The Stories We Cannot Tell

I always enjoy books about women and their desire to have babies. The struggles are close to my heart. I liked the way that this author crafted a book around this subject matter and dedicated it to all women that have faced difficult scenarios. The writing was good and it was easy to get through the story. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Five stars.

Challenging read. So elegantly written, with characters so vibrant and relatable that they almost become your friends in the process. It's hard not to grieve along with Rachel and Katie when their pregnancies might not turn out to be the source of bliss other women generally experience.

I must admit that, if it had not been for the ARC, it would have taken me much longer to finish this book. I would have taken more time to build up courage between chapters. I wanted to look away from what Rachel and Katie were going through, to pretend that it could only happen to people I don't know, to avoid even asking myself "What would I do?" in their place... I teared up more than once.

But, I take my newfound "friend" role seriously (not to mention the role of NetGalley reviewer...), I shouldn't to be able to take breaks from their reality if they couldn't. It wouldn't be fair. I kept going and it ended up being an amazingly quick, heartwarming read.

While the title refers to stories about pregnancy, motherhood and family, to me, the main theme of this book is friendship. The instant connection between the two protagonists is precious and wonderfully portrayed. Their relationship is built on mutual respect, honesty and just sincere support and love. The love-at-first-sight/instalove trope is all well and good, but friendship-at-first-sight should be just as prevalent. I hope to come across it more often in books.

There was also an unexpected twist that fit right into the story and a happy ending that I rooted for with all my being. The song mentioned at the end is "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts, but my mind kept playing "I won't let you go" as the underlying soundtrack for Rachel and Katie.

Special thanks to BooksGoSocial and to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. And my utter admiration for Leslie A. Rasmussen, I bought After Happily Ever After as soon as I finished reading The Stories We Cannot Tell and I can't wait to read it.

The Stories We Cannot Tell follows two women as they try to make difficult decisions regarding their pregnancy. While one struggled with infertility and one got pregnant accidentally, both are in similar situations concerning the future of their pregnancy. As a psychologist specializing in infertility and maternal mental health, I appreciated the perspectives of the characters and the emotional journey they went through. The author did not try to encompass all thoughts and emotions that people in these situations might experience but rather stayed true to the characters and told their story. While I felt the ending was a bit forced, I thought it was a fairly accurate portrayal of infertility, grief, and pregnancy.

Thanks so much NetGalley and BooksGoSocial.

Rachel is a 30 year old married Jewish woman. She wants a baby. Katie is. 32, single, and Catholic. She does not want a baby. Both women find themselves pregnant. They both learn that something is wrong and attend the same group.

I wish I could describe just how talented Rasmussen is to craft a story about grief, loss, heartbreak, and hope. The characters are so wonderfully written and you really hold them in your heart as their journeys unfold with difficult and impossible choices ahead.

A thirty-year-old married Jewish woman who’s wanted a baby for a long time. A thirty-two-year-old single, Catholic woman who has been trying to find a man who’ll stick around.
Both the women tell their own stories as they both become pregnant. Both pregnancies take a wrong turn.
They meet in a support group and help one another make difficult decisions.
Will their relationship continue afterwards?

Leslie A. Rasmussen does a great job in creating a realistic story, I enjoyed how real the characters were in this universe. I thought it worked so well overall with everything that the description promised. I enjoyed the characters and getting to know them in the happy times and the rough times. It had a element of realism and glad I got to read this.

This was a hard book to read, not because it is bad written or the story didn’t make sense, it was because it is based on the biggest fear a woman has when she is thinking about having a baby or when one is actually expecting (I know because I have two).

Our two main characters face very different lives, one is married and wishing to have a baby and fill her nest and the other, well she meet the person she thought it was the right one and things didn’t go how she dreamed off, and you know what, it is easy to connect to both of these women even more because when things don’t go well, love is the first thing that comes out…

We live in a society where when things are broken it is easier to throw out than to fix things, even relationships, and I really think, even with this book being hard to read, it is worth to dive into it, and get to know this characters and the hardships of choices and how that matter in their own lives, of course I will not given spoilers, and wont really comment the situations of the book or how it ends, that is something that is meant for your personal ride, I can only tell that it worth the trip, Katie and Rachel will feel very real and I will just advice you, grab a box of tissues, you’ll need it…

Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.

I received an advance reader copy of this book and it was very emotional throughout. As someone who doesn’t yet have children but wants them I could relate to both Rachel and Katie. I found this to be a good read, informative as well.

This book was beautifully written but extremely hard to read for me. I have also suffered fertility issues and 2 miscarriages. The topic was very close to home and i was emotional from the very beginning. Its a beautiful book and i know many others will love it regardless of how they connect with the 2 women. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this.

5 ⭐️
Wowza, this was such a well-written book with so much respect towards a difficult topic. I loved the characters, the two stories it followed, and the sheer vulnerability and emotion it showed. I absolutely recommend this book and think it not only tells a great story, but also is thought-provoking in the way it makes you consider your own values and what you would do in such a difficult situation. I will be checking out this author’s other books after loving this one. Amazing book! 💜

Thank you to the author, the publishers, and NetGalley for allowing me to read this ahead of its publication date.

