Reviews tagging 'Mental illness'

The Push by Ashley Audrain

195 reviews

fictionlostandfound's review against another edition

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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Self harm, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Death, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Cursing, Blood, Addiction, Grief, Drug abuse, and Alcohol

floratristan's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

luckily the ending felt satisfactory, that although the narrator behaves irrationally she isn't completely unreliable and her suspicions about her daughter turn out to be true. I could have read another chapter where Gemma and Fox grovel at Blythes feat and everyone admits that she was right, but I'm still satisfied with the end as it is. I just don't understand why she wants joint custody of her evil little daughter who killed her son and why, instead of turning her back in her ex, the house etc, she turn into a deranged stalker and pretends to befriend Gemma. On the other hand, she probably wants to stay involved because she thinks she might save Jet. Still, she became much less relatable and likable from that point. Still overall pretty suspenseful audio book and well read. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Child abuse, Child death, and Toxic relationship

lifeofchrstnlvly's review against another edition

dark sad fast-paced

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

4.5

3 words: dark, unsettling, addictive

Short chapters made it easy to read.
Emotions were raw.
Writing was gripping.

I read this is one sitting. It's a disturbing read, but worth it. It goes into the unspoken realities of being a wife, but most specifically motherhood. I love an unreliable narrator and Blythe can be categorized as one. This is categorized as a psychological thriller, but I think it's more along the lines of psychological family drama. This is Ashley Audrain's debut novel, and I can't wait for the next books she'll write. I don't want to spoil it and it's better if you go in blind, so here's the last part of the blurb just to be safe:

The Push is a tour de force you will read in a sitting, an utterly immersive novel that will challenge everything you think about motherhood, about what we owe our children, and about what if feels like when women are not believed.

Read it if you haven't already, but as usual, check trigger warnings first. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, Child abuse, and Child death

Moderate: Murder, Suicide, Abortion, and Death of parent

Minor: Self harm, Infidelity, and Miscarriage

thatswhatshanread's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

4.75 because I needed just a little more from the ending. Otherwise—WHAT A TWISTY, CREEPY, SICKENING RIDE OF CREATION AND DEMISE.

I was hooked immediately and never let go. The writing was smart and breezy and blunt and chilling, the chapters were deliciously short, the characters were multifaceted and unhinged, the plot was searing, uncomfortable, explosive. Darkly fantastic.

“The Push” refers, specifically, to one tragic incident in the main character’s life, but to me it was also a direct metaphor for all of the different types of motherhood represented in the story. How much children shape our worlds, the very good parts and, in this novel’s case, the traumatic and the sinister. 

If you haven’t already, pick this up ASAP. You won’t be able to put it down until the very last page.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Violence, Mental illness, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicide

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, Bullying, Toxic friendship, Stalking, and Forced institutionalization

Minor: Racism, Infertility, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, and Dementia

readingonfordearlife's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Child death, Child abuse, and Mental illness

iordanmoore's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Child death, Physical abuse, Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, and Mental illness

ashlyreadsevrythg's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Gaslighting, Grief, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Stalking, and Toxic relationship

vikidoki's review against another edition

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? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

this was an interesting read. normally this wouldn’t be a book that I would read but I’m glad I read it. it shows a whole different perspective on motherhood and it a book that will make you speechless and stay with you for a while. I will probably think about this book every day at least especially before I will decide if I want to become a mother. this book feels unbelievably important and I’m glad that I read it since it’s dark and tens and questioning but also so heartachingly grotesque.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Murder, Mental illness, Death of parent, Chronic illness, Child death, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, and Addiction

Moderate: Suicide, Self harm, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Blood

katiiekhaos's review against another edition

dark emotional tense slow-paced

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

4.0

The writing and premise for this book is incredibly compelling, Ashley’s depiction of grief, trauma and depression felt so real and captivating. The book also did a really good job of doubting myself ever two chapters. For a debut novel I think this is fantastic and really refined, I’m excited to see what Ashley writes in the future.

I actually sort of liked the twist ending, I’ve seen so many books about unreliable female/mother narrators and I liked that for a change we got a story where she wasn’t actually crazy.

This is a book I think you get more out of if you are a parent, I don’t think I would have been as impacted by this book before having my child. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Grief, and Child abuse

Moderate: Self harm, Mental illness, Child death, and Infidelity

Minor: Death of parent

keijiwolf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Stalking, Physical abuse, Suicide, Abandonment, Blood, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Toxic relationship, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Excrement, Abortion, Car accident, and Dementia