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The Promise of Stardust: A Novel
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The Promise of Stardust: A Novel
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The Promise of Stardust: A Novel
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The Promise of Stardust: A Novel

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

4.5/5

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About this ebook

Priscille Sibley’s The Promise of Stardust is a haunting and unforgettable debut novel about life and death and love, set against a moral dilemma that may leave you questioning your own beliefs.

Matt Beaulieu has loved Elle McClure since he was two years old. Now married and expecting their first child, Elle suffers a fatal accident. To keep the baby alive, Matt goes against his wife’s wishes and keeps his wife on life support. But Matt’s mother thinks that Elle should be euthanized, and she’s ready to fight for what she believes is the right thing.

A stunning, compassionate examination of one of the most intricate ethical issues of our time, The Promise of Stardust, will stay with you, long after the last page has been read.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateFeb 5, 2013
ISBN9780062194183
Author

Priscille Sibley

Priscille Sibley is a neonatal intensive care nurse who lives in New Jersey with her husband and three teenage sons. Her short fiction has appeared in MiPoesias and her poetry in The Shine Journal. She is a member of Backspace Writers Forum and Liberty State Fiction Writers. The Promise of Stardust is her first novel.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    THE PROMISE OF STARDUST is more than just a love story. It is also a story of conflict with family members, as well as with oneself. When Matt Beaulieu decides to keep his wife Elle, who had a terrible accident and was pronounced brain dead, on life support knowing that she would not want to be kept alive indefinitely but also confident she would want the baby she’s carrying to have a chance at life, he faces family members and the community who think she should be allowed to die peacefully. Believing as Elle did in the right to die with dignity and also in the baby’s right to live, left me in a quandary. How did I want it to end? I couldn't have it both ways. What would you do? The characters and story were remarkably believable. Priscille Sibley knows how to write a story to hold your interest, even after you’ve finished the book. I highly recommend THE PROMISE OF STARDUST. I couldn’t put it down.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Man this book gives you the feels!! From the first page it jumps into the most heart-wrenching situation someone could be put in. It was hard to put down and I enjoyed in immensely.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Very pleased to receive this book as an early reviewer. A thought-provoking novel, dealing with the morality of medical technology and the thorny question of how far is too far. The main characters are easy to visualize, and no matter which side you agree with, you'll feel some empathy for the other side as well. A very readable and enjoyable first-time effort by this author. I'll be on the lookout for more from her!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    OMG. This novel. It broke.my.heart. It's like a mixture of Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks and the writing is fabulous.I felt so many things while reading this novel and it reminded me of why I'm such an avid reader. This is the type of book I live for. The ones where I have to stay up late reading under the covers, or grab a few more spare minutes. This novel is fast-paced, character driven though completely predictable. It presents an ethical dilemma that forces the reader to think through the issue as if they were the one in the situation. This is my first Priscille Sibley novel but I'm such a fan now.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Dr. Matt Beulieu gets a call from the ER. It is Matt’s wife, Elle. Matt rushes to the emergency room to find that his wife is brain dead. She fell off a ladder and hit her head on a rock. Matt is about to pull the plug when he learns that Elle is pregnant.Matt and Elle dreamed of having a family and have several miscarriages; they never thought they would have a child. Now Matt could have the family that he and Elle dreamed of. Matt makes the choice to keep Elle on life support until she is far enough along for the doctor to deliver their baby. Matt is stopped by a road block. Elle signed papers giving Matt’s mother medical power of attorney. Matt’s mother knows that Elle would not want to be kept on life support and wants to carry out Elle’s wishes and pull the plug. It will be a battle of love and ethics that will have families taking sides. The human aspect of the characters and the story touched my heart. It made me really get in Matt’s corner and cheer him on. Matt fought hard even with it seemed like the odds were against him. I can not imagine what Matt had to go though with Elle. As I was reading this book, I was discussing it with my husband. He was just as intrigued as I was in how this story was progressing and how it would turn out. I don’t want to give anything away in regards to the ending, so all I will say is that I did shed tears. The Promise of Stardust is not only a must read but a must tell everyone about it type of book. I pretty much devoured this book. Watch out as Priscille Sibley is going to be the next big Jodi Picoult. Priscille came out with a huge bang with her first novel. I can not wait to see what is in store next from this author.