It was a great read. The way it portrayed how a single decision can change your family dynamics is really beautiful. I loved how it dealt with post partam depression.

I enjoyed this book. The characters were well developed and seemed real. The story line was interesting and took a few unexpected turns that kept me wanting to read more.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read but very pertinent to many. Could be triggering for some, but worth it for me.

This story was a very detailed look of postpartum depression, motherhood, and family. Gemma Sinclair is relatable even to non mothers because she is a sister, wife, daughter as well. These book was messy but that is what made me like it because it made it so I could connect. There is humor, heartache and and so many emotions throughout. This is a deep and powerful book I enjoyed and you might too.

I devoured this book - it’s definitely the type to read again and pick up on more!

The author manages to pack in a lot over these 300 pages - alongside Gemma, we unravel family trauma, untruths, and how our childhood experiences feed into our adult lives.

It manages to portray incredibly unique, yet completely universal family dynamics and parenthood experiences.

It is well-written with real, raw characters and contains the most realistic depictions of the postpartum experience (including that first terrifying postpartum shit) that I’ve ever seen depicted in any media. I probably wouldn’t have appreciated the book as much in my 20s (or pre-parenthood), but it’s one of those books that hit me at exactly the right time.

At moments I was annoyed by Gemma. And I understand her completely.

Meg Myers Morgan's The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair is a heartfelt, humorous and emotionally resonant novel that tackles the raw truths of postpartum depression, the complexities of motherhood, the strain of marriage and family dynamics, and the quiet strength required to simply exist as a woman in today’s world.

This book is a page-turner not only because of story twists, but because of its raw truth and personal connections. It’s a must-read for anyone who has ever questioned their role, their worth, or their strength, and a reminder that we can reclaim ourselves- with grace, grit and and a little bit of humor.

Prior to starting the book, I had read other reviews and was intrigued by the divide in how people perceived Gemma's actions (or inactions). Add me to the team of those who absolutely loved every second with Gemma. Gemma is real. She's everything I think to myself and am afraid to say out loud. And because so much of Gemma is presented through inner monologue or through carefully structured reflections, I found it easy to empathize with Gemma even when it was something I'd never personally dealt with.

This is such a wonderful character, and her self-discovery and self-healing journey is one I wish we could all take for ourselves. The author doesn't make it easy on Gemma, though. There were so many mini breakthrough moments where I thought, "if this were a sitcom, this would be the moment Gemma lives happily ever after." But life is not a sitcom, so Gemma's journey isn't either. Gemma has to unravel a life's worth of trauma (some obviously big, some subtly big) in order to find herself. And yes, the timing of her unraveling is certainly inconvenient (having just given birth, in denial about post partum depression), but that too is life, so I found that very relatable. The author's sarcastic and intelligent sense of humor shines through on so many pages, so luckily for the reader, this emotionally heavy journey is written in a way that you feel ready to walk beside her, to watch her heal and to heal yourself in the process.

I regret that I had to DNF this one. I know that not all postpartum experiences are the same, but this seemed a little over the top and I couldn't get past the writing style. I appreciate the opportunity to check it out though.

Wow. I’m not sure I can currently put into words all of my thoughts about this one. This book will resonate with any woman: mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, wives. It forces you to reflect on your own familial relationships. I couldn't put it down!

4.5 ⭐️

As a mom, this book truly made me consider my parents’ decisions that impacted me and how I’m impacting my children through the decisions I make. It is relatable, the characters are interesting and I really enjoyed the writing. Definitely check it out!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. As someone who struggled with severe post partum depression after her second child, this book resonated with me on that level. I also liked how realistic everything was. I felt like this is something I could imagine talking to a real person about instead of some far fetched family tragedy that felt too huge to be able to relate to. I also loved that the FMC was a therapist herself. It just goes to show that no one is exempt from mental health struggles or family trauma.

4+ stars-I have read a lot of books about dysfunctional families, but never one that is as realistic as this. Our main character.

Gemma just gave birth 4 days ago but rather than enjoying her time with the new baby, she is buying g gourmet coffee ground, craft bears, and fancy deli plates for a visit from her family. Well, one family member, her older brother, Eddie who is always the one that is to be put on a pedestal.

There is brutal honesty about life after birth including a lot of maxi pads and an enema along with a realistic look at the effects a horrible event has on the family and how Gemma deals with it. From the title I kind of expected a light read, this was anything but. I found myself nodding my head a lot and rooting for Gemma to come out whole at the end.

This is the debut novel from the author, which WOW! I look forward to reading more by her asap! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

“The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair” was a spectacular book that engaged me from the very first page. This book is so easy to follow, and the main character is written in a way that makes her relatable and lovably frazzled. Once you read the book, you’ll understand what I mean. I am a mother, and I can fully relate to the time right after I had a baby, when I was in the thick of post-partum and worrying about all kinds of issues that no one else seemed to notice. Reading this book was like chatting with a good friend, hearing a story from someone you can trust and relate to. I would definitely recommend this to multitudes of people. This will be my go-to recommendation and gift for many people in my life.

Character-heavy and -driven in the best ways. Each of the characters is both endearing and frustrating at some point in the book. This is a classic story about a typical American family, and the added postpartum layer brings new depth and perspective. Heavy at times, hilarious at others. Highly recommend!

I will admit, Gemma Sinclair, our FMC, made a lot of decisions early on in the story that I did NOT vibe with. However, one of the main themes of this book is postpartum depression. Decisions made in the state that she was existing in DO make sense and shed light on the chaos that can exist when actively battling PPD. We walk alongside her as she delves into not only her own traumas, but her family's traumas as well. I think this book was a great representation of what PPD can look like, and I appreciate the stressed importance of therapy and medication. This was a fast-paced read, and even in moments where I was not enjoying the choices of our FMC, I still wanted to know what happened next, and I was ultimately very satisfied with how the story wrapped up.

