Bookseller Reviews
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She was meant to love her daughter...
The arrival of baby Violet was meant to be the happiest day of my life.
A fresh start.
But as soon as I held her in my arms, I knew something wasn’t right.... READ MORE
Incredible!
I absolutely raced through this novel! It's been compared to We Need To Talk About Kevin, and I can see why - there is the complicated familial relationshi... READ MORE
An impressive debut
Blythe has the perfect little family. But something just doesn’t feel right.
Right from the first few pages, I was gripped by this book. It opens with Bly... READ MORE
Has me questioning everything...
“We could have counted our problems on the petals of the daisy in my bouquet, but it wouldn’t be long before we were lost in a field of them.”
This book w... READ MORE
Synopsis
What if your experience of motherhood was nothing like what you hoped for - but everything you always feared?
'The women in this family, we're different...'
The arrival of baby Violet was meant to be the happiest day of my life. A fresh start.
But as soon as I held her in my arms, I knew something wasn't right.
I have always known that the women in my family weren't meant to be mothers.
My husband Fox says I'm imagining it, but she's different with me. Something feels very wrong.
Is it her? Or is it me?
Is she the monster? Or am I?
The Push is an addictive, gripping and compulsive read asking what happens when women are not believed - and challenging everything we think we know about motherhood.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
- ISBN: 9781405945042
- Number of pages: 400
- Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 26 mm
- Weight: 279g
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allAccomplished debut about the pressure to be the perfect mother
Blythe and Fox Connor had it all; college sweethearts, successful careers and then a happy marriage. They knew that a having a baby would make them complet... READ MORE
A compulsive read
The Push was not quite the book I expected it to be - it's more of a thriller than literary fiction. But I found this was actually its strength - the short... READ MORE
Mind blowing, brilliant, gripping and powerfully moving
Wow this book just blew my mind!!! It leaves you gasping for breath... and just pulls you around until you add dizzy. I loved everything about this book, t... READ MORE
A powerful story but...
This is a powerful story and asks important questions but the writing fell short for me and I wanted the writer to go deeper with the characters and the st... READ MORE
Raw and emotive read
The Push is a raw, emotive read that packs a punch. It's thought-provoking and lingers with you long after you've read the final page. An utterly fantastic... READ MORE
Gripping
This is a gripping, well-written story with believable characters. It starts with Blythe and Fox, parents of Violet. Blythe cannot seem to bond with her da... READ MORE
Emotional
Loved this book, couldn’t put it down.
The subject matter isn’t easy and I felt the emotions with the main character, I really cared about her.
MUST READ 2021
I cannot begin to explain how much this book unsettled me, which as someone who loves a dark, gritty thriller, is saying a lot. Ashley Audrain has crafted... READ MORE
Astonishing and accomplished debut. A must read for 2021
I began this debut novel anticipating that between the pages lay a story that would aim to unsettle the reader to the core but I’m truly glad I picked thi... READ MORE
I didn't want to put this book down
This book is well written and I found that I didn’t want to put it down. Very quickly I was drawn into the mystery of motherhood in this family. Three gene... READ MORE
Accomplished novel
This was an extremely compelling book. The reader is never entirely sure with whom the problem lies. The book very cleverly gives you room for doubt. The t... READ MORE
A brilliant Book Club read.
The Push is a thought provoking novel that tackles many difficult issues, the main one being what should a mother do if she knows her child is dangerous?
... READ MORE
Addictive and compelling portrayal of a mother's hell
The Push has to be one of the most anticipated reads of 2021. I can see why. It's quite a read.
At its core, The Push considers motherhood and its effects... READ MORE
A real wow of a novel.
Wow! What a compelling, fast paced novel. The reader is really kept on their toes with Blythe feeling her daughter was basically a child with a bad unsound... READ MORE
Well worth a read!
SPOILER FREE REVIEW!
Many thanks to Netgalley for the free eARC to review. The Push has just been released in this last week and it’s really interesting... READ MORE
Exhaustingly Riveting!
