I loved this book; what a page turner. I was quickly drawn into all of the characters and the plot and raced through it in one sitting.
I’d definitely recommend this book. It’s a great read!

The participants of an anti-natal class get together for a BBQ once the babies have been born. The group have little in common apart from their shared experience of having babies. When one of them falls from a balcony, the investigating police officer realises that they are all hiding something but what? This is a great thriller taking in a little of the social experiment side of big brother, seeing how people get on when thrown together from all walks of life, intermingled with the strong writing on the thriller aspect. I found it a great read and enjoyed it immensely. Very clever plot and a little different from the run of the mill crime thriller. Some twists were easier to see coming than others, but I think that helped. As a reader I was looking for clues to confirm what I thought I knew and got blindsided by other twists that I hadn't seen coming. It was one of those books that I wanted to keep reading. At the end I wanted more, I wanted to know more about certain characters which I think demonstrates a connection with them. Well written, well rounded and highly recommended.

"The Push" by Claire McGowan was creative and intriguing in its storytelling. I was instantly drawn into the story involving a group of new mothers, especially since I have a two month old myself. While it is a thriller, McGowan also did a great job incorporating and touching on important and sensitive issues women face today-- infertility, postpartum depression, loss, etc.

The story centered around a mysterious fall at a party. Deciphering through interviews with party guests, autopsy results, and DNA evidence, the reader, along with detectives, try to make sense of what really happened that fateful day. Was it just an accidental fall or was it more sinister and was someone pushed off the balcony?

McGowan gives insight into each woman from the party. The women all met at a group for people becoming parents. I feel like each reader will find a particular character they relate to and another one they see a friend, family member, or colleague in.. Overall, the story was a quick read for me. While some of the surprise twists and turns were easy for me to anticipate (Monica and Chloe situation), others were harder and more of a mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A really gripping read, easy to get into and difficult to put down. I really liked both Jax and Alison, their characters were realistic, often humorous, and easy to relate to. A solid, pacy whodunit with a cast of excellent characters and enough twists to keep you guessing.

Thank you so much to #amazonpublishing and #clairemcgowan for this ARC from netgalley, due out in November.

I really enjoyed this and would give it 🌟🌟🌟💫

The book centres around a number of couples who are part of an antenatal class, then flashes forward to after the babies are born when there is a murder. It is one of those stories where you don’t know who has been murdered for a while and you are constantly guessing who has done it.

I liked the perspectives of the different characters in both past and present, and liked getting to know them and their little secrets. I did not guess who did it but I did guess a couple of little things along the way.

This is a great whodunnit and I would recommend it to anyone. I have enjoyed some of the previous books by this author and this one was great too.

This was a beautifully written book. The author manages to discuss so many sensitive topics with the attention they rightly deserve, from post natal depression to infertility and adoption. A great murder mystery with an undercurrent of a romance story and the formation of friendship between a group of couples that would never have otherwise met, had it not have been for their weekly group meetings.

An absolute stunner of a murder mystery - You don’t find out who the victim was until half way through the book and it most definitely wasn’t who I was expecting! I also couldn’t call the ending until the last moment - even after I had thought it had all been tied up with a bow! It was a difficult read considering the sub topics but I really enjoyed it and read the entire book in two days - I couldn’t put it down.

There are some cracking quotes throughout, but this one really summarised the entire book for me:
“This was what came of mixing people who should really stay apart”
Although, Looking back on it, I think they were exactly what each other needed.

An easy read whodunnit book about a group of people who are connected through a prenatal class. Everyone has their own issues which the author reveals throughout the book. Someone dies or is murdered it is unclear to begin with and it is teased about who is could be. Well written, easy to read would recommend

Real rollercoaster, a gripping story which had me hooked from the get go. So many twists and turns, just when you think ahhh that’s what happened another twist appears. A fantastically written book by a fantastic author. Highly recommend that this book is started with plenty of time on your hands as you will get lost I’m the plot.

