“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?”
There are many things I loved about this book. First, the traveling. Claire and Josh travel Europe and take a cruise in order to come up with topics for their children’s book series about a boy named Jack. They keep lists of places they want to go and things they want to see in those places. The descriptions made me want to visit the places that Claire and Josh visited. I was also inspired to begin a list of the places I have already been!
Second, I loved the relationship between Claire and Josh as well as their relationship with their best friends Abby and her husband. There are many characters mentioned throughout the book, including Claire’s mom and Abby’s mom, and I feel like the author can go on to write individual books in this same universe. All of the characters were people that I grew to care for.
Third, there is a moral component to the story as to whether Claire should go through treatment to save herself or risk her life so that her baby can be born. All of the characters have feelings on the topic, and the reader can understand all of the view points. I appreciated the way the story was written to explain how everyone felt about the situation that Claire was in. Whether or not you agree with her, the reader feels for her and her family.
I really liked the way Steena Holmes wrote this book and I will definitely be checking out the other books she has written or will write in the future.
What have you been reading lately?
