5/5 stars, an instant recommendation

Uncontrollable is a phenomenal and hardhitting debut, that strikes at the core of what it means to live with a chronic illness. For readers with epilepsy, Casey's story really has the potential to be that truly important book they see themselves and their experienced mirrorred in: those stories are what made me start to review own-voice literature in the first place.
Even if you don't share a diagnosis with the protagonist. Casey's tale is one that will resonate with people living with disabilities or illnesses. Sara Staggs brilliantly and eloquently describes that experience of being "in the growing stage of life"; having kids, building a career etc, and your body just not keeping up with your ambitions.

Luckily, Uncontrollable isn't a downer of a book. It's a story of resilence, connection, (self-)compassion, love and more, somehow all beautifully balanced into a complicated narrative.
I highly recommend this book, but be prepared for an emotional hard-hitter.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A stunning story, both heartfelt and heartbreaking.
Many thanks to Black Rose Writing and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Beautifully written with Resilience Love, and Understanding
I loved this book by Sara Staggs. The book is fictional but the way the author has told this story partly based on her own true experiences it so easily could have been a true story.
When you begin this book, you get to meet and become part of the characters' lives. The story begins when you meet Casey and her husband who are happily married and have two young children. Casey Scott's is living with a severe form of Epilepsy but Casey practices law and specialises in litigation as a trial lawyer and and Jonah works in marketing and is on track to becoming the Director of marketing. Sadly, Casey’s next high-pressured job means her Epilepsy gets worse as the stress builds up and both Casey and Jonah are referred to a specialist who then drops a bombshell on both by informing Casey, she could have SUDEP. Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy.
Casey finds any chance she may have could be life changing and Casey and Johan are told Casey needs to go into hospital to have extensive tests and if the tests are successful, she will be a candidate for brain surgery which will either lesson the seizures or even stop them, but it will save her life. Casey is warned like any surgery there is always a risk of serious complications that would result in life changing decisions for both Casey and Johan forever as well.
This is devastating news and after they discuss everything Casey is prepared to follow through as the alternative is not an option. Follow the story as they both face the journey together and separately and how they each handle the news in their own way, Casey with the life-threatening illness and Jonah as Casey husband and sole care giver.
Casey is very fragile in some ways and falls apart wondering will she and Jonah grow old together, never seeing her children grow up and missing the mild stones in their lives and the dreams and hopes they have as a family. Casey then must navigate through harrowing tests and extensive surgery worrying that if it fails, she will die early and may never carry on with her dream to own her own practice of law and litigation.
Jonah also falls apart due to pressure and stress at work trying to juggle and keep them separate from his homelife, also whilst still caring for the needs of his two children whilst their mother is far away in hospital fighting for her life. Suddenly so stressed himself he realises he has not been able to share his problems with Casey in a long time and naturally Casey's health is taking its toll on him as well, as he watches Casey slipping away from the loving caring wife she once was to the women he now sees and does not recognise as she falls apart when she comes home due to not working and staying home.
Sara has mastered the characters and their life changing story that you will not want to put the book down as you read how both Casey and Johan fall apart, as they deal separately with these life changing issues and how they both recover emotionally and physically.
This is a beautifully written novel by Sara Staggs on an illness that many people shy away from instead of understanding and realising that a person can live a normal life, take medication and function like anybody else who may have debilitating illness. Understanding, Supporting Listening, and talking to the person goes a long way.
The story was told by both Casey, and her husband, Jonah which really allowed you to get to know each of their character. It is Beautifully written, and I highly recommend this book. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I'm so pleased to have stumbled upon this book by Staggs on NetGalley. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I am giving it four stars. The writing is done by Staggs and also has her husbands thoughts throughout. The book is a great real-life navigation of epilepsy and being young, having a family, career, and huge choices to make. Well written and the book was easy to get into.

What is it like to have your life dictated by a medical condition? In the novel, Uncontrollable, by Sara Staggs, we are immersed into the life of Casey, a wife, mother, and lawyer. Casey suffers from epilepsy and is told at her most recent medical appointment that she slow down and decrease her stress or she may likely lose her life due to a seizure. Casey struggles with this decision. She is a motivated lawyer, who gains something daily by the clients that she serves. Her husband, while supportive, wants nothing more than for Casey to give up on her career to ensure that she survives. What will Casey end up choosing? This book was difficult to put down as I was so engaged in the story. I had never read anything before by Mrs. Staggs, but I will certainly book looking for more books by her. The words and dialogue she used throughout the book really made you connect with the characters and feel the pain that they were feeling. The story was told by both Casey, and her husband, Jonah which really allowed you to get to know each character. I highly recommend this book. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I would. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't know much about epilepsy, even less about possible therapies. This novel is clearly written by somebody with personal experience. Chronical illness puts a strain to your marriage, your relationships and your work, that's what this novel describes in a very believable way - told by both sides, the wife with epilepsy and her husband.

SUDEP. Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy. That’s what Casey Scott is facing. She’s 36, happily married with two young children, at the height of her career as a trial lawyer, about to make partner as she tries a case that will make her nationally famous. Stay on this path and she will have accomplished everything you dreamed of. Stay on this path and she might die. Casey chooses a very new procedure that may help her uncontrolled seizures. She has to be away from her family for weeks and that puts great stress on her family. Her husband Jason is dealing with work pressures that he can’t share with Casey for fear that it will add to the stresses that seem to bring on seizures. When Casey return home, she immediately begins to prepare for the trial. Ambitious and driven, both Casey and Jason must learn how to communicate, prioritize work and personal responsibilities and find time for each other and their children.

Uncontrollable is hard to put down and hard to forget. There are broad themes: the fragility of life, living with illness, the difficulty of being a sole caregiver, etc. However, the real focus of this disturbing story is Casey herself. We watch her fall apart and recover emotionally and physically over and over again. We see her attempt a laser focus on her work and her family. We see her finally realize that she can’t do it all and we breathe a sigh of relief. Thank you, Sara Staggs, for this beautifully written, complicated novel.

Thank you to NetGalley, Black Rose Writing and Sara Staggs for this ARC.