What do you think?
Rate this book
Nowhere Near Goodbye
A mother’s love vs. a doctor’s oath.
Oncologist Emma Blake has dedicated her life to finding a cure for a rare brain cancer. Twenty-five years ago, Emma’s childhood friend Kate died of glioblastoma, and Emma vowed to annihilate the deadly disease. Now, Kate’s father, Ned, is pushing her to work harder to fulfill that promise.
When Emma discovers she’s pregnant, she’s torn between the needs of her family and the demands of her work. While Ned pressures her to do the unthinkable, her husband, Tim, decorates the nursery. Unwilling to abandon her research, Emma attempts to keep both sides of her life in balance.
Emma knows she needs to reconcile her past with her present and walk the fine line between mother and physician. But Ned has a secret, and when Emma discovers what he’s been hiding, the foundation of her world cracks.
Nowhere Near Goodbye is a story of family, failure, and second chances.
Oncologist Emma Blake has dedicated her life to finding a cure for a rare brain cancer. Twenty-five years ago, Emma’s childhood friend Kate died of glioblastoma, and Emma vowed to annihilate the deadly disease. Now, Kate’s father, Ned, is pushing her to work harder to fulfill that promise.
When Emma discovers she’s pregnant, she’s torn between the needs of her family and the demands of her work. While Ned pressures her to do the unthinkable, her husband, Tim, decorates the nursery. Unwilling to abandon her research, Emma attempts to keep both sides of her life in balance.
Emma knows she needs to reconcile her past with her present and walk the fine line between mother and physician. But Ned has a secret, and when Emma discovers what he’s been hiding, the foundation of her world cracks.
Nowhere Near Goodbye is a story of family, failure, and second chances.
278 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 4, 2020
410 people are currently reading
830 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Conrey
6 books229 followersBarbara Conrey is the USA Today Bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodbye and Award Winning My Secret to Keep. Barbara’s stories delve into the emotional drama of family dynamics and the choices made in the name of love.
Barbara is a long-standing Women’s Fiction Writers Association member and an administrator of the Facebook Group Bookish Road Trip, where she facilitates their monthly book club. Beagles are her passion. She proudly supports the Beagle Freedom Project, a volunteer organization that rescues Beagles and other animals from product testing facilities.
Barbara lives in Central Pennsylvania, close to family and friends, where she is impatiently awaiting the release of her third book, A Fine Layer of Dust, and scurrying to finish her fourth book.
You can find out more about Barbara and her books here: www.barbaraconreyauthor.com
Barbara is a long-standing Women’s Fiction Writers Association member and an administrator of the Facebook Group Bookish Road Trip, where she facilitates their monthly book club. Beagles are her passion. She proudly supports the Beagle Freedom Project, a volunteer organization that rescues Beagles and other animals from product testing facilities.
Barbara lives in Central Pennsylvania, close to family and friends, where she is impatiently awaiting the release of her third book, A Fine Layer of Dust, and scurrying to finish her fourth book.
You can find out more about Barbara and her books here: www.barbaraconreyauthor.com
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews
August 4, 2020
Nowhere Near Goodbye is a profound and poignant debut that addressed topics close to my heart as a nurse working with patients in the Oncology ward.
In this heart wrenching story, Emma a successful Neuro Oncologist vows to find the cure for what took her childhood friends’ life. the story is about a strong woman faced with tough choices between a successful career and a family.
This wonderfully written women’s fiction is written with such grace and compassion. A thought-provoking and emotional read that resonated with me as a working mother trying to find the right balance.
Truly wonderful debut!
In this heart wrenching story, Emma a successful Neuro Oncologist vows to find the cure for what took her childhood friends’ life. the story is about a strong woman faced with tough choices between a successful career and a family.
This wonderfully written women’s fiction is written with such grace and compassion. A thought-provoking and emotional read that resonated with me as a working mother trying to find the right balance.
Truly wonderful debut!
August 6, 2020
Emma Blake is a neuro-oncologist. She lost her childhood friend to a rare brain cancer and dedicated her life to finding a cure. When Emma has a child she is torn between being a mother and continuing her work. The choices that weigh heavily on women and finding the balance between the two. This was emotional and broke my heart. My father had a rare brain tumor so I really felt every bit of this. A compelling and powerful debut.
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
Dawnny Ruby
Novels N Latte
Hudson Valley NY
August 4, 2020
Emma’s life has been shaped by the tragic loss of her best friend when they were still children. Years later, Emma is a successful neuro-oncologist, desperately trying to find a cure for the disease that took away her friend. When she becomes a mother to her miracle baby, Emma is torn between her new daughter, her marriage and her career. This is an extremely compelling, heart-wrenching novel, with deep, profound layers of grief, loss, hope, and forgiveness. My heart was broken, then hopeful, then broken again as I went through a roller coaster of emotions.
