This book took me on an emotional roller coaster, and I LOVED every single minute of it. Conant just KNOWS how to write a story that penetrates into the deepest recesses of your heart and permeates into your very soul. I'm an instant fan!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

An excellent book written on subjects that are not the norm in quality story lines. The system in place to recognize and address child abuse is there to save children. This time the system made several assumptions and caused heartache and worse for this family. Michael Conant does an excellent job of making the reader a part of the story. You feel as if one of the parents could be you. What would you do? This book will definitely make you stop and think.

An enjoyable read from beginning to end, With sick children, it was hard to convince anyone the children were not being abused. those children were loved by their parents. It' a family's nightmare. I highly recommend this book to all readers

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Very good book, delving into some heavy themes of abuse. I really recommend reading this book to help you see it from another persons point of view.

Mother’s Child by Michael Conant.
I almost do not know where to start with this book. Mr. Conant is a gifted storyteller. It was a long and detailed story but worth reading every word. I was also amazed that this writer was a man as he portrayed females in a very realistic light.
This book deals with a family, Mom, Dad, daughter and younger brother. The little boy (Ernie) has a number of health issues that are largely unexplained, as well as completely undiagnosed. The Mom and Dad treat the symptoms and ask questions but never really seem to get any answers.
Eventually, nosy neighbors and even nosier hospital workers become involved and it begins to go downhill from there. I do not like spoilers so I will not do that in this review.
This family fights hard for their son and brother. He is a sweet little boy who really struggles with life but still manages to have a great sense of humor and love of life.
This is a perfect portrayal of a hospital and Doctor who believe that they are more capable then anyone else and then using their power to force that belief on others. One of the things that I really loved about this book was that the author was not afraid of the truth and was not stuck on tying everything up with a big red bow.
I would highly recommend this book. 5 stars!

Wow. Just finished this masterpiece. Chapters were a little too long for my liking, however the content was beautifully written. Make sure you have a box of kleenex when reading this book, Michael Conant will have you so emotionally connected to Junie, Tim, Elsie and of course the main character Ernie where this story revolves around. He'll have you rooting for this family and you will fall in love with this family. Definitely 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 and worth every minute of it. This story will stay with you and I feel sad that I can't continue in their lives anymore. Thank you to both Netgalley and to Incognito Publishing Press for giving me the opportunity to read and review honestly this amazing book!

Interesting read. Easy to read and flows well. Interesting storyline and characters you could relate too. Well rounded book

A very enjoyable book I found difficult to put down. A believable story of a family with a sick child which they had difficulty getting diagnosed. which caused problems with government agencies, doctors, and people who want to believe the worse side of the family. Found this very touching.

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the advance copy for review.

This story is every families nightmare come true. While the oldest child has reoccurring migraines, the youngest child has been sick since he was young, and continues to have episodes of illness, as well as many hospital stays, ambulance rides from school, and just overall feeling horrible.

The pain and stress that this family goes through to try to prove that their child isn't being abused is a very long process, and as a mother I could feel the Mother's stress level and the pure desire to keep her child safe and taken care of. The end of this book truly did surprise me, as I didn't see this ending coming at all.

I would recommend this book to everyone, and would definitely read more from this author.

A fascinating book to read. It has a sad beginning and a sad end with a lot of suspense in between. I did not really understand the illness but as a parent could relate to the parents feelings. It kept me interested and wanting to read on.

A very interesting read and very true to life. When a story really grips me such as 'Mother's Child', i find it hard to put down until i have finished. I do believe that there are some professional bodies that are too quick to jump to conclusions before facts are known. I am not going to write what this story is about, as i prefer one to read it for themselves, but i do recommend.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for my copy. This is my honest review.

June Gallaghers life has upside down
This is the story about child Abuse and hospital Appointments
Her sons life is on the line and she is deserved to save him
She doesn’t save

Sad book but was a good book. Personally if when I got back to hospital and if my child would have passed because of Hospital neglect like Ernie I would Own the place and poor Ruth will be looking for a new career.
Oh so much about this book I could say but I think this is one someone needs to read. It went fast as I just could not stop reading .

The blurb sums up this story perfectly, as in that's all you really need to know...until the last sentence.

Although there were times my heart went out to the family, to be honest, I found the pacing painfully slow. The ending was heartfelt but too long in the making.

There's no denying the author has a good voice, so perhaps what I perceived as slow pacing was due to my mood at the time.

Copy received via NetGalley.

This book is about a family- the Gallagher’s. Tim is the father, June is the mother, Elsie, the daughter and Ernie is the younger son. Elsie had some health issues from the age of 11. She developed migraines and would often have to lie down when she got a headache. Ernie was 3 years younger than his sister. Ernie is 7-8 in the story and has a lot of health issues. June says “Ernie suffered from myriad ailments, all surrounded by mystery.” And that is what the story was about. At times you have to wonder if June suffers from Münchausen syndrome. As a nurse, you have to be very careful especially when a child is involved. It’s a compelling story. It’s very well written. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Mother's Child
Michael Conant
Description
In just over two months, June Gallagher's life has turned upside down; it will take a lifetime to resemble "normal" again. This is her story about overcoming the mystery of an undiagnosed disease, accusations of child abuse, and keeping her young family on an even keel while battling school and hospital officials.
Her son's life is on the line--she is determined to save him.

Thank you, NetGalley for the advance copy for review

This story is a family's nightmare. The Gallagher’s child Ernie has been ill from birth. He has a long record of hospital visits, many different types of illness and test. Meddling doctors, hospital, and social service cause a fight to keep Ernie within their own home.
A close-knit family is in court and June and Tim battle the system having to prove Ernie is not abuse. How frightening when you know this happens in life with other families. Well written and at times you feel the pain is yours.

A heart wrenching story of family, a mother’s love, and the pain of an unknown disease.
Ernie is just like any other ten-year-old boy. Only he has “episodes”. From a very young age, Ernie has suffered bouts of vomiting, seizures, sleep disorder, exhaustion, and loss of consciousness seemingly without an explanation. When a meddling intake nurse decides Ernie’s symptoms are a result of abuse, the Gallagher’s lives are turned upside down. An arrogant doctor, and a hospital with a superiority complex further exacerbate the issue, creating the perfect storm for disaster.
Parents June and Tim become engaged in a fierce court battle to protect their son from the meddling nurse and arrogance of the doctors.
This story is every parents worst nightmare, and you can’t help but be stoked to anger and fear as the story unfolds. My heart truly felt for June as she worried over her son, and for her older sister Elsie as she tried to navigate the difficulties of early teenage-hood, while not fully understanding what was going on with her little brother.
Mother’s Child is an emotional roller coaster, so strap in, and have the Kleenex close at hand!

Very interesting read. I enjoyed the story. But it was hard to stay interested at times. Definitely a good story, though.