Great story by Melissa Hill. Really fabulous story, that kept me turning the pages!! A thrilling plot, and characters.

** spoiler alert ** 3.75 stars. This story had a great premise, so unique and relevant to myself as I am a new mum who has to consider vaccinations etc for my son. I loved how connected I felt to this story because of that reason. The dual perspectives also allowed for the reader to consider both points of view in relation to the issue. Where this story lacked for me was the pacing. I felt like it dragged on a little too long and could have been condensed into a shorter story that would have portrayed the same thing. I also felt a little let down by the ending, I thought it could have had a bit more of a twist eg. a patient of Kate's contracted the virus and it was Kate who passed it on to Clara. In saying that, I was intrigued the whole way and couldn't stop reading.

Keep You Safe by Melissa Hill is most certainly an issue driven book. You may never have considered vaccination as an issue. My generation took it for granted as something you just did. I still highly value the blessing vaccinations bring in countering many illnesses. Yet there are those who differing thoughts about it. I have a niece who does not believe in vaccinations for her children, and it worries me, so when I read Trish at Between my Lines review, for Keep You Safe I knew it was a book I wanted to read.

It is a highly engaging story, tracing the story of two children who contract measles, one recovers and one suffers some serious side-effects. The book explores the two sides, that of mother Madeleine and that of Kate. Both women are so plausible and as a reader my sympathies were with both of them. The heart ache that both experience tugged at my heart. What are their reasons for not vaccinating, what are the consequences and risks of that? I hadn't thought of one of the consequences explored so that was thought provoking.

The way the story moves along, with a local community plus an online presence is interesting. Madeleine is a blogger and when things turn pear-shaped the amount of judgement and vitriol was saddening. There is a court case that follows that further reveals personalities, and there is a surprise ending. I knew there would be one but wasn't sure what it would be.

This is most definitely a book I'd recommend, both for the issue it explores, but also the plot and characters make for a highly readable book, with just a small taste of romance to add in that was a small but beautiful addition.

Widow Kate’s young daughter, Rosie, is not vaccinated due to allergies while her classmate, Clara, isn’t because her parents, Madeleine and Tom, were concerned there may be a link between the MMR vaccine and autism. When both girls come down with measles, one bounces back, while the other faces serious complications. Facing financial hardship and emotional distress, Kate sues Clara’s parents for negligence because she believes Madeleine, a high-profile parenting blogger, sent her daughter to school knowing she was ill because she didn’t want to cancel her TV appearance.
With the rights of parents to not vaccinate a contentious issue, this makes a good book club selection. It keeps you guessing how the courtroom battle will resolve and the author ensures you can feel sympathies for both sides. As always, Hill proves to be a safe bet for an engrossing read.

I really got into this book and read it in one day. i felt for the characters. when Kates daughter Rosie becomes sick with measles it is the beginning of a nightmare. Rosie is allergic to the vaccines. a powerful story that really makes you think and is scary to think how easily it can happen. thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for an advance copy of this book to read and review

Wow okay so it definitely wasn't kidding when it said it was an issue-driven novel, the debate regarding vaccination was at the forefront of the book the entire time and was in my opinion well thought out in regards to giving both sides of the argument in a fair and non-subjective way. Though saying that as the events went on it did tend to sway back and forth. Now in regards to vaccinations itself I'm not really going to go into the differing opinions, as one I'm pretty sure people already have their own opinions and thoughts regarding this and two as I don't have kids I don't really feel I'm in a position to say too much on the subject as who knows in different circumstances I may have a different opinion.

The novel focuses on the story of two mothers who in essence have made the decision not to vaccinate their children for different reasons, one medical, one personal. When both little girls get sick, one ends up in a life threatening situation, while the other recovers quickly. This leads to a court case, an issue which is debated heavily online and personal attacks on both mothers. Now what captured me most about this book was how realistic it seemed. As I mentioned both thought processes behind the decisions were explored extremely well and I generally felt I could understand where both mother's were coming from, as well as that I really felt as if I was reading a number of the comments online and not from a book. Public opinion is a fickle beast and the author was really able to demonstrate that. As for the characters both mothers were well developed though I will admit to liking one more than the other. The two little girls did not have much or a role in the book (apart from getting sick) but it was obvious most of what was done was for them. How the events played out kinda of made me think of a Jodi Picoult book (controversial issue, multiple POV, inevitable court scene) which sort of made me love it more but as I mentioned I think the main thing I loved was just how easy it was to follow the differing thought processes and how different circumstances can result in different decisions as well as no matter how much research and thought we may put behind something, you just can't predict all possible outcomes. It's definitely a book I would highly recommend.