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Meternity
The novel your book club must discuss!Meghann Foye was interviewed on The TODAY Show and The View regarding her new book Meternity."A fresh, contemporary take on love and work, marriage and motherhood, Meternity is guaranteed to surprise and delight!" —Emily Giffin, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Something Borrowed and First Comes LoveLike everyone in New York media, editor Liz Buckley runs on cupcakes, caffeine and cocktails. But at thirty-one, she's plateaued at Paddy Cakes, a glossy baby magazine that flogs thousand-dollar strollers to entitled, hypercompetitive spawn-havers.Liz has spent years working a gazillion hours a week picking up the slack for coworkers with kids, and she's tired of it. So one day when her stress-related nausea is mistaken for morning sickness by her bosses—boom! Liz is promoted to the mommy track. She decides to run with it and plans to use her paid time off to figure out her work, love and otherwise. It'll be her "meternity" leave.By day, Liz rocks a foam-rubber belly under fab maternity outfits. By night, she dumps the bump for karaoke nights and boozy dinners out. But how long can she keep up her charade…and hide it from the guy who might just be The One?As her "due date" approaches, Liz is exhausted—and exhilarated—by the ruse, the guilt and the feelings brought on by a totally fictional belly-tenant…about happiness, success, family and the nature of love.
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 26, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews
May 3, 2016
Don't expect to enjoy this book if you're a mother or a woman struggling to get pregnant. This book reflects Meghann Foye's real-life beliefs about motherhood and maternity. She genuinely believes that all women should get maternity leave if women who've recently given birth get to take it and she's under the delusion that this is several months of paid time off instead of time that is only paid as long as the new mother's remaining vacation time (some of which where likely used for those OB/GYN appointments "Liz" didn't go to). She's under the bad-drug-induced belief that maternity time is luxury time to reflect and relax, and that workplaces are just racing to give parents raises and promotions when the opposite is true, and parents are instead likely to be passed over for promotions and raises, if they're not fired altogether for reasons such as not being available enough. Like an absolute freaking idiot, she actually thinks that having a baby makes your schedule more flexible!! She seriously believes this stuff, and because of it, thinks that she should get several months of paid time off every few years.
And so she created a character who lives in the world as she stupidly believes it to be for parents, and has her fake a pregnancy to get those sweet, sweet perks that only parents get, like more flexible scheduling, somehow more paid time off, and so on. "Liz" accepts monetary perks and gifts people gave only because they believed her scam. In real life, not only would she be fired when her fraud is revealed, she'd be arrested. In the book, or course it all works out the way she ultimately wants it, instead of getting jail time and an order to pay restitution. I'm not kidding. She committed a crime, and yet Foye's fans think that that criminal is such an awesome person.
As a parent myself, with a 6-year-old, I'm still waiting for me-time instead of dealing with a kid standing outside the door while I pee. I'm still waiting for my life to become just so wonderfully flexible. I'm waiting for promotions and raises. Oh, wait, I lost my job.... In the real world, parenting is work. You leave work earlier than some others, and you not only miss the work that comes with raises, you go home to work more on parenting the children who'll be future tax-payers who will fund people like Meghann Foye. Foye needs to thank us parents for paying to raise the people who will support her while she selfishly sits there thinking we're the ones having it easy.
This is a book that really shouldn't have been published. It's a disgusting fantasy by someone who is a real-life sexist (apparently men don't need downtime) and an idiot who thinks she knows all there is about parenting when she doesn't.
Just to close, Foye actually thinks that leaving work early to go get drunk with a friend who was stood up on OkCupid is as valid of a reason to leave work (and of course get paid) as a parent who leaves to pick up a sick kid (which will only be paid if the parent has vacation or sick time left). She doesn't see the difference between a child legally under the care of parents, and an adult lush who wants to get drunk in the afternoon on a work day.
And so she created a character who lives in the world as she stupidly believes it to be for parents, and has her fake a pregnancy to get those sweet, sweet perks that only parents get, like more flexible scheduling, somehow more paid time off, and so on. "Liz" accepts monetary perks and gifts people gave only because they believed her scam. In real life, not only would she be fired when her fraud is revealed, she'd be arrested. In the book, or course it all works out the way she ultimately wants it, instead of getting jail time and an order to pay restitution. I'm not kidding. She committed a crime, and yet Foye's fans think that that criminal is such an awesome person.
As a parent myself, with a 6-year-old, I'm still waiting for me-time instead of dealing with a kid standing outside the door while I pee. I'm still waiting for my life to become just so wonderfully flexible. I'm waiting for promotions and raises. Oh, wait, I lost my job.... In the real world, parenting is work. You leave work earlier than some others, and you not only miss the work that comes with raises, you go home to work more on parenting the children who'll be future tax-payers who will fund people like Meghann Foye. Foye needs to thank us parents for paying to raise the people who will support her while she selfishly sits there thinking we're the ones having it easy.
This is a book that really shouldn't have been published. It's a disgusting fantasy by someone who is a real-life sexist (apparently men don't need downtime) and an idiot who thinks she knows all there is about parenting when she doesn't.
Just to close, Foye actually thinks that leaving work early to go get drunk with a friend who was stood up on OkCupid is as valid of a reason to leave work (and of course get paid) as a parent who leaves to pick up a sick kid (which will only be paid if the parent has vacation or sick time left). She doesn't see the difference between a child legally under the care of parents, and an adult lush who wants to get drunk in the afternoon on a work day.
April 25, 2016
On paper, the premise of this book is perfect for me. I'm a childfree person (by choice, if that's not obvious), and I've seen firsthand a certain attitude about women without children that really makes me mad. I want to be clear that I don't hold any grudge against moms - working or otherwise. I think that benefits like maternity leave and flex scheduling are woefully inadequate for working moms, and the situation is even worse for fathers or parents who are adopting. I recognize the challenges that come with being a parent, and I respect the sacrifices that good parents make for their kids.
