This was a thriller that attempted to deliver two big reveals at the end of the book, but both of them were obvious much earlier on, which was definitely a letdown.

DS Alison Hegarty is called to the scene of an accident? a crime? She's not sure, but there's definitely a dead body underneath a balcony at Monica and Ed's expensive estate. And there are at least a dozen possible suspects, all of them members of an expectant parent group, some of them who have had their babies, and some who have had sadder outcomes. Alison is given a week to gather information and evidence to see if she can even prove that there was a murder in the first place. But, of course, the book is titled "The Push," so that does give it away a bit.

While this book is told from multiple points of view, besides Alison, Jax is the biggest character. She is 38 -- ancient(!) -- and pregnant by her boyfriend, Aaron, who is (also shockingly!) only 24. She's not supposed to be on maternity leave for another month when the book starts, but emails have started coming into the children's charity she works with accusing her of sleeping with young boys, and she's put on leave early. With a failing career, an overbearing and condescending mother, and a boyfriend who lacks a lot of maturity, Jax struggles through the end of her pregnancy and the beginning of motherhood.

I thought the mix of characters was really interesting -- and I would have liked to spend more time with most of the other couples to learn more about their stories. I did think that the "bad" characters, though, where more caricatures of bad people instead of having a depth that a lot of people really do, especially since their motives were actually pretty complicated.

In terms of the big reveals at the end, I really wasn't surprised... Once you figured out who the body belonged to, all the other pieces fell together really quickly. And, honestly, I didn't think that the final outcome deserved the big police investigation.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing me with an e-galley of this book in exchange for my honest review. It has not influenced my opinion,

What do good parents do before the baby arrives? They prepare. And what could be better than a prenatal baby group? This is how six very different couples meet. Monica and Ed are already a bit older, but obviously they have everything under control and quickly take over the lead. Kelly is by far the youngest, insecure while her boyfriend and the baby's father, Ryan, is mainly absent. Anita and Jeremy cannot have a baby but have planned an adoption, whereas Hazel and Cathy opted for a donor. Aisha and Rahul keep mainly to themselves while Jax feels judged since she is more than ten years the senior of her partner Aaron. Nina is leading the group and preparing the future parents for the upcoming events. Yet, what they a not prepared for is a fatality at their baby welcoming barbecue.

I have been a huge fan of Claire McGowan's novels for quite some time and also her latest mystery did not disappoint me. A very diverse set of characters who all have their secrets they try to hide from the others but who, ultimately, have to give up and face reality. Narrated alternatingly between the time of the prenatal course and the eventful barbecue, we get to know the characters at two different points of time which is especially interesting because so much happens in between and, as a reader, you have to put together the single bits and pieces. Plus, it takes some time just to figure out what exactly happened during the barbecue and who the victim actually is.

What I admired most was how the characters were created and how each becomes a lively and authentic individual. Even though the number is quite high, they all get some specific traits and secrets which make them not only interesting but add to the overall suspense. There is a murder case but much more interestingly is to figure out the characters' little white or big fat lies.

At the same time, the author shows all the fears and insecurities which come with becoming a parent for the first time. A constant feeling of not being good enough and not caring enough accompanies the future mothers. The group pressure in the supposedly help group also plays an important role, some just seem to always be at the head of the class while others always fail. Much more than supportive, the group becomes highly competitive.

I thoroughly enjoyed the read, a perfect page-turner for me which brilliantly combines suspense with sarcastic humour and also serious moments.

I always read everything by this author. It wasn’t a quick read but it kept my interest. There’s a few book like this but it kept me guessing until the end.

A domestic mystery revolving around couples all expecting babies who meet through an antenatal group. Shortly after their babies arrive, they get together for a party where someone ends up dead. All have something to hide, and it’s not just about what happened at the party.

I was intrigued by the plot and interested in the secrets that each couple held. A little predictable but held my interest throughout. I just couldn’t get over these couples going to a party after having babies 2 or 3 weeks before!!

