Rating: 2.2 / 5

DNF, sorry!

From what I read via my usual 50-page rule, I don't think that this was bad or anything, per se, but it's just that it didn't capture my interest enough for me to want to find out what happens...to anyone.

Content-wise, the summary of the idea was pretty good, and you can tell that the author's definitely going for that right off the bat...

...Except that instead of making Blythe a relatable character who's nervous about being a mother and has realistic motivation for everything, from what I read I found her to be a rather wishy-washy character who

A) has childhood difficulties from her own family because of course she does via the usual thriller novel cliche

B) changes her mind often and isn't sure of herself in anything but tries to justify herself like she is and so that gets annoying

C) clearly hasn't thought through having a child because she's having it more for her husband than herself and then she wants the baby then she doesn't then she had "no choice" but to give birth to the baby and all this is to...elicit sympathy? Um...no. Right now, she's seeming more like the anti-mother rather than the "unsure mother", so no support there.

D) is telling the entire story in retrospect, which kind of makes it less interesting. Retrospect is always a risk and hard to use properly to impress people like me, but that's just a personal preference. (To be honest, I didn't much like it in Double Indemnity, and that's like a crime against thrillers not to like that movie in particular, so...yeah, call me a critic.)

Besides which, the writing style is...first person, but then for part of it we're hearing Blythe's voice addressing the "you" of her husband, making it seem kind of like second person writing and it's confusing instead of clever, so just...no.

Ergo, taking everything into account, I just didn't care for this book enough to continue it past my 50-page rule, so...NEXT!

"The Push" is a smart book. We have this first person narrative and we know that she is a writer, which foreshadows a twisted psychological drama.

Almost all the parts of the book is a story ("the thick stack of paper") written by Blythe for her husband (Fox) referred to "you." We meet Blythe looking at Fox's window where he is with his pregnant "wife," "our daughter" (Violet) and a boy at the opening chapter but the story goes back when Blythe falls in love with Fox. It is followed by the realistic story of child birth and being a mother with a big question: What if my own daughter does not like me? In parallel, Blythe's family history mainly composed of failed motherhood is slowly revealed.

As a whole, the novel is faithful to the main subject from the beginning to the end; motherhood. All the other details are stripped off. However, somehow all the aspects of motherhood, love, warmth, companionship, fear, and doubt fill in every page, making this book a page turner.

Finishing the book with a third person narrative is also well thought of.

(Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the advance copy of this book)

I received this book through Netgalley and Penguin Canada. I couldn’t put it down as it pulled me in quickly and I just had to find out if my conclusion was right. I found it flowed well from past to present with each look back helping to explain why Blythe had all of those issues. I looked at this book as fiction so, while the actions of her Mother and Grandmother were atrocious, I did not find it as upsetting as some reviewers did.

I found this to be an intense physiological thriller. I kept going back and forth between Blythe and Violet, trying to decide whose story to believe. I can’t say more as it would ruin the book for you but, if you enjoy a book that keeps you second guessing yourself, then this is the one for you. Your mind will be spinning and at times you will find yourself creeped out.

If you are a mother you will appreciate how emotional Blythe was about being a good mother and you may just understand why and how she felt some of her more intense feelings.

While for me the book started slowly, it certainly speed up the pace and I buried my nose in the to finish. While it was disturbing to watch the character of the daughter to unfold, I thought the mother tried valiantly to try to develop a loving and trusting relationship after all that had occurred. A very excellent first novel!

A well written book about motherhood and bonding. Exceptional writing and story line.
Not quiet unputdownable but a great read..

Thanks to the Author, the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Oh this book...Psychological Literary Fiction at its finest. This is such a wonderfully written story by an amazing author. It's the story of three generations of mother's and the daughters that freak them out. The story is rich in character and kept my interest till the very last page and I didn't want it to end. A short book at 246 pages and I read it one sitting because it was just that good!

I wouldn't call it a thriller, more like a psychological drama that is very character-driven and such a thought provoking read it was simply beautifully written and the plot was so gripping and enthralling. I felt for all the characters and their pain just seeped through the pages, it was gut wrenching at times. I loved this book SO much and I highly recommend it.

