The Push is a story of a woman’s struggle to be a better mother. This is a sad story and I wouldn’t recommend this book.

This book reminds me of the book, We Need to Talk about Kevin. This is about a woman that is so afraid of turning into her own mother and grandmother, that no one believes her when she says there is something wrong with her daughter. Some women should never have children. Sometimes hereditary can follow generations of families. Blythe felt from day one, that she had no connection to her newborn, Violet. Violet loved her father, Fox, but was miserable with her mother from the day she was born. Blythe, thought at first that it must be her. Her mother and grandmother, were horrible mothers. Maybe she was following in their footsteps. Then her son Sam was born. It was so much easier with Sam. Fox still didn't see what she saw, concerning Violet. The Push, is a truly remarkable story about family dynamics, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book. I would give this book a 4 out of 5.

This book has been getting all kinds of hype and honestly, I can understand why. I was totally intrigued from the opening pages. But make no mistake, this is not a happy book. This book is dark, gritty, raw, unsettling and deeply disturbing. But it was done so well that I loved it. It's a book that still has me thinking about it and it's one I won't soon forget. There are multiple trigger warnings in this book including mental illness, divorce, abuse and infant death.

This book was written mostly from the perspective of the female main character, Blythe. As a new mother, she had a very hard time connecting with her daughter Violet. She was tired, stressed and felt unable to nurture due to her own traumatic childhood. But she was determined to be a better Mother than she ever had growing up. She was convinced that something was wrong with Violet, as she cried all the time and craved only her father's attention and as Violet got older, things only got worse. Then she had a second child, a son named Sam and she finally felt like the Mother she was supposed to be. But strange things kept occurring and her husband insisted she was over reacting. Suddenly a traumatic event occurs, calling in to question the behaviour of the characters.

This was a compulsive read which explored the darker side of Motherhood. It also explored the relationship between a husband and wife. My heart broke for Blythe. It was a wild ride that was a times difficult and hard to read. I noticeably cringed on more than one occasion but I could not put this book down. It's hard to believe that this is the author's debut novel. This was a fantastic and thought provoking read and I cannot wait to see what the author comes out with next.

This book is about Blythe Connor, a woman who is determined to be a better mother than her own. But when he daughter Victoria is born she just can’t shake the feeling that maybe she wasn’t cut out for motherhood. Until her son Sam is born where she finally knows what it feels like to love unconditionally. Of course there is heartbreak and twists and turns along the way. I loved this book it kept me coming back for more. A great mix of past and present. I found myself really feeling for Blythe through the whole book. I could put myself in her shoes. Just read it you won’t regret it, I would recommend it to anyone.

Blythe and Fox have what is almost a perfect marriage. The only problem - Fox wants children and Blythe is reluctant. Women in her family seem to lack the mothering gene. Still, Blythe loves her husband and finally agrees. Her only hope is she'll somehow prove that she isn't like her mother and grandmother. But when their daughter, Violet, is born, Blythe can't seem to bond with her. Violet isn't an easy baby and Blythe feels guilty. On the other hand, Fox and Violet seems to have created an immediate attachment and Fox assures Blythe that she is just exhausted. But as time passes, nothing seems to get better between mother and daughter and the strain begins to affect the marriage. For Blythe, the question she wants desperately to answer- is she the problem, unable to escape the bad parenting of the other women in her family or is there something terribly wrong with Violet.

The Push, a psychological suspense novel by Ashley Audrain is one of the most highly anticipated books of 2021 and it's easy to see why. It is well-written and grips you from the very beginning. It is also Audrain's debut novel and what a debut it is.The story is told in the second person by Blythe mainly as if she is talking to Fox with occasional memories describing her relationship to her own mother and grandmother. The book is, at times, emotionally hard to read and more than once, I had to put it down just to deal with some of the happenings in the story but I was always pulled back, needing to know what happens next.

My one criticism - it was fairly obvious fairly quickly where the story would lead. However, given the impact of the rest of the story, this had a much smaller effect than it would have had in a less well-written novel. Overall, despite the havoc it sometimes played on my emotions, it definitely kept my attention even late into the night. I am definitely looking forward to reading anything by the author in the future and recommend it highly.

<i>Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review</i>

I read another review that said they expected people to either love or hate this book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either, it was just okay for me.

I was expecting a psychological thriller but feel I got a character-driven story about mental health, the uncertainties of becoming a parent and the breakdown of a marriage. I could see where the story was going so wasn't really surprised with the ending. The story is narrated by Blythe and infers that she was writing a book about her experience but didn't really wrap up that way.

