Whispers of Dead Girls by Marlee Bush -> Starting May 12th, 2025

[Alaina]

She's right. It can never happen again. She won't let it.

Ten years have passed, and Ren Taylor is back at square one, having accepted a job at her old high school. She'd hoped to make peace with the past but now she's thrust back into it: her murdered teenage sister is still immortalized in town, and Ren can't stop seeing her wherever she goes. She's dogged by the scandal that ruined her childhood and killed her sister.

Then Ren meets physics teacher Bryson Lewis. Handsome and charismatic, all the other teachers and students seem to fall at his feet. But Ren knows men like him – she knows they can't be trusted.

The more Ren watches him, the more suspicious she becomes. And when she notices his close relationship with a girl in one of his classes – a girl just like her sister – she worries history is about to repeat itself. This time, she won't sit back and watch another girl be taken before her time.

This time, Ren will do what she must to save her, even if it means revealing her own darkest secrets.

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Ch 5: Interesting how clear Ren's (view spoiler)[visions and interactions with her dead sister are. She's definitely be haunted. It seems she wants to make a connection to, or blame this male teacher, whereas her sister is blaming her. (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Ch 6: OMG, I can't believe she was (view spoiler)[lurking outside his house like that!? What a creeper!! And then she has the audacity to think of him as the loser because he had innocently fell asleep on his couch while playing video game!? What is wrong with her!? (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

finished this one while on a plane!! I'll add my updates hopefully later today!!

really liked it, flew through it

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Haley wrote: "finished this one while on a plane!! I'll add my updates hopefully later today!!

really liked it, flew through it"
Glad you enjoyed it, Haley!!! It's definitely a quick read and quite compelling!

[Haley]

megs_bookrack wrote: "To Ch 6: OMG, I can't believe she was [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[ I THOUGHT THE same thing!! just wait it gets better... (hide spoiler)] I'll be reading your thoughts in the meantime at work lol, I was thinking the same thing throughout the book!

[Haley]

ch 1 - 10 (view spoiler)[ liking the start so far. ren can see her sister or more so the ghost of her sister. I do wonder what she feels guilty for? was ren the one involved with the professor in high school?

to think ren isn't all perfect and killed someone...

ugh my heart aches at her mother not being able to love her the way she deserves . I can't imagine not only losing your sister but rest of family as well because they are so caught up in the past (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

oh, jumping in!

[Trisha]

8 chapters / 25 %

(view spoiler)[ while I think Ren may have good instincts about the weird interaction with the student and his lack of tie - I don't know if that means he's done something wrong
this new information, though, about him being forced from another school, that's not good

but Ren's definitely not in a good place. I want to think her sister really is with her but because she blames Ren for what happened (or at least seems to hint), it makes me wonder if she's Ren's creation.

hmmm. . and the janitor - I assume she'll meet up with this group sometime (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Ch 9: (view spoiler)[So, she did kill domeone that night!? The night she was sneaking around that guy's house. She must have gone to the bar after, or driven past, or something... (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Ch 10: Do her parents believe (view spoiler)[she killed Margo too? Maybe she did 🤔 (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Trisha wrote: "8 chapters / 25 %..."

Yeah, I am starting to think (view spoiler)[Margo is a manifestation of Ren's guilt. Maybe Ren did kill Margo? So she carries hercwith her like that subconsciously to try to alleviate some of the guilt?? IDK, interesting though (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Haley wrote: "ch 1 - 10 liking..."

Yeah, it does seem like Ren was (view spoiler)[involved with a teacher, or at least infatuated with one. Mr. Henry? Was that the name mentioned? Maybe Ren was infatuated with him and invented a relationship in her mind, then cauggt him actually with Margo and Ren killed Margo out of jealousy 🤔 (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

megs_bookrack wrote: "Haley wrote: "ch 1 - 10 liking..."

