Rating: 
Summary: Spare yourself!!
Review: This book was funny at times, but she focused on a lot of negative things. Her experiences with her pregnancies as well as her friends are definitely out of the ordinary. I'm sorry she didn't have the best experience with her pregnancies and maybe thats where she gets all of her negativity from, but this book is not even close to being my cup of tea! I received it as a gift, read through 80% in 48 hours before I got SOOOOO annoyed with the author that I got up and returned it. Instead I replaced it with a more meaningful, informational, yet still witty book "The Mother of All Pregnancy Books" The "Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" is not only something I wouldn't want on my shelves but I would never give it as a gift to anyone I call a friend either.
Rating: 
Summary: Fun Read
Review: Being newly pregnant, I thought this was a fun book to read. I have technical books on pregnancy but it is nice to hear the perspectives of other "Girlfriends" in a blunt, humorous way. Highly recommend purchasing this as a used paperback book which I did through amazon.
Rating: 
Summary: MY FAVORITE PREGNANCY BOOK!
Review: As the mother of four, I've read countless books on pregnancy. Vicki Iovine's side-splitting treatise on the subject is by far my favorite. It was a gift from heaven to receive this book from a friend early in my fourth pregnancy, my most difficult physically and emotionally. I didn't need more "how-to's" and medical explanations. I needed to be reassured that this out of the ordinary weirdness I was experiencing was in fact ordinary and that my fellow girlfriends had likewise cried at baby food commercials. At night when the feelings of unexplained sadness would hit, I would pull my Girlfriends' Guide out of the nightstand and begin to read. Soon I would giggle out loud and insist that my not-pregnant husband, "Listen to this..." The Girlfriends' Guide was a life-line for me. I turned to other sources for spiritual bolstering and medical expertise...this was my "I'm with you, sister" rap session with fellow moms about the REALITY of pregnancy. It is obvious to anyone who has a bone of discernment in her body that the author would not trade her pregnancies for anything in the world. She is simply looking at them through unjaded lenses, calling stretch marks---stretch marks, and hemorrhoids, well, hemorrhoids. I LOVE her honesty. (...) I was inspired by Vicki's vulnerability and transparency. Vicki, THANK YOU. Your humor and honesty were a constant source of encouragement to me as I had the privilege of carrying and giving birth to my little angel Charlize.
Rating:
Summary: Brutally honest, non-preachy information
Review: This book is an excellent source of information about all the weird things that come along with pregnancy, particularly those things you might be too embarrassed to ask about. (Honestly, my mother would faint dead away if I asked her if her nipples changed color or if she got gas when she was pregnant). You'll want to make sure you have other reference books handy, however (I love "Your pregnancy week by week" and "The mother of all pregnancy books"), as the author admits that she does not have the medical background to discuss everything that might be going on with the baby. However, this is a great reference for all the strange things that happen to your body and mind. It was so reassuring to know that I'm not the only pregnant woman who seems to have lost the capacity for rational thought. Not everything applies (for instance, Iovine makes it sound like all husbands think their pregnant wives are fat cows, and while I feel like a cow, my husband thinks I've never been more adorable), I truly appreciated her open-minded attitude about pregnancy in general. For those reviewers who think she's "down on pregnancy" - not all of us love being pregnant. I couldn't be more thrilled about becoming a mommy, but the pregnancy experience is not always a walk in the park. It was nice to read a book that didn't automatically assume that I would breastfeed, or make me feel like a terrible person if I choose not to. Overall, the advice is honest and straightforward, and delivered with a sense of humor. It was a lifesaver for me, since I only know 2 people who've had babies in the last 20 years.
Rating:
Summary: Is a Pregnancy Book Supposed to be so One-Sided?