However. I've also seen this insidious attitude that people without kids have less of a legitimate claim to free time and/or time off. If it comes down to a woman with a kid who needs to leave work unexpectedly and a woman without a kid who's scheduled an early day, I guarantee you that 9 times out of 10 the woman without the kid will be asked to change her plans and cover for the woman with the kid. Because somehow the childfree person doesn't have as legitimate a claim to time off - after all, how important could my afternoon off really be? It's not like I have a sick kid depending on me. So I should cancel my plans in favor of the person who has procreated. Never mind that I purposely left that part of my life blank so I could do things like leave work early and have a lazy afternoon. My choice to have that lifestyle is less valid than the choice to have children. And that infuriates me.
Since this book is about a woman who fakes a pregnancy so that she can reduce some of that secondary workload and benefit from the flexible schedule, it should be right up my alley. In reality, though, it was super stressful. The idea of signing FMLA paperwork for a false pregnancy sent my stress levels through the roof. And the constant deception wasn't fun for my anxiety either. In addition to that, I had difficulty connecting with Liz. She felt aimless and negative through most of the book. I forgot that I'm not the kind of person who can sit back and watch someone create a trainwreck out of their life while I eat popcorn. This is why I couldn't enjoy the shopaholic books, and it impacted my enjoyment here.
Not a negative review, but I have to admit that I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to.
However. I've also seen this insidious attitude that people without kids have less of a legitimate claim to free time and/or time off. If it comes down to a woman with a kid who needs to leave work unexpectedly and a woman without a kid who's scheduled an early day, I guarantee you that 9 times out of 10 the woman without the kid will be asked to change her plans and cover for the woman with the kid. Because somehow the childfree person doesn't have as legitimate a claim to time off - after all, how important could my afternoon off really be? It's not like I have a sick kid depending on me. So I should cancel my plans in favor of the person who has procreated. Never mind that I purposely left that part of my life blank so I could do things like leave work early and have a lazy afternoon. My choice to have that lifestyle is less valid than the choice to have children. And that infuriates me.
Since this book is about a woman who fakes a pregnancy so that she can reduce some of that secondary workload and benefit from the flexible schedule, it should be right up my alley. In reality, though, it was super stressful. The idea of signing FMLA paperwork for a false pregnancy sent my stress levels through the roof. And the constant deception wasn't fun for my anxiety either. In addition to that, I had difficulty connecting with Liz. She felt aimless and negative through most of the book. I forgot that I'm not the kind of person who can sit back and watch someone create a trainwreck out of their life while I eat popcorn. This is why I couldn't enjoy the shopaholic books, and it impacted my enjoyment here.
Not a negative review, but I have to admit that I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped to.
May 14, 2016
I can't. I really can't with this book. It's so problematic and offensive. What this book is basically saying is pregnant women and women who are mom's get a lot of leeway and that's just NOT the case. Being a mom is not a cakewalk. We don't get special privileges and it makes a lot of things so difficult. I should know I'm a mom of two with the youngest being disabled. There's no slack to be had and maternity leave in itself is shitty. 6 weeks that's the max they give most people. AVOID THIS GARBAGE AT ALL COSTS.
![Profile Image for [Name Redacted].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1347082397i%2F287915._UY200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
May 13, 2016
A badly-written book apparently written by a very selfish, very entitled, blissfully oblivious narcissist.
Honestly I can't tell whether her claim that this is a fictionalized version of a scenario she herself nearly tried, or her claim that all pregnant women are just lounging around taking maternity leave as way to meditate and travel on a journey of "self-reflection," are real reflections of what was going on in her mind...or rather part of a hype campaign for her first novel, a campaign far more clever and well-plotted than either the book or the premise.
For reference: http://nypost.com/2016/04/28/i-want-a...
Read that and you won't even have to read the book. The article is better written, in all honesty.
Honestly I can't tell whether her claim that this is a fictionalized version of a scenario she herself nearly tried, or her claim that all pregnant women are just lounging around taking maternity leave as way to meditate and travel on a journey of "self-reflection," are real reflections of what was going on in her mind...or rather part of a hype campaign for her first novel, a campaign far more clever and well-plotted than either the book or the premise.
For reference: http://nypost.com/2016/04/28/i-want-a...
Read that and you won't even have to read the book. The article is better written, in all honesty.
Read
April 29, 2016A thousand million times no.
http://nypost.com/2016/04/28/i-want-a...
http://www.scarymommy.com/meghann-foy...
http://nypost.com/2016/04/28/i-want-a...
http://www.scarymommy.com/meghann-foy...
May 7, 2016
This is a joke right? You seriously think Moms are 'discovering themselves' during maternity leave? You think there's actual ME time during this leave? I assure you that it's not, maybe spend a few postpartum weeks with new moms and go through everything they go through and keep the schedules they keep, especially those that have more than the one child. Then tell me about the me time involved.
March 8, 2016
I thought this was going to be some silly, funny book, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it - this being some prime vacation reading time at the moment - but I really liked the description and thought a light humorous read might be beneficial. This book turned out to be much deeper and meaningful than I expected. This book has be doing a lot of thinking about life and choices and things women have to go through in the workplace.
The main character was so real. As someone who has chosen to not have children, I could relate to her very well. Granted, I've never even considered faking a pregnancy, but I admit to feeling some jealousy - or rather a lot of jealousy - over people taking maternity leave. Yes, I know, I'm so selfish and horrible, babies are so important - whatever. I kind of think a few months to work on my writing or painting or traveling through Europe is also important, but I can't exactly ask for a few months off to do that, knowing that when I'm done I'll have a job waiting for me. And as a person with no children, I'm so very tired and smiling and saying, "sure, no problem", every time I have to take over someone else's responsibilities because they can't do it due to child related reasons. So, you see, this book resonated with me because the character in this story is having to deal with all of that. This book examines the idea that women are considered insignificant, unless they have a husband and/or a child.
