thanks for the opportunity to read this latest book, i really enjoyed it not what i thought it would be like, bur didn't disapoint, twisty and suspense all what you want in a book

The Push by Claire McGowan. Thanks to @amazonpublishing and @netgalley for the e-arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Six couples, all very different, all in the same stage of pregnancy get to know each other during a expecting parents course. After the babies are born they get together one more time, but someone ends up dead. As the detective investigates into the couples, secrets and scandals are revealed.

The story and premise were interesting. I loved getting to know the couples and sitting in the baby classes with them. However, the mystery and reveals were all predictable. I knew how it would end earlier on and had figured a few things out earlier than I should have to make it a truly enjoyable story. There was so much unnecessary racism in the story. I understand there is a difference between a racist plot and a racist character, but did so many people have to hold problematic beliefs? None of the characters were likable or easy to root for. Overall, I still found it an easy read that kept the pages turning.

The Push comes out 11/12.

I really enjoyed this book. The story begins at a party that has left one of the attendees dead. They have fallen from a balcony, only you don't find out who until the end. The story is told from the different party goers POVs which is always interesting since you understand the story in a different way. It focuses around a prenatal group, all with secrets, and possible motives to the crime. The detective Allison is determined to prove it was murder, and not just an accident. An enjoyable story.

I was really excited to read this book by Claire McGowan! I had recently read The Other Wife and liked it very much. This book has a lot of the same elements I liked from The Other Wife: hidden identities, suspense over who was even killed or nearby at the time through tricky narrative devices, and a host of suspicious characters. Unfortunately though, this book did not hang together as well as The Other Wife for me and I did not enjoy it as much.

This book surrounds a killing at a “Mommy and Me” type group gathering. There are six couples involved, which to start off with is a pretty large number of suspects. Throw in a lot of these people as narrators and it gets somewhat hard to keep everyone and their motivations straight right off the bat.

The other problem was that I just didn’t like a lot of these characters. In particular, I really did not like the main couple, Jax and her younger husband Aaron. I particularly did not like Aaron, who seemed to me to do little throughout the book to contribute to either the plot or to his marriage. It made me find it hard to get invested in side plots like his search for his birth mother, etc. (Also, can I just say how tired I am of the “search for my birth mother” trope in domestic suspense novels in general?)

I also found most of the others in the group to be equally unlikeable/unengaging, and struggled pretty hard to find someone I liked enough to root for. There were a lot of subplots I found rather creepy, such as Jax being called a “pedophile” for being with a younger man (an actual man well into adulthood at the age of 24, I might add). Stuff like this made it hard for me to go where the plot wanted me to go and just ended up making me uncomfortable with the book. The end was drought with an almost ridiculous amount of twists (one out of nowhere) that left me ultimately not too satisfied with the plot.

I’m disappointed I didn’t like this book more because I know I like the way this author writes, and really enjoyed her last book. I’m hopeful McGowan’s next book will have different subject matter and a character I can like and root for again.

Thanks to Thomas and Mercer, NetGalley and the author for the advance copy.

Thank you to the publishers for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW! Just amazing!

The plot: Someone dies and you have different couples that were around for the death. Who did it? I LOVED how it jumped from different characters' perspectives as you try to figure out first who died and then who killed that person.

This was by far the best read I've had in a long time. Thank you again to the publishers for allowing access to read this excellent novel!

An average read with predictable twists. I enjoyed the book but didn't love it. Very slow to start but picked up. Guessed most ot the twists. Worth a read. Thank you netgallery for this advanced copy.
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Six couples, with only one thing in common. They are all expecting a baby in their lives soon.

Two weeks after the due arrival dates, these same six couples attend a bbq to celebrate their new family additions.

But the party ends with murder.

This book was easy to read and easy to follow, having been written from various perspectives. However, I found this book to be lacking in depth, with many of the twists and turns being just a little too predictable.

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed this! As if these mothers-to-be don’t have enough to worry about they sign up for a pre-natal group thinking they’re going to learn some great techniques to help with coping, not just through the labour but after the baby is born too, only to be met with quite the derisive tutor! But, these Mums and Dads stuck it out - they had paid to be there to learn after all. Along come the babies and the barbecue to mark the triumphant occasion. What happens from here on out is anyone’s guess because the guests are all keeping the events of this day pretty close to their chests, making the job of investigating a possible murder all that more complicated. Then again, what investigation is ever straight forward?! Superb read!

I enjoyed Claire McGowan's The Push, a story of 6 couples who meet at a class for women expecting a baby. I loved meeting the 6 couples, diving into their backgrounds, their diversity, and their secrets. Of course, they all have secrets!

One of the new moms invites the other 5 couples to her family's home for a party to celebrate the babies, except not all of the couples end up with a baby, and ultimately one of the adults ends up dead.

