The Push by Claire McGowan
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Content warnings for pregnancy loss, failed adoption, fertility issues, domestic abuse, and parental death. Apologies for those I missed.

What appears to be an accidental death at a backyard barbeque quickly reveals itself to be far more sinister in this gripping psychological thriller from Claire McGowan. A group of parents, with nothing in common besides their upcoming parenthood, come together every week as a prenatal support group. There are couples struggling with fertility, some with unplanned pregnancies, some planned, and some waiting on babies to adopt. The more DS Alison Hegarty investigates the death, she uncovers secrets from every couple involved, with some secrets far more sinister than others. Dealing with her own fertility issues, Hegarty is quickly swept up in the drama and secrets of the group, and struggles to find out who is actually telling the truth.
The story jumps back and forth through time, from the viewpoints of all the characters. It is no exaggeration to say that every character has something to lose in this story, and so it’s incredibly difficult to tell if and when anyone is telling the truth. While I found myself reading through the story very quickly, it did feel like there were some parts that did slow the story down a bit, but overall, it’s a well written thriller.
I really enjoyed the variety of characters included in the novel. From an ultra wealthy couple who seemed far too perfect, to a lesbian couple with a strained relationship, to the devout Muslim couple who married quickly and didn’t seem to every speak to each other. Our main character Jax, seems to have the most secrets to hide. She was involved in a highly publicized legal scandal and has tried to put the past behind her. Now working at a nonprofit and unexpectedly pregnant by her much younger boyfriend, she is convinced that someone is using her past to jeopardize her career and soon-to-be family. Watching her juggle the stress of pregnancy, the uncertainty of her career’s future, and the strain it all put on her relationship with her boyfriend was intense. This was a tense novel and Jax’s character sure bore the brunt of it.
If you are a fan of locked-door mysteries with a dose of rich people problems, this is a great pick for you. I highly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more from this author.


Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

Overall, this was an interesting read. I thought the character development was strong, and I definitely was surprised by some of the plot twists!

This was an interesting mystery with many unlikeable characters. The fact that the person who is killed is kept a secret throughout most of the book kept me interested in learning what exactly happened. However, some of the reveals were predictable to a reader who has read many mysteries and thrillers. Overall, the story was well-paced, but the characters were basically caricatures of haves and have-nots.

I enjoyed this book and I liked the way it kept you guessing way into the book even to the point of who the victim of the crime was – clever, it keeps you reading. A group of pregnant women meet at a local baby group class. They are from all walks of life and all have their own issues which come out slowly. The only thing in common is they are all having babies around the same time. The story continues through their weekly meetings and you get to know the characters quite quickly. A lunch party is organised for when the babies have arrived and then the trouble which has been brewing character wise sets in. One of the group “falls” from a balcony and it is a police matter. Alison in charge of the case is sure it was not an accident and seems to be the only one who thinks so. She pursues the group and eventually solves the case with a lot of twists and turns. A good read

I got about 25% of the way in and just couldn't connect with any of the many characters in this book. It started out with a great story line and then just ended up falling flat for me. The characters just all seemed to have a lot of individual issues.

I'm afraid this book just wasn't for me but I would say it's more my problem than the books problem. I just really disliked all of the main protagonists to be honest so struggled to care who did it. It's pretty dark and claustrophobic with lots of great twists.

The storyline of this book was like an updated version of the classic board game Clue. In The Push, several expecting couples from different backgrounds meet with the group leader, Nina to chat and learn about their upcoming births and one adoption. The couples all have their own quirks but when the group meets after the births of the baby for one last meeting, someone turns up dead. I really enjoyed reading this book because the author gave away just enough to have the reader question who was actually killed and what the motive was for doing so. It was written in a way that was so creative that it wasn't easy to guess until the information on the backgrounds of each couple is slowly revealed. The Push was a definite pageturner and an excellent read for fans of mystery and whodunnit novels.

Thank you to Netgalley, Clare McGowan, and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was fortunate to receive a copy of this ARC from NetGalley.

This is the second book I've read by this author and it gripped me just as much as the first!

This had definite Murder on the Orient Express vibes and was full of twists and turns. A real whodunnit! Everybody has secrets and a potential motive.

My favourite quote:
"Offending my mother meant I was on the right track, that I'd escapes my middle class fate of listening to The Archers and getting really into gardening."

This book was not my favorite. It had too many characters and was a little hard to follow! Pretty predictable as well!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

This book was enjoyable even though it was predictable. There were many layers to the characters and the author did a good job leading up to the different reveals. All the characters were damaged but also evoked sympathy based on their circumstances. It was a good distraction read during a pandemic quarantine.

The Push by Claire McGowan - this book was probably not my favorite thriller ever. Jax and Aaron join a pregnancy group led by Nina. Nina has a lot of opinions and a lot of secrets. Fast forward to after the babies are born and a family is throwing a party. When an “accident” happens where was everyone? Was it really an accident?

I felt there were too many characters to keep my interest, would have preferred less. Thank you for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC.

A diverse group with one thing in common, all the members are about to be parents. They expect that their lives are about to change. But, for one, the change becomes more...permanent.

The police are called to the crime scene, a modern mansion, all glass and marble. It is a sight to behold. As is the broken body on the rocks below the balcony. The story is that the group had gotten together for a barbecue. They were enjoying the beautiful day with their bundles of joy until the unthinkable happened. Was it an accident or foul play?