What a clever, addictive, challenging and compulsive read. I didn’t know what to expect when I started this book, but it certainly wasn’t the shocking and ... READ MORE
One of the best books you may read in 2021, gripping
This is one of those books that will leave you thinking of the story for days to come after you have finished it. The writing is excellent, The tension bui... READ MORE
Absorbing and chilling! Loved it
The Push by Ashley Audrain was a fantastic read! So disturbing on many levels and a very credible account of potential failure to bond, personality disorde... READ MORE
So good!
This is incredible writing. From the very start the story is compelling and so well written. The stories of the three women, Etta, Cecilia and Blythe are... READ MORE
A must read!
The Push is Ashley’s DEBUT NOVEL! This woman can write one hell of a book!
Easily one of my favourites of 2020.
A must read for psychological thriller ... READ MORE
The dark side of motherhood
The cover of this book is what caught my attention and then once I’d read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read it. Thank you to @MichaelJBooks and @audrain... READ MORE
Superb examination of motherhood
Wow! I consumed this book in two heartrending sittings, it was that good. Where or where did Audrain send her mind and thoughts when she wrote The Push? It... READ MORE
Beautiful, compelling, haunting.
Beautifully written, compelling, haunting. This is my first experience of this author, and it's been an unforgettable encounter. Ashley Audrain writes of t... READ MORE
Brilliant
Oh my goodness what a magnificent read. It was difficult at times due to the subject matter but hard to put down. I was completely captivated as the stor... READ MORE
Brilliant portrayal of motherhood
I loved everything about The Push - the theme of the often unspoken issues of motherhood and bonding is such an important one and Ashley Audrain handles it... READ MORE
A tragedy unfolding as traumatised mother and damaged child produce a 5 Star read on every level
An absorbing story covering three generations of women and the spine chilling experiences that formed the development or lack of, mother love towards their... READ MORE
One of my favourite books of 2020
This book is one of the best I read last year - wow - I absolutely loved it - I devoured it and couldn’t put it down. I thought the ending was very satisf... READ MORE
Dark, chilling and completely addictive!
Argh this book is amazing! It's the first time in a long time that I've read a book in under 24 hours, carrying it from room to room, reading it whenever I... READ MORE
Fast and addictive thriller
Blythe isn’t sure about having a baby: her mother left when she was young. But her husband persuades her that she’ll be a great mother.
Reminiscent of ‘we ... READ MORE
Excellent!
Blythe & Fox meet at College & are inseperable. Love, marriage & Violet is born & all begins to go wrong. In Blythes family, the women have all found mothe... READ MORE
Amazing debut
WOW. I'm unsure how to review this, I absolutely loved the book but the topics within the storyline are not ones you enjoy.
The book is written first pers... READ MORE
A chilling and engrossing psychological drama about the challenges of motherhood.
A chilling and engrossing psychological drama about the challenges of motherhood.
Happily married, Blythe and Fox Connor are delighted when they find out... READ MORE
The Push
A brilliant page turner. I couldn't make my mind up as to whether the push had really happened and only decided that it had at the end of the book. Are chi... READ MORE
Gave me chills. Actual chills.
I had no expectations when beginning this novel, and sometimes, that's even better. I knew it was meant to be good, but didn't know which direction the boo... READ MORE
Memorable and unsettling
Blythe is the mother to two children and this is her story. The Push is an unsettling book that left me considering the impact of adverse childhood experie... READ MORE
A Compulsive Read
We read this books as part of our Book Club. It really was a good book to discuss and different members had different opinions about each character. As a... READ MORE
Evil is too short a word
It isn’t often that I feel compelled to read a book in just two or three sittings. I love word play and cleverly crafted sentences, provided they don’t slo... READ MORE
I couldn’t put this down!
This was such a compelling read. I struggled to get into it at first, but I’m glad I persevered, it kept me hooked right up until the end.
This stand-a... READ MORE
Maternity is Horrifying
I absolutely loved this book. It was gripping and I couldn’t stop reading. That child was pure evil.
A Chilling Read.
Blythe Connor is determined that she will be the best ever mother to her new baby Violet. But in the thick of motherhood's exhausting early ays, Blythe bec... READ MORE
Gave me chills. Actual chills.
I had no expectations when beginning this novel, and sometimes, that's even better. I knew it was meant to be good, but didn't know which direction the boo... READ MORE
Brilliant read
This is a very different book.
