The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! š
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 peopleās 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.Ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy and Infidelity
Moderate: Death of parent, Cancer, Death, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
wordsaremything's review against another edition
reflective
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
I so wanted to love this book. I thought the premise of it ā a woman makes 9 different decisions about pregnancy and being childless ā sounded absolutely fascinating.
Nine lives? That's so many chances for interesting things to happen. What happens if she decides to get pregnant and they discover they are infertile? What happens if they learn their child would have a terrible birth abnormality? What happens if, a couple years into being parents, there is a tragedy that takes their child from them? What happens if she says no, I don't want to be childless, and they move to Europe like her aunt?
There were all these fascinating possibilities, and the author chose 0 of them.
There are exactly three ways the choices go:
1 -- she gets pregnant, loves her daughter, loses Luke, ends up with Thomas
2 -- she doesn't get pregnant, loses Luke, ends up with Thomas, who has a daughter (with her daughter's same name)
3 -- she dies in childbirth
That's it. Those are all the story lines possible out of nine different variations. So even though Rose never wanted to become a parent / have a child, she either becomes a mom or a stepmom. There is no future for her, no life for her, where she is alive, living her life, without a child in it.
Maybe that's comforting for some people, to know that there are certain tracks you are "bound" to, that no matter how much you mess up, you'll end up there. I thought this sounded absolutely horrendous. No free will? What's the point of her wondering what different lives could have looked like for her, if she ends up in the same place every time? And even if she decides to have a child, her husband still cheats on her. They fail to have a single useful, open, emotional conversation. Where is the couples counseling? Where is the empathy for another person?
A great idea, a disappointing execution.
Nine lives? That's so many chances for interesting things to happen. What happens if she decides to get pregnant and they discover they are infertile? What happens if they learn their child would have a terrible birth abnormality? What happens if, a couple years into being parents, there is a tragedy that takes their child from them? What happens if she says no, I don't want to be childless, and they move to Europe like her aunt?
There were all these fascinating possibilities, and the author chose 0 of them.
1 -- she gets pregnant, loves her daughter, loses Luke, ends up with Thomas
2 -- she doesn't get pregnant, loses Luke, ends up with Thomas, who has a daughter (with her daughter's same name)
3 -- she dies in childbirth
That's it. Those are all the story lines possible out of nine different variations. So even though Rose never wanted to become a parent / have a child, she either becomes a mom or a stepmom. There is no future for her, no life for her, where she is alive, living her life, without a child in it.
Maybe that's comforting for some people, to know that there are certain tracks you are "bound" to, that no matter how much you mess up, you'll end up there. I thought this sounded absolutely horrendous. No free will? What's the point of her wondering what different lives could have looked like for her, if she ends up in the same place every time? And even if she decides to have a child, her husband still cheats on her. They fail to have a single useful, open, emotional conversation. Where is the couples counseling? Where is the empathy for another person?
A great idea, a disappointing execution.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy, Death, and Infidelity
ettbokland's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Infertility, and Cancer
Moderate: Abortion and Infertility
aina21's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Very cute, the mother-daughter relationship is so cute. It made me cry.Ā
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Infidelity, and Infertility
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: Death, Cancer, and Death of parent
Minor: Abortion and Miscarriage
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 / ālivesā straight, but I didnāt get too hung up on it, and so it didnāt irk me, but some readers might find that irritating. In the end, I donāt think it particularly mattered if some of the details of the different lives blended into each other.
Spoilers aheadā¦
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 Roseās 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 didnāt get to see Rose in a life without children. This surprised me and was a let down.Ā
Iād be curious to learn more about the authorās 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 / ālivesā straight, but I didnāt get too hung up on it, and so it didnāt irk me, but some readers might find that irritating. In the end, I donāt think it particularly mattered if some of the details of the different lives blended into each other.
Spoilers aheadā¦
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 Roseās 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 didnāt get to see Rose in a life without children. This surprised me and was a let down.Ā
Iād be curious to learn more about the authorās 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, Pregnancy, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol, Miscarriage, and Sexual content
bookbunny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Miscarriage, Infidelity, Death of parent, Abortion, and Terminal illness
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