The party should have been perfect: six couples from the same baby group, six newborns, a luxurious house. But not everything has gone to plan.

This was a great fast read. If your looking for a fast read, gripping, amazing book.... I'd grab this one!

This thriller is good for a niche market, but not the overall thriller market. The writing style and attitude of the characters will only appeal to a certain audience. For me, I didn't enjoy the "Mommy & Me" theme and some negativity in the characters throughout the book. But if you enjoy thrillers with group of ladies (especially ones with pregnancies and babies) then this could be the thriller for you.

Thanks to Amazon Publishing UK & Netgalley for the copy to honestly review!

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of PUSH by Claire McGowan in exchange for my honest review.***

Six babies. Twelve parents. One party. One dead. Many secrets.

Allison, a detective struggling with infertility investigates the death of party guests’ support group leader. If not for Nina’s group, the diverse group of couples would have likely never met.

Told from multiple points of view and timelines, the pieces of the group participants’ lives, what they show themselves and others, slowly emerges with many twists, turns and surprises.

PUSH is more mystery/domestic drama than thriller. Most of the characters aren’t very likable or easy to root for. At times I found myself hoping one narrator or another was the culprit so she could be jailed.

McGowan wrote each point of view in a way that showed the narrator’s prejudices and faults, rather than telling me, the reader how I ought to feel, which is something I appreciate from a writer. The characters were complex with enough dimension, not all bad or good. I won’t say which narrator was my favorite, to avoid any possible spoilers, because I’ll bet most readers will have the same reaction to the turn of events in her life.

PUSH is a quick, fun read but one that likely won’t stick with me for long. When I finished, I didn’t think, “I want to reread this to see what I missed” the way I do with my favorite mysteries. I didn’t want more from the characters of hope for a sequel. I thought about what I wanted to read next.

This storyline begins with a very concise prologue that throws you right into the heart of the action and is a great way to pique your interest. You know that soon after a group photograph is taken at a summer barbecue at Monica and Ed Dunwood’s fabulous south east London home, there will be a dead body amongst the rockery, the victim having fallen from the high glass sided balcony. Who the victim is remains to be seen.
The reason for the barbecue on this glorious hot Saturday afternoon in June is a reunion of six couples and their babies who are part of an antenatal group headed by facilitator Nina. This is a gathering to celebrate the births of their babies and a chance for Monica, alpha female of this group to show off her million pound dream home. What should be a happy occasion quickly turns into a tragedy.

The narrative then hops back in time, introducing the reader to all the members of this group, gradually revealing backstories. Jax at 38 is the second oldest woman of the group and it is her relationship with the much younger Aaron,24 that immediately makes you think cougar! Monica at 44 is clearly the spokeswoman for this group, already having a daughter, Chloe who is fifteen and puts everyone else in the shade when it comes to her pregnant state, blossoming and a vision of loveliness unlike others who simply feel undesirable, unattractive, bloated and uncomfortable! There’s twenty two year old Kelly, minus boyfriend Ryan, Cathy and Hazel,
Aisha and Rahul and finally Anita and Jeremy. All are hoping to welcome their newborns into the world very shortly and their diversity as a group is what makes them interesting. Some of their stories are heartbreaking, some heartwarming but you can guarantee they all have skeletons in their closets.

The timeline jumps backwards and forwards but never becomes confusing. The final character to complete the picture is DS Alison Hegarty, in charge of an investigation that at first glance appears to be a tragic accident.
There’s something immediately likeable about this detective whose tenacity is responsible for finally uncovering the truth surrounding this fateful event. She’s a no nonsense down to earth character who perhaps has more in common with some of these women than you’d first think. Her intuition tells her not to write this tragic incident off as accidental but to continue to dig deeper. I liked the fact the author has chosen to give her a well developed backstory too so that she simply isn’t seen as the lead investigator in the storyline.

I found Nina, the group leader to the least likely person suitable for such a position and therefore a bit unbelievable. She comes across as lacking in empathy and witch like in her ability to see through these women’s disguises. In reality if you encountered such a person when you were at such a vulnerable emotional stage in your life, she wouldn’t put your mind at rest in the slightest. I’d be running (or waddling!) to the door during the very first meeting, never to return!

I appreciated the fact that although much of the storyline is based around mum to be Jax and her much younger partner Aaron, it thankfully isn’t to the detriment of other characters. I felt I got to know all the other members of this diverse group fairly well but suffice to say not many are portrayed in the best light. However it is Jax’s relationship with Aaron and her difficult pregnancy that steals the limelight since there’s much going on in her personal life,past and present, that has a bearing on the storyline. Someone has taken a definite dislike to Jax and seems intent on wreaking as much havoc as possible, their aim to destroy her. It does make you wonder what on earth she could have done to warrant this attention given that her role in a child protection charity leads you to assume she is a compassionate and caring individual, incapable of causing offence. What dark secrets could she be hiding or are they simply the imaginings of the person messing with her mind? One cryptic derogatory email is all it takes to send Jax’s life off course. I did feel sympathy for her trying to negotiate this troublesome pregnancy whilst her professional and personal life is rapidly unravelling, not helped either by the existence of such a cold hearted unsupportive mother. She’s a woman in need of a hug!

