Thanks to Scribe UK and NetGalley for allowing me to read this graphic novel!

As someone who never experienced parenthood, it’s interesting to look at Conrad and Joannes case when they were trying their hardest to have a child via IVF. Before reading this novel, although I’ve heard of IVF being mentioned, I never gave it a thought to deeply research it. It was really good to see both characters communicate well throughout the process. It’s even good to see their friends and families supporting them by not involving unnecessary drama.

This graphic novel was a really nice “slice of life” read and could benefit couples out there who are going through the same thing!

This graphic novel is a semi-biographic story based on the journey its husband-and-wife authors had to go through. I think it makes you realise how common it is becoming. I don’t know anyone around me who tried IVF but I now understand the topic better.
Not going to lie, the end of this book brought a little tear to my eye. I quite enjoyed this story overall, the only thing is that I didn’t particularly get attached to the characters so that’s why I only followed their journey, without really putting myself into it.
This graphic novel deals with a heavy topic: struggle to get pregnant and IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation). And I think it does it well because, it is quite easy to read but you understand how difficult it is for the people who go through it. Moreover, I liked that the characters reflect on if they really want a child or if it is just something they think they want.
The illustrations are sketchy and simple and brings out the worries, difficulties and happiness this couple experienced. I think Mara Wild did a great job here.
I recommend it.
3.5/5

This is a memoir about the struggles a young couple faces while trying to conceive. It documents their journey of trying IVF and how taxing it can be (not that anyone would presume otherwise).
Honestly, I was outraged at some parts of the story, as the husband wasn't as supportive as he should have been. I felt for the wife a lot and I can understand her need to become a mother. BUT the couple clearly had a lot of communication issues: from the financial woes to the dreadful comment of his: "If you die, I won't be needing your eggs"; this comment made me see this relationship as problematic and I have to acknowledge that.

I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley for providing me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have never read a graphic novel and my first one did not disappoint. 'Two-Week Wait follows' the IVF journey of a husband and wife and how IVF impacts emotionally and physically. I loved how Luke and Kelly portrayed the raw emotions between the two, their complexities of marriage and the unsolicited advice from friends and family.
To be perfectly honest there is not enough material out there to describe IVF and its impact so I found this incredibly insightful. I have friends who are experiencing IVF right now so wanted to understand how to better support them and this book highlights exactly that. Totally recommend for anyone - it's an important topic that we ought to know more about.

Wow. This one is tough. It's like watching your own life or that of a close friend. You're in the room, you're feeling all of the feelings and seeing every moment. It's painful yet lighthearted and tender. The illustration is delightful and touching - it gives a certain sincerity to the characters. The storyline is all too real. Great read.

This was a lovely graphic novel about a couple struggling to get pregnant and their journey and experiences with IVF. IVF is a topic I have tried to become more familiar with but there is always something I could learn and seeing it in a graphic novel is especially important. IVF is a topic not talked about enough so seeing it here is important to help normalize and educate about it.

I really felt the emotion in here and felt as it was a good representation of how I imagine going through all of this is like. I do wish some spots were explored a little bit more and that it was a little short. I enjoyed the art work and the writing.

This is a graphic novel that will go along with so many families and what they are going through. I think that if you would like to see what couples go through in order to have a child, you will like this. If you are having a hard time withy having a baby, this book might not be the right one for you. But, if you need a pick me up and to see how another couple went through fertilization, it might help you.

This graphic novel really gives the reader insight to what it is like for couples going through IVF. The characters go through the process and really express their emotions. It made me appreciate the process that so many couples go through to have a baby.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes trouble making the baby to place in the baby carriage. Two-Week Wait is that story. As someone who’s on an IVF waiting list, I found this book very informative. If I didn’t have anyone to talk to about the IVF process, I would d want this book. This books explores all of the factors, emotional, financial, physical and social, related to making this decision. I found that it provided a lot more clarity than the pamphlets they give you at your first fertility appointment. I really liked that it addressed conversations about the stigma surrounding not being able to conceive naturally. I also appreciated that it demystified some of the medical procedures part of the IVF process. Most of all, I admired how the storyline was so upfront about how communication is key, because the procedure can be so emotionally draining. My only gripe is that in a couple of frames I couldn’t figure out who the speaker was. Overall though, this is a very impressive work and I would recommend it to my friends going through IVF.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribe UK for an electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

CW: infertility, pregnancy loss

In this graphic novel, a married couple in their 30s, Jo and Conrad, are having trouble getting pregnant. After various doctor visits, tests, and procedures, they begin their IVF journey.

Having never been pregnant or tried to become pregnant, I couldn't connect directly to this story through personal experience. However, knowing people who have been through this process (some multiple times), it hit straight to the heart. The emotions are raw and real, and the journey the couple went through was depicted with honesty and care. I think that there is something to be gained from this by everyone who reads it, but it could potentially be triggering for those who are struggling or have faced loss in the past.

This left me torn. Honestly doesn't entirely embody the way I felt when reading and completing this book. The reason I was left torn wasn't Luke or Kelly Jackson's story, but the reminder that this kind of financial strain isn't feasible for everyone, which leaves people both without the care they need, as well as leaving them without the kind of opportunities something like IVF can offer. While not something this book specifically touched on, it did spark me to think about it more in-depth.

Moving away from the tangential thoughts this book invoked.
I was honestly excited to read and support this book because I know that even today. Issues regarding women's health such as menstruation, miscarriages, and fertility problems are something that ends up being something that isn't really spoken about, so in turn, it can leave you feeling like you're alone with no one to reach out to.

This story is beautiful because it felt like someone sitting next to me telling their story. In full earnestness, no holds barred. Letting you know what their experience really and truly looked like and how it can affect every facet of a person's life.

