I originally purchased this book because of my struggles with infertility. The two week wait is a dreadful time and takes so much to get through! I was both pleased and disappointed with this book for many reasons, let's start with why I was pleased.
The book follows two stories. One of Lou who is a lesbian and has realized that her time to carry a child is quickly dwindling as she ages and after she finds a cyst in her uterus. The other is of Cath and Rich who is a couple who want a child after Cath has had her ovaries removed due to cancer. Both stories intertwine as they find themselves at a conference on IVF and egg donation. I liked how the book conveyed how the characters felt emotionally having to go through such a process as well as the agony of judgement from those around them who didn't quite agree with IVF as it is not a "natural" way to conceive. Towards the end of the book I felt that the characters really had their emotions conveyed through words and anyone who has been through IVF or is going through IVF can really relate to those feelings.
There were a few things that I wasn't so pleased with. First of all, since the title is "The Two Week Wait" I totally expected the book to really get into the emotion and agony of the two week wait. This was not the case. Most of the story revolved around the events leading up to or after the two week wait, not the two week wait itself. I was very disappointed when the two week wait seemed to be skipped over with just a small chapter or two. I also was displeased with how they left out a lot of the medical terms and names that go along with infertility. I was kind of hoping to be reading a book related to my world and I didn't really get one. I also has hoped that the couples would have exhausted all options before IVF. In the scenarios presented, IVF was the only option but, I would have liked to have read a book about a couple, straight or Lesbian, who had struggled with many failed treatments and have those emotions conveyed through words and have that story told to the world since I feel like it is the most common.
In all, I would give the book 3 out of 5 stars. It was a good storyline, although it moved very slow in what seemed like the wrong places. If you are a lesbian trying to conceive or a couple going through IVF I totally recommend this book to you. I think you will really enjoy it. The book is written by a British author so, as an American there were a few differences in language but I didn't mind that at all.
On to the next book: "An Abundance of Katherine's" by John Green.
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