I am still not sure what to make of The Push,it was a decent enough thriller but i wouldn't put into the psychological thriller bracket.Centred around a group of couples who meet up every week to discuss their pregnancies and then they attend a party thrown by Monica after all the births have taken place,but when one of group is found dead after falling from a balcony all the couples are in the spotlight,was it an accident or murder ? Every one of the couples it seems has something to hide and secrets and lies come tumbling out as the police investigate.It is a decent thriller with a good enough ending to keep you guessing,would i recommend this book ? yes i would it's not the best thriller i have read this year but not the worst either.A solid 3 star read for me.

I loved this thriller! I was a bit worried that the changing POVs would be difficult to follow, but the writing is strong enough that I was able to stay on track. It was a definite page turner that kept me guessing. I definitely recommend if you’re looking for a good “whodunit”! Good read!

This was a classic whodunnit type book, where someone (you don't know who it is for sure at first) is pushed off a balcony and the book takes you through the investigation of figuring out who it was. Though the story is primarily told from the POVs of Jax, one of the new moms, and Alison, the detective assigned to the crime, there were 13 total people at the new-baby party where the incident occurred and the author delves into some detail on each one of them.

I liked the style of the book, alternating between Jax's POV leading up to the murder, and Alison's POV after it occurred- that style kept the story moving along. While I liked Alison, I did grow tired of Jax, who was so insecure about her age and weight (and later, parenting skills) that it was sometimes painful to read. the author didn't go into much detail on the other players, beyond what Alison/Jax thought/witnessed, but I felt that thiis was actually enough info to get a pretty good idea of their characters and the dynamics between them.

Though this was a fairly fast-paced read, I figured out who the victim was before the author intended, and I also figured out both twists pretty early in the book. The twists themselves were rather interesting (though in one case, fairly improbable) but I wish there was more surprise.

All in all, this was a decent read, though perhaps not the most memorable I've read recently. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What is a detective to do when someone falls off/is pushed off a balcony, and nobody saw a thing? Well, the easy answer is to call it an accident, close the case, and move on. But something seems off to Alison, and this detective is determined to discover the truth.
Six very different couples who met at a prenatal class facilitated by Nina, attend a barbeque hosted by one of the new mothers, Monica. They don't know each other well, but they are bonded by their shared experiences. What should have been a lovely get together is anything but a good time. Somehow, there are only four babies in attendance, almost no one is telling the truth, and oh yes, there is that little issue of a dead body.
The story is told from multiple perspectives, starting ten weeks ago leading up to the barbeque, and Alison's investigation of the incident. The identity of the deceased is not immediately revealed, so I was trying to figure out who was missing from the interviews Alison held. Once I knew who died, then it was a guessing game to figure out which of them did it or if it was just a tragic accident.
I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Not only do they have no qualms about lying to the police, but they easily lie to their partners. All I could think about was one of the endings to Clue, the movie, where all of them were guilty. Then I could picture Alison, who was trying to have a baby raising all four infants. No way these kids would grow up normal with this group of parents.
But, I digress, there was no butler, so you can at least rest assured that he didn't do it. A fast-paced read that came together in a way that I didn't imagine. I enjoyed putting the clues together, though if this had been a jigsaw puzzle, mine would not have shown the killer's identity.

Six couples attend the same prenatal class. They have nothing in common except the great equalizer, pregnancy/impending parenthood and the fact that they're all hiding something. The Push starts at the end and then is told in a before and after fashion though multiple characters. Their secrets unfold through backstories and for the most part make you love to hate nearly all of them.

I loved the double meaning title, yes, someone is pushed after all the couples go through the big push of birth. The characters are, with only a few exceptions, truly unlikable. Similar to McGowan's "What You Did," the characters' many flaws are essential to the storytelling and the slow unfolding of the truth. I absolutely love that about her books. There are no warm and fuzzy caricatures of real people in The Push. Thrillers need real people with real baggage to be truly gripping. McGowan does that beautifully in her books.

There were a few plot holes that I desperately wanted filled and wished for a couple of the stories to be expanded upon, but on the whole I was once again pulled in fast and could not put this one down.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A neatly plotted psychological thriller with a limited number of suspects. The idea of not revealing the victim until 50% through was novel and shows the ability of the author to maintain a tight narrative. Some of the characters are well developed but some aren’t. The secrets of everyone are nicely brought out in the conclusion. A very good book. Enjoyed it.👍

**4 stars**
It was the perfect way to celebrate six couples' little new arrivals until someone succumbed to a long descending fall in a rookery. Was it an accident? Or was there some foul push? Claire McGowan creates a cunning "can't put down" story lavish with humor and suspense.

