In the Family Way is a fictional look at the state of maternity care and abortion in the US in the 1960s.

The story is narrated by 3 women - Lily Berg, Rose Seigel and Betsey Eunbanks. Rose and Lily are sisters married to a lawyer and obstetrician respectively. Betsey is a 15 year old young woman who has found herself "in the family way" most likely due to ignorance of how female bodies worked. Lily has opened her home to unwed mothers before but in Betsey she senses a young woman who is curious and willing to learn.

As the stories unfold of Lily, Rose and Betsey (along with the other neighbourhood women) Laney Becker gives us a taste of various scenarios that women encountered before Women's Lib really took off.

There are several difficult subjects discussed including spousal control of finances, unplanned pregnancies, the adoption of illegitimate children, spousal abuse and the women's movement.

The story will be enlightening for a lot of people who perhaps don't realise how little women controlled in their lives even as recently as the 1970s. The women themselves provide various viewpoints - the happy housewife married to a decent man, the wife who unwittingly married an abuser, the wide who cannot stay pregnant and the wife who is prepared to undergo the dangerscof backstreet abortionists because of the laws.

I think this book is appropriate for our time as the repeal of Roe v Wade threatens to send women's rights back half a century and all the horrors that entails. With further attacks on legal abortions in the US women are fighting for their rights and their lives harder now than for many decades.

It is an emotive book that made me cry at times. I would definitely recommend a read no matter which way you lean on women's rights.

Thankyou to Netgalley and HQ Publishing for the advance review copy.

Lily Berg has a small child, Jo Jo, and another on the way her husband is a obstetrician. She has a mothers help consisting of a fallen woman, Betsy, who is 15 and pregnant and is a bit clueless about how it happened and what happens next. Betsy slowly begins to trust Lily and starts to ask questions finally working out what is happening. Lily's sister Rose went to college and now works as a teacher her husband can't understand why she wants to continue which isn't possible if she gets pregnant. Lily's friends include an activist and a harassed mother of three boys. Together they give us a glimpse of what life was like before the women's liberation movement in the 60's. Interesting reminder how things have moved on and why we don't want to go back to the dark ages.

This felt a little disjointed for a significant amount of the novel. It has multiple voices as several characters are telling their own story, the common link being females in the 1960s who play card together weekly. Each has a very different private personal situation, but I struggled to warm to them initially.

I was most intrigued by Lily, who is probably the main protagonist, and is pregnant with her second child. She takes in a young pregnant unwed girl to help her around the house and take care of Lily's young child. Lily is married to a doctor and her life looks quite easy, but behind it, is a sad story of a young girl giving everything up to raise her sister when their mother unexpectedly dies. Lily appears to have had grit about her, but is living a boring predictable life. She is incredibly kind to Betsey, her pregnant helper, and spends a long time helping Betsy understand life and how she even managed to get herself pregnant.

The other females seem to be secondary characters, but their personal situations bring the story together. I did not realise until I got to the end of the whole book, how much of a historical moment in time, this book was trying to capture. I very quickly went from slightly irritated by what appeared to be female inertia, to a total understanding of how limited their options actually were and the levels of desperation this forced some of them to feel.

This was such a worthwhile read, but you do have to just go with the leisurely pace of the beginning. I just hope that the story being told remains facts of history!

This is a book which focuses upon a small group of women in 1965 in America and it reminded me just how far women have come in the past 60 years. This was a time when women couldn’t get bank account, credit card, mortgages without applications being countersigned by a male. Contraception was only available to married women and around America there were not only homes where unmarried pregnant girls were sent but also hospitals with special wards to care for those who had botched abortion. Into this world we have Lily who is married to a doctor, has a little girl, Jo-Jo and is expecting her second child. She welcomes into her house one of the unmarried, pregnant girls, Betsy. Betsy is 15 and so innocent. Her mother never explained anything to her and so, even when she arrives at Lily’s, she has no idea how she became pregnant. As Lily and Betsy’s relationship develops - which is lovely to follow - she finds herself able to ask all of those questions that her mother would not/did not answer. Also in the group are Rose, Lily’s sister who is married and is a teacher, Becca who has three boys, Robin who is something of an activist and Sarah who is the newcomer and yet to start a family. These women support one another and are there for each other. They all have very different journeys within the book, as they navigate pregnancy and motherhood and all that it entails. There are themes here of abuse and of abortion. I liked Lily who was so prudish and had euphemisms for everything and I loved Betsy’s growth but there wasn’t one woman within the group that I didn’t not like. The novel’s final section takes us to the 1980s and just as the world for women has changed, so to the chapter headings. In the beginning each chapter is titled as Mrs David Berg, Mrs Marty Seigel etc. The women did not have their own name. In the latter chapters they reclaim their names. Ms Joan …. A book that reminds us what life was like for women so little as 60 years ago, which is the blink of an eye.

