Rating: 
Summary: Keeps you lighthearted
Review: As a new mother and early childhood educator, I'd been around pregnant women, but had yet to be pregnant myself. So when I finally did get pregnant, a mother and girlfriend gave me this book. I loved it. I read it along with my regular what to expect reading, but this book was so much more lighthearted, that it made a great companion and kept me from worrying too much about the process and eventual outcome. I think that every new mom could benefit from reading along, its funny, not too serious, and quite helpful. Keeps this period light and helps you to stay focused without becoming neurotic about everything in the process. Great for urban moms.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly depressing
Review: I'm in the midst of my first pregnancy, and I picked up this book because it offered some "sane" advice with a bit of "humor," and after reading the hard-line _What To Expect When You're Expecting_, I needed some relief. Big, big mistake. I mostly found this book to be depressing. Sure, she tells you not to worry about exercise and alcohol and everything else your doctor tells you to worry about, but then she gives you NEW things to worry about that you might not have considered before. She spends so many pages discussing decreased vaginal tone after birth that I began to seriously consider having a caesarean section!!! And the "girlfriend" banter about maternity clothes was so depressing that I spent an extra month wearing my uncomfortable non-maternity clothes, only to find that maternity clothes CAN be cute and ARE much more comfortable. The people-who-try-to-have-non-medicated-births-are-stupid talk was the last straw for me. You need some REALLY good, sometimes humorous advice from a ordinary moms? Read _Breeder_, _The Mother Trip_, or _The Hip Mama Survival Guide_. Reading these books makes you realize how stupid and trite it is to worry yourself sick about things like how you look in maternity clothes and how quickly you'll return to your pre-pregnancy weight.
Rating: 
Summary: More than a grain of salt required...
Review: This book is funny, informal, and refreshing. It offers a great counterpoint to all of the technical pregnancy books out there. But boy, is it full of lots of misleading and discouraging information! By all means read it, but treat it the same as you would any advice from a girlfriend -- one thing to consider but no way the last word on anything. Women deserve down to earth, realistic advice when they're pregnant, and it's true that books like "What to Expect When Your Expecting" are full of an idealized view of pregnancy and childbirth that make us all feel inadequate (I mean who really can stick to the Best Odds Diet? Find me a nutritionist who says we need THAT many veggies and whole grains!) But Vicki's attitude of totally giving up goes a bit too far. Treat her advice as you would advice from any girlfriend who tells you never to exercise (when is this EVER a good policy?), that labor will be excruciatingly painful and you will never get through without massive amounts of drugs (lovely bit of encouragement there), that pregnancy makes you fat and unsexy (sure, we feel that way at times, but man, do those curves look good in V necks) and that breastfeeding is something to wrap up as soon as possible -- laugh, and take it all with a grain of salt. Those may be her own experiences, but that doesn't mean it has to be that way for you.
Rating:
Summary: This is a fabulous book
Review: I got this book as a gift and I'd give it to every woman I know. It's a laugh-out-loud guide to the ups and downs of pregnancy and lots and lots of helpful advice. I wish I had read Vicki Iovine's section on amnios before my doctor made me have mine to know that flipping out in the office is okay. From that to the truth about how lots of husbands really don't like birth class, this is a chatty, wise, and ultimately very reassurring book. Even What to Expect can make you a little nervous, but Girlfriend's Guide is like a great tell-all lunch with an ideal good friend. Iovine is very honest about her thoughts (and where you may disagree with her) and not preachy. She also has the best and most balanced discussion on C-Section and Vaginal birth that I've read, as well as discussing the differences between the two (she's had both), without endorsing one or the other, so you don't end up feeling like a C-section is a scary tragedy. This book will cheer you up and not make you unrealistic at the same time. BUY IT!
Rating:
Summary: Great read while you're pregnant!
Review: I absolutely loved this book. It is an excellent read, very funny and realistic. As with any sarcastic/funny book, many of the statements do not apply to absolutely everyone, but she clearly states in a funny way that she is aware that there will be exceptions to every rule. Also, while she makes recommendations based on her and the girlfriends' experiences, she does state frequently to always consult with your doctor. I think you would be a fool to think that everything in any book applies to you, or that the information in books overrides what your doctor recommends. This book is great because it lets you in on what it really means to have "tender breasts" ; coming from people who have lived through it. I found it to be a practical and interesting read. "What to expect when you're expecting" is great for a reference manual and accurate development info, but this is perfect for what will happen to YOU! Anyone who is not interested in learning these things beforehand has their head in the sand.
Rating:
Summary: a riot of a read
Review: Even though this pregnancy was planned, it still came as a total shock to me. Being a tomboy and without close female companionship (having moved and left friends and family behind) I was depressed to say the least during the beginning of pregnancy. I bought this book to help ease myself into this new world and WOW did it work.
The writing is witty and real, it feels more like talking to your own friends than the more impersonal guidebooks (the other guidebooks are great for medical info, but this book is good for your soul). For me, it was the best book to start out my pregnancy. I would sit there laughing out loud at some of the passages and it was hard to put down.
Definitely a treat, especially to those of us who feel overwhelmed at first - it's not easy saying goodbye to your former life!
Rating:
Summary: Would never recommend
Review: This book starts off funny but quickly the author gives many of her own opinions which are contrary to what any Dr will tell you not to mention a bit out of date. She suggests having an alcoholic drink now and then and she encourages to not bother to excersise. It is just like listening to your girlfriend who has a major complex about weight and has a non supportive husband. It gets old fast and not to mention a bit depressing. At the half way point I had to stop reading, I had had enough.
Rating:
Summary: Hey, what about us guys?
Review: A girlfriend gave this to my wife, and I ended up reading it too. This was entertaining and informative, but definitely for the girls. I just saw the Fatherhood Aptitude Test online from Breathe! A Guy's Guide to Pregnancy, and I wish someone had gotten that for me. Hint, hint!
Rating:
Summary: Why didn't I buy this sooner?
Review: I bought this book yesterday, after a maternity store clerk criticized me for needing to look for transition clothes at 12 weeks. Depressed and discouraged, not to mention nausated and exhausted, I wandered into the book store and happened upon the girlfriend's guide. Miracle of miracles, I was laughing out loud before I was even through the introduction. This is a must for any first timer with a sense of humor - it makes you feel NORMAL, which is a feeling I desperately need right now. It is invaluable to have a sense of someone holding your hand without judging you, because they have been through it all before. Don't wait to buy this like I did! No one can feel positive all the time, and this is the moral boost you will need.
Rating: 
Summary: this is humor?
Review: hey hey hey Girlfriend...! how supa cool are you! NOT. This book was so dumbed down it was embarrassing!! It also struck me as narcissistic. How strong are those maternal hormones anyway -- if you are just obsessed with how fat your ... gets or whether you are going to have gas. I found it to be just the market a shallow, mindless highschool cheerleader may be looking for. I, on the other hand, was much more interested in the development of the baby inside of me.
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