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Miss Conceived
Angie Breen's body clock is ticking so loudly she's certain passers-by must be able to hear it. Still single at forty and beginning to despair, she goes to drastic lengths to ensure she won't end up childless and alone. Serena Doyle is the ultimate trophy wife. Married to a dynamic businessman, she is the epitome of glamour and sophistication. But Serena is harbouring a secret and her struggle to conceive blows the cover on an issue she's been hiding even from herself. Ruby White is not yet sixteen and a very precious only child. Her parents are in shock when she announces her pregnancy. Determined to keep the impending baby a secret from their circle of privileged it people, they conjure up a plan to save face. But has anyone thought of asking Ruby what she wants? Is Serena willing to pay the price to achieve conception? And is Angie heading towards bliss or disaster? Three very different women travel the rocky road to childbirth with all its heartrending ups and downs.
420 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
123 people want to read
About the author
Emma Hannigan
23 books164 followersEmma Hannigan was an Irish author and blogger, best known for writing about her experience of suffering from cancer.
With a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, Hannigan's mother and maternal aunt tested positive for the responsible gene, BRCA1. She also received a 'positive' result in August 2005, which carries an 85% risk of developing breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. In 2006, Hannigan underwent a bi-lateral mastectomy (or both breasts removed) and a bi-lateral oopherectomy (or both ovaries removed) to reduce the risk of cancer developing to 5%. However, breast cancer soon developed, "in the neck, shoulder and under my arm", in 2007. After repeated treatment, a tumor always reappeared. She died at age 45 after her tenth battle with cancer.
With a family history of breast and ovarian cancer, Hannigan's mother and maternal aunt tested positive for the responsible gene, BRCA1. She also received a 'positive' result in August 2005, which carries an 85% risk of developing breast cancer and a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. In 2006, Hannigan underwent a bi-lateral mastectomy (or both breasts removed) and a bi-lateral oopherectomy (or both ovaries removed) to reduce the risk of cancer developing to 5%. However, breast cancer soon developed, "in the neck, shoulder and under my arm", in 2007. After repeated treatment, a tumor always reappeared. She died at age 45 after her tenth battle with cancer.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 12, 2023
I started off thinking it was just good, but I discovered that they were irish and started reading in irish and it was so much better. Also such a dramatic book i loved it, for example one of the main characters sleeps with her best friend’s dad after doing lines of coke in the bathroom at his club, then when her parents find out she’s pregnant, she blames it on yakov the bouncer at the club, who her best friend then sleeps with as revenge on the main character. Also the name is so funny.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 4, 2021
This book is your average chicklit. This means of course that it doesn't have much substance, everyone is white and straight, and it carries through with the same cliches chicklit apparently is ordered to follow.
Miss Conceived has three main characters:
Angie: White straight forty year old Angie desperately wants a husband and children. Her "biological clock is ticking" and she has a boring office job, spending most of her time out drinking with the Girl Squad™, at least until she meets this one guy named Troy, they have a one night stand and she gets pregnant.
Serena: White straight twenty eight year old Serena has just got married and has the facade of a perfect life. After her glitzy wedding, she knows the next step is perfect children, except she can't conceive. She also has a really fucking terrible mother and is an alcoholic.
Ruby: White straight fifteen year old Ruby is Serena's niece, and is an unrealistic teenager who goes to a party with her friend, takes some cocaine and then gets pregnant by her friend's dad. Yep.
The characters are pretty basic and boring. They don't have much depth, and end up shallow and uninteresting. Of the three main characters, I did not like any of them. Angie is boring and whiny, and doesn't tell Troy about the baby til way after he's born. Serena is irritating, built up as being fake and unhappy and her family and friends are all terrible etc etc so she drinks a lot. She also doesn't believe she's an alcoholic at first which is totally normal yet then for some reason randomly accepts it 100% without the reader being given much clue to why she had this sudden realisation.
Ruby is just.....something else. She rushes into sleeping with her friend's dad, then apparently believe they're in love, which is....realistic for a young teenager, I guess, but made me just want to shake her. Then she hates being pregnant, complaining about being fat and ugly and just wanting to go back to normal, and she talks incredibly stiffly.
