Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsEmotional, gripping, un-put-downable
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on February 22, 2020
It's impossible, I think, to not be pulled into this story if you are a parent, especially if you're a mom. When little Emily started to have symptoms, her parents would just attribute them to her being so small and still developing abilities, for example it's not so worrisome for a 2 year old to stumble or use the wrong words.
As things get worse for Emily and doctors have no real answers, there are more and more trips to the doctors and hospitals, more and more tests, which are sometimes invasive to the little girl, always without answers.
When Emily lapses into a coma, Rachel spends much of her time at the hospital with her little girl while James mostly stays away, and the couple rarely see each other. One day when they are both at their home at the same time he informs Rachel that he is DONE. He can't do this anymore.
Three months later he marries Eva, who he tells about Emily on their second date. After that, he doesn't tell Eva much about what is happening with Emily, while Rachel is dealing with the loss of her marriage and the declining state of Emily's undiagnosable illness.
After several months of marriage, Eva is still being left in the dark about Emily and James never tells her anything about Rachel. James and Rachel share joint custody, but now that is only about Emily's medical care. When Rachel is not at the hospital, she is searching online for anything that might help her daughter. When she finds information about a doctor in Italy who may be able to help Emily she tries desperately to get James to agree to take Emily to Italy for the experimental treatment.
He refuses to agree to it and when Emily's team of doctors says there is no possibility of any further action helping, they move her to hospice care against Rachel's wishes, as she wants the doctors to keep trying!
Rachel is desperate for help when she shows up at James and Eva's apartment one evening while James is at the hospital. She and Eva have never met but Rachel is desperate. She tells Eva about everything and begs her to talk to James about the treatment in Italy. Rachel doesn't know that Eva has a past heartbreak over a lost baby and is currently trying to get pregnant.
Eva and Rachel end up becoming good friends, which I'm not sure I would be able to do, but it is a wonderful thing to see in the story. This is a book that every mother should read, just keep the tissues close. I highly recommend this book, without any doubts! It kept me up much later than usual, I couldn't put it down!
I'm looking forward to reading more from this author, and I have never read anything by the authors mentioned in the section that says "you might like this author if you like..."
