A medical "thriller" revolving around a daughter, Meghan, who is continually sick, and her mother, Becky, who was raised by a mother who taught her to cheat the system and get disability. Throughout the first 80% of this story I was trying to figure out if Meghan was really sick or if she was afflicted with Munchausen by proxy. The last 20% took a rapid departure from the original storyline and got bizarre. People were murdered.....there was a kidnapping. This one just wasn't for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review!

Saving Meghan, by DJ Palmer

Short Take: Ripped from the headlines! But like, not in a lame way.


I know it’ll come as a shock to some of you, but I occasionally look at things that aren’t books. Don’t get me wrong, fiction is my longest-running love, but once in a while, I peek out of my nerd cave and get a look at the real world. I’m not going to go into a political rant (although there are PLENTY of topics ripe for a good one), but believe me when I say that some of the real-life stuff I have seen lately is crazier than fiction.

For example, I’ve been following the case of Susan Schofield Cabana for some time. This psycho has been poisoning her kids with elephant-size doses of antipsychotic drugs for conditions they’ve never been diagnosed with, and documenting it on social media for years. Those kids were recently removed from the home, thankfully, although it’s yet to be determined how much permanent damage their little brains have suffered. And everyone’s heard of Gypsy Blanchard, of “Mommy Dead And Dearest” fame, and Lacey Spears, and who knows how many others.

What I’m getting at is, Munchausen Syndrome by proxy is a very real, very terrifying thing, and the medical community and court system are just now starting to get hip to it. The idea that a mother would intentionally harm her children, and in many cases be rewarded with attention and financial gain is shocking, but it keeps happening, and usually is only discovered when the “nurturing” parent goes too far and accidentally kills the child.

Which is where Saving Meghan comes in. It’s a fairly simple story: sixteen-year-old Meghan’s health has been declining for two years, with no apparent cause. Becky, Meghan’s mother, was raised by her own mother Cora to learn all the tricks of medical manipulation. Cora taught Becky how to cozy up to doctors and fake symptoms in order to keep the disability money rolling in

Now an adult with an increasingly ill child of her own, Becky is willing to use every ploy in her arsenal to get Meghan the help she needs. But IS Meghan sick, or is Becky harming her?

It’s not a complicated question, but Mr. Palmer does an incredible job of surrounding Meghan and Becky with richly complex characters. Carl, her father, is aware of Becky’s past, and although he wants to protect Meghan, she has her own reasons for not trusting him. Dr. Zachary Fisher thinks he may know what’s going on, but he has an agenda of his own, making his motivations questionable and putting him at odds with both colleagues and superiors at the hospital.

And as parents, doctors, and attorneys fight it out, Meghan keeps getting sicker.

In order to stick to my “no spoilers EVER” rule, I’m not going to say anything else about the plot. I mentioned above that the characters are brilliantly drawn, but what really makes Saving Meghan a standout is how well the characters drive the plot, and vice-versa. Becky, Carl, Dr. Fisher, and the others are human and flawed, and even when they are doing the wrong thing, they are doing it from a place that I think most of us can sympathize with.

Now for the bad stuff - I couldn’t get a single thing done till I finished this book. My dirty clothes hamper is overflowing, dirty dishes are piled up, and Vincent the cat had to head-butt me like five times to get his food bowl filled. He will be the first to tell you that’s completely unacceptable. Worst of all, I found myself thinking “unputdownable” and I HATE that “word”, but the lead-up to the final twist demanded it. In other words, this book is so great that it messed up my housekeeping, cat, and brain. Ok, the brain wasn’t in great shape to begin with, but you get the idea.

The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS (and a snack that is most emphatically NOT chicken soup.)

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for an early copy of this Fantastic book. WOW, WOW, WOW. Can I say it once more WOW!!!! I figured out one part pretty early BUT the other main stories in the book were soooooo a roller coaster of a ride. Many emotions on different levels. Just wonderful. Thank you D. J. Palmer for a Great read.

