Scan barcode
tarapollardyork's review against another edition
4.0
This was kinda sad, first half was super good, then it just got old/ depressing. More about postpartum depression after a loss/grieving and motherhood and overwhelming feelings.
lila4th's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Provides insight into the heartbreak of loss and the trials and tribulations of early motherhood
hanatursic1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
garete62's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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
3.5
laurflanagan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
This book encapsulated so much within its pages, it's hard to know where to even start. The thread running through it all is grief-- the grief of losing someone you love and then the grief of seemingly losing yourself in motherhood/postpartum depression.
If you've personally experienced postpartum depression and/or anxiety, I would only go into this book with your eyes wide open. It is the most accurate description of new motherhood I've ever read, so you can probably imagine how brutal it can be to read. What Bannister is brilliant at though is peppering humor in at just the right times. I genuinely laughed out loud many places & that's rare for me in a reading experience.
I can't believe this is Bannister's debut and I will most definitely be reading anything she writes now!
If you've personally experienced postpartum depression and/or anxiety, I would only go into this book with your eyes wide open. It is the most accurate description of new motherhood I've ever read, so you can probably imagine how brutal it can be to read. What Bannister is brilliant at though is peppering humor in at just the right times. I genuinely laughed out loud many places & that's rare for me in a reading experience.
I can't believe this is Bannister's debut and I will most definitely be reading anything she writes now!
kate404's review against another edition
5.0
I adored this. The writing was superb, I felt for Gigi on every single page. The post-partum depression and anxiety were so well represented, I don't think I have ever felt more called out in a book than in reading these pages. It was charming and romantic, humorous and ridiculous and gut-wrenchingly sad and raw.
lezapal's review against another edition
4.0
If you have had children and had any kind of depression, this book will be absolutely brutal! I debated on how many stars because this was not an enjoyable read to me. But it is very true and honest about the struggles of being a mother and the way women are supposed to feel.
jeska_lee's review against another edition
Too heavy emotionally for where I was at the time.
smalltownbookmom's review against another edition
5.0
Some books just come to you at the right time and speak to you on such a deep, emotional level - that was this book for me. I can hardly believe this is Ilona Bannister's debut novel - the writing is so beautiful and the characters so well-written I didn't want this book to end! The story starts with Gigi, a Staten Island native on the day the twin towers fell. In the midst of the chaos she runs into her handsome British neighbor Harry and the two spend the horrible day at her parent's house while they learn of her brother's death and Harry quietly looks after the grieving family. Fast forward ten years and Gigi and Harry later run into each other again one day when she's at the park with her adopted son - seems like the perfect happily ever after right? What follows is an in-depth look at how Gigi struggles to balance modern motherhood as both a single mom in Manhattan and later as an American expat living in London, working full-time, going through a tough pregnancy and a traumatic birth, followed by extreme post-partum depression. I connected with so much of what Gigi experiences - her inner monologues are so witty, sarcastic and bang-on. So many times I was either laughing or having my heart broken in tiny pieces right along with Gigi as she flounders with her mental health trying to do it all and be it all and not knowing how to ask for help. Bannister has that rare ability to use humor to write about difficult subjects. I can't recommend this book enough especially for any moms feeling lost, alone or overwhelmed. This just might be my favorite read of 2021 so far. I underlined so many passages in this book that trying to choose a favorite quote is nearly impossible but here are just a few:
"When I became a mother the pain multiplied and grew and stretched my skin and bent my back as far as it would go because the pain a mother feels is not just hers, she feels everyone's pain. She picks it up for her kids, she carries it for the family, she takes it from her parents when they're too old to bear it."
"I am terrified of the pain I feel. It's paralyzing me. I'm afraid that I'll hurt them. I won't mean to but I will. I already have. I'm afraid that I can't get better, that I will always be like this. Brittle and cracked and empty. I used to love you but I don't remember how to now."
"It's hard to be the mother. The one that does all the mundane things that children need done."
"We're all bad mothers Charlie, kids wouldn't be such assholes if there were any good mothers. Do you know any kids who aren't assholes?"
"Wine wraps my feelings in gauze, and then they don't feel so sharp....It's not hard to find wine during the day...Sanity, clarity, a healthy marriage, a therapist - those are all a lot harder to find."
"We all make choices...each of us defending our choice - knowing that there are no real choices for either of us. There's just what you do because you have to do something, because they all need you and they always come before you."
"When I became a mother the pain multiplied and grew and stretched my skin and bent my back as far as it would go because the pain a mother feels is not just hers, she feels everyone's pain. She picks it up for her kids, she carries it for the family, she takes it from her parents when they're too old to bear it."
"I am terrified of the pain I feel. It's paralyzing me. I'm afraid that I'll hurt them. I won't mean to but I will. I already have. I'm afraid that I can't get better, that I will always be like this. Brittle and cracked and empty. I used to love you but I don't remember how to now."
"It's hard to be the mother. The one that does all the mundane things that children need done."
"We're all bad mothers Charlie, kids wouldn't be such assholes if there were any good mothers. Do you know any kids who aren't assholes?"
"Wine wraps my feelings in gauze, and then they don't feel so sharp....It's not hard to find wine during the day...Sanity, clarity, a healthy marriage, a therapist - those are all a lot harder to find."
"We all make choices...each of us defending our choice - knowing that there are no real choices for either of us. There's just what you do because you have to do something, because they all need you and they always come before you."