"Exquisite. Honest. Illuminating. This book is about layers--how what comes before affects what unfolds now. But Mosqueda doesn't stop there. Hers is a journey of absolute determination. She turns over all the stones in an attempt to find her own uprightness and her own compass where there is no easy map to follow. A must-read for mothers who have known something inside feels off even if the experts tell you postpartum should have been 'over' long ago."

—Molly Caro May, author of Body Full of Stars: Female Rage and My Passage into Motherhood

"Emily generously shares her experience with peripartum mood disorder, her struggle with chronic fatigue and the role of ethnicity and culture in shaping her view of motherhood. As she finds her path, she encourages us to examine how we define motherhood in a society that values career accomplishments so highly."

—Melissa Edwards, MD

"Raw. Real. Relatable. Relevant. Mosqueda takes us on a moving journey through her history linking her postpartum struggles with what has gone before. The visceral depictions, touching stories and useful research mean this book will provide comfort, solidarity and hope to the many mothers who will see themselves in its pages."

—Cath Counihan, Integrative Psychotherapist, Twin Mum and Writer

Insightful and textured, through sharing her postpartum journey Mosqueda peels back the veil on the transition to motherhood within our society in a way that encapsulates both the grief and the love; the vulnerability and the power; the breaking-down and breaking-through, that is in the ‘becoming’ of a mother.

—Dr Sophie Brock, Motherhood Studies Sociologist

Unexpected is a beautifully written, candid memoir written by Emily Mosqueda about her struggle with postpartum depression and anxiety after the birth of her second daughter. As a mother of three, I was able to relate to so many of the struggles Emily went through throughout her pregnancy journey and afterward. There were times, in fact, when I was reading her story that I wanted to reach out and just give her a hug because I could feel her emotional pain.

One of the qualities that Emily has that I ability to be self-aware and see how her behavior affects those around her. Emily tries everything, from healing massages to reiki and Chinese herbs. Luke and Emily even hire a nanny to help out and Emily takes some time off to attend a retreat with a small group of women in Montana. Unexpected unfolds Emily's story little by little and the reader will imagine walking alongside Emily as she makes some difficult life decisions and finds some wonderful life discoveries. This is a book that many women, especially mothers, will relate to and it can certainly help a new mother find, even if it's just a little, peace with her own postnatal journey. A book that will captivate its readers from cover to cover.

—Reviewed by Kristi Elizabeth