Saving Meghan will keep you on the edge of your seat flipping the pages well into the night! I absolutely loved this book....it was filled with soo many twists and turns throughout the book! Meghan is a teenage girl who has an an illness that can not be diagnosed by any doctor, yet her mother Becky continues to take her to doctor after doctor seeking a diagnosis, and then is accused of Munchausen syndrome by proxy. We as the reader are tasked with determining whether or not this is true, or if there is something else going on that is causing Meghan to have the symptoms that she has. This was a very exciting book to read, and definitely keeps the reader engaged and on the edge of their seat. This is one book that is not to be missed! I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for providing me the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for my review.

Imagine having a sick child and her parents can't figure out what's wrong with her? After seeing many different doctors and undergoing countless test that are all inconclusive, there are still no answers. Finally the suspicion turns onto the parents. Are one of both of them actually making her sick in order to gain attention? No one can figure out what's wrong with Meghan. Who will help her?

The story is told in several points-of-view and always keeps the reader guessing. The author is masterful at leaving the the reader hanging at the end of every chapter, so the only choice is to continue reading. I almost read the entire book in one sitting because of this. I felt the anguish of the parents, the frustration of the doctors, and the fear from Meghan. The ending seemed a little too unsuspected, and possibly I missed some foreshadowing, but overall I was satisfied with how it ended.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! Where to even begin with this book! It was incredibly suspenseful, with twists along the way that I had not anticipated. I was on the edge of my seat and unable to put down this book once I started! I won’t give away any details but will say that the ending was a HUGE twist I did not see coming. If I could give this book 10 stars, I would! Highly, highly recommend it!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in return for an honest review. I'm stuck between 3.5 and 4 stars. It was very slow to start and didn't pick up for me until about halfway through. I'll admit it kept me guessing. I went back and forth #protectmeghan or #believebecky The only question left unanswered for me was what was Meghan hiding in the box her mom found in the closet but never opened?? This was a new author for me...I'd be willing to read something else.

A really amazing book, Meghan is a 15 year old girl who suffers from a series of strange illnesses brought on instantly for a variety of symptoms..

We meet her over protective mother Becky on an airplane bound for California to see her dying mother.. Becky gets a text from her husband informing her that Meghan has fainted. This alarms Becky to the extent that she suddenly demands to be let off the plane while it is about to begin its taxi for takeoff.

She fight with the flight attendants and the air marshal who restrains her and she is forcibly removed from the plane when it returns to the terminal. She faces serious charges until TSA intervenes after listening to her explanation.

Meghan has seen a number of doctors and meets anew one who specializes in Mitochondrial deficiency.
He feels Meghan may have it (his son died from it 5 years before) . He wants to test her but she has a severe fear of needles as result o being subjected to them repeatedly.

When tests rule out a physical reason for her symptoms a new doctor feels her symptoms are psychosomatic.
The doctor feels they are related to some type of stress: Meghan 's secret drinking, a secret she knows about her father or her parent's fighting.

The doctor also feels that Meghan is being harmed by her mother: Munchausen by Proxy. and bans her parents from seeing her while she is being observed in the hospital's behaviorial health unit and subsequently they lose guardianship over her.

Once when her mother is visiting her she tells Meghan if you get sick they'll let you come home. Soon after Meghan develops a severe stomach ache..

The doctor feels the Munchausen issue is brought about mothers having attachment issues. In this case Becky got physically ill when she was working and someone else was taking care of Meghan when she was a baby.

Other factors are losing their son Sammy to SIDS at 4 months of age and Becky's own family history: her mother tricking the government for fake disability payment and using her daughters to lie about her illness symptoms in order to collect disability payments.

A young doctor (s found dead of an apparent heart attack and one of Becky's earring is found nearby..

Becky manipulates the doctors and others to get what she wants: tests for Meghan,

Becky devises a plan with Meghan for her escape.

