Unfortunately this audio title disappeared from my library when I had to do an update on my NetGalley app, or it has been archived and I no longer have access to it.

I have the ebook on my kindle, and look forward to reading it some time in the future.

Really enjoyable listen. It was visceral and heartwrenching at times - plus, I didn't guess the twist at all!

Based around the feelings of yearning for a baby, being pregnant and then the reality. Even when it's the only thing in your life an all consuming passion, you come down to earth very fast. Career woman goes to America and has it all except the baby. Depression and uncovering some painful truths about her own life and family dynamics has an impact on the life of her new born baby. A work of fiction however the baby part is real, some difficult subjects tackled and communicated really well. Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook to review.

Hush is a novel about motherhood and the way it completely changes your life. Stevie lives an exciting life in New York, but the need to become a mother won’t go away and without a partner, she decides to move home to the UK and do it on her own. The narrative moves from Stevie’s struggles as a new mother to her childhood and her previous life as a single professional woman in New York.
I found story to be a little slow at times but was still engaged and invested in Stevie’s story. The ‘twist’ at the end was quite obvious throughout but didn’t detract from the book.

An easy interesting listen.
This book has kept me company for the last few days and I’ve really enjoyed listening to it.
The story isn’t over complicated which makes the narration easy to follow.
A good story line with a bit of twist. Touching on subjects that not many wrote about.

An important story that was well written. The downfall for me really was the "plot twist" which was not only incredibly obvious from the beginning but which was also used as this external event/knowledge that suddenly changed how Stevie was as a mother. It just feels like a cop out and untruthful end to an otherwise honest look at the difficulties of postnatal depression.

It's important to note that the central character is incredibly emotionally immature and as such the baby's well-being is put at risk due to her lack of mature coping strategies throughout the book.

This is a topic that just isn’t talked about enough. Women having children by themselves and also women regretting having children.
I thought this book was well thought out and I enjoyed reading it

If you've had children (under any circumstances) this book will hit you in the heart. The impact of pregnancy and new borns on your life, your job, your relationships.
A really lovely book about family, love and life choices.

Where this shines a light on a tough subject and normally this kind of read would be my thing but unfortunately this one fell short for me and just didn’t grip me. If anything I was bored and found my mind wondering. The characters were well developed but I really couldn’t take to Stevie at all. She just irritated me in every way from her work to her relationships and her naivety. I had certain aspects worked out early on which can take from the read. Just wasn’t for me unfortunately.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda Audio for the opportunity to listen to #Hush

Thirty-eight-year-old Stevie loves her high-powered job and her glamorous life in New York but she’s also desperate to become a mother. When I job opportunity becomes available in London, she jumps at the chance to move to London to be closer to family and embark on the journey to motherhood through IVF as a single woman.

When Stevie welcomes her child into the world, she quickly realizes her expectations of motherhood are nothing like the reality of it. She misses her job, her life in New York and she’s lonely. As Stevie struggles with being a mother, she reminisces about the identity she has lost and wonders if she has made a huge mistake.

TW ‼️This book may be a very difficult book for some readers. It felt honest, real and completely heartbreaking. I feel like it’s the past of motherhood that happens to women that is not often talked about‼️

Also, since it is very character driven some readers may find it slow or boring. I really enjoy these types of books and I can’t wait to see Kate Maxwell writes next.

The audiobook was narrated by Elizabeth Brennan who does an amazing job. I would highly recommend the audio version.

Stevie wants a baby. She is single and 38 and living in Manhattan but she is determined to make this happen.

The story follows two timelines - past and present. In the present she is struggling with her baby boy, struggling to form a maternal bond, drained by motherhood. In the past she has a successful career and social life and a sister…

I found the storyline about motherhood most engaging. Many mothers will relate to a storyline which describes the lack of sleep, lack of self confidence and daily exhaustion of being a young Mother. Stevie feels particularly self conscious because of her age and her lack of partner.

I also enjoyed the exploration of the parallels between Stevie’s experience of motherhood contrasted to those of her parent…

However I did find it difficult to feel a connection with the character of Stevie and this detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I also found the narrator’s use of accents confusing.

With many thanks to Bolinda Audio and Netgalley for my digital copy of this audiobook.

Sorry I just couldn't get into this book. The bits about the mother struggling to bond with her baby even though she desperately wanted him was very well written. I just got a bit bored with the back story.

3.5

I want to state first that I'm not a mother and I think that definitely affected how I listened to this lovely book because I've never had the baby blues, never had to juggle work, relationships and brand new baby keeping me awake all night.

So the story of Stevie is not a new one. Young woman, career minded, wants to have a child on her own terms. Fair play to her. However once baby Ash comes along she suffers with post natal depression accompanied by feeling out of control, lack of sleep, peer pressure. It'd be enough to drive anyone crazy.

The book is partly about Steve's relationship with her much wanted son, partly about her career in New York but also about her fractious relationship with her older sister, Jess.