Most of the secondary characters may as well not exist, they're so vapid. Ruby's babydaddy is stupid and shallow, her friend is a bitch, her mum, Serena's sister, completely goes over the top in her reaction yet somehow just absolutely turns a corner out of the blue. Angie and Ruby join this little group of expecting mothers which is really pretty boring, and they make friends with this really fucking irritating girl who names her baby Madonna.
The way these characters interact with each other is.....baffling. They talk so weirdly, and here are a few examples:
"It doesn't matter what your name is when you have a face like you do."
"You'll have to meet me back here or your dad will have an eppo."
"Any part of my body that used to be boney is now covered in a thick coating of dough-like fat."
"Don't you dare try to walk out of here, my girl! You've made your bed and you will lie in it now. Running away is not going to help the situation."
"You're a great girl. What we shared was real special. But we're from a different space in time, you and me."
"I was always the first to poo-poo anyone who dared turn up at one of our lunches and not have a glass of vino."
I didn't really feel like there was much of a plot. It was just Angie moaning about wanting children, then being pregnant and having an everyday life, then having a baby. Ruby going to a party, having sex, getting pregnant, bam, baby time. Serena moaning about wanting children, why can't I conceive, I'm not an alcoholic shut up, oh noooo I am an alcoholic.
The writing in general was........hm.
For some reason, we're told who the main character of the chapter is going to be by their twitter username and a short tweet. So we have @angiebaby, @serenasvelte, @rubytuesday, and then also @themercedesking for Ruby's babydaddy Damo, because he's pretty rich and loves mercedes. These tweets are a bit cringy, but bearable. The descriptions are pretty hilarious, though, all pale faces and birdlike features and weirdly specific observations.
This book was funny, but I think not in the way it was intended to be.
Miss Conceived has three main characters:
Angie: White straight forty year old Angie desperately wants a husband and children. Her "biological clock is ticking" and she has a boring office job, spending most of her time out drinking with the Girl Squad™, at least until she meets this one guy named Troy, they have a one night stand and she gets pregnant.
Serena: White straight twenty eight year old Serena has just got married and has the facade of a perfect life. After her glitzy wedding, she knows the next step is perfect children, except she can't conceive. She also has a really fucking terrible mother and is an alcoholic.
Ruby: White straight fifteen year old Ruby is Serena's niece, and is an unrealistic teenager who goes to a party with her friend, takes some cocaine and then gets pregnant by her friend's dad. Yep.
The characters are pretty basic and boring. They don't have much depth, and end up shallow and uninteresting. Of the three main characters, I did not like any of them. Angie is boring and whiny, and doesn't tell Troy about the baby til way after he's born. Serena is irritating, built up as being fake and unhappy and her family and friends are all terrible etc etc so she drinks a lot. She also doesn't believe she's an alcoholic at first which is totally normal yet then for some reason randomly accepts it 100% without the reader being given much clue to why she had this sudden realisation.
Ruby is just.....something else. She rushes into sleeping with her friend's dad, then apparently believe they're in love, which is....realistic for a young teenager, I guess, but made me just want to shake her. Then she hates being pregnant, complaining about being fat and ugly and just wanting to go back to normal, and she talks incredibly stiffly.
Most of the secondary characters may as well not exist, they're so vapid. Ruby's babydaddy is stupid and shallow, her friend is a bitch, her mum, Serena's sister, completely goes over the top in her reaction yet somehow just absolutely turns a corner out of the blue. Angie and Ruby join this little group of expecting mothers which is really pretty boring, and they make friends with this really fucking irritating girl who names her baby Madonna.
The way these characters interact with each other is.....baffling. They talk so weirdly, and here are a few examples:
"It doesn't matter what your name is when you have a face like you do."
"You'll have to meet me back here or your dad will have an eppo."
"Any part of my body that used to be boney is now covered in a thick coating of dough-like fat."
"Don't you dare try to walk out of here, my girl! You've made your bed and you will lie in it now. Running away is not going to help the situation."
"You're a great girl. What we shared was real special. But we're from a different space in time, you and me."
"I was always the first to poo-poo anyone who dared turn up at one of our lunches and not have a glass of vino."
