Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Saving Abby by Steena Holmes



What They Say.....All children’s book illustrator Claire Turner ever wanted was to be a mother. After six years of trying to conceive, she and her husband, Josh, have finally accepted that she will never be pregnant with a child of their own.

Yet once they give up hope, the couple gets the miracle they’ve been waiting for. For the first few months of her pregnancy, Claire and Josh are living on cloud nine. But when she begins to experience debilitating headaches, blurred vision, and even fainting spells, the soon-to-be mother goes to the doctor and receives a terrifying diagnosis. Since any treatment could put their unborn baby’s life at risk, the Turners must carefully weigh their limited options. And as her symptoms worsen, Claire will have to make an impossible decision: Save her own life, or save her child’s?


What I Say.....Sometimes being a nurse is not always fun when you are reading a book that has lots of medical issues in it.  For example, when the author describes how Claire's anemia was tested through a urinalysis, I'm just like, no, that's not even a thing.

Or when the book describes a woman so tired and weak that she can't even stand up and walk down the stairs on her own accord, and her doctor friend says that's okay, bring her to my office in a few days if she's not better, it makes you wonder what Canadian healthcare is really like.

But onto the story.  Claire has wanted nothing more than to have kids, and after a trip with her husband, she find herself unexpectedly pregnant.  Claire develops a sudden onset of the worst headaches of her life, and when she finally has some testing done (that took way too long), she finds that she has a brain tumor.  The treatment would mean she needs to end her pregnancy, and naturally, that isn't an option.

So far, I've given enough spoilers and I don't want to ruin it for anyone else who read this book, but I found the ending to be maddening.

The book would definitely appeal to Jodi Picoult fans.



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