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Priscille Sibley's debut novel, The Promise of Stardust, will appeal to fans of Jodi Picoult's novels. Sibley is a nurse who has worked in neonatal intensive cars units and her experiences have informed this emotional, thought-provoking and hopeful book.Matt and Ellie are married and have been unsuccessful in their attempts to have a baby, as Ellie has had a few painful, sad miscarriages. Ellie has a tragic accident and is in a coma, brain dead. What Matt discovers at the hospital is that Ellie is pregnant. he must now consider the life of his unborn child in addition to Ellie's.Matt is a physician, so he understands that Ellie is brain dead, but he also knows in his heart that Ellie would do anything to keep their baby alive. There is an outside chance that they can keep Ellie on life support until their baby can be delivered.Ellie's mother died when she was a teen, wasting away from cancer in front of her family's eyes. It was a painful, long death, one that forever scarred Ellie. She and Matt were neighbors and in love, and Matt and his family helped Ellie and her father and brother through the horrible time. Ellie swore that if she were ever faced with illness like her mother's, she would not want to suffer.Not only did Matt have deal with this, he had to do it publicly. His mother Linney, a nurse who was a second mother to Ellie, knew about Ellie's wishes and disagreed with Matt. She believed Ellie's life support should be removed.The dispute became public, reminiscent of the Terri Shiavo case in Florida years ago. Matt hired a friend from college, a lawyer looking for a test case for a right-to-life issue. Ellie's old boyfriend comes forward with a power of attorney he said Ellie signed naming him. Everyone gets drawn into this, everyone has an opinion.The Promise of Stardust asks you to question right-to-life and right-to-die issues. Is it so black-and-white or are there shades of grey? It will encourage you to discuss your wishes with your spouse and family.While the novel takes on a tough issue, it is also a beautiful love story. Matt and Ellie were destined to be together, even though they went through tough times and spent some years apart. Although Ellie is in a coma, we see her through the eyes of others, in her writings and in flashbacks as the story goes back and forth through time.I had the chance to participate in a Google hangout with Sibley and some other bloggers, and it was a great way to chat with the author and find out where she got the idea for this engrossing, heart-breaking story. Sibley is such an interesting person, I look forward to reading her next book.This is a book that will make your heart hurt and mind question. I fell in love with Matt and Ellie and their tragic love story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a complicated read. It turned into so much more than the sum of its synopsis and I'm not sure I liked the insertion of the public into the personal. I suppose I should have expected it when the subject has anything to do with life support and fetuses. The world comes knocking nowadays even when these decisions should remain personal and private.The Promise of Stardust revolves around Elle, a retired astronaut, now professor living in Maine. She and her husband Matt have been trying to have children but she has had several miscarriages. The reader learns the story of their love through a series of flashbacks and in Matt's reading of her diary combing for clues as to her thoughts on abortion. Why is he doing this? Because Elle has had a catastrophic brain injury but just as the plug was about to be pulled Matt has learned she is pregnant. He feels she would want to do ANYTHING to give the child a chance at life while others, including his own mother feel she would not want to be kept alive on machines. Matt is in full agreement on that - except for the baby. His mother brings suit to pull the plug and Matt counter-sues - hence the search of her diaries.I LOVED this book when it told the story of Matt and Elle. It was heartrending, it was beautiful, it was a love story. Matt is a complicated character who was dealing with a situation none of us ever want to face. He knew that the thing Elle feared the most was a slow death but he also knew the thing she wanted the most was a child. His mother saw only Elle's desire to not be hooked up to machines due to the way her mother died. Matt could not seem to get across that Elle's mother died in pain from cancer but that Elle was feeling nothing.Due to the presence of the baby the case draws national attention and it becomes a battle between pro life forces and right to die people and any other group that might have a stake. This is the part that I didn't care for. The politics. While not heavy handed, I didn't sign on for a political discussion - although in this day and age as I stated above no one can do anything in private any longer.There are a number of twists and turns one of them being an old boyfriend of Elle's whose presence and interference just doesn't make sense. He is not likable nor should his opinion hold as much weight as it does.The Promise of Stardust is a thought provoking book. With the one exception mentioned, the main characters are well developed. I was looking for more interplay from both Matt's and Elle's siblings - it was as if they disappeared once introduced - but overall I was glad I read the book. It made me think and it provided hope.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Quite possibly one of the best books I have read in a long time! The Promise of Stardust grabs you from the first page. It is an emotional read about what one would do in unforeseeable circumstances. There are many characters invested in the outcome and you find yourself relating to all the characters and their point of view. I am almost beyond words about how much I enjoyed this book. The characters were so well developed and the story so tense and compelling that I almost jumped ahead to see how it turned out. I did not do that and instead embarked on the emotional roller coaster of hope, sadness, promise, opposing forces and love in various forms! This is a novel not to be missed. I cannot wait to read more by Sibley! I highly recommend this book and rate it 5 stars!