Member Reviews
A lovely read, lots of heart. Enjoyed the dialogue and the character development and it all felt very “real”.
An open ended novel which paves the way nicely for a sequel too.
Easy to read and lose yourself in. Recommended.
Before I start I want to be clear that this book does contain trigger warnings regarding infertility and low self-esteem.
The Two Week Wait was an incredibly emotional but quick read that deals with a topic that isn't discussed enough in the media. This is a story of five women at different stages in their lives who are all going through the same thing.
Having polycystic ovaries myself I've always known that having children in the future is going to be hard for me and since I was a little girl one of the main things I've ever wanted out of life is children. Whilst I'm not at that stage of my life, this story hit home and left me feeling sad yet hopeful. It was an emotional rollercoaster to go on this journey with these woman and see how each of their lives were affected.
It's hard for me to write this review as there is so much that goes on in this book in terms of the waiting and their own individual lives. I've literally just sat with my mum and discussed the book with her even though she's not even read it because I needed to discuss it!
Lewis writing is beautiful and captivating that I found it so hard to put down. I really recommend giving this book a go, but only if you can deal with the trigger warnings!
Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The Two Week Wait tells the story of five women, via a chat room, sharing their stories of the anxious two week run up to their possible positive pregnancy tests following fertility treatment.
It should be heralded for its ability to capture the nuances of fertility struggles, from vastly different angles, evidencing that not all fertility experiences are the same or in fact for the same reasons (but even with the same reason the experience and outcome can vary greatly). Each woman showcases some of the more common worries, concerns and relationship dilemmas that such women might find themselves in and Lucy Lewis does a fantastic job of compelling the reader to listen to them.
I found the chat room dialogue most compelling actually, because I think we can all admit that the first place we look when we worry is online. It just felt very raw and even the emotional outbursts felt so real. The larger sections of writing though outside of the chat room were less interesting for me, feeling, somewhat ironically, quite disjointed and blocky comparatively.
I think this is a nice book and I'm sure it will be a genuine education for anyone who hasn't been through fertility treatment or struggled to have a baby themselves.
ARC provided from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
As a child free by choice 30 something, I enjoyed this quick easy read much more than I was expecting to. I really connected to the different characters and was rooting for them all by the end. I think this would be a difficult read if you have personal experience of infertility though. I read this all in one sitting when I couldn’t sleep one night and it passed a few hours very nicely. I would enjoy a sequel as I would like to know what happens next for these ladies.
Though I haven't gone through struggles with fertility, I have dear friends that are so this book was eye-opening into the things they are going through, the emotions they feel. I loved having the chance to read this and highly recommend it!
as someone who is not a mother nor actively planning to conceive i thought hmm this book might not be for me but i was so wrong
this book follows a group
of women who are all doing the dreaded two week wait. Some parts of the book are life out loud funny whilst other parts will have you reaching for the tissues , but you find yourself wanting nothing but the best for all of these women. I really enjoyed this and can’t wait to read more from the author
The Two Week Wait follows a diverse group of women starting out their two-week wait between ovulation/possible conception and the pregnancy test. Each story was engaging and heartwarming and it genuinely felt like being dropped into a group of friends (even though they were strangers) who are going at possibly the hardest experience of their lives. I also appreciated that each person was coming from such different backgrounds and stages in life and the stories didn't feel fake or repetitive. I'm hoping for a part-two to continue to follow these women and their families.
5/5 Stars!
Thank you to NetGalley and The Book Guild for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
Before I start this review I should say I am not a mother and have not gone through infertility struggles.
I thought this was very cute.
I loved that comradely throughout the novel and the bonds between these women.
I liked that we got to hear all of their stories, and I felt for all the characters and all they were going through.
It was a very quick read and I liked the chat/ email style.
These are very serious and heart breaking issues, and I thought this was written with the grace it deserves.
I’m sure a lot of women will relate to this story, and find a sense of hope in it.
The end left some strings open, and I do wish we could’ve seen all these women’s stories to completion.
The Two Week Wait follows five women who are in different parts of their fertility journeys.
Jane has been trying to conceive for twenty years. This is her last attempt at getting pregnant. Her husband, Keith, and her have decided that if this time doesn't work, they're getting a puppy.
Becks and her husband, Mike, already have one child, Hector, who is a handful. Becks is dealing with a troubled marriage, and thinks getting pregnant with their second child will complete their family. Becks and Mike were the most intriguing couple in this book.
Star is an Instagram influencer, who wants to have a go at having a baby by herself. She doesn't think she needs or wants a man in her life. She's also living at home with her parents, who don't quite understand her lifestyle.
Fern is a career woman and isn't quite sure she wants to have kids, unlike her husband who is very ready to step into the stay-at-home dad role.
Lastly, we have Mandi, who is the youngest of the bunch. She's dealing with a husband and a MIL who blame her for the couple's fertility problems. She has PCOS and it's unfortunate they make her feel like less of a woman for it.
Overall, this book was an enjoyable read. I rated it 3/5 stars because I felt like some points of the book dragged on. It also focused on some characters more than others. Some of the character development was amazing, but some of it felt forced.
The Two Week Wait is a story of bonds, friends and the struggle of conception many experience. Is it better to experience it alone, with strangers online or newly formed bonds with said internet users?
First of all, thank you NetGalley, Lucy J Lewis and Book Guild Publishing for the ARC of The Two Week Wait.
