Imogen in Waiting: A Memoir of Modern Reproduction

by Lindsay Bartels

When twenty-six-year-old Lindsay Bartels is diagnosed with breast cancer, she also learns she is a carrier of the BRCA1 genetic mutation. To not pass on the cancer-causing gene, Lindsay and her husband undergo IVF, only to find themselves with three viable two healthy males and one female—with BRCA1.

IMOGEN IN WAITING is the story of a mother grappling with an impossible decision—whether or not to bring a daughter just like her into being—while also asking some of life’s biggest What makes for a life worth living? How do we live with our decisions? How do we navigate the unknown? Told to her female embryo, Imogen, Lindsay’s story is both human and God-like, about both agency and surrender, capacity and limitations—and how life is always happening in the middle of it all.

267 pages, Paperback

Published June 16, 2026

Reviews

[Plowe]

The old adage, “when life throws you a lemon, make lemonade,” might work when there is just one lemon, but what if there’s a whole basket, a barrage of them heading your way, one after another, at random intervals? Lindsay Bartel’s engaging, positive, sometimes hilarious memoir, Imogen in Waiting is the story of how she has learned to cope with unpredictable, terrifying, and even outrageous challenges while continuing to stay open to and celebrate life.
Diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer as a very young woman, Lindsay describes vividly the stunningly overwhelming influx of information she has to learn to participate intelligently in her medical treatment. For example, after the biopsy, Lindsay is told she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene—at greater risk than the general population for breast cancer recurrence and a variety of other scary possible outcomes, and in the same sentence she is asked to schedule the retrieval of her eggs for freezing so that, if the cancer treatment renders her infertile, she might still have the option of having children. Oh, and if she wants to involve her serious boyfriend, with whom she has not yet discussed marriage, in fertilizing the retrieved eggs to create embryos and give the process a better chance of success, this needs to be done asap. As Lindsay points out, all of this information is true and necessary but hearing it coming at her like an express train is not as helpful as the medical professionals seem to think. She does have the eggs harvested, a commitment to her future and to the life of the family she plans and hopes to have. The challenges keep coming. One of the few viable embryos carries the BRCA1 gene.
What stands out in this memoir, in addition to the beautiful, clear warm writing, is Lindsay’s determination to be fully informed while staying positive, curious, and open. She decides that she and her family will live life to the fullest. Reading Imogen is to have a deep conversation with an open and generous friend about reproduction and risk, moral dilemmas and triumph, and about believing in realistic possibilities, no matter how many lemons come at her.

[NANCY LEE · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never had children but my husband and his ex-wife went through IVF twice. He's described the process to me, and it sounded incredibly grueling and emotional, but Bartel's experience is multiples of complexity more difficult, with the added complication of worrying about passing on a gene that could see their child facing (and passing on) the same devastating cancer the author had.

The author does a wonderful job of infusing the mundane every day decisions and challenges around relationships, marriage, career, and kids with sky-high life-and-death stakes, not to mention a family move halfway around the world that left them stranded internationally with two young boys during COVID.

Throughout it all, one surviving embryo (Imogen) waits. This is the thread that pulls the story along - will Bartel have that third child, a daughter, despite incredible set-backs and obstacles?

Bartel's gripping story lays all the messiness out there - the fear, set-back, failure - but remains hopeful, strong and determined. It was a pleasure to read and I recommend it to anyone who loves a honest, relatable, and yet high-stakes memoir.

I read an ARC of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

[Judith Hull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay Bartels was twenty-six when the breast cancer diagnosis and the BRCA1 result arrived together. To avoid passing the mutation on, she and her husband turned to IVF, and ended up with three embryos: two healthy boys, and one girl who carries the same gene Lindsay does. The girl is Imogen. The book is written to her.

That mode of address could easily have turned heavy-handed, and it doesn't. Bartels keeps it restrained, so the spiritual tug of speaking to Imogen stays alive on the page without ever being forced. The indecision is there, and so is the emotion underneath the choice, but she never lets it spill into the overwrought. And she's carrying all of it through the Pandemic, no less, which only sharpens the question of what a life is worth.

One line stayed with me: "Oxygen comes in the form of community." It lands.

I enjoyed this book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has ever had to grapple with such a difficult decision.

