This book is very emotional and heart felt I ran past these pages because it was so relatable sad emotional all at once please please put a trigger warning in the beginning of the book because this book is great but can be triggering for some !! But I think a lot of people will enjoy it as it fits the lives of many thoughts

This true story took me on a very emotional journey. When I read a memoir that deals with a heavy topic, it just hits differently. This is a medium paced read that is reflective and intimate. It made me feel hopeful and sad. I have never read anything like this before! It is a unique story that is very thought provoking. This book explores themes of motherhood and identity, divorce and loss, love and longing, forgiveness, personal reflection and finding purpose! It is extremely well written, captivating, comes from a personal experience, thorough and has a clear thesis. I also found it to be conversational because it deals with womanhood themes! Overall, I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars!

"Letters to an Embryo" is a story where a woman writes to a frozen embryo. After have gone through a divorce, she struggles to make the ultimate decision on what she should do with the embryo. She begins writing letters to the embryo, which expresses the turmoil she is dealing with.

I think women that love to read memoirs that have a heavy and sensitive topic, would really enjoy this one. Content warnings include IVF, infertility, emotional distress, divorce, ethical dilemmas and reproductive choices.

Thank you to NetGalley and author Jasna Kaludjerovic for this electronic ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is out now at all major retailers!

"Letters to an Embryo" by Jasna Kaludjerovic is a powerful and emotional memoir that explores the complexities of loss, heartbreak, and hope. After a painful divorce, the author is left with a frozen embryo from her last IVF attempt, sparking a deeply personal and introspective journey. Through letters to the embryo, Kaludjerovic shares her inner turmoil, grappling with the weight of decision-making and emotional survival. This honest and intimate exploration is both shattering and profoundly moving, taking readers on a five-year emotional journey of self-discovery and resilience, earning it a 5-star rating .

Letters to an Embryo is a very introspective memoir about the author's journey with her frozen embryo after a divorce. This was super vulnerable and had great insight into the mindset of someone going through IVF but with extra complications. I was worried the whole book that by the time we got to embryo transfer it would fail and the rest of the book would be about parsing through grief. Overall, a very interesting read. 4/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

this book was really deep and thought provoking!!! check the trigger warnings beforehand. really loved this writing style

Letters to an Embryo is a deeply emotional read. While I expected a softer, more reflective tone, the last chapters took me by surprise — they are raw, powerful, and left me in tears.

The novel traces the MC’s personal growth, drawing parallels between human life and rivers, sudoku, and travel. Themes of renewal and healing are beautifully symbolized through details such as a repurposed wedding ring engraved with “Everything changes” and imagined jewelry inscribed with “Inner peace.”

The conclusion, where the MC meets two friends — one who had an abortion and one who miscarried — emphasizes the many paths and choices life can take.

This is not an easy book to read, but it is impactful. It left me exhausted and emotional, but also deeply moved. I hope the author continues writing, as this story will linger with readers long after finishing.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ (4.5 stars)

Thank you NetGalley and the author Jasna Kaludjerovic for the amazing opportunity to read this memoir, Letters to an Embryo. This is my honest review of the ARC I received, thank you again!

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a memoir, and oh boy... I should’ve picked one up sooner. There’s something so fascinating about watching humans, especially their behavior and their choices, and reading about their lives and struggles from a psychological perspective. You know what I mean? It’s touching. That’s what I mean by this.

I kind of knew from the start that I was probably going to cry while reading this book, but I didn’t expect to be in tears by page 15. Yet... here we are. From the very first pages, this book pulls at the deepest strings of your soul. Especially as a woman who also wants kids, but you know, men these days... I SO get the author’s point of view. Like, OMG. She’s so right. I see right through her and her struggles. This book hit me close to the heart and soul. Publishing something so personal and vulnerable? That’s brave. I’m standing and applauding the author because wow - it’s a heroic act to share thoughts that are so relatable, so raw. The anxiety, the pain, the suffering in those letters? It’s deep. Just saying. Her fear of never marrying again? Damn girl, I see you. I see you sooooooo clearly 😢

Her dilemma about whether to give birth or not, it’s very relatable. She just wants to be financially stable and able to give her child everything they need. That’s responsible. That’s love. And I just want to say, well men?... sad, sad, sad. I wish the world were better when it comes to partnerships between men and women. It would be so much easier if we just respected each other. But as a woman over 25, I KNOW how hard it is to find a good man. A deserving one. One you’d actually want to have kids with. Especially these days.

Watching her try to collect herself after the divorce, after all that love between her and her man? Heartbreaking. Truly. It breaks your heart to see her sorrow on the pages. Anyone who’s been through a divorce or even a breakup with someone they thought was their soulmate, this book will hit you hard. Life is unpredictable, isn’t it?

The topic of having a child with your ex-husband? That’s a dilemma. A HARD choice. All her fears, her struggles, her questions: what if I fall in love again? What if he doesn’t want me because I have a child? It HURTS to live in a world where so many single moms just need some LOVE. It’s both a burden and a liberation, deciding whether to have this child or not. And reading about it? It’s heartbreaking.

This book is emotionally tough. The decision-making process the heroine goes through is intense. Loneliness. Doubts. Sisterhood. Suffering. Joy in love. And so much love for the embryo from its mama. This book has a little bit of everything.

