Rating: 
Summary: The author gives the straight facts?
Review: Please. In what universe? I have yet to see her write a book that gives facts. It's "The World According To Vicky," which, to my knowledge, is not yet the accepted world view of the World Health Organization -- which, by the way, would find most of her views on pregnancy and childbirth pretty darn UNHEALTHY.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a medical reference, just a lot of fun
Review: This is a fun book to have to balance all those dry, medical references. It's like chatting with a sister or girlfriend about being pregnant - the good stuff and the bad. It's got lots of accurate data, but its presented in a conversational way. I wouldn't use this as your only guide, but more like fun reading. Another thing your Doctor Won't Tell You is that your baby won't sleep for the first few months, so be prepared and get a book about newborn sleep so you don't start off with bad habits. Try a book called The No-Cry Sleep Solution by another Mom-author who writes in a friendly, less scientific tone. This is a fun time in life, so enjoy some fun books along the way.
Rating:
Summary: Reassures,Helps you giggle, although sometimes a bit bleak
Review: I have enjoyed reading parts of this book. Some parts can be intimidating to first time Moms like myself. I have put off reading parts specific to labor since she was so pessimistic (or honest, depending on your point of view I suppose) about things like beauty during pregnancy, hemorrhoids, painful postpartum sex etc. The book did have me laughing out loud at times but some of its messages have also haunted me such as her mention of how small her prepregnancy clothes are (size 4) and how she has multiple wardrobes (which I have no space for) to accomodate her changing body. That left me utterly confused on what to expect for myself since my prepregnancy body was much larger than her's to start with (as I presume most American women's are), I am "showing" startlingly early and have expanded to look (I think) about 4 or 5 months when I am only about 3 months along, even though my weight has increased by only 3 to 5 pounds! There is a light side and a dark side to this book. Many of her comments on appearance can be harmful to some women with low self-esteem or poor self-image who berate themselves for not looking like fashion models (or playboy playmates)even before pregnancy since her philosophy seems to be that pregnancy equals horrible-looking. She instills her beleifs that the more pregnnat you are, the larger you look, the more undesirable you are perceived by others.I think this is obviusly more a reflection of her personal body image as a woman going from being a playboy centerfold (which she is obviously proud of as she lists it right after her "law degrees" credentials in the book's "about the author" section) to being a "huge" "unsexy" (in her mind), pregnant woman. Having argued that, I have to say some of the info., and opinions presented in the book were very affirming of my experiences so far; being convinced that I was going to menstrate any minute before finding out I was indeed pregnant, wanting to tell the whole world after finding out, procuring maternity care before telling your husband (who is at work) etc., You cannot underestimate the feeling of being understood and normal with regards to your pregnancy, during your pregnancy. The book strives to be helpful and honest in ways that straight birth and pregnancy books are not-frankly and in a friendly kind of "I'm just warning and preparing you" way. There seems to be great moral assertions in the book as well,that most of us would stand behind, such as that it is wrong to deprive your unborn child of food because you want to avoid weight gain. When I first decided to review this book I wanted to temper the glowing reviews that were posted when I purchased it over a month ago. Now I want to be sure to temper the berating comments that have posted more recently. It is meant to be, and is, humorous. It is also reassuring, for example-she tells us that we all worry about our unborn children during pregnacy only to discover after they are born perfectly fine that there is a whole new world of things to preoccupy our concerns for them with. You can control your exposure to her scary revelations by not forcing yourself to read the book in one sitting.
Rating: 
Summary: Hilarious!
Review: I loved this book! I'm completely surprised by how many people didn't like it, because this is the one book among the sea of serious and deadly dull "what to expect when you are expecting" type of pregnancy books that made me smile when I wasn't feeling too great, physically, thoughout my pregnancy.
Rating:
Summary: Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy.
