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34 Weeks
Labor & Delivery nurse Lainey Vale is well aware unplanned pregnancies happen all the time. But they never happen to women who don’t have sex, so how is she going to explain a growing baby bump to her coworkers and best friend Gina without also telling them the truth? It’s her trauma to process however she wants, and what she wants is to keep it a secret — one that will be discovered very soon, unless she manages to conjure a baby daddy out of nowhere.
When she meets Dr. Jace Sommer and he presents an unexpected solution to her problem, Lainey is thrilled. While she’s pregnant, they will tell their friends and coworkers that her baby is his. Then, once the baby is born and adopted, Jace and Lainey will go their separate ways.
Easy. Simple. Efficient.
Jace’s reasons for helping her make sense, but Lainey suspects he hasn’t been completely honest with her. She just doesn’t care, because now she won’t have to reveal her secret the moment her friends discover she’s pregnant. Or ever.
As long as she and Jace perfect the practice of lying.
When she meets Dr. Jace Sommer and he presents an unexpected solution to her problem, Lainey is thrilled. While she’s pregnant, they will tell their friends and coworkers that her baby is his. Then, once the baby is born and adopted, Jace and Lainey will go their separate ways.
Easy. Simple. Efficient.
Jace’s reasons for helping her make sense, but Lainey suspects he hasn’t been completely honest with her. She just doesn’t care, because now she won’t have to reveal her secret the moment her friends discover she’s pregnant. Or ever.
As long as she and Jace perfect the practice of lying.
326 pages, Paperback
Published July 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 23, 2026
Okay so I did enjoy this, I finished it in a few days, which is always a good sign! I, like anyone, appreciate a hot surgeon. Now I must say as someone not in that line of work, the medical jargon did go over my head. Some of the storylines in the book were a bit intense and I get that everyone’s life is complicated and things can’t always be happy, BUT it did feel like a bit much at times. I also wish we saw a bit more of their relationship progressing, it felt like she was avoiding him a lot and then all of the sudden they were in love. But that being said, I did like their banter and dialogue! Jace was super sweet and dare I say it was hot how he would take care of her. A cute read and I look forward to seeing more from this author!
September 6, 2026
Loved this debut novel from Krista Rust. Excellent character development, an intriguing story line with great plot twists. Found myself often thinking about the characters and what would come next. Would definitely recommend!
August 31, 2026
I’d give it 3 1/2 stars.
August 20, 2026
I loved this one.
As a labor nurse, pregnancy/birth books can be a little dangerous for me because once the medical inaccuracies start, I can't unsee them. But 34 Weeks did such a good job with the pregnancy and delivery aspects of the story, and I really appreciated getting to read one that didn't have me internally correcting things the entire time.
I related to Lainey SO much as both a labor nurse and a fellow night shifter. The weird sleep schedule, the relationships you build with your coworkers when you're surviving the middle of the night together, the way work bleeds into the rest of your life. It all felt incredibly familiar. There were so many little moments where I was just like Yep! That's nights on the labor unit! It was clear that the author has firsthand experience dealing with the chaotic nights as a labor nurse.
I also LOVED the friendships in this book, especially the relationships between the nurses. There was something so familiar and genuine about the way those friendships were written that made me love them almost as much as the romance.
But I think what impressed me most was the way this book handled trauma. I feel like romance novels sometimes fall into the trap of giving a traumatized FMC a good man and suddenly everything she's been through is basically fixed because he would never hurt her like that. This book didn't do that. Her trauma continued to affect the way she thought, reacted, and coped even when she was safe and loved, and I thought it was handled really well.
The romance itself was incredibly sweet. There were a few points where I thought the relationship progressed a little quickly, but never enough that it actually pulled me out of the story. I still flew through the book and was completely invested in them.
And HUGE bonus points for being a well-written adult romance that is fade-to-black. Those are getting surprisingly difficult to find, and I loved being able to enjoy the romance without explicit scenes.
Sweet, compelling, medically accurate pregnancy and birth, great friendships, thoughtful handling of trauma, and a romance I could root for.
Easy 5 stars. ❤️
As a labor nurse, pregnancy/birth books can be a little dangerous for me because once the medical inaccuracies start, I can't unsee them. But 34 Weeks did such a good job with the pregnancy and delivery aspects of the story, and I really appreciated getting to read one that didn't have me internally correcting things the entire time.
I related to Lainey SO much as both a labor nurse and a fellow night shifter. The weird sleep schedule, the relationships you build with your coworkers when you're surviving the middle of the night together, the way work bleeds into the rest of your life. It all felt incredibly familiar. There were so many little moments where I was just like Yep! That's nights on the labor unit! It was clear that the author has firsthand experience dealing with the chaotic nights as a labor nurse.
I also LOVED the friendships in this book, especially the relationships between the nurses. There was something so familiar and genuine about the way those friendships were written that made me love them almost as much as the romance.
But I think what impressed me most was the way this book handled trauma. I feel like romance novels sometimes fall into the trap of giving a traumatized FMC a good man and suddenly everything she's been through is basically fixed because he would never hurt her like that. This book didn't do that. Her trauma continued to affect the way she thought, reacted, and coped even when she was safe and loved, and I thought it was handled really well.
The romance itself was incredibly sweet. There were a few points where I thought the relationship progressed a little quickly, but never enough that it actually pulled me out of the story. I still flew through the book and was completely invested in them.
And HUGE bonus points for being a well-written adult romance that is fade-to-black. Those are getting surprisingly difficult to find, and I loved being able to enjoy the romance without explicit scenes.
Sweet, compelling, medically accurate pregnancy and birth, great friendships, thoughtful handling of trauma, and a romance I could root for.
Easy 5 stars. ❤️
July 31, 2026
Fake dating? ✔️
Nurse × surgeon? ✔️
Ridiculous chemistry? ✔️
This was such a fun romance and easy read. Watching their pretend relationship slowly become something real had me smiling the entire time. Cute, flirty, and impossible not to root for!
(Trigger warning 🍇 mentioned but not shown)
Nurse × surgeon? ✔️
Ridiculous chemistry? ✔️
This was such a fun romance and easy read. Watching their pretend relationship slowly become something real had me smiling the entire time. Cute, flirty, and impossible not to root for!
(Trigger warning 🍇 mentioned but not shown)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2026
An absolutely stellar debut novel. As a L&D nurse, mom, and lover of romance novels-this was just perfect. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. I'm desperately hoping she'll continue in this world and maybe do a sequel for more Lainey and Jace or even Gina's story and sneak some L&J in there!
October 15, 2026
Romance isn't typically my favorite genre to read, but I really enjoyed this one. The banter between the main protagonist was fun and witty. This book helped me get out of my reading slump. A great debut album!
September 13, 2026
Cute concept but actually what is this plot
October 14, 2026
ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! The writing was fantastic, the author knows how to pull the reader in through all points of the story. Loved the L&D accuracy, as it’s written by a fellow L&D nurse ❤️
August 12, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️/5: not to be pretentious, but unless you’re a nurse there’s a ton of trigger warnings that cannot be avoided. Loved all the medical references and with L&D being my specialty. the details in this were 🤌🤌. Can’t wait to see how this author grows
August 14, 2026
This is an excellent debut novel! I laughed, I cried, I wanted more. I loved all the characters I hope we get more follow up on them.
I have experience working in the hospital and I thought the way the emergency situations were written was one of the best depictions I have read. The emotions it evoked really transported me into the moment.
I have experience working in the hospital and I thought the way the emergency situations were written was one of the best depictions I have read. The emotions it evoked really transported me into the moment.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews