I’m a huge fan of Claire McGowan, but I just couldn’t get into this book. Maybe the fertility issues hit to close to home and I just didn’t want to relive them, it’s definitely a slow burn compared to some of her other thrillers.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was a bit slow, but eventually picked up and left me wanting to figure out who did. Overall 3/5 stars.

Excellent edge of your seat thriller! I have read all Ms. McGowan’s books and I think this is my favorite one. Six couples gather at what should have been an enjoyable summer barbecue, but ends in the death of one of the guests. The group all met at a pregnancy class to help them prepare for parenthood. All the couples have their own secrets, struggles and different socioeconomic backgrounds. But could one of them be responsible for killing someone or is it all a horrific accident. Fantastic mystery ending that I did not see coming. Highly recommend.

I love this author and have read all her books. This one is just as good and fast paced . Her plots are always fast paced and her characters are real and engaging. Loved it

Another great book by Claire McGowan. At the beginning, it reminded me a little bit of Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty. I enjoyed the writing style (chapters told in past/present and from different characters perspectives). Lots of secrets (some I figured out, some I didn't) going on. I also really like the last chapter, after the murder was solved, how everyone's lives went on.

Overall, a really enjoyable read. Definitely will be recommending to my friends.
Thanks NetGalley, Claire McGowan and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC.

Interesting characters great plot line however it had a slow start it was a good book when the story started to pick up and pull me in

4/5 stars- I enjoyed this one a lot!

After someone falls to their death at an innocent bbq full of new moms, detective Alison doesn’t believe it was an accident. The unlikely group of friends who met at their antenatal class have some secrets to hide.

The alternating perspectives that take place in different time lines is engaging and a great way to reveal the mystery and characters.

My only complaint was a couple of the characters are ignorant and hateful. It wasn’t important to the story and wasn’t needed. I think these parts should have been removed to avoid hurting LBBT+ and black readers. It wasn’t needed. If you can say something nice then don’t say anything at all..

A domestic thriller about couples, babies, infertility and secrets.

6 couples gather to celebrate when someone falls from a balcony. Each of the people involved are hiding something and it it up to DS Hegarty to uncover whether or not the person fell or was pushed.

Excellent pacing, realistic characters and a story that hooks the reader. It is another excellent thriller from McGowan.

Claire McGowan has written a wide range of books from her brilliant Paula Maguire crime fiction series looking back to the Troubles through more psychologically based fiction like the other wife. In The Push the author turns her attention to the antenatal groups and the people that could be populating one near you.

After the due dates there is a barbecue and someone falls from a balcony to the rockery below. Who is kept concealed from the reader that in less assured writing could feel forced, but in this instance I was happy to play along with the author so busy was I gawking at all the side stories that result from the number of couples.

The book looks back to a few weeks prior to the 'push' and then concludes with an ending worthy of Agatha Christie herself.

At the start of this book I thought it would be silly romantic story, and was pleasantly surprised.
Thanks net galley for letting me read this book, I really enjoyed each of the women’s lives and how each couple had secrets in their lives.
I felt sorry for Jax she was the one person who really needed help, and help she did not get.
Will look out for more books from Claire McGowan.

I’m not even sure how I feel about this book to be honest.
The overall story plot was interesting and the mix of characters was definitely intriguing. But, somehow, I found them all too selfish, self centred and way to many times acting like there’s no one else more important in this world than them and maybe, if I can say, their hypocrisy was just overwhelming overall.

As I said, I cannot say if I like it or not. I appreciate the time and effort that the author has taken to create this book but unfortunately I don’t think it’s for me.

I really wanted to like this book - the plot sounded right up my alley, very similar to Big Little Lies. However, it did not keep my attention like I was hoping (and honestly expecting) it would. There were too many secrets that took too long to be revealed, leading to a very drawn out beginning and rushed ending. Unfortunately, I was hoping for more from this thriller.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A clever and fast paced locked room mystery! This book packed a punch and though I guessed a few twists, I was engaged from beginning to end!

This story had a lot of potential, but there were too many common tropes happening which made it really predictable. Lots of red herrings. Seasoned thriller readers will figure out what's going on by about halfway through. I'd recommend it to someone who is new to the genre.

I realised that I have already read and reviewed this book. Here is my review below.

This is a really good read. The characters and the whole storyline are brilliant and believable. This story is a very cleverly written memorable read.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

This book was, in a word, not worth reading. Even though it wasn’t terrible, it had a really bad ending. On top of which, every part of the book that was supposed to be a surprise wasn’t. I saw it all coming, and that’s just not fun.

In addition, I really didn’t like it that the author was stereotypical with the gay characters. I won’t say how that happened, as I don’t want to ruin it. But really, what the hell?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Wonderfully well plotted mystery grabs you from the get go and does not let up! Fans of Little Big Lies will love this smart topical compelling novel! Compelling wonderfully drawn characters who you will love to hate!

Another great novel from Claire McGowan. This is a sophisticated crime mystery that centres around a death at a party and a circle of couples who met in an expectant parents group. Who did it? Who saw it? It's probably not what you expect. Will the truth come out?

DS Alison Hegarty, herself struggling with infertility, is called in to investigate. She’s convinced the fall was not an accident, and finds the new parents have a lot to hide. Her investigation is stalled and stopped and following her gut feeling to find the truth becomes her mission. Despite being key to the investigation her character doesn't dominate the book which has so many interesting characters in it.

We meet a lot of characters, yet get to know each one so well. From all different walks of life, different financial backgrounds, life situations, they all come together for a new group mentoring those expecting a baby. This in itself becomes a central part of the plot as characters connect and clash. Friendships formed and tested.

With suspicion on my mind, I played amateur detective in trying to guess the big reveal of this book but I came close but not quite. I think it could of had a bit more pace to it and a touch more edginess to push it to five stars for me. A solid psychological thriller with a crime twist.

Was she pushed or did she fall?

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy. All reviews are my own opinion and totally unbiased.

A group of women having babies, all with secrets in their relationships and a death. It was pretty good, a little show and while the twist did surprise me, it mostly felt predictable and not anything i would remember

If you enjoy a good “whodunit” tale then this is a title for you. It’s the story of six couples, all very different, brought together after meeting a classes for expectant parents. The couples meet at a luxurious house of one of the group members to celebrate the birth of the babies when one of the women (we don’t know who for some time) falls to her death from a balcony. At this point were introduced to Alison, the detective investigating the case and we see tales and secrets of each couple coming to light. It was an interesting read, I enjoyed the backstories of the different characters and how they interact with each other given that they are all very different. I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.