The six couples could not be more disparate. Each pair with their confounding stories or lack. They meet weekly at the often not so pleasant prenatal class where the expectant couples learn of details, often horrific, of what to expect while expecting. There are some conflicts and woes, but they all meet post-natally at a lush house where someone meets an early demise off the balcony. DS Allison and Diana are working the case and interview the guests at the party and weeks after. Told in alternating points of view and timelines from past to present, we are privy to the intimate details and thoughts leading up to the tragic event.

The Push was an unexpected delight to read. The characters, some savory and others less, were interesting and complex in history. This context provided ample motives for all couples. We do not learn about who died until midway through the book, which dialed in suspense. From that point, we learn of why the death happened through rich individual narrative. The two detectives harbor suspicion about the nature of the fall and will leave no stone unturned in the 5000 dollar rookery.

Thank you, NetGalley, Amazon UK, and the author for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I received this ARC from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Six couples from the same baby group reunite three weeks later at a barbecue to celebrate their newborns. Some falls from the balcony, the police suspects murder, and everybody’s secrets start to spill out.

I am of mixed feelings about The Push. I was new to Claire McGowan, but I’d heard great things about her work, so was looking forward to it.

The book begins with the crime having already taken place, and the police going through the crime scene. I really liked this and it made me want to find out what had happened, encouraging me to read more.

One thing I really enjoyed about this was the variety of motherhood that features. Ages, socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, relationship statuses, even fertility differences. It was a great insight into a range of experiences of motherhood hidden in the story of a thriller.

On the other hand, I didn’t really enjoy it that much. I found the plot twists incredible predictable, and had guessed a lot of them way before the victim reveal half way through the story. I also was a bit confused, especially in the beginning half of the novel, about the such strong focus of Jax as a character in comparison to some of the others, as it wasn’t really making sense - and the first person narrative for her and the third person for all of the other characters because a bit confusing to follow sometimes.

I almost DNF’d this at around 40%, and I am glad I powered through but I just didn’t really enjoy the book as a whole. I do intend to read another of McGowan’s work though, as I have heard good things so hope that I can connect to another book better.

2.5/5

I really enjoyed this book and read it in a day!
The plot revolves around the members of an ante-natal class. Shortly after the birth of their children, they attend a party at the house of one of their number. Monica, The reader discovers that someone died at the party and follows Alison, a detective, as she tries to unravel what exactly happened, convinced it was a murder rather than an accident. Through a series of flashbacks, we learn how the group interacted at their classes, and discover that each couple is hiding something, though how this may or may not be related to the death does not become clear until the end.. Key among the group is Jax, in her late thirties and having a baby with Aaron, a man in his mid twenties who was abandoned as a child and who has been looking for his birth mother. Alongside the pressures of pregnancy, Jax is troubled by a series of unexplained events that she thinks may be the secrets of her own past catching up with her. Aside from the mystery and tension of the central plot, the book tackles the theme of motherhood: what it means to be or to not be a mother, and the lengths people will go to to have a baby. A gripping read and really recommended.

Six babies due to arrive at the same time- one party to welcome the babies from different families who attended the baby group and one fatal push!
With so many people at the party someone will know what happened but each story is different and stopping DS Alison Hegarty from investigating.
This was such a great read, had me guessing right to the end. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I figured I would love this book as someone who is struggling with infertility, but in all honesty, it was so hard to read. Not just what the content was about, but it was like reading Reality Housewives of Wherever. With babies. Everyone was so cliche and overdone, especially Monica.
And the kicker...I figured out the twist (or twists should I say) right from the get go and there was no suspense for the vast majority. Just a long winded book that made me want to punch someone and feel a bit more upset about things. 2.5 ish sadly

Loved this book, it was very entertaining. I thought at first I would have trouble keeping track of all the different characters but the author managed to make each couple unique enough.