The premise of this book sounded so good to me, but unfortunately I just couldn’t get into it and ended up DNFing at 20%. The pacing was pretty slow and I honestly didn’t care about any of the characters.

I’ve read some spoilers after deciding to DNF and I really feel like this could have been a good book if it would have moved at a faster pace. I would definitely try this author again in the future as some of her other books have excellent ratings.

It was good. It wasn’t great 🤷🏻‍♀️ I enjoyed the subject matter - it held my attention. I always find it interesting to read about prenatal groups and the way in which they are portrayed. Motherhood is a huge change and I respect when an author depicts characters making the transition in real ways. I also liked how things were wrapped up in the end with respect to where all of the characters ended up. I just felt that the “thrill” factor wasn’t that thrilling or original.

The Push by Claire McGowan is a fast paced detective mystery following the death of someone at a barbecue. It is packed with a variety of diverse characters who have one thing in common - they’ve just had babies and met at a pre natal class. We soon find out that each of the couples have a secret that one by one is revealed. The identity of the dead person emerges about half way through the book.

The story flows really well, through a series of police interviews and it’s easy to begin to empathise with the characters. I enjoyed the witty style of writing and would read more by this author, although I guessed most of the secrets as the plot progressed.

My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer Publishers

The Push started off really strong. I was intrigued but with so many characters it took me a moment to keep all the characters straight.

A group of people meet in an antenatal class. They all have secrets. After their babies are born, they have a reunion of sorts. It's an awkward gathering and someone ends up dead. Since there were so many characters it took me awhile to figure out who was dead.

I figured out the twist pretty early. I hate when I'm able to do that in a book. I prefer to be shocked but I have been spoiled reading a ton of other psychological thrillers. After awhile the
book began to drag on a bit too long. The conclusion was anticlimactic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really didn’t care for this book. The plot twists were predictable, the characters are ALL unlikeable and this book is full of racism, sexism, ageism, you name it. Do not recommend.

This book started out with a group at a party taking pictures of their children, and then just like that someone from the party falls from a balcony and dies. This is how the stage is set for the story to begin unfolding. We then progress through the book by meeting the characters, Jax being the most indepth; finding out how this group of acquaintances was formed; and going through the day of the party person by person.
As the story unfolds we also meet the detectives put on the case to investigate whether this was an accident, or done deliberately; with our main focus being on Allison. We get to learn about Allison, and her current struggle with fertility, as she gets to investigate more into a group that consists of a bunch of new parents. It's hard, but with her new partner, they are able to muddle through all the lies from the multiple witnesses that were at the home when the incident happened.
The book takes you through multiple lives, but I never felt there was an issue with it. Sometimes when this is done in a book it can get very confusing, but I never had issues keeping the people and information straight because the author never gave you too much at a time. It was little pieces of the puzzle at a time so it was never overwhelming. I thought she did a great job with this book, and look forward to reading more from her!

I greatly enjoyed this book! I loved the mystery behind not knowing who did it and not knowing who the victim was until well into the book. McGowan did a great job of weaving together all the little mysteries surround the victim and the other characters.

To me this book felt very reminiscent of Big Little Lies which, in my opinion, is not a bad thing. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I typically love this type of book. There's an incident, usually a murder. There's a lot of people that could have done it, and the reader slowly begins to "know" the characters. Unfortunately, this book was so confusing that I had trouble keeping track of the characters and ultimately gave up on the book. I tried to read it twice. Thank you Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. It did have a good premise.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read the latest novel by Claire McGowan - 4 stars.

The book opens with a party - 6 couples who met at a prenatal class and their babies. But someone ends up dead - did they fall or were they pushed? And who is the victim? The story plays out with different points of view from the characters involved as well as the policewoman investigating. With so many people involved and everyone keeping secrets, you'll keep guessing as to who's involved.

Most of the characters are not extremely likable but you still feel for their situations. While some of the plot was easy to figure out, there were still plenty of twists. Just an easy, who-done-it read for a chilly day!