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Do you have a living will or an advanced directive? Do you know the difference? Do your loved ones know what your wishes are? Have you covered any and all possible scenarios with them? If you've chosen to not be kept alive by artificial means, is there anything that could possibly negate that wish? That question is at the heart of Priscille Sibley's beautiful and heart-wrenching debut novel The Promise of Stardust.Matt and Elle have known each other their whole lives. They grew up next door to each other and were family long before they married. They know each other inside and out having weathered the tragedy of losing Elle's mother to cancer when they were just teenagers in love, again when Elle's previously undiagnosed medical condition causes her to miscarry several desparately wanted pregnancies, and most recently when their son was stillborn. Their relationship and devotion to each other has been tested by fire and it hasn't always stayed constant, with the two of them going their own ways for almost a decade before finding their ay back to each other. But by the time the novel opens, they have been married for five years and are clearly soul mates. Matt is a respected neurologist and Elle (nicknamed Peep) is a college professor and celebrated former astronaut and they have a pretty good life in the Maine town in which they grew up. Their one overwhelming heartbreak is their inability to have a child. When the novel opens, Matt gets called to the ER because Elle has been injured in a freak accident. As a neurologist, it is immediately clear to him that she has suffered a terrible trauma falling from a ladder and hitting her head on a rock and she's brain damaged. After an operation to try and save her, she is undoubtedly brain dead and Matt makes the difficult and heart-rending decision to remove her from life support. But before that happens, Elle's doctor tells him that she is pregnant, only 8 weeks, but pregnant nonetheless. When an ultrasound shows that Elle's brain death doesn't seem to have affected the fetus, everything changes for Matt. He knows that her greatest fear in life is to be kept alive in a vegetative state, especially after she witnessed the slow, terrible, and painful death her mother suffered, comatose in the end but still obviously in pain. But he also believes that she would have given her very life to have a baby and so as long as there is even the most remote of chances to bring the baby to viability, he is certain she'd want to be kept alive by any means possible. And so he changes his mind about life support, desperate to give the baby a chance, to give Elle's baby a chance, and to give himself a reason to go on living. Matt's mother Linney, a labor and delivery nurse, and her younger brother Christopher, whom she mothered even as their own mother was dying, both disagree with Matt's decision, arguing that Elle would never, under any circumstances want to be kept alive like this. And Linney feels so strongly about it that she is willing to take her own son to court over it, showing that 18 year old Elle drafted an advanced directive giving Linney the power to make her health care decisions so that she would never end her days the way her own mother did. Matt is unable to convince his mother that since Elle is brain dead and feels no pain that she would want to do everything in her power to give their baby a fighting chance. With the court case and Elle's added notoriety as an heroic astronaut, the case becomes a media circus and a locus for the right-to-life movement. Matt does not want to use his private struggle to to further a public political agenda he doesn't even agree with and which is only tangentially related to what is actually going on in the fight over whether to keep Elle alive or not, but the situation is a lightning rod anyway. The tragedy of losing Elle is not the only tragedy in the book, there is also the tearing apart of a close-knit and loving family because each of the characters is convinced that he or she knows what Elle would want, even in such a totally unfathomable situation. The story is told in the present as the accident occurs and the court case moves forward but Sibley also adeptly uses flashbacks to give the reader the long and deep history of Matt and Elle, who they are now and the forces that shaped them into those people. Matt tells the story of his greatest heartbreak, losing the wife he loves more than life, but he gives Elle a voice as well, reading snippets from the journals she kept religiously. In recalling conversations with her and reading her journals, he is certain that he knows Elle's mind, can accurately predict what she would have chosen to do, and that in fighting to keep her alive for the baby's sake he is doing the right thing. Since the narrative is not told from Linney's perspective, there's no way to gauge why she believes equally adamantly that this is the wrong thing, the reader can only know Matt's assertion that his mother is unequivocably wrong. The book and the many issues it raises are incredibly emotional ones and Sibley definitely tugs at the heart strings. The end was never really in doubt although there are some unexpected twists to get there and that generally made for a stronger plot overall. There were some incongruous bits (Elle's brother raging at Matt for getting Elle pregnant again as if it was all Matt's fault alone, as if Christopher actually got to have input, or that it was any of his business in the first place as well as the reappearance of Elle's ex-boyfriend and his fight to discontinue Elle's life support) that detracted a bit from the story. And the secondary characters, perhaps because of the narration perspective, came off as flat and one dimensional. But Matt and Elle's love story was well done and lovely and the grief and shock Matt was in, fluctuating from anger to despair and back again, felt authentic. This is exactly the sort of book that would be perfect for book clubs, packed with controversial issues and the idea of the intersection of private and public.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Received the book from Early Reviewers - it is fantastic!! I can't believe that it is the authors first book. I loved the storyline and the characters. Couldn't put the book down. Will be using it for my book club when it comes out.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Let me begin by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I agree with other Reviewers, it is hard to believe that this was Priscille Sibley’s first book – it was beautifully written. You really get to know each character and you truly want to understand each role that they play in this novel. I look forward to her future work. I would highly recommend this novel, but I will warn you, it is a hard book to put down.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This was an excellent book, though I must admit I had no idea when I choose it how sad it would really be. If this is truly a first novel I cannot wait for the authors next novel. From the very beginning the characters pull you in and you feel a real connection and concern for their well fair, each and everyone of them. The plot was both believable and fast paced. The story was one that really needed to be told and yet something that one would probably not think about until it is to late to make the choices that really matter. There wasn't anything I did not like about this book. It was a quick read with emotions running high and low. I LOVED this book and would recomend it to anyone. Much praise for Priscille Sibley!