Review: I found this book to be as equally disappointing as it was helpful. I have been preparing for motherhood for years before this conception, and have read 20-30 books on the subject, but never have I read one that angered and frustrated me so much! I, in no way, discourage the opinions of others, however, Vicki Iovine's constant mentions of Christianity and God were almost enough to make me toss this book. This religious overtone is something I have never heard in such a book, nor is it something that is particularly helpful. My biggest disappointment was the absence of positive talk regarding alternative birth options. Perhaps the author is a tad misinformed, but midwives and the concept of a conscious birth are of great relief and not so uncommon in this society. Not only does the author tell the reader, irrevocably, to have a medical doctor (usually a man, according to Vicki) perform the birth, give an epidural, and perform an unneeded c-section whenever mom requests for her personally reasons, but she does nothing other than bad mouth the alternatives. She actually tells us not to choose a midwife, because it is the role of Doctor that is revered as Hero in this country, and she kindly reminds the reader that midwives "were tried as witches in colonial Salem!" (pg 71). Perhaps someone should remind the author that closed minded Christians were fed to the lions in days past as well, but no one uses that method of persuasion anymore. Maybe she should leave her judgment at the door when she sits down at her typewriter. Everyone knows that this book is a huge seller, and I'm woman enough to admit that I have derived a nice bit of new information from this publication. But us progressive thinkers of the world should be informed of the ENTIRE nature of the book, and not just the blurbs on the back cover.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh out loud
Review: Every pregnant woman should have a copy of this book! I read it in just a few days and then shared it with all my pregnant friends. I laughed..I cried..it is a must have. I shared parts of it with my husband to "prove" to him that I couldn't be crazy if these same things I was experiencing were published in a book! It was reassuring to know that other women have gone through the same changes as myself. I highly recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: A Bit Deceptive
Review: Iovine tries to pass herself of as "just one of the gals" when in actuality she is anything but. Think of it as a pregnancy guide written by a lesser-known Kathie Lee Gifford. Married to a rich music producer (who produced hit albums for the likes of Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac, and Stevie Nicks), Iovine is a celebrity wife. She herself has a successful career as a columnist and boasts - though I don't know why - having posed for a Playboy centerfold. I don't even have a problem with her blatantly self-congratulating remarks about her tiny pre-pregnancy figure. (Shallow? Yes. Offensive to me? No.) She has supermodel friends, whom she mentions anonymously in the book, and her occasional offhand remarks about recreational drug use and infidelity make it clear to me that she is definitely living in a world far different from that of most women I know. She categorically stereotypes pregnant women as crazy and insecure, describing behavior that I have never seen anyone exhibit, including pregnant women. I myself am currently pregnant, and I confidently feel myself to be her equal or superior in beauty, education, and physical fitness. Wherein lies the insecurity? Her attitude toward the roles of husbands is dated and stereotypical, as well. This makes sense once you realize that her husband can pay to be only as involved as he cares to be and is at liberty to hire the things he doesn't really want to do. Also, she assumes that everyone has a fully-employed, supportive husband. Personally, I do, but many women do not. That being said, the book has some humorous moments and does give a bit more "dirt" on the real deal of pregnancy than some of the dry, clinical books. Iovine, however, wouldn't fit in my circle of girlfriends. I do wish in hindsight that I had simply borrowed it from the library. At $11 I think the book is overpriced.
Rating:
Summary: A silly must have
Review: If you are looking for a book to get answers to some serious questions, then this is not the best one for you. If you just want a good laugh knowing there are many of us that can relate to the good and not so good things about pregnancy, than you have GOT to read this!
Rating:
Summary: GIRLFRIENDS GUIDE TO STUPIDITY
Review: NUMBER ONE: SHE SAYS DONT EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY? SHE IS A BIGGER DITZ THEN I THOUGHT. NUMBER TWO: DONT READ THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE UNDER UPPER CLASS. THIS IS FOR CHANEL SUIT WEARING SNOBS! DONT READ THIS DUMB BOOK UNLESS YOU WANT TO BE INSULTED
Rating:
Summary: SHALLOW NONSENSE
Review: THIS IS THE OPITAMY OF DUMB. ITS NOT SOMETHING YOU SHOULD READ IF YOU WANT TO GET SERIOUS INFO. 0 STARS
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