Trying to distract yourself from chaotic thoughts? Memory loss? Making excuses for why you don’t want to do this or that? It’s all so real. When you break up with someone, you want to occupy yourself with everything, but you just can’t. You think about it every day. You want to be distracted, but you also want to cry and feel everything. All the stages of heartbreak and loss? They’re here. And yes, they touch the depths of the soul.

We ARE living in strange times. Marriage, liberty, having kids - it’s all become so complicated. It’s madness.

Quote: “I turned off these ordinary men.” Girl, YES. That’s so right! Haha. I get it so much. My gooooooosh! And you deserve an amazing man by your side, just saying!

Why was this book so touching for me personally? Because it was relatable in so many ways. My own fears and worries as a woman in this harsh world... I’m not gonna lie, it’s still hard to be a woman these days. But maybe one day we’ll be respected equally. Maybe one day, real equality will be fair.

I wish I could include ALL my favorite quotes from this book (most of them are on the Goodreads profile though), but then this review would be endless haha. There’s so much depth and wisdom in this book - about life, philosophy, rhetorical questions with no answers, even now with all the knowledge we have. Haha!

That burning desire for romance that’s always there but never fulfilled? Oh yes. That’s the world we live in.

Some cons: Some word choices like “a flirt” (as in a new romantic interest), “my kid called me” (referring to a man she’s dating), and “my girlfriends” (as female friends) were a bit confusing to me. Maybe it’s a translation thing, perhaps in Serbian it makes more sense, but in English, it felt a little off? That’s why I docked half of a star. The translation was just a bit weird for me personally.

The book felt a bit drawn out at times, but since it’s written in diary format, I can’t really judge what should’ve been removed. Those details were clearly important to the author. It’s just a matter of taste. Some small details like where she went and with whom got lost for me because I couldn’t remember the names of secondary characters or the many "dates". That’s just my issue. I guess what I mean is: it’s unlikely you’ll read this book in one sitting. It took me several days. And I read fast when I’m interested and I was interested, but it’s just morally difficult to read about this journey. It touches the heart, of course.

In general, I recommend this book to all women who’ve thought about having children or have gone through a separation. It raises ethical and moral questions: should you give birth to a child from someone who’s no longer in your life? But if love is stronger than anything, and you have support like loyal friends, parents (future grandparents), relatives - then why not?

I was actually very sad to read that her ex-husband already has a new family and children. While she’s suffering like this? It’s not fair. Women deserve more. But most often, after a breakup, it’s women who take longer to find a new partner. You have to go through all the stages of grief, survive it, and then start over. That can take years. Meanwhile, men? A week after a breakup, they’re already saying “family’s not my thing” and then they marry the first woman they meet, supposedly the love of their life, and a year later they have kids. I’ve seen it happen. It’s wild. It happens less often with women. WHY?! Oh well. Who knows. Personally, I think women are more intelligent and mature than men. No offense, buds, but it’s true.

When analyzing the book, it felt like the heroine was more focused on finding a relationship than deciding whether she wanted a child. But maybe that’s because she wanted a man by her side and these days, men aren’t exactly trustworthy or held in high esteem. So maybe it was even a little pointless to look for someone when she already had everything inside her to raise a child alone. Of course, single parenthood is a dilemma. But if the child is important and there’s support, is it really necessary to urgently find a partner to take on that responsibility? Especially when it’s so hard to find someone adequate for that mission. Honestly, I’d say it’s almost impossible.

And the ending?
Damn. It broke my heart.

The feels this gave me. I am an IVF momma myself and the connections I have to this are infinite. I’m so grateful for the science and technology that is IVF. I wrote a lot like this in my dreams leading up to all that is IVF. I was 37, like the MC when we were in the midst of all of our journey.

Guard your heart. There are ups and downs. This is so real.

Thank you for writing this book.

I was so interested in this little memoir of a woman going through the mental gymnastics of wanting or not wanting to become a mother in the wake of divorce. I didn't expect to get as sucked in as I did. I was truly on this journey with her through this series of little letters talking to her existing somewhere embryo. So emotional. So raw.

Letters to an Embryo is one of the most moving and beautifully raw books I’ve read in a long time. Jasna Kaluđerović writes with an honesty that goes straight to the heart, laying bare the hopes, grief, love, and longing surrounding motherhood in a way that feels both deeply personal and universally resonant.

Each letter carries such tenderness and vulnerability that I found myself pausing often to absorb the words and feel them. This isn’t just a book, it’s an intimate conversation about love, loss, resilience, and the strength it takes to dream of new beginnings.

The writing is lyrical yet grounded, and the emotions behind every page shine with authenticity. It’s rare for a book to feel like a story and a companion, but this one does. I closed the final page with tears in my eyes and a full heart.

A truly unforgettable, soul-stirring read that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book shattered me in the quietest, most intimate way. It’s written as a series of letters—raw, unfiltered, and painfully honest—addressed to an unborn child. The voice is tender yet conflicted, full of longing, love, regret, and the impossible weight of choices.

From passages about forgiveness and betrayal, to the desire for a “normal family,” to heartbreaking words like “My baby” and “Such is life”—every letter felt like peeking into someone’s soul. It blurs the line between memoir and fiction, giving us a deeply human story about motherhood, hope, loss, and the meaning of love.

💔 This isn’t a light read. It’s for those who want to feel every crack of the heart and reflect on the fragility of dreams we hold onto. But it’s also about resilience and the courage to tell your truth.

🌿 Beautifully written. Intimate. Poetic.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4

Wow, what a raw, beautiful book this was! I definitely shed a few tears as I could wholeheartedly relate to this mother.