This was such a well-written novel. Rachel and Katie meet each other and quickly develop a close friendship and realize they are going through similar life situations. The novel does a beautiful job sharing their stories and their friendships. Towards the end there is a huge plot twist that will forever tie them together. I loved how the story was told through both Rachel and Katie’s alternating view points. The only complaint I have is that towards the end, it seems to have skipped months quickly versus the rest of the story took place more slowly.

I loved this book so much. I picked it up thinking it would be sad, morose read. But though the book deals with a very sensitive and difficult topic, the author has written it so beautifully peppering it with funny anecdotes that it becomes a breezy read. Of course there are points in the story where my heart went out to Rachel and Katie, the two female protagonists of the book. I could feel the pain they might have endured while also feeling bad for all the women in the world who have gone through this pain or are going through it now. Leslie A Rasmussen has through her story given us a peek into the world of couples dealing with infertility and mothers who find out there is something wrong with their baby in utero. I don't think anything can prepare us for the real pain but this is as close as it can get. Thanks to Net Galley for giving me an opportunity to read this ARC.

This is the story about two women: Katie and Rachel and their journey through pregnancy.

Rachel is married and wants to have a baby so bad but after a couple of miscarriages she doesn’t know if she ever be a mom. She finally decides to go to a fertility clinic were they tell her she’s already pregnant. Katie has never been lucky with men and after hooking up with a high school friend she finds herself pregnant and alone. One of them will have a baby, the other one will loose it.

This book touched me in ways I can’t explain. I have seen first hand how painful infertility is, how loosing a baby changes your life and the ones around you. How may times have we stopped and think that we don’t know why a couple doesn’t have kids and we are just asking them when are they going to have one? Or do we know if a pregnant woman is considering to end a pregnancy and we are just asking her questions about the baby or telling her our pregnancy stories?

Thank you Netgalley and BooksgoSocial for the ARC in exchange of my honest review.

TW: risky pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion.

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from this book as is a really a difficult topic to navigate, and I was unsure if I was gonna even be able to finish reading it. But I absolutely loved it and the plot lines and the characters were really amazing, I think the one thing that made this book not reach 5 stars for me it was that the POVs came from a third person, even though it was about the specific MC, it was narrated in third person and I found it hard to fully connect with the characters. Other than that it was amazing, the plot twist was a bit obvious once you got to the point where is about to be revealed, but before that you really don’t see it coming. It expresses well the feelings and the struggles that some couples faced, but also the pain, guilt and shame that can come from making certain choices even if is the right choice. You should definitely read this book if you won’t be triggered by the topic, it definitely brings you new a perspective.

As I was reading it, I noticed time and time again all the small narratives that we rarely read about. For example: When is the last time you read about someone struggling with their religious convictions without it being the main focus of the story (or a religious book at all)? When is the last time you could feel for someone who was shutting them out and obviously in the wrong, yet completely understanding both parties? There isn’t always a good and a bad. When is the last time someone honestly went back and forth in a tough choice, and you, reader, couldn’t tell how it was going to go?
All this and more happened in The Stories We Cannot Tell.
Two women are pregnant, one more than happily, the other unexpectedly and definitely unwantedly. The first decision seems to be for Katie, who needs to decide if she is ready to keep the unwanted child despite her catholic convictions and being alone. The women meet at a support group after they both find out there is something wrong with their babies in the second trimester.
Suddenly they stand in front of excruciating decisions, and ones no one can make for them and no one can claim to have an answer to until they are faced with it. Do you (legally) terminate? Do you risk it? What is the risk? Who are you making the decision for? Whose wellbeing do you have in mind? What do probabilities mean when faced with a real life situation?
Despite only one of the women going through pregnancy until the end, they remain in touch and become friends. More than just friends. The outcome is almost irrelevant, what matters is the way pregnancy and motherhood is talked about and shows us that each situation really is unique.

Excellent book. Very moving story and very real. A must read. I’d recommend it to all people to understand what it is like to go through difficult Choices ones the women never would have chosen to be confronted with. And the bond that grows between the 2 women seemed very genuine as they both went through their own difficult situations together. A beautiful story all in all.

I really enjoyed this book
The different characters have a life changing decision to make..
The story was beautifully handled by the author making a difficult topic, and a difficult red in parts, easier to understand.
I found it easy to connect with the characters, and the storylines were up to date and there was grief, loss,, heartbreak and hope within the fantastic book.
I will definitely read this author again.

This book truly did a number on my heart. Powerful, vulnerable, and heart-wrenching, it transported me back to both of my pregnancies, making the excitement, joy, and fear I felt nearly 10 and 7 years ago palpable once again.

The Stories We Cannot Tell centers around Rachel and Katie, two women in their early 30s who connect and bond in a support group for pregnant women whose babies may be facing lifelong or even fatal physical, neurological, or genetic conditions.

While Rachel and Katie come from very different backgrounds, their hopes, fears, and love for their babies bonds them as they face heartbreakingly difficult choices. Full of love, grief, fear, infertility, unplanned pregnancy, miscarriages, female friendship, found family, and the difficult realities women as a whole face, The Stories We Cannot Tell gripped me from page 1 and never let go.

While this book tackles heavy topics and was not always easy to read, I was blown away by the incredible love, hope, and resilience that shone through even in the darkest moments Rachel and Katie face. The power and support of female friendships and family touched my heart, and the beautiful, unbreakable bond forged between these two strong, incredible women as they weather some of the toughest storms, brought me to tears several times.

Thank you, Leslie, for this powerful and vulnerable book that will stay with me for a very long time.

This book hits me in the heart. It is raw and revealing and I often felt like I was remembering bits of my own life while reading. It absolutely highlights the complications of being a human in a way that gets you deep down to your core! Beautiful!!!

The Stories We Cannot Tell is a dual-perspective story following the journeys of two women, Katie and Rachel, and their journeys toward motherhood. The book is full of heart and sensitivity as it speaks of complicated pregnancies, miscarriage and the tolls these can take on marriage and other relationships.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. This was a fantastic book. Rasmussen writes skillfully and sensitively about difficult topics. I was utterly invested in Katie and Rachel's stories.

This story is about a choice no woman ever wants to make. This story is about two women who are both pregnant but are told there is something wrong with the fetus and must make a choice. It powerful and inspiring read that kept my attention to the end. It is a about motherhood, power of friendship and finding love.

Every mother should read this story, a topic so taboo and heart wrenching. This author did a beautiful job with incredibly hard subject matter so much in the political view.

Read this story, you will be hooked and there is a surprise ending I did not expect.

Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for copy of this book for my honest review.

Two women from different backgrounds find out they are pregnant and that their babies have some abnormalities, leading them to decide whether to keep their baby or terminate the pregnancy.

Rachel is a 30-year-old Jewish woman married to Brett, and the one thing they want is a baby of their own, but after a couple of miscarriages, she thinks that she might have a problem, to figure out if there is a problem she visits a fertility clinic only to find out she is already pregnant.

Katie is a 32-year-old Catholic woman who is still single and looking for Mr Right who will actually stick around unlike the men from before. She thought she met him in her high school crush Dylan, but when she reveals to him that she Is pregnant he reveals that he is married and already has two kids and can’t handle another.

The woman meet at a support group recommended by their doctors after receiving devastating news about their pregnancies, and soon find out they have a lot more in common than the situation they find themselves in.

This book took me a while to read so apologies to the author. It took me a while as my sister lost my nephew whilst reading this book so this story really hit home and I did have to take a little break from reading it.

This book is the type of story that needs to be written more. There are not enough of them which makes the difficulties in pregnancy still a taboo subject. Rachel felt like she had to lie to people around her about the loss of her daughter by telling people she had a miscarriage rather than than truth as she was worried it would result in judgement.

The Katie and Rachel storyline was lovely. It’s not an everyday occurrence and I did predict it as soon as Katie’s mum told her she was adopted but it warmed my heart to know that their lives had been ripped apart for a reason.

I felt like the ending was a bit rushed. It felt like they met in laws, engaged, pregnant and married all in a few pages. I feel like the book could have probably ended with Rachel finding out she was pregnant again and then a second book could have been made about the wedding in more detail, Rachel’s pregnancy and the relationship between the sisters and cousins growing.

All in all this was a heartwarming but sad story. Id love to read more about Katie and Rachel in the future.
Thank you for writing this book.

Rachel and Katie are two very different women who find themselves in a similar situation. Katie is Catholic and Rachel is Jewish and it was interesting to read of the impact that their different religious backgrounds have on the very difficult decisions that they both face. I liked the way the book alternates between the two characters and allows the reader the opportunity to appreciate the dual perspective of their lives.

It is a well written book which deals with the difficult topic of pregnancy that can go wrong, infertility and loss. The author deals with these subjects with enormous sensitivity. Speaking as a woman who has faced loss during pregnancy, at no point did I find the book traumatic. Instead, Ms. Rasmussen uses her pen to convey compassion at the difficult choices women sometimes have to make.

I enjoyed the developing friendship between the two characters and how it served to illustrate the support that women sometimes need from each other. The author developed her characters extremely well and I felt as though I personally knew them both by the end of the book as they were so easy to engage with.

***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Some subjects are difficult to write about without becoming preachy, but Rasmussen does an excellent job with this book.

The alternating viewpoints never overwhelm the story, and the only problem I really came across was there were a couple of time jumps that didn't really fit with the rest of the story.

4/5 stars for a great read.

The Stories We Cannot Tell is filled with emotion and really knows how to pull on your heartstrings. Two women are both pregnant: one who struggled with conceiving and the other who got pregnant accidentally. They meet each other at the doctor's office and become fast friends. This book covers some hard topics, such as extreme and unfathomable choices that mothers may face regarding their children. Even though it covers some tough topics, there are also bits of humor and strong friendship throughout to carry you through the book.

Thank you, Netgalley and BooksGoSocial, for the free advanced copy for my honest review!