I could not finish this title. As a childfree person myself, I was intrigued by the idea of a set of essays around someone who was childfree by choice. I only made it a couple of essays in and just did not find much relatable beyond the fact that both of us made the same significant decisions in our lives. I felt like the author was trying to convince themselves or defend their personal position more than validating the general idea of not needing to have children to live a fulfilled life. The author focuses on slights from unnamed one-dimensional women who had chosen to be mothers and how they treated her terribly. Kind of felt like a grievance essay. Was not for me.

I was very intrigued by the premise of this memoir, but it fell flat. I love the concept of real life experiences from a woman who is determined and and content in her (and her partner's) decision to not have kids, and the years of discussions, arguments, and reasoning behind it. Schwartz was honest and insightful, and her perspective was interesting now that she's 'past her baby bringing days.' I also appreciated that this wasn't a one and done decision; Schwartz felt the pull of a childless life but still spent years debating, exploring her childless partnership and marriage, and, of course, hearing people's opinions.

While the narrator brought incredible statistics, personal anecdotes, and a variety of thoughtful arguments to the table, I personally found these negated by selfishness (ironically, the subject of a whole chapter argued that she's not) and a superior attitude. I sympathized with her as she described absolutely unacceptable interactions and judgements from total strangers, but throughout the novel, she rambled about how she doesn’t need to justify her life choices to anyone... and yet spent the entire book repeatedly justifying them. This is a book that I could normally read in a day, yet it took almost a week because the writing was just so long-winded and repetitive. I understand that a memoir is a first person account, but there are ways to write a story that are not so self-centered.

While this book had its pitfalls, I do want to commend Schwartz's research and exploration of the topic. 2.5 stars rounded up.

Being childless by choice, I felt this book was a perfect read for someone who has made a similar choice to the author.

I found the format of having the chapters based on different questions/topics that childless people usually get questioned about (and not always nicely) really well done and easy to read. Including details and actual conversations the author has had with people, whether colleagues, strangers at a party or an airport, they were all so relatable and I appreciated her honesty with these, including her responses no matter if they were calm or less so, keeping it real was very much appreciated.

I also loved the facts and statistics included and was glad that there was no overload of science or information. Reading about Danielle's family, childhood, marriage etc was great to read also and definitely helped make the book a more relatable and enjoyable memoir, instead of a nonfiction (possibly self-help?) style book.

I've already recommended this to others in a similar boat and will continue to recommend it!

Milk Drunk by Danielle Schwartz is a candid and insightful memoir about choosing a child-free life in a world where traditional family expectations dominate. Through personal anecdotes and conversations with family, friends, and even strangers, Schwartz unpacks the societal pressures and often intrusive opinions she faces for not having children. With humor and honesty, she navigates the complexities of her decision, offering both validation for those who share her choice and education for those who don’t understand it. This book is a refreshing, thought-provoking read for anyone questioning societal norms or struggling to accept unconventional paths to fulfillment.

This book could have been written just for me, as I am also childless by choice. Danielle did an excellent job of explaining the various experiences she had as a childless women. Just like Danielle I didn't hate children and enjoyed my teaching career but didn't have the wishes to become a mother.
It's a shame that in this day and age that there are still women who feel the need to shame others for their differing lifestyle,. This was a very interesting book for me.

Have you ever found yourself reading a book so bad that you continue reading it, because you are fascinated that a book this bad has been published? This is one of those books!

I too am happily child-free, so I was quite disappointed that this barely 150-page book reads like a transcript of an insecure person’s long-winded podcast about how she’s super-duper awesome.

Schwartz has all the insufferable energy of a TikTok influencer, with her “believe in yourself!” and “don’t worry about what other people think!” platitudes, while very much caring what other people think. But aside from the cringey, clichéd, and rambling writing, what’s inescapable is that Schwartz truly believes that she doesn’t need to justify or explain her life choices to anyone…yet spends the entire book repeatedly justifying them. She seems compelled to engage with and justify herself to numerous (obviously fictional) people who rudely interrogate her life choices in clunky dialogue, when a simple “sorry, that’s personal” response will suffice. Worst of all, she drags out the child-free woman’s trope of “of COURSE I love children!” because she doesn’t seem self-aware enough to realize that if she truly does not care about others’ judgement of her child-free status, then her reasons for not having children are irrelevant.

"Give this one a miss" is the understatement of the week.

This book was an extremely refreshing read coming out of the holiday season where “so when are you having kids!” was the main topic in conversation. My partner and I are childfree by choice and I have felt very firm in that decision since a young age. My options about it have only grown stronger with age. This book affirmed my decisions and it was nice seeing the perspective of the author a few years older than me, showing me that life can be wonderful without having your own children! the book also emphasizes how we can be the village for parents, which I am totally on board with. 4.5/5 stars, recommend to anyone to read, even if you have kids. It can teach a different perspective.

I am so glad this subject is now widely discussed in our culture. So important to hear from women who have decided to be childfree by choice--their voices have been missing from conversation for far too long.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the baby carriage...or not.

Synopsis: What happens if someone decides to skip the 'baby' part? Danielle Schwartz details her fulfilling and child-free life with her husband, while facing constant critiscism about her family decision. Milk Drunk explores a slew of opinions surrounding the sensitive and personal topic of remaining child-free and provides insight for those that either need support in a similar decision or do not understand why someone would turn down the choice of parenthood.

Thoughts: As a mother of 2 young boys, I truly feel that parenthood is essential, it's an important part in the cycle of life. Becoming a mother tests all your limits, pushes your selflessness, and opens your eyes to a way of life you haven't experienced before having kids. But, its so so hard. Everyday is hard - it's the most unnatural, natural thing in life. While everyone struggles and MANYYY people have kids,
I still found myself questioning 'did I have kids because it was what was expected of me?'

It was interesting to see things from a woman so sure and content in her (and her husbands) decision to not have kids. More than that, I enjoyed hearing from someone in her 40's 'past her baby bringing days' because she faced years of making this decision, years of hearing people's opinions, and years of exploring her marriage without the element of kids.

I enjoy reading memoirs because I love hearing different opinions, and seeing different perspectives so I enjoyed this.

Quotes I loved:
- "Being woman is hard enough, and adding motherhood is another layer of complexity."
- Judgements do not define the person being judged; rather they define the person who's judging."

Honestly sat up till 3am reading this in one sitting. As a women going through infertility and having all these questions thrown your way, this book was just what I needed. I know the aurthor has her reasons and it may be a different situation than mine but it was so refreshing to see it through another womens eyes and the emotions that come with them. Just because we all have our own sides, options and reasons these questions that people throw at us still have power and by reading this book it kind of made me feel like I can no longer let them have power of me. Not sure if that's the right way to put it but such an interesting read if your going through a similar situation. It kind of made me feel less isolated and alone and that I'm not going mad, you do get awkward silence when you mention you have no kids, you are made to feel a certain way if at a child's birthday party and haven't got a child. Not everyone will understand this book but people going through this will take away what they need from it for sure.

4.5 stars rounded up. I really enjoyed this book by Danielle Schwartz, it read like a memoir but dove into many different perspectives about being child-free in a well-rounded way. I'm very different from Schwartz but also child-free, and I felt very seen by this book and resonated with many of her experiences. This is something I'd recommend to anyone who is child-free and anyone interested in understanding more about someone who has decided to be child-free.

Milk Drunk, aptly subtitled What to Expect When You're Not Expecting, tells of Danielle Schwartz’ experiences as a childless woman in a world of mothers. Of course not all women are mothers but Schwartz finds that her and her husband’s decision not to have children is often a source for discussion. She is called selfish, materialistic, egotistical, self-centered and even an alcoholic. She choses not to engage in discussion with these women who seem intrusive, to say the least. Instead, she practices restraint, travels with her husband and enjoys life. Although this well-written memoir feels at times argumentative, that is explained by the harsh comments Schwartz has heard. Her reasoning is strong, presented well and makes sense. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Indigo River Publishing and Danielle Schwartz for this ARC.

I do not read a ton of Memoirs, but this book was so interesting to me! I loved the authors words and felt I even related to a lot in it. Thanks NetGalley and Indigo River Publishing