Good Morning America Book Club

The Compound
By Aisling Rawle
Random House, June 2025, 304pp.

The Short of It:

Reality TV junkies will appreciate this one.

The Rest of It:

Lily—a bored, beautiful twenty-something—wakes up on a remote desert compound, alongside nineteen other contestants competing on a massively popular reality show. To win, she must outlast her housemates to stay in the Compound the longest, while competing in challenges for luxury rewards like champagne and lipstick, plus communal necessities to outfit their new home, like food, appliances, and a front door. ~ from the publisher.

This was an interesting read. It starts off like your run-of-the-mill reality TV setup but I found it to be a little deeper than that. These contestants are playing for an unknown reward. I mean, as a reader we don’t really know what the end game is. Sure, there are task rewards throughout their time there, to build up their compound. Like, an actual door because it simply did not have one. But these tasks are based on their personalities and their needs.

Cameras everywhere. This particular competition immediately requires that each male and female contestant partner and sleep together. Like, actually sleep Zzzzz together. How does one do this without knowing them? Rules keep them from sharing personal information so they go into it blind.

Quickly, Lily realizes that some of the contestants are untrustworthy and in it for themselves. Lily carefully observes the dynamics but at the same time, isn’t really sure what she wants. Does she even want to win? Sometimes the conditions are questionable. Food, is a reward so if they don’t earn it, they don’t have it. There are many hungry nights.

I liked how the story progressed but I felt that ultimately, it wasn’t clear what any of them wanted from the experience. There are some gossipy bits and He Said, She Said moments and some of the characters are likable but there wasn’t a clear villain and I think that makes it a little spicier, you know?

Overall, a fun read and a good book to distract you from real life.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Bookshop.org affiliate links.

The Push
By Ashley Audrain
Pamela Dorman Books, 9781984881663, January 2021, 320pp.

The Short of It:

I had heard from many that this story was wild and it is. It’s like watching an accident happen in slow motion and you cannot look away.

The Rest of It:

Blythe and Fox can’t wait for their beautiful baby girl to arrive. After a difficult labor, baby Violet is placed on Blythe’s chest and it’s not quite the feeling she’s envisioned all her life. As a young girl whose own mother left her at a young age, Blythe silently vows to be the type of mother that she herself never had. But the constant feedings, the lack of sleep and honestly, the lack of a mother-daughter bond concerns Blythe. It concerns Fox too but he pins it on exhaustion. How could a mother not love her own child?

The thing is, Violet never seems to NEED Blythe. She is always reaching for daddy and doesn’t seem to notice the things he can’t provide like the around-the-clock nursing that only Blythe can manage. Years pass and this feeling that Blythe has can’t be shaken. There is something wrong with this child.

Enter Sam. If you have any doubts over your ability to be a mother, why not test the theory out by having another child? That’s exactly what Blythe does. She never shares her full intentions with Fox but secretly she wants to prove that she is a good mother and that a different child will see that. Sam is the baby she’s always wanted. He nuzzles into her, and doesn’t turn away like Violet did. He smiles when he sees her and looks to her for comfort. When she sees her son’s goofy grin, she smiles from ear to ear. While all of this is going on, Violet and her father also notice and Blythe is left wondering if there is something wrong with her to feel such dread whenever her daughter enters the room. How can Blythe not let this affect them? Then, the unthinkable happens.

What a book! This is a brutally honest look at motherhood. These characters are not depicted in a good light and some might think that Blythe’s aversion to her own daughter is way over-the-top but anyone who’s had a few rough years with a baby knows that it is right on the money. My daughter did not sleep through the night until age four and required two feedings an hour for years. So long that the doctor had her checked for a heart condition thinking she was expending too much energy and therefore requiring more food. This book triggered me in so many ways and yet I kept flipping those pages.

Many have described The Push as being compulsively readable. I agree 100%. It’s gritty and truthful and not at all pretty but it was impossible to put down. If you enjoyed Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage then you will want to read this one.

Also, Ashley Audrain has another book coming out in 2022, The Whispers.

Source: Borrowed
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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