Blythe Connor was a reluctant mother herself raised in disfunction and lacking the love of a caring mother, unlike her husband who was raised by a gentle caring one. Is it inherited emotional trauma that she passes on to her daughter Violet or is the child just a bad seed? Blythe struggles with motherhood with her husband offering little support or credence, and their marriage spirals downwards. A tense psychological drama with a main protagonist who is at times a sympathetic character and at times unlikeable, a thoughtful and compelling read.

I had already heard a lot of praise for this book before I started it. Ashley Audrain is a local author, this is her debut novel and although it's not released until next month, the movie deals are already being made. I was thrilled when I saw it available on NetGalley and jumped at a chance for a copy.

Blythe and her husband are expecting. He's thrilled and so is she but she's nervous too because the women in her family have a pattern of not adapting well to motherhood. We see flashbacks to Blythe's childhood and the abuse she suffered from her mother. We also get glimpses into her mother's own childhood.
But Blythe is confident she'll be a great mom.
Until her daughter Violet is born and she struggles to bond with her.
Blythe finds her daughter to be a nuisance and, as she gets older, is convinced there's something fundamentally wrong with Violet that makes her unlovable.

This story goes to some dark places. The author really doesn't pull punches and knows her readers will feel uncomfortable.
There were a couple of times that I got too flustered and put the book down mid-sentence because I needed space from it.

I once watched a documentary about a man in prison because he murdered someone during a robbery. The show explained all the abuse he'd suffered as a kid that made him into someone who didn't understand love or empathy.
His victim's family forgave him and said that they thought his mother was the one who should be punished instead. I understood that but I also wondered what that mothers childhood had been like. Probably she was abused too and how far back does the cycle go.
This book explores that and at times I hated Blythe, then at other times I had a lot of sympathy for her.
I can see why this book is building so much attention.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘙𝘊.

This is a quick book but it packs a lot of punch. The story is told from the perspective of Blythe, starting when she’s peering into the window of her ex-husband’s house (not divorced, but separated) as he enjoys Christmas Eve with his wife, son and the daughter that Blythe and he had when they were together. There is a bit of backstory on Blythe’s grandmother and mother, both had a hands off approach to mothering. This may have had an impression on Blythe who struggles at times with attachment to her daughter Violet. Granted Violet is not an easy kid to warm up to, but saying too much would be a spoiler. There were some twists in the story I did not see coming and they added a lot of suspense. The ending was maybe to be expected with what had happened earlier, this is a highly recommended read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an early electronic copy of this unsettling and riveting book. It focused on three generations of dysfunctional, unloving mothers. It raises the debate of nature versus nurture. It was well-written and compelling. Blythe's present story alternates with her neglectful and abusive mother and grandmother's past stories, and I thought the transition was not always a smooth one. This book is mainly about Blythe and her struggle to break the cycle and be viewed by herself and others as a good and caring mother.

This was a character-driven book about the disintegration of a marriage. Depending on the reader, I feel the response will be polarizing. For many, it will be a fascinating psychological study and thriller. For others, myself included, it will hold too many harsh triggers that will touch on personal memories and concerns.

There are graphic descriptions of childbirth and nursing problems, postpartum depression, failure to bond with a child, growing paranoia and deception, miscarriage, abortion, infant death, child abuse and neglect, suicide, and weak, ineffective men. Some of these topics made me personally uncomfortable.

The painful, chilling family drama was an uncomfortable read for me. Blythe is married to Fox. She fails to bond with their new baby, Violet, whom Fox adores. She finds she is uncomfortable with and dislikes her new daughter and that the child returns these feelings. Fox minimizes Blythe's concern that something is wrong with their daughter and that she is exaggerating her problems and emotional responses. They have a baby son, and Blythe is enjoying the feeling of being a normal, loving mother for the first time. There is suspicion that Violet may have committed some terrible acts. Fox makes excuses for their daughter and blames Blythe's unjustified fear and instability. He eventually leaves home.

Early in the book, I anticipated the ending but later dismissed this speculation. When it did come, it was a terrible shock but left open-ended. I believe many readers will find this a gripping story about motherhood but regret it just wasn't for me.

This book was an extraordinary read! It captivated me so much so that I could not put it down. The writing is exquisite as it delves in to the topic of motherhood, family and relationships from a completely different and dark perspective. Highly recommended!

