I received a complimentary copy of Saving Meghan from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

About The Book

Can you love someone to death?

Some would say Becky Gerard is a devoted mother and would do anything for her only child. Others claim she’s obsessed and can’t stop the vicious circle of finding a cure at her daughter’s expense.

Fifteen-year-old Meghan has been in and out of hospitals with a plague of unexplained illnesses. But when the ailments take a sharp turn, doctors intervene and immediately suspect Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare behavioral disorder where the primary caretaker, typically the mother, seeks medical help for made-up symptoms of a child. Is this what’s going on? Or is there something even more sinister at hand?

My Review

 › Saving Meghan begins with Becky on a plane about to leave Boston for Los Angeles to see her dying mother. Her daughter, Meghan, has had a strange illness for years and after receiving a text from her husband that Meghan is in the hospital, Becky forces the plane back to the terminal. Becky believes her daughter and has taken her to see many doctors to try to figure out what’s wrong, while Becky’s husband, Carl, believes it’s Becky’s messed up childhood that’s making her think Meghan is sick when she isn’t. Carl finds a new doctor, Dr. Zach, who thinks Meghan has mitochondrial disease. Meghan is secretly taken to the mental health ward while Becky and Carl are in the emergency waiting room. The mental health professionals think Meghan’s illness is in her mind and her mother is charged with Münchausen syndrome by proxy. The rest of the story is a roller coaster that’ll keep you guessing till the end. S

The writing style was a little strange for me at first because two perspectives (Becky and Zach) are told in third person, while Meghan’s is first person point of view. They are all unreliable and unlikable, which made me second-guess myself and not trust any of them.

 › Becky, 48 years-old, is described as “annoyingly thin”. What’s that all about? The women are painted as “bad”, and pretty much all the women doubted themselves, had anxiety or a mental health issue.

 › I would have liked to have seen more diversity and gender equality. It would have been fantastic to have had more scenes with Becky’s mother, Cora.

 › Unrealistic incidents made Saving Meghan feel corny. I did figure out one part of the mystery but blindsided by another piece. It’s refreshing when a mystery/thriller has a smaller cast, and the big reveal is a character that isn’t some stranger on the sidelines.

 › Parenthood, in particular mother/daughter relationships, is a big theme in this novel. As a mother, my heart broke for Becky and I often found myself taking her side.

 › Dr. Zach is the one character that I liked for the entire story. After his son died from mitochondrial disease Zach became an expert in the field and some have accused him of over-diagnosing the disease. My heart broke for him. I just wanted him to have a happy ending.

 › Truth and trust also play a big part in this thriller. Becky is on the verge of losing her sanity and she somehow needs to figure out who she can trust. After twenty years of marriage, Becky and Carl learn just how much their marriage can be tested.

 › The big question is, how far would you go to save your child? A few years ago my daughter was experiencing strange stomach pains for about a year. I brought her to our family doctor and the emergency room and they would send us home saying she’s probably just constipated. No one was listening to what we said and it was incredibly frustrating. Thankfully, after pushing for a referral we were able to see a Pediatric Gastroenterologist who was extremely thorough and able to fix the problem. If her pain would have continued for years as it did for Meghan, I probably would have become just as angry as Becky.

 › I liked the ending even though I did guess a part of the mystery early-on.
With secrets, likes, and drama, Saving Meghan is an exciting read, great for fans of domestic thrillers and medical mysteries.

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Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

About The Author

“D.J. PALMER is the author of numerous critically acclaimed suspense novels, including Delirious and Desperate. After receiving his master’s degree from Boston University, he spent a decade as an e-commerce pioneer before turning his attention to writing. He lives with his wife and two children in New Hampshire.”

http://www.danielpalmerbooks.com/home

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