I was riveted from the start : detailed descriptions, fleshed-out characters, and alternating perspectives set on a timeline around the "incident."

I really enjoyed this book and the writing style. Although I was right about one plot twist, the end was a surprise. This was my first book by McGowan and I look forward to reading more.

I was a little disappointed with this book, very predictable most of the way through and characters making stupid decisions. It felt like it dragged on quite a bit

The Push is the story of a group of couples that attended an antenatal course together. Someone falls from the balcony at the post birth barbeque. We don’t find out who the victim is until well into the book. The story alternates between the women in the class and the detective assigned to the case. It also switches between before the births and current day. Allison, the detective, is suffering from infertility which colors the way she looks at the families. Each family has a secret. Alison doesn’t think any of them are being truthful. But was the fall an accident or murder?
The storyline kept me interested. I did, however, figure out several of the stories that were in the background. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t one that stayed with me after reading.

I typically enjoy thrillers/mysteries. This one did not hold my attention and felt like a chore to get through.

I don't mind books with flexible timelines and/or multiple POVs, but the way this novel is structured.... I just couldn't get into it. At 30% in, I finally felt like I knew who all the characters were, even if I knew very little about most of them. By 40% in, there were so many *this seems important* facts dropped that I was able to correctly predict the rest of the plot. I was struggling to continue, so I looked up spoilers, confirmed my predictions were correct, and moved onto my next book. The way this story is written, there's not enough information for the first third of the book and then suddenly too much was given away. I was excited to read this based on the summary, but disappointed in the execution.

Never thought this book would turn out to be a murder mystery of all things !
It starts with a group of ill matched pregnant or not pregnant women meeting at a scruffy community centre with a woman called Nina who seemed very exotic, slim, tanned and called herself a doula. This they understood to mean a woman who helped women in labour ~ very American
There was perfect Monica and her perfect husband she appeared in her forties with a neat round bump, then there was Jax another first time older mum with her very young partner Aaron who had a little notepad to write down all the important things
The rest were a hitch potch of different couples some same sex some awaiting adopted baby
They were all linked by there due dates and quite simply the fact they were pregnant so how does it become a murder mystery well you will have to read the book to find out and it’s well worth it I assure you

Thank you to the author, Claire McGowan, the publishing company, Thomas and Mercer, and NetGalley, as they provided an ARC for my honest review.

I have always heard great things about this author, and have read another book by Claire, so I was hoping that this one would be up to those standards. I can't say that I truly enjoyed this book, as a lot of the characters were very un-likable, and each had some issues that was hard to see past.

I don't want to give a bad review, however I feel that there are other books by this author that are much better.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of The Push

At a swanky house one member of a new mothers group is pushed off of a balcony to their death but who was it and more importantly who pushed them? Jax although a little older then most of the women in the group is ecstatic to be having her first baby with her much younger boyfriend, but she is very insecure about the state or their relationship and her position inside this new group of soon-to-be mothers. The only woman older than Jax is Monica who seems to be hangling her second late in life pregnancy marvelously. Everyone else is younger but not without their own troubles. This eclectic group is hiding secrets and someone is about to be murdered.

I was excited to read a new thriller but for me this one fell flat. Although I liked the narration from multiple perspectives and not knowing who the victim was right away the story and drama fell flat. I predicted many of the plot twist well before they were revealed and disliked almost all of the characters. This novel in hyper centered around pregnancy and babymania which made it very one note.

I have said this time and time again this year that I am in such a slump and all these books are getting neglected because of it. This was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley and my apologize go out to them for my delay. Claire McGowan writes a thrilling thriller that is worth your time and energy. Six diverse couples living in a suburban area of London are looking forward to parenthood and sign up for a group for expectant parents. The couples don’t have much in common, but agree to a reunion at the home of one of the couples a few weeks after the group’s meetings have ended. The reunion has several awkward and tense moments and then tragedy strikes - someone at the barbecue has fallen to their death from an upstairs balcony. It appears to be an accident but one detective can tell the survivors from the party are hiding something and thinks she is looking at a case of murder.

This book has two main narrators. Jax Culville, one of the expectant mothers from the prenatal group, narrates much of the story. Jax is in her late thirties and is insecure about her relationship with her much younger boyfriend, as well as over past indiscretions. I do not agree with everything Jax does, but I liked her from the beginning. I sympathize with her because she wants to do the best she can and feels she is constantly coming up short. The other main narrator is DS Alison Hegarty who is investigating the death at the party. I like Alison, too. She is determined to find out the truth even though questioning all the new moms is difficult for her since she has been trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant. She has a new work partner as well that she isn’t sure about. I was slow to warm up to her partner, but by the end I really liked her and liked how they managed to wrap up the case and make a good team. I do hope that this is a series that fallows D.S Alison and we get more development.

“The Push” is one-part procedural and one-part domestic drama. What I loved is that I could sit down and finish this in one long sitting it was that good. I also enjoyed the fact that we were not given the name of the person who died at the party until the very end. I kind of figured it out who it was just by speeding through pages but the pacing and the guessing was very well done. If you are looking for a new author and love a good thriller this is the book for you. It is also a part of kindle unlimited if you have that as well check it out. Four stars read I will be reading more of this in the future.