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!

The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair is one of those books that really sticks with you. Gemma seems to have this perfect life on the surface—successful career, loving family—but as the story unfolds, you see all the cracks beneath that glossy exterior. The way Meg Myers Morgan dives into postpartum depression and the pressures of juggling family and work is so raw and honest, it feels incredibly real.

Gemma’s story is full of tension and heartache, especially when a scary accident sets off a chain of lies that threaten to unravel everything she’s built. What I appreciated most was the blend of sharp humor and emotional depth—it never feels heavy-handed, just real and relatable.

If you’re into stories about imperfect women facing tough truths and finding strength in unexpected places, this one’s a powerful read that won’t disappoint.

I blazed through this book in a day and a half. While there was much in the actual experience of Gemma that was foreign to me (childbirth, etc.), the emotions and anxiety she expresses were like someone reading my own brain. The second half of the book that delved into how she addresses her challenges offered great insight and advice that resonated with me on a cellular level. I highly recommend taking the roller coaster ride that is The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair.

It took me a little while to get into this book. I was going to give up after the first chapter as I was getting frustrated with Gemma and the fact she was worrying about the presentation of food platters so soon after having given birth. I am very glad I stuck with it though as the book really rang true about some of the emotional vulnerabilities that you can feel after giving birth. Whilst the central family mystery was interesting I was more impacted by how the author managed to portray the day to day complexities and sheer exhaustion of postpartum depression. Definitely a powerful book I would recommend to other mothers.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I found it difficult to relate or connect to Gemma, the main character. She has just had her second child and seems to be dealing with symptoms of postpartum depression as well as the physical aftermath of birth. We, the reader, begin to learn early on about her brother and other family members and the tensions between them. There is an accident involving her newborn very early on. There are secrets which have been kept in this family - which will be revealed by the end (no spoilers). We find that these secrets have impacted the way Gemma, her siblings, and her parents have interacted over the years and influenced decisions they made.

while i love the premise of this book, i love what it's speaking for, and im OBSESSED with the writing style of Meg Myers Morgan, this book wasn't for me. i found it extremely hard to relate to Gemma. she just wasn't a very likeable character for me. i understand the stress she must be under, with 2 young children and struggling with postpartum, but it seemed her whole personality revolved on snapping on people who didn't deserve it while giving too many chances to those who *probably* should've been snapped on (@ her brother).

Meg Myers Morgan is a phenomenal writer who obviously speaks on very underrepresented topics in literature, but i think this book wasn't for me. i can see this being more for someone who can relate to Gemma's struggles in life. i would be very interested in reading more from this author though and i appreciate the opportunity for an ARC copy of this book.

I read this debut novel via NetGalley.

This was a quick read for me, really enjoying it overall.

Gemma has just given birth to her second child and is dealing with stressful family dynamics when her baby has an accident. I often can’t read books involving hurt children but this was well-written and didn’t make me overly anxious.

I did find that the descriptions of Gemma’s postpartum physical and emotional condition hit pretty close to home. I’m far enough out that it only added to my overall enjoyment and appreciation of the story but some newer moms may want to proceed with caution (though on the other hand, might have extra appreciation for the honest details!).

The character building was really strong and writing style appealing, though it felt like a bit of a rushed conclusion, skipping months quickly after spending the first half of the book in a short period of time. That said, this book was a welcome spotlight on the complexity of motherhood, family dynamics, and the decisions parents make.

This was such a deep emotional read for me! Such an intense look at family trauma and how that can play out years down the line when family secrets are kept. The funny thing is that the MC is a therapist herself so it displays how none of us are exempt from consequences of not dealing with our trauma.

This book was very impactful to me as a parent. It definitely had me on the edge of my seat. I thought it was absolutely brilliant.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I think this one will hit home to all the mothers and all the emotional labor that goes into motherhood and being a woman. Really good.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this uncorrected eproof ARC of 'The Inconvenient Unraveling of Gemma Sinclair' by Meg Myers Morgan - expected release date of 07/15/2025

ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The second half of this book moved really quickly and flowed nicely. Morgan finally revealed the McAlister family's past traumas and misconceptions/miscommunications and the storyline tied up perfectly by the end. She just didn't delve deep enough, early enough into the character's development or their real issues for me to feel invested in them or want to root for them. It was nice to see new material in a book, (postpartum depression, CTE, childhood trauma) but the writing was played safe, maybe could've given more in those aspects to make it more relatable or informative? It read like a debut novel but overall, was a decent read!