This is SUCH an important book and I wish it had been around when I was a teenager. The chronic illness descriptions, particularly endometriosis and IBS, and how doctors can be so dismissive of patients’ pain and experience was so well here and really shined a light on how frustrating not only getting a diagnosis can be, but how it can truly disrupt your entire life. I felt seen so many times while reading this book. I also really loved the look at how isolating chronic illness can make you feel, even with a great support system. Also, the cute little romance between Delia and Caleb made me so happy. I highly recommend this one for other chronic illness sufferers or anyone who’s wanted to understand how debilitating they can be.
CW: medical content, chronic illness,

Thank you to Random House Books for Young Readers for the digital reader’s copy!

HIGH SCHOOL IS HARD. PERIOD. The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding On A Tuesday written by Kelsey B. Toney was raw, gritty, beautiful, heart breaking, real, powerful, and truthful. I have never read such a relatable book before, my jaw was literally on the floor after reading this heart wrenching story. As women, we all know periods suck, they are the absolute worst whether they are painful or not, they can ruin your day within a blink of an eye. Kelsey Toney broke my heart with this book, I can't believe there are doctors out there who tell women and young girls to get over it, every female has their period, when they are literally bawling their eyes out because it's so painful sometimes. I can't recommend this book enough, The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding On A Tuesday is for all of my girlies who have or had endometriosis. I hear you. I see you. I feel you, but just know your period doesn't define you as a woman. Even if you have never had endometriosis, I truly believe this book is so important to read because it honestly taught me so much even though I've had my period since I was eleven years old. If any of you decide to read this book, please don't skip over the author's note, I think it's so important to read because it truly speaks for every female out there. If you are interested in reading this book, which I highly recommend everyone should, please mark your calendars of June 17th, 2025 because The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding On A Tuesday is such an eye opening book you don't want to miss out on. Ugh, I'm getting so emotional writing my review because of how powerful, inspiring, and heart breaking this story was. I absolutely love love love women empowerment so much, it's truly a beautiful thing to witness.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY AND RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN'S FOR AN ARC OF THIS BOOK IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW!!!!!!!!

For anyone who's ever had a really great day ruined by a really bad period, this one's for you.

"You know you can be brave and still cry".

"Ibuprofen can suck it, it does nothing".

"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end".

"Best friends get to say the hard stuff, that's the deal".

"I have learned that sometimes beauty hides in ruins".

Delia Bridges is a certified card carrying overly emotional lifelong drama queen. Elvira, Delia's period- is the single literal worst part of her life. Delia has periods that are so painful they make her scream, pass out, and throw up, she has been to seven doctors in six years and she still doesn't know anything more than she did when she was twelve years old, the doctors tell her every female has a period and just gives her birth control pills and over the counter Tylenol for pain. Nobody believes her when she says the pain doesn't feel normal, it's truly heart breaking that doctors prescribed this poor girl pills when she told them they didn't work. Delia got her first period when she was twelve years old in sixth grade on Valentine's Day. Sometimes the pain is bearable, but other times it hits at the most unexpected times and completely ruins her day. My heart just breaks for this poor girl, I wanted to just reach into my kindle and give her the biggest hug ever, she's so brave, it just broke my heart when she described her pain to her doctors and they just gave her birth control pills when she literally told them numerous times that they don't do anything for her. Delia, girl, you are one brave soul and your story was deeply inspiring and powerful. I can't even tell you how many tears my kindle absorbed while I was reading this heart breaking story. Since first starting her period, Delia's life has been flooded with apologies for being a burden, for needing help, for missing out, and for messing up plans. I'm sorry, but no female should ever have to apologize for having their period, it's just a part of life, some might have it worse than others, but I don't think we owe anyone an apology.

Delia attends Stockwood Prep, which is a pre-med mentorship program, she's a month away from graduation when she faces expulsion for bringing marijuana to a medical ceremony. Reagan, Delia's little sister has a secret weapon for Delia's period pain- a vanilla flavored weed tincture. Delia faces expulsion for bringing the tiny bottle of pot to the ceremony and for being under the influence of illegal pot. At just seventeen years old with a killer 4.3 GPA, Delia gets an early acceptance into Gleeson University in Boston which is the school of her dreams, but after having pot at school, Delia's dreams of attending this school are thrown away. Delia wants to become the best gynecologist in the world because the medical community was all too willing to say her condition was just a girl being dramatic. After being expelled, Delia returns to Blythe High School to earn the rest of her credits. Ruby Walker and Delia Bridges are reunited at Blythe after an embarrassing birthday pool party made them have a falling out. As she returns to school, Delia meets Caleb who held Delia's hair back while she was throwing up on the side of the road on her first day back at school. After meeting Caleb, Delia just pushes him away when she doesn't feel good, but like an angel, Caleb is always there to help Delia when she needs it the most. I seriously applaud Caleb for being so sweet and for being there for Delia when he had no clue what was going on. After meeting with the right doctor, Delia finds out she has stage three endometriosis on her bladder, intestines, and her stomach. My heart is just broken, this girl shouldn't be feeling tired of being a chore and a burden when all she needs is the right doctor to diagnose her severe condition. After hearing Ruby's story- Delia's friend, my heart broke all over again.

As a debut author the was good but not my favorite. This book is about a senior girl who feels her period ruins everything.She has painful cycles but has been gaslighting by the medical profession all she wants to to find out what is wrong with her. The book was well written but very YA for me.

[arc review]
Thank you to Penguin Teen Canada for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday releases June 17, 2025

Years of navigating debilitating periods and excruciating pain has lead Delia to enroll in the premed program at her school, with aspirations to be the world’s best gynecologist in an effort to finally get a diagnosis.
But of course, the one thing that constantly disrupts and affects the quality of her life, chooses to do so again, when her period starts early and lands on the day of the premed mentorship program ceremony.
A lot is on the line for Delia since there is a high risk of being dropped from the mentorship program if she doesn’t comply with the mandatory attendance. This could also be her one shot to get in touch with the mentor she is paired with, who specializes in pelvic and period pain, and might have the answers she’s looking for.

In a last-ditch effort to manage her pain, Delia self-medicates with a homemade weed tincture, but accidentally takes too large of a dose, makes a spectacle at the ceremony, and not only gets herself expelled from school, but is dropped from the mentorship program and has her early acceptance into college revoked.

If you’ve ever experienced endometriosis, chronic illness, or medical gaslighting, then you will feel extremely seen reading this heartfelt and honest debut.
Delia’s story reflected so many of my own personal struggles; realistic fiction like this is so important as a way to normalize and bring awareness to chronic illnesses.

This semi-autobiographical novel from Kelsey B. Toney tells a good story, but that's not all. It brings attention to the difficulties young women with debilitating periods face, every single month.

Delia is one of these kids. She's weeks away from graduating top of the class in her private school, but she also spends time every month in excruciating pain from her period - blacking out, throwing up, and being in severe pain. She's been to more than a handful of gynecologists without any help.

And when she and her sister try to make a way for Delia to make it through a very important school day, Delia finds herself kicked out and back in public school, where she has to face the kids that saw some of her greatest period-related trauma and her former best friend.

I enjoyed Delia's story, how her mom advocates for her, and what she learns about herself and others. I think this is going to be an important book for girls who struggle like Delia did. (I sympathized with her a lot - I didn't experience quite this level of pain, but having PCOS I also had episodes of passing out and throwing up when I was a teen, and I took prescription levels of Aleve to help the pain.)

Thank you to Kelsey Toney for sharing this part of herself and refusing to let the issue be put aside by those in power.

For someone who has dealt with an invisible illness, I can relate so much on how the main chain character felt. This book was very insightful and well written. I love this book so much.

really well written and fun book. loved it, loved the characters, really empathized with our protag. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

