I loved the different stories and changes of pace with this, made it feel fresh and kept you interested.a great fun read, even for those without babies

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Mel gets dumped by her boyfriend on the steps to the clinic where they were going for antenatal classes. Mel, who was 8 months pregnant has no idea how she is going to cope with having a baby and being a new mom on her own. The other women she meets in the class seem like they would have nothing in common with each other, but as they get to know each other and as their due dates draw closer, they form some really close friendships.
This book was so good. I did not want to put it down. If you are a fan of books by Liane Moriarty, Beth Harbison and Jane Green then you will love this.

I read other books by this author and I struggled a bit with this one as I found hard to connect to the characters.
It's poignant and can move you to tears but it's not an entertaining or fun read.
I liked how the author managed the different storyline and the relationship amongst the women.
It's a good read, recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is an emotional and entertaining book. I laughed. I cried. And I had alllll the feels. This book pulls you in from the very beginning. The characters are relatable and by the time the last page is turned you feel deeply connected to them. Highly recommend.

This book took me straight back to the early days of my own motherhood. As the ladies in this book did, I joined a mother and baby group and we met on a regular basis, with nothing much in common except having babies at around the same time. We definitely bonded and I am glad that I got to know them all, they were absolutely my rocks and my biggest supports at that time.

I liked this book very much, although it took me a little while to get into. The characters didn't become fully formed for me until around half-way through and then I started to get emotionally involved.

These women, like new mothers everywhere, have a lot of contend with but somehow or another, they get through it, with the help of their friends and family. Having a baby is a huge change in your life, even though quite often people close to you just don't understand it. I had a few wry chuckles along the way, whilst reading this. I really could relate!

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

Five women in different circumstances all meet at their Antenatal group in the month or so before their due dates. With the exception of one woman, they are all in their first pregnancy, some with partners, others without: all excited and not a little frightened and excited for the changes to come. From the spectacular entrance of Mel, just discovering her partner ‘can’t do it” before he leaves her at the doorstep of the class, to the uptight and rather judgmental Katy with her older partner and a “plan’ in which her baby will just fit, to the young couple comprised of Rebecca and Lenny – the group is disparate and has, on the initial view, little to bring it together.

But surprisingly (or perhaps not so) it is the common elements that bring them together – the last discomforts during the last months of pregnancy, discovering that one of their number has previously had an unsuccessful pregnancy, struggles with parents and partners, or coping with loneliness, making birth plans and discovering that things are not progressing according to plan. From quick and reasonably easy births and babies, to the unexpected struggles of post-natal depression, lack of sleep, struggles with schedules and finding the little being wholly dependent on them – it’s an honest story about late pregnancy, struggles with birth and newborns, and clearly describes the upheaval that one little eight pound dictator can throw into a previously well-ordered (or at least organized chaotic) life.

Friendships, truths, healing and hope all emerge as the group finds ways to bond and support one another – with some hard truths and a well-presented case of depression, the overwhelming moments, and the joys that come along with a baby – and the moments that, although we never should be, are afraid to share because of judgments and it not being the “ideal’ that is in every commercial and image that you held in your head from the beginning of the process. With laughter, tears, fears and above all, friendships all clearly presented – this is a story that is well written, and comes to life with situations that you know, will experience, or remember from years gone by/

I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Review first appeared at <a href=” https://wp.me/p3OmRo-axb/” > <a> I am, Indeed </a>

Although I do not have children, I could identify with these women and the struggles they encountered along with the strength they got from each other in friendship. This book felt real to me and I would certainly enjoy a sequel! Heart warming indeed.

Oh what a great book. I loved it from the first page.
I really liked the different storylines within this book and that they were all connected.
Such an easy book to read

Sweet read for new Mommies! Definitely reminds me of the days of late pregnancy, new Mom and sleepless nights! Coupled with the discovery of new friendships. A nice, fun read! Thanks for the advance copy!

It was a beautifully written novel by an extremely talented writer. Excellent character depiction, plus an exciting storyline make for a roaring success. Highly recommended.

Today I am taking a break from my usual dark thrillers to bring you my review of this delightful, masterfully narrated story about friendship and motherhood.

I am currently in an antenatal group. I don’t know if we will end up being life-long friends but I love the fact that we are in the same journey. Most of us are first time moms with very similar experiences and concerns. It’s just nice to know that you aren’t alone.

Amy Miller’s Antenatal Group is so wonderful and realistically portrayed. I love the fact that each character has a different back story. We had married ladies, pregnant girlfriends and even the single moms by choice. I loved all their differences because this is exactly something that you’d find in a real-life antenatal group.

The character development was so well done. Each of the women felt like people I could be friends with. I loved Mel and her quirkiness. I also like the fact that she provided so many laughs in the story but also helped us delve into complexities of relationships. I also really liked Erin and Lexi. Due to their ages, I could kinda relate with them more. Katy broke my heart a couple of times but I loved her. Rebecca was another character who I could sympathize with. These women found their way into my heart and I love that each of them had something that I could identify with.

This was an entertaining read but I love the fact that it was informative too. It made me think about giving birth and the entire delivery process. It also helped me get over the idea of a perfect birth plan. I have had this idea that I will be this proper lady who will endure labor pains without making a sound or even having any facial expressions then I’ll push and voila...my baby will be here. Now I know better. Things don’t always go as planned and it seems you can’t really foretell how everything will go. It caught me off guard when one of the characters had her water break in a bus… yeah, in a bus. All the delivery stories had an impact on me. I was so anxious for each of the moms yet very excited for them too.

This book made me smile, laugh, cry and think about motherhood. Some of the ladies’ experiences had me giggling because they were so relatable. I kept saying out loud, ‘yeah, that happens to me too’. There were number emotional scenes too, both sad and happy ones. I also enjoyed the range of themes from friendship to motherhood to postpartum depression. The Antenatal Group by Amy Miller is a wonderful, powerful, well-written book with characters who most women will identify with.

I've absolutely loved this book,showing different perspectives of birth,birth plans and relationships that don't always go to plan! I laughed and cried at this book. If only I had that type of group whilst pregnant. Characters are amazing.

Overall, I liked the book and it's message and it's really different than what I usually read so it was a nice change of pace. I really liked the 5 different story lines and that they were so different and yet they were all connected by the common experience. The ending was pretty good but not totally satisfying, but I think that was the author’s point that with something like motherhood it’s not always clear. I feel like there was so much of this book that could have been shortened in some way, it had so many storylines that I felt like some of them got lost in the overall story of the book. Like there were so many plots and I don’t really feel like they were all tied up. Like so are Katy and Anita good now? It’s not really made clear, in the end it felt like a plot point that was needed at one point and then the author decided to go a different way so she cut it. Also like Mel and Leo just didn’t make 100% sense to me, in that it just never really felt like she forgave him or at least we didn't really get to see that moment. Also Erin had a great story and I felt like she was on the back burner compared to everyone else like I really liked her and wish I had gotten more of her. And with Lexi I just feel like there was even more of an opportunity with her and Gary that could have been touched on but I really wanted this to be a romance and it really wasn’t. Also with Rebecca and Lenny like I liked their story line but I also felt like Lenny sucked and he changed a little but I just felt like Rebecca was too good for him. All in all 4 stars.