THE BABY GAME (Gym or Chocolate #3), a laugh-out-loud guide to the joys and perils of parenthood by Stuart Reardon & Jane Harvey-Berrick is available now!

Blurb:

đź’™Two couples

đź’™Two sets of new parents

đź’™Two baby boys

💙It’s going to be an education

💙It’s going to be chaos

❤️It’s going to be The Baby Game!

Best friends Rick Roberts and Vince Azzo have given up the single life and are happily married: Rick to radio host, Cady Callaghan; and Vince to event organizer and lawyer, Grace.

But when both wives become pregnant within weeks of each other, are the guys up to the challenge of hormones on parade, Lamaze classes, and shopping trips for two tiny humans who are months from making an appearance?

When the babies are born, all four adults have a steep learning curve. Life never goes completely smoothly, and there are tears and tantrums along the way – and not just from the newborns. As their children grow, life becomes an amazing adventure for the four friends. And when Cady wants a night off from mom-hood to celebrate her 40th birthday with her bff, Grace, the guys are left in charge. After all, looking after two tiny toddlers – how hard can it be?

Best friends Rick Roberts and Vince Azzo have given up the single life and are happily married: Rick to radio host, Cady Callaghan; and Vince to event organizer and lawyer, Grace Cooper. But when both wives become pregnant within weeks of each other, are the guys up to the challenge of hormones on parade, Lamaze classes, and shopping trips for two tiny humans who are months from making an appearance?

When the babies are born, all four adults have a steep learning curve. Life never goes completely smoothly, and there are tears and tantrums along the way—and not just from the newborns.

As their children grow, life becomes an amazing adventure for the four friends. After all, looking after two tiny toddlers—how hard can it be?

My Review:

The Baby Game is book three in the excellent Gym or Chocolate series. It is a heart warming, funny and emotional account of two couples finding out they are expecting and the journey they go on. We follow the four as they experience the pleasure and pain of pregnancy and babies. Having had two children I could relate to what the women go through on the path to becoming new parents. From conception to toddlers, and everything in between, savour the laughs and the tears but most of all, enjoy the overwhelming sense of love throughout the book. 

We met Cady Callahan and Rick Roberts in Gym or Chocolate, then Grace Cooper and Vince Azzo in The World According to Vince. The women are best friends so it is appropriate that they become pregnant within weeks of each other.  It was also nice for the men because they are also best friends and go on the journey towards parenthood together. 

The story is told by all four characters so we get everybody’s points of view. The worries, doubts and fears all pregnant women and their partners go through are covered. The love these couples have for each other and their best friends comes through especially when there is the added pressure of supporting Grace and Vince once they get the news about their baby. Both men really up their game and are supportive husbands and then fathers.

The best part of the story to me was the way the authors addressed having a special needs baby. They didn’t back down from any of the issues and highlighted many of the highs and lows involved with such insight. The details about Down syndrome babies and the problems with pregnancy were informative and very well explained. The thing that stood out to me was Grace and Vince’s attitude right from the start. My heart went out to them at first but Vince’s reaction to the news and his determination to treat baby Jax exactly the same as baby Phoenix was inspirational. To him they were going to have a special baby and nothing anyone could say was going to affect his excitement.

I had forgotten how hilarious Vince was and how essentially British his sense of humour was. To me he really came into his own and although some of his ideas and suggestions weren’t always the best, he always brought the fun and regularly lifted everyone’s moods during the difficult times. I was so pleased we got more of his Canine Crusader antics and his wonderful dogs.

The first two books were thoroughly entertaining and this one didn’t disappoint. I liked that it covered real life issues and problems but still made me laugh and cry. If this is the end of the series then the authors have finished it off in style.