ALA Booklist
Whispering Through Water
As Gwyn’s senior year of high school comes to an end, she anxiously awaits escaping her small town for college in the big city of Boston. However, her plans are derailed when Aunt Delia, the family matriarch who helped raise Gwyn, withholds the promised money for college tuition. Gwyn is stunned, and after she stumbles upon a mysterious letter to her aunt, Gwyn begins investigating, planning to leverage Aunt Delia’s “secret” to get the money. While hunting for this secret, Gwyn meets Isaac, who helps execute her plan, and when she discovers the truth of her aunt’s past, she finds an unexpected side to the woman. Wheeler’s latest is a gripping coming-of-age story that explores women’s independence amid a plot full of mystery and romance. It also highlights the shame many unwed mothers faced in the 1950s and 1960s as well as the unimaginable heartache they faced due to societal pressures. A great read from Wheeler.
-Booklist
Whispering Through Water
As Gwyn’s senior year of high school comes to an end, she anxiously awaits escaping her small town for college in the big city of Boston. However, her plans are derailed when Aunt Delia, the family matriarch who helped raise Gwyn, withholds the promised money for college tuition. Gwyn is stunned, and after she stumbles upon a mysterious letter to her aunt, Gwyn begins investigating, planning to leverage Aunt Delia’s “secret” to get the money. While hunting for this secret, Gwyn meets Isaac, who helps execute her plan, and when she discovers the truth of her aunt’s past, she finds an unexpected side to the woman. Wheeler’s latest is a gripping coming-of-age story that explores women’s independence amid a plot full of mystery and romance. It also highlights the shame many unwed mothers faced in the 1950s and 1960s as well as the unimaginable heartache they faced due to societal pressures. A great read from Wheeler.
-Booklist
Reader's Favorite
"Whispering Through Water by Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler is a beautiful and honest depiction of teenage angst, high-school romance, and family. With its setting in the 1990s, the book also provides a nostalgic air to the narrative. The dynamics between our main characters, Gwyn and Aunt Delia, were enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. Aunt Delia is stubborn and Gwyn’s struggle to gain an advantage over her aunt keeps leading her to secrets she would never otherwise have known. While the narrative involves a lot of mystery and high-school life, Gwyn Madison’s story is also one of love, courage, and perseverance. It is also a reminder of how we should fight for and protect what we love the most. On a different note, this journey through love and redemption is a story of sacrifice and new beginnings." -Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran
"Whispering Through Water by Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler is a beautiful and honest depiction of teenage angst, high-school romance, and family. With its setting in the 1990s, the book also provides a nostalgic air to the narrative. The dynamics between our main characters, Gwyn and Aunt Delia, were enough to keep me on the edge of my seat. Aunt Delia is stubborn and Gwyn’s struggle to gain an advantage over her aunt keeps leading her to secrets she would never otherwise have known. While the narrative involves a lot of mystery and high-school life, Gwyn Madison’s story is also one of love, courage, and perseverance. It is also a reminder of how we should fight for and protect what we love the most. On a different note, this journey through love and redemption is a story of sacrifice and new beginnings." -Reviewed by Maria Victoria Beltran
Literary Titan
"Whispering Through Water by Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler is an impassioned coming-of-age novel that will appeal to a young adult audience and teen readers. With impeccable writing, an engaging style, and relatable topics, I think this book is perfectly suited for late middle schoolers or early high schoolers.
This is an evocative and wholesome novel that touches on serious topics and issues while maintaining a lighthearted feel. It displays family conflict in a mature manner. It shows that there is hope even in the midst of our darkest times. The author maneuvers through conflict resolution with empathy and wisdom. She writes about familial arguing in a realistic and interesting way. The story displays family conflict in everyday life: complicated and painful, all while holding onto hope that things will get better. Much like in real life, things don’t end the way we might expect them to, but as long as we are honest with ourselves and each other, there isn’t anything we can’t handle."
"Whispering Through Water by Rebecca Wenrich Wheeler is an impassioned coming-of-age novel that will appeal to a young adult audience and teen readers. With impeccable writing, an engaging style, and relatable topics, I think this book is perfectly suited for late middle schoolers or early high schoolers.
This is an evocative and wholesome novel that touches on serious topics and issues while maintaining a lighthearted feel. It displays family conflict in a mature manner. It shows that there is hope even in the midst of our darkest times. The author maneuvers through conflict resolution with empathy and wisdom. She writes about familial arguing in a realistic and interesting way. The story displays family conflict in everyday life: complicated and painful, all while holding onto hope that things will get better. Much like in real life, things don’t end the way we might expect them to, but as long as we are honest with ourselves and each other, there isn’t anything we can’t handle."