Recs if you like The Push...

Fiction & nonfiction books that explore the complexities and traumas of mother-child relationships or in which such relationships play a central role. While many books on this list are what I’d classify as including “mommy issues” there are others that are more about the different perspectives and nuances of the mother-child (often specifically mother-daughter) relationship. Some books center the child, some the mother, some both.

Suggestions are welcome.

Books written in or featuring 2nd person POV

Horror stories about pregnancy and children that will immediately take away any baby fever you might have

pregnancy horror has been a prevalent form of body horror for decades, popularised by the arrival of rosemary’s baby. this list offers a mix of classics and more niche picks, traversing the many questions of authority, complexities, and subversions of the subgenre. these books explore pregnancy and its aftermath, sometimes literally, and sometimes through metaphor.

This includes book that have either mystery or thrillers as a primary or secondary genre. If you have recommendations to add please comment and I'll happily add them 💕

you definitely don’t want to babysit the kids in these books!! these are some bad kids, some might even say evil kids, like they’re possessed by demons or something, think Damien from The Omen or the twins in Goodnight Mommy

as always, taking any and all suggestions!

Being weird is fun!

The top 100 books of the 2020’s as voted on by Goodreads members

How many have you read?

The top 5 have switched order, they should be: 5) I’m Glad My Mom Died 4) The Midnight Library 3) The House in the Cerulean Sea 2) Project Hail Mary

1. Addie LaRue

some book recs that involve the complexities of motherhood: the tough and tender, chaotic and beautiful, exhausting and full of purpose.

A collection of stories that explore themes of motherhood & mother-child relationships through a darker lens.

Tags: Horror, Motherhood, Matriarch, Matriarchy, Magical Realism, Thriller

Celebrating Canadian authors, with an emphasis on fiction. I'm also trying to include a lot of Indigenous authors in this list! Open to suggestions.

All sorts of stories about all sorts of women. Mostly litfic, some horror.

sometimes the secrets buried under family relationships and everyday routines are unearthed and it goes poorly for everyone involved

Trick me twice, shame on Me!! Books that feature narrators who lie by omission to the reader or they don’t have enough information so have a narrow view of the plot.

The New York Times published a list on August 5th, 2026, of the 50 best thrillers published since 2000 as voted on by hundreds of writers of every kind of crime fiction, from legal thrillers to spy novels to cozy mysteries, as well as librarians, editors, critics and Bookstagrammers.

True thrillers that you can't put down and keep you heart racing.

Every single person in this book could benefit from some professional help

Books that pack a punch! Solid storylines, great plots, descriptive characters and the lot!

Books that will mess with your mind in the best possible way

Note: I will be deleting my PB account within the next two weeks, and I believe this list will be erased. Feel free to screenshot it if you see anything that interests you! ☺️ 3/17/2026