One of the most powerful things a book can do is offer readers a window into a life experience they may never face themselves. Kelsey B. Toney’s novel is the epitome of that kind of storytelling—one that builds empathy through unflinching honesty and emotional depth.
Delia’s journey begins with a single, desperate decision that unleashes a harrowing chain of events. The pain she endures—both physical and emotional—is relentless, and as a reader, you feel every moment of it. While the pacing lags slightly in the middle, Toney keeps the narrative compelling overall with vivid, immersive prose that grips you from the beginning and refuses to let go.
As someone who hasn’t experienced endometriosis, I admit that some of Delia’s struggles initially felt hard to grasp—almost unbelievable. And then it hit me: that’s the point. That disbelief mirrors what Delia faces constantly from those around her. The novel invites readers to examine their own biases, to sit with that discomfort, and to listen—to really listen—to a voice that is so often dismissed or ignored. In that way, Delia emerges as a profoundly strong character: not because she’s fearless or invincible, but because she endures. She survives in a world that doesn’t believe her pain is real.
Toney’s writing is intensely cinematic. I could see this story play out in my mind like a film—raw, emotional, and visually striking. Honestly, it should be a film. More people need to witness Delia’s experience to better understand the physical and social toll of chronic, invisible illness.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Children's | Random House Books for Young Readers, and Kelsey B. Toney for this free, advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Unexpected Consequence of Bleeding on a Tuesday will be published June 17, 2025.

The Unexpected Consequences of Bleeding on a Tuesday is sharp, funny, and fiercely honest—a total powerhouse of a read. Delia’s journey through unbearable period pain, school pressure, and one life-derailing mistake had me hooked from page one.
Kelsey Toney doesn’t shy away from the messy, painful truth—but she also gives us hope, resilience, and one unforgettable main character who refuses to be defined by her diagnosis. This is a period-positive, girl-powered, rule-breaking triumph of a book.

“An unexpected consequence doesn’t always ruin. Sometimes, it renews.”
I like to goblin hoard every period-focused book I come across. There isn’t enough of shameless discussion regarding it. If you have a uterus, you get it.
This book doesn’t shy from the details and it’s refreshing to read.
This story is about perseverance. Even when life knocks you down or when others don’t believe you, you don’t give up.
You will be rooting so hard for Delia as she goes through the story, and you may find yourself cheering aloud like I did, haha.
I love the discussion of hope for the future in this story. Plans get derailed and it’s hard to cope when life isn’t going where you wanted it but life often works out anyway, and sometimes even better?
And not only do we have endo rep, but we also have IBS rep! It’s important to recognize that people who live with chronic pain or similar conditions experience life differently and deserve love and grace, not judgement and ostracism.
We need more portrayals like these in mainstream media, and In my limited experience I think Kelsey B. Toney did a great job regarding that.
I can’t fit this paragraph in neatly but Ruby-June is my favorite character! She is a treasure and so funny, I love her and her witty phrasings.
Overall it’s a good book! It will broaden your perspective and help foster compassion for others which is always good.
Oh, and if you’re feeling like you’re behind in life or your peers you should read this too.

Wow an amazing read. For all those who have endo, have heard about endo or just have a genuinely awful time each month this is a book that helps you feel heard. I think this is one everyone should read no matter their gender. It gives such an amazing overview of how the medical system approaches women and women's issues. Its horrible and degrading and infuriating. No way would most of these attitudes and procedures still be done today if men were the ones having them done.

Really great and gave insight to how it is to have endometriosis. Only comment is it seemed odd to have the girls reunite that easily.

Ｅｂｏｏｋ Ｒｅｖｉｅｗ
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
OMG! This book, "The Unexpected Consequences of Bleeding on a Tuesday," I swear, was me as a teen! Lord have mercy, but first, let me say I saw this book from a different POV! As a surgical tech who literally works with women, taking out their uteruses and reading their diagnoses, this book hit home hard, and I really appreciated it. I highly recommend it. Delia Bridges is striving to become the compassionate doctor she's been unable to find in her journey to diagnose her excruciating period pain. But when a single rule-breaking incident jeopardizes her future, she must find a way to reclaim her dreams in this funny, period-positive novel.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Random House Children's for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who has spent most of my life being mocked, ignored, or belittled for my medical issues (no one, not even the doctors, thought there was anything actually wrong with me, and they kept saying “it’s all in your head,” which was ironic because it was all because of my *brain tumor*), I really felt for Delia who just wanted to find a reason for, and a treatment to deal with, her overwhelming period pain.
This book deals with the aftermath of a no-exceptions, no-second-chances school policy that leaves Delia expelled from her fancy private school when she, in desperation, decides to self-medicate with a homemade marijuana tincture. Just like so many real-life schools, her fancy private school has a zero-tolerance policy that leaves absolutely no room for exceptions or explanations. And just like in real life, the zero-tolerance policy ends up causing unintended casualties.
Delia has to figure out how to pick up the pieces when her mistake sends her whole life plan into a tailspin. And how to navigate the situation when she runs into another zero-tolerance, no-exceptions policy at her new school. (No more than 10 absences for any reason, even medical.) And she has to deal with the inherent ableism that fuels the policy.
It’s a book that raises a lot of questions and opens the door for a lot of important conversations.
I highly recommend this book for anyone with a vagina, anyone who has ever been frustrated in trying to figure out a medical mystery, anyone who has ever tried to navigate difficult friend dynamics, and anyone who has ever butted up against stringent rules that didn’t allow for necessary Exceptions. Basically, this book should be on everyone’s TBR.