I loved this book. It grabbed my attention from the start, and kept it till the very end. Anyone who has been part of an ante natal group will recognise the group dynamics. We know people are lying, but who, and why? The author keeps the tension going, and reveals the secrets one layer at a time.

A highly addictive psychological thriller in the same feel of A J Finn. A page turner with style a character. Highly recommended.

brilliant - loved every page of it. A group of new parents and babies get together to celebrate their new arrivals, but all is not as it seems. There's the tease of a death through the first half but the reader doesnt know who it is or how they have died. Lots of fabulous characters, all well described and I was keen to know more about what made them tick. Definitely an author I'll be following

I assumed this was going to be a thriller, based on the description, but it was more complex than that. Six couples, all expecting babies, each with their own secrets and problems, and one woman who falls (or is pushed?) from a balcony. I really liked all of the complex relationships and the way the story kept me guessing until the end.

*Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The title of Claire McGowan's novel "The Push" refers to the murder central to the story and not to the fact that most of the characters in a prenatal couples support group were in the last trimester of their pregnancy where the word "push" would have a totally different and highly important meaning! With this in mind, I must be honest and say that as I read, I had a growing sense of disappointment at the presentation of the various maternity issues in the story. More than a few characters were written stereotypically or as limitedly multidimensional in their development. Elements of sexism, agism, and class bias were also present and for me, seemed to be offered in a rather off-hand, "business as usual, nothing out of the acceptable here" kind of way.

Before I go on, I'd like to say that I am truly not attempting to be overly critical in my review. The path to motherhood is a highly personal topic for me. I, like several of the characters in this "who done it," struggled with infertility issues and the constant clang of my own internal biological clock's ticking. In addition, I identified with another couple who was headed into the emotionally charged world of adoption. So saying, when reading I'm always hope for a respectful treatment of these issues no matter what genre they might appear within or what part they might play in either plot or character development.

I fully realize that the intent of a "thriller" is to build suspense and misdirection as the reader is led towards resolving the mystery central to its story. It may not necessarily be the author's prime objective to promote compassionate and empathetic treatment of the issues within which she has built her characters. But, honestly I do believe that achieving both goals should not be beyond the realm of literary possibility.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest and thoughtful review.

#NetGalley
#ThePush

The Push was excitingly a intense book detailing many intriguing characters.
Claire McGowen was brilliant in developing such an unusual and adapting plot.
Suspense from the start to the finale.
Well written, addictive, incorporating capitative nail-biting drama.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by netgalley.

I did enjoy this story, although I did find it confusing at the start due to the amount of characters. But it was a good entertaining read.

3.5* rounded up to 4*

I received an ARC of this book from @Netgalley. I was super nervous after reading the reviews but honestly, the book wasn't that bad. It's like a round of the Clue game, someone is dead, multiple people could have done it and where were they when it happened. Meh, easy murder mystery book. Read it for what it is and let the book take you on the journey.

I enjoyed this book very much. There were many secrets and lies along with trying to figure out who done it. This one even had you wondering who was murdered for part of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. Highly recommended!

The story begins with a party. Everyone there had been through an antenatal course together and were gathered to have a barbecue just after the babies were born. When someone falls from a balcony onto a rockery and is killed things take a turn. The book is told from the point of view of each of the women involved and DS Allison who is investigating the cause of death. The first part of the book I was trying to figure out who was the victim and after that it didn't seem as compelling a read because it was fairly simple to figure out what happened. All the couples involved had secrets they were trying to hide. The main characters seemed to be Jax, who is 38, and her young partner, Aaron, who is only 24. The others are a lesbian couple, Cathy and Hazel; Aisha and Rahul who have basically an arranged marriage; Anita and Jeremy are waiting for a child that they adopted from America and Kelly, who is young with an abusive boyfriend. Oh and let's not forget Monica who is married to a wealthy man and is hosting the barbecue in her new home.

