The Antenatal Group by Amy Bratley

Blurb

When Mel’s boyfriend dumps her weeks before she is due to give birth, she’s not just coping with heartbreak – she’s also facing parenthood alone. What does she know about bringing up a baby solo? And who’s going to be there for her if it all goes wrong? Newly single Mel is terrified when she walks through the door of her first antenatal class. Meeting all the other mums-to-be, she’s convinced she’s the only one who doesn’t know what she’s doing. But as she gets to know the other parents in the group, she realises she’s not the only one with a not-so-perfect life and a non-existent birth plan. As the weeks pass, and the group share their fears about babies, breastfeeding and birthing pools, Mel begins to believe that maybe she can make it as a single mother. But just when she thinks she’s got a handle on her life, her ex-boyfriend comes back begging for forgiveness. Leaning on the support of her new friends, and as the due date looms, Mel has a big decision to make. Will she choose to forgive her ex and or can she find the courage to go it alone?

Review

I could so relate to the women in this story. All of them! At some point I must have felt every emotion these characters went through, apart from Mel.with her boyfriend and Erin. Erin's story was so sad it made me cry.

I think this novel should be compulsory reading for those people who believe their lives will go on exactly as they did before having a baby. IT WON'T and this book tells it how it is, piles and all.

A brilliant story which every mum will relate to.

About the Author

Amy Bratley is the author of The Girls' Guide To Homemaking (2011) and The Saturday Supper Club (May 2012) and The Antenatal Group (2013). Amy was born in 1974, grew up in Northamptonshire, went to college in Nottingham, then moved to London and worked for magazines and newspapers as a writer. After meeting her husband and having two children, she recently moved to Bournemouth. Her first book, Girls' Guide To Homemaking was a bestseller in Italy and she won the Baccante Prize 2012. For more information and to read her blog go to www.amybratley.co.uk