This book definitely wasn’t easy to read; so devastating, heartbreaking, yet hopeful. The art style was wonderful and I love the orange and blue color scheme. Hopefully books like this make the conversation of infertility a little easier and less taboo.

Such a beautiful, real story. Infertility is an issue with women in my family and I had a feeling this novel would hit close to home. It was really cool to read this story and realize just how often scenarios like this truly do happen.

Infertility and IVF can be a really touchy subject. People go through this, but for some reason it rarely gets talked about. It's "taboo" to so many people... but why? It's so common. Yes, it can be scary and some people believe they don't want to jinx it, but I think some of the stigma needs to go away. Then, along comes this book! A graphic novel that depicts a really hard journey that can help people learn, connect and understand with one of life's toughest spots.

This book brings up so many good issues. What happens when one partner in the couple seeks help and talks about pregnancy? While the other wants to keep their baby trying secret? The random, tough situations in infertility that no one really thinks about. Some of the comments that get said that seem like they mean nothing, yet can have a toll on your partner (especially if you feel like you're the problem!). The ups and downs of being pregnant and then not being pregnant. The whole process can suck - but this book is here to show you that you're not alone in this battle. There are others out there who went through the same thing. You are not alone.

To boot, the illustrations are marvellous. I really liked the style and felt it fit well with the story.

Brava!

Five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribe UK for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

This graphic novel was heartbreaking, honest, and hopeful all at the same time. I applaud Luke and Kelly for depicting this hard journey and being honest about the toll it takes on the couple's relationship as well as the toll it takes on the individual emotionally. I recommend this book for anyone who is curious what IVF entails or who might be going through it.

I read Two-Week Wait by Luke Jackson and Kelly Jackson (illustrated by Mara Wild), which is based on the experiences of the writers and other couples' IVF journey. The subdued colour palette used in this book is the perfect match for the emotions that lie within these pages - hope, excitement, disappointment, hope, more disappointment. I cannot fathom what a two-week waiting period to know whether you're pregnant must feel like, it's such a short and long period at once, but the pages did such a great job at conveying the turmoil of this two-week wait. What I admire is the honesty shown by the Jacksons, of their struggles, their expectations from one another, and their individual despair.

This story captures the struggles of Conrad and Joanne and their IVF journey. After finally deciding to have kids, the couple sadly learns that they are unable to. We see feelings of guilt, shame, worry, and hopelessness as Joanne fails to get pregnant even with IVF. I think this story does a great job at conveying these raw feelings and the strain that IVF and failed pregnancies can have on marriage, relationships, and family -- I feel like this book can really help others with similar struggles relate, feel valid / acknowledged, and not alone. Also, the simple illustrations paired with this blue and orange color scheme are absolutely beautiful!

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Such a beautiful story about real life issues. Infertility is a struggle that so many people face daily. This story truly demonstrates how many trials and tribulations some people go through when trying to conceive. It is an important story and I am glad it is a topic that more people are talking about. As some who struggles with PCOS I appreciate this story and highly recommend it to anyone who would like more insight into infertility and IVF.

This was such a quiet and nuanced story of a couple going through the process of IVF treatment. Some passages had me feeling quite emotional and every single doubt, fight and moment of joy was relatable.
There were a few side characters, which I would have liked to have gotten to know better and the dialogue confused me in some panels, the art work, however, I thought was really creative and colours symbols used added to the story and didn't just accompany it.

This is an illustrated memoir of a couple's real life journey to overcoming their fertility issues and having a child of their own. The book details the heartbreak, stigma, and emotional turbulence many couples have to endure in order to successfully become pregnant. The illustrations are expressive and add a lot of context to the story. At times, figuring out who was speaking what could be a little challenging. This book seemed to give a well-rounded portrayal of the IVF experience.

This was a truly beautiful story, as a woman I’ve heard many instances where people have had to go through IVF but never having anyone close to me go through it left but knowledge on the lacking side. But this book allowed me to the emotions, frustrations and heartache that people may go through when trying for a baby through IVF. I truly felt as if I was stood beside this family through their ups and their downs. This book is very informative about IVF as it allowed me to understand the full process of what people go through during their IVF treatment. Thank you for writing this book and I recommend everyone to read this, in order to see what IVF treatment can be like as I feel like this is a very necessary read.

