This was a well written book that deals with a very difficult situation. Prescription drug addiction has become an epidemic. Emma is a doctor facing a heartbreaking situation. Her son, Josh, has leukemia and needs a very expensive treatment. Her husband is a detective. Together, they just can’t afford the treatment. Emma turns to unconventional means to help Josh survive. Along the way, some people get hurt and some die. This was a difficult read because Emma was in such a desperate situation. It made me ache for her family!

A mother will do everything to save her child!
When her five year old son is diagnosed with a life threatening illness, Emma does more than everything to save Josh!
Emma is a physician, married to the man of her dreams who happens to be a police detective.
It makes for a gruesome, difficult, heart-wrenching, thriller that I could not stop reading!
There is no doubt that it kept me intrigued and nervous as to "what would happen next" as I turned the pages.
I liked it a lot!!

4.5/5! Really enjoyed this book and devoured it in a matter of days. You have to suspend disbelief for some of the plot but overall I really liked this book. My favorite of Christina McDonalds books so far! Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for giving me a galley copy to review

Review Posted on goodreads....Goodreads is not working for me at the moment, do I can't copy my review.

Excellent book, once again by Christina McDonald. She never fails to hit it out if the park!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Do No Harm.

The premise of Do No Harm is a basic, but simple one: what would you do to save your child?

Emma is a respected doctor who rose from a traumatic childhood to be a loving mother, wife and human being. But when her only son, Josh, is diagnosed with a devastating illness and his best chance at survival is a treatment with a devastating price, Emma finds herself pulling her version of "Breaking Bad."

I've read the author's previous books before so I was interested in Do No Harm, but I wasn't a fan of the story, the characters or how the narrative played out.

First, Emma is unlikable. I understand and sympathize the lengths she will go to save her son, the ends justifying the means and all that, but how she goes about it is too predictable, too easy, too coincidental.

How coincidental (and helpful) that her brother is a small time drug trafficker and can help her, and Emma used to 'hang out' with her brother's BFF.

Second, the tone of the narrative especially when the author is constantly describing Nate and Emma's relationship was corny.

I understand the author wants to remind the readers how much Nate loves Emma, and the reason Emma married Nate is because he made her feel safe and secure, unlike how she felt in her childhood, but once or twice is fine. Not almost every other chapter.

The constant references Nate and Emma make about how much they love each other like they're a pair of lovesick teenagers came off as cheesy and pretty silly.

I'm all about well written relationships (platonic and romantic) but harping on Nate and Emma's marriage and their strong bond became repetitive and unnecessary.

This kind of writing belongs in a romance novel, not a tense, taut thriller about addiction, a drug ring and a very sick child.

Third, I find it really hard to suspend disbelief that Nate's superiors and colleagues have no issues with Nate investigating his wife's felonious brother. No conflict of interest there at all.

There were too many moments of suspension disbelief for my taste, and the characters were not likable, Nate was okay, but the book was just okay for me.

I do think many readers would enjoy Do No Harm.

Emma is a doctor who has huge student loan bills, so while she and her detective husband, Nate, are comfortable, they cannot afford any calamity. Then her five year old son, Josh, becomes ill and is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
As any mother can relate and understand, Emma is desperate to save her son's life. Josh needs a costly procedure that her insurance will not cover and Emma decides to get the money herself. She will do anything necessary to save him, even sell opiods.
Whew! What a read.
I admit I have mixed feelings about this one. I am a huge fan of the author. And when it comes to descriptions and laying out the scenes, she did not disappoint. Christina McDonald made me visualize everything Emma and Nate were facing. I felt their panic, their pressure and their love for their son. What I didn't get about Emma's character was how she beelined toward the decision to sell opiods so quickly.
She was twisty and at times, cold. I found some of her actions really horrible all the while saying, the ends justifies the means. So, while I had to read what would happen, I didn't like how she was comfortable lying and using the men in her life to get her way.
So many things happened that made this read emotional and intense but again, there was no redemption for this character. I read it quickly, tore through it but even now, I am not sure how I feel. I look forward to more from this author as her skills are off-the-charts.
Thank you #Netgalley.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Do No Harm. This novel has crazy high ratings here on goodreads, so I guess I am in the minority. I found it incredibly predictable. Every twist and turn was painfully obvious to me. I understood Emma would do anything to raise money to save her son and pay for his treatment, but the lengths she went were just a little far fetched to me. And her husband is a detective investigating a drug ring that may involve her brother and/or her clinic, and none of his superiors find this a MAJOR conflict of interest? Ugh I just couldn’t enjoy this one, it was way too crazy nonsense. Every character was just ridiculous.

