I wanted something quick and easy to read over a rainy weekend and this book was ideal. Pitted as an ‘airport read’ in other reviews, I can see why this was categorised as that. The views on motherhood, post natal depression and the various types of mixed families around these days were interesting. I didn’t particularly empathise with any of the main characters, Jaz grated on me and the men were generally a bit pathetic. I generally like to live or hate the protagonists but I was a bit ambivalent about them all. That being said, I enjoyed the twists in the story and I wanted to know what happened to the vile person who was murdered (no spoiler!)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in return for a fair and honest review.

Really good read, everyone has a secret but are they the one behind The Push. Interesting characters. Would read

This was my first Claire McGowan book. While it was a good story overall, I felt the characters were not at all likeable. Liars, cheaters, fake, etc....they just did not draw you into their stories. The book is centered around a mysterious fall at a party of individuals who have just been through an antenatal course together. One thing Claire does not do is reveal who the victim of the fall is until midway through the book. Whether this was purposeful I do not know but it at least kept me reading through that point. After that I lost interest a little. Just seemed like the story was more drawn out than needed to have gotten the story completed. The detective, Allison, also has a somewhat dry personality and is not enjoyable to read about

I love that fertility issues are becoming less of a taboo subject to discuss. I think a great way to spread awareness is to have topics like that in books to give perspective and maybe inspire real conversations. The Push was a great read. From the start there was a high level of suspense. I really enjoy books about the rich and luxurious lives of the rich. These friends had plenty in common but could they all be trusted? Clearly the answer is no. Buckle up because this is quite the ride.

This book was utterly fantastic - I could not put it down.

Told in a non-linear manner with twists and turns around every corner, you spend half of the book not even sure who the victim is.

The characters were so well written after reading it I felt like I knew them myself (and heavily disliked a lot of them.)

Even though some of the twists were predictable and could have been cliche in a less skilled Writers hands, the author here put in just enough unexpected Revelations to keep the reader on their toes.

A suburban house. A BBQ. Babies. A murder?

Someone dies after falling from a balcony at a party celebrating an antenatal group successfully delivering babies. Told in flashbacks and the present day, The Push offers differing perspectives on the same tragic incident.
Characters aren't to be believed and the only innocent ones are the babies.

The story slowly unfolds across a week and it was so gripping I couldn't put it down. For fans of thrillers, unreliable narrators and family drama - would recommend.

A fast moving and entertaining thriller, but I wasn't too keen on the objectionable characters. They seemed to be a bunch of stereotypes, and I didn't feel all that engaged with any of them. I enjoyed the puzzle but guessed the ending.

I really wanted to love this book. And while it wasn't the worst I've read it certainly was not the best either.

Typical thriller and a bit predictable.

3.5 stars

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This book follows several characters and two weeks leading up to the tragedy that is "The Push".

A group of soon to be parents are part of birth group....one day one of the members decides to throw a barbecue and invites the group.

Each chapter provides a different perspective and POV from one of the characters and within the 2 week timeline.

This was just an ok read to me. It was suspenseful, and as soon as it was revealed who the victim was, it was a little bit of a letdown; however, I was able to finish it.

'The Push' gave me some serious Agatha Christie vibes. Set up in a classic whodunit style, this novel involves complex characters and a focus on the paths to motherhood. While I'd classify it more as a 'mystery' than a thriller, this story offered enough twists and turns to keep me hooked, and I definitely enjoyed it in all of its page-turning glory.

The Push is a whodunit centering around new parents. A kind of maternity noir. A group made up of six couples plus an older child of one of the couples, have a barbeque to celebrate the birth of their babies. By the end of the party someone is dead, thought initially to have perhaps fallen from a balcony. But we know better, don't we.

The tale is told from the point of view of many of the women in the group, plus a female police officer investigating the goings-on, one from the first person perspective. Unfortunately, as they all have the same casual speech patterns and turn of phrase, it is sometimes a bit confusing as to whose story we're reading, particularly in the beginning of the book. There is the obvious whodunit aspect plus another couple of twists and revelations. Not really hard to work out though, so that is a little disappointing.

