4.20

3

Mar 20, 2015

I kind of struggle with how to review this book. As a reader I was frustrated by some of the repetition and grammatical errors/inaccuracies. As someone who has dealt/is dealing with infertiliity I was encouraged by Froelker's honesty, and I could definitely relate to many of the feelings and emotions she recounts having been through. I admire her continuing fight for her recovery, healing, and her "ever upward."
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has dealt with, or is dealing I kind of struggle with how to review this book. As a reader I was frustrated by some of the repetition and grammatical errors/inaccuracies. As someone who has dealt/is dealing with infertiliity I was encouraged by Froelker's honesty, and I could definitely relate to many of the feelings and emotions she recounts having been through. I admire her continuing fight for her recovery, healing, and her "ever upward."
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has dealt with, or is dealing with, infertility in any respect - whether you're dealing with your own infertility journey or that of a friend or family member, counselors, clergy, medical professionals. Ever Upward offers a very unique and honest look into the life of the (seeming) minority - those who struggle with infertility and DON'T end up with children who are biologically or legally tied to them. And as part of that minority it is so nice to feel represented, accepted, validated, and connected as you say, "I thought I was the only one!"
*Note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review. ...more

5

Jun 27, 2015

I listened to the audiobook of Ever Upward, a moving series of personal stories about the author and her husband's journey through infertility, and how they arrived at the decision to embrace a life without children.

The passages where Justine describes the IVF process brought back memories of my own experience of the one cycle we did. I found myself nodding my head, remembering the process very clearly, even though my cycle was back in 2007. Her transparency in describing her feelings--the hope, I listened to the audiobook of Ever Upward, a moving series of personal stories about the author and her husband's journey through infertility, and how they arrived at the decision to embrace a life without children.

The passages where Justine describes the IVF process brought back memories of my own experience of the one cycle we did. I found myself nodding my head, remembering the process very clearly, even though my cycle was back in 2007. Her transparency in describing her feelings--the hope, the anticipation--moved me to tears. I remember how that felt.

Because my husband and I chose a different route post-IVF failure (adoption), I was quite interested in hearing Justine talk about why she and her husband decided to live childfree. (Side note: Not sure how much I like that term because Justine and her husband are very intentional about being involved in the lives of their friends' children.) I appreciated Justine's honesty in talking about adoption. She rightly points out that it's not like a couple "just" goes and adopts a baby. It's a lifelong decision and one that's not to be suggested or done lightly.

There was a section in which she talked about how she started taking better care of herself after the IVF failure. Because I've long since moved on, I was a bit distracted during this section. Her tips and advice are excellent for anyone who wants to embrace a healthier lifestyle, but for some reason, this section didn't hold my attention as much as the others. I loved the section about the home they found and the massive overhaul they did on it.

Overall, I think any woman who has experienced infertility will enjoy this book. As a woman whose path was quite different, this book helped me appreciate and understand couples who opt for childfree living. I value the honesty, humor, and vulnerability Justine conveys in this book. It touched me, and I'm sure it will touch many others. ...more

2

Mar 18, 2017

Classic blog-to-book format with grammatical errors and an incoherent timeline. I thought the book would be about infertility, but she mostly breezes over that in the first chapter and spends the rest of the book talking about brene Brown and fixing up her house.

5

Jun 21, 2015

Any woman or couple dealing with struggles with their own fertility should read this book!

Justine’s own story is different to mine, yet much of what she writes resonated closely with the feelings and emotions I had experienced. At times I felt she was truly talking to me as she captures the pain and misfortune associated with her own quest to be a mother. Each woman dealing with fertility struggles has their own unique story, but in essence, this book shows that we are not so different, and like Any woman or couple dealing with struggles with their own fertility should read this book!

Justine’s own story is different to mine, yet much of what she writes resonated closely with the feelings and emotions I had experienced. At times I felt she was truly talking to me as she captures the pain and misfortune associated with her own quest to be a mother. Each woman dealing with fertility struggles has their own unique story, but in essence, this book shows that we are not so different, and like Justine, we need to redefine our destiny to focus on finding a rich life with or without children.

Her positive focus throughout the story, how she ensured that she maintained the strength in her relationship, and made decisions about her life that would help her redefine her future in a more fulfilled way.

Justine is honest, unguarded and transparent throughout the entire book.
She is 'Ever Upward' and I hope to carry the same strength! ...more

4

Oct 31, 2016

This book hit home. I may not be childfree but I may have the choice of having more than my one taken away from me. This book basically said what I have been needing for the last couple of years. It gave me a framework if you will of what I need to do going forward.
It was inspiring.

1

Dec 08, 2019

I was unable to finish this book as my frustration built listening to the grammatical errors and frequent repetition.

Her fertility story in chapter one was worth a listen, as I’m struggling through IVF right now myself and feeling depression, anger, and injustice.

The rest of the book (I managed to get through half of it) was preechy, self help oriented, and written poorly.

2

Mar 17, 2017

This reads like a blog post, and contains so much about this woman's experience that was not directly related to her experience of infertility. I really didn't need to know every detail of her house hunt, her life with her pets, or the friendships she has made through the infertility and TTC communities online. This book is a memoir, not a book about infertility and how to "overcome" as it says in the title. She offered no advice and barely mentioned the important topics such as grief, anger, This reads like a blog post, and contains so much about this woman's experience that was not directly related to her experience of infertility. I really didn't need to know every detail of her house hunt, her life with her pets, or the friendships she has made through the infertility and TTC communities online. This book is a memoir, not a book about infertility and how to "overcome" as it says in the title. She offered no advice and barely mentioned the important topics such as grief, anger, adjusting your expectations and theories about happiness - all things that the amazon reviews for this book hinted that it contained. The information that I found useful or inspiring or interesting at all could have filled maybe 15 pages of the book. I plan on mailing it to someone else in the childless community who might get more out of it than I did. ...more

5

Jan 07, 2017

Defining your own happy ending

I am so appreciative of the authenticity of this book. The hope of IVF doesn't always have the assumed happy ending, but it doesn't mean that the ending can't be happy. I am looking forward to making my own happy playlist and defining my routines to keep my heart from being that of bitterness and stone.