Kristin's Bookshelf

📖 The Push
✍️ Claire McGowan
🎙️ Justine Eyre
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I’m not typically fazed by many triggers in books. I can usually skip a page or two and move on, but this book has some BIG ones that really can’t be avoided. If you’re sensitive to fertility issues, unwanted pregnancies/babies, child abuse, domestic abuse, or children being separated from their mothers, this may not be the book for you.

“The Push” centers around a baby group where everyone seems to have a secret, and some of those secrets are absolutely huge.

I really enjoyed the premise, but I found almost every character unlikeable with very few redeeming qualities. They’re not necessarily horrible people, they’re just not people I’d want anywhere near my friend circle. Not a one of them. Well… maybe Chloe.

There are moms with a LOT of opinions, children taken unlawfully from their mothers, cheating spouses, mental and physical abuse, and enough questionable behavior to go around. No one is simply a good person, which definitely adds to the tension, but also made it difficult for me to really root for anyone.

Jax becomes the center of our focus when it becomes clear someone is out to get her. But who? And why?

There are several red herrings along the way, but some felt pretty irrelevant to the larger story. I would have preferred more of the focus to stay on the members of the baby group, especially since Jax was keeping most of the torment she was experiencing a secret. That’s where the story was most interesting to me.

The pacing was also a little uneven. Parts of the story dragged, and then suddenly we reached an ending that felt surprisingly abrupt. I wasn’t particularly sold on the investigator either. At times, it felt like she was more interested in arresting someone than actually conducting a thorough investigation.

Despite those frustrations, I still enjoyed the mystery itself and wanted to know exactly how all these messy people and their secrets fit together.

Justine Eyre’s narration was great and kept me engaged even during the slower portions of the story. She handled the different characters well, and I never struggled to follow who was speaking. The audio was definitely a strong point for me.