Reviews

Hush by Kate Maxwell

pmrichard1's review against another edition

3.0

3.5 probably! Really easy read, but liked it more than I thought I would, and found the ending unexpected (but maybe it was more obvious than I realised). I think the portrayal of women adjusting to motherhood is also massively stigmatised and not talked about it and I thought that was very well done. Won’t stick with me forever but a nice read!

celticthistle's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hellywelly64's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

I was conflicted about this book.  Took a while to get into it.  To begin with it seemed confused about what it was.  I ended up loving it.  The blurb doesn’t really give you an indication about the sort of book it is.  It ultimately tells you that people and their emotions are complex, life doesn’t follow a smooth curve.  Don’t judge - good people sometimes make bad decisions for the best of reasons.  Can a woman have it all (big career and motherhood), no, not in the way you would probably imagine but you probably shouldn’t and probably don’t need to!

kate66's review against another edition

3.0

3.5

I want to state first that I'm not a mother and I think that definitely affected how I listened to this lovely book because I've never had the baby blues, never had to juggle work, relationships and brand new baby keeping me awake all night.

So the story of Stevie is not a new one. Young woman, career minded, wants to have a child on her own terms. Fair play to her. However once baby Ash comes along she suffers with post natal depression accompanied by feeling out of control, lack of sleep, peer pressure. It'd be enough to drive anyone crazy.

The book is partly about Steve's relationship with her much wanted son, partly about her career in New York but also about her fractious relationship with her older sister, Jess.

It is beautifully written and the characters are well formed but I knocked a star off because I got irritated with Stevie's naivety - not just with her job but with relationships as well. The bits where she makes out she's fine whilst trying to cope with an unsleeping newborn and her inability to bond drove me nuts too. But as I said, I'm not a mother and I've never been in that position so I don't feel justified getting annoyed either. Definitely a case of walk a mile in their shoes before you comment.

The narration by Elizabeth Brennan was just right. Each character had a clear voice and her delivery was spot on. Really enjoyed listening to her read.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bolinda for the ARC.

harrietpickle's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

shwetamadhuz's review against another edition

hopeful slow-paced

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

3.5

Captures motherhood and post-partum depression really well. Also loved the writing style; how it switched between two very different phases of her life with alternating chapters gave the character more texture. However, I found the first half of the book extremely slow and didn't really find it captivating till the last few chapters. 

toofondofbooks's review against another edition

emotional hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

4.0

hollyko's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

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

4.0

zoe42's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

cityjacko's review against another edition

4.0

This is a very well written debut novel recounting Stevie's choice to have a baby on her own and detailing the emotional impact of her life choices. The book is compelling in its honesty and rawness and gives a voice to the emotions I imagine many women experience but are too afraid to express.
Complex family dynamics and hidden secrets add extra interest to the read and a twist at the end is the icing on the cake.
The audiobook was beautifully narrated capturing the intensity of emotions of the main characters extremely well.
I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced listening copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.