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quiteliterary's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
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? Yes
4.0
always loved the idea of multiple lives we may lead based on the decisions we make and this book did a great job with said concept — even tho it took me a while to get the hang of the constant switch between the different lives
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy
Minor: Abortion
skaterhick25's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Liked the premise of the book but overall just meh. I found it hard to follow her different lives because the story was broken down by dates . I also thought the author was a little long winded with her descriptors. Rose was not totally relatable.
Content Warnings
Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion
alysereadsbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I liked the overall premise of this book and thought the execution was pretty well done, and shows the impact choices and reactions can make on people’s lives. It was a compelling exploration of motherhood and all the choice a woman can make. I enjoyed it and thought it was a fast read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, Misogyny, and Death of parent
oatmilkjuqi's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Miscarriage, Abortion, and Death of parent
ettbokland's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Infertility and Abortion
rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Miscarriage
lisasplans's review against another edition
4.5
I have never read a book like this before. This book is fiction but it spoke to me very personally about my own life experiences while reading the story of Rose Napolitano. It follows nine different versions of life Rose could have had depending on whether she became a mother or not. We so rarely hear stories of women who choose not to become mothers. It is so often just stories of the “joys” of pregnancy and how great being a mother is. But not all women are born with a desire to become a mother nor do we all love being pregnant. Thank you Donna Freitas for bringing your words to life and sharing the other side of this coin.
Thank you to @momadvice for picking this book for our January book club.
Thank you to @momadvice for picking this book for our January book club.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Abortion
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, Death of parent, and Pregnancy
lit_with_lauren's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage and Terminal illness
Moderate: Death and Abortion
jessbelsreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Pregnancy
Moderate: Cancer, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Miscarriage and Abortion
linesiunderline's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
As a childfree woman, I expected to connect deeply with this one. I appreciated a reading a book where the challenges of navigating society as a woman without children took centre stage. I feel like the world needs more stories about this experience, more variety, more openness, more representation.
Freitas delves into this subject and conveys aspects of the experience with nuance and clarity. She has a direct writing style, which gives the reader a strong sense of connection to Rose.
At times it was tricky to keep the different narratives / “lives” straight, but I didn’t get too hung up on it, and so it didn’t irk me, but some readers might find that irritating. In the end, I don’t think it particularly mattered if some of the details of the different lives blended into each other.
Spoilers ahead…
I was disappointed that none of the lives presented an option where Rose ended up living contentedly without children. I appreciated that Freitas showed the complexities in each one of Rose’s lives, no matter the resolution, but to me, it felt like something was lost, that some of the potential for even greater thematic richness was lost, because we didn’t get to see Rose in a life without children. This surprised me and was a let down.
I’d be curious to learn more about the author’s process in writing this book and I think it adds important ideas to a topic of conversation that does not take center stage often enough.
Freitas delves into this subject and conveys aspects of the experience with nuance and clarity. She has a direct writing style, which gives the reader a strong sense of connection to Rose.
At times it was tricky to keep the different narratives / “lives” straight, but I didn’t get too hung up on it, and so it didn’t irk me, but some readers might find that irritating. In the end, I don’t think it particularly mattered if some of the details of the different lives blended into each other.
Spoilers ahead…
I was disappointed that none of the lives presented an option where Rose ended up living contentedly without children. I appreciated that Freitas showed the complexities in each one of Rose’s lives, no matter the resolution, but to me, it felt like something was lost, that some of the potential for even greater thematic richness was lost, because we didn’t get to see Rose in a life without children. This surprised me and was a let down.
I’d be curious to learn more about the author’s process in writing this book and I think it adds important ideas to a topic of conversation that does not take center stage often enough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Miscarriage, Sexual content, and Alcohol