Others really enjoy this story based on the many 5 star reviews, it just wasn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance copy provided in exchange for an honest review.

Hot Emotional Diggity Dang! If you haven't read this one, it is one you don't want to miss! Put on your lounge pants and lock yourself in a room because you won't want to put it down once you start it. It's one you will want to talk about!! It is a book I am so excited to share with everyone. I want to stand in a book store and hand it to everyone who comes in and tell them they have to read it. It has been a long time since a story has made me feel like this one did—that feeling of being spent emotionally yet completely satisfied. It's the best way to feel after reading a book.

We are expected or think we are good mothers, have the perfect children, and the ideal relationship with them, right? Well, Ashley Audrain boldly challenges that expectation here and shows us a compelling, complex story that explores the bonds of mother and daughters and motherhood's dark, uncomfortable, emotional realities. The things we hide, burying our heads and don't push by talking about it. She weaves a well-layered, emotionally intelligent story with suspense elements to create an absorbing psychological drama that is not to be mistaken for a psychological thriller. I went in thinking this was going to be a dark, twisted, entertaining psychological thriller and I started to worry it would go in the direction of those bad mother and psychology tropes and that the over thinker in me would come raging out. Thanks to my reading twin Jen who picked up on some things I didn't, I started thinking differently about this one. Thank you, Jen!! I had nothing to worry about! It would be easy for this story to fall into those harmful tropes; however, Ashley Audrain pushes for better here.

The story is told almost entirely in second-person narrative from Blythe to her husband, Fox. Ashley Audrain creates one of the best opening scenes I have read to set up suspense, a sense of foreboding, and an ominous feel to the story. I wished from the start I would have checked that thriller mind of mine and paid more attention to Blythe's tone to the story and picked up more of her feeling of self-doubt. Blythe is a relatable character and Audrain does a good job of putting us in her shoes allowing us to feel with her.

The title is brillant and worth thinking about and we spend some time talking about it and how it relates to the story.

There is so much more to this story to talk about, and so much I want to say, but I will leave it at this. I recommend this one to readers who love a well, developed psychological drama with depth layers.

This was a Traveling Sister read and one we all highly recommend!!

A special thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a story that stays with you for days? THE PUSH continues to occupy my thoughts and is one of those books for me. It is a compelling and tense tale about the dark side of motherhood that will consume readers long after the last page is turned. Definitely not for the faint of heart, The Push absolutely shattered me. The pathos that permeated the narrative was so heavy and at times became too much.

Full disclosure: after finishing the book I was feeling unsettled and dare I say, low. And let me explain, I don’t mean that as a criticism at all—I was utterly captivated and given that I can’t stop thinking about it, it is definitely a book I would recommend and would read again.

THE PUSH is a tense, page-turning psychological drama that is told through the lens of motherhood. It is about the making and breaking of a family, about a woman whose experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for and everything she feared.

Audrain’s debut is an immersive novel, a tour de force that you will read in a sitting. It will challenge everything you think you know about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and what it feels like when women are not believed.

5+++ outstanding stars!

“A mother’s heart breaks a million ways in her lifetime.”

Blythe struggles to connect with her newborn daughter and worries that her own traumatic childhood has damaged her ability to properly bond and nurture as a parent. She battles these thoughts on a daily basis and pushes herself through the endless stress-filled days of parenting a young child. Things seem to be easier once her son is born.

Emotionally draining and compulsively readable. This is one of the most intense and amazing books I’ve read in years. I was quite literally addicted to this book....to this mother’s pain and her struggles. I was rooting for Blythe. My heart broke every time hers did which was a constant ache from start to finish.

The writing! I don’t know how to adequately describe the beauty of the writing. The writing flowed directly into my heart and had me feeling as though I was experiencing the heartache and struggles right alongside Blythe. My connection and investment in Blythe’s situation was so strong due to the exceptional writing that I felt as though it was happening to me. Quite simply — I was Blythe while I read this. I have no personal experience with what Blythe went through but I feel like a changed person after reading this. This moved me so deeply.

This is not a happy book. It is brutally honest and raw. It will rip your heart out. It will make you feel the pain of a mother fighting her own thoughts and worries.

I know it’s very early in the year, but I think this will be my favourite book of 2021. This will be extremely hard to top. I usually move right on to the next book once I finish reading but the intensity of this one forced me to take a break to think and truly absorb the situation. Major book hangover! I feel bad for whatever book I pick up next....

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy!

This is AVAILABLE NOW!

