{"product_id":"expectation-9780062956071","title":"Expectation","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback Original--Also Available as a Simultaneous Hardcover Edition\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Skimm Reads Pick\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"The female friendships here are ones we'll all recognize, and in seeing myself in each of these women\u003c\/strong\u003e--\u003cstrong\u003etheir good moments and their bad\u003c\/strong\u003e--\u003cstrong\u003eI felt implicated in their stories, and in this book. It's an outstanding novel.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e--\u003cstrong\u003eMary Beth Keane, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author of \u003cem\u003eAsk Again, Yes\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this sharply observed novel set in and around London, three college friends, now in their thirties, must come to terms with the gap between the lives they imagined for themselves and reality in the face of marriage, fertility struggles, and loss.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn her first year of motherhood after an unplanned pregnancy, Cate is constantly exhausted, spiraling into self-doubt and postpartum anxiety. Her husband Sam seems oblivious, but maybe she'd prefer he remain in the dark. How can she admit the unthinkable--that she misses her freedom?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn contrast, Hannah continues to endure round after round of unsuccessful IVF treatments. The process is taking its toll on her physically and emotionally--and, she worries, creating distance between her and her husband Nathan. She is godmother to Cate's son, but every time they get together, it's a trigger.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeautiful and unattached, Lissa is re-evaluating what it means to be an actress in her thirties. While she fiercely resists convention, she's lonely. A chance encounter in the British Library with Nathan has her wondering if she missed her best chance at love when she introduced him to Hannah.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs each woman longs for what the others seemingly possess, will their bonds of friendship sustain them in this liminal phase of their lives--or will their envy and desire tear them apart?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eHope, Anna:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eAnna Hope studied English at Oxford, attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and then received an MA in creative writing at Birkbeck, University of London. Her first novel, \u003cem\u003eWake\u003c\/em\u003e, was a finalist for the National Book Awards (UK) and the Historical Writers' Association's Debut Crown Award. She lives in London, UK.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50692599906578,"sku":"9780062956071","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_2c95266f-1328-4405-ab55-7191ef24f91d.jpg?v=1734128930","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/expectation-9780062956071","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}