The watercolor style and simplistic color choices honestly made the work pop in my mind; even after I stepped away, I found my mind returning to particular panels because the art there resonated with me so much.

I found this graphic novel very informative and interesting especially for women of child-bearing age. My husband and I are looking to conceive within the next year, and being that I am approaching 35, I have often wondered how easy that journey will be. I was always curious about IVF and the challenges and difficulties associated with that experience. The book takes you through the various stages of the process and details the wide range of emotions felt by the couple. I know this won't be for everyone, but I think the appropriate audience would appreciate reading a book like this to not feel alone, create awareness and be informed about IVF.

The journey of IVF, couple, emotion & education on what many face.

Being in my mid-twenties, I have plenty of friends who are thinking about kids and only finding out about the trouble with fertility. I myself barely know anything, and this graphic novel was essential, informative and emotionally compelling.

I felt myself go on this journey with this couple -and who knows I might experience in a real-life one day.
I recommend young adults or older teens read this; it's never too early to look into your health for the future.

Arc kindly received from NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book blew me away.

It took a very difficult and sensitive subject and handled it with so much delicacy and honesty. The artwork was simple but beautiful, and I think that is exactly what was needed to balance the heaviness of the topic.

Infertility is still seen by some as a taboo subject, and certainly isn’t spoken about enough. I think this book shows a snapshot of just how difficult and painful the journey can be, and hopefully shows we shouldn’t be scared to talk about it and lean on others.

While I can’t relate to the situation as a whole, there certainly were elements in the story that I could. I was a little worried I would find this triggering, but the topic was so well handled!

Just a stunning, heartbreaking, hopeful tale.

I wish to make it known at the start of this review that I do not have any experience of fertility problems or IVF.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel covering a married couple: Jo and Conrad through their journey to conceive via IVF. It was really well written and I felt the subject was handled really sensitively. I felt the emotions of the characters, the uncertainty, the anxiety, the self blame and impact it had on so many aspects of their lives.

It was a quick read but really informative.
Really enjoyable.

even as a reader with no experience in trying to get pregnant, what more going through rounds of i.v.f., i felt for the protagonists because they felt so real to me.

This was a touching fast read. It was nice to be let in on their journey. I felt like I was a part of the story. I connected with them and I was rooting for them. Such love and hope.

We celebrated Chinese New Year last weekend, and inevitably, as a couple who has been married for 2+ years we braced ourselves for the baby questions. While we were able to make some jokes, change the topic, put somebody else in the Zoom spotlight, it still felt like an attack.

Two-Week Wait is an insightful graphic novel about a couple in their 30s trying and failing to have baby, based on the authors' real life IVF journey. It draws on the emotional, physical and financial strains the experience can put a couple through. The novel also tried to normalise the topic, by indicating that infertility is not something shameful and one in 50 couples go through it.

It also puts into perspective that social norms and demographics are changing, and IVF may be necessary journey for some couples. i.e. increasing maternal age, single women, same-sex couples.

Reading this graphic also made me think of women's relationships with our periods and fertility. It's strange how your reaction to your period goes from "thank God!" to "ah shit", and you're not quite sure exactly when you made that transition.

Thank you #netgalley and @scribe_uk for this ARC.

#twoweekwait #ivf #infertility #pregnancy #sexualhealth #arc #bookreviews #bookrecommendations #graphicnovels #comics #illustrations #bookworm #bibliophile #readersofig #instareads #bookstagram #bookstagramuk

Two-Week Wait is an emotional graphic novel about infertility and IVF. This story follows the journey of husband & wife, Jo & Conrad, throughout their IVF process. The story was based on the authors and other IVF couples and individuals interviewed for this book.

This well-researched story was informative for not only the couples or individuals that are about to, or are currently experiencing the IVF process, but for family members and friends unsure of how to support someone they love experiencing infertility, IVF, or pregnancy loss.

Explaining the procedures of what to expect was important to add. Procedures like laparoscopy, HSG, and semen analysis are routine but patients are often left in the dark on what to expect from them. By providing this accurate account through someone else’s story could put a reader’s mind at ease a bit if they are about to go through IVF.

Many times Jo & Conrad feel defeated by the pressure to get pregnant, they both have feelings of inadequacy when they cannot fall pregnant despite trying everything. The main take away from this story for the readers that have not experienced IVF or infertility was the need to just listen to your friends/family instead of sharing your own problems or trying to fix someone with advice when something isn’t going according to plan. IVF is emotionally and psychologically exhausting so having a friend, family member, employer supporting throughout this is key to not adding more stress into this already difficult process.

The illustrations were very simplistic as if these characters could represent any reader going through IVF that may stumble upon this story. This was a wonderful book about a very sensitive topic and I think the authors did a great job showing the many struggles they themselves, and many others go through during the process to have children. I would recommend this book to anyone going through IVF or infertility, anyone interested in the IVF process, or to anyone supporting a friend or family member experiencing IVF, infertility or pregnancy loss.

Thank you to Scribe UK & NetGalley for the digital ARC copy of Two-Week Wait.
Rating: 4/5

I really appreciate the educational tool this graphic novel serves as. I don't know that that was the intention, but it certainly should be a useful tool for communicating with women and their partners who are undergoing IVF, or in fact any fertility investigations or treatments. So often people misjudge what an appropriate question is; so often people ask ignorant questions like, "oh you've been married 3 years why haven't you had kids yet?" So often those women have had multiple miscarriages behind closed doors. So often those women want children more than you could imagine. And, actually, even if that's not true and those couples don't wish to have any children, ever, regardless of the length of their marriage - it's not your business!

I like this book. I like the characters, the heart and most of all I like the harsh reality of it. I hope people read it and listen, and for those who truly understand and can relate, perhaps it can shine some hope into what can be a truly bleak situation.

ARC provided from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.