Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Push

Title: The Push
Author: Ashley Audrain
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 2.75
Pub Date: January 5, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Visceral • Unsettling • Complex

📖 S Y N O P S I S

Blythe is sure she will be the nurturing and comforting mother she never had. But in the midst of the exhausting early months, and incapable of connecting with her newborn daughter, she is convinced something is wrong with Violet. When she shares her concerns with her husband, he dismisses her claims.

When Blythe gives birth to her son, Sam, the situation is very different, and it's everything she always imagined a mother/child relationship to be. When their lives change on a dime, it will force them to face the truth.

💭 T H O U G H T S

The hype had definitely subsided when I finally picked up The Push, unfortunately it stilled influenced my reading experience and it ended up not living up to all my expectations.

What I like:
- I appreciated the honest insight and portrayal of the expectations versus the realities of motherhood, yet as a childless woman I didn't connect to the plot line.
- The plot line of multi-generational trauma
- Written as a letter, I thought the format was clever. And it was obvious that Audrain is a strong writer.

What I didn't like:
- The plot delivers quite a few stereotypes but I don't know that it leaves us a whole lot further ahead in our understanding, but rather upholds stigmas that can be detrimental to mental health awareness.
- I believe I'd have liked it more if the ending was different. For me, the ending felt like it was used for shock value rather than a natural resolution.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't call this a thriller, rather it's a psychological drama that is sure to spark discussion. But because the plot has been so overdone, The Push is easily forgettable to me.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers looking for a compulsive read
• bookclubs

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

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

Content Warnings

fictionlostandfound's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

The Push is a story of one woman trying to break the cycle of multi-generational dysfunction and trauma associated with motherhood, specifically the relationship between mothers and their daughters. But the cycle is harder to break when your concerns are dismissed as typical new mom jitters.

This psychological drama is a tense read that had me feeling uncomfortable from the very beginning as the author dives into the darkest fears of parenting with a first person narrative; instantly going where your mind refused to travel because it is so dark. This book left me emotionally drained, uncomfortable, and yet oddly satisfied. Would definitely recommend!

I highly suggest checking trigger warnings before diving in.

Content Warnings

eva_k's review

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Omg, I just realized I completely forgot to write a review along with my rating, so here it is, almost two months too late 😅

First of all, let me prefice this by saying, family oriented psychological thrillers aren’t my thing. Like, at all. Before this, I have never picked one up and read beyond the blurb on the back cover. I even remember holding this very book in my hands one day and idly putting it back on the shelf because I did not think this would be a book I could enjoy.

However, this book has for some reason had such a grip on me from the very first sentence to the last one, and it has mostly to do with the author’s absolutely brilliant writing style. Audrain has given her protagonist, Blythe, such a unique voice as she tells her story of her personal nightmare she finds herself in from the second she gives birth to her daughter. The story itself already awakens every woman’s fear one might have about motherhood, but her fast-faced narrative truly enraptures the reader and forces them to feel like they’re reliving the chaotic whirlwind of her story. Auderlain also added a very personal note to the narrative by having Blythe refer to her husband Fox in second person pronouns. She’s literally telling her story to YOU. And damn, does it chill you to the bone at times. But at the same time, it creates a barrier of sorts between Blythe and Fox as we only ever see him through her own eyes. It also gives the effect of having her scream her thoughts at him while he doesn’t listen to or understand her. And yes, it made me scream at the book several times, too.

I also have to say that I adored the way this isn’t just a story about one mother and daughter relationship, but about three generations of mothers, as the book also features flashbacks to Blythe’s mother and grandmother having their own rocky (to put it VERY mildly) relationship with their daughters. You truly feel the weight of generational trauma, which only adds to the tone of the story.

I feel like I could drone on and on about this book, but I’m stopping here so I don’t accidentally give away any spoilers. But truly, this book is well worth reading, it’s such a good quality psychological thriller even if you’re like me and don’t necessarily enjoy family-centered thrillers. It plays games with your head and makes you question everything, from Blythe even being a reliable narrator to possibly getting second thoughts about ever being a mother. Since I even read it on vacation, I can even guarantee that the book is a perfect fast-paced beach read if you, of course, enjoy reading really dark books on your vacation. 😅

Content Warnings

lilacwhisker's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A good read about how those with bad mothers are likely to become bad mothers themselves.

I honestly don’t really think Violet was evil or insane or anything. I think Blythe just convinced herself that she was to justify the fact that Blythe herself is just a bad mom, and hates her because Blythe’s own mother hated her.

Pretty good read and fast paced!!

Content Warnings

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