Life Lessons

Loved this book as it was based in a hospital. Brilliant book and will have to read the follow on. Was so brave with anxiety to still want to be a midwife

The first of a series that I can't wait to read! Great story, and very likeable characters. Kind of like a modern day version of call the midwife. Thanks #nhsheroes!

Absolutely loved this book even though I am probably not it’s target audience. Packed full of content, well written and a brilliant read

Absolutely amazing!! Wonderful wonderful read. I cannot wait to read further year two and three buzzing reading this

I usually review romance or rom-com books on NetGalley, but as someone who has completed Midwifery training in the UK this book really appealed to me.

I was excited to see whether the book would be an accurate portrayal of the course, or whether it would be a ‘call the midwife’ romanticised version. The practice elements of the book were so accurate, it was a lovely flashback. Violet was incredibly lucky to work with so many nice people.

I felt it a little difficult to fully engage with parts of the book as the main character was so young. However, this book will appeal to a huge audience of aspiring midwives.

As someone who has been through the application process and the course, I appreciated the correct terminology and definitions, along with the references to current best practice :)

Good read. Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book 📚

This was a fantastic and quick read. It is a prequel to “Ghosted”, however, I have not yet read that title. This was a book I just could not put down. The characters and story line are very fun and easy to follow. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait to read “Ghosted”.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this eARC
Great short read about Violet a student who has just moved out of home to attend uni to study Midwifery. However Violet has had to love with crippling anxiety that starts to affect her ability to complete some of her studies but with the help of her best friend, great mentors and lecturers as well as a fierce determination to succeed Violet learns how to overcome this.
I loved the journey that Violet went on and to read about how she grows as a person as she attempts to overcome her anxiety

When I started reading this book I thought it was a memoir but it is actually fiction. This however, did not dull my enjoyment of the book and I was finished in three reading sessions.

I also didn't realise this was a prequel to Ghosted, but will definitely be reading that now as I really enjoyed this one and would love to read more about Violet. If you haven't read Ghosted, you do not need to to enjoy this book.

I was really pleased with the inclusion of a character struggling with, at times, severe anxiety and I thought this was handled well by the author. Sometimes this played into common beliefs about mental illness - the fact that antidepressants make people feel subdued and unable to feel anything - but there are people who experience this with certain medications so I suppose it isn't an untruth.

At times the book felt a little rushed and I was gutted when it finished when it did - then realised there are more to come in this series! Overall I really enjoyed it though and would recommend. I will be for sure, eagerly anticipating the next in the series.

I'm a big fan or medical themed novels and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I would highly recommend it.

An enjoyable read as a turning point is made memorable. Leaving home, going to university, starting midwifery course, flat sharing. All major events and add panic attacks and a dose of low self esteem. Would of liked to follow on to the end of the 3 year midwifery course as the book ends at the end of year 1.

This was a book that I wasn't sure was my "thing" but I was looking for something easy to read and this was an automatic approval ARC so thought I'd give it a go. I'm glad I did!

It follows the life of Violet as she attends her first year midwife training at university. She's rented a room in a house with her friend from school Zoe and another student Luke. The story is set throughout her first year with her experiences with lectures, placements and friendships.

I particularly liked how the author handled Violets struggle with anxiety and panic attacks, doing so sensitively but showing exactly how it can feel to someone who suffers from them and ways in which you can try to help.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it was well written and easy to read. The main character of Violet was relatable and lovable and the other characters were realistic. The story held my attention and I was interested in what was going to happen next.

I was pleased to see that this is part of a series and have already pre-ordered the next book, roll on year two! It is also a prequel to the book "Ghosted" which I have also now purchased.

#netgalley #lifelessons #jerowney

Review also shared on Goodreads but am unable to copy a link

I absolutely loves this stories real raw emotions and expectations of starting university, I found it so relatable especially when talking about exams and group work!! I really connected with the anxiety and self-worth overthinking when it comes to the whole of university in general. Overall, it was such a heartwarming story to follow along and all of the characters were absolutely amazing!

This is the 1st time I have read a book by JE Rowney and I am glad that I was chosen to get a copy of this amazing book as I am definitely .going to read more books from this amazing author.

This story tells the story of Violet who's at uni studying in her 1st year of being a midwife, I learnt a lot about being a Midwife from this story.

I would recommend this story to anyone that enjoys Medical themed novels like this or This is going to Hurt.

Thank you to Netgalley and Books go social for the advance copy of this book in exchange for this review

Violet and Zoe have always been the best of friends and dreamed of going to university together. Zoe wants to be a teacher whilst Violet wants to train to as a midwife. Their dreams finally come true and they embark on their first year at university together. Once there, they meet housemate Luke and quickly become a trio. Told from Violets point of view we follow her through the first year of midwifery study and training. From classroom to hospital and all the highs and lows in between. We also see her battling terrible anxiety that has the potential to ruin her dreams if she can’t overcome it.

I absolutely adored this book! It ended up being such a personal book for me that I couldn’t not love it. The reason this book initially appealed to me is because it was compared to This is Going to Hurt, A Hard Push and Call the Midwife. I love books that focus on and share stories from medical settings, and one told from the perspective of a student midwife sounded different to other books I have read. Now because this book was compared to those aforementioned books which, are all nonfiction I assumed this book was also a nonfiction. To be completely honest I spent the first 30% of this book believing it was a nonfiction. I only realised it wasn’t when I went back on to Netgalley and noticed it was marked as fiction. However, once I knew this it didn’t change my reading experience. It did read very much like a nonfiction story and I think that played a part in how quickly I read it as I tend to read nonfiction quite quickly. It also meant the characters felt incredibly real and I immediately became invested in their lives and story.