[Rebelle Summers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imogen in Waiting is a remarkable story of facing the great uncertainties of our lives while remaining open to allowing the mysteries and possibilities to unfold. Lindsay tenderly and personably explores how she navigated a cancer diagnosis at a very young age and later, grappled with cancer again when deciding whether to attempt to bring a child into the world who would also carry the BRCA-1 gene. In the mix there is COVID-19 to contend with and a longer than anticipated move to another continent. Through all of this, Lindsay shows us where she learned to surrender, where she found the courage to take decisive action, and where she allowed herself to lean into her ‘yes’ despite not knowing where that path would eventually lead. Can one maintain a relationship to a dream and a ‘yes’ if and when things don’t go as planned? Lindsay gently takes our hand as she walks us through all the joy, pain, and adventure it took for her to answer that for herself.

[Carol Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, Lindsay Bartels’ tender, positive, spunky voice comes through in this beautiful memoir, IMOGEN IN WAITING. She grounds her incredible story of sudden diagnosis, hard choices and poignant decisions about saving her own life in a deeply moving, yet at times laugh out loud narrative that stays with me. The author shares her experience with breast cancer, first with her discovery that she carries the BRCA1 gene, and then later, the heartbreaking decision she faces during IVF. What makes this book so compelling is how honestly she wrestles with questions that have no easy answers. Rather than offering certainty, she invites readers into the complexity of love, faith, motherhood, and the weight of choice. Writing to her unborn daughter gives the story an intimate, emotional depth that feels personal but not at all contrived which is a tribute to the author’s writing. It’s a beautiful, compassionate book about living with uncertainty and finding grace in the middle of it.

[Andrea E · Rating 5 out of 5]

A moving memoir of one woman's journey to choose motherhood on her own terms after a diagnosis of breast cancer - and the science that allows her to choose whether or not to have a daughter like herself, a survivor with the BRCA gene. The writing is beautiful and Lindsay's journey touches on so many aspects of the path to motherhood through IVF - from the genomic science, to the many unknowables throughout the fertility journey, to the differences between US and Australian medicine where she lived for years at a time. I was especially moved by her honesty, vulnerability and the spiritual component of her journey to ultimately her make the choices that felt right for herself and her family. A powerful memoir that reads like a novel - her resolve makes the reader root for her from beginning to end. I wanted to reach through the pages and hug the author after I turned the last page!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real, raw memoir examining cancer, IVF, and the life choices we're forced to make

Author Lindsay Bartels is an absolutely fantastic writer, and her ability to tell a deeply personal, emotionally-charged story authentically, with humor, grace, and thoughtful reflection, is so inspiring! A powerful memoir detailing the challenges, rollercoaster emotions, and difficult decisions Lindsay faced when diagnosed with breast cancer and then discovering she has the BRCA1 gene, this story drew me in right from the beginning. Still reeling from her cancer diagnosis, Lindsay is catapulted onto a fertility journey that forces her to face—and question—the hard decisions, the power of choice, and the constant struggle to figure out what to do when you don’t know what to do—but your life, and future, depends on knowing.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t remember the last time I read a book in less than 24 hours. Lindsay Bartels’ memoir, Imogen in Waiting, was unputdownable.
This is a gripping tale of contracting cancer too young (26 years old) and being forced to fertilise eggs too fast (with a boyfriend she’d dated for only one year). And that’s just the start of the story.
The even-tougher decision came years later: whether to bring into being an embryo which carried the same genetic risk of contracting cancer that Bartels had. Is that a fate you would impose on your unborn daughter?
Life choices infuse this book: where to live, whether to have children, do I really need boobs? Bartels navigates the difficult terrain that is modern reproduction with humour, warmth and wisdom. You will laugh with her, cry with her and feel grateful for whatever the universe decides to gift us.

[Christine Newell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had goosebumps from the very first page of this memoir, Imogen in Waiting. Lindsay Bartels has a remarkable story to share about being diagnosed with cancer at just 26, discovering she is a carrier of the BRCA1 gene, and facing difficult decisions around her fertility only a year into a new relationship.

Not only does Lindsay offer readers an insight into the complex and heart-wrenching repercussions of a cancer diagnosis at such a young age, but her memoir is also full of hope and light. I particularly enjoyed the glimpses into Lindsay’s life in San Francisco before moving to Australia, her encounters with a shaman, and her relationship with Mark. But what I loved most was the way Lindsay gently leaves you to ponder: what makes a life worth living?

This is such a beautifully crafted memoir. I can’t wait to see what Lindsay writes next.