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fast-paced novel that explored what you are willing to do for the ones you love. The main character was a doctor whose son has just been diagnosed with cancer. Worried about astronomical hospital bills, she becomes involved in selling opioids. I enjoyed the pace and plot, but I didn’t care much for any of the characters and found it hard to relate to the protagonist. Decent writing and plot, however.

I have apparently been waiting for a book like this my entire lite. It is truly amazing in so many aspects and is 1000% heart wrenching.
Where is the line that defines good from bad? Right from wrong? Does it matter if the one doing the “bad action” is doing it for “right reasons?” Does it matter if what they are doing may or may not help save the life of a child. I can’t stop to wrap my head around this one. I want to honestly say “I WOULD NEVER!” and walk away all wounded and embarrassed but the truth is, my kids need me, I’m there. A mother’s love is endless and this book proves it time and time again.

Christina McDonald made me actually think about a lot of real life situations. Having a daughter myself, who was gravely Ill last year, this book really hit home for me. It really made me lucky for the (awful) situation that we were in so that I didn’t have to follow Emma’s footsteps. I can’t imagine.

This book was so well written. It was so thoughtful. It was compassionate and loving but it was also full of secrets and people who wanted to keep said secrets hidden. There were characters who were good people, but living with things you wouldn’t normally see. I really enjoyed the medical aspect of this novel and enjoyed that it wasn’t a tutorial thriller. The author really gives us so much more and I can’t wait for her to keep writing, as everything she comes up with is pure brilliance.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this electronic arc. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an advanced readers' copy in exchange for an honest review.

I loved previous books by this author, but this was a sentimental stinker. Melodramatic and the opposite of thrilling. Shmaltzy. You can skip it

Christina has done it again. I just finished this whirlwind thriller and I’m not sure where to begin! Let’s start with the basics; Emma and Nate have the perfect family of three. She is a doctor and him a police detective, being married to a cop myself, I was drawn to this book.

When their son Josh is diagnosed with leukemia, the treatment plan is not covered by insurance.

The town is currently in an opioid crisis with overdoses, which means one thing, there are lots of buyers. Will Emma cross the line to save her son and push illegal narcotics around?

Thank you #Netgalley and #GalleryBooks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unputdownable! Christina McDonald has truly outdone herself with newest novel Do No Harm! This domestic thriller tackles several rock-and-a-hard-place senerios that will have you contemplating what you would if you were in the position! Christina McDonald has a gift for getting her readers emotionally invested — so much so that I could not get this book off of my mind for days after finishing! Do No Harm is a 5 star novel that I have already texted friends and family to make sure they preorder because it’s just that gooooood! ALL of Christina McDonald’s novels must reads and I am already excited for her next novel!

This is an amazing book!! Ms McDonald has written a page-turner with very real characters in every day dilemmas. I can’t say enough good about this book or recommend it highly enough. I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Gallery Books. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really liked the premise of this book. I thought it sounded really interesting and unlike nothing I had read before. However I didn't enjoy the writing/tone of it. I'm not sure how to describe it, but it would have been better if it was written in the tone that Karin Slaughter writes her books. It needed to be meatier, grittier. And it wasn't.

