THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE YEAR! Absolutely fantastic. There isn’t anything I didn’t enjoy. I have just bought 10 copies (excessive?! No!) for friends and family. That is how much I love this book. Absolutely a new brilliant talent.

There's been so much hype about this book that I was a little bit anxious starting it, thinking that it would possibly be dreadful. Turns out the hype is right - I really enjoyed it. It's really dark, and a little bit creepy, just what I like in a book! It's a fairly quick read, and although it was fairly obvious where it was heading, I raced through it.

The Push is a harrowing novel that explores motherhood, displacement and mental health. We are taken through 3 time periods, witnessing the overwhelmingly difficult adaption to motherhood, and the marginally thin expectations thrust upon those who give birth.

Audrain has constructed an intense psychological thriller, and we are immediately gripped from the first pages. The fears of inadequacy, truth and compulsion are commonly shared, but often times, the darker sides of motherhood are swept under the rug.

The stifled vocalisation of inherited failure and risk, complex dynamics between child and parent, this novel powerfully mastered its genre and paved a way for further provocative reads.

A kitchen sink drama but without the charm. It was far too similar to “We Need To Talk About Kevin” only not as good sadly. There are three women’s points of view and it became confusing but what would have helped is different fonts for each one. This book could have been good had it not been almost the same as the above mentioned book, instead it was just a dark and depressing read. Sorry not to be more positive about it!

I love the cover on The Push. It draws you in and makes you want to read the blurb. I’d heard a lot about this book and it’s a very marmite book. I have to say I found this book rather strange. I liked parts of it and then other parts I wasn’t entertained. It’s hard to know what to write without spoiling the book. The chapters about the past didn’t add anything for me they stopped the flow of the book. I liked the writing and the plot was interesting. I look forward to reading more from Ashley.

Thanks goes to the publishers and net galley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow ...just wow! What an incredible book that looks at motherhood from a very dark and difficult place. This book is so well written and has some really dark twists that leave you wondering what you've just read. I can't recommend it highly enough. Easily 5 stars from me!

Oh boy, did I love this one or what? Yip, I loved it. It's a tense, gripping, emotionally charged and chilling family drama, with definite hints of the psychological thriller genre as well.

My blood was pumping whilst reading this story because this daughter was just too much for me. Yes, I'm going to come right out and say it, I didn't like her at all! Yes, I know she's just a child, and yes I know it probably isn't right to feel this way, but there is no way to hide behind her age or to make excuses for her. Simply put, I couldn't stand the daughter!! I wanted to put her over my knee and give her a good, old-fashioned hiding. And not just once either.

Blythe is the main character in this story, and she's also Violet's mother (the child that got under my skin so badly). It's clear through the telling of this story that she had an extremely difficult childhood, one in which her own mother showed extremely limited and often atrocious parenting skills, meaning that Blythe lacks the confidence in her own abilities to be a good mother. When she gives birth to her own daughter, Violet, she doesn't bond with her as she expected to nor does she feel the love and affection for her daughter that she's expected to feel. But Blythe sees concerning things in Violet's character, things that other people don't see, especially Violet's father who absolutely dotes on her from morning till night. Is it Blythe that has the problem? Has her difficult and abusive childhood caused her lack of emotion? Is it her lack of emotional attachment that is causing her daughter to act out? Or is her daughter truly evil and no-one else can see it? These are the questions which the author grapples with during the telling of this story.

As I mention above, this was a story that really got under my skin. It made me feel a lot, and I love books that can do that. It was so fascinating and extremely sad to watch the disintegration of this family, and to try and understand the different feelings of the parents towards their daughter. It's also a story that deals with the nature vs nurture debate, and it does so in an extremely unsettling way.

This is not going to be the book for everyone, and I can see that some people may find it too triggering, sad and even dark, but I loved it! I'm not sure what I expected from this read, but it turned out to be much darker and more disturbing than I expected. And the ending, oh yes, that ending just worked for me. It said everything that I needed to know in one simple sentence. Wow, this one was great. Loved it.

Well this is one unsettling read indeed

At its roots it is a book about motherhood, a book about nature versus nurture but boy does it pull you to looking at these issues far more up and personal than you feel comfortable with. I truly don't recommend reading this if you are a new mother - for those of us past those early days, hold onto your hats.

