I struggled so much with some of the characters, for different reasons, and there were really two things that kept me reading long after when I normally would have stopped. First of all, I wanted to find out who had actually been killed. I couldn’t even figure out who had died until nearly halfway through the book. Once I figured that out, I wanted to know who had killed them. But even when I found out who had died, I wasn’t very sympathetic to that character. In fact, I wasn’t really sympathetic to very many of the characters at all.

There were a range of characters who consistently made comments that reflected a variety of biases and ignorance. There was one character who was intentionally created as a horrible person, but she consistently made racist, sexist, classist, and homophobic statements. One of the main characters probably could have been more likable, but there wasn’t a single chapter from her POV (and there were many of those) that didn’t include at least one reference to weight and the age difference between her partner and herself. I could have been a little more understanding if it was framed as her insecurity, but instead it came off as judgmental. There seemed to be a lot of emphasis placed on how desirable it is to be fit and toned and slim, while negative terms were constantly used to portray pregnant bodies, such as “waddling,” “hefting,” and consistently referring to her as a “cow.” In addition, women are apparently expected to get their shape and flat stomach back two weeks after giving birth, which I’ve never seen in real life.

I actually managed to figure out at least two of the plot twists, which was kind of disappointing, since there really weren’t too many to start with. Between the characters, the lack of suspense, the incredibly graphic descriptions of birth complications, and the constantly off-putting comments that were thrown in off-handedly, I wasn’t overly impressed with this book.

The Push was a suspenseful story told from multiple points of view. Six couples from the same baby group come together for a after ‘birth’ get together. The party however does not go as planned. This was a quick read and one I enjoyed but I did wish the author did not emphasize the age of the mothers as much as she did. Is 36 really that old to have a baby? This was a small quirk that I think most readers will skip over. I just thought the ages were mentioned more than they needed to be. Thank you to @netgalley and @amazonpublishing for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Six couples attend the same prenatal classes. Each couple has a story and secrets that are gradually revealed during the novel. There are initially five pregnancies, the sixth couple is adopting through an international agency. After the births of four babies and one miscarriage, one of the women holds a barbecue at her posh home and a death occurs when the woman who conducted the prenatal classes falls from a balcony into the rockery at the home. The police investigate the case. The stories are told prenatally, antenatally and cover many areas. Everyone is hiding something and the twists and turns in the plot are many and varied. Thanks to Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC for an honest review.

OMG!! THIS BOOK SUCKED ME!!! You just must know how it all fits with the couples and the baby's. All different walks of life has come together and ends what. I absolutely will be read and look for new books from this author

Hmmm. This is a tough one. The book was full of unlikeable characters, none of which I rooted for (a requirement for a book in my opinion) but I understand this was the point. Which character was hated enough to be killed? They all merited being hated. I just don't think the character traits were thought through fully. People can be unlikeable without being totally offensive.
This book has just offended readers and it doesn't make for an enjoyable read.

Before they give birth, a group of women and their partners were members of an antenatal group led by a some-what mysterious woman named Nina. Designed to help first-time parents through childbirth as well as the months ahead, many found the sessions to be unsettling. Nevertheless, they all attend a post-pregnancy party given by one of the members. After one of the party-goers falls from a balcony, the secrets and problems that many of them are experiencing is revealed.

The Push is a well-written book, full of suspense and twists. The story is presented from several different angles and there are a couple of timelines that nicely merge together. This is a clever, well-written book that I thoroughly enjoyed and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys a psychological thriller.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book for review.

Just a middle of the road ok book for me. More a drama than a thriller and easy to guess what was meant to be the twist. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

A group of six couples and their babies attend a party. They all only know each other from a baby group. Someone falls off the balcony to their death. What is an accident or something more. Told from multiple points of view, you get to know each character and why they could possibly have pushed the victim. In the beginning I sometimes got confused because there are so many characters. Once I got to know them that went away.
They are a very diverse set of characters. A good mystery with a few surprises (or not).

Thanks to netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the arc

Lots of characters of all ages, backgrounds, lots of twists & turns and a great storyline. Makes a really good read. I like Claire books a lot. Always different and interesting and keep me coming back for more.

I loved the diverse characters in this b00k and will be looking out for more by this author. I didn't guess the ending so it kept me gripped under the end. Thanks for an ARC.

The Push by Claire McGowan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#FirstLine - PROLOGUE The babies all look the same.

This book takes a look at an unlikely group of couples who have come together for a baby group. Then at a barbeque, things take a sudden turn and somebody ends up dead. After that bomb is dropped you are taken on a journey between past and present trying to figure who-done-it. I would say this is more of a mystery verse a straight up suspense novel. I enjoyed the story and was entertained.

A galloping read! Six expectant couples meet at an antenatal class and we get to know the intricacies of their lives. There is a party where they all attend but during the party an accident occurs. A person falls from the balcony or do they? Were they pushed or did they fall and if so who was the perpetrator and why did it happen! Intrigue abounds and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale but......if you are a young, first time expectant mother do NOT read this book!

This felt like a book of two halves. The first, a thriller with a closed room feel whodunnit. The second, a drama with the hearts and lives of the characters played out before us.

The Push is a story of motherhood and all that comes with it, plus a murder! Well written with characters I didn't at all like. This had me gripped right from the start, trying to guess who had done it.