Thank you so much to GFB for allowing me to read and review my first ARC!

I couldn't even finish it!
A story all about after birth depression, pooping and bleeding, I can't believe that the author wrote a book mostly written about crying and changing pads in the bathroom!

Read in 2 hours and 15 minutes.

When I chose this book, I wasn’t expecting to go to therapy but, let’s be honest, we all know that I needed it.
Despite being childless, I could emphasise with Gemma as she slid into depression, after her baby slipped out.
That was the grossest way I could’ve put that but it feels fitting, seeing as this book is wonderfully blunt and graphic about the realities of childbirth and family life; it’s the kind of book that your aunt would nod knowingly at, and your mum would gift at your baby shower.

“I have disappeared from my own life,” is one of the defeated phrases found in these pages.
Life isn’t turning out as Gemma had hoped.
For starters, she can’t summon the same all-encompassing ‘love at first sight’ for her second son.
Then, her adored but highly strung older brother is squeezing out the last of her energy reserves when he unexpectedly announces that he’s staying with her, 4 days after birthing Calvin, and she’s struggling to roll out the required red carpet.
Gemma lashes out at a challenging patient when prematurely returning to work- this is worse than most outbursts at a job because she’s a therapist…
Rock bottom arrives with a bone crunching thud when an accident leaves her newborn injured, and innocent Gemma takes the blame.

Suddenly, she’s summoned to therapy herself.
All she wants is for life to be better but hope seems like a distant star.
Dr Fox asks, “would better have looked like?” and my mind spun.
What a sobering question. I was ambushed with this phrase that could Marie Kondo my own life, attacked again after reading that anger is the bodyguard of sadness.

How can I rest when quotes like this are casually slung onto the page?

“Gemma bit hard on her lip, swallowing the intense distress. She shifted her emotions, as if shuffling a deck of cards, until she found a better one to play.”
And

“Tell me more” he said.
[followed by a rant with TMI slathered over it]
There were several seconds of silence.
"Tell me... less."

And this?

Just as she predicted, blood was seeping out of the pad and had created a Rorschach effect on her thighs.
More quotes at the bottom but the gist is that this story is a colourful bath bomb, swirling life-straightening advice in the soothing heat of emotion.

The first note I wrote was that ‘Eddie is a total jerk who hasn’t a single redeeming feature about him: his only purpose is to make your blood boil enough that you could replace a kettle.’
By the end of the book, I’d reevaluated completely, having seen the raw skin rubbed off this prickly family.

Smuggle this book into any bleary day and reach for the phone- this book compels you.

More quotes:

1. I've got to keep everyone's feelings in mind with every decision I make. And even trying to explain what it feels like to be doing constant emotional labor is like, I dunno, like waking up and trying to explain a fading dream that was so vivid the night before. So how? How can I possibly manage everything and everyone? Who do I prioritize? And why am I the one who has to make all the decisions?

2. "There are the decisions that are thrust upon us, and there are the decisions that we are lucky enough to make. I'd suggest giving thought to which ones are more responsible for all the things you feel right now."

3. Gemma immediately felt embarrassed. One of the more common occurrences with patients—or with any person on the street, frankly-was that they would express an opinion and pass it off as fact. They would insert their interpretation and intentions on anything that was said or done to them. The work of therapy was, in part, to separate facts from feelings. Once the facts were known, the feelings could be explored.

4. Despite Gemma's deep familiarity with and thorough training in this, she knew she had just done the same thing. She sighed with recognition.

5. I think men always get portrayed as these plotting, planning, strategizing predators, hunting women. And I think they can be. But from what I've seen-from what I experienced-more often than not, men are just taking advantage any time they can. I mean, maybe some men are plotting. But a lot of them are just crimes of opportunity. They see something they want, and if the opportunity presents itself, they grab it."

Wow - I loved this! The first half made me deeply uncomfortable - and I mean that as a compliment to the author - I have never read a book that so accurately captured postpartum. As a mom of two, the feelings, confusion, tiredness of it all came rushing back. She captured the extreme emotional roller coaster of it all and how the simplest of tasks (like going to the bathroom) seem to be so daunting!

I related to Gemma so much as a mother, but I think everyone will find connection with this book. It's about her role as a mother, daughter, spouse, and sister. There's an air of mystery in unraveling Gemma's family life that weaves through the book and wanting to know that full story kept me engaged and pushing past my own discomfort of reading a postpartum mom struggle.

As a mother with two young children it hit a little closer to home than I was ready for, but it truly is a beautiful story and Meg captures the messiness, confusion, joy, and sometimes sorrow of being a daughter, mother, partner, sister, etc. Once I got going, I flew through this. I wanted to finish it, but also not stop reading it - I love when you find a book like that!

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC - I loved getting to read this story!

If you like cozy family stories, this might be great for you. I think this one was just a little too cozy for me. Even though the author worked hard to justify the family dynamic, I still found myself wondering why Gemma would go to such lengths for her brother who is constantly such a dick. I'm sure there was a payoff to this (and the other threads) down the line, but there wasn't enough of interest in the first 25% to pull me the rest of the way..

I devoured this book on a long travel day. It was a perfect quick read for a holiday weekend - funny, heartwarming, and thought-provoking. I love the author's honest and relatable interpretation of what it is like to be a modern woman looking for balance as a high-performing wife, mother, sister, daughter, and professional. Although it was told lightly enough to stay entertaining, the novel also highlights how the stories we tell ourselves - especially when left unchecked - can create self-imposed limitations that rob us of joy and peace. I'd love for this to be the first novel in a series about Gemma Sinclair or her family, and I'd definitely watch the movie!