Violet is born to Blythe, planned and bought into the world full of expectations what Blythe's husband, Fox, doesn't realise is that Blythe comes from a line of unsuitable mothers. Cecilia who abandoned her daughter as did her mother, Etta, albeit in a different way before her.

Blythe struggles with Violet sensing that the child would prefer life alone with her father and then there is trauma and the world will never be the same again. Is Blythe the monster or does that label belong to someone else.

Not since We Should Talk about Kevin have I read a book that examines motherhood in such a raw manner. An uncomfortable read from first to last page, but one not to be missed!

I absolutely loved this book, easily five stars from me. A book exploring the idea that motherhood isn't for everyone and how it can effect generations of women really appealed to me. Yes, this book is dark and shocking but it will certainly make you think. I read The Push in one sitting and will be recommending it to everyone I know!

A very unsettling read, I was absolutely gripped.
I enjoyed how the stories of Blythe's mother and grandmother were interwoven with her own (and in part, Violet's where you were questioning everything you thought she'd done)
In places I was utterly chilled at some of the events.
It was very descriptive of some difficult subjects and I liked how the ending was done.
I ended up feeling angry at both Blythe and Fox though, had they taken a different course of action, things could have been very different for them all, epecially Fox, since you could argue Blythe's experiences with her own mother affected her, but having been repeatedly told what a great mother and loving family Fox had, he just thinks it's acceptable for Violet to treat her mother like she does and have their own club of two and then for him to laugh off what he knew in the end, really irked me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

Blythe had a difficult childhood & isn’t keen to have a baby, but her husband persuades her that she will be a great mother. When baby Violet arrives, her husband is the “perfect father” but she cannot shake the feeling that there is something odd about Violet. Blythe really struggles - is she a bad mother? or is there something about Violet that is “wrong”? The book has flashbacks to Blythe’s own childhood & the relationships between her grandmother, mother and herself as well as the present day interaction between herself & her daughter.
It took me several attempts to really get into this book – the blurb made me want to read it so when I wasn’t really engaging with it in the first few chapters it took some determination to crack on. The story did not go where I expected it to go, and does touch on a number of difficult topics including mental health issues, the attachment between parent & child and external perceptions.
Overall this is a very raw and honest look at the expectations/culture surrounding motherhood, the idea of the “maternal instinct”, and the fears that mothers face around whether they will be able to love their child. The story is dark & unsettling, so don’t go into it with the idea that it will all turn out to be sunshine & light!
I wouldn’t recommend this book for a new Mum, but if you enjoy slightly dark thriller/suspense novels then it’s definitely worth a look!

Disclosure: I received an advance reader copy of this book free via NetGalley. Whilst thanks go to the publisher for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are my own.
#ThePush #NetGalley

If I had to use one word to describe Audrain's novel, it would be haunting. Intertwining the dark history of the women in Blythe's family with her own turbulent mental health and role as a mother, a truly gripping read that questions the extent of unconditional love.

The characters are well developed so I felt pretty strongly about each of them individually, and with so many twist and turns I finished the book in a matter of hours.

I was unsure of the narrative perspective at first, unsure of the way Blythe seems to be having an internal monologue with her husband, but I quickly got used to it and appreciate it as a very effective way to represent how Blythe is struggling but cannot share her thoughts.

Compulsive and disturbing, this is the dark side of motherhood, as far from happy families as you can get. It is raw. It is upsetting. It is brilliant.

A chilling and engrossing psychological drama about the challenges of motherhood.


Happily married, Blythe and Fox Connor are delighted when they find out they're expecting a baby. A determined Blythe vows that she will be a caring and attentive mother to her daughter, unlike her own mother, Cecilia, who was cold and distant. However, once Violet is born, Blythe finds herself exhausted and struggling to cope with motherhood demands. As the years' pass, she gradually becomes convinced that something is not right about her daughter's behaviour. Still, her husband dismisses her fears as paranoia, and Blythe starts to question her own judgement. When their second child Sam is born, Blythe finds herself falling in love with her son more than she ever did with her daughter, but after disaster strikes their family, she is forced to face the devastating truth.

