In a charming and witty novel, Sarah Bilston tells the story of a busy career woman who finds her pregnancy a breeze -- until she's ordered off her feet for complete and total bed rest.
Quinn ""Q"" Boothroyd is a young British lawyer married to an American and living in New York City. She's checked off most of the boxes on her ""Modern Woman's List of Things to Do Before Hitting 30,"" and her busy working life has been relatively painless. But when her doctor tells her she must spend the last three months of her pregnancy lying in bed, Q is thrown into a tailspin. Initially bored and frustrated, Q's days soon fill up as she tries to reconnect with her workaholic husband, provide legal advice for her sweet Greek neighbor, find romance for a loyal co-worker, forge new emotional bonds with her mother and sisters, and figure out who will keep her stocked up in cookies and sandwiches.
Q experiences adventures on the couch she never would have encountered in the law firm, and learns a lot about herself and what she wants out of life -- above all about the little one growing inside of her.
Download and start listening now!
"I really liked this book. I'm not sure why, since I'm not pregnant nor will be for ever. But it was funny, and a little dramatic, and showed just how fast things can change when you get pregnant. And as one of the reviewers say "you don't have to be having a baby to enjoy this book". Check it out."
— Lindsay (4 out of 5 stars)
“Honest and irreverent yet humorous…I laughed out loud and couldn’t put it down.”
— Marian Keyes, New York Times bestselling author of Anybody Out There?“Even if you’ve never been pregnant you’ll be as instantly hooked on this addictive novel as I was.”
— Plum Sykes, New York Times bestselling author of Bergdorf Blondes“Bed Rest is funny, sweet, heart-aching, suspenseful, and full of insight. Pure entertainment.”
— Susan Elizabeth Phillips, New York Times bestselling author of Natural Born Charmer“She succeeds in making the hundrum hilarious.”
— Washington Post Book World" I liked this book. Often books make pregnancy look glamorous and easy. This book reminds us that many people have difficult pregnancies. I can't imagine months of bed rest, it would drive me crazy. The book also looks the effect of pregnancy on partners, something often overlooked. "
— Lthelibrarylover, 1/10/2014" An easy read! Ordered the sequel. "
— Tawna, 12/28/2013" So far so good, not as cheesy as some chick lit "
— Vicky, 12/6/2013" This was read in the library whilst killing time. It wasn't bad enough to put down, but it was rather silly. Still, a bit more challenging than Skippyjon. :) "
— Rachel, 11/23/2013" The book was a fast read. Predictable. "
— Melissa, 11/21/2013" Kind of boring. The characters need more depth and background information to make this story more interesting. Do not read if you are pregnant -the main character keeps thinking her baby is dead -due to low amniotic fluid. I would have been a worry-wart if I was pregnant and reading this book. "
— Dev, 11/16/2013" This was a light, fun read. I definately recommend it as a summer read. "
— Barbz, 7/30/2013" I did enjoy this book...But the ending she left a lot of open ended story lines. Hoping for a part 2 maybe? "
— Stephy, 7/17/2013" Another book listened to while driving. Great reader & enjoyable car book. "
— Dana, 6/23/2013" I think fans of British type chick-lit will enjoy this read. Fairly fast paced, well written and definitely enjoyable if you have ever been pregnant. Probably really great if you have actually suffered through bed rest:) Easy peasy read. Thanks Vanessa! "
— annelies, 5/2/2013" I love the English accent and vocabulary in this book, but I thought it was kind of slow. The story itself was cute, but not to engaging. "
— Ashley, 1/18/2013" Quinn 'Q' Boothroyd is pregnant and sentenced to bed rest when an ultrasound reveals that she has low amniotic fluid. She fills her days by keeping a journal of her daily thoughts, feelings, events, and visits from a wide variety of characters. I was not blown away by this book. Eh. "
— Charity, 11/1/2012" This book is funny if you are actually on bed rest. "
— Karin, 10/3/2012" super fun book, light and funny. we listened to this book on cd while on a road trip last summer. "
— Jenna, 7/18/2012" A pleasant beach read---some high and low points "
— Donna, 7/14/2012" Very enjoyable, and vastly different from what I expected - definitely not a chick-lit novel! "
— Sophie, 6/22/2012" Total bed rest for the last three months of pregnancy sounds like a boring premise for a novel, but for Quinn "Q" a young British lawyer married to an American lawyer and living in Manhattan it is anything but - lots of fun with some serious moments. Great on audio with the British accent. "
— Linda, 6/5/2012" A funny read when you are pregnant! "
— Dar, 5/18/2012" loved this book. read it 3 times now and still love to read it, is one of my favs "
— Adele, 2/13/2012" Quick & easy read. "
— Diana, 2/8/2012" Couldn't get into this book. Felt like it just kept dragging on and on...so I gave up. "
— Sarah, 11/28/2011" Really good book.... Makes me laugh and cry... What more could you want from a book?! The middle was alittle depressing and gives you the feeling that feeling of despair for the woman in the story, but stick with it...it's worth it! /-) "
— Maria, 11/22/2011" This wasn't a book that I couldn't put down. And it was hard to relate. But thanks for letting me borrow it Jess, and I will mail you back both books this week. "
— Kathryn, 5/21/2011" I listened to this - it was fun to listen to - easy to get involved in the characters. Not a book I would enjoy reading though. "
— Beverly, 3/23/2011" An easy read! Ordered the sequel. "
— Tawna, 2/7/2011" Read this while a sick pregnant woman, in honor of my sister who recently did a 4-month stint on bed rest. It's light as air, pretty entertaining, and--you'll never guess!--the narrator finds a deeper perspective on her whole life as a result of her bed rest! "
— Angela, 1/10/2011" I enjoyed this book, especially since I have been on bed rest before. "
— Bobbie, 1/2/2011" It was an interesting read. "
— Pumla, 12/6/2010" I thought this audio book was cute. I could empathize with the main character because I was also on bed rest with my first. I think a lot of the emotions she feels throughout her pregnancy are right on. I liked the sub plot too. Nice, easy read (or listen!). "
— Angela, 9/19/2010" loved this book. read it 3 times now and still love to read it, is one of my favs "
— Adele, 6/11/2010" This was a chick/book - to be appreciated by those who have been pregnant, but especially those who were ever on Bed Rest. It was delightful and something nice to just pick up once in awhile. "
— Maureen, 1/10/2010" Nice lite quick read. "
— Wendy, 7/23/2009" I just really couldn't get into this book. It was ok but I just decided that I couldn't make myself finish the book. I never not finish books! "
— Jamie, 7/14/2009" A fun read, especially if you read it when you're pregnant. "
— Donna, 7/13/2009Sarah Bilston was born and raised in Suffolk, England. She attended University College London from 1991 to 1995, receiving a BA in English literature and an MA in Anglo-American literary relations. She attended Somerville College (Oxford University) from 1995 to 2000, and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in 2000. Her thesis on representations of girlhood in Victorian women’s fiction became a book entitled The Awkward Age in Women’s Popular Fiction, 1850–1900: Girls and the Transition to Womanhood. In 2001 Bilston married and moved to Connecticut, where she now lives with her family.
Elizabeth Sastre has narrated dozens of audiobooks, including Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston, Brick Lane by Monica Ali, and The Well of Lost Plots by Jasper Fforde, which was an AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year in 2004.