It’s hard to explain what I would have given to have had this book anytime in the last 20+ years.

I have never felt more seen in a book, and in most situations actually, as I did while reading this.

Delia has painful periods. Except it’s not just painful period. This was my story and so many others. The symptoms, the lack of compassion and understanding from doctors. The being made to feel like you are crazy because they tell you that your fine but no part of your body feels fine. The constant battle to try and function because of the endless pain.

This book would have been a lifeline for me growing up. To know I wasn’t alone. To know that there could be hope. To help me keep fighting for answers and relief.

If you or someone you know has ever had a period, then you should read this book.

The thing about half the population menstruating that people don’t get is that everyone experiences it slightly differently. Oh, they show you those cartoons, in fifth grade, during health class, where they separate the boys from the girls, or at least they did back in my day, where they tell you it will be a light pain, and it will happen every 28 days for about three or four days.

But none of that is true. Some people go much longer. Some people have their period every other month. Some people who are under stress or not eating enough, or anything that might cause problems, might go without their period for months at a time.

I bring all this up, because the main character in this book, Delia has been trying to find out why her period gives her such pain, that sometimes she will pass out, or just not be able to get out of bed. All her doctors, be they men or women, young or old, just tell her to suck it up, because that’s what everyone goes through, and she isn’t special. Delia decides that she is going to become a doctor, and then find the answer to why she is in so much pain.

Or at least that is the plan, until her sister gives her some pot, which is illegal in Texas, and she takes too much and gets very high, and is expelled from school.

I wasn’t sure where this story was going to go, other than to show some really rotten doctors, but it worked well. There was even a little love interest thrown in. And I also liked how everyone was so open about discussing their periods, and what was going on.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book is being published on the 17th of June 2025.

Seventeen-year-old Delia Bridges has suffered from period pain her entire womanhood. The trouble is, none of her multiple gynecologists have believed her. Delia's pain is debilitating, causing her to pass out sometimes and miss school every month. When her period starts early, threatening Delia's future college career, she tries some different ways to deal with her pain. The consequences are catastrophic, and she must rethink her whole future.

Told with humility and grace, Toney's novel is a must-read for young women suffering from painful periods. I also appreciated the nod to IBS in another character.

What a great book about period pain, and because Delia has severe pain she wants to be a gynecologist to find out what’s wrong with her. She thinks she has endometriosis and has been to many doctors who say it’s just period pain. Delia finds an organization that provides advocacy services, and a doctor there offers to take Delia on as a patient. Can the doctor help her with her pain?
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. I feel so lucky to have gotten a chance to read this early! This was such an honest and relatable portrayal of issues that I have never seen in portrayed fiction before. I would highly recommend this to any teen or adult who has struggled with invisible illness, especially related to women’s health, or anyone interested in better understanding those struggles.

Loved this story! Told with humor and grace it's a beautiful story about a teen trying to find answers to why her period each month leaves her in debilitating pain. Racking up absences at school and plodding her way through eight different gynecologists has left her desperate and sinking into depression. Toney does a wonderful job of blending being independent and finding one's voice while also leaning on a strong support system. The best part of this story is that it gives hope to those who suffer and are not taken seriously by professionals. It's a story pf perseverance! Hopefully the authenticity of the characters will foster compassion for those with medical conditions that can be embarrassing and uncontrollable.