I thought this book would be firmly in the thriller genre, but make no mistake, this is literary fiction at its best. Some people get confused about the definition of literary. Literary doesn't mean the writing is good (which it certainly is in this case). Literary means the narrative of the novel is character-driven (as opposed to genre fiction where the narrative is plot-driven.). In other words, the way the characters develop will be far more important than the how the plot develops.
The characters in The Push do more than develop. They evolve. And I found myself invested with each and every one of them. In particular, Blythe, the protagonist fascinated me. She (and the stories of the women who came before her) provide an unfiltered, deeply disturbing, and totally authentic portrayal of the dark side of motherhood. Multi-generational, multi-layered, and heartbreaking even as it made me cringe, the best mother among us will still be able to identify with the despondency and dysfunction Audrain so gut-wrenchingly evokes in this book.
A brilliantly dark literary debut. Highly recommended.

This was an incredibly compelling read and if you were a fan of psychological drama, this would be a perfect read for you. I was under the impression that it was a psychological thriller or mystery, so it was a bit of a disappointing ending for me; however, that said, Ms. Audrain's compelling narrative and ability to weave a complicated story is unmatched and I think you'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't enjoy the book, even a little bit.

It was both a painful and exciting read, where you can't put the book down or tear your eyes away from the page even though the words are painful. And for me, it certainly brought up the age-old debate of nature vs. nurture.

The Push was PHENOMENAL!!! It wowed me it’s now my favourite thriller. The characters are so real and complex, the story was gripping, dark, and gave me the chills. The ending of this book is so perfect, I was shocked. I already pre-ordered the physical copy so you best believe ill be rereading this... The Push is going to be loved by all thriller readers. Definitely one to pick up next year.

Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC copy of The Push.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

There has been a lot of buzz around this this book so as soon as I received and advanced reader's copy I was eager to star the book. I finished it quickly, I think within 3 or 4 days. It clearly captured my attention. I enjoy reading thrillers and mysteries.

The main character in the story are a mother (Blythe), a husband (Fox), a daughter (Violet), and a son Sam. Blythe is struggling being a mom and connecting to her daughter Violet. Is she suffering from postpartum depression - the doctors and therapists say not. She continues to struggles with trying to figure out how to be a good mom to Violet. She wonders what is wrong with her and eventually decides to something to do with Violet. terrorize and bully children. Everyone says Violet is a normal healthy child who is just a little smart than some of other kids her age. Is it Blythe? or is Violet who are "off" . Is Blythe crazy and unable to be a good mother because her of traumatic childhood. She comes from a long line of women who were bad mothers. Is this just the continuity of of disfunction in her family and Violet is the victim.

It was suspenseful, a bit of psychological thriller fortunately it didn't keep me up at night except the last night as I was keen to find out the ending..

Wow. Read this book in one sitting. Such a heartbreaking story of generational traumas beautifully written. I felt a connection to Blythe my heart aching for her. The ending caught me off guard and holding my breath. I was left wanting more of her story and hoping for a continuation. Thank you netgalley for this incredible novel.

Don't tell my boss, but this book was the reason I was 20 minutes late for work. I thought I had left enough time to finish the book in the morning, but that didn't happen and I couldn't wait to find out. Loved the character development and this was an amazing plot. The ending was unexpected and left me with a gasp (and a bit pissy when I realized that was the end, but that was because I wanted to know more!) I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more by the author. Thanks NetGalley for the copy.

A very thought-provoking read, right up to the very end. She shows the challenges of motherhood, especially after generations of abusive childhoods.
A very gripping story.

Thanks to #Penguin Random House Canada and #NetGalley for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is a gripping and enthralling story of flawed mothers across three generations and the impact that each has on the lives of their children......or do they? Is it nature or nurture that shapes children? Is motherhood something “natural’ to women or does society create false expectations of women? What are the consequences of these expectations on women, men, and families’? Ashley Audrain does an excellent job exploring these issues in a taut, well-written novel. The writing is crisp and each chapter pulls you further and further into the story. I can see why this book has gotten so much advance praise and it is well-deserving of the accolades. Look for The Push when it releases on Jan 5 2021. It’ll be a great way to start the new year!

Thanks to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.