I have to say despite guessing every single twist and turn, apart from the motivation behind the actions of the character named in the ‘big’ reveal I actually quite enjoyed this novel. Although you don’t know who the ‘victim’ is until halfway through the novel, you don’t need to be a super sleuth to ascertain who it is. As for accident or foul play you only need to take heed of the title to guess which it is, which kind of makes a mockery of the author’s attempt to try and suggest otherwise. On this basis I wouldn’t describe it as much of a thriller, so if you prefer to be shocked and kept on the edge of your seat you may not find this to your liking. Normally I hate it when a plot is too easily fathomable but I think what saves the day here is the range of characters in this group, however unlikeable, and how the author has explored the dynamics of their relationships, giving the reader a good sense of their personalities and individual problems. What I found incredibly sad is that none of these people seemed remotely happy,so bogged down they are by their own secrets. This novel isn’t a great endorsement of motherhood or relationships in general. It would seem everyone has something to hide, big or small, though they may not necessarily having any direct bearing on the events that take place on this boiling hot afternoon in June.

This was the first novel I’ve read by this author and despite not being wowed by the secrets that are revealed I found this novel to be enjoyable and entertaining. It may be predictable and a far from memorable storyline on this occasion I didn’t care! My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

Some years ago I read this author's Paul Maguire detective novels and quite enjoyed them. I requested an ARC from NetGalley based on my previous enjoyable experience. Sadly it has not been repeated. In fact I gave up about one third of the way in....

DS Alison Hegarty is called in to investigate an unnatural death at a party. Sounds simple enough. The guests at this party, held in the most luxurious house imaginable, are members of a baby group, six couple who met at during their pregnancies. So, six newborn babies to coo, and gush and drool over. Pity the parents, without exception are all horrible. Whether this was intentional or not, I dot know, but I couldn't relate to or sympathise with, any one of them. Oh, DS Hegarty isn't resentful at all, is she – I mean, the fact that she has fertility issues herself couldn't possibly affect her attitude towards this group of shallow self-satisfied, privileged idiots.

I have tried another one or two of McGowan's novels – the non-Maguire ones I mean – and I couldn't get on with any of them. I have to wonder if it's the same person wielding the pen, or sitting at the keyboard.

A gripping read! I was hooked right to the end and can't wait to read more of Claire McGowan's work!

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The different perspectives are expertly weaves and although I’d figured out the ‘twist’ fairly early on, there was still enough going on to keep me reading.

The different characters are relatable in different ways and the setting makes it stand out.

I received this copy from netgalley. I loved this book, great story. will have to read more of this authors book's.

I loved <i>What You Did and The Other Wife</i> by the same author very much and was SO happy when NetGalley approved me for this one. <i>The Push</i> is a wonderful whodunit with an Agatha Christie feel to it and a bit of police procedural thrown in for good measure. This is an enjoyable, tense physiological drama. It's not original but it's well written.

Visitors arrive at a BBQ and someone ends up dead after being "pushed/falling" from a deck...and every single one of the guests are implicated. The best part!? You don't even know who the victim is until half way through the book.

It's fun and I like the way the tension escalates. Ms. McGowan writes well. She vividly describes her settings and characters and her prose is easy to read. I could empathize with all the new mom's, even if I didn't like them very much, and I loved the surprises the author had in store for us readers. The Push isn't a thriller in the usual sense but is for those readers who are looking for a book that deals with what lies beneath.

I've had a terribly long run of vapid books in the past few weeks, which sucks because I have very little time to read these days. I literally only have time for my ARCs from 1 to 3 or 4 AM. Seriously.

Unfortunately, The Push failed to break my streak.
Hmmm...how to describe this book?

1. Full of horribly unlikeable characters - some are racist, some are sexist, some are ageist, some are homophobic, some believe parents shouldn't have the right to make decisions about their own children, and some suffer from classism and sizism. This book has it all, folks, and it's truly deplorable.

2. Every twist in this book will be easily intuited by the reader, despite the fact each borders on improbability.

3. I was actually thrilled when the victim was confirmed...this person was reprehensible and truly deserved to die.

I will say that I enjoyed the alternating points of view, which offer an alternate timeline.
Otherwise, this book was a hard pass.

Available November 12, 2020.

**Despite my less than enthusiastic review, I do appreciate having the opportunity to give my honest thoughts. Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for my review copy.

