The heart-pounding psychological thriller The Push follows Blythe Connor, a new mother struggling to bond with her child. Although Violet is an angel when she spends time with her father, Blythe suspects she might have a dark side. Unfortunately, she’s the only one who sees it.
The Push was Ashley Audrain’s debut novel, and it’s going to be hard for this emerging writer to top it. The fast pace and shocking end left many readers desperate for more. If you’ve already torn through its pages and developed your own stance on the twist, you’re likely ready for a new thrilling tale of motherhood and suspicious children.
Warning: You may never look at your toddler the same way.
Ten Bone-Chilling Reads for Fans of Ashley Audrain’s The Push
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If you couldn’t get enough of the mother-daughter rivalry in The Push, Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth is the perfect book for you. In this chilling tale, seven-year-old Hanna puts up a perfect facade for her doting dad, Alex. Meanwhile, Hanna’s ready to do whatever it takes to get rid of her mother, Suzette. In attempting to
reveal her daughter’s true nature and save her own life, Suzette risks tearing her entire family apart.
Before becoming a novelist, Stage was an accomplished playwright and filmmaker — she knows how to create terrifying tension. You can close the book, but you won’t be able to get this story out of your head.
Read here.
Sunyi Dean introduces fantasy elements into this mind-bending story to create a mother-son relationship that’s scarier than real life could possibly be. In the Yorkshire Moors, there exists a race of humans that eats books. Doing so allows them to absorb all the wisdom within the pages.
Devon grew up eating fairy tales and is ready for her happily ever after. Everything changes, however, when she gives birth to a son who desires more than books. He longs for the wisdom of human minds… and is willing to eat anything to get it. Read here.
The Push taught you to be scared of your own children. The Perfect Child will teach you to fear other people’s kids. The story follows Christopher and Hannah, who have tried desperately to have a baby. The perfect solution arrives in the form of Janie, an abandoned child with whom Christopher quickly bonds.
Unfortunately, welcoming Janie into their home also brings a slew of problems for Hannah. The only remaining question is… Can Christopher see the truth? Or is this the end of his relationship? Read here.
Stephen King said he loved this book.
Oh, you're not sold yet? Okay, here's a bit of the premise. Hidden Pictures follows Mallory, who takes a job as a babysitter. Things start out great — it seems like the perfect job! Then, the artistic boy she’s watching begins creating
increasingly horrifying pictures, and Mallory has the opportunity to go from babysitting to being a lifesaver. Read here.
Jennifer McMahon’s The Children on the Hill is like Frankenstein's creepy children. What more could you ask for? The story follows Dr. Helen Hildreth — a psychiatrist by day and a grandmother by night. When she brings a young patient home to play with her grandchildren, the girl seems like a perfect friend.
Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear that this is no ordinary child, and her actions will have repercussions decades into the future. Read here.
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Were you aggravated when no one would take Blythe seriously? Just wait until you get ahold of Colleen Hoover’s Verity. In this story, an aspiring writer, Lowen, takes over for a bestselling author in a coma. While attempting to finish her beloved series, Lowen moves into the home of her idol and discovers
everything is not as it seems.
Is the comatose Verity Crawford a horror writer or a horrible person? Most terrifyingly of all… is she even in a coma?
Read here.
Ashley Audrain is a master of portraying the stark contrast between perception and reality. If you loved questioning whether Blythe’s daughter was evil or angelic, B.A. Paris’s Behind Closed Doors is your perfect next read.
Jack and Grace seem to have the perfect marriage. But the closer their friends
look, the less they understand. Why are they always together? Why is their home so high-security? What’s really going on behind closed doors? Read here.
One of the most aggravating — and captivating — parts of The Push was watching how everyone around Blythe didn't believe her. The Woman in Cabin 10 examines a similar phenomenon. Lo Blacklock, a journalist writing on a luxury cruise, witnesses the woman rooming next to her get thrown overboard. The
only problem? Everyone’s convinced no one ever stayed in that room.
Is Lo losing it, or is there a murderer on board? If there is, why is everyone so eager to cover it up? Read here.
Can we trust our own memories when emotions and time have clouded them? Ashley Audrain began to examine this question, but Paul Tremblay takes it to the next level in The Paulbearers Club. This novel, written like a memoir, explores Art Barbara's and Mercy Brown's friendship, told from Art’s perspective.
When Mercy finds the manuscript, however, she’s shocked to see Art accuse her of being a malicious vampire. She fills the novel with red edits in the margins. It’s up to you whose narrative you believe. Read here.
Motherhood is scary enough without evil toddlers or plot twists. In Rachel Yoder’s Nightbitch, she examines how this stress can manifest physically. After putting her life on hold to spend time with her newborn, a mom becomes convinced that she’s turning into a dog.
Sound crazy? Maybe. That’s why her husband, who’s frequently out of town, refuses to believe her. Handling a new role as a mother is hard enough. How can this stay-at-home mom juggle becoming a new species? Read here.
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Bonus Picks! Watch and Listen to Media Similar to The Push by Ashley Audrain
Pet Sematary is a classic piece of creepy-child media, based on the book by Stephen King. The story earned a 1989 movie adaptation, which was recently remade. The story follows the Creed family, who relocate to a seemingly idyllic small town and discover a graveyard for pets. Unfortunately, something sinister
and supernatural lurks within the woods. The pets refuse to stay buried, returning to hunt their young owners.
If you’ve yet to experience this story in some form or another, this is the perfect place to start. Just be ready for a good scare… Stephen King himself told Entertainment Weekly that, after revisiting the story, he thought, “My God, this is just awful. It’s just as dark as can be.” Watch here.
The acclaimed story of Alice Isn’t Dead is available as both a novel and a podcast. But as the entire story centers around a road trip, we remain partial to the podcast — perfect for listening in bite-sized pieces on your morning commute. Of course, once you get hooked, you might start sneaking bits in during the workday, too!
Like Blythe, the main character of this story begins questioning everything she knows. She had a funeral for her wife two years ago after she went missing without a trace. Now, however, she can’t stop seeing her face in news broadcasts, and she becomes absolutely convinced of one fact: Alice isn’t dead Listen here.
There you have it! If you enjoyed The Push, then you're in for a treat with these mystery books, movies, TV shows, and podcasts. From spine-tingling thrillers to time-twisting psychological dramas, there's something on this list for everyone. So curl up with your favorite blanket and get ready to be shocked, surprised, and entertained by your next favorite mystery.