It has been more than twenty years since I was the parent of a newborn, so the understandable worries of having a baby are behind me, but the issues are always there. Because of this, most of the early chapters are a little tedious discussing issues such as vaccination, fertility, adoption, diet, first aid, PND and so on. All very valid of course, but not great story themes considering all parents have been there. There is no real tension or thriller aspect and nothing psychological except for the worry about having a healthy baby. The story ties up neatly in the end.

This was a very interesting story. The character development was great, the story wrapped up fairly nicely, and it was a mostly satisfying ending. There were quite a few repetitive phrases and descriptions that took me out of the story a few time and the jumping back and forth from past to present and among different people was a bit difficult to follow at times.

An antenatal class gets together after the births for a reunion of sorts but when one of the guests falls from a balcony, some hidden truths are about to surface. Did the victim fall, were they pushed and what is everyone hiding?

Well that was quite the read. It was an interesting story and everyone had something to hide. The story jumps from past to present and through various characters points of view. The ending took me by surprise but it actually worked really well and the final tie ups were perfect for each family especially Jax and her mother. The writing is well done and the suspense builds as you try to work out who died and how? I like a mystery where the victims identity is not immediately revealed. A great thriller.

A group pregnant women, of mixed classes in Britain all meet at prenatal courses. They wouldn't normally interact, but they are brought together a year later for a reunion. The motive force is a possible murder at this meeting, for which there are many potential motives. Long stories of each player, but this is more chick lit than mystery. And the detective herself is an equally torn character. I couldn’t get deeply involved with the characters, and the plot faded towards the end.

This is an entertaining 'whodunnit' (and 'who-is-dead....it') where every character has a secret and a motive to commit a crime. This would be ideal for fans of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies

Thank you so much for allowing me an advanced copy of this book. This is the second book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it as much as the first. The story revolves around a group of pregnant women who attend an antenatal group with their respective partners. All is not as it seems within the group. Each has a hidden secret including Nina the group leader. I really liked how this book was set out each chapter focussed on a different character. Someone is murdered at a bbq and the book dips back in time to reveal what happened on that fateful day. I did work out what was going to happen about half way through the book, but still found it really enjoyable. I read it in 2 days as I was so keen to find out of I was right. A really well written book with some interesting characters.

I was really excited to read this book by Claire McGowan! I have read her previous books and liked them very much. This book had elements that I like in books such as hidden identities, suspense over who was even killed or nearby at the time through tricky narrative devices, and a host of suspicious characters. Unfortunately though, this book did not hang together as well as I thought it would. The other problem was that I just didn’t like a lot of these characters. In particular, I really did not like the main couple, Jax and her younger husband Aaron. I particularly did not like Aaron, who seemed to me to do little throughout the book to contribute to either the plot or to his relationship. It made me find it hard to get invested in side plots like his search for his birth mother etc. I’m disappointed I didn’t like this book more because I know I like the way this author writes, and really enjoyed her other books that I have read of hers. This won't stop me reading this Authors books because I think she's a great writer.

Having read a few books by Claire McGowan, I was so excited when I had the chance to read this book for an honest review. I am very happy to report that I loved it. The story follows six couples who all attend the same baby group and a mystery "accident". I liked how the story was told through the eyes of each individual character, I also liked that the book kept me guessing until the very end. I would thoroughly recommended reading The Push,
Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC! #Netgalley #ThePush

Thank you to netgalley for the oppurtunity to read the push. Its ths first book ive read from Claire McGowan. I wasnt disappointed. It turned out to be a really great book. Throughout the beginning of the book i did struggle to keep going but i did persevere with it and im really glad i did. I can honestly say that a little way in when we were introduced to chloe, i did guess one part of her story, but not all of it. I womt say specifics but you will know what i mean when you read it. Again i struggled at first with this book, but in the end i did really enjoy it. I will give this a 4 star rating purely because of that reason. But all in all it really was a great book

Jax is having a truly paranoid time, surely the things that are happening are just coincidences, or is it her middle aged raging pregnancy hormones playing tricks on her?

So many suspects to truly enthrall you that you won't be able to put this book down

A stunning thriller

Not a very good book at all. So predictable the ending isn't even connected to anything in the book. The characters were irritating. Thus book is just like a reality show