Even though I had things figured out before the big reveal, I loved watching the story develop, and i especially enjoyed learning who was hiding what.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. Claire McGowan has done it again. This is a book which just begs to be read in one sitting. I loved the fact that we don't actually know who has died until well into the story. Each member of the ante-natal group is hiding something and I have to admit that while I had an idea what a couple of the secrets might be most came as a total surprise to me. I thought the character of Alison, the detective investigating the death, was a strong one that could be expanded on and used in future books. All in all, another great read from this talented author.

The Push is a gripping psychological thriller told from the multiple points of view of guests at a BBQ where a woman fell to her death. Or was she pushed? DS Alison Hegarty thinks there was more to it and pursues the investigation. I found all the characters interesting and the plot speeds along with plenty of hooks and end of chapter cliffhangers. I did guess the “twist” very early on but nonetheless found The Push an enjoyable and entertaining read.

Firstly a big thank you to the publishers for approving my request to read on netgalley. I had the pleasure of meeting Claire at capital crime last year so was really excited to read her newest book.

This is a who done it and the story builds up to reveal who and what happened at this party.

Unlikely friendships are formed at a baby group but are people really who they say they are? These friends are from all walks of life and all with their own secrets to hide.

A fast page turner of mystery thriller.

Packed with suspense ,twists and turns.

Published 12th November

Fantastic page-turning stand alone thriller from Claire McGowan whose Paula McGuire series is so sucessful.

An accident occurs at a BBQ where a group of people who were in the same ante-natal support group have got together to celebrate the birth of their children. But was it really an accident?

As well as being an effective crime/ procedural, The Push explores the anxieties and pressures of parenthood and the societal expectations on new mothers.

Highly recommended.

I loved this book! It was so annoying when I had to put it down to attend to real life. I thought I had it figured out half-way through, but I was wrong! I loved the perspectives of the different guests and the time-lapses. This writing reminds me quite a bit of Liane Moriarty, which is a very good thing! I'm super excited to read Claire McGowan's other books and I will keep an eye out for her future books. I highly recommend this one, my only slight criticism would be to have less swearing in the book, but I am admittedly an old fashioned gal who does not enjoy foul language in books. Thank you so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this ARC. 5 (I can't put this book down) stars!!

The premise is there for this book! The setup takes a minute, because there are so many voices and there's a lot of jumping around in time, but the reveal of who's actually died is delayed a fair bit and that alongside the plot setup hooks you.

And that's it for me on the positive list for this book. It took me nearly a week to read (which is a LONG TIME for me), and I considered DNFing it several times. So many uncomfortable things are happening throughout the book - lots of moments of sexism, racism, ageism.

What a great read! I wasn't looking forward to this one, after reading bad reviews on goodreads suggesting that the story involved racism, sexism, ageism etc

Can I start by saying DON'T BELEIVE THESE REVIEWS yes it is true, a couple of the characters have points of view that might be old fashioned and not politically correct in todays society, but that's the point - the book is about 6 different couples all either pregnant or trying for a baby, and not everyone is life has the same views or has been around different cultures, sexualities etc - it's just a fact of life, and explains the way the chracters think and their actions. It isn't offensive in any way and is quite obviously not the point of view of the author. Anyone taking offense in this manner really is one of those 'woke' individuals always looking to make a mountain out of a molehill.

In actual fact, I found this story challenging and true to life in many ways. Each couple have their issues, their secrets and whilst some twists were quite obvious, some were really shocking and it made for a great read. I havne't previously read anything by Claire McGowan but I love the writing style and will be looking out for more of her books.

In all a solid 4 star read, I finished it in one sitting and am glad that I didn't pay any attention to things I had read previously. if you enjoy a good domestic thriller this is one for you.

Thanks to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fricking spectacular. I loved this book. Enough twists and turns to keep me very happy. Not your usual subject (pregnant women) for a mystery/thrillers. Great characters, great storyline, great writer. Buy this book.

‘The Push’ is told from multiple POVs at different times. The biggest mystery isn’t The Who has done it, it’s who was the victim? The book did draw me in, but I didn’t connect with the any of the extremely flawed characters. The end of the book was rushed and not wrapped up as you’d expect. There were many different things going on and they were easy to guess before the reveals, so not too much of a mystery in my eyes. I’d like to thank NetGalley for a ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another excellent read from Claire McGowan. This book is told from the multiple perspectives of the attendees of an antenatal class. Great characters and storyline although I did guess a few of the little twists and turns along the way. It didn’t detract from my enjoyment though,

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six couples meet at a baby group and reunite at a get together following the birth of the babies. One person falls off a balcony and dies. Allison, the detective investigating, thinks this may not have been a fall, but instead the person was pushed. The story alternates between the baby group some weeks before the party and the actual party, mostly from the points of view of 1 new mom, Jax and Allison with other people's points of view occasionally thrown in.

I liked this book for the most part. I found it to be pretty readable and it held my attention. The issue I had is that almost every couple had something they were hiding and the things they were hiding were pretty easy to sniff out pretty early on, so there weren't a lot of surprises, it was just waiting to see what would happen when the secrets came to light. I think this is my second book from this author and I will probably read more.