It's no secret I enjoy a good delve into the world of twisted minds, which is probably why this was recommended to me. On the surface it appears very normal. And it is. Because that's where the beauty of the story is hidden.

What's it about? Mothers and daughters. I mean, there are sons in there too, and fathers and husbands and suchlike. But fundamentally the whole thing revolves around inter-generational female relationships. Okay, now it's sounding dry rather than normal... It isn't. It's tense and gripping. Partly because it deals with a fundamental fear - are we normal, or broken?

Blythe takes up the story. She's the hub of it all. Her relationship with her daughter, Violet, is the main thread and it's engrossing. We also skip back to her youth and the relationship with her mother. And, for context, we also go back another generation to learn about her grandmother too. Those sub-threads add context. They give us the background that explains Blythe's thinking. It asks us whether we can ever truly escape our pasts. It's all nicely balanced. Those sub-threads are interesting and bring a nice level of poignancy to the book. But it was the main story that had me enthralled.

Violet is a wonderfully written character. It's hard to get much nuance in a child so young, yet Audrain manages to deliver a carefully sculpted character that plays with your mind. Blythe's narration leaves you guessing at certain points - how literal was what you just read? How much is filtered through the baggage weighing upon the women of this family? We watch Blythe's world evolve as her daughter grows. We see relationships change, we empathise with her struggles. We see the highs and lows of her motherhood, and it is powerful.

It is also beautifully detailed and intricate. Oh, those details... there's no better way to draw me in. The minutiae that make up life lift stories. It's where we connect with a story. Audrain delivers by the bucketful. Small lines entwine you. How can anything bad happen in a world so normal? Which is where we meet the most important detail, the one that is positively shilling and had me craving more. The simple question from the blurb; is it Violet or is it Blythe? Will they break the cycle?

Read this book if you want to connect with superb characters. Or if you enjoy a little shiver down your spine. If you enjoy a careful plot unfolding before your eyes too. And just because it's worth reading.

In the footsteps of ‘We Need to Talk about Kevin’ this debut novel by Ashley Audrain generates an unwelcome feeling of disbelief. How can a mother feel like that; how can a child feel or act like that?

Blythe and Fox are happily married and then their daughter, Violet, is born and Blythe awaits the rush of love that everybody talks about and all the time thinking of all that was lacking in her relationship with her own mother. Like every mother she is full of doubt, will she be a good mother, will she do it right? Meanwhile as she grows Violet is distinctly unresponsive to her mother.

This is heartbreaking; devastating and powerful.

Well-written, great structure and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

The Push completely blew me away - easily one of the best books I've read this year and I've read over 100.

Ashley Audrain tells the story of how the mothers in one family do not behave as we would typically expect them - each has personal issues which affect their daughter and are seemingly passed on to the next generation of women.
At the beginning of the story it can be a bit difficult to keep track of which person's perspective we are reading about, but the more you find yourself engrossed in the story, the easier the novel flows.

At times I was shocked at the characters and their behaviour and actions and the end was truly unanticipated.

An excellent novel.

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for an advanced copy of The Push.

My goodness, what a book this is. I think you know everything you should know about the plot from the blurb and part of the joy of reading this comes from the mystery element.

Audrain's writing is very easy to read, you get swept along with the story and find that a few hours have passed without you noticing. The story carried well and whilst some areas were quite predictable it didn't detract from the overall reading experience.

If you enjoy your literary fiction with a dash of mystery thrown in the The Push is the book for you. I can see this easily becoming a best seller when it is released early next year.

This is a great read which I have been completely unable to put down. I have loved this from start to end and have completely devoured this book in just one sitting.
Full review to follow on Publication day.

When I read the description of this book, I wasn't sure what to expect. I thought it might be an exploration of postpartum depression and similar themes. While I'm sure what was definitely a part of it, what I ended up reading was something upsetting and quite horrific. I can't fault the writing itself, but I found all of the characters bar one very minor character extremely unlikable. Even if in some instances I could understand why the MC acted as she did, that doesn't alter the fact that I could never find myself cheering for her. I do feel this story needs some sort of trigger warnings because some of the things I read I was utterly horrified at and if I'm honest, I wish I hadn't read them.

This wasn't the story for me however I can see why some people would enjoy it. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Blythe had a difficult childhood, but now she has Fox Connor, complete with loving mother. Their relationship is wonderful. Then Blythe and Fox have a baby. What sort of mother will she be? Suppose the baby isn't as she'd hoped? The book centres on Blythe's account, with flashbacks to her dysfunctional mother Cecilia and her own still more dysfunctional mother Etta...

A powerful, intense, literary thriller. It is compelling if difficult to read at times. Reminiscent of 'We Need to Talk About Kevin', the book explores motherhood, parenting and relationships with a raw, searing, honesty.

Strongly recommended.

WOW. It isn't often a book leaves me speechless but this book was just absolutely incredible. I've been in a real reading slump and this has pulled me out.

We meet Blythe who had a difficult childhood. A mother who came in and out of her life. As she enters motherhood herself, she questions whether or not she would be a good mother and when the baby arrives, she struggles to feel that maternal instinct.

I have to say I really connected with this book in a weird way. As someone who has just got married, I'm constantly asked when I'm going to have a baby. But I have this looming fear that maybe, thanks to my illness, won't be a great mum. So it was weird to feel such a connection to what is, a very dark tale.

The writing in this is sublime. It is punchy. It gets to the point which I love in a book.

This is half literary fiction with a tiny bit of mystery infused in it.