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is a phenomenal novel, and echoing many of the other reviewers, amazing that this is Ms. Sibley's first novel. The novel tells the story of a couple who has known each other their entire lives--families are completely intertwined--who are desperate to have a child. Sadly, Elle, the wife, has an accident and is declared brain dead. Her husband, a surgeon, then discovers that she is pregnant. The novel then tells the struggle Matt goes through, against his own mother, Elle's former boyfriend, and society to keep Elle alive long enough to deliver the baby.This book was extremely well written, full of twists and multiple times I had to put the book down as I was on the subway and didn't want to cry!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Matt Beaulieu is a surgeon and the husband to Elle, an ex-Nasa personnel. She ends up brain dead and he is ready to let her go. Then he finds out she is pregnant with their child. He feels she would want their child to live (as they've lived through numerous miscarriages). His mother happens to disagree. As Elle's mother went through a long painful death, she thinks Elle would despise living on life support. So starts a long legal battle. I feel it was a good premise, just too many people end up getting involved and the ending was too pat.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This debut novel by Priscille Sibley will be an instant hit with book clubs as soon as it is released in February. I was fortunate to be able to read it early through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program. The Promise of Stardust is an emotional roller coaster that you will be tempted to read in one sitting and spoiler- have plenty of Kleenex handy. Matt is a surgeon and his wife, Elle is a retired astronaut. They have known each other most of their lives and have had a happy marriage despite their inability to have children. One day the unthinkable happens as Elle falls off a ladder and goes into a coma from the head trauma. Matt's grief is overwhelming but then he discovers that Elle is pregnant. What follows is a nasty court battle that will tear apart the family as well as test their belief in their faith and in each other. This emotional upheaval reads true and it makes you question what you would do if faced with the same situation.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    After the marathon reading of this book, (sucked me in and wouldn't let me go until the last page), I felt like I just spent 6 months back and forth in the hospital, sitting by Elle's side and then in the courtroom behind Matt and Jake. I am exhausted and drained. The writing was so superb that it drew such deep emotion, that I wept for the family, as if they were part of mine. The topic is so controversial. I can see all sides and understand how each member is torn by what is the right thing to do. Truly a heartwrenching masterpiece that was needed to be told.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I would highly recommend this book This is not just a love story but a book about emotional struggles between family members. Matt and his wife want a child desperatley and wheen Elle dies Matt finds himself in a position on whether to keep her on life support against her wishes.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Matt and Elle, childhood friends, highschool sweethearts and long time married couple have faced almost everything in life together, good or bad, they have always had love and friendship to connect them. Lately multiple miscarriages have devastated them and Elle being at a point in her life of wanting a family, can only think about having another baby no matter the risk. Matt on the other hand wants kids but does not want Elle to put her life in danger, so trying again for the 5th time is out of the question. Before the two can even travel the road of battling about it, Elle has a tragic freak accident and sustains massive head trauma putting her in a vegetative state hooked up to life support. Matt has no intention of keeping Elle alive and knows its time to say goodbye to his wife, but when he receives the news that Elle is eight weeks pregnant everything changes in an instant.The thought of a child, a piece of Elle left behind changes Matt's mind and he decides to keep Elle on life support until the baby is born, knowing that this is what Elle would have wanted, knowing he will have to let her go after but wanting to give the unborn child a chance at life. So he hires an attorney and fights for guardianship over the baby without knowing he would create a storm of controversy in his wake. Others including fellow doctors, family and Matt's own mother do not agree and think he should terminate Elle's life, which in turn would automatically terminate the child's. His mother being Elle's power of attorney over medical decisions (due to Elle's own mother dying) since she was a teenager actually is taking it so seriously that she decides to fight Matt over the issue in court, trying to block his guardianship.Even with the consequences of ripping the family apart Matt moves forward and an ensuing battle takes place over the right of the unborn child and the right of the mother who lays incompetent in a hospital bed, asking the question of living wills versus a spouses legal right. It also becomes a high profile case and brings the pro-lifers and the women's rights groups out in droves begging the debate on the right to life. Everyone thinks they knew Elle, and in a sense they did, due to her small town fame, but not as well as Matt knew her and over the course of the story he slowly reveals to the reader the layered past of him and Elle's romance, the young teenage love of her at 15 and him 17, the time at college and the times apart, the memories are primarily focused on a woman already dead but we are able to capture her through Matt and see the years before the accident, interlocked with the veracious court battle, media storm and Pro-life versus Pro-choice commentary that riddles the book. Matt feels like