July 26, 2020
This debut novel poignantly address the choices women make—what it costs them, what it saves. NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is the emotional, yet hopeful, journey of motherhood and second chances. An uplifting, relatable and resonant read.
July 28, 2020
Trapped between the tragedy of her past and the challenges of her present, pulled by the demands of her profession and the desires of her heart, Emma Blake is a character not soon forgotten. NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is Emma’s story, told with exceptional honesty and heart. Meticulously written, with powerful characters, this debut novel delves into friendship and family, deception and forgiveness, ultimately leading the reader to an emotional but satifying conclusion. Fans of realistic Women’s Fiction need to put this book on their reading lists.
July 26, 2020
Barbara Conrey asks what happens when a doctor’s devotion to finding a cure for cancer competes against the expectations of motherhood. The answer is a story I will never forget. Emotional, heartbreaking, and hopeful, "Never Say Goodbye" is an exciting debut in women’s fiction.
August 3, 2020
Beautifully written, captivating, and raw, NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is an outstanding debut that tackles the push and pull between motherhood and career. This stunning, powerful novel will shatter your heart and put it back together piece by piece. I received an ARC.
August 5, 2020
NOTE: I usually try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but I found it hard to do with this book. I’ll post spoiler-free reviews on Goodreads and Amazon, but I’m going to indulge in some analysis here. If you don’t want to be spoiled for what is a WONDERFUL book, please avoid the marked section!
I seem to be reading a lot of really hard books lately. While I try to read uplifting and delightful romances, comedies, and seat-of-your-pant action, fantasy, and science fiction, I keep being drawn to serious issue books this worldwide health crisis. I don’t know if it’s because I need to be reminded that there are other big things in life than the looming mortality threatened by a global pandemic, that life is more than infectious diseases and viruses, or whether I seek out stories with big problems to relate to.
NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is a book that doesn’t shy away from hard truths, harder decisions, and the kind of characters and people who have to face them both. This is the debut novel by Barbara Conrey, and it is so beautifully written that even when you struggle with the content, the author seems to hold you by the hand and help you through it.
The story follows a pediatric oncologist named Emma. Emma is at the top of her field, pioneering new treatments for brain cancer. She is a driven woman, haunted by Kate, the friend she lost to brain cancer when they were both kids. No matter how many advances she makes, no matter how many lives she touches, she can never find a way to beat the cancer that claimed Kate, and stole her innocence. She is more than driven: she is obsessed with beating this disease, and she is pushed further and further by her mentor and Kate’s father, the one man who is more invested in beating this disease than she is.
When Emma becomes pregnant, she lies to her husband and herself, insisting that this pregnancy is a blessing for them both. She thinks she will be able to balance being a doting mother and pursuing her obsession. It doesn’t take long for the mask to come crashing down, as Emma suffers from doubt before her daughter is born, and post-partum depression or psychosis after. Emma finds herself unable to bond with her child, unable to walk away from any aspect of her work, and unable to answer to any of the tensions this introduces in her marriage and her job.
The struggle Emma faces isn’t new. Many women find themselves torn between the demands of motherhood, fulfilling careers, and marriage.
**SPOILERS FOLLOW**
Though she seeks help with a therapist (who happens to be one of my favorite characters), Emma seems completely incapable of compromising. She is such a tragic character, undone by her hubris, ready to rip her family apart by her obsession with the medical advancements she seems poised to discover. I held out hope for her so many times, that she would eventually make the decision to find balance, to stand by her young family, to be the mother her daughter so desperately wants, but that is Emma’s tragedy. She is blinded by the lives she could be saving, the impact she could make with her discoveries, that she can’t see the lives she is harming right in front of her.
Emma is so well written and so real and broken, it makes you want more for her. She breaks your heart time and again, though. I kept wanting her to be better, to make the choice to be there for her daughter, even if her nature prohibits it.
**SPOILERS END**
The climax and finale, which I won’t even dream of posting here, break your heart into a million pieces. Author Conrey manages to pull the biggest flaws, the overlooked details, and the inevitable truths about these characters together so beautifully in the end, that she kept me up MANY more hours than I had planned to be up one night. I just had to see how deftly she pulled all of the strands of this book together. You will not be disappointed by how perfectly this story turns out.
I’m not saying Conrey gives any easy answers. As a mother of young children, I constantly struggle with the perennial problem of balancing the demands of parenting and my own identity, my own ambitions. If literal lives hung in the balance, if advancement in my career meant saving other families and giving others more time with their loved ones, I can only imagine the battle I’d face every time I had to weigh my family’s needs against hundreds of others.
This book is so gorgeously crafted, I’m willing to forgive the hours of sleep I lost as I chased the last page.
TLDR; Conrey’s NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE will break your heart in the best way.