I loved this book, all about 1950s America where women’s rights were non-existent, only married women could have contraception, single women still required a man to sign form so they could have bank accounts, mortgages etc and men were allowed to rape their wives and treat them as their property. Lily opened her home to look after unmarried pregnant girls, albeit so they could work as an unpaid nanny for her. When Betsy arrives, Lily gets unexpectedly close to her in between her canasta games with her friends. Lily is feeling unfulfilled with her life as a young mother and housewife in this book explores how she finds her way forward, building a relationship with Betsy and trying to make things better for her daughter and other future young women.
This book is definitely for fans of Lessons in Chemistry, but also for those who are interested in the changing role of women over our recent decades. I really cared for the main characters and loved how the final chapters caught up with them in the present. I highly recommend this book.

This book is set in 1965 and is about 4 women in Ohio.

There is Lily, married to a doctor with a young daughter and a baby on the way. She is struggling but doesn’t want her husband to know so she confides in her friends when they meet to play canasta every week.

Becca is Lily’s best friend and neighbour and is messy where Lily is prim and proper. Becca is also pregnant with her fourth child that she cannot afford and she turns to Lily with her concerns.

Rose is Lily’s younger sister, a teacher who married her husband Marty a year ago. Rose is not ready to give up her independence just yet and behind closed doors her marriage is far from perfect.

Finally there is Betsy a fifteen year old who has been shipped off to an unmarried mother’s home when she gets pregnant after her first sexual encounter. Betsy is scared and is taken in by Lily from the home to help out with her toddler. However, taking in Betsy shakes up all their lives.

Over the course of 6 months there are secrets and decisions to be made but most of all the four of them need to face up to a society that isn’t ready for women to have their own dreams and ambitions.

I enjoyed this book. I liked the way the chapters were written as each were from one of the four women’s pov. There are a lot of things that are hidden behind closed doors and it shows that although the 60’s were not that long ago the way that women were expected to be seen and not have aspirations of their own. They were seen as homemakers and were there to raise the children. There is also the stigma behind teen moms from back then. I do recommend this book but it could have some triggers for some people so I would check before reading. A solid 4 star read for me

I cannot recommend this book enough. It is very well written with chapters from different women’s points of view - always a winner for me, and has a subject matter that I was previously uneducated about. The book is set in the mid 60s in a suburban town in America and involves five married women and a young girl who is pregnant but unmarried. The times are beautifully described with all the discrimination and male bias and lack of power for women but not in a condescending way, more a telling of how it was then. You have to accept this and marvel about how far society has changed in the third decade of the 21st century. Parts of this book enraged me while other parts made me cry. Lanky Katz Becker is a talented writer who I’ll be looking out for in the future.

This story focuses on three women in 1960s suburban American. All three are facing very different circumstances.

It's hard to believe that only 60 years ago women were treated in such a way when faced with unwanted pregnancies or domestic abuse. That their rights and their bodies meant very little, and decisions that affected them were made by men.

This novel was very well written and I could understand the comparisons to "Lessons in Chemistry". I found it thought provoking, and it made me thankful to live in a time where freedom and choice are often taken for granted.

A really thought provoking book. I loved the characters and the setting in such a time of change for women. Highly recommended.

It’s 1965 and perfectly groomed Lily Berg, wife of Dr. David Berg, OB GYN, believes in keeping her home neat and her daughter, Jo-Jo, 17 months, happy and well cared for. Lily tends to be prudish and is teased by her sister, Rose, about that. To help young, unwed and pregnant women, Lily agrees to take in one of these women to be a nanny to Jo-Jo. Her latest young mother-to-be is Betsy Eubanks, age 15. The girl is very naive and while she doesn’t have much childcare experience, Lily is working hard to train her. They soon become very close as Lily teaches her about life.

