First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes…IVF?When Claire Stanhope married the man of her dreams, she had visions of positive pregnancy tests and adorable baby booties. She never imagined that getting pregnant would feel so impossible. But the reality Claire faces is much different than her fantasy of the path to motherhood.As she struggles to survive the gauntlet of invasive tests, … invasive tests, needles, and negative pregnancy tests, Claire must also face losing her mother, whose terminal cancer diagnosis has rocked Claire’s world. And when her main source of support, her best friend Mia, becomes pregnant, Claire feels that the world she knows is crumbling around her.
In a story about love and loss, the strength of female friendships, and ultimately hope and resilience in the face of tragedy, Claire must learn to redefine her idea of happily ever after.
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This emotional read had a great storyline that was so well written and characters that were so well created that as each and every page was turned Claire and Scott lured me right into their journey as it effortlessly unfolded!
Oh, this book–such a good read, but often so hard to read at the same time!
Claire and Scott were living a seemingly typical happily married life–until they decided it was time to start a family. After months of “trying,” medical intervention showed that Claire’s eggs weren’t as robust as they could be…so they decided to try fertility treatments. As the book opens, they are already well down that road and Claire is alternately becoming further discouraged and contemplating taking even more invasive steps. How far should they go? Is their marriage strong enough to survive the strain?
Also before the book begins, Claire learns that her mother is dying of cancer–adding yet another stressor to her life and relationships. To make things even worse, none of her friends are able to truly empathize with her–two of them aren’t interested in having kids, and the third already is part of a cozy family of four. Even though her husband *is* going through the same thing, he isn’t really–the bulk of the invasive procedures are hers, the “blame” that she levels for their situation is all on her–at times she feels like all he has to do is watch some p*rn.
Overly simplistic, of course, but it’s easy to see how she’d feel that way.
And the many things that supposedly well-meaning friends, family, coworkers, and even strangers have said to Claire along the way? I was both completely horrified yet 100% believed that they were fairly accurate. (Ask me sometime about the super fun things that people say to young widows…) The author has gone through a similar experience to Claire’s, so it’s safe to say that she’s speaking from a place of experience here–making the story feel very real and Claire’s pain almost palpable at times.
Claire and Scott’s story is a bittersweet one. It has an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending, even if it wasn’t exactly the one I was hoping for.
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Truly a thoughtful and compelling read. The process and turmoil that a woman goes through to have a family makes for entertaining reading. There are a plethora of emotions and feelings that a man and woman go through when trying to have a family. Good read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I loved this book. It was an emotional read about two people who wanted nothing more than to start a family but were unable to. This story takes you on the journey with Scott and Claire and it will be a very emotional ride. Great story that will tug at your heart strings and keep you invested until the end.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is the very emotional story of Claire and her husband Scott has they tried unsuccessfully to start a family only to have to undergo testing and other invasive procedures in hopes they can start their family. All the while they are going through this her mother is dying with cancer and her best friend becomes pregnant with her third child which adds to her grief and feelings of not being whole. This is a real hard look at what some have to go through when getting pregnant is not easy.
Little Blue Lines is a wonderful written story. Its a emotional and heartfelt story. I really enjoyed reading about Claire and Scott.
I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are of my own.
Little Blue Lines is wonderfully written. If you have know or know someone struggling with infertility, this story really helps give you a perspective on what that person may be going through. It is devastating to read, but I was hooked until the end. Tara Wyatt did an amazing job with this story!
Claire and her husband want to have a family and have tried for awhile but have not been successful. So they start looking into the why they have conceived and what they can do to conceive. Plus if they can’t conceive together what other options they would want to explore. All the while Claire’s mother is sick with cervical cancer and its doesn’t look good for her. Then a friend ends up expectantly pregnant. Claire has all these things happening around her that’s making her even more of an emotional mess. She has her husband support through this all but will it be enough if it turns out they can’t have a child? What will this mean for them?
This is an emotional story that will have you reaching for tissues more than once. This is a well written story. I would recommend this story to any book lover.
I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.
Learning to let go and find a new way forward, even if it is hard to do
So I received a copy of Little Blue Lines today and I could not put it down once I opened it up. I started in and then just kept reading without stopping except to get a new box of tissue after I had emptied the one that was near me. I skimmed part of the book and read others and I am just blown away by this story. Claire and Scott are two professional people, both in their mid thirties and have been married for five years. They would both like a family but it has not happened after some trying. So now their journey begins on finding out what may be preventing them from getting pregnant and then what the options are and which path they take. Add in the fact that Claire’s mother has cervical cancer and has exhausted treatment options, so the inevitable end is coming, and one of her best friend’s Mia, who already has two children, unexpectedly gets pregnant by a happy mistake.
Claire’s journey is both heartbreaking and also uplifting. She is surrounded by family and good friends so she has support, the biggest being her ever optimistic husband Scott and her loving mother. Inside Claire feels “broken”, not just emotionally but also physically. Before this book ends Claire will need to deal with gut-wrenching grief – for the death of her mother, for the loss of girl friends, for the loss of how she envisioned her future, for the loss of a family, for the loss of herself. But she will also be able to “…run towards something. Something unknown. Something I’d never thought I could have.” What that something is will be up to her to explore and decide.
This is a really well written story that has a lot of emotion dealing with subjects that many women face today, infertility and a parent dying. So this is a double hit to the emotional solar plexus but it is so worth it. It makes you think, feel, give thanks for what you have, hope for what you want and show that as women we are all survivors in this life no matter what happens.
I received a copy of this book by the author in exchange for my honest review. My opinions are all my own. But if my review helps you decide to pick up this great book and you like it then I am glad I helped you make that decision.