[Susie T · Rating 5 out of 5]

So raw and honest, and beautifully written in a way that connects you instantly to her story, makes you feel every emotion, and throughout it all, ask yourself “how would I cope/what would I do, if this were me?”

While its roots lie in receiving a shock cancer diagnosis at a very young age, this is not a story of doom and gloom. It is facing head-on what life throws at you, navigating the hurdles along the way, and keeping the light fixed on where the path ahead is leading you. It resonates hope, love, and the bonds that keep us going.

I adored this book and finished it in record time (for me) … just one day.

‘Imogen in Waiting’ needs to be on every Book Club’s reading list.
Absolutely brilliant ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Miranda Huffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A memoir that reads like a novel. I could not put this down.

The author recounts her experience navigating cancer, then finding out she has the BRCA gene, the using IVF to allow her children to not have the same gene.

Her writing is beautiful and engaging.

She shares details about navigating the healthcare system that, as a physician, I found authentic, realistic, and heartbreaking.

This book is perfect for anyone exploring reproduction with a known genetic condition. Healthcare workers will benefit from considering the patient perspective explored in engaging prose.

So thankful for the opportunity to read this work.

[Dana Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imogen in Waiting delivers a warm and relatable story, even if you haven’t experienced the challenges of breast cancer as a young woman or the psychological and physiological rollercoaster of IVF or the moral dilemma of reproducing as a carrier of a BRCA1 genetic mutation. If you are a mother, you will relate to this memoir in which a woman wrestles with issues of identity, reproduction, family dynamics, and parenting. It is refreshing to encounter a story that so clearly depicts how a woman’s body changes and how closely those changes are linked to personal growth. The prose is straightforward; the structure of the narrative is profound.

[Anna Woods · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is impressive about this memoir (aside from subject matter), is the way the author uses narrative device to amplify the story. Following a diagnosis of breast cancer and discovering she carries the BRAC1 gene, Lindsay undergoes IVF to protect her fertility. When the embryos are tested, two are healthy males, and one is a female carrying the gene. The memoir is addressed to this embryo, who she names Imogen. Lindsay tells Imogen the story of her conception, while grappling with whether or not to bring her into the world. This clever structure invests the reader deep into the story, making the ending even more powerful.

[Connie Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imogen in Waiting is a beautiful memoir about the author's cancer diagnosis, her IVF journey, and discovery that one of her embryos is female with the BRCA1 gene, just like the author. At its heart, this is a story about the choices we make, and how we make those difficult choices while finding the joy through it all. As many others have noted, this memoir reads more like a novel. Bartels' memoir is captivating, raw, and thought-provoking; filled with humorous moments and hopeful ones, too. Highly recommend!

[Amelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful memoir about the author’s journey navigating several phases of life with the added challenge of having the BRCA1 gene. I found Lindsay’s story to be moving, particularly because of the way she told it and her direct address of Imogen throughout. It felt relatable and accessible from the very beginning, and Lindsay’s voice combined the candor and vulnerability of what felt like a close friend confiding in me with gorgeous prose. I highly recommend this memoir.

[Kelly M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an emotional and beautifully written memoir of one woman's journey through BRCA 1 cancer at a young age through fertility challenges and choices. I learned about some of the intricacies of reproductive choices and the difficult decisions that accompany them. I was rooting for Lindsay and her family throughout.

[Tanya Murray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't generally like memoirs, but this one hooked me and kept me going and I'm grateful I read it and it was written. It's is a gorgeous telling of one woman's difficult journey and deep thoughts navigating hard choices and what it all means. It begs you to think hard about life and what it all means. It was a worthy read and I'm so glad I took a chance on it.

[Betsy O'brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put it down! This is a brave and heartwarming story about the life that we are given and what we make it. A must read for anyone who has faced difficult choices and is looking for insight from someone who has made it through to the other side.

[Aidan Prewett · Rating 5 out of 5]

So powerful. If you ever want some reassurance that people can overcome enormous obstacles, read this book!

[Layla Kajer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and thoughtful account of her journey. I was quickly transported into her world - the doctors, the appointments, the big decisions.

[Jodi Baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lindsay’s story is so raw and beautiful. Her bravery in sharing with the world as well as her outlook is inspiring. You feel like you’re living her journey right there with her.

[Shannon Kirkpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! You laugh, you cry, you smile. I love the perspective of her telling her story to her frozen embryo.