Lily likes to host a once weekly game of canasta with several of her neighbors, Sarah, Becca, and Robin.

Lily’s sister, Rose, is married to Marty and not ready to have a baby which puzzles Lily as she thinks that is a woman’s mission in life.

This introduces the characters in the book. What is interesting is the way women looked at marriage and motherhood in that time period. Many were naive about their bodies and about their rights. I was married in 1966 at age 20 and was surprised to learn things such as women weren’t allowed to serve on juries at this time. I too was quite naive. But I did smile at the spot-on way the author captured the food of the time and the things that mothers allowed their children to eat. A lot of sugar was consumed and pregnant women drank alcohol. Times have certainly changed for the better. Do read and enjoy this informative and heart-wrenching book. I loved it!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is one of those books that become part of your daily life while you read it. The characterisation is wonderfully diverse, the dialogue is so engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed and was completely absorbed in the lives of Lily and Rose as they went from drama to drama. I love when I learn something about how life was for women in the past and. I’m grateful that I was given the opportunity to read the book and write a review. My thanks to the author, to the publishers and to Netgalley for allowing me this chance. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

This story illustrates what life was like for women and girls in the 1960s in America, through the stories of four friends. Lily was one of the main characters and was happily married to a doctor. I liked the way that Lily realised that she wanted more from her life than keeping house and caring for her children and how she grew in confidence. The attitude towards unmarried mothers, how women were treated as second class citizens, needing a man’s approval for renting a flat or bank account, all crop up in the women’s stories. There maybe some trigger points for some people, especially concerning domestic violence, abortion and miscarriage. However, these are all parts of the story and looking at events from a different viewpoint. I did appreciate the last chapter set in 1986 where the reader was able to catch up on what happened to the families. This was a thought provoking read, seeing how far progression in some areas had come but perhaps not in all. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Brilliant and thought provoking. Sense of time and place exceptional. Characterisation excellent. Will be recommending to all.

A fabulous read - and an education into how things used to be!

Sixties America; the era where women get married, become homemakers, raise children and require their husbands permission for almost everything. Each Tuesday, a group of neighbours meet up to play cards and share things they can't - or won't - share with their spouses. Doctor's wife, Lily Berg, has a 'perfect' life and when she finds out she is pregnant with her second child she accepts advice from Becca and takes in a young pregnant teen from a nearby mother and baby home to help her; Becca, in turn, confides that her fourth pregnancy has come as a shock and that they really cannot afford another baby - she has enough on her hands with the three she has. Betsy, the pregnant teen, has never met anyone Jewish before and has had to agree never to contact her baby's adoptive parents ever again. These women's lives intertwine with confidences at a time when the world is beginning to change for them . . .

I loved this! It's a great reminder of how far women have come in the 'battle of the sexes' and yet, in 2025, we're having to fight for our position in the world yet again. This is a terrific story, written with understanding from so many points of view and I thoroughly enjoyed everything about it. A wonderful conclusion just added to my happiness. Most definitely a novel I'm more than happy to recommend and, as such, easily merits all five sparkling stars!

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley.

This book expertly and thoughtfully shows the impact that becoming pregnant has on women in different stages of life, with different wants and values. It's so refreshing to see motherhood explored holistically and without any indication that one feeling/reaction is more 'right' than any other. All of the women in this ensemble book are strong, loving, kind and fierce, and don't necessarily fit into any stereotype of who will want to be a mother or who will be fulfilled by parenthood.
Although the book is set in 1965 and has brilliant period references (it all felt a lot like the vibe I got from the women in Mad Men!), it will totally resonate with women today and their friendship groups. The themes and characters could be picked up and dropped into the 80s, 90s or today, and it would still make sense. The characters' authenticity and interactions with each other and their families make them universal and make for an engrossing read that pulls you in.
I went through the full range of emotions whilst reading this - it made me angry to the point of screaming and plotting terrible paybacks for people, it made me laugh and made my heart hurt. Mostly, it made me want to spend time with my female friends and share how thankful we are that we have (in the most part) more choices than our sisters from the 60s. These girls paved the way for us though, and that's why I think this book is a celebration of the quiet strength we hold within us.