A mother who is struggling, this new life is not how she imagined it to be. Is there something wrong with her? With her dau... READ MORE
Tense psychological thriller!!
Really enjoyed this...lots of suspense, and never sure where it might end up...great new author to me.
Psychological suspense!
The Push by Ashley Audrain
Described as a block busting debut novel and 2021's most astonishing debut, I wasn’t really sure what to expect of The Push. It... READ MORE
Fantastic debut novel not to be missed
What a book this is, raw and unsettling but totally addictive,, The experiences of motherhood is different for every woman and this storyline which explore... READ MORE
Quite a stunner
Now, I am going to be clear from the outset, location in this novel is neither fully identifiable nor strong. I presume it is set somewhere in North Americ... READ MORE
Un-put-downable!
The Push is an intensely un-put-downable novel. It is a dark and unsettling psychological drama concerning motherhood. It explores the nature v nurture d... READ MORE
A cracking read
What a rollercoaster of a read. This book features three generations of mothers who all had psychological problems made worse when they had children. The m... READ MORE
Mysteries of Motherhood
The Push by Audrey Audrain
This is a tense psychological drama about mothers and their relationship with their daughters. Blythe had appeared to have an a... READ MORE
A toxic family legacy and a moment that changed their lives forever.
Blythe and Fox Connor had it all; college sweethearts, successful careers and then a happy marriage. They knew that a having a baby would make them complet... READ MORE
Utterly compelling
Wow! This novel about motherhood is phenomenally good in that it captures so well what it is to be human. The writing has a poetic and visceral quality whi... READ MORE
Gripping
A book so gripping I’ve had no sleep last night as I had to finish it. It’s the story of a mother who is concerned that her daughter has a sinister side wh... READ MORE
A really great book
Unoriginal
My last few books have been quite bleak and a little disturbing - so I thought I would stay on trend for ‘The Push’! Blythe and Fox are a happily married c... READ MORE
The Push
4.5 stars rounded up.
This is one heck of a debut. It's gritty and hard hitting and it had me chewing my nails throughout. We follow Blythe she meets and t... READ MORE
Hard hitting thriller
Well this is a hard hitting thriller of a read... it gripped me from beginning to end.
Blythe is worried about becoming a mother, her own mother and grand... READ MORE
Chilling
This is a very dark but compelling read that leaves you questioning what is wrong with Blythe or if her problem really is her daughter Violet. The bits of ... READ MORE
A compelling read
A compelling read. Motherhood should be natural & easy, it's everywhere in the media, beautiful cherub faced toddlers & sleek mothers smiling happily. But ... READ MORE
A story that shows the honest brutality of motherhood
Now this is most definitely a book that will sit with you for days afterwards.
I was utterly gripped from the very beginning. I'm not sure whether being a... READ MORE
Breaking down all the motherhood taboos
This is a gritty and extreme novel exploring many different and clashing aspects of self and motherhood.
Blythe is our unreliable narrator, whose version... READ MORE
Addictive
The Push follows Blythes journey into motherhood, dipping into her own childhood at times. Blythe worries about her capabilities as a mother due to her own... READ MORE
Totally riveting...
Riveting, compelling and difficult to put down. This novel questions the premise that every birth is a welcome one, that every mother should fit into the i... READ MORE
An unsettling thriller
With thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this title in return for an honest review.
It took me a while to get into the storyline of this book but I i d... READ MORE
Expertly done
Such a page turner. I was addicted. I'm not a parent, but the writing is so absorbing that you understand completely what the characters are going through ... READ MORE
Such a page turner
Such a page turner. I was addicted. I'm not a parent, but the writing is so absorbing that you understand completely what the characters are going through ... READ MORE
Brilliant debut
Chilling.
Listen up. This is sure to make a HUGE impact in 2021 for sure.
Motherhood.
Preconceived ideas.
Dark side of Motherhood.
This is nothing short ... READ MORE
Dark and disturbing but deliciously good!
I’m so blown away by this book, I actually don’t know what to write!
This is a dark and disturbing book about motherhood. It had me feeling every emotion... READ MORE