The Push is a chilling and somewhat disturbing family based drama. The narrative flicks between the modern day life of Blythe, initially married to Fox with 2 children, but also her earlier life and those of her mother (and before).

The prose is well structured and it is a masterclass in short chapters which keep the pace swift. However, I found the underlying themes and twists a little too disturbing and difficult to buy into. Certainly a book that kept my interest, and no doubt one that is and will do well, but not one for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC.

Wow, what a book. Somewhere between women's fiction (really dark women's fiction) and psychological thriller, the writing is so visceral that it really brings the story to life. This is the book I wanted We Need to Talk About Kevin to be all those years ago.

It's definitely going to be huge in 2021, and will spark heated discussion no doubt. A perfect bookclub read, as long as you don't have anyone too squeamish in your group!

"The Push" encompasses the stories of three generations of mothers and subverts our expectations about traditional mother/daughter relationships. I wondered throughout whether Blythe was perhaps an unreliable narrator and you'll just have to read it to find out. The book also raises questions about nature vs nurture. Ashley Audrain's dark debut makes for compulsive reading and I suspect it stays with you long after the final, shocking lines.

Having had a difficult childhood Blyth doesn’t find it easy to be a mother to her first child. It doesn’t help that her daughter seems to dislike her and prefer her dad. However when her son is born she feels entirely different.
Will this help improve her relationship with her daughter
Raw and scary descriptions of how motherhood can be yet I couldn’t put it down needing to know the outcome
An uncomfortable read at times but compelling

I really enjoyed this debut book. It was very dark and chilling and quite unsettling at some points. I loved it and can’t wait to read more by this author

Blythe is determined to be a good mother. However, after the birth of her daughter Violet she finds it hard to connect. The relationship becomes more strained as Violet gets older as Blythe starts to suspect that there's something wrong with Violet. After an unspeakable accident that changes Blythe's life forever, will she be able to convince everyone around her that Violet's problems are not just in her head?

This is a super fast paced and tense read. You'll definitely want to finish this is one sitting as you'll need to know what happens next.

However, I did find some chapters felt like 'fillers' and I would have liked the past stories to have weaved more into the plot.

This was heartbreaking in some places, and I really felt for Blythe. A great exploration of grief. Definitely a trigger warning for child abuse throughout.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin for providing me with a copy to read.

A stunning debut; I have already recommended The Push to so many people. Shocking, brutal and compelling - I didn’t want the novel to end. A fascinating insight into some of the more challenging aspects of the parent-child relationships.

I can't remember the last time I read a book where the blurb says you'll read it in one sitting and it's actually... true? Blythe felt something in her family wasn't right; she was shrugged off, that life as a mum would get easier. A tale of the light and dark of motherhood, of expectations and unspeakable thoughts, and questioning your own perception when the world tells you it's all in your head. Whirlwind of suspense. Difficult to step away from. Inhaled it.

Thank you for the chance to review this book . Unfortunately I really struggled to connect with the writing and the characters . The story wasn’t as compelling as I would have liked but sure some people would race through it. I found the female characters far too similar , even when they were in different time periods . Lots of trigger warnings as well. As someone who did have pnd, it’s a tough read

“We’re all entitled to have certain expectations of each other and of ourselves. Motherhood is no different. We all expect to have, and to marry, and to be, good mothers.”

Blythe is determined to become the mother she never had herself. Until her daughter Violet is born and she struggles to bond with her. She even starts to think that something is really wrong with her girl. After the birth of her son Sam, things get really intense.

This novel is dark, compelling and addictive. I found some parts disturbing as I am very close to my son and i couldn’t imagine being in such a situation. However, I absolutely loved this book and can’t get it out of my mind.

I think you’ll either love or hate this book and I’m sorry to say that it didn’t do it for me. I struggled to get into it from the start and didn’t connect to the authors style of writing no matter how hard I tried!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This book is so gripping and powerful that I basically inhaled it in two sittings. It very much reminds me of Lionel Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin. Both books aim to discuss the more difficult aspects of motherhood, particularly with difficult children, and both leave you with more questions than answers. Audrain has crafted a perfectly psychological thriller.

Blythe grew up with a mother who never showed her any affection and left her at a young age. This is the way of the women in her family and when she finds out she is pregnant, she worries that she will turn out the same way as all the previous generations.