Yeah, it does seem like Ren was [spoilers removed]"

oooh that's a twist (view spoiler)[ I figured that Ren somehow drove Margot out that night - with a fight or an accusation, something that made Margot go confront someone or be out that night and that she died because she was out - but that they blame Ren because she was out because of her

but now that we know Ren is just unstable enough to possibly have run down a guy for cheating on his wife with her. Yikes, now I'm not sure what she did! (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

20 chapters / 52%

(view spoiler)[ okay so woah. This teacher really is sleeping with a lot of his students? or is Olivia talking about someone else?

the photo that was passed around makes me so so sad. This guy, because he was good looking and nice, was able to be a predator around so many girls for so so many years. and I hate that he stood in front of Ren and said it was all crap and she should give him a chance. Ugh

but it feels like there's something more here. Who is killing them? Because it doesn't seem like the teacher is. . .he's a predator and gross but maybe not the murderer

and I really don't want it to be Billy - he seemed genuinely nice but like he's stuck in the town. . . (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

33 chapters / 78%

okay wait (view spoiler)[do we think she pushed her? it sure seemed like she pushed her and then tried to save her. Ren is so impulsive and seems to be. . .violent when pushed to the brink. Yikes. I can see why she might feel guilty and why she might have had rumors she did something.

But I don't understand why she would hide Mr. Henry's involvement in it all. Yuck.

I'm also baffled about the teacher claiming he was okay to sleep with this many students. Don't schools have rules against this? Just gross and it makes me so sad how many are blaming the girls.

but Ren is completely coming apart. I hate that Olivia saw her all drunk and being harassed. and Ren seems to be juggling really killing the teacher. I wonder if she will. yikes (hide spoiler)]

[Trisha]

and done

(view spoiler)[ okay, so I'm a bit bummed that Olivia was just lying - that she created the situations that put Bryson is tough spots - don't get me wrong, he shouldn't have kissed her
but it gives this icky feeling of "look! look! women lie about this stuff all the time!"

I hate when a story confirms the very minor times that girls lie.

But ignoring that, it was a good twist. I was shocked when she stabbed her brother, that she was the link and THEN even more shocked that Ren had actually killed Bryson. Yikes!

but I was more surprised that she actually hadn't killed her sister. I was glad that she actually hadn't pushed her. (hide spoiler)]

[Haley]

Trisha wrote: "and done."

(view spoiler)[ yeah I wasn't expecting the entire thing with Olivia to be a lie... especially with the entire story going off on the basis that men are always forgiven in these situations.

THE TWIST though, I didnt' quite see at the end... sad to think her relationship with family won't be prepared all based on them believing a lie to protect margot. (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Ch 14: (view spoiler)[Ren is so unhinged, she can't even get out of her own way! (hide spoiler)] Why is she so obsessed!?

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Ch 17: Oh my god, no wayyyy, gotta be a (view spoiler)[deep fake, right!? (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

To Ch 18: I am not convinced. I think Ren's judgment (view spoiler)[is too clouded by what happened to her. This sounds like a classic blackmail photo to me. I think Alejandra's friend the photographer took it after the broke into his room somehow. I also think when Alejandra locked herself in the bathroom that night she was on the phone with that friend. (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Trisha wrote: "20 chapters / 52%

okay..."

Yeahhhh, I sort if suspect something of (view spoiler)[Bully as well, but really have no reason too. He just seemed like he has a little anger and resentment built up. I seriously don't kniw what to believe. Posting that doesn't seem like the Olivia we met. It's clear someone has some tech skills as they were able to email every single person at the school, so had to have access to those databases. Wouldn't that person easily be able to hack a social media account to post something sketchy? (hide spoiler)]

[megs_bookrack ((struggling to catch up))]

Done! This one sort of ticked me off, NGL. Both (view spoiler)[women who had so much to say about everyone else's behavior and moral compass were both multiple murderers who got away with it...I need to think on this before I rate it. The author made such a point I felt of pointing out men were predators, yet the men were guilty of cheating, in some instances, and kissing a girl who broke into a hotel room and displayed herself naked on the bed. Were they in the wrong and overstepped boundaries? Sure. Did they deserve to die and be painted as horrible predators preying on meek innocent females? Not in my estimation, no. (hide spoiler)]