In the beginning of the story, Liz Buckley, who works at a parenting magazine in New York City, is attending yet another work-related baby shower. She's stressed at work, overwhelmed with responsibilities and upset because she realizes she's going to miss her trip to Paris. Her emotional stress manifests physically, and around this time, a co-worker notices a pregnancy app on her phone. They assume her illness is related to pregnancy, "Not you, too?" they ask, and she doesn't deny it. In that moment, she thinks, maybe it is her turn.
Her not so very well thought out plan is to use maternity leave to find some travel related free lance writing work and then quit her job. But her plan doesn't work out quite as neatly as she hopes.
For the next six months, she's wearing fake bumps to work, while also finding that her new "condition" has people treating her different. People are being nicer, there's talk of a potential raise and title change - what she's been wanting for years, and being constantly overlooked. She can take off mornings for doctors appointments and spend the day working from home. And she begins re-evaluating decisions made in her social life. She's surrounded by people in search of "potential husbands" and she knows a lot of people who are settling for anyone who fits the description - not holding out for the perfect man. At age 31, she's trying to figure out what she really wants in life. She feels guilty for wanting something more than just a husband and a baby, and at the same time conflicted. Wouldn't life be easier if that was all she wanted, instead of wanting to travel the world and write important stories?
This is a story about self discovery. While faking her pregnancy, Liz does begin to create a new life - not in the form of a baby, but rather for herself. She's forced to examine her life and her choices and desires. What I really liked about the book is that there aren't any clear solutions. The perfect man doesn't show up. The perfect job doesn't magically materialize. She doesn't suddenly have an epiphany and decide that the answer to her problems is to actually get pregnant and settle down with a nice guy. Instead, Liz finally accepts that she needs to be honest and she needs to follow her dreams and she has to start taking chances.
Maybe I'm taking the story a little too seriously, but for me, this story really struck a chord. I'm about nine years older than Liz, but recently have been dealing with so many of these same thoughts with regard to career and life decisions.
I enjoyed this book, and will readily recommend it to any of my child-free friends. I think it might offend some moms though, especially those who are so caught up in the "mom culture" that this book describes at length. But then again, I don't know how moms think.
Also, very much enjoyed the New York City setting. Right out of college, I went to New York City, hoping to work in magazines. After a bit of temp work, I left, returned to Texas to work for newspapers, thinking I'd save up some money and then return to New York City. Almost twenty years later, still in Texas, completely out of the journalism business, but I visit New York City often. One of my favorite cities, and I thought this book captured the New York City lifestyle very well.
Great book. Enjoyable read.
I received a copy via NetGalley.
The main character was so real. As someone who has chosen to not have children, I could relate to her very well. Granted, I've never even considered faking a pregnancy, but I admit to feeling some jealousy - or rather a lot of jealousy - over people taking maternity leave. Yes, I know, I'm so selfish and horrible, babies are so important - whatever. I kind of think a few months to work on my writing or painting or traveling through Europe is also important, but I can't exactly ask for a few months off to do that, knowing that when I'm done I'll have a job waiting for me. And as a person with no children, I'm so very tired and smiling and saying, "sure, no problem", every time I have to take over someone else's responsibilities because they can't do it due to child related reasons. So, you see, this book resonated with me because the character in this story is having to deal with all of that. This book examines the idea that women are considered insignificant, unless they have a husband and/or a child.
In the beginning of the story, Liz Buckley, who works at a parenting magazine in New York City, is attending yet another work-related baby shower. She's stressed at work, overwhelmed with responsibilities and upset because she realizes she's going to miss her trip to Paris. Her emotional stress manifests physically, and around this time, a co-worker notices a pregnancy app on her phone. They assume her illness is related to pregnancy, "Not you, too?" they ask, and she doesn't deny it. In that moment, she thinks, maybe it is her turn.
Her not so very well thought out plan is to use maternity leave to find some travel related free lance writing work and then quit her job. But her plan doesn't work out quite as neatly as she hopes.
For the next six months, she's wearing fake bumps to work, while also finding that her new "condition" has people treating her different. People are being nicer, there's talk of a potential raise and title change - what she's been wanting for years, and being constantly overlooked. She can take off mornings for doctors appointments and spend the day working from home. And she begins re-evaluating decisions made in her social life. She's surrounded by people in search of "potential husbands" and she knows a lot of people who are settling for anyone who fits the description - not holding out for the perfect man. At age 31, she's trying to figure out what she really wants in life. She feels guilty for wanting something more than just a husband and a baby, and at the same time conflicted. Wouldn't life be easier if that was all she wanted, instead of wanting to travel the world and write important stories?
This is a story about self discovery. While faking her pregnancy, Liz does begin to create a new life - not in the form of a baby, but rather for herself. She's forced to examine her life and her choices and desires. What I really liked about the book is that there aren't any clear solutions. The perfect man doesn't show up. The perfect job doesn't magically materialize. She doesn't suddenly have an epiphany and decide that the answer to her problems is to actually get pregnant and settle down with a nice guy. Instead, Liz finally accepts that she needs to be honest and she needs to follow her dreams and she has to start taking chances.
Maybe I'm taking the story a little too seriously, but for me, this story really struck a chord. I'm about nine years older than Liz, but recently have been dealing with so many of these same thoughts with regard to career and life decisions.
I enjoyed this book, and will readily recommend it to any of my child-free friends. I think it might offend some moms though, especially those who are so caught up in the "mom culture" that this book describes at length. But then again, I don't know how moms think.
Also, very much enjoyed the New York City setting. Right out of college, I went to New York City, hoping to work in magazines. After a bit of temp work, I left, returned to Texas to work for newspapers, thinking I'd save up some money and then return to New York City. Almost twenty years later, still in Texas, completely out of the journalism business, but I visit New York City often. One of my favorite cities, and I thought this book captured the New York City lifestyle very well.
Great book. Enjoyable read.
I received a copy via NetGalley.