Becky learns from Meghan about her husband's affair (the secret Meghan knew about her dad).

The doctor is charge of the Mitochondrial deficiency study convinces them to come back to the hospital by telling them there's been a new problem with her condition.

However he is forced to resign from the hospital.

When Becky becomes ill again the doctors think Meghan's dad might be the one making her sick.
He is later discovered dead and is thought to have been trying to kill Meghan and then having Becky face prison for murdering her daughter so he could start a new life with his mistress.
However his mistress had a different plan and kills him. She is actually one of Meghan's doctors and tries to kill Meghan,.
New testing is .done and Meghan is indeed suffering from Mitochondrial deficiency.



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I really wanted to enjoy this but I found myself flipping pages and skimming. The book got really long and the situations felt so unrealistic. It’s gotten really good reviews so I’m probably in the minority. I like thriller/suspense but this one just didn’t appeal to me. Thanks for the opportunity to read it.

This book was good, but not perfect. 4.25 stars.
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The book centers around Meghan, a 15 year old girl who was formerly healthy before becoming very, very sick over a long period of time. Her mom, Becky, has basically devoted her life to solving the answer - but at high risk to herself. Becky's mom had Munchausen's, a disease where people fake being sick (and if they make other people sick, like their kids, it's Munchausen's by proxy) for the attention. And Becky's dad Cal basically feels like Meghan could just magically make herself better if she just tried a little harder.
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It is very, very hard to review this book without spoilers. Suffice it to say that some aspects of this book were not entirely credible, but the actual writing was so good it mostly made up for it. I really enjoyed most of the story. I wanted to smack some of these characters across the face - but that's part of what made the story so good, believable bad guys. So yes, if you enjoy medical novels (I do), legal dramas (I really do), or family stories with interesting dynamics (I really really do), then you should definitely give this one a shot!
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Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for both the e-book and physical copy!

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. Meghan and Becky are not written very well, I thought their dialogue was weak and sometimes out of character,

I want to thank St Martin’s Press for the ability to read this advanced copy.

How could I not want to read this book, when the title character has the same name as me! I enjoyed this book very much. The beginning of the book was a little slow for me, but I flew through the second half of the book.

From the start, I felt like Becky was doing what what they were accusing her of doing, especially with the background of her childhood. I really felt for Meghan throughout the book. I wish they explored a little more of her her relationships with her friends that were briefly touched on.

I was surprised by the twists at the end, and I liked the build up getting to the ending. Overall, I enjoyed this book very much.

I was sent this book from the publisher. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review.

Going into Saving Meghan, I knew this story was going to involve Munchausen by Poxy. I was not expecting the medical mystery, legal drama, and the some of the twists and turns along the way. It was really hard to like these characters, and at times I found myself shaking my head with some of the decisions they made. There was a lot of information around procedures and legal aspects that take place within the story.

This story switches between three characters POV: Meghan, her mother Becky, and one of her doctors. I understand the importance of the doctor after reading the whole story, but I did not his parts of the story always relevant to what was going on. Yes, it all ties together around his dedication to finding what is wrong with Meghan, but I could have done without some of it.

Some things I did not see coming such as a murder thrown in and the ending. At times I thought it was one thing happening to Meghan, and a few chapters later I would question my thoughts. It kept my interest and the pacing was great. I ended up finishing this in one day.

Overall, this was not like any other story I read, so I ended up enjoying it.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book.
An interesting read that did at times become tedious. All about a bunch of dysfunctional people, none of whom were likable. The plot is not totally believable but does remain interesting. Somehow I think there are better ways to spend ones time.