This is a well written and well researched book about a group of women in the 1960s which charters their stories of marriage, friendship, pregnancy, loss and abuse. There is real poignancy about the way women were treated if they got pregnant outside marriage and how men could have such control over their wives. The author does write with warmth and it is an accessible story. Absolutely thought provoking and engaging- to be recommended.

Set in suburban Ohio in the mid-1960s, this is the poignant story of a group of women who meet regularly to play canasta where they share the small details of their daily lives and gossip about what’s going on in their community. However, scratch beneath the surface and each of the women are facing their own problems which will have devastating consequences in a world which offers women little independence or freedom. Marriage and motherhood is seen as the pinnacle of success but as Lily, Rose, Becca, Sarah and fifteeen year old Betsy discover pregnancy comes with consequences and sometimes painful decisions need to be made.

Reproductive health is a thread which runs through the story binding each of the characters together in such a unique way and as each of their personal challenges are revealed so a common sisterhood is forged and strengthened. Each character resonated, their individual stories both heartbreaking and uplifting, each expressing an emotional commitment in a powerful story about strong women who did what they had to do regardless of the consequences.

Impeccably researched, In the Family Way is a story about women, for women and acts as a timely reminder of how far we have come in terms of being in control of our reproductive health and yet it also reiterates that marriage, pregnancy, abortion, domestic abuse, rape and divorce are as relevant today as they were then, and that women are just as vulnerable when choices are taken away from them, or even denied them. The story had such an emotional and powerful impact on me that the story lingers long after the last page is turned.

This book is set in the 1960s in the United States. It is about a group of young women who meet once a week to play canasta. Bit by bit their stories are revealed. They are all married and all but one of them are housewives as expected at that time.
The story centres around babies - women who conceive easily and women who don’t. Women who wonder if there could be more to life. Some don’t want babies. There are unmarried mothers who are treated so differently in the 1960s.
The most shocking bit for me is the abuse one woman received from her husband and how hard it was for her to have any rights. Illegal and dangerous abortions come into the story of these courageous women who change their lives as revealed in the second part of the book seen partly through the eyes of the daughter of one of these women.
At the end of the book, the author talks about the issues she has addressed. There is hope but some of these issues have not been totally resolved in the USA and in other parts of the world.
Very well written with empathetic characters. Recommended.

Wow. What a book. I absolutely loved it. My first time reading @laneykatzbecker and I wasn’t disappointed.
Set in 1960’s America, a beautifully written story about pregnancy, motherhood, family life and changing times.. It’s so captivating I was totally hooked from start to finish, I was pulled right into the story. I couldn’t put it down. It’s so powerful, poignant, atmospheric and full of history and heart.
I laughed. I cried. A rollercoaster of emotions throughout. Hard themes like teenage pregnancy, abortion, miscarriage, rape and domestic abuse are covered. The writing style is full of empathy and so intimate.
The short chapters alternate between different POV’s from Betzy, Lily and Rose making it easy to read and follow. I loved the characters which are well drawn, relatable and feel so real. You get to care about them. .The women are strong, brave, intelligent and fierce. I loved the friendships between them and how they supported each other.
I learned so much from reading this book and it will stay with me for a long time. I liked the authors notes at the end of the historical facts.
Highly recommend. It’s well worth the read. Definitely one of my favourite reads of 2025 so far. I look forward to reading more from this author.
With thanks to #NetGallery #HQ @hqstories for an arc of #InTheFamilyWay in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 3 June 2025.

This is a flashback to life in the USA in the 60s, where women are still beholden to their men folk. It includes references to pregnancy, domestic abuse but also the power of friendship.
I am (slightly) too young to fully remember the 60s, I'm also sure that the UK where I live was slightly less chauvinistic - but then again as a man I'm less exposed to its affect. It should be taken as a grim reminder that we should never go back to those days. The story shows what happened to young, unwed mothers to be, and also how people aren't always what they seem to be from the outside. Perhaps this should be compulsory reading for all as a reminder of those times, but is an enjoyable book in its own right.
I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, however this did not influence my review of the book.