I also really enjoyed the cute art style in this graphic novel and it truly added to the experience of reading

Title: Two-Week Wait
Author: Luke Jackson; Kelly Jackson
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 160
Publication Date: 5/4/2021

Two-Week Wait is a beautiful graphic novel that tells the story of Conrad and Joanne’s relationship. It begins with their initial meeting and then proceeds to when they are attempting to start a family. They are unable to conceive naturally so they go to a fertility specialist and pursue in-vitro fertilization. The graphic novel follows them through several rounds of IVF.

This was a well-done graphic novel about an incredibly sensitive topic. As someone not terribly familiar with the process, I learned a lot about all aspects of the in-vitro process including the emotional challenges and the toll it takes on the relationship. While I have opted not to have children, I do have many friends who starting families. I’d highly recommend this to folks to build empathy and understanding of the feelings and experience of IVF. It provides a general overview of the medical aspect of it as well.

The illustrations and color palate are subdued but striking. These selections fit nicely with the plot of the graphic novel. The novel uses baby blues and pinks which feels appropriate. There was also an excellent balance of text to graphics. I love when graphic novels allow the illustrations to help tell the story.

The book also explores the idea of having a child being one’s life mission and how to make meaning in your life if that is not possible. Joanne and Conrad meet a couple that teaches in India that opens their eyes to possibilities. I wish it had gone a little further with this topic as it was a fascinating discussion of motherhood. I also liked the exploration of what having children means to each spouse and how one may go along with the other to make them happy.

I’d highly recommend this book for readers looking for a different format of a memoir about a really important topic. This would be a great book for folks who have never read a graphic novel and want to see what this medium is all about.

ARC provided to me by Scribe UK, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

#TwoWeekWait #NetGalley

Two-Week Wait is a blue and orange graphic novel about a couple, Joanne and Conrad, going through their infertility journey from the initial difficulty conceiving, to starting IVF, to the birth of their child.

This graphic novel really captures a lot of the different aspects of the IVF experience: the financial strain, the emotional rollercoaster when waiting for the results, the toll it takes on their relationship and respective careers, and the joy and relief if the pregnancy happens. When I got to the last page, I definitely felt their happiness. The book also emphasizes how even though lots of folks are embarrassed or ashamed that they need IVF, it’s common to have fertility issues.

I think this would be a great educational tool for folks considering IVF as it gives a good idea of the emotional aspect of the experience. The science behind the IVF process is explained a bit in simple language, but for anyone looking for more technical information, they should do some research elsewhere. I can definitely see this being displayed at a midwifery, obstetric or infertility clinic for clients to borrow.

Book: Two-Week Wait
an IVF story
Author: Luke Jackson; Kelly Jackson
Illustrator: Mara Wild
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Description:
Conrad and Joanne met in their final year of university and have been virtually inseparable since then. For a while, it felt like they had all the time in the world. Yet now, when they are finally ready to have kids, they find that getting pregnant isn’t always so easy.

Ahead of them lies a difficult, expensive, and emotional journey into the world of assisted fertility, where each ‘successful’ implantation is followed by a two-week wait to see if the pregnancy takes. Join Joanne and Conrad, their friends, their family, their coworkers, and a stream of expert medical practitioners as they experience the highs and the lows, the tears and the laughter in this sensitive but unflinching portrayal of the hope and heartbreak offered to so many by modern medicine.
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🌼 The book was very heartwarming but heartbreaking at the same time. The illustrations were in pastel colour and the art was so good.
🌼 Pregnancy is something that is thought as very normal and easy for couples but the case isn't always the same. There are couples who need a baby but there is nothing they can do about it. The process of IVF, the hectic routine, debt and several serious issues a couple face to have something that is seen very easy by others is really heartbreaking but the best thing to do is to stick together and go through it together with love and peace.
🌼 There were numerous emotions which were portrayed very well. The waiting, the disappointment, frustation, the love despite everything the couple went through, everything was wonderful about it. It felt like a genuine story. It is a story of love, dreams and staying together.
In short:
🌼 Plot- Something new and fresh
🌼 Illustration- Meaningful and pretty
🌼Cover- Beautiful and apt

Very insightful story of living in the process of IVF. I learned a lot and it was a really good story. Plus, the art style was really cute and the color scheme was suited to the topic

Thank you netgalley for the privilege to review this graphic novel.

