Member Reviews
Big-hearted but tired Kyle.
Patient but desperate Nicole.
The main characters are obviously human and flawed. The book faces reality. It is honest, vulnerable; sometimes painful, sometimes joyful. Just like real life is and that is something I love to see when I read a book. Kyle and Nicole the main characters struggle in their marriage when they are unable to have children naturally and the strain of unsuccessful IVF operations finally get to them.
They look back and see that they have lost the true meaning of their marriage: love and respect, in the quest for a child. How do the resolve the messes they’ve created and save their marriage?. Well, the story ended very happily which is something I kind of saw coming and did not like. I prefer when a book is more unpredictable and this one was not. I could predict what was going to happen before it did. However I do like happy endings!.
Kudos to the writer for her awesome character development and writing style. I would definitely read a book by her again and I would recommend this book to anybody as it holds some invaluable life lessons!.
This was like a filler book for me. A random read in the middle of all these actual books I'm reading .A fast and quick read about a couple who have been trying to have kids for a long time. She is still hoping for a miracle while he's given up. There was never a slump in this book, i kinda couldn't stop reading it.Even though I do not agree with the ending , I can't deny that it's a well written book.
Loved the drama filled book.
Thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free it had no bearing on the rating gave it.
This was my first read by this author, it won't be my last. Her character development was well crafted; you'll like some and dislike others. As the story unfolds, a few will even change your mind about them. The story covers so many issues, at the onset we find our main characters living through the trials and tribulations of IVF, the disappointment when it doesn't work, the cost both financially and personal. While the main premise is IVF, the author included several subtexts that enrich and complete the story line. I enjoyed reading this one, although at times predictable, overall, well done storyline about an often-difficult journey. As Always, Many Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for their generous gift of an advanced copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review.
I enjoyed this story!
Everyone surely must know of someone who is or has undergone IVF, both with and sadly without success. The emotions are always running high as each procedure and al the medications are on a rigid time schedule.
The couple in this novel are facing all the emotions of wanting a child and then the enormous cost of it all .
When is it enough or is it ever?
This author did a wonderful job of also putting family drama in the mix between the pages and it was really well done and definitely a terrific story!
I will be looking into other books by Diane Barnes!
Thank you to @NetGalley and @Lake Union Publishing for this Arc and allowing me to read and provide my own review.
All We Could Still Have
A Novel
by Diane Barnes
I liked the book. But, to me, it seemed just too much of the same going on. I can say there were mistakes on both sides of this marriage I guess this would be a good Hallmark movie, but didn't work for me.
I loved reading this. The plot twisters had me staying up all night. This was an amazing story would read again. I would have to say it was kind of slow some point after the middle but other wise this story is amazing.
Three failed IVF attempts and a wife, Nicole, who wants to do one more round so desperately that she takes money out of her 401(K) account, making her husband, Kyle, so angry, that he moves out.
This family drama with a couple of unexpected twists is an engaging story that ultimately fell flat for me. I found the characters formulaic and not well-developed and the story kind of trite. As a quick read, it was worth it, but great writing and storytelling are not to be found in this book.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
All We Could Still Have by Diane Barnes. I thank my lucky stars I did not have fertility problems. Story was well written about fertility problems of the characters along with the feelings they have when dealing with them.
Definitely one engaging and entertaining read. It had me fully immersed into since the very beginning. I simply loved it.
Thanks so much NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advance read in exchange for this review.
Nikki and Kyle have been trying to have a baby, and they've had 3 unsuccessful IVF attempts. It's put stress on their marriage and bank accounts. Nikki wants to keep going, and Kyle does not want to anymore. They both betrayal each other's trust and the growing resentment towards each other is growing. They both need to reassess, see if they can pick up the pieces, and go on a new path.
Well, this wasn't an easy book to read and digest. There are a lot of really hard moments and it was difficult to sit there and hold the grief of both Nikki and Kyle as they tried to deal with how their family was not going to be what they thought it would be. Forgiveness is another big theme of this book, and I think this story would have also worked if the ending had been the opposite. There are some smaller storylines in the book that I liked, and I really wished that there was more about them (I wanted more with Uncle Hank!). I have not heard of the author before, but I will be checking out her other books!