The Baby Plan: A Novel

by Kate Rorick Narrated by Eva Kaminsky

Overview

In Kate Rorick's first adult fiction novel, we enter the wild, bewildering world of modern pregnancies. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll shake your head as you wonder where everyone's sanity went...

Meet the mothers...

Nathalie Kneller: Nathalie's plan: to announce her pregnancy now that she's finally made it past twelve weeks! But just as she's about to deliver (so to speak) the big news to her family, her scene-stealing sister barfs all over the Thanksgiving centerpiece. Yup, Lyndi's pregnant too, swiping the spotlight once more...

Lyndi Kneller: Lyndi's plan: finally get her life together! She's got a new apartment, new promotion, new boyfriend. What she didn't count on-a new baby! She can barely afford her rent, much less a state-of-the-art stroller...

Sophia Nunez: Sophia's plan: Once she gets her daughter Maisey off to college, she'll finally be able to enjoy life as make-up artist to one of Hollywood's biggest stars, and girlfriend to one of rock's hottest musicians. But after 18 years she discovers the stork is once again on its way...

Now these women are about to jump headlong into the world of modern day pregnancy. It's a world of over the top gender reveal parties (with tacky cakes and fireworks); where every morsel you eat is scrutinized and discussed; where baby names are crowd-sourced and sonograms are Facebook-shared. And where nothing goes as planned...

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

04/16/2018
Women’s lit fans in search of highly relatable characters need look no further than Rorick’s contemporary about three pregnancies that intersect in often uproarious ways. Hyper-organized Los Angeles high school English teacher Nathalie Kneller is finally pregnant at age 33 after years of trying. She and her husband, David, are getting everything pulled together to make the big announcement at Thanksgiving dinner. Her dad, stepmother, kid sister Lyndi, and Lyndi’s roommate will all be there. It will be perfect. But moments before Nathalie can break the exciting news, Lyndi broadcasts her unplanned pregnancy by suddenly spewing her breakfast into the holiday centerpiece. Amid the ensuing chaos, Nathalie can only meekly utter, “Um, I am too.” As the sisters’ already complicated relationship takes on new dimensions, they meet Sophia Nunez, the mom of one of Nathalie’s students, who’s also unexpectedly expecting and at a crossroads in her life. Rorick takes full tragicomic advantage of life’s little—and big—ironies as these women deal with the magnitude and the minutia of bringing new life into the world. Agent: Annalise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Mar.)

From the Publisher

Smart and funny, The Baby Plan is irresistible! A winner.” — Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Described with arch humor and a loving attention to detail seldom found in fictional depictions [...] Top-notch women’s fiction.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Heartwarmingly real and hysterically a little too real. I laughed, cringed, and cried — sometimes all at the same time. This book is emotional perfection.” — Sarah Watson, executive producer of Parenthood, creator of The Bold Type

“Kate Rorick’s exploration of modern-day parenthood is razor-sharp, hilarious, and acutely true to life. I couldn’t put it down.” — Beth Harbison, New York Times bestselling author of One Less Problem Without You

“Rorick’s prose is witty, engaging, and delightful, introducing us to characters who are relatable—and whose mistakes we’ve probably made ourselves. Recommended for fans of Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner.” — Booklist

“Kate Rorick, creator of The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, delivers a pointed satire and commentary on the competitive craziness of American baby-making [...] It’s also a story about growing, finding, and potentially losing a family, and discovering you can only cut ties for so long.” — Brit + Co

“If you’re expecting—or remember those days not-so-fondly—you’ll appreciate Rorick’s funny take on everything from gender reveal parties to sonograms on invitations.” — Working Mother

Working Mother

If you’re expecting—or remember those days not-so-fondly—you’ll appreciate Rorick’s funny take on everything from gender reveal parties to sonograms on invitations.

Susan Mallery

Smart and funny, The Baby Plan is irresistible! A winner.

Beth Harbison

Kate Rorick’s exploration of modern-day parenthood is razor-sharp, hilarious, and acutely true to life. I couldn’t put it down.

Sarah Watson

Heartwarmingly real and hysterically a little too real. I laughed, cringed, and cried — sometimes all at the same time. This book is emotional perfection.

Booklist

Rorick’s prose is witty, engaging, and delightful, introducing us to characters who are relatable—and whose mistakes we’ve probably made ourselves. Recommended for fans of Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner.

Brit + Co

Kate Rorick, creator of The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, delivers a pointed satire and commentary on the competitive craziness of American baby-making [...] It’s also a story about growing, finding, and potentially losing a family, and discovering you can only cut ties for so long.

Booklist

Rorick’s prose is witty, engaging, and delightful, introducing us to characters who are relatable—and whose mistakes we’ve probably made ourselves. Recommended for fans of Marian Keyes and Jennifer Weiner.

Working Mother

If you’re expecting—or remember those days not-so-fondly—you’ll appreciate Rorick’s funny take on everything from gender reveal parties to sonograms on invitations.

Kirkus Review

2017-12-24
Three pregnant LA women mingle in this debut adult novel from an Emmy-winning TV writer and co-author of The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet (2014), etc.Nathalie, a 33-year-old English teacher, is the de facto protagonist of this novel. At least, she's the only one with a planned pregnancy, following years of trying and an early-stage but traumatic pregnancy loss. So it galls her that her 24-year-old half sister, Lyndi, who only just got a real job, is pregnant, too, by her newish roommate (but maybe also boyfriend). Nathalie's own mother died when she was young, but her stepmom—Lyndi's biological mom—goes gaga over the girls in ways seemingly designed to make Nathalie feel aggravated and isolated. Lyndi experiences uncertainty, growing a baby as well as a career, and for the first time can't connect with her sister about it. Meanwhile, Nathalie finds comfort in Sophia, a TV makeup artist and mother to 17-year-old Maisey, Nathalie's student, whom Sophia had when she herself was 19. Now, Sophia is pregnant again by her rock star boyfriend, who is initially thrilled by the news and subsequently absent. The three women are buffeted by the wilds of pregnancy, both physical and emotional, described with arch humor and a loving attention to detail seldom found in fictional depictions. They are also experiencing the disappointing shifts in relationships with their peers and partners, told with a realism that is less funny but culturally astute. Throughout, readers get the thrill of living four distinct but compelling lives, as Maisey gets her own wonderful subplot. Sophia's career provides a juicy touch of LA drama, but the real story is the astonishing experience of growing a new person.Top-notch women's fiction.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170327430
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/20/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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