January 11, 2019
I give kudos for the unique scenario. I was excited when I read the summary because I thought the book was going to be funny and witty and, well, feminist. I was more excited for the summary than the actual book.
I don't want kids. Ever. And while I felt sympathy for the main character who kept getting the short end of the stick because, "since you don't have kids your free time is not as important" her attitude towards women who NEED maternity leave made me hate her.
Women on maternity leave are not laying around the house, being lazy. They are RECOVERING FROM SHOVING OUT A HUMAN BEING THROUGH THEIR VAGINA. Even with all of our modern technology and medical advances, women still have a 30% chance of dying in childbirth. 80% will experience VAGINAL TEARING. And don't get me started on postpartum depression. Men need maternity leave to take care of their newborns and their wives. I don't need maternity leave because I am not recovering from 9 months of permanent physical and mental changes.
You would think the main character, who works for a baby magazine, would understand this. The very first chapter, THE VERY FIRST CHAPTER made me think, "Well, if the idea of having kids is such an ugly concept for her, then why does she work for a baby magazine???" She has worked on this magazine for YEARS and yet she thinks lying about her condition is okay?!! There's a moment in the book where she rattles off statistics and facts about pregnancy, so she isn't ignorant on the subject, and yet she seems to forget how pregnant women are heavily discriminated and that MILLIONS of American women are DENIED maternity leave??!! Worst magazine ever.
I read this book because the tension behind sounded like a rocking good time, but instead I got whiny woman who did it for piss poor reasons. The writing was pretty awful as well. In one scene early in the book, our main love interest sings a couple of karaoke songs. This scene takes two pages to describe, and it was the most confusing, convoluted thing. Worse, there was no description involved. It was like,
Then he sang "song title."
After that, he sang "song" and "song title" and "song title"
That's literally how it was described. For two pages. No emotion, no depth, no reason behind it.
(So I asked my own boss what would happen if I faked a pregnancy to get maternity leave, and she told me I would be fired and arrested for FRAUD.)
I don't want kids. Ever. And while I felt sympathy for the main character who kept getting the short end of the stick because, "since you don't have kids your free time is not as important" her attitude towards women who NEED maternity leave made me hate her.
Women on maternity leave are not laying around the house, being lazy. They are RECOVERING FROM SHOVING OUT A HUMAN BEING THROUGH THEIR VAGINA. Even with all of our modern technology and medical advances, women still have a 30% chance of dying in childbirth. 80% will experience VAGINAL TEARING. And don't get me started on postpartum depression. Men need maternity leave to take care of their newborns and their wives. I don't need maternity leave because I am not recovering from 9 months of permanent physical and mental changes.
You would think the main character, who works for a baby magazine, would understand this. The very first chapter, THE VERY FIRST CHAPTER made me think, "Well, if the idea of having kids is such an ugly concept for her, then why does she work for a baby magazine???" She has worked on this magazine for YEARS and yet she thinks lying about her condition is okay?!! There's a moment in the book where she rattles off statistics and facts about pregnancy, so she isn't ignorant on the subject, and yet she seems to forget how pregnant women are heavily discriminated and that MILLIONS of American women are DENIED maternity leave??!! Worst magazine ever.
I read this book because the tension behind sounded like a rocking good time, but instead I got whiny woman who did it for piss poor reasons. The writing was pretty awful as well. In one scene early in the book, our main love interest sings a couple of karaoke songs. This scene takes two pages to describe, and it was the most confusing, convoluted thing. Worse, there was no description involved. It was like,
Then he sang "song title."
After that, he sang "song" and "song title" and "song title"
That's literally how it was described. For two pages. No emotion, no depth, no reason behind it.
(So I asked my own boss what would happen if I faked a pregnancy to get maternity leave, and she told me I would be fired and arrested for FRAUD.)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 25, 2016
Rating: 1/5
(I received a free copy through a Goodreads giveaway)
***Minor spoilers***
Elizabeth "Liz" Buckley seems to have plateaued at her current job as an editor at the magazine Paddy Cakes. It seems that she stays late everyday to make up for the work that the moms on staff haven't done, and she's tired of it. She feels judged because at 31 she's single and isn't a mother, and that the mothers on staff look down to her. So, when a mistake happens and her boss thinks she's pregnant, she doesn't deny it. She plans to go through with it for a few months until she can leave and freelance herself. Until then, she'll be wearing baby bumps to pull off the gig. Throughout the novel we follow Liz as she experiments in relationships, ponders the injustices against women, all while trying hoping nobody notices that she isn't actually pregnant.
I found this book pretty horrible, but I decided to stick it out until the end since I won it through a giveaway, and I haven't DNF'd a book since I started this account, so here I am. This book was a huge disappointment. I was ready for some sort of self-discovery sort of thing to happen, but nothing did. I was ready for the whole "maybe moms don't have it so easy and I shouldn't complain so much" revelation to happen, but it didn't. I found her an extremely stupid character, and I don't see why the lie was so beneficial to her. I would never take the risk just to get 3 months off of work when I could be jailed if anyone ever found out. It stressed me out a lot to watch her mess up her life so badly without ever realizing that she was being dumb about it.
On top of that, there were a bunch of random romances thrown in that felt unimportant. Everything felt so detached, and I couldn't connect with Liz or her bunch of romances. I also think she was taking dating way too seriously, treating every date (not even a boyfriend) has a potential husband. Doesn't she realize that not everything has to be so serious, and that she can just have fun without worrying that she's never going to marry? I understand that women at 30 are pretty much expected to be attached to either a partner or children at that age, but she doesn't have to stress out so much after only a date.
Overall, this book wasn't enjoyable at all. Liz made terrible decisions all the time and never seemed to realize when she was in the wrong. Everything she did was about finding a partner for the future, and it got old. She never seemed to realize that maternity leave really isn't all that she thinks it is. It isn't where you just go out and party with your friends at all hours. More like that you're awake half the night, stressing out about your child, and when you're not doing either, you're sleeping. It isn't partying and travelling. Liz was much too silly of a main character for my liking.
(I received a free copy through a Goodreads giveaway)
***Minor spoilers***
Elizabeth "Liz" Buckley seems to have plateaued at her current job as an editor at the magazine Paddy Cakes. It seems that she stays late everyday to make up for the work that the moms on staff haven't done, and she's tired of it. She feels judged because at 31 she's single and isn't a mother, and that the mothers on staff look down to her. So, when a mistake happens and her boss thinks she's pregnant, she doesn't deny it. She plans to go through with it for a few months until she can leave and freelance herself. Until then, she'll be wearing baby bumps to pull off the gig. Throughout the novel we follow Liz as she experiments in relationships, ponders the injustices against women, all while trying hoping nobody notices that she isn't actually pregnant.
I found this book pretty horrible, but I decided to stick it out until the end since I won it through a giveaway, and I haven't DNF'd a book since I started this account, so here I am. This book was a huge disappointment. I was ready for some sort of self-discovery sort of thing to happen, but nothing did. I was ready for the whole "maybe moms don't have it so easy and I shouldn't complain so much" revelation to happen, but it didn't. I found her an extremely stupid character, and I don't see why the lie was so beneficial to her. I would never take the risk just to get 3 months off of work when I could be jailed if anyone ever found out. It stressed me out a lot to watch her mess up her life so badly without ever realizing that she was being dumb about it.
On top of that, there were a bunch of random romances thrown in that felt unimportant. Everything felt so detached, and I couldn't connect with Liz or her bunch of romances. I also think she was taking dating way too seriously, treating every date (not even a boyfriend) has a potential husband. Doesn't she realize that not everything has to be so serious, and that she can just have fun without worrying that she's never going to marry? I understand that women at 30 are pretty much expected to be attached to either a partner or children at that age, but she doesn't have to stress out so much after only a date.
Overall, this book wasn't enjoyable at all. Liz made terrible decisions all the time and never seemed to realize when she was in the wrong. Everything she did was about finding a partner for the future, and it got old. She never seemed to realize that maternity leave really isn't all that she thinks it is. It isn't where you just go out and party with your friends at all hours. More like that you're awake half the night, stressing out about your child, and when you're not doing either, you're sleeping. It isn't partying and travelling. Liz was much too silly of a main character for my liking.
May 21, 2016
Meghann Foye didn't do herself any favors when she decided to write this piece for The New York Post. (It practically broke the Internet and triggered a backlash against the book.) I had already purchased a copy of the book by the time the brouhaha erupted, so I decided to go ahead and read it anyway. I was looking for a light read to enjoy on a weekend and the book definitely fit the bill. I ended up really enjoying the story. Sure, some parts of the book were a bit contrived, but we're talking a light read here, not a super-serious work of literary fiction. Where Foye knocked it out of the park was in her behind-the-scenes look at the magazine publishing industry. Her observations were hilarious and pretty much bang on, at least based on my experiences. I look forward to reading more books by this author.
November 20, 2019
I know this book received a lot of attention due to the manufactured media outrage about its main plot point, but the people who are legitimately upset about the book's contents clearly didn't read it. I understand it's an offensive concept. Don't worry, the main character engages in plenty of hand-wringing about her fertility and realizes that parents in the workplace don't actually have it easy after all. In fact, she acknowledges that in the first 20 pages of the book when she finds out how little time new moms get off for maternity leave in her company.
Overall, it was silly and aggressively heterosexual.
Overall, it was silly and aggressively heterosexual.
April 15, 2016
Bleh. I'm not sure how to put this review into words, so I made a list.
Likes:
- Interesting plot idea
Dislikes:
- Lacked nuance
- Extremely unrealistic dialogue and dynamics
- Underdeveloped characters
- The main character (Liz) would get on her soapbox and have monologues about issues and yet always be off the mark about it and then would repeat herself pages later
- Regressive, quite frankly
- Fake White Feminism
Likes:
- Interesting plot idea
Dislikes:
- Lacked nuance
- Extremely unrealistic dialogue and dynamics
- Underdeveloped characters
- The main character (Liz) would get on her soapbox and have monologues about issues and yet always be off the mark about it and then would repeat herself pages later
- Regressive, quite frankly
- Fake White Feminism
February 3, 2019
I’m not sure how I really feel about this book. To fake like you’re pregnant just because you think pregnant women get more perks. If you actually went through pregnancy you would know it’s hard and the perks are no where near what they should be.
May 18, 2025
The character was annoying and self-centered. She’s the type of person who is like LOOK AT ME. I NEED ATTENTION… but pretends she doesn’t.
March 25, 2016
I read this book in galley form, and I am so excited for it to come out. The title definitely sparked a huge discussion among my friends (both parents and not parents) and the material is handled so expertly: It's a fun story with a really major message that I can see debated at book clubs and truly HOPE to see on the big screen someday.
The concept: Somehow, around your early thirties, it seems some people take this giant leap into adulthood via marriage and motherhood. But where does that leave women who may not be on the same path? The main character, Liz, realizes via a fake bump that hitting those milestones makes her seem a whole lot more responsible and together to her coworkers ... and allows her the opportunity to figure out who she really is.
Don't get me wrong, the material isn't a dense dialectic on Where Women Are In Society. It's frothy, fun, with killer dialogue, great characters, but definitely a plot that had me thinking about my own life and choices. Recommended!
The concept: Somehow, around your early thirties, it seems some people take this giant leap into adulthood via marriage and motherhood. But where does that leave women who may not be on the same path? The main character, Liz, realizes via a fake bump that hitting those milestones makes her seem a whole lot more responsible and together to her coworkers ... and allows her the opportunity to figure out who she really is.
Don't get me wrong, the material isn't a dense dialectic on Where Women Are In Society. It's frothy, fun, with killer dialogue, great characters, but definitely a plot that had me thinking about my own life and choices. Recommended!