Suspects abound in this murder mystery by Claire McGowan. Six couples having met in prenatal classes decide to have a reunion after the births of their children, but not all of the pregnancies ended as expected with a bundle of joy. Weaving the seemingly unrelated characters into a "whodunit" that will keep the reader guessing which of the guests at the lavish ultra modern house gave the "push"off the balcony that ended the life of one of the group, McGowan tempts us with just enough information about each character to have us jumping to conclusions about the murderer. The investigator has her own personal anguish surrounding her longing for a child of her own. The final reveal is slowly hinted at as is the identity of the victim, which we don't immediately learn. A definite page turner to the very end!

I have enjoyed this author’s previous work, so was keen to read this. It certainly did not disappoint.

The story centres on six couples attending parenting classes prior to the appearance of their babies. I loved the diversity of the group and enjoyed getting to know the individuals. Once the babies have arrived, Monica, one of the mothers, arranges a get-together at her luxury home, where a tragic incident occurs.

The police enquiry uncovers secrets and lies making their investigation difficult. I liked the complexity of the story and changed my mind several times on what really happened. An excellent read.

Thank goodness for a miserable,rainy day allowing me to devour this book in one day.
The Push tells the story of a diverse group of couples taking a pre-natal weekly class. Characters are introduced in short chapters in the present and in past weeks. At a party to celebrate the births of the babies, a deadly fall from a balcony occurs, leaving all guests suspect. Was this an accident or murder? Allison, a clever police detective, uses all of her investigative skills to unravel the secrets of the couples and uncover the truth. As an armchair detective myself, I figured out some of the secrets, but not all. A fast fun read!

This book is my worst nightmare coming to life. I loved each twisty turn and found it hard to put down.

The Push by Claire McGowan is a psychologic suspense novel. (Trigger warning listed below).

A house party filled with children takes a sudden twist when one of the guests is pushed to their death. In comes the investigator, DS Alison Hegarty to figure out what happened and why. The writing is crisp, and although I prefer to figure things out at the end... the book still kept my interest because I wanted to see how it played out. Although there are many characters, the couples that had just had babies are very interesting. Their stories and diversity really stand out to me and it is obvious that they are well formed characters as McGowan writes.

I liked the format- each chapter was a different character and different time frame...the day of, or previously. The format keeps the plot moving and allows different looks into the lives of the characters as the story unfolds. Detective Alison Hegarty is intriguing, she has her own drama in her personal life. Definitely will be reading more from Claire McGowan!

Trigger Warnings: Infertility issues.

This was a fabulous thriller of a book, so many characters who were so real they jumped off the page - lots of mystery and twists and turns thrown in for good measure.
A really enjoyable read!

I really enjoy this author’s writing style and the way she develops her characters. I enjoyed the book. I give it 3.5 stars which I wish I could somehow show on my rating. At times I found all the back and forth in time a bit tedious but overall a very good story.

The book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for an hones review. This book was a great mystery, from who the victim is, to whether it was an accident or a murder. This is a fast paced story. Told from different perspectives, Allison, the investigator, and then many of the woman who attended the party. Thank you Netgalley, Amazon UK, Thomas & Mercer and Claire McGowan.

All in all, I love a good thriller. This was a decent one. I'm a fan of Claire McGowan, so I had high hopes for The Push. However, I had a hard time connecting to some of the characters. Yes, I got sucked into their lives, but as a single woman with no children, the whole concept of so many couples getting together and not noticing someone fall off a balcony is just kind of baffling. I'm not giving up on Claire yet though. Still definitely an awesome author to read.

The Push by Claire McGowan is a compelling thriller. Having read several of her other books, I was eager to read this and I was not disappointed.

Six unlikely couples meet at an antenatal group 8 weeks before their babies are due to arrive. They all have their little secrets and insecurities. At a barbecue to celebrate the births, someone falls (or were they pushed) off the balcony of a very posh home. As the investigators interview all the attendees, They have a hunch that this was in fact a murder and everyone is lying about where they were and what they saw at the party. Alternating between the antenatal class as the weeks wind down, the day of the party and the investigation, you slowly start to see the truths about their lives, what they have to lose and why they are all less than honest. You may work out some of it along the way, but they all could have a motive.

Centred around six couples who are all expecting babies the story has them meeting at an anti-natal group. Monica decides to throw a party after the arrivals and one of them tragically falls from her balcony. You are kept in suspense right till the end as to who has died. As the book progresses secrets are revealed and there are lots of twists in the story. A well written story that made me want to continue reading right till the end.