he's doing the right thing, even though the entire world seems to be against him, even though he is holding that one last shred of hope, as a brain surgeon himself he knows the possibility for Elle returning whole is gone, but the possibility of that child is not lost and he will fight to save it.Heartbreaking and grueling issues face Matt's journey and the time spent going through Elle's journals rekindle the beginnings of their relationship and takes our character and us the reader on an unbelievable love story, a coming of age story, a story of loss and a story about life.The Promise of Stardust was a stunning debut from Sibley, I was very impressed with the writing style and have to hand it to the author for taking on such a controversial social commentary, showing a remarkable viewpoint from the stand of the right to life, and the woman's right to choose. Personally while I shy away from making political or social commentary statements on my blog, I can assure you I stand by and am outspoken on my beliefs when it comes to abortion and the unborn. I would willingly hand over my life for any of my children and would so for my unborn child. Had I been Elle I would have wanted to be kept alive until my child was born. I think that's why I loved this book so much, it made me think about things so relevant to life and death choices. I also loved that the story was told by Matt, the husband left behind, I felt so incredibly connected to him that it made the story personal and the outcomes that much more emotional.This book does not mess around or pull any punches, it grabs you, smacks you and knocks you down within the first chapter. A book for readers on both sides of the spectrum, one that may even change your view on how you look at the right to life debate. An intense nonstop contemporary ride with the pace and feel of a thriller, riddled with heartbreak and tears.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was given a wonderful opportunity (by Bookreporter.com and William Morrow books - thank you!) to read and review this book.I was immediately drawn into this book after reading just the first few pages. It reminded me a lot of a Jodi Picoult book: Lone Wolf + The Pact = The Promise of Stardust.It's a love story like none you'll ever read with hope and despair. A young couple working against the odds of their age finally break-up and go their separate ways but when times heals the pain and they are reconnected they have an unlikely opportunity to rekindle what they once had and to start a family. If it were only that easy.This book will make you think about things you never thought of before and you will realize that some things in life should be sacred - that you shouldn't have to fight for what's rightfully yours.One last thing that I feel the need to mention, The Promise of Stardust is Priscille Sibley's FIRST book. I can't believe it. It's written like a pro, not like a novice. Well done Priscille!I highly recommend.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    "Women are more than vessels for offspring..." as said by the mother-in-law of Elle, a young pregnant women in a coma! THE PROMISE OF STARDUST is a compelling drama which tries to prove and disprove this statement from the viewpoint of Elle's husband, her father, her mother-in-law, and her ex-fiance. This is very readable, hard to put down story that holds your attention to the very end. I had a few of my own ideas on how it would conclude. But it didn't! So full of possibilities!This is a first novel for PRICILLE SIBLEY. Her experience as an ICU nurse makes this a very credible read as she interprets the medical jargon for all.I would highly recommend this book!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I was thrilled to receive this book as an early reviewer. My advise, don't start reading unless you have the time to devote to finishing it before you set it down. From the first few pages you will be invested in the storyline and taking sides with the characters. This book grabs you by the heart in the first few pages and never lets go. Priscille Sibley has set the bar high on her first novel! Engaging plot, endearing characters. Highly recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Let me tell you that this controversial novel made an excellent book club selection. Most of the ladies in my book club are conservative so although we loved the story most of us found ourselves frustrated with the situation at hand. Sibley did a wonderful job of creating a story that could easily be ripped from the headlines of today, making you wonder, "What is the right decision?"Linney had an advanced directive in place indicating she never wanted to be kept on life support if there was no chance for recovery from an illness or accident. She watched her mother die a slow and painful death and did not want to put herself or her loved ones through a similar experience. How could she foresee that she could possibly be pregnant in this exact situation? Would she change her mind about life support if it could save the life of the unborn child that she and Matt have tried so desperately to conceive? These are the questions Matt struggles with as he fights for the life of his unborn child. As Matt struggles to keep Linney alive long enough to bring their baby into this world, he must confront a new fight against several people who believe the physicians should follow her wishes. This book tugged at the heartstrings page after page as we watch Matt struggle with his decisions. He reads through her many journals that were started before they were even married, looking for clues to what she would actually want. I don't want to give any more of this novel away as the intensity builds as new legal implications arise with the situation. I did enjoy this novel and you may find it just as enjoyable with themes of love, promises, and a medical lawsuit. I don't hesitate in recommending this novel for either personal leisure or as a book club selection.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Love story (and yes it is an amazing love story) told from husband's point of view. I do love his character but he comes across almost feminine in the storytelling. Not that he is a feminine kind of guy..He is not. The author just made it feel like your best girl friend was telling the story. That doesn't make alot of sense. Lol so I guess you need to read the book to see what I am babbling about.