This is a heart-warming and heart-breaking (both at the same time) graphic novel.
Kelly and Luke Jackson are letting us in on their private journey through infertility, ivf, hope, dreams and heartbreaks, and while this is their own journey I think that so many people can enjoy and relate to their story.
On some of the pages I could even see myself and my journey, though different, it still made me feel seen.
the art is simple but beautiful, the way the artist is depicting the emotions is just remarkable, we could tell exactly what the characters were feeling, even when they weren't even sure how they were feeling themselves.

I highly recommend this for anyone really, and not just couples who are going through this process, because above all, it's a story of love, dreams and being there for one another.

Would love to read more stories about them and their life, children and family

This graphic novel was so delicate with it's pastel colours and simple lines, but the contents were so hard hitting and full of emotion.

It takes you through the struggle one couple have of conceiving and the ups and downs that IVF can bring into your life.

I 'enjoyed' everything about this graphic novel and read it in one sitting, something I think would open alot of peoples eyes to how isolating it can feel to be going through this scenario.

(Thanks to Scribe UK for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley)

This is a stunning portrayal of the process of undergoing IVF treatment, which is told in such a personal and heartbreaking way. I loved the detail put into every element of the story, from the larger plot points to the small and everyday moments in which grief can manifest. It didn't shy away from character flaws either, and explored how going through a traumatic process such as IVF not only impacts on your physical wellbeing, but also on your relationship with partners, family, friends, and work.

The art style was lovely, such a wonderful usage of a muted palette that really suited the tone of the book.

I am recommending this to so many of my friends, regardless of whether they are embarking on the journey or not. It's such an important narrative to discuss and be aware of. This book would also work well within a Sex Education curriculum on birth journeys.

Conrad and Jo have been together since their last year at university, inseparable even. Now that they've had the opportunity to know each other, they started noticing their friends with babies or are expecting; Jo has always pictured a life with her husband and kids. They try for a year but with no luck, so they decide to go for IVF. The characters are real, their emotions, choices they made, all feel real and very raw. Something one can expect from a couple in their mid-thirties. The effects and stress one can have while trying to get pregnant amused me, if though I'm only 20 and nowhere close to getting married even.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed it, it's full of knowledge and the highs and lows a couple faces.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scrive for an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Where to start, it was a very powerful story and truly appreciated how it was illustrated, the clear lines and colours helped a lot with the mood of the story as it evolves.

Joanne and Conrad are going through different rounds of IVF to conceive and we see how that not only is physically draining, but also emotionally and for their relationship too.
There’s still shame and prejudice around this theme and I am glad to see more people sharing about this, as it is most common than we get to think.

It was an emotional rollercoaster and you can feel the loss and disappointment they both pass through, but thanks to each other, their families, friends and coworker that support them, they manage to give birth to the baby they desired.

We need more of these stories to show that it can be done and that after so much loss and hurt, a kernel of hope can grow esponentially. .

Thanks to #Netgalley and Scribe Publications for making this book available to me.

This book was so heart-wrenching and at the same time comforting to me. We follow a trail or a footpath of Conrad and Joanne's life. As they start their relationship and their inability to have children. The heartbreaking rounds of IVF and the expense and stain that placed on their relationship. They had to struggle with money have IVF treatments are expensive, there was also the strain that is placed on their mental health as the pregnancy did not take and even losing the one they had. It was very painful for them, that it began to reflect on their work at their place of work. This book was packed with the experience of all their friends and family even the doctors who were in charge of their case.

It was uplighting to see the support they got from their friends and family. Even coworker understanding the need to give them a break when needed.

I would highly recommend this book.