And Now We Have Everything

By: Meaghan O'Connell

Narrated by: Meaghan O'Connell

Length: 5 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

One of the most anticipated books of 2018 - Esquire, Elle, Nylon, Huffington Post, The Boston Globe, The Rumpus, GoodReads, The Millions, BookRiot, Bustle, The Week.

"Smart, funny, and true in all the best ways, this book made me ache with recognition." - Cheryl Strayed

A raw, funny, and fiercely honest account of becoming a mother before feeling like a grown up.

When Meaghan O'Connell got accidentally pregnant in her twenties and decided to keep the baby, she realized that the book she needed - a brutally honest, agenda-free reckoning with the emotional and existential impact of motherhood - didn't exist. So she decided to write it herself.

And Now We Have Everything is O'Connell's exploration of the cataclysmic, impossible-to-prepare-for experience of becoming a mother. With her dark humor and hair-trigger B.S. detector, O'Connell addresses the pervasive imposter syndrome that comes with unplanned pregnancy, the fantasies of a "natural" birth experience that erode maternal self-esteem, post-partum body and sex issues, and the fascinating strangeness of stepping into a new, not-yet-comfortable identity.

Channeling fears and anxieties that are still taboo and often unspoken, And Now We Have Everything is an unflinchingly frank, funny, and visceral motherhood story for our times, about having a baby and staying, for better or worse, exactly yourself.

©2018 Meaghan O'Connell (P)2018 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"The kind of book I wished for when I was pregnant. Pulling no punches, the writing is blunt, honest...This should be required reading that your doctor hands you after you see the two pink lines on the pregnancy test." (BookRiot)

"Part memoir, part guidebook, And Now We Have Everything captures all the fears and anxieties mothers-to-be have, but still aren't allowed to say out loud. Smart, insightful, and searingly honest, Meghan O'Connell's exploration of motherhood should be on every expectant parent's baby registry." (Bustle)

"Stripping away the mythical fantasies of motherhood, O'Connell delivers a poignant and funny look at what it means to be a parent in our current time. The warts-and-all examination is powerful reading for anyone with or without kids." (Esquire)

"For every What to Expect When You're Expecting (and its ilk), there should be a What to Expect When You Weren't Expecting. But, strangely, there isn't, so Meaghan O'Connell has committed her experience of accidental pregnancy and motherhood to the page." (Elle)

Amazing!

Nothing more real, I feel like someone is finally telling the truth. And yeah why the fuck are things so goddamn important it all passes.

Thank you for this beautiful book

I cried so many times listening to this and recognized so much of the life experience it describes. Honest, beautiful, human.

Really interesting & personal perspective

I loved this book, perhaps because I can really relate, even though I have not had kids. The author is how I suspect I would be and sometimes even how I am now. The personal nature occasionally almost brought me to tears, but it was also reassuring to hear someone talk so openly about their struggles.

Thank God I'm not the only one

From front to back there were so many aspects that I could relate to. It's refreshing to learn I'm not the only one that has struggled to pull my former self through the fog of motherhood.

For moms and nonmoms

Well written, a good account of the reality of motherhood, co-signs on the fear and anxiety of becoming a mom.

A Must for Every New Mom

At first Meaghan's croaky voice startled me but as she read her words I realized that her voice matched the feeling that many new mothers have - desperation and confusion. This is a must for any new mom!

Plan B, C & D

I listened to this many years after I had our sons. “ The Plan” is never “the plan.” It’s validating to hear her story and realize it’s okay when things don’t go as planned. Loved the author’s honesty, voice and intonations.

Not good

The narrator is good but the story is shallow and at least in my case hard to connect with.

She gets it!

My baby is 4 months. I also had an unexpected pregnancy. I am 27 in grad school, working full time, living in a 4 story walk up. I had a much dreaded C section and I also struggle with knowing how to handle my motherhood. This book really just said how it is. I loved it and it gives me hope.

Love this!

I hung into to every single word! Fantastic. I hope she writes a sequel. Well worth a credit!