I really, really enjoyed this book!
The subject matter was a sensitive one; infertility, but it was heartwarming to read about the coming together of five different women from different walks of life all with different experiences of infertility via an online forum.
I found all the characters likeable in their own ways. I found all five offered something different to the story which aided it in its progression.
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style of the online chat and diary entries from each of the five women. I liked that we got to see their stories from their own perspectives rather than that of a third person.
This book does have a lot of characters introduced in quick succession at the beginning of the book. However, I found it easy to keep up with them all and didn’t get confused about whose who.
I did find the abbreviations confusing at the very beginning, but found them easier to understand as the story progressed.
My only gripe with this novel was the ending. I wanted a tad more, as I felt some of the womens endings were left quite loose.
Overall, a pleasant read, one which I would recommend to anyone wanting a quick, easy, heartwarming read.
WOW, this book was more than I expected. I loved it!! I read it so quickly because I loved each and every one of the characters so much, they had authenticity and it pulled on my heartstrings the situation of each woman in their want for a baby.
The Two Week Wait describes some women's life perfectly and it is great that this is being brought into literature so freely. I loved this book so much and would recommend it to anyone!!
I thought this was a very lively story. We follow five strangers on a two week wait online forum ( two weeks being the wait time between ovulation and being able to test for pregnancy) as they support each other through the tough wait. The ladies are sounding boards for each other, and I liked how each one brought something different to the table that could benefit the other women. The women all learn about themselves through the waiting process, and it was nice to see their character development in discovering who they are meant to be and who they may or may not be meant to be with. There were some surprising end results, but I expected to see one of them become pregnant by the end of the book. I was glad to see that everyone wasn’t granted a positive result on their test at the end of the novel because that isn’t realistic. I was surprised about the cliffhanger at the end and wished it could have been resolved instead of left open. All in all this was an easy comfortable read.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
The Two Week Wait is the story of five women during the two week waiting period go find out if they're pregnant who talk on a forum. They're all widely different characters but have the waiting period in common.
I really did enjoy this book because l couldn't wait to find out who was pregnant. My favorite person in the book was Star and her yogi perspective. I'd really love to know her story after the book.
Most of the book was done in a "forum chat" so it was a quick read. I would love to read more of this authors book!
This heart wrenching story about the two week wait that women with fertility issues go through between the time of ovulation and taking their pregnancy tests.
They help each other through this hard time via a support group!
I did struggle to keep up with the amount of characters and information for each of them and it did get confusing at times.
I loved the overall story.... And I hope it brings hope to someone out there.
This story follows five woman during their two week wait from ovulation to the point they can take a pregnancy test.
This story brought me back to 4-5 years ago. I had a hard time getting pregnant (and staying pregnant) and that two week waiting period to find out if you’re pregnant is real and emotional.
Lewis did a lovely job putting infertility on paper and showcasing how everybody’s journey to parenthood is different. It was also very real and relatable (online mom-shamers, symptom spotting, stress).
Though I related to this story on so many levels, I had a hard time connecting with the characters. I also wish that if we’re touching a topic such as infertility, that miscarriages were also brought up in this book. Statically speaking the chances are that at least one of these women would have had one.
Overall though, it was an interesting read that I enjoyed and I wish I had this book five years ago.
For those that don't know, the two week wait is the waiting period from ovulating to pregnancy test and it can be a loooooooooong wait.
I've never cried at a book before... until this one. Without going into too much detail, this hit a spot. I found this so relatable and realistic. It was quick a read and I wish it was longer. I want to know more about the women, their lives and trying to conceive journeys. I felt like it was just getting started when it ended!
Some conditions are briefly discussed such as endometriosis and PCOS. The line of 'if this was a male disease there would be a cure by now' was a particularly favourite! These are conditions that are not widely discussed but are so common and are effecting women every
This book may not be for everyone though. I approached it with caution and was very aware of how I may respond to it. So please be prepared for that.
But I will absolutely be coming back to this book. It has brought me some comfort at a time when I needed it.
⭐ 4/5 stars
Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. What a nice read this was, good storyline and good characters. I really enjoyed it.
The Two Week Wait was an inspiring and emotional read about five very different women who are brought together by wanting a baby. Jane, who has been suffering from infertility issues for 20 years starts a forum for those waiting in the dreaded two week wait. Four other women join the forum and together they discuss their emotions, relationships, and fertility issues. As someone who is going through infertility issues, this was a very emotional and relatable read but one that deeply moved me. I loved how each of the characters were all so different but going through the same thing, and I loved learning each of their stories and seeing how the two week wait affected each of them. I also loved that the feelings of their significant others/families were addressed throughout the story as well. I don’t want to give away too much so I’m choosing to keep this review relatively short. I will say though that the book finished with a perfect ending and left me feeling very hopeful and inspired. Thank you to Netgalley and The Book Guild for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The Two Week Wait by Lucy J Lewis
This book follows five women who are trying to conceive. They connect on an online forum one day and decide to go through the two week wait together for support. The writing goes between their chats on the forum to diving deeper into each character’s backstory. The heartbreak, loss, waiting and excitement were all told in great detail. I enjoyed the fast pace of this book. Each woman had their own relationship depicted. The stress and strain fertility issues can place on someone was eye opening. I felt for these women and found myself wanting to know what path each of them were lead down.