This story is a riveting tale about what lengths a mother will go to save her child.
Meghan has been mysteriously sick. Her mother Becky has taken her to several medical professionals yet cannot get any answers, even after many tests. Her father is tired of not getting any answers and putting his daughter through more testing - he accuses Becky of making up symptoms/illnesses to gain attention. Who is telling the truth? What will it take to uncover what is wrong with Meghan?
This book was fantastic! It was fast-paced and kept me guessing until the very end. I read it in record time!
Thank you to D.J. Palmer, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Never have I ever wanted to throw a book, read the ending before I got to it, or cheer and sigh all at the same time while reading a book. This book absolutely made me crazy. I was confused and stressed and yet I could not stop reading and honestly, I loved every minute of it, especially the epilogue. There is just nothing better than a domestic suspense book when it is as well written as this one is.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of drama and suspense, extremely well written characters, mysteries that keep you guessing till the final pages and an ending worthy of all of the stress you’ll feel getting to it. This is one of my favorite books this year.

I received an Arc of this book

Oh my, this was a thrill a minute! Meghan has been to countless doctors but no one can discover what's wrong with her. Is it a medical issue or a psychiatric one? This tends to divide the parents as mother Becky calls 911 at the drop of a hat and father Carl insists she is over-reacting. Becky is then accused of Munchausen by proxy as she hovers over Meghan constantly. Of course things escalate as it becomes clear that Meghan is keeping secrets and several have to do with the family dynamics. I love medical thrillers and this one was unlike anything I've ever read as it deals with complex relationships and there is suspense on every page. A very engaging novel!

Becky Gerard's daughter is very ill with a wide range of varying symptoms. Becky's entire life now revolves around Meghan's illness. Becky seeks advise online and has brought her daughter to numerous doctor,s but nobody is able to find a diagnosis or treatment that helps Meghan. When Meghan's health takes a sudden turn for the worse, the lives of Becky, her husband, and their daughter are changed forever.

This story is told from multiple points of view and is a combination of domestic thriller and medical mystery. The mystery over Meghan's condition becomes more of a thriller when there are doubts as to whether Meghan is physically ill, if her illness is psychosomatic, or if somehow Becky is responsible for her daughter's symptoms. It's heartbreaking to see what Meghan is going through and scary to see the direction things turn when hospital and government officials become involved in Meghan's situation.

Becky can be pushy and manipulative one minute but loving and supportive the next. I changed my mind several times as the story progressed about Becky's motives and what was really going on with Meghan. It was clear that Becky, her husband Carl, and even Meghan all had secrets and some many of the characters had their own agenda that was more important than helping Meghan. I figured out a couple of them, but couldn't have guessed all the twists and turns the story takes throughout the book.

Many times during the book, I was rooting for Becky even when I didn't trust her! The story was full of tension and suspense. I didn't want to put this book down until I found out what it would take and who would ultimately "save Meghan." I really enjoyed the book and would rate the book 4.5 stars.

I received this book through NetGalley through the courtesy of St. Martin's Press. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

Saving Megan is an eye opening look about how our beliefs can challenge what we know about our families. Becky grew up with a mother who was constantly using her as bait in the medical community to get documentation that she had medical needs that would prevent her from working. Becky did not want this life for herself and was able to move away from her mother and begin a life with Carl and eventually their own children. Affter, losing their first born, Becky and Carl move to a new area and begin over with their new daughter, Megan. Megan, now a teenager, is constantly complaining about stomach pains, lethargy and a gradual weakening in her body. Becky is very driven to find a reason her the decline in the health of her daughter. Carl begins to believe that Megan is not physically sick but mentally sick. Many twists and turns occur as you read about Megan and her parents. These twists and turns will have you questioning what might actually be taking place within this broken family. Which parent is correct? Will the hospital cause harm or hurt Megan before finding a cause and a way to help Megan?

Such an amazing book - the feelings of hate toward the characters - the medical drama - the plot twists and surprise ending were absolutely amazing. I stayed up way past my bedtime last night because I could not stop reading; I was compelled to know if my thoughts were dead on (partly - yea me!!) and then the ending blew me away. Well done!