This was a brilliantly dark, ingeniously complex, and occasionally shocking story about the immense challenge of becoming a parent and the complexities of mother-child relationships. A mother's love for her child is often assumed to be the easiest and strongest love in the world, but often it is not always as straightforward as this, particularly if the child is difficult. The author does an admirable job of portraying this complicated relationship between Blythe and Violet. The inclusion of flashbacks to Blythe's childhood and the problematic relationships shared between her, her mother, and her grandmother allow the reader to understand her desperation more deeply to be a good parent, particularly when paralleled with Fox's comfortable relationship with his mother. Blythe herself was an incredibly multi-layered character. Her desire to not repeat her own mother's mistakes, coupled with her obvious exhaustion from caring for a child, meant that her narrative was both questionably reliable but also sympathetic. She fights for her concerns to be taken seriously whilst repeatedly being dismissed as a hysterical young woman struggling with parenting demands. I am not a mother, but I empathised with Blythe and felt her concern, heartache, and devastation throughout her story.

One thing I did notice about The Push was the several similarities it shared with the excellent book 'We Need To Talk About Kevin' by Lionel Shriver. Still, it was subtly different enough not to feel like a full-blown copy. The tension repeatedly builds to multiple shocking twists, with the author not pulling any punches, leaving the reader shaken and unsettled by the appalling events that occur. The reaction of the characters is realistically portrayed. The ending is absolutely perfect and leaves the reader reeling with the implications it generates and the suspicions it confirms. Other than its similarities as mentioned above to another story, my only other issue with this novel would be that it touches on some quite dark subject matter. While I enjoyed this chilling aspect, it may be a bit too much for some more sensitive readers.

In conclusion, this was a fantastic book that stayed with me long after putting it down. It has relatable, believable characters, shocking twists and makes the reader question their own assumptions about family and parenthood. I would definitely be keen to read more from the author.

Daenerys

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

OH, MY GOODNESS!
This book has left me feeling more than a little unsettled. I had actual goosebumps at the end, and it made my blood run cold on more than one occasion.
Blythe didn’t have the easiest, most loving childhood. Her mother wasn’t really the maternal type, and that’s putting it mildly. Her mother’s mother wasn’t either. Blythe is determined to break that cycle though by being the best mother she can be when she has her own children.
When their baby girl, Violet, is born her worst fears are realised. She feels instantly that something is not quite right with her daughter and they struggle to bond. Her husband thinks she’s imagining things and that she should make more of an effort, but you can almost feel the hostility Violet has towards her mother as she grows. I can’t even begin to imagine. Violet is a proper Daddy’s girl too. In his eyes she can do no wrong. The way Violet seems to manipulate them from such a young age is quite terrifying.
Is she this manipulative little monster though, or is Blythe just paranoid and fixated on there having to be something wrong with her? I honestly changed my mind a hundred times throughout this story and I’m still not 100% convinced. I do know that my heart went out to Blythe, even more so as the story progresses.
When they have their baby boy, Sam, Blythe is determined to prove she can be loved by at least one of her children. They bond immediately and Blythe finally has what she has always dreamed of. Violet seems to share a loving relationship with him at first, but I admit I was feeling nervous from the moment he was born, so I could totally understand where Blythe was coming from. How awful to feel like that about a little girl though. I tried to convince myself that Blythe had it all wrong and that things would work out fine, but I knew there was more heartache to come.
I can’t really explain how much I physically felt the emotion, the despair, the panic, and the desperation Blythe felt throughout this story.
A powerful, dark, tense, heart-wrenching, and utterly compelling read which I think will stay with me forever. I highly recommend!

Blythe Connor struggles to connect with her newborn daughter and worries that her own traumatic childhood has damaged her ability to properly bond as a parent. Her husband, Fox thinks it's all in her imagination and is dismissive of her fears. As Blythe battles with her thoughts and pushes herself through the endless stress-filled days of parenting a young child, she questions her sanity. When her son, Sam is born things become a little easier and even Violet seems to adore and accept her baby brother...

