Everything We Could Do is a magnificent story of love, loss and, most of all, hope. After years of struggles with infertility, Brooke Jensen is pregnant with quadruplets and refuses reduction surgery. Then her babies are born at twenty three weeks. Two girls die almost immediately. She and her husband Harper become constant visitors to the NICU where son Emery has serious, life threatening problems and daughter Opal is doing well for such a tiny baby. The babies’ nurse Dash (Dolores) Coenen has her own problems. Her seventeen year old son Landon, was born prematurely and suffered a catastrophic brain bleed. His rages have become uncontrollable and he poses a danger to his family. The stress on both the Jensen and Coenen families grows until events cause serious issues they may never recover from.

Author David McGlynn drew on personal experience to write this novel. His descriptions of the NICU are vivid and detailed. The characters, Brooke and Harper, Dah and Mike, are so real you feel their pain and confusion. My favorite scene is when Julius Robinette visits the NICU at Christmas. Everything We Could Do will stay with you long after you finish the last page. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Northwestern University Press and David McGlynn for this ARC.