I just loved this book! The friends all met at ante-natal classes and all brought together for that shared reason; much like a lot of us, you get a very mixed group who might not otherwise have found each other... A body is found at the party they have to toast the babies arrivals, and we are taken on a journey to establish if it was murder or just an accident. Little clues are thrown in and we are led some twists too. I found this gripping and thrilling! It reminded me of the style of TM Logan in The Holiday.

Book Review: The Push by Claire McGowan
(Published by Amazon Publishing U.K., November 12, 2020)

3.75 Stars rounded up.

"...A multi-million pound house with blood spatter all over the rockery, and a dozen suspects screaming and complaining and having hysterics at various locations in the house and garden.

Not to mention the babies..."

The suburbs, Southeast London. Detective Sergeant Alison Hegarty and her partner DI Diana Mendes, a newbie from North London, investigate a death which happens during a barbeque garden party, the final meet of an antenatal group of parents showing off their newborns. Everyone's mum as the three wise simians: saw nothing, heard nothing.

Written in alternative first person and third person omniscient from the perspective of key protagonists, the novel begins ten weeks prior through the fatal fall over a garden-view balcony.

The author hides her plot secrets in plain sight rather well, not unlike what one may expect and relish in an Hercule Poirot classic. "Evil Under the Sun" comes to mind. Or perhaps "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd". Not until the latter parts of the book is the identity of the deceased subtly revealed. And the final act is a sequence of twists neatly packaged with ribbons of surprises.

That being said, for a fan of British fiction and speed reader, it was frankly quite a chore to go through 400 pages of oft-repeated themes and minutiae, the hoi polloi shelf, much less enticing the nth time laid out. Yes, she married a jeune homme 14 years her junior. We got it! You'd think additional editing and perhaps a hundred pages lopped off the manuscript would do wonders.

Perhaps a hint could be taken from the grand Dame of mystery writing herself, whose books average 200 pages, seldom more.

Review based on an ARC from Amazon Publishing U.K. and NetGalley.

There are many strands to this story - concentrate or you’ll miss something! But all comes good in the end. This is a murder mystery (pool) party turned into a book and it really works rather well! It was interesting to read about how such disparate people came to be all at the same party!

This book turned out to be quite different to what I was expecting I wouldn’t really class it as a thriller but more of domestic fiction however it was an enjoyable read that kept me wanting to know if the outcome was what I was expecting. My main problem with the book was that I just didn’t like any of the characters I thought they felt very clichéd and I also guessed most of the twists quite early on which was a shame.
On the positive side this was a read that kept me entertained and although it wasn’t the best book I have read this year it was far from being the worst. So for me just a three star read and many thanks to to the author.
My thanks also to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book really adds a new take on family life, pregnancy, and just things in regular life that many of us deal with but don't talk about. I really loved how well the author, Claire McGowan captured just the feeling of being in certain situations and how the characters reacted to such a traumatic event. I also didn't mind the different POVs and getting to know the lives of all of these different characters. It's quite a skill to capture the readers' interest on such a high level.

A thank you to NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly did not like this novel. I admit that I requested in the ARC based on the cover and the idea of another guilty pleasure creepy couple locked-room feel mystery. And, yes, the couples were creepy (and stereotypical, hollow, and shallow) but in a what I hope was over-the-top attempt to poke fun at prejudice that it proved 100% off-putting. I didn't care who died or why. Harsh, but true.

From the description, I got almost a little bit of a Big Little Liars vibe from it, but that was my interpretation. It wasn't though and to be honest, I was a little disappointed in the story itself. I've read Claire McGowan before and I have to say, I always enjoy her books, but this one missed the mark for me.

Thank you though to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc!

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 don’t agree with everything Jax does, but I liked her from the beginning. 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 how well the two women worked together to get to the truth of the case. Mixed in throughout the book are chapters told from the point of view of the other women in the group. This allows us to get to know the other people in the story better. Many of these other people are very hard to like, but these chapters show the contrast between the lives of all the different women in the group.

“The Push” is one part procedural and one part domestic drama. This seems to be a standalone book, but I would love seeing Alison and Diana again handling a different investigation. The identity of the victim isn’t revealed at first creating some suspense, but I was able to figure it out fairly quickly and had an idea of why. Everyone had secrets, and I was able to figure most of those out as well. However, I was still surprised by some of the details that came out and especially one final twist regarding the death. I enjoyed this fast-paced book and found it entertaining even when I wasn’t shocked by the big reveals.

I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Thomas & Mercer. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

The Perfect Life....?
The perfect party has been arranged - six couples, six babies, a luxurious and yes, perfect, home. When a death occurs, secrets begin tumbling out. DS Alison Hegarty is on a mission to uncover a murderer. A well done psychological suspense. Credible characters and a solid plot. Enjoyable reading.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. I enjoyed this book. I thought the multiple POVs and the different ways everyone comes to parenthood were interesting. Some of the twists were predictable, but I read way too many thrillers/suspense books, so that is more on me than the author. Overall, this was a good quick read.