    You do become very attached to these characters. I thought I knew my stand on the subject but after reading this book you wonder. I can and could see both sides. The author does a wonderful job with giving both sides of the picture.

    This book did wear me out though. I cried almost constantly. Be warned.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Elle McClure and Matt Beaulieu grew up next door to each other and Matt always knew he would marry Elle. Despite some ups and downs in their relationship they did marry. Everything was perfect except for the fact that Elle had trouble carrying babies to term. After the heartbreak of several miscarriages and a stillbirth they decided to give up trying. Being a neurosurgeon Matt knew the implications of brain death, but when Elle falls off a ladder, Matt faces a difficult decision. Knowing Elle never wanted to be kept alive on life support because of the suffering she watched her mother go through, he never the less had a difficult decision to make. A decision made even more impossible when he is informed Elle is pregnant again. Acting against the wishes of family and the advice of doctors and friends, and knowing that Elle is gone and the baby may not make it anyway, he takes on a court case to keep Elle alive long enough to deliver their child.

    I enjoyed the concept of the book, and the author did a fine job of making the reader connect with both sides of Matt’s dilemma, but ultimately the book was a little bit of a disappointment. I enjoyed the back-story to Matt and Elle’s lives but felt the whole moral and emotional turmoil Matt was going through was too drawn out and extremely repetitive. The ending was a little too long in arriving and very predictable.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Loved it ! A True love story. Loved it !
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I literally had to fight myself to put this book down once I began reading it. It is a remarkably intense and riveting story. Everything about it felt authentic and real. It made me laugh and cry and, at times, even stop breathing. It made me think and rethink difficult ethical and moral issues like no other book has ever done.
    If you are reading this review and considering reading this book...I urge you to read it. You will not regret it! I promise.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Heart wrenchingly beautiful. If ever you have been in love, this book will resonate with your soul.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    An incredible story! By far the best book I have ever read!
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Poignant, deeply touching, sure loosened the tear ducts towards the end…

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I somehow managed to not see anything on this book anywhere - on any blogs, amazon, goodreads - anywhere. Then, I was in Target and it was their featured book club book. I picked it up and read the back and was intrigued. I enjoy Jodi Picoult books a lot and this sounded like her. I'm very glad I picked it up. Pricelle Sibley doesn't write with all the polish and flair that Picoult does but this was a very well thought out and written story. I loved Matt and his determination to save his and Elle's baby. I appreciated the tension with her family and their differing views. Plus, I was curious the entire time as to whether or not the baby would live. I just kept reading and thinking, "I've got to read fast so that I can find out what happens."

    This book raises some interesting moral issues. They're not as heart-wrenching as most of the issues in Picoult's stories but it was still intriguing. I wondered what I'd do in that position and how hard I'd fight for the unborn child. I felt like there were things that Sibley could have done to twist that emotional knife in the heart just a little bit more but overall, this was a well-thought out and written book.