This is a dark story of the strained relationship between mother and daughter, Violet from the day she was born. As Violet gets older, Blythe starts to worry there is something seriously wrong with the young girl but has no support from her husband. The strain of the relationship and the clear dislike of both characters gradually increases and reaches breaking point.

Blythe tells the story from her perspective and is interspersed with memories of her own childhood and you really feel the emotional turmoil of a mother who is supposed to love her daughter but is actually frightened of what the child is capable of doing.

Its a steady paced book and you have to persevere but a decent read

Marmite story which just did not deliver for me. Did not enjoy the writing style or relate to the characters. Sorry found it hard to get to the end. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

It was like being punched and loving it.
It's a gripping, emotionally charged, unputdownable and enthralling story that kept me reading as fast as I could.
Growing up in Italy you learn about the motherhood mystique and this books is challenging my cultural vision of motherhood.
Great storytelling and character development, a plot that always keeps on the edge.
An excellent read, strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Slow to start as it was very difficult to identify the character speaking and what all the relationships were. After a while I went back to reread the start and this put things into perspective . From then on this was totally compulsive reading. The story is dark and portrays a different view on what we all expect motherhood to be like. A great story that if it had not been difficult to get to grips with at the start would easily gain 5*.

This is not a comfortable read. Does Blythe not love her daughter because she has post natal depression, because she is the product of serial poor parenting or because the daughter has an element of evil within her? There are many similarities with 'We need to talk about Kevin', this is probably the book to go for if you can not bear the full on horror of 'Kevin'.

The author cleverly takes you through the process of questioning who is the 'problem' in the scenario; the mother, the unsupportive husband, the previous mothers, or the daughter. Everytime you think you have nailed it something happens that makes you question your decision.

A good, yet unsettling, read.

4.5 stars rounded up.
This is one heck of a debut. It's gritty and hard hitting and it had me chewing my nails throughout. We follow Blythe she meets and then marries Fox. We witness her as she fails to connect with first born Violet. We see how Fox dismisses her fears. We then go back and see her own childhood and that of her mother too. How multi-generational dysfunction has shaped her self-confessed inability to be a proper mother. Violet and Fox go from strength to strength as she is a right Daddy's girl. But then Blythe falls pregnant again and gives birth to a son, Sam, who she bonds with immediately. Well... you don't need me to even hint at Violet's reaction to that interloper but I will say no more about what actually happens... Suffice to say I was gripped all the way through and left wholly satisfied at its conclusion, satisfied but absolutely spent.
It's unsettling and all felt very real. The characters are all very well drawn and act according to the narrative. I ran a whole gamut of emotions along the way as I was reading and often felt scared of the anticipation of what I thought would happen next. It was a brutal read at times and I did have a take the odd break from it when it got a bit much for me. But, and I hasten to add, I never felt unsafe reading it. Horrific though it may be in places.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

The Push is billed as a tense, page-turning psychological drama and whilst the suggestion is there throughout the book I do feel like it could have been more prominent.

Blythe Connor had a difficult childhood. When she gives birth to baby Violet, she’s determined to be a warm and comforting mother. Yet she feels Violet isn’t like other children and behaves differently. She expresses her fears to her husband, Fox but he doesn’t see them. When she gives birth to their son she feels an instant connection and even Violet seems to adore him but when an incident takes place, devastation ensues.

I would rate this book 3.5 stars as it didn’t grip me as much as I thought it would but is still very enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Michael Joseph and the author for the chance to review.

Blythe is happily married and about to give birth to her first child. She should be happy but the birth is overshadowed by the memory of her mother who failed to bond with her and eventually abandoned her and her father, and of her grandmother who committed suicide when her mother was a child. Maybe the women in her family aren’t supposed to be mothers? When Violet arrives she is finds it difficult to love her daughter and becomes increasingly convinced that their is something not quite right about her. The arrival of a baby boy seems to settle the young family until an appalling incident happens that smashes Blythe’s life into pieces.
This riveting yet harrowing novel makes you question everything about the nature/nurture debate. It pulls you along, desperate to find out the truth. Is Blythe projecting her fears on to an innocent child or is there really something wrong with Violet? This is a fabulous first novel, and I’m sure everyone will be talking about “The Push” next year.