Overall, a massive five stars. I can see this one being huge when it is released - one to watch out for.

Wow. Just.....wow. An incredible, powerful read. Motherhood but the truth of it, the truth of how we sometimes only know what we know and no matter what, it's impossible to do otherwise.

Blythe and Fox have the perfect relationship. Happy, successful, talented. Blythe doesn't have the most supportive family but that doesn't matter because she has Fox and his family. They get married and then of course, they have a baby. But Violet is not like any other baby and motherhood is not what Blythe expected. Told in present day and with flashbacks to Blythe's childhood and her missing mother - Cecilia - childhood - we see how our childhood experience shape our understand of love and motherhood. But what happens when our child is different and doesn't fit that mold.

Brave, bold, powerful, heartbreaking - this was an incredible read and I can't wait for her next novel.

The publisher’s invitation for The Push made it feel difficult to resist but it lived up to expectation.
This novel is a tense, often harrowing account of troubled mother/daughter relationships over three generations. The second person narration feels comfortable because the writing is good. The characters are tight, authentic enough to allow for taking sides. A child like Violet inevitably recalls Lionel Shriver’s Kevin, and the debate over nature or nurture, but The Push works the long-suffering and tortured mother Blythe in quite a different way.
Is Fox, the husband, really blinded by filial adoration and therefore completely unhelpful, or is he closing his eyes to the truth. Full marks for a very chilling scene close to the end in this difficult to put down read.

The Push was not quite the book I expected it to be - it's more of a thriller than literary fiction. But I found this was actually its strength - the short, sharp sentences and breathless pacing make it all the more compelling.

It's deceptively simple. The story revolves around the core theme of motherhood. But what at first seems straightforward becomes increasingly tangled. The perspective is intimate and disingenous, slipping from first to second person and between three generations of women. While the plot may be a little predictable, the narration is not, and that is what makes it a real page-turner.

Taught and compelling, The Push makes for a compulsive read.

The Push is a gripping family drama. I don't generally like 2nd person narrative but I got used to it so quickly. It felt like Blythe was telling the story to me as if I had been part of it.

I really enjoyed Blythe's narrative, yet when jumping back in time to get the history and a bit of a back story of the women in her family, I didn't enjoy it as much.

Also, the ending was slightly predictable yet left me on a total cliffhanger. I need answers.

3.5/5

I'd definitely purchase a copy for my shelf and recommend to friends.

Blythe isn’t sure about having a baby: her mother left when she was young and she doesn’t want to put her perfect marriage at risk. But her husband persuades her that she’ll be a great mother.
Reminiscent of ‘we need to talk about Kevin’, this fast and addictive thriller is split between Blythe’s traumatic relationship with her child and - back in time - between her grandmother, mother and herself.
Is Blythe a bad mother or is there something bad about her child?
This is a great read: I got through it in a day. It’s the sort of book you read with a sense of impending doom but it’s well-written and insightful.
Thoroughly recommended.

I read this in a day; I just couldn't put it down. It's incredibly pacy and for fans of Gillian Flynn, Paula Hawkins and Donna Tartt you won't be disappointed. I found myself very invested in Blythe, the protagonist, and her story - it's a frustrating read at times as you discover how she copes and operates, and learn increasingly uncomfortable things about her past.
It's a novel that gets to the heart of what it means for a woman who is forced into motherhood (an interesting read against the backdrop of the latest abortion laws being passed in the States) and also a thoughtful study on how much damage is carried through generations and some behaviour just cannot be unlearned.
I really, really loved it. It's visceral, uncomfortable, thrilling and raw and the last line made my jaw drop. I'm excited for what Ashley Audrain writes next as I know it'll be something I have to read.

I started this book and just wasn't sure it was going to be for me, I knew the write up had made me want to read it so I kept going and boy am I glad I did!

This book offers so much emotion through it, and easy to relate to elements as a parent, and you do question who is right in all of this....

The Push is a raw, emotive read that packs a punch. It's thought-provoking and lingers with you long after you've read the final page. An utterly fantastic read,

A very raw and brutally honest look at motherhood and the expectations that come with it. Acknowledging that being a mother does not guarantee maternal instinct or natural nurturing. I think this book is a fantastic book for anybody mother or not, to gain an understanding of how motherhood can challenge and change lives.

Hard to put down but also hard to read in places . a well written story surrounding motherhood and how naturally maternal we are .. or not !

From the very first chapter this book grabs you and doesn’t let go. I couldn’t put it down.

The author’s writing style is striking and the narrative is skilfully written with just enough detail to keep us readers completely hooked.

The stark reality of motherhood was well described and I loved the way the author went back into Blythe’s family history. Violet is a menacing character and her manipulation of those around her is cleverly written. All of the characters are realistic and well rounded. The plot is well paced and the whole novel has an unsettling feel that keeps you reading long past the time you thought you’d stop.

I only have great things to say about this truly fantastic book. Read it- you won’t regret it! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

There are so many words I could use to describe this book. Raw, compelling, unflinching, visceral. The writing is like liquid, smooth and clear like an undisturbed lake, until the rain starts to fall, and the ripples begin to stretch further and further. The Push is like standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for the ground to fall away from beneath your feet.

It is a disturbing and brutally honest view into motherhood, and the fears most, if not all, mothers face. The fear that your child will not be what you expect. The fear that you will be unable to love them. Audrain forces you to look into the mirror that society holds up, with all the expectations on women who are mothers and women who are not. A literary masterpiece, with incredible, beautiful, and bleak writing.