This story grabbed me by the throat from the first page and didn’t release its grip until I came to the end. I don’t usually read psychological thrillers because they really get into my head and won’t leave for days and days, and“The Push” did not disappoint. Written in the first person, I wondered from the start if the narrator could be trusted, or not. I won’t give it away — suffice to say that the author kept me in suspense and I could barely manage to put it down to see to basic human needs, such as sleep and sustenance. Highly recommended.

Happy to include this new book in Novel Encounters, my monthly top ten roundup column of notable upcoming fiction titles for Zoomer magazine’s Books section. To read the feature, click on the link.

Wow! Excellent read, very dark. The book is so well written and grips you from the start. I finished it in two days.
The characters are very real and I felt they were my family or neighbours.
Bravo, to the author for diving into postpartum depression and making it so clear to understand.
The story flows very fluidly and provides a history of the mother’s tragic upbringing. It does switch back and forth to present day..
Highly recommend, however it is sad, so if you are searching for an uplifting book, this is not the one.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½⭐️ (4.5 stars)

Blythe comes from a long line of poor mothers and broken homes. Her husband, Fox’s family, on the other hand, is anything but dysfunctional. So when Fox starts to push for the two of them to have a child of their own, Blythe is nervous, but determined to do better than her mother ever did for her.

But things are never as simple as they seem. And while Blythe does everything in her power to be the best mother she can be, things never seem to “click” between her and her daughter Violet. And as Violet grows older, Blythe’s concerns grow too. Violet doesn’t behave the way Blythe thinks children ought to. She’s cold, callous and demonstrates behaviour that lacks empathy.

But Fox doesn’t share in any of Blythe’s concerns. In fact, he thinks their daughter is perfectly normal for her age. It’s Blythe that he’s concerned about. And as their mother-daughter relationship becomes even more strained, the more Fox worries about his wife’s grip on reality…

Prior to reading The Push I had heard so many good things about this book! I swear, it kept seeing its cover everywhere! And the reviews were incredible. Add in the fact that it’s a psychological drama – one of my favorite genres – and written by a Canadian author, you can bet I was very excited to read this novel.

This book is Ashley Audrain’s debut novel, and she definitely delivers. The Push is everything the noteworthy reviews on its cover boast. A twisted tale about motherhood through the generations, Audrain doesn’t pull any punches. Told from the alternating perspective of Blythe in the form of letters to her husband Fox and flashbacks to her mother, Cecilia, throughout her childhood dealing with her own mother, Etta, The Push is a dark, intense, and raw look at the realities of being a mother, and what happens when things don’t go exactly as planned.

In a world where motherhood is touted as being the most ~natural, magical, perfect~ experience a woman can have – and the epitome of what all women should aspire towards – The Push is a fresh, gripping look at motherhood that stands out for its originality and ingenuity.

In Blythe a common concern many would-be-mothers worry about – what if I’m a bad mother? – is actualized, and then taken to the extreme. With impossible to predict consequences. Despite it having a somewhat slow start, The Push manages to find its momentum quicker than anticipated, and live up to the expectations its rave reviews inevitably insight.

Thank you to the publisher, Viking/Penguin Random House Canada , and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this book. All thoughts are my own.

Holy Shooty Balls! This was one gripping, emotionally raw, and brilliantly written novel!

THE PUSH by ASHLEY AUDRAIN is an emotional, chilling, dark, and utterly immersive psychological drama that was an all consuming page-turner for me. Right from the very first chapter I knew that this was going to be my kind of book and that I was going to absolutely love it.

This book totally got under my skin, it disturbed and unsettled me. On one hand I was totally gutted with the hard to read content and on the other I was elated and excited with how good the story was--reading this in almost one sitting. It was absolutely unputdownable!

ASHLEY AUDRAIN delivers a complex, tense, multi-layered, compelling, fast-paced, and enthralling multi-generational story here that was so incredibly well-written. I was thoroughly impressed and fascinated with the way that this story was written and how intuitive the author was in how well she wrote these damaged characters in such a terrifyingly realistic way.

At times the darkness was so intense but was absolutely riveting at the same time. I loved how the author had me doubting what was happening right along with Blythe and how she was perceiving things. Was it real or was it her imagination? I didn’t even want to guess what was going on, I just wanted to read!

The ending of this book definitely goes down at being one of the best ones that I have ever read!!!

Warning: Multiple Trigger Issues

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Ashley Audrain and Penguin Random House Canada for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this fabulous book.

This is a debut novel by a fellow Canadian that will plant you snap dab in the middle of an emotional rollercoaster. So deserving of all the praise and buzz that it is getting!