When we're told pretty much in the middle of the book, I wasn't sure whether there would be a big twist, but it didn't spoil it, as we still had the character's stories. And the writing was so good, it still had me invested in what happens.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

Having never been or wished to be pregnant I found the characters difficult to relate to which was compounded by them all being at least a little bit horrible!
A decent crime read, just not for me

I received an advanced copy of The Push for my review. The Push by Claire McGowan centers around a group of people who are brought together as they are about to become parents. When a tragedy takes place at a weekend barbecue, just after they all give birth, everyone has something to hide. As the police investigate, because the lead detective’s gut tells her something isn’t right, the secrets begin to unfold and...well they really aren’t very exciting. I enjoy thrillers/suspense books so it kept me engaged but this story really wasn’t anything earth shattering. There was too much info about the pregnancy and birthing for me and it didn’t really add to the story. All of the characters were kind of annoying and not very likeable. Overall, I would say this book is just ok. If you read a lot of books in the thriller/suspense genre and are expecting crazy twists and revelations, you’ll probably be disappointed by this because you’ll guess what’s going on with a bunch of these people throughout the book.

This book was soooo much slower than it needed to be. Typically when I read books with multiple points of views and many parts moving its fast paced and I’m eager to find out what happens every chapter from every person! I was eager just to get to the end for this one. I went with three stars because the potential of being a really good book was there and I enjoyed the story buuuuut gah the slow of it all! It may be more 2.5 rounded up..

You have lots of characters. Jax- a pregnant for the first time woman at the age of 38. She is having a baby with a bf who is 24 which is awkward for some people and stresses about the age gap. Then weird things start happening and interfering with her work and she can’t put it all together. The big mystery of hers was built up so much but honestly it was kind of a drag. Then you have Cathy, Aisha, Monica, Anita, Kelly. All women part of a group who are about to have babies in one way or another. Adoption, IVF, insemination. A lot of pregnancy talk is included in this one. There’s Nina who is the leader of the group and your typical hippy dippy type with secrets of course. Then you have Alison the detective who is I charge of the case or what sets everything in motion, someone being pushed off of a balcony plunged to their death. There’s also spouses and Chloe who are introduced and take part.

I MEAN SO MANY PEOPLE! How can a book take forever to spit it out with SO MANY PEOPLE. All the names make it seem more confusing than it was. This book unfortunately just fell short in many ways for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I love books with multiple timelines and multiple POVs, and this definitely delivered. While I figured out the ending of the book fairly early on (I usually do, so this is no fault of the author), I still enjoyed the twisted journey it took to get there. I actually hated the majority of the characters in this book (Monica is a TERRIBLE human), but was still compelled enough to fly through this book and finish in less than a day. Honestly, this is the exact type of book I prefer to read in my beach chair - a quick page-turner with plenty of people you love to hate.
This was the first book I have ever read from this author, but I will definitely be reading her other works.
I would recommend this book to others.

Thirteen people at a barbeque. Six couples. Twelve people claim not to have noticed when one of them is murdered. Why are they covering up for one another? What have they got to hide? What have they got to lose?...Read it!

Mind-boggling! Not only a whodunnit but who did they do it to??

When those from the same group all get together with their newborns it should be, on the face of it, a happy occasion. However, within only a few hours they have a dead body - someone crashed over the balcony. The question is, did they fall or were they pushed? DS Alison Hegarty lands the job of finding out and, as luck would have it, she is struggling with infertility so being among all these new babies isn't exactly how she expected to spend her time. It's just a matter or sifting through the evidence and find out all she can about everyone who was the there.

If you have read - or watched - Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies then this is reminiscent in that you suspect absolutely everyone at some point or another and don't know exactly what happened until the very last few pages. To begin with, this is a very soft and tender tale as we get to know all about relationships and friendships but there's menace just beneath the surface. Fair to say I had almost everyone guilty at one time or another; there is some very clever writing which keeps the reader glued to the pages eager to find out what happens next. Did I see what was coming? No chance. Claire McGowan had me hook, line and sinker. A real workout for the brain and a very satisfactory ending with everything tied up beautifully. Without a doubt, this is a sparkling five star novel!

Having your first child should be one of the happiest times of your life, if a little fraught and scary, so the chance to meet with others in the same situation is really helpful. At least that's what Jax and her much younger partner Aaron hope when they sign up for a local baby group with five other expectant couples. Things don't seem as restful or insightful as planned however and the mixed group find the outside world interfering as they get closer to their due dates with happiness and heartache vying for the attention of all of them.

Three weeks after the group meetings finish they all get together for a barbecue, catch up and a chance to show off their new babies. With beautiful weather and good food the afternoon is a pleasant interlude in their new lives until a guest falls to their death from the upstairs balcony.

DS Alison Hegarty isn't sure how she will cope with both a new partner and all the babies involved in their new case. Struggling with her own infertility issues she finds herself working to persuade her boss this is more than an accident and how she just needs time to prove it.

This was a very enjoyable read but did seem to try a little too hard! The six couples were all very different but unfortunately not very likeable. Written in the third person, apart from Jax, no one was just ordinary, instead they were all keeping secrets and it would have been nice if there was someone with nothing to hide.

The actual clues to what happened were nicely hidden within the storyline however, and although I figured out most of the peripheral mysteries the actual whodunnit and why was a welcome discovery right at the end and in the context of the story worked brilliantly and raised my rating up to a four.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but all opinions are my own. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a slightly different slant on this popular genre.