Review: “The Good News Is, You Don’t Have Endometriosis: How I Survived IVF With My Sanity (Mostly) Intact”
A painful but entertaining, triumphant memoir of a woman’s infertility journey
This was my thirty-third book I chose via the Reedsy Discovery program, for which I am the single approved reviewer for this new book. This review also appears on Reedsy.
If you’re interested in becoming a Reedsy reviewer (and have the chance to get paid “tips” to review books!) check it out here.
The Premise
Jade Barrett was in her 30s and living a great life — with a good career, a supportive network of family and friends, and a husband she loved, and with a healthy lifestyle. She never thought that infertility would become her story… until it did. From multiple IVF cycles, incompetent and annoying medical staff, and mood swings galore, Jade recounts her experience, also giving advice to other women who may be going through a similar experience.
The Pros & Cons
This was a touching, amazing memoir that took you through a wide range of emotions from beginning to end. The author holds nothing back — and I thank her for it! The honesty is refreshing, and I myself admit that I would have had the same thought processes as she did.
Like Jade, many women do not consider infertility when they believe they lead healthy, well-rounded, functional lives, and it was a slap in the face to discover that parenthood — a journey she’d put off for so many years to focus on her career and marriage — was not meant to be quite as easy for her as it was for so many others who get pregnant in the blink of an eye.
From the first shock wave of “we may need to see a doctor”, we feel every emotion Jade endures, particularly the underlying resentment towards her husband and blind rage when well-meaning friends say something incredibly condescending, pitying, or insensitive.
The author’s voice is charming, relatable, and intimate (a bit *too* intimate at times — not to give away any spoilers but let’s just say the word “blue” has a whole new meaning to me!). I truly appreciated, more than anything, that she voiced her concern at stages along the way when she was mistreated or ignored — this is extremely critical for others to adopt, and the memoir’s most important message.
Conclusion
At around 100 pages, I flew through this book in one night. It is short but well-written and packs a powerful punch. With authenticity, humour and a storytelling cadence that is easy to fall into, this was a great read. I also loved that the author was reflective as she recounts the story, understanding things in the aftermath and sharing her brazen honesty as she recalls her (at times unreasonable) emotions and behaviours at the time. Thankfully, she made it through and had a positive result. Though I myself have not gone through the harrowing journey of infertility, I know many couples who have, and I would be happy to recommend this memoir to them, as well as to anyone else.
