Breathing for Both of Us

by H.P. Parry

For twenty years Dr Gray Parker has kept the demons from her past from derailing her successful career as a paediatrician. Now she is the frontrunner for the Endeavour Prize it’s no surprise she agrees to give a patient a dose of an unlicenced drug – a harmless steroid – as a favour to the drug company running the award.

But no one, least of all Gray, is ready for the appalling truth: that the drug does more harm than good, and that Gray’s patient won’t ever recover.

Now she can’t help wondering what has happened to the other children who have been given this drug. Are they alive? Or is this alleged miracle drug a prescription for death? With all her heart Gray wishes she could take her prize money and keep quiet, but her demons aren’t going to let her.

'A gripping, dark page turner which pulls no punches.'
Sunday Times Bestselling Author ~ Catherine Cooper

Genres: Amazon, Medical, Thriller, Ebooks

ebook

First published December 21, 2023

About the author

Author writes under Hannah Parry as well

Reviews

[Alesha Melville · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breathing for Both of Us follows the story of a pediatric doctor who specializes in diseases. She makes a questionable judgment call and the story follows her background and experiences during that time.

Grace is the main character and she comes from a traumatic background. She is a well known and accomplished doctor, and she works with children. Grace also participates in a medication trial. She has her own illness that she struggles with daily.

As a nurse myself, I enjoyed that the book focused on the healthcare professionals point of view and highlighted the struggles Grace had, as well as other staff. The author does a great job at showing how difficult decisions can be. This was a good, fairly quick read.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Diane 🌻 Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 TRIGGER WARNINGS- severe eating disorder; graphic pediatric illnesses


I initially had a hard time getting into the story but I’m so glad I stuck with it. The book is beautifully written and is very realistic in its portrayal of a successful pediatrician who comes from a horrific childhood and is severely scarred emotionally. Her daily struggles with her eating disorder is written with such honesty that I wonder if the author has struggled herself (as I did when I was young)

The storyline involving her sister is heartbreaking but beautiful. The love between the two brought me to tears several times.

Am I glad I read this book? Absolutely, although some parts were very difficult to read

Would I recommend it? Most definitely, but with Trigger Warnings.

[Carla Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway for my honest review. This book was like WOW!! The plot was different than anything I've previously read, and I've read alot in my past. Dr. Grace Parker is a highly respectable doctor in her field of communicable disease pediatrics. She has a great track record for saving lives. But then she starts to run a test for a new drug for a pharmaceutical company. A lying, greedy, pharmaceutical company that will do anything to push their drug through. Grace has a child come in that is all but dead from meningitis. She pushes this new wonder drug into this child and waits, she is criticized for not just letting the child die since she was probably already brain damaged anyway. The wonder drug does its thing and brings the child back to the land of the living, almost. Then everything goes back downhill and the child dies anyway. Grace finds that her patient isn't the only one who has died from this trial drug. So now with Graces' own past haunting here and her terrible fight with her own Demons she has a decision to make. Does she keep her mouth shut, or does she show the company for the fraud they are. That doesn't even begin to describe all the emotion in this book. All the other children with different ailments in her ward. The red tape BS of hospital commitees worrying about the bottomline dollar amounts instead of saving lives. The emotion of the mother's and the father's and the death of their children. You cannot put into words all the emotions you will feel while reading this book. If you read any book this year, read this one.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[ARC received in exchange for my honest review]
.
Everyone who knows me knows I love a good meaty thriller to sink my teeth into. And wow, did ‘Breathing for Both of Us’ deliver!

‘Breathing for Both of Us’ follows the paediatric infectious diseases specialist Dr Gray, who makes the decision of giving a child an experimental drug to save her life, but then things begin to unravel and Gray is faced with the reality that this drug might not be as life saving as the company claim…
Intertwined with this current storyline this book also delves into Gray’s past and teaches us how she became who she is, determined, competitive and caring, all while battling several struggles of her own.
.
As a nurse I adored how accurate the medical details and stressors medical professionals face were presented, I found myself really feeling for Gray as everything fell apart around her and I loved how the book concluded, even though it made me a little teary!

Thanks you Hannah for the opportunity to read this masterpiece!
Breathing for Both of Us is out now on Kindle Unlimited

[Brittany Devereaux · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a nurse reading this book, I appreciated the perspective that showed how hard it can be to make decisions, and that those decisions can lead to an outcome we weren’t expecting. Many people want us to save their family members when something goes wrong- but at what cost?

I felt like this book was missing pieces of the story, but maybe that was intended in order to allow the reader to fill in the blanks. I’m not really sure. It also didn’t seem to follow HIPPA laws which always bugs me in books that take place in a healthcare setting.

The back and forth timeline was enjoyable, and I liked reading about Grace and Hope’s relationship. This book also highlights how childhood trauma can impact you all the way into adulthood.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

The overall story was phenomenal, the personal triumph, the ethical struggles, overcoming insurmountable pressure, the personal trauma. The premise for a great story was there but overshadowed by the vast number of characters, who were hard to keep track of... the medical staff, nurses, patients, family members, the medication trial staff, the hospital administration, the ethics committee, the fmc's family. There's like 37+ people... I also don't know that I would classify this as a physiological thriller.

Tw: medical trauma, disordered eating, child abuse/neglect, death of a child

[Andy N · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interviewed H.P for my Spoken Label Podcast and read this book in conjunction with that, and to put it shortly, it's excellent stuff with a first-rate striking cover and a very thoughtful, measured approach and a very, very good ending which is well worth hanging around for.

Recommended.

[Alicia Huxtable · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

A story that pulls at the heartstrings. Grace is such a strong character that occasionally lets the reader see her vulnerability. The rest of the characters are well written and as strong as the storyline

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it but a little over halfway through I just couldn’t finish it. It just kept dragging for me. Not interesting at all.

[Robin Gibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very emotionally gripping story.

[Kerrysue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely and Heartbreaking

A beautiful book about mental illness, generational trauma and the love that can come from pain. Terrific character development, beautiful descriptive landscapes and detailed imagery. A very powerful story. -Kerry

[Courtney Mason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breathing For Both Of Us is a quick read. It picks up very quickly with a dual timeline that helps the reader get to know Dr Gray better by giving glimpses into her traumatic childhood. The present timeline in the book brought to mind the tv series, Dr Death. I was intrigued and couldn’t read fast enough to see how it would all end. The ending was empowering but also emotional as the past is fully revealed and the present is not entirely known.