May 11, 2016
This book makes me so mad. All mothers are portrayed as self-centered, catty jerks who gossip about and patronize childless women unabashedly. The narrator plays the victim- lying, throwing small fits, and avoiding the realities of life. Sex and the City this is not. More like Brat in the City, who in the end gets rewarded for her bad behavior? Sorry, this book may be stirring up controversy in the media with the provocative title starting a bigger conversation, but the book itself has nothing of value to say.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2016
Wow. This was SO clumsily written. So many typos and so much repetition. To all the moms out there who were insulted by the premise--you should be more insulted that this book got so much press. While the general concept was interesting and possibly controversial, it did not follow through. It was a stupid, implausible, badly written story, filled with holes, incompletely drawn characters, and a completely predictable ending.
January 24, 2020
Fluffy read for the end of my pregnancy. Didn't enrage me like I thought it might, there were valid points brought up about picking up slack when others need to leave, as well as the universal feeling that you aren't getting ahead despite working so hard.
It tied up so very nicely at the end...without ruining things I did like ultimately like the ending as it was a woman supporting another woman instead of tearing her down like she knew she "ought" to. Yay supporting women plot twists!
Only sore spot was her claim that pregnancy was some "beacon of femininity" and that men were attracted to her for it. Listen, it's because you weren't actually pregnant/sleep deprived/no more F's given about appearance as you struggle to make it through the day. As they say in the book this quote was ..."spoken like a woman who hasn't been pregnant!"
It tied up so very nicely at the end...without ruining things I did like ultimately like the ending as it was a woman supporting another woman instead of tearing her down like she knew she "ought" to. Yay supporting women plot twists!
Only sore spot was her claim that pregnancy was some "beacon of femininity" and that men were attracted to her for it. Listen, it's because you weren't actually pregnant/sleep deprived/no more F's given about appearance as you struggle to make it through the day. As they say in the book this quote was ..."spoken like a woman who hasn't been pregnant!"
September 14, 2016
Review: there as a whole lot of controversy surrounding this books but I knew even before people started shouting about it that I would want to read it. I love any book set in New York tend really enjoy reading about the publishing industry as well and so this book had it all for me, including a protagonist that was just like me and in a similar position to be, being one of the only women of her age in her workplace who doesn't have children. I'm in the lucky position of being able to take some time off just now and funnily enough it coincides with my best friend maternity leave so I'm saying it's like my own version of that, was this book actually written for me?
I really liked the idea behind the storyline and could totally see where it had come from. I really like the idea that this author challenged the I balance between people who have children and people who don't, in the work place and particularly the expectations we have of working mothers, whet here those expectations are too high or too low. I think this was an interesting way to explore the subject matter and at times, it felt as if it was handled in a little to much of a frivolous manner, but I think you do have to remember that this is a novel and not a journalistic piece of writing.
Now I know that the character of Liz has been criticised a lot, but I tried to go into this with a really open mind when it came to Liz, and if we take Way the fake-pregnancy aspect of her story, she's really just a single woman in New York trying to have it all and we get to read about her going out and dating and having a good time just like many other novels. I really did like her and really coul identify with her. At times I felt that she as a little narrow-minded and a little naive, she didn't think everything through fully but that's called living life and learning as you go along, we all make mistakes and it was great to see how she picked herself up from those mistakes.
Of course I loved that this book was set in New York, it is definitely one of my favourite settings for a novel and so I really liked reading about the workplace and the places she went for dates as well as Liz's apartment and what she did with her friends. It was really interesting reading about other people's perceptions of her and what we got to see about the others perceptions of working mothers and mothers in general. Liz's relationship with her own mother made me cringe a little but overall, I think that you can gather that i did enjoy reading this book. It felt like it could have been developed by about another 50 or so pages to avoid any massive time jumps but I would recommend it and I applaud this author for tackling a very contraversial subject matter in an entertaining way!
I really liked the idea behind the storyline and could totally see where it had come from. I really like the idea that this author challenged the I balance between people who have children and people who don't, in the work place and particularly the expectations we have of working mothers, whet here those expectations are too high or too low. I think this was an interesting way to explore the subject matter and at times, it felt as if it was handled in a little to much of a frivolous manner, but I think you do have to remember that this is a novel and not a journalistic piece of writing.
Now I know that the character of Liz has been criticised a lot, but I tried to go into this with a really open mind when it came to Liz, and if we take Way the fake-pregnancy aspect of her story, she's really just a single woman in New York trying to have it all and we get to read about her going out and dating and having a good time just like many other novels. I really did like her and really coul identify with her. At times I felt that she as a little narrow-minded and a little naive, she didn't think everything through fully but that's called living life and learning as you go along, we all make mistakes and it was great to see how she picked herself up from those mistakes.
Of course I loved that this book was set in New York, it is definitely one of my favourite settings for a novel and so I really liked reading about the workplace and the places she went for dates as well as Liz's apartment and what she did with her friends. It was really interesting reading about other people's perceptions of her and what we got to see about the others perceptions of working mothers and mothers in general. Liz's relationship with her own mother made me cringe a little but overall, I think that you can gather that i did enjoy reading this book. It felt like it could have been developed by about another 50 or so pages to avoid any massive time jumps but I would recommend it and I applaud this author for tackling a very contraversial subject matter in an entertaining way!
May 2, 2016
This really isn't the type of book I usually read or pick up, but when I was offered it as part of Book Sparks #ItsRainingBooks promotion, for some reason I couldn't pass it up and I am glad that I didn't. Liz Buckley works at a famous baby magazine "Patty Cakes" and is having trouble getting ahead. She starts to become resentful of all of the mothers and pregnant individuals at the agency who seem to get special treatment. When her vacation is suddenly canceled because of another "mommy crisis," Liz suddenly lets everyone on staff know that she too is expecting. There is only one problem....Liz isn't pregnant and she doesn't even have a boyfriend. Liz figures she will use the time leading up to her "delivery" plus her MEternity leave, to find another position at a different magazine, before her secret comes out.