I didn't really feel like there was much of a plot. It was just Angie moaning about wanting children, then being pregnant and having an everyday life, then having a baby. Ruby going to a party, having sex, getting pregnant, bam, baby time. Serena moaning about wanting children, why can't I conceive, I'm not an alcoholic shut up, oh noooo I am an alcoholic.
The writing in general was........hm.
For some reason, we're told who the main character of the chapter is going to be by their twitter username and a short tweet. So we have @angiebaby, @serenasvelte, @rubytuesday, and then also @themercedesking for Ruby's babydaddy Damo, because he's pretty rich and loves mercedes. These tweets are a bit cringy, but bearable. The descriptions are pretty hilarious, though, all pale faces and birdlike features and weirdly specific observations.
This book was funny, but I think not in the way it was intended to be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 8, 2025
Three women in Ireland meet at a gynaecological clinic. One of them is a child still in third year at school. She's been stupidly flattered and given alcohol by a boy and faces the result. Her mother says they will take her out of school and tell everyone the baby is her sibling. Nobody seems to be trying to make the young man face his responsibilities, or be jailed, as the girl is well under the age of legal consent.
Another woman is over forty and had a fling and is expecting, but doesn't want a father on the scene. And a third woman hasn't been able to have a baby so far.
If you don't want to read a lot of pregnancy content, don't read this one. Everyone seems to drink a lot. Even the kids. They are warned to cut down for the baby's sake and so on. I didn't like any of the characters, but they are all at stressful times of their lives.
I read a paperback. This is an unbiased review.
Another woman is over forty and had a fling and is expecting, but doesn't want a father on the scene. And a third woman hasn't been able to have a baby so far.
If you don't want to read a lot of pregnancy content, don't read this one. Everyone seems to drink a lot. Even the kids. They are warned to cut down for the baby's sake and so on. I didn't like any of the characters, but they are all at stressful times of their lives.
I read a paperback. This is an unbiased review.
July 28, 2018
Great book but I felt it was a very slow starter so near to throwing it in, getting more into it after mid way through so please stick with it. The main story is about fertility and a women’s struggle and how it can also effect you and tie into the same story and all 3 main characters are very much interconnected. There is lots of laughs and certainly not a health factual book and is a typical mix of everything true to life.
December 5, 2021
A what an easy read very much enjoyed
February 7, 2011
Serena Doyle lives a content life. She has a wonderful husband, Paul, she lives the life she’s always dreamed of, and she is the epitome of sophistication and glamour. But Serena has a dark secret, and when she realises just how much she wants a baby, she’s going to have to confront that secret once and for all. Ruby White is just sixteen when she finds out she’s pregnant. Her parents hit the roof and refuse to listen to her, telling her they’ll raise the baby themselves, but her parents forget to ask what Ruby wants. Angie Breen welcomes in her forties realising that her life hasn’t exactly panned out the way she expected. Instead of having a husband and baby right now, the only thing she has is a job and a meal-for-one. When she finds herself pregnant unexpectedly it could be the answer to her prayers. As Serena, Ruby and Angie find themselves on the road to having a baby, will they get everything they ever dreamed of, or will it turn out to be an unmitigated disaster?
Emma Hannigan first came to my attention back in 2009 when I heard of her debut novel Designer Genes, the title alone made me interested to read the book but it took me a while before I managed to get myself a copy and I actually still haven’t managed to read it. I then got chatting to Emma during 2010 and she said she would send me a copy of Miss Conceived, her new book, and because I am planning to interview Emma I decided to read it as soon as it arrived, and I wasn’t disappointed with the book.
The plot for Miss Conceived is fairly simple as Serena, Ruby and Angie find themselves knee deep in baby-related dramas. Serena wants a baby whereas both Ruby and Angie find themselves pregnant unexpectedly. At first glance it seems the girls lives are entirely separate but Serena and Ruby are related, Auntie and niece respectively and Angie meets Ruby at one of her doctor’s appointments. I like little aspects like that, where the characters are actually connected despite seeming not to be. I also liked the main plot itself, because instead of just focusing on one woman’s bid to get pregnant, or one unexpected pregnancy, it focuses on three very different women’s lives and the impact pregnancy (or lack of it) has on them. Emma Hannigan had all possibilities covered: teen pregnancy, unexpected pregnancy at 40 and the hardship some women face to become pregnant so there was definitely something for everyone there.