Wow. I almost have no words. I'd heard great reviews about this debut psychological thriller from a Canadian writer, but had minimal expectations. Compelling from the start, this book really toyed with me. Not always sure of what I was reading, some of the darkness was so direct that it felt almost subtle. At times, I had to put the book down just to absorb what I'd just read. And just as Blythe questioned what she was seeing/perceiving in her family, so did I. What is real? What is imagined? Could someone you love be capable of the things you are seeing? I wish I'd had the energy to read this in one sitting, because it was that grip worthy.

Giving this book a 4.5 rounded up to 5 for its intensity and really unique take on this genre of book. Dark AF, but very intriguing and will leave me thinking for a while.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. Will definitely be recommending this one to grip lit friends.

Blythe Connor wants to be the mother she didn’t have, but when her daughter, Violet, is born, she doesn’t feel the nurturing connection she hoped for. As her baby grows into a young child, Blythe feels there’s something wrong with Violet but her husband disagrees and thinks she is imaging things, leaving her feeling full of self doubt.

In a moving narration, the author explores the young mother’s feelings and doubts. A flowing, beautifully written prose leaves the reader enthralled with Blythe’s story, and the underlying question - what is Violet capable of doing? An excellent read, and I highly recommend it.

Talk about having hooks upon which to hang more hooks, Ashley Audrain's, The Push, is a definitive master class in how to keep readers not only engaged, but actually hooked into what is going on, both plot wise, as well as with the characters. Through a series of flashbacks that overview the twisted history of Blythe, (the main character's) ancestors - namely her grandmother and her mother - we come to understand the generational impact on us as children growing up. Because of what's happened in that past, Blythe is reluctant to have children. But Fox, Blythe's husband, charms her into it. The Push is an in-your-head narrative told in the first person, one that shines the spotlight on the worries of having a child that doesn't seem quite right - could she really be evil- followed by the joys and relief that come with a second 'more adjusted' child. With that stage set, Audrain is only getting started. As I delved into the novel, I found myself at first cheering for Blythe and Fox as a couple, then feeling sorry for Blythe's too common under-the-rug but not exactly post partum condition, to her sense of unease around her first child, Violet's behaviour, to the couple's denial as to what was happening. Surely what Blythe saw didn't in fact transpire. What I found most satisfying about The Push is that right to the last sentence Audrain had my attention, which has not always been the case with other psychological twisters.
Also, Audrain certainly knows how make a phrase resonate, to wit: Her toes were a row of tiny snow peas. Or, "We could count our problems on the petals of a daisy in my bouquet." The publication of The Push, which was surrounded by more buzz than a bee farm, is Audrain's debut novel. I would get in line to preorder her second master piece. Cece M. Scott cecescott.com @cecemscott #ThePush #NetGalley

A challenging topic of maternal instinct told through the lens of a psychological thriller. While well-written, it didn't feel like an enjoyable read to me as it seemed to demonize a mental health issue.

Is it wrong to love a sinister novel as such as The Push? This book blew my socks off. This was my first book of 2021 and it honestly took me by surprise how much I enjoyed this one 😍 It’s unique, compulsive and just the right amount of insanity to keep you glued to the book. The characters are so well done and the plot was a thriller lover’s psychotic dream come true!

The Push is Canadian author Ashley Audrain's debut novel, released this week with much anticipation. Audrain has already successfully sold movie and TV rights for the book. I got caught up in the fever, ... and so, ... it is now my first book review of the 2021.

In her page turning debut, we are introduced to Blythe and Fox, who meet at the end of college. She's a writer and his an architect. Fox always dreamed of the day he would become a dad, but Blythe, was never really interested in #motherhood. The book flashes back to Blythe's early years with her mom Cecilia, (and Dad Seb), as well as to Cecelia's early life with her parents, Etta and Henry. But that is backstory for the main plot. Blythe agrees to have a baby, DESPITE her insecurities. And, true to her beliefs, things between her and baby daughter Violet, are BAD from the outset. But no one else sees what Blythe sees. Is there something wrong with Blythe? Or is there something wrong with Violet?

To quote author Ashley Audrain, "The Push is a psychological drama, told through the lens of motherhood."

The book is a quick read, but it is NOT "light". It includes difficult to read (DARK) scenes (BAD stuff you know...), but that's what keeps you interested and turning the pages. You are forewarned.... I "enjoyed it for what it is and definitely recommend it! #5 stars

Thank you #netgalley and @penguinrandomhousecanada for my complimentary copy of #thepush by @ashleyaudrain in return for my honest review.