Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

The Push by Ashley Audrain

101 reviews

reburkah's review against another edition

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

3.75

I wasn't sure what to rate this. It is an exploration of postpartum depression and the cycle of abuse. I found it to be incredibly heavy but I also hated Blythe. I did not think she took any accountability for her own actions and their consequences. At some points I found the book to be misogynistic and I thought there were too many irrelevant references to breasts/children's genitals. I think if you have issues with body image this would not be a good read for you. Check TWs as this book is chock-full of triggering things that I found hard to enjoy as a reading experience but I think it was an important story to be told. This was outstanding for a debut and I finished it in a day.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Child death, and Infidelity

Moderate: Self harm and Suicide

Minor: Dementia

autumnrevisited's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

5.0

wowowow this book is insane. I was skeptical at first but it draws you in in a way you don’t expect. The ending was both open ended and darkly rewarding. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Self harm, Child death, Vomit, and Blood

Moderate: Sexual content

Minor: Cancer and Sexual harassment

zoiejanelle's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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? Yes

5.0

(another library audiobook rental) 

jesus mary and joseph this book was a mindfuck. motherhood is so scary and this book only worsened my fear. this was a thrilling examination of generational trauma and, as the summary says, what happens when women aren’t believed. 

it was admittedly very slow and takes place exclusively in this woman’s mind, so anyone looking for action or plot should not turn to this book. however, i found the internal monologue, paired with the flashbacks, very entertaining. i was on the edge of my seat the entire time, begging for some closure, some truth. 

not my typical read but totally worth it. 

hashtag mommy issues, amirite?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Murder, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Child death, Self harm, Misogyny, and Mental illness

Moderate: Abortion, Blood, Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Stalking, Abandonment, Drug use, Alcohol, and Drug abuse

Minor: Suicide, Mass/school shootings, Body shaming, Vomit, and Death of parent

hanmitche11's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No

5.0

Wow, what a psychological thriller about how motherhood and trauma affects generations. The writing is so descriptive making it all the more twisted to read. I found myself feeling so many different emotions from tearing up to uncomfortably laughing to being shocked. Would love a second book or last few chapters from Violet’s POV. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Toxic relationship

thelibraryofanolive's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

5.0

THIS BOOK HAD ME CRAZED OMG IT WAS SO GOOD CANT EVEN PUT INTO WORDS HOW INVESTED I WAS

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Abandonment, Pregnancy, Car accident, Child death, Infidelity, Grief, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Murder, Alcohol, Violence, Sexual content, Stalking, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Blood

Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Drug abuse, Excrement, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Dementia, and Confinement

lthumphrey's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Grief, Murder, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Suicide, Violence, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

amiegold's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This may be one of the scariest books I have read this year!  It definitely is not for everyone, as the main character spends much of the book struggling to bond with her daughter and then suspecting that something is not quite right with her and her moral compass. It’s just such a horrifying idea, that watching it play out, even mildly… it was enough to give me goosebumps. I enjoyed it, and it kept me on the edge of my seat wondering what was real. My favorite kind of thriller.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Child death

gabforshort's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Child death

Moderate: Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, and Suicide

Minor: Self harm

batcaves's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Child death, Alcoholism, Infidelity, Mental illness, Addiction, Alcohol, Car accident, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Abortion, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Abandonment, Pregnancy, and Toxic relationship

kelly_e's review

dark reflective tense fast-paced

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

2.75

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." 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Child abuse, Grief, Mental illness, Suicide, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Abandonment, Miscarriage, Abortion, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Confinement, Infidelity, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Bullying

Minor: Blood, Sexual content, Cursing, Stalking, Death of parent, and Car accident

postpartum depression