Each of the three girls were very different. There’s the cool, calm, unruffled Serena who I took to immediately. She is a bit full-on when it comes to how she lives her life and how she sees others as beneath her, but under it all I saw something there that made her likeable. Ruby is the closest to me in age, and I really felt for her going through that at 16. Being pregnant is obviously hard at any age but at 15/16 it must be really really difficult. I did think she was a bit naive with her views and things, but on the whole I really did feel for her and want to protect her from her parents who although were doing their best, or trying to, they did just come across as over-bearing and controlling. I think I probably liked Angie best. I don’t particularly know why, but she seemed to speak to me the most which was surprising. We also meet the families connected to the girls but for the majority of the book it is just about them three. We also meet a man named Damo and the less said about him the better, quite frankly.
Miss Conceived is written in the third-person, switching from Serena to Ruby to Angie to Damo, and it proves an interesting one as we get to see the girls as they progress through their troubles. There are also Tweets at the beginning of each chapter, which were OK but I wouldn’t have noticed if they weren’t there, let’s put it that way. They didn’t particularly add much to the chapter. Miss Conceived isn’t a particularly easy read, because the only one happy with her life is Angie and Serena and Ruby’s lives just aren’t how they expected it to be. However I really liked the book. It took me a few days to finish, mainly down to my own inexplicable tiredness, but once I got reading I did find it hard to stop as the short chapters made it very easy for me to “just read one more”. I would definitely recommend the book, and I look forward to going back to read Designer Genes as well as Emma’s new book which will be released in the Summer.
Emma Hannigan first came to my attention back in 2009 when I heard of her debut novel Designer Genes, the title alone made me interested to read the book but it took me a while before I managed to get myself a copy and I actually still haven’t managed to read it. I then got chatting to Emma during 2010 and she said she would send me a copy of Miss Conceived, her new book, and because I am planning to interview Emma I decided to read it as soon as it arrived, and I wasn’t disappointed with the book.
The plot for Miss Conceived is fairly simple as Serena, Ruby and Angie find themselves knee deep in baby-related dramas. Serena wants a baby whereas both Ruby and Angie find themselves pregnant unexpectedly. At first glance it seems the girls lives are entirely separate but Serena and Ruby are related, Auntie and niece respectively and Angie meets Ruby at one of her doctor’s appointments. I like little aspects like that, where the characters are actually connected despite seeming not to be. I also liked the main plot itself, because instead of just focusing on one woman’s bid to get pregnant, or one unexpected pregnancy, it focuses on three very different women’s lives and the impact pregnancy (or lack of it) has on them. Emma Hannigan had all possibilities covered: teen pregnancy, unexpected pregnancy at 40 and the hardship some women face to become pregnant so there was definitely something for everyone there.
Each of the three girls were very different. There’s the cool, calm, unruffled Serena who I took to immediately. She is a bit full-on when it comes to how she lives her life and how she sees others as beneath her, but under it all I saw something there that made her likeable. Ruby is the closest to me in age, and I really felt for her going through that at 16. Being pregnant is obviously hard at any age but at 15/16 it must be really really difficult. I did think she was a bit naive with her views and things, but on the whole I really did feel for her and want to protect her from her parents who although were doing their best, or trying to, they did just come across as over-bearing and controlling. I think I probably liked Angie best. I don’t particularly know why, but she seemed to speak to me the most which was surprising. We also meet the families connected to the girls but for the majority of the book it is just about them three. We also meet a man named Damo and the less said about him the better, quite frankly.
Miss Conceived is written in the third-person, switching from Serena to Ruby to Angie to Damo, and it proves an interesting one as we get to see the girls as they progress through their troubles. There are also Tweets at the beginning of each chapter, which were OK but I wouldn’t have noticed if they weren’t there, let’s put it that way. They didn’t particularly add much to the chapter. Miss Conceived isn’t a particularly easy read, because the only one happy with her life is Angie and Serena and Ruby’s lives just aren’t how they expected it to be. However I really liked the book. It took me a few days to finish, mainly down to my own inexplicable tiredness, but once I got reading I did find it hard to stop as the short chapters made it very easy for me to “just read one more”. I would definitely recommend the book, and I look forward to going back to read Designer Genes as well as Emma’s new book which will be released in the Summer.