Review: This truly is the book for those people that prefer to chuckle at themselves and the drastic changes that their bodies are making. Yes Vicky is opionated--but aren't all you friends? That is what the idea of this book is. At last she has all her facts straight and won't make you freak out about all the old wives' tales you will hear. This is a book that you will not only want to save, but will give to all your girlfriends to read also(just make sure they give it back!). Mine has been through at least 4 other pregnant women. I have read it twice. She gives the most practical advice about what to bring to the hospital, and pain killers when you are there! If you tend to not be able to laugh at yourself and those around you,don't read it, but if you do have a good sense of humor--you will love it!
Rating:
Summary: The Girlfriends' Guide to Pregnancy
Review: I thought this book was hillarious. If people are looking for a medical book, then this is not it but if you are looking for a break from all the boring, yet informative, books by doctors this is a great read. I think readers who don't like this book are taking the book way too seriously. I read this book with my first pregnancy and am reading it again now that I am in my second pregnancy and it's even funnier the second time around. This book gives a comical view of a pregnancy from a woman who admits this book is not written based on medical advice but solely on her own experiences. I have loaned this book out to several friends for their pregnancies and they all agreed that it was very funny.
Rating: 
Summary: fair
Review: If you choose to read this book just keep in mind that the author is very opinionated. She bases her book on her own pregnancy "rules" and defines what you "should and should not" do based on her "opinion". Take it with a grain a salt. If she wanted to do it she found reasons it was okay during pregnancy. (ie. coloring her hair) but if she didn't want to do something, such as exercise, she advises everyone against it or tries to make you feel you're doing something wrong if you do. Nothing is based on research or fact. I did find a few chapters informative and fun to read.
Rating:
Summary: The Girlfriend's Guide to Pregnancy
Review: I returned this book after browsing through it for 10 minutes. As a professional and educated woman who is pregnant for the first time at 36, I found it to be inaccurate, shallow and insulting. I am excited about my pregnancy, I intend to maintain a reasonable and safe level of fitness and I found Vicki's advice on diet and exercise (or lack thereof) to be quite frankly absurd. While many women may face legitimate medical reasons to take a break from exercise, her justification of "not looking good in workout tights" is nothing short of ridiculous. This book tells you nothing about what's really going on with your body or your baby, other than advising you to always check out your rear end in the mirror before leaving the house as it will be larger in reality than in your mind! I would stay far away from this book!
Rating:
Summary: Want to feel badly about yourself? Read this.
Review: This was the very worst of all the pregnancy books I've read. Although Vicki Iovine believes she is being "honest" in a way few others will dare to be in a pregnancy book, I believe she just got a tickle out of being able to gripe about every aspect of the expectant state.
She repeatedly refers to the mom-to-be's body as a "milk factory" (not exactly sweet) and continually tells women not to expect to be attractive while pregnant. However, I beg to differ. Pregnant women are beautiful, as they are the epitome of the life force embodied.
Ladies, if you want to feel good about your pregnancy, try something by William Sears instead. He is pro-women and pro-babies. He encourages a woman to embrace the changes her body undergoes while growing a baby.
Iovine's book reeks of misogyny, and she is a woman herself! She seems to hate her femininity so much that she cannot help but spew her rancid views onto her subject matter. Do yourself a favor and skip this book.
Rating:
Summary: I can't believe people love this book.... sorry.....
Review: This book insulted my intelligence. Not only is it not helpful, the author gives advice based solely on her own experience and the experiences of her pregnant friends - this advice often contradicts the advice of doctors who are not only well educated in the area, but have the anecdotal evidence of the thousands upon thousands of patients whom they have helped through their pregnancies. While I can see how the author attempts to appeal to the pregnant woman by taking a more casual "I'm just like you" approach, she basically gives people permission to eat whatever they want, be out of shape, ignore what their doctors tell them and assume that they are getting the "real info" from their friends. I am not a health nut, nor do I exercise obesessively, but the advice in this book borders on irresponsible. My husband actually threw it across the room it made us so mad. I really do not believe that I am a snob, but I have to say that this book is a blatant attempt to appeal to the lowest common denominator of moms who are looking for excuses to lay around for nine months stuffing their faces with whatever they want and doing basically nothing.
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