The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy: Or Everything Your Doctor Won't Tell You

Rating:
Summary: Not for everyone - not for me!
Review: I have never written an Amazon review before, but I was so annoyed by this book that I just had to write one. The book was recommended to me by several people, so maybe I'm in the minority. I'm an avid reader with a good sense of humor, but I failed to see what's so funny or insightful about the "Girlfriends' Guide." I found it to be poorly written, sloppily edited and more irritating than amusing. Vicki Iovine bears no resemblance to my girlfriends. Her viewpoint strikes me as very west-coast-white-upper-middle-class, and much in her book seems dated (leggings with stirrups are her number one fashion tip!). "Girlfriends' Guide" reads like a slightly lewd "Cathy" comic strip without the pictures. She reinforces all sorts of stereotypes of women in general (vain, self-centered) and pregnant women in particular (irrational, grotesquely bloated) that I don't find to be true, much less funny. While I do think there's a market out there for a light-hearted, non-scientific "tell it like it is" book about pregnancy, this isn't the one for me. If you consider yourself smart and literary, you might be disappointed too. I suggest you read a chapter or two in a bookstore before you buy. That's what I should have done.

Rating:
Summary: Enjoy, relax, and ignore the negtivity from others!
Review: My cousin lent me her copy a few months back, and I have bought a copy for everyone I know who has gotten pregnant since I read it! I cannot believe that people would be disturbed by this book; Iovine makes it pointedly clear that the book is based on HER experience and that of HER friends, and that this is not a general education pregnancy book. Some of the advice is perfect, i.e. bring socks to the hospital- I had a cerclage done at 14 weeks, and wouldn't have thought to bring any were it not for this book. Thankfully I did, as the OR was about 50 degrees!
The Girlfriend's Guide is funny, personal, filled with DIFFERENT views (maybe that explains the issues some people have), and presents just another set of opinions from which to take what you can/want and chuck the rest. IT IS FUNNY, and that's the point. This book is the only one thus far that has had me laughing about my expanding backside, increasing cellulite, and chest that won't quit! All of the other books have made me feel as if the amount I have gained, and where I have gained it, is totally wrong. Thank you, Vicki, for being something other than "What to Expect..."; while informative, and used often by myself as a "medical" reference, I don't think pregnancy is as glorious as it makes it out to be. Entertaining and frustrating, but glorious? Take the Girlfriend's Guide to bed with you, snuggle up and chuckle :-).

Rating:
Summary: not worth buying- just borrow it!
Review: Thank goodness i had a friend lend me this book. It had some funny personal stories-especially in the beginning. However it gets repetitive fast, and after all is not any medical advise. Some advise i found out is just a lie. They have a good amount to say about exercising being a waste of time. To pay for bad advice-it's crazy....try to read it at the library.

Rating:
Summary: Take it with a grain of salt...
Review: This is mostly a heads-up for expecting husbands: get this book for your wives, but (if you can) have your wives take its advice and comments with a grain of salt. If you don't, your wives will find reinforcement for things that will not necessarily make them happy, like make them "realize" that they actually look fat and not cute while they're pregnant. I like the way my wife looks during her pregnancy, so I don't appreciate (even if it's meant as a joke) that the book gives her reasons to think otherwise. If you can deal with things like this, then get yourself a copy. Otherwise, be warned. :)

Rating:
Summary: Don't buy it if you have no sense of humor!
Review: This book is hillarious, I laughed until I had tears in my eyes. This is definitely not the only pregnancy book you should buy, it is what the name says it is: advice from a woman who's been there and her girlfriends, not a book that will give you all the medical info you need to know. Some of Vicki's info might be outdated, like that on maternity clothes (thanks, Gap and Old Navy), but overall the book has some good advice. I could not disagree with "she is so negative" comments more. She's not negative, she's just realistic. Pregnancy is not all fun and joy, it can also be quite uncomfortable (puking your guts out for 3 months straight, horrible heartburn, need to catch your breath all the time, inability to have a good night's sleep, etc.), and the chance to laugh with someone who went through similar experience is a relief. Her advice on expercise is sound: she recommends against high-impact exercise, not exercise in general, I don't know where people got the impression that she was against exercise. Warning: if you are all into "natural" childbirth and have a problem tolerating other people's opinions on the subject, or if you have no sense of humor (based on the negative reviews here, these often, but not always, tend to go hand-in-hand for some reason), then don't buy this book - you won't like it.

Rating:
Summary: Girlfriend's Guide
Review: The reviewers who gave this book one star need to lighten up! Vicki Iovine makes it very clear this is not like other books on pregnancy (like the much over-rated "What to Expect When You're Expecting"). I was relieved to read something that didn't falsely give women the impression pregnancy is such a joyous experience for all. I found the book to be VERY funny, while informative and honest--and I love that she didn't "preach". By the way, so what is she's a size 4 (other reviewers seem to have a problem with this)? I loved the top 10 myths of pregnancy. Buy this book to get away from the other preachy, monotonous, and over-rated books on the pregnancy experience.

Rating:
Summary: Mindless Superficial Fluff!
Review: That about says it. Apparently the author's definition of a "Girlfriend" is a skinny, superficial fashionista for which the worst part of being pregnant is -gasp- gaining the extra weight needed to grow a healthy baby and not being able to fit into Chanel suits in the mean time. If this is you, you might like this book, otherwise find something else to read. I personally found this book to be kind of depressing and insulting. It certainly didn't teach me anything useful about surviving pregnancy.

Rating:
Summary: Over rated
Review: I received this book as a shower gift and found a lot of the information to be outdated. It was written in 1995, so when Ms. Iovine was actually pregnant it was the late 80's and early 90's - 10 Years ago! A lot has changed. I found great pregnancy clothes, did not feel the world owed me a thing for being pregnant, and found solid advice (which I was seeking) in other books. (The Baby Whisperer Book, Sweet Child of Mine, Baby Bargains, Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy, etc) Also, my child was in intensive care due to a birth defect and this book did not offer any practical advice on that subject. If you want a tongue in cheek book for laughs this is o.k., other than that read someone else's, check it out of the library, or buy it used.
Not worth the money for a new copy.

Rating:
Summary: A Must!
Review: Trust me when I say, you will need this book after reading "What to Expect when Expecting" and various other more serious pregnancy books. This book is very funny and helped me acting more relax and happy towards the whole pregnancy thing. Bear in mind that if you are taking the pregnancy with the seriousness of researching for your PhD dissertation, then this is NOT the book for you. But if you are having enjoy being pregnant and don't want to create undue stress on yourself, and yet still would like to know what you have signed up for, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: A fun read in comparison to other pregnancy books
Review: I liked this book for the light-hearted approach that it takes when looking at pregnancy. I don't feel that it prepared me any more or less for the 10 month stretch, than any other book. It was more fun to read than the heavy and very serious "What to Expect".
I did enjoy the "Girlfriends Guide to the First Year" much better...lots of good, solid advice.