April 13, 2011
Miss Conceived by Emma Hannigan is a story of three women ~ Angie, Serena and Ruby, all different from each other in age and personality, on their rocky road to motherhood. The story is set in Ireland. This is the author's second book, first one being Designer Genes.
Angie Breen, at the age of 40 is successful in her career but is still single. This is not the kind of life she thought she would be living at the age of 40 and she is worried she might end up single and childless. Her life changes when she expectantly discovers she is pregnant after a night sling with some one she barely knows. Serena Doyle is the ultimate epitome of glamour and sophistication. Married to a dynamic businessman, she wants to be a mother to complete her perfect life. But fate has planned something else for her and she struggles to conceive. It turns her life upside down and in the quest of conceiving she discovers a startling secret about herself. Ruby White, a 16 year old girl is infatuated with her best friend's father - Damo and after a eventful night in a pub ends up bearing his child. Her parents are worried and conjures up a plan to save her daughter's future. What will happen to Angie, Serena and Ruby? Is Angie's pregnancy a blessing in disguise? Will Serena be able to cope up with the circumstances that has marred her perfect life? What future has in store for Ruby and her baby? That's the story all about. Absolutely Chick lit.
After reading the book, I have mixed feelings for it. It took me almost 3 weeks to finish this book and I could not read more than 3-4 chapters in a go. May be the baby related drama was just too much to take at a go or may be I was also spending a lot of time watching the Cricket World Cup. The writing style is not very appealing and some times, I felt I could not to connect to the story. I liked the character of Angie as she seemed real and was kind of annoyed with Ruby at the beginning. Infatuation with your best friend's dad, thats too much to digest! She seemed to be a careless teenager but through the end of the novel, one could feel the way she matures. The novel is written in third person switching between Angie, Serena, Damo and Ruby. The characters are well developed but there is something amiss which makes the story monotonous if read at length. It was sort of one time read and I would recommend it to someone who likes full blast chick lit stuff.
Angie Breen, at the age of 40 is successful in her career but is still single. This is not the kind of life she thought she would be living at the age of 40 and she is worried she might end up single and childless. Her life changes when she expectantly discovers she is pregnant after a night sling with some one she barely knows. Serena Doyle is the ultimate epitome of glamour and sophistication. Married to a dynamic businessman, she wants to be a mother to complete her perfect life. But fate has planned something else for her and she struggles to conceive. It turns her life upside down and in the quest of conceiving she discovers a startling secret about herself. Ruby White, a 16 year old girl is infatuated with her best friend's father - Damo and after a eventful night in a pub ends up bearing his child. Her parents are worried and conjures up a plan to save her daughter's future. What will happen to Angie, Serena and Ruby? Is Angie's pregnancy a blessing in disguise? Will Serena be able to cope up with the circumstances that has marred her perfect life? What future has in store for Ruby and her baby? That's the story all about. Absolutely Chick lit.
After reading the book, I have mixed feelings for it. It took me almost 3 weeks to finish this book and I could not read more than 3-4 chapters in a go. May be the baby related drama was just too much to take at a go or may be I was also spending a lot of time watching the Cricket World Cup. The writing style is not very appealing and some times, I felt I could not to connect to the story. I liked the character of Angie as she seemed real and was kind of annoyed with Ruby at the beginning. Infatuation with your best friend's dad, thats too much to digest! She seemed to be a careless teenager but through the end of the novel, one could feel the way she matures. The novel is written in third person switching between Angie, Serena, Damo and Ruby. The characters are well developed but there is something amiss which makes the story monotonous if read at length. It was sort of one time read and I would recommend it to someone who likes full blast chick lit stuff.
August 15, 2013
Enjoyable but a bit predictable!
October 13, 2014
really great easy reading. flew through this book- a bit predictable but great for an easy read
October 14, 2014
Predictable chick lit. The characters are two dimensional. I found some of the relationships unrealistic. It's easy, light reading, if that's what you're looking for, but it's not my thing.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews