hear other people’s “whispers,” or what they are thinking at the time. At times it is a good thing, because you can grant people their wishes, but at other...more
Joy can hear Whispers, the thoughts and secrets that form in people's minds. She uses this gift to make the people around her feel better about themselves. Jessica, her sister, with the same power, uses it to make other people's lives miserable, and she thinks it's a curse. When Joy starts hearing Jessica's Whispers about wanting to kill her Hearing, she knows she has to save Jessica before she does anything to hurt herself.
I went into Whisper thinking it would be another I-have-a-special-gift,...more
I went into Whisper thinking it would be another I-have-a-special-gift,...more
Like her mother and her sister, Joy can "Hear" the
"Whispers" of others, thoughts just barely in their
consciousness.
Joy works hard to use her power to make others happy. She only wants to please people and hates to disappoint.She tries her hardest to fulfill every little wish she can.
Joy's sister Jessica, (Icka...worst nickname ever) tries to convince her that her life is fake and that he friends aren't really friendly and that their mom isn't the saint that she thinks she is. All of this comin...more
"Whispers" of others, thoughts just barely in their
consciousness.
Joy works hard to use her power to make others happy. She only wants to please people and hates to disappoint.She tries her hardest to fulfill every little wish she can.
Joy's sister Jessica, (Icka...worst nickname ever) tries to convince her that her life is fake and that he friends aren't really friendly and that their mom isn't the saint that she thinks she is. All of this comin...more
Being able to hear people's thoughts is a new power for me to read about. I mean, I know in some books, vampires have this ability, but this is the first time that I have read a book where this is the main characters only power. I have always said that if I had the choice, my superpower would be to read minds. But after reading this book, I would have to add that I would want to be able to switch this power on and off. I wouldn't want to always have other's thoughts in my head like Joy did in th...more
hmm. interesting.
the book started out really, ZOMG slow.. boring buildup, unnecessary teen drama, blah blah.. and THEN, like 75 freaking percent into the book, the author decides to switch to overload. it was like ZAP! Revelation#1 (okaaaay, was not expe-) ZAP! Revelation #2 #3 (hey hold on! still processing that last bit of info ov-) ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
-_-
but that's not to say i didn't enjoy the book. The book (well, the very-much later part of it, that is) had plenty of surprises of the pleasant...more
the book started out really, ZOMG slow.. boring buildup, unnecessary teen drama, blah blah.. and THEN, like 75 freaking percent into the book, the author decides to switch to overload. it was like ZAP! Revelation#1 (okaaaay, was not expe-) ZAP! Revelation #2 #3 (hey hold on! still processing that last bit of info ov-) ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
-_-
but that's not to say i didn't enjoy the book. The book (well, the very-much later part of it, that is) had plenty of surprises of the pleasant...more
I loved this book. I started it a few hours ago and read through the night. I went to bed thinking 'I'm so tired i'll just read for a minute.' Next thing I knew hub's alarm was going off for work.
Joy is your typical preppy girl that everyone (almost) likes. Only she -like her mother and sister- has a seemingly rare gift. They can hear 'whispers'. They hear people's most private thoughts/desires and making peoples desires come true makes Joy... eh happy? Well not technically it gives her a false...more
Joy is your typical preppy girl that everyone (almost) likes. Only she -like her mother and sister- has a seemingly rare gift. They can hear 'whispers'. They hear people's most private thoughts/desires and making peoples desires come true makes Joy... eh happy? Well not technically it gives her a false...more
2 likes · like · see review
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whisper after thoughts: Does anyone else feel there should be a sequel? | 2 | 11 | May 15, 2012 07:53am | |
| WHISPER QUIZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | 1 | 14 | Dec 16, 2010 01:12pm |
Phoebe Kitanidis is a West Coast writer and a co-founder of OddRocket. She is the author of the young adult novels WHISPER and GLIMMER, published by Harper Collins. She's also the author of BE MY YOKO ONO, a comedy about modern polyamory and geek marriage.
Phoebe grew up in a variety of places, including Athens, Greece; the American Midwest; and the San Francisco Bay Area. After her graduation fro...more
More about Phoebe Kitanidis...
Phoebe grew up in a variety of places, including Athens, Greece; the American Midwest; and the San Francisco Bay Area. After her graduation fro...more
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“What have you done to your hair?” Mom’s broken voice said, pinning me back to this tiny hospital
room.
“Holy shit!” Icka patted her head as if searching. “You think the nurse stole it? She looked shady.”
—
20 people liked it
More quotes…
room.
“Holy shit!” Icka patted her head as if searching. “You think the nurse stole it? She looked shady.”
