Life, Almost: Miscarriage, misconceptions and a search for answers from the brink of motherhood

by Jennie Agg

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published May 6, 2025

Reviews

[Daniella Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ordered Life, Almost during a bout of insomnia a couple of days after finding out I was pregnant for the third time. But I was so anxious I only actually read the book after that too ended in loss, and I entered a new category of unfortunate in pregnancy loss statistics. (Although those pregnancy loss statistics are partial guesswork due to the lack of official record keeping on miscarriage, something Jennie questions within this book).
Jennie is brilliant at capturing the mental gymnastics and exhaustion of early pregnancy after loss - the planning for two scenarios, the inability to feel true excitement, assessing every symptom and twinge to try and determine if things might be different this time. It's possibly because she's used to this juggling act that she manages to deftly balance the two threads of this book, conducting an investigation into miscarriage and its treatment (or lack thereof) while following her fifth pregnancy as she hits the uncharted territories of the second trimester and beyond. While the book will particularly resonate for those who've experienced recurrent pregnancy loss, I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what it's like to navigate miscarriage and pregnancy loss, particularly in the UK.

[Jade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whilst I’m in the midst of navigating recurrent miscarriage myself, I wish I didn’t relate to this book as much as I did but I’m so glad to have read it. Jennie communicates the overwhelming impact of miscarriage and pregnancy after loss so well. She also sheds necessary light on the many ways in which women’s health can be misunderstood, underrepresented and failed. I would recommend this book to anyone looking to better understand a topic that is so often overlooked and treated as taboo.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m so glad I finally read this. Jennie Agg’s substack Life Almost is one of my favorites, so I knew I wanted to read her book. I found so much of this so relatable and informative because I have also had recurrent miscarriages and dealt with the anxiety of finally getting pregnant with my daughter 3.5 years after my first miscarriage but being constantly terrified something would go wrong. I was interested to find out more about how healthcare works in the UK since it’s very different from how I have received care here in the US.