"Meternity" is an interesting read. I enjoyed Liz's antics and it was interesting to see the author's take on preferential treatment of mothers in society versus those who do not have children. I found this book especially interesting and maybe it hit close to home because at one point in my career, I was told I could stay late and have messed up hours because I didn't have children at home. Liz has a great supporting cast in this book and it is only because of her friends that she is able to pull off such a farce. This book also has its share of villains, which may or may not be as bad as they seem.
I found "Meternity" to be somewhat predictable but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I knew about half way through how Liz's "pregnancy" would pan out. Liz's love interests in the book are interesting, and will have you rooting for two different men for two different reasons. I do feel the book wrapped up too neatly at the end and that the author may have been striving to provide everyone with a "happily ever after." However, it did not really take away from my enjoyment.
If you don't have kids or even want kids, don't worry, this still may be a book for you. I think it speaks more to a society that has become "parent centered" and I love Foye's spin on the situation. I am definitely glad I stepped out of my reading comfort zone and gave "Meternity" a chance. It also has a "Bridget Jones" vibe so if you enjoy that series, you will more than likely enjoy this novel as well.
I received this book from the publisher and Book Sparks in exchange for an honest review.
"Meternity" is an interesting read. I enjoyed Liz's antics and it was interesting to see the author's take on preferential treatment of mothers in society versus those who do not have children. I found this book especially interesting and maybe it hit close to home because at one point in my career, I was told I could stay late and have messed up hours because I didn't have children at home. Liz has a great supporting cast in this book and it is only because of her friends that she is able to pull off such a farce. This book also has its share of villains, which may or may not be as bad as they seem.
I found "Meternity" to be somewhat predictable but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. I knew about half way through how Liz's "pregnancy" would pan out. Liz's love interests in the book are interesting, and will have you rooting for two different men for two different reasons. I do feel the book wrapped up too neatly at the end and that the author may have been striving to provide everyone with a "happily ever after." However, it did not really take away from my enjoyment.
If you don't have kids or even want kids, don't worry, this still may be a book for you. I think it speaks more to a society that has become "parent centered" and I love Foye's spin on the situation. I am definitely glad I stepped out of my reading comfort zone and gave "Meternity" a chance. It also has a "Bridget Jones" vibe so if you enjoy that series, you will more than likely enjoy this novel as well.
I received this book from the publisher and Book Sparks in exchange for an honest review.
May 25, 2016
First of all, I understand this is a work of fiction. Second of all, I am not a mother.
I got this book to read in the hopes all of the negative and terrible press the author was receiving was a result of the media making a story out of misquotes and misreading text. I was sadly disappointed.
I did not like Liz at all. I will not say I have not felt some of the same feelings she emotes or thought the same things she did. However, I could not feel for her the way I should have. Probably because she was treating maternity leave like a vacation and motherhood like a career enhancer. As I noted above, I am not a mother so I personally have not experienced either. I am smart enough to know maternity leave is not a vacation nor is motherhood a boon to one's career. The premise of the book was hardly believable. The moment starting the action in the story could have quite easily been explained away and the book promptly ended. This might have been the way to go if she did not want the media fire storm she ended up receiving.
I will say there were moments where the author taps into some very large and looming questions and issues women have to deal with in life and in their careers. These could have been great jumping off points to have a meaningful conversation about them. I could have related to the character more if she was focused on these questions and how she was going to resolve them Instead, Liz spends her time trying to reeling in a man, duping her coworkers, avoiding family issues and trying to accumulate all of the criteria women are assumed to have by thirty years old.
Ultimately, Meghann Foye picked up a number of issues we all deal with in today's society needing discussion (the evoluting workplace, expectations on women, balancing work and home life, etc) however the discourse and treatment of them were juvenile and sloppy. I think it would have been a much better read if she had used more of her own experiences and career choices since she opted to take time to work on herself and see the world. Without, I assume, trying to fake a pregnancy and use the benefit system.
I got this book to read in the hopes all of the negative and terrible press the author was receiving was a result of the media making a story out of misquotes and misreading text. I was sadly disappointed.
I did not like Liz at all. I will not say I have not felt some of the same feelings she emotes or thought the same things she did. However, I could not feel for her the way I should have. Probably because she was treating maternity leave like a vacation and motherhood like a career enhancer. As I noted above, I am not a mother so I personally have not experienced either. I am smart enough to know maternity leave is not a vacation nor is motherhood a boon to one's career. The premise of the book was hardly believable. The moment starting the action in the story could have quite easily been explained away and the book promptly ended. This might have been the way to go if she did not want the media fire storm she ended up receiving.
I will say there were moments where the author taps into some very large and looming questions and issues women have to deal with in life and in their careers. These could have been great jumping off points to have a meaningful conversation about them. I could have related to the character more if she was focused on these questions and how she was going to resolve them Instead, Liz spends her time trying to reeling in a man, duping her coworkers, avoiding family issues and trying to accumulate all of the criteria women are assumed to have by thirty years old.
Ultimately, Meghann Foye picked up a number of issues we all deal with in today's society needing discussion (the evoluting workplace, expectations on women, balancing work and home life, etc) however the discourse and treatment of them were juvenile and sloppy. I think it would have been a much better read if she had used more of her own experiences and career choices since she opted to take time to work on herself and see the world. Without, I assume, trying to fake a pregnancy and use the benefit system.
June 6, 2016
I was initially excited to read this book because I am a single woman who doesn't think she wants kids. I also thought it was an edgy topic and the book could raise good discussions. However, it just perpetuated heteronormative stereotypes and did not send a positive message. The protagonist, Liz, complained the whole time about maternity leave and her life choices. The story felt unrealistic and there was no clear eye opener for Liz at the end. Great topic but not executed well.