I never really identified with anyone and I didn't like most of them. I got a little bored with Jax saying she was 38 and doubting the feelings Aaron had for her because he was so much younger. She really was a hot mess. Monica was very full of herself and had to have everything perfect and make sure everyone knew she had a perfect life. She was never very nice to anyone. The male characters weren't very well developed. The mystery really wasn't that hard to figure out. I was kind of hooked to see how it would all play out and it was very readable but be advised that there is a lot of ageism, sexism and homophobia mentioned in the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the opportunity to read this book.

The Push by Claire McGowan was a great read! I really enjoy closed circle mysteries; the limited number of characters allows for in-depth character development. The different POV’s allows for the reader to connect with the characters, and all of characters were unlikable in their own special way. I was invested from the beginning on the who and why question being answered. This is the first book I have rad by this author and will seek out more!

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

A party for 6 couples should have went great. Show off their new babies and talk about life. But one person is murdered and things aren't always what they seem. This was a really good who done it book that reads super fast. There are a lot of great twists and turns and I read it in a lazy Sunday afternoon on the couch! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Content warning: fertility issues, traumatic childbirth experiences

Someone falls off a balcony at a gathering of people who knew each other from antenatal group. DI Alison Hegarty isn't sure it was an accident, so she persuades her boss to give her a few days to investigate. She discovers that all is not as it first appears and in the process she has to work through some difficult feelings of her own.
There were some elements I liked very much - the victim's name is withheld for quite a while, the relationships between the group members and their respective partners were neatly drawn, there is some empathetic descriptions of the difficulties faced by people who struggle to conceive and those whose pregnancies don't go to plan. I thought DI Hegarty was very interesting and her relationship with work and life partners well described. I felt the storyline of one of the parents, Jax, was told in a way that built a real sense of her growing isolation. I liked the way the inevitable discrepancies between income brackets in London was described.
Overall, I enjoyed this. I think if my own fertility issues were more recent I might have struggled with some of the emotional content.

Going into this I was expecting it to focus heavily on the police investigation but unfortunately I think it lacked in this area.

The story is split and told from the points of view of each of the women who attend the baby group. We also have Alison, who is the police officer investigating what happened and interviewing the women.

The good thing was there were a lot of secrets that all the women had, which were revealed slowly through each chapter. The main focus being on Jax whose past secrets I was a lot more interested in and I wish the book had explored this more.

Each chapter also revisited the time of the incident and what each woman was doing when it happened. This was interesting and built some tension as I did keep changing my mind as to who had done it. However once we got the big reveal it felt a little flat.

Overall this was interesting, I did race through it, mainly because I was so intrigued with Jax’s past secret, but if you’re looking for a crime investigation thriller this isn’t really it!

I absolutely loved this book and was totally hooked from the start.
I read it over two sittings while wishing it was one, completely addictive I didn't want to put it down.
I correctly guessed one plot point pretty early on, but there was still plenty to keep me guessing right until the end.
I thought the characters were well written with some I liked and some I hated.
I really liked how each chapter jumped to different points in time and different characters perspectives and explanations.
Overall a few hours well spent hooked on this trying to suss out who did it and why, only to still be surprised in the end.
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my eARC in return for my honest review.

When six couples from a baby group attend a party, it should be a happy occasion with everyone celebrating the new arrivals. When someone falls off the balcony to their death, DS Alison Hegarty is called to investigate. She doesn't feel that it was an accident and begins to investigate all of the couples, determined to find out who was responsible for the push. It soon becomes clear that everyone is hiding secrets - but who is hiding the murder?

This was the first book by Claire McGowan I've read and I absolutely loved it! It kept me turning the pages until the end, and while I kept thinking I'd worked things out, I was blown away by the shocking secrets and fantastic ending. A thrilling read with great characters that will keep you hooked until the very end - I can't recommend this enough, and I can't wait to read Claire's other books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book in return for my honest feedback.