It is beautifully written and the characters are well formed but I knocked a star off because I got irritated with Stevie's naivety - not just with her job but with relationships as well. The bits where she makes out she's fine whilst trying to cope with an unsleeping newborn and her inability to bond drove me nuts too. But as I said, I'm not a mother and I've never been in that position so I don't feel justified getting annoyed either. Definitely a case of walk a mile in their shoes before you comment.

The narration by Elizabeth Brennan was just right. Each character had a clear voice and her delivery was spot on. Really enjoyed listening to her read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda for the ARC.

Sadly this book wasn't for me. I found the main character uncompelling ( in fact, irritating) and the flashbacks to her former life in NYC merely boring. The narrator was so obviously Australian and although she performed it well, the character is British so it constantly felt out of step for me.

I feel this author could be one to watch and I'm very sorry to be negative but I received the arc in exchange for an honest review

I'd already read this brilliant book, but had whizzed through it last summer. I decided to listen to the audio book because wanted to be reminded of it and the narration added to my enjoyment. It worked well with the split-timeline structure and it was sensitively done. This was also a good reminder that the best books will endure and you always find something newly resonant on a reread or, in this case, a listen. Kate Maxwell's characters shine through and the plot unfolds beautifully. Thank you for the opportunity.

Stevie is a successful business woman in New York but moves home to follow her dream of having a baby unfortunately motherhood isn’t all she planned it to be she misses feeling in Porten and on the girl the total opposite of being a single mom alone with just her baby she’s so removed emotionally from being the babies mother she doesn’t even name him to weeks after his birth Kent Stevie learn to love her new baby? in the book every chapter goes from past the present her with her baby in her in New York as the story goes along we see there is a mystery in the family and it seems Stevie is the only one who doesn’t know what it is. I really wanted to love this book but after it started and she started ignoring the baby putting him in the closet I really wanted to stop listening but I am glad I continued because this turned out to be a really good book and one I highly recommend. I really didn’t think this was a thriller but with the family mystery it had that kind of feel at the end and although I figured out early on with the secret was that didn’t stop for the intent emotions the author conveyed with her words when it was revealed. I am so glad Stevie redeemed herself because at the beginning I really didn’t like her but learn to love her by the end a really great read! I listen to the audiobook and I want to say whoever the narrator was has an awesome voice she does great American accent and English accents and I think she made the book that much better I wish I could’ve found her name but it wasn’t where the narrators name usually is so just know if you listen to the audiobook you’re in for a treat. I received this book from NetGalley I am the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Stevie lives in New York and has a great career. She loves her social life but has no significant other. She wants a baby and decides to go the IVF route. She leaves New York City and goes to London where she can start anew. When Ash is born, she struggles to take care of him. The motherly impulses are lacking. I think this book shares the difficulty of being a single mom trying to continue to be successful and balance career and motherhood. Ash thrives despite Stevie’s feelings. As much as Stevie wanted to be a mother, I thought Stevie should have gotten counseling and allowed her friends to help her over the rough spots. I was disappointed that she worked harder on her career than she did motherhood.

This book wasn't what I expected it to be. I figured it was going to have a somewhat similar vibe to Magpie or Push going by the description but it was very very different. I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing as the story was enjoyable in itself but I think if others pick it up with that expectation they may be a bit let down. As someone who is currently pregnant for the first time I found tis book to be absolutely terrifying at times but I'm also sort of glad that a story like this exists where you can really see the struggle for postpartum mums. It was a bit bleak but in the end you see the main character slowly pull herself back together and figure out this new life she's created for herself. I will say that as for the whole "mystery" aspect of it, I called it immediately. I think it was incredibly obvious and I genuinely have no idea how the main character could not have noticed. The narration of the book was great I think the narrator's voice captured the main character's vibe perfectly, absolutely no complaints there whatsoever. Overall, I found this to be a pretty enjoyable audiobook.

I didn’t know what to expect from this story as, being an avid crime fiction lover this was a step outside of my usual guilty pleasure but I simply cannot deny the sheer compelling appeal of this beautifully crafted book.
Without doubt, this will be a highly relatable and relevant read for brave single mothers everywhere and not to narrow down it’s brilliance, a compulsive read for anyone of an age where having a career, a family and navigating through life’s challenges would understand.
It is a story about life, love, families and insecurities. It is a story of sadness and hope.
It is a novel that really deserves my 5 Star rating and I can honestly highly recommend it.
Did I mention the twists?

Format: audiobook ~ Narrator: Elizabeth Brennan
Content: 3.5 stars ~ Narration: 4 stars

Stevie is thirty-eight and has a successful career in New York. She has another wish - to have a baby, but her time is running out, and she is single. But this is not an obstacle. She decides she wants to be a single mother and moves to London, away from her family and friends. When her son Ash is born, nothing is as she expected. She can’t get used to being a mother and wants her previous life back.

Hush, a debut novel by Kate Maxwell, is an honest view of motherhood and womanhood. I liked the narration by Elizabeth Brennan. Her English accent was great, but I didn’t always like switching to the American accent.

Thanks to Bolinda Audio for the ALC and this opportunity! This is a voluntary review and all opinions are my own.