This novel felt timely and relevant with the opioid epidemic being a huge problem in a lot of communities. It also examines moral and ethical questions and you have to determine if the ends justify the means and how far you would go to save your child.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I’m still I’m shock. I love medical mysteries and this is one of the best !
Emma is a doctor, married to Nate, a police detective who is working to stop a drug ring.
Their son Josh is diagnosed with leukemia and needs a treatment that is not covered by insurance. Basically they need money and fast. Emma has a past that Nate doesn’t know and her sons diagnosis leads her back down that path!
I couldn’t put this book down. I loved it!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Wow! Just wow! As a mother ... how far would you go to save your child? What would you be capable of doing? At what risk? This book grabs you from the beginning and you can’t put it down until the end. Another must-read by Christina McDonald.

Thank you @netgalley and @gallerybooks for the eARC!

Ohhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyyy Gooooooood! I’m telling you, my friends; this is not only so far best book of the author but it will be probably one of the best, thrillingly jaw dropping, action packed and extremely most exciting and anticipated novels of 2021! Yes, we have a great winner! Taaataaa!

And you have to cover your ears not to hear my screams after reading the last page because dear Christina McDonald accomplished her mission by aiming her literature gun at both my head and heart and pulled the trigger.
Bang bang she shot me down with her heart wrenching words !
Bang bang I hit the ground, still thinking about the poetic, shocking ending.
Bang bang, that awful sound (nope, thankfully it’s not coming from my bladder, that’s coming from my scumbag neighbors shout at me to shut the hell up!)
Bang bang one of my favorite authors shut me down!

Now I’m traumatized, shaken to the core, shocked, flabbergasted, pale, truly disturbed, heartbroken.

Yes, this book made me question everything about between truth and lies, good and bad. Sometimes you have to do the wrong thing to do what’s the best for your loved ones! This is a epic, dark, extreme hurtful, damaging, realistic, soul crusher journey of a mother who can do anything for saving her child’s life in expanse violating all the rules, committing crimes, breaking the code of ethics and beliefs.

Think about it: your child is about to die and only way to save her/him is an extremely expensive treatment method that you cannot afford even though if you work 24 hours a day for your entire life and sell your soul to the lord of capitalism rings. So what would you do? Do you violate rules and involve into criminal activities for the fastest cash flow? Or you just stand there and pray for the miracles?

Emma is a doctor and she knows “do no harm” principle more than most of the people. When she was young , she lost her parents who have died in front of her eyes. She couldn’t have saved them. And right now, her boy Josh is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Their insurance doesn’t cover that form of illness treatment and they have no savings to pay the ultra unaffordable expanses. Her husband Nate who is a police officer, dealing with a new drug cartel case,thinks if he gets promoted, he may help to pay the entire bills but this kind of career rising move can take months.

They don’t have much time so Emma gets the matter into her hands by writing fake prescriptions, selling opioids to find the money to pay the treatment expanses which drags her into dangerous crime world of drug dealers and junkies.

But she is quiet experienced about the drug lords’ works because her own brother belongs there, recently got out from prison and he’s the guy who can help her to get enough money to keep her head above the water. But there is always risk to be drowned when you’re surrounded in a sea filled with vicious shark who can smell the blood from miles away.

And Nate is so close to find his wife’s Weeds meets Breaking Bad and Nurse Jackie kind of secret life!

I’m asking you the ugly question again: what would you do if you were in Emma’s shoes? Would you pray for a secret donator to give enough amount at GoFundMe campaign or would you wear your big girl pants and like a badass warrior fight dirty for your child’s every breath he takes?

So this is depressing, poignant, heart ripping, mind numbing but also realistic, honest, a real ice cold bucket pouring down on your head and a heavy slap against your face!
I think I will be haunted by this painful, effective family drama for a long time!

APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE! APPLAUSE! I’m giving my well earned, five gazillion, provocative, horrifyingly thought provoking and unforgettable stars!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for sharing this incredible ARC with me in exchange my honest opinions.

How far would you go to save someone you love? Emma’s perfect world is turned upside down when her son is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The experimental treatment he needs is not going to be covered by insurance, so Emma, a doctor who has access to opioids, make the terrible decision to sell them in order to save her son. But when one of her customers dies, the police, led by Emma’s detective husband are determined to track down the dealer and prosecute them. McDonald takes an everywoman and puts her in an untenable position that will leave a lot of readers wondering if they would do the same to protect their own children