The main reason this book struck so strongly with me is studying midwifery is almost ‘the one that got away’ scenario for me. I picked my degree on a total whim and continued to study it despite knowing it wasn’t right for me. This was driven by fear and lack of confidence in admitting I made the wrong choice and starting from scratch. When picking my degree at college we were offered very little guidance and I didn’t know a quarter of the options that were out there and where they could lead. It was only later on when I began to research this career path and wished I had given it a go. I actually started the process of applying a few years ago but again I chickened out and didn’t continue with this. This book offered me a mall window into what it may have been like to study midwifery. I adored how much detail went into documenting violets journey. We learnt so much about what she did in lectures and then at her placements. It really documented the academic process and made me feel like I was there with her learning and that’s what really made me love this story. I just felt a real personal connection with it. I obviously cannot comment on how accurate the portrayal of studying this degree is, but it felt very authentic. There was so much detail in here that I can only assume the author had personal experience or spent a lot of time researching the topic.

Violet also really struggles with anxiety and once again I related to this on such a personal level. I too suffer from anxiety and could empathise with violets feelings on so many occasions. She spoke about her feelings of worthlessness and feeling she is a fraud. She also addresses her feelings of being a burden on people around her. Having experienced all of these feelings I really felt for violet. There was a scene where her anxiety really got the better of her in an exam and I had a very similar experience when I was taking my initial exam to study midwifery and it meant I couldn’t finish. Although it was hard watching Violet battle these things it was great to see her go through these experiences, grow in confidence and come out the other side.

I have also always loved books set at university, particularly those where the students live away from home. It gives me the opportunity to relive my student years through them. Although Zoe, Luke and Violet were all quite tame! They were far more interested in studying than partying. It was just fun following along with them on their journey.

Finally, I adored the friendships in this story. Zoe and Violet really are the best of friends who were always there for each other when needed. They knew each other so well and could tell instinctively when the other was upset. It was lovely to read about such a positive depiction of female friendship. Luke was also a great character and settled well into the girl’s dynamic. I also liked that for Violet there was no romance at any point for her. I loved following a character who was focused on friendship and her studies. I was also excited there is a new installment in this series coming out in August where we re-join Violet in the second year of university. From the synopsis it does sound like romance may be on the cards, so I am interested to see how violet balances this with her friends and studying.

Overall, I chose this book thinking it would be a collection of nonfiction stories from a student midwife and got something so much more. Despite it being fiction, it felt very real, authentic and like it could have been a nonfiction account. It was great gathering an insight into what it may have been like study midwifery. That teamed with violets experiences with anxiety really struck a chord with me. It meant this book really provoked strong emotions in me. It meant a really enjoyable, coming of age story become something more to me. I think it’s a book I will continue to think about and return to many times in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for providing me with a copy of this book for review.

Violet and Zoe finally arrived to the place they both dreamed about. They are attending to university. While Violet wants to be a midwife, Zoe's goal is to become a teacher.
Although both friends are truly enjoying their first year, Violet seems not able to leave her panic attacks behind. It will be an issue she needs to solve it she want to go through the exams period successfully.
I liked this book very much. The characters are good but what I liked the most is the medical approach. It feels solid to readers not involved seriously with medical careers and extremely interesting to anyone who thought about being a midwife but didn't get to the point to make it real.
Finally, I think it's a wonderful start to a series.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I really really enjoyed Life Lessons! It's funny, fun, has moments of seriousness, elation, sadness, basically every single emotion that most college students experience over the course of their first year, Violet experiences throughout the story. Rowney does an excellent job capturing the non-typical college experience, and it made her characters that much more real. Definitely recommend Life Lessons!

Life Lessons is my first J. R. ROwney book, but it definitely won't be my last!

Life Lessons chronicles Violet's first year at university. She's studying midwifery, and suffering from a paralyzing anxiety. She's sharing a house with her best friend, Zoe, and Luke, a previously unknown roommate.

I loved this book and read it in one sitting. I would highly recommend this title to anyone who likes nice, clean contemporary ficction.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a free digital copy of this title to review from Net Galley.

#LifeLessons#NetGalley

Written by a student midwife detailing her years of training in college and hospital. I Felt this was a well written narrative story ( almost like it was from the fiction genre- but believble ) rather than a series of facts linking the authors experience. Have read a number of these types of books recently and by far this author and book was the most likable

This story is written by a student midwife as she tells the story of her years of training within both college and a hospital environment.
The book is well written and really grasps your attention, and highlights he remarkable work that these individuals undertake on a daily basis.
I found the authors account of the situations throughout incredible and captivating.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

I absolutely loved this book!

It was well written and such a nice read, I got really in to the story and loved following Violet as she started to follow her dreams and begin her career as she starts to study to become a midwife.

The characters are wonderful, so well developed and genuine. I loved the interaction between Violet and her Zoe and also her interaction with the ladies she meets on the wards and during her time in community, both the patients and the midwifes she accompanies. I loved every page and the ending of the book was just great

It is 5 stars from me for this one – very highly recommended and I have already been recommending it! I have already downloaded and read the second book too so watch out for that review too! Such a brilliant series!!