Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and frank!
Review: Not your typical educational pregnancy book, but what all of us pregnant gals are dying to know.
Rating:
Summary: Not informative, not supposed to be!
Review: This book is hilarious and definately a good read for many pregnant women. It is not a medical journal, it is just a collection of Ms. Iovine's experiences and those of her girlfriends. I'll admit some of them are not my experiences, but they are funny to read. As an atheist I did not find the book overly christian (any moreso than any other preganancy book out there). It is just a light, humorous read, in fact it is hilarious! I recommend it to anyone who does not get easily offened because some of her opinions might be different from yours, in other words, if you can't take a joke or are looking for serious medical instruction pick something else.
Rating: 
Summary: Cute book, but definately anti-natural.
Review: This book has some cute advice and is very funny in places.What I didn't like about it was how pro-traditional medicine it was. Like the reviewer Shannen below said, it is very one-sided and anti-natural anything. The witches-midwife comment really bothered me, as well as the comment that natural childbirth will make you ugly because it will break all the blood vessels in your face from straining so hard. I think the author is really off base. All in all, I would not recommend this book because it tried to make me feel like a freak about being a natural parent. There are a lot of options for pregnant women and epidurals aren't the only choice, as the author implies. I believe that women should make the best choice for them, not what the author spouts as gospel.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny and brutally honest.
Review: At times the physical discomforts and hormone storms of pregnancy can be quite a bit to bear. Vicki Iovine brings a smile sometimes and a laugh often to the side of pregnancy that isn't addressed in much more serious books on the subject. I was given this book during my 4th pregnancy and as an experienced mother I still laughed quite a bit at some of the thoughts that the author voiced, things that most pregnant women have thought at one time or another but haven't wanted to state out loud. While short on information of any real depth and definately not for mothers with a strong bent towards natural pregnancy and childbirth, this book can bring a giggle to even the most uncomfortable, 2 weeks overdue and awake with heartburn pregnant mom to be.
Rating:
Summary: "Laugh 'til you cry..."
Review: I borrowed this book from a friend when I discovered that I was pregnant. Iovine provides a good dose of humor on all stages of preganancy that makes you laugh at loud. It's the ultimate companion to any woman who finds herself on the roller coaster of pregnancy for the first or the fifth time. Especially important was that I found that I was able to read the book out loud to my husband and we were able to enjoy a few laughs at my own expense (she has some funny thoughts on the early pregnancy mood swings) - always good to be able to laugh at yourself. Even if you don't enjoy the author's high-end lifestyle, you will still nod knowingly as you read along and be able share in Iovine's hilarious tales of pregnancy.
Rating: 
Summary: not so great
Review: with my first pregnancy one of my girlfriends recommended this book, but i bought "what to expect.." instead. My second pregnancy closely followed my first, so I bought this book, "the Girlfriends Guide..." and i was sorely disappointed. While i admit I found some of it interesting, and she does have a good sense of humor, i was mostly disappointed by the extreme biases throughout the book. Authors are entitled to their opinions, but i feel bad for all those people who only read this book and become so uninformed because of it. she only gives her experience and some of her friends. this is not enough information to base an informative help guide on. Plus she puts a negative light on chilbirth and pregnancy options she did not choose, but are available for others. if you want a book that gives you unbiased information and just informs you about pregnancy and childbirth, buy "what to expect..." it is a great book with no negative undertones, it just presents your choices and options. but if you are like the author and want to be like her, you'll love this book
Rating:
Summary: Not for the overly sensitive
Review: If you are overly sensitive and get offended at the drop of a hat this book is NOT for you. If you think you are the only person in the universe who has been pregnant, this book is NOT for you. If you can take a joke and don't live life too seriously, this IS the book for you. She is honest and tells you how pregnancy really is. Those books that talk about the "magical" time during pregnancy in my opinion are rubbish! People do get sick and feel like hell while pregnant and should not be look down upon if they feel anything but magical.
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Summary: 1st Time Mom
Review: I am nearing the end of my first pregnancy and was given several books when I got pregnant including 2 copies of "What to Expect..". Of all the books that I was given, this is the only one that I continually referred back to for information and support. I really love Iovine's frank and personal discussions of the discomforts of pregnancy, labor and their accompanying neuroses. All of the other books that I looked at were very clinical, impersonal and only gave the most superficial descriptions of things. This book helped me feel better about what I was going through and feel that I wasn't going through this alone.
Rating:
Summary: Some very funny parts, some very offensive parts
Review: There certainly are some extremely humorous parts in this book that had me laughing out loud. Humor is definitely needed during pregnancy! However, the offensive parts outweigh Iovine's humor, at least for me. She is extremely negative about natural childbirth, for starters. She refers to natural childbirth methods as "way too organic" and weird. How you give birth is a personal choice, and natural childbirth may not be for everyone, but I didn't appreciate the repeated digs at the way we hope to give birth to our child. I was also offended at how she asserts that all husband are totally turned off by their wives while they're pregnant. I know that some couples struggle with this, but her assumption that they all just turn to the Playboy channel until their wives get their figures back was very offensive to me. She even made it seem like we shouldn't mind, and maybe be grateful, if this happens. I would've loved this book if it hadn't been for items like these. If you're considering or planning a natural birth and/or your husband loves your body regardless of how it looks right now, skip this book. If you're planning a medicated birth and/or think it's kind of cute when your husband turns to pornography instead of you, this book is right up your alley.
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Summary: An expectant dad's perspective
Review: I'm fully aware that as a expectant dad, I'm not in the "girlfriends" club this book is aimed at; however, I've read all the "What to expect..." type books that my wife has bought or have been given to us, and this was the worst of the lot and the only one I actually found offensive. I thought it might give some insight into what my wife is going through, but instead it told me that I'm an insensitive clod who doesn't really care what she's going through. And that men are just lying when they compliment their wives' changing bodies (not true!) among other absurd stereotypes. This book is a great way to plant the seeds of doubt in a pregngant women's mind and create division between expectant parents. If that's what you want, go for it.
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