Ashley Audrain's compelling début is a multilayered, complex, family-drama-style thriller. This tense tale explores Blythe's history, her traumatic childhood and upbringing, and her problematic relationship with her mother, Cecilia and her grandma, Etta. It looks into Bythe's college days, meeting Fox and their subsequent marriage. At times rather disturbing and unsettling, The Push gives the reader plenty to dwell on. In short, a remarkable, emotional and immersive début.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Penguin Michael Joseph UK via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Push is a dark, twisted and thoroughly disturbing look at motherhood - and I couldn’t put it down.
Blythe wants to be everything her own mother was not when she was a child, and we do see some of the ways her mother treated her in flashbacks. This is three generations of women (grandmother, mother and daughter)who have clearly not been ideal mothers or treated well as daughters. Blythe desperately wants to break the cycle, and goes in to motherhood with the best of intentions. Except her newborn is not an easy baby for her. She cries continuously, and Blythe really struggles. I did wonder throughout the book if a lot of Blythe’s problems derived from postnatal depression. Except when she goes to see a male doctor about it, he thinks she’s fine (insert the eye roll here! I really didn’t agree with him!). The same could possibly be said of Blythe’s mother and grandmother: if not PND, then some other mental health issue was surely at play here?
This is a brutal look at motherhood. It shows it for what it is for many women: a hard slog. I couldn’t help but empathise with Blythe. I felt that her needs and feelings were pushed aside by her husband and the doctor. In a time where motherhood is all about creating a perfect family, with perfect babies, children and husbands, Blythe doesn’t seem to stand a chance. It made for an intensely uncomfortable reading experience in places.
This is a book that’s going to stay with me for a long while - especially after THAT ending (see, you’ll have to read it now!). I’d highly recommend this - it’s already in my books of the year.
Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an e-copy of this book to read through NetGalley.

The protagonist in this book is a nameless woman, a daughter, a wife, a mother, and this story is told from her perspective, kind of. The woman is telling us her life story: how she met her husband, about her pregnancy and her troubles with her daughter Violet, and other events that traumatise her for life. The characters in this book are quite disturbed, intense and very complex. For some strange reason, I could really relate to the protagonist. I understood her and her thoughts resonated mine sometimes.
At the beginning of the book, I was not very impressed, I had no idea what it was about. But the more I got into it, the more absorbed I became. The narrative has several different lines and is telling the story of women from three generations. The protagonist is sharing the deepest and scariest thoughts of her life, and it got very intense for me sometimes. I really enjoyed the suspense, turns and twists. The topics discussed in this book are marriage, pregnancies, lack of motherhood instinct, mother-daughter relationship, children behavioural issues, grief, depression, trauma and many more.
The book is set in somewhere American sounding (might be Canada), the atmosphere of this book is pretty dark and shrouded with mystery. I really liked the writing style of this novel, it is very honest, detailed, and the mystery was kept perfectly. The chapters are pretty short, so this book was a true page-turner for me. I really loved the ending, because I was pretty confused with some stuff happening in the book, but the ending kind of clarified it for me. I have to throw in a warning, that this book has triggers when it comes to pregnancies, cheating, death of children, grief, psychotic behaviour.
So, to conclude, this book is a very intense life story, filled with very well crafted characters, that are intriguing, absorbing and the plot that is layered, complex and brutally honest. I really loved this debut novel, I could relate and I loved the way it was written. I would strongly recommend this book, I really enjoyed it and I hope you will love it as well. :)

A story about mothers who haven’t been able to bond with their daughters, two stories told in parallel.....disturbing and creepy but also gripping. A good read

This is a beautifully written story of the struggle of motherhood. Almost every mother will have an 'am I doing this right?' moment. And if you have ever asked yourself 'am I normal?', 'can I do this?', and 'why does motherhood have to be so hard?' you'll identify with moments in this book.
The protagonist comes froma difficult background, deserted by her own mother, so pregnancy and motherhood isn't easy, but as her daughter grows up she starts to wonder if she is a bad mother. And, voicing the unspeakable counter-question to that, is her daughter bad too?
This book twists and turns as the protagonist faces impossible dilemmas, as she decieves those close to her, and tries to see inside her daughter's mind to answer that question. With a gut-wrenching twist at the end, this novel had me gripped all the way through.