March 25, 2016
While I've only had some of the same experiences as Liz, I found myself completely relating to her and her friends. Even when Liz's behavior annoyed me, I couldn't help but root for this character. Overall, Meternity was light, quick, and pleasurable, but still tackled those topics at the forefront of a 20- and 30-something's life in 2016. Pick it up!
May 4, 2017
Oh my god, I don't think I've hated a main character this much in a LONG time.
October 2, 2017
Did not finish.
September 24, 2016
Questa è la storia di Liz, editor di una rivista per genitori che dà i consigli più disparati e che pubblica articoli su diverse tematiche che riguardano la sfera familiare.
La nostra protagonista è una donna stanca di fare straordinari, di sentirsi scavalcata in ambito lavorativo in favore delle donne gravide o già mamme e soprattutto stanca di sentirsi ripetere in continuazione “Solo una donna senza figli può dire una cosa del genere”. Ma è davvero così? Solo le mamme possono capire certe questioni perchè dotate di una specie di superpotere? Io sono una ragazza nubile e senza figli e per me è stato più facile entrare in contatto con Liz perchè spesso anche io ho vissuto queste conversazioni in cui sembra che le mamme siano una specie a sé: è vero essere mamme fa nascere nelle donne degli istinti che non ci sono nelle nubili, ma è una cosa soggettiva.
La situazione di Liz viene completamente stravolta quando un suo banale malessere viene scambiato per nausea mattuttina, a quel punto la protagonista decide di stare al gioco e si finge in gravidanza, ma più la data del parto si avvicina, più le complicazioni aumentano. Inoltre la paura di deludere sua madre e le persone a lei vicine la fanno sempre desistere dal confessare la bugia.
Elizabeth nel frattempo insieme alle sue migliori amiche Addison e Brie è in cerca del PM cioè il Potenziale Marito, che alla veneranda età di 31 anni sembra sempre più difficile da trovare.
Tra le diverse serate e drink in giro per New York la nostra protagonista incontrerà due uomini Ryan, giornalista di Discovery Channel con cui ha collaborato per un articolo in passato e Gavin, viticoltore australiano errante, due uomini diversi che con le loro personalità contribuiranno alla crescita di Lizzie, ma chi sarà la sua scelta finale sta a voi scoprirlo.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE CLICCA QUI:http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
La nostra protagonista è una donna stanca di fare straordinari, di sentirsi scavalcata in ambito lavorativo in favore delle donne gravide o già mamme e soprattutto stanca di sentirsi ripetere in continuazione “Solo una donna senza figli può dire una cosa del genere”. Ma è davvero così? Solo le mamme possono capire certe questioni perchè dotate di una specie di superpotere? Io sono una ragazza nubile e senza figli e per me è stato più facile entrare in contatto con Liz perchè spesso anche io ho vissuto queste conversazioni in cui sembra che le mamme siano una specie a sé: è vero essere mamme fa nascere nelle donne degli istinti che non ci sono nelle nubili, ma è una cosa soggettiva.
La situazione di Liz viene completamente stravolta quando un suo banale malessere viene scambiato per nausea mattuttina, a quel punto la protagonista decide di stare al gioco e si finge in gravidanza, ma più la data del parto si avvicina, più le complicazioni aumentano. Inoltre la paura di deludere sua madre e le persone a lei vicine la fanno sempre desistere dal confessare la bugia.
Elizabeth nel frattempo insieme alle sue migliori amiche Addison e Brie è in cerca del PM cioè il Potenziale Marito, che alla veneranda età di 31 anni sembra sempre più difficile da trovare.
Tra le diverse serate e drink in giro per New York la nostra protagonista incontrerà due uomini Ryan, giornalista di Discovery Channel con cui ha collaborato per un articolo in passato e Gavin, viticoltore australiano errante, due uomini diversi che con le loro personalità contribuiranno alla crescita di Lizzie, ma chi sarà la sua scelta finale sta a voi scoprirlo.
PER CONTINUARE A LEGGERE CLICCA QUI:http://newadultedintorni.blogspot.it/...
June 16, 2017
After reading Meghann Foye's absolutely ludicrous interview in the New York Post, in which she equated maternity leave to a sabbatical, I was curious to find out how bad this book would be. The answer: so bad. What's crazy is that the ridiculous premise isn't even the worst part—someone like Sophie Kinsella probably could have pulled it off. But the writing was cliche, the love triangle felt forced, and there were so many of-the-moment references that the whole thing was practically screaming, "This was written in 2016!!!!" And the ending—oh, God, the ending. It was pure overworked-magazine-girl fantasy, which, having been an overworked magazine girl myself, I could appreciate it on some level, but not without a hefty dose of eye-rolling.
Also, Meghann Foye, I know you've probably heard this a zillion times by now, but maternity leave and a sabbatical AREN'T THE SAME THING.
Also, Meghann Foye, I know you've probably heard this a zillion times by now, but maternity leave and a sabbatical AREN'T THE SAME THING.
May 17, 2016
I really expected from the hype of this book I was going to hate it. Instead it's one of the best post-baby books I've read (and actually been able to finish!). It wasn't at all what the hype said it was. The protagonist didn't go out of her way to go on a meternity leave. As with other chick lit books, an unreal situation arose and she went along with it. The book actually made me think of The Devil Wears Prada in its characters and its writing. I'd read another book by Megann Foye.
June 24, 2016
I really just couldn't get into this book even though it did start off with a good vibe. I found the main character naive and selfish. She seems to want to succeed at work yet lacks the passion for anything the baby magazine is about and even though she works around a lot of mothers she seems clueless about motherhood. I've read worse but I've also read better.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2016
It's an interesting spin on the view of maternity "benefits" - you get to leave the office on time, you get a "paid vacation". As a mom I have a hard time buying the plot. You "get to" leave on time because you log in after the kids go to bed so you can finish your work. Maternity leave isn't exactly vacation and often isn't paid. As an editor of a maternity magazine, you would think the protagonist is more in tune with reality. That aside, it's a cute story and interesting perspective.
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