I seem to be reading a lot of really hard books lately. While I try to read uplifting and delightful romances, comedies, and seat-of-your-pant action, fantasy, and science fiction, I keep being drawn to serious issue books this worldwide health crisis. I don’t know if it’s because I need to be reminded that there are other big things in life than the looming mortality threatened by a global pandemic, that life is more than infectious diseases and viruses, or whether I seek out stories with big problems to relate to.
NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is a book that doesn’t shy away from hard truths, harder decisions, and the kind of characters and people who have to face them both. This is the debut novel by Barbara Conrey, and it is so beautifully written that even when you struggle with the content, the author seems to hold you by the hand and help you through it.
The story follows a pediatric oncologist named Emma. Emma is at the top of her field, pioneering new treatments for brain cancer. She is a driven woman, haunted by Kate, the friend she lost to brain cancer when they were both kids. No matter how many advances she makes, no matter how many lives she touches, she can never find a way to beat the cancer that claimed Kate, and stole her innocence. She is more than driven: she is obsessed with beating this disease, and she is pushed further and further by her mentor and Kate’s father, the one man who is more invested in beating this disease than she is.
When Emma becomes pregnant, she lies to her husband and herself, insisting that this pregnancy is a blessing for them both. She thinks she will be able to balance being a doting mother and pursuing her obsession. It doesn’t take long for the mask to come crashing down, as Emma suffers from doubt before her daughter is born, and post-partum depression or psychosis after. Emma finds herself unable to bond with her child, unable to walk away from any aspect of her work, and unable to answer to any of the tensions this introduces in her marriage and her job.
The struggle Emma faces isn’t new. Many women find themselves torn between the demands of motherhood, fulfilling careers, and marriage.
**SPOILERS FOLLOW**
Though she seeks help with a therapist (who happens to be one of my favorite characters), Emma seems completely incapable of compromising. She is such a tragic character, undone by her hubris, ready to rip her family apart by her obsession with the medical advancements she seems poised to discover. I held out hope for her so many times, that she would eventually make the decision to find balance, to stand by her young family, to be the mother her daughter so desperately wants, but that is Emma’s tragedy. She is blinded by the lives she could be saving, the impact she could make with her discoveries, that she can’t see the lives she is harming right in front of her.
Emma is so well written and so real and broken, it makes you want more for her. She breaks your heart time and again, though. I kept wanting her to be better, to make the choice to be there for her daughter, even if her nature prohibits it.
**SPOILERS END**
The climax and finale, which I won’t even dream of posting here, break your heart into a million pieces. Author Conrey manages to pull the biggest flaws, the overlooked details, and the inevitable truths about these characters together so beautifully in the end, that she kept me up MANY more hours than I had planned to be up one night. I just had to see how deftly she pulled all of the strands of this book together. You will not be disappointed by how perfectly this story turns out.
I’m not saying Conrey gives any easy answers. As a mother of young children, I constantly struggle with the perennial problem of balancing the demands of parenting and my own identity, my own ambitions. If literal lives hung in the balance, if advancement in my career meant saving other families and giving others more time with their loved ones, I can only imagine the battle I’d face every time I had to weigh my family’s needs against hundreds of others.
This book is so gorgeously crafted, I’m willing to forgive the hours of sleep I lost as I chased the last page.
TLDR; Conrey’s NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE will break your heart in the best way.
July 28, 2020
Nowhere Near Goodbye is Barbara Conrey’s debut novel. It delves deeply into the age-old challenge women face: career versus family. I read this book because it looks at some of the same choices I, as a physician, had to make.
When Emma Blake was eleven years old, her best friend, Kate, died of a brain tumor, a glioblastoma. Unable to save Kate, Emma vows to spend her life combatting that tumor. Emma has spent years training as a surgeon and an oncologist. A childhood accident left her unable to have children, and she’s for the most part been fairly okay with that as it leaves her ample time for the long days she puts in at the hospital. Her world tilts on its axis when she finds herself pregnant. Once the baby is born, Emma remains torn between being a mother and wife and being a physician.
Nowhere Near Goodbye is thoughtful women’s fiction that examines the tightrope women walk to balance love, family, ambition, and their purpose in life. Can women ever fully reconcile those choices? It also looks at how our pasts shape our futures.
When Emma Blake was eleven years old, her best friend, Kate, died of a brain tumor, a glioblastoma. Unable to save Kate, Emma vows to spend her life combatting that tumor. Emma has spent years training as a surgeon and an oncologist. A childhood accident left her unable to have children, and she’s for the most part been fairly okay with that as it leaves her ample time for the long days she puts in at the hospital. Her world tilts on its axis when she finds herself pregnant. Once the baby is born, Emma remains torn between being a mother and wife and being a physician.
Nowhere Near Goodbye is thoughtful women’s fiction that examines the tightrope women walk to balance love, family, ambition, and their purpose in life. Can women ever fully reconcile those choices? It also looks at how our pasts shape our futures.
July 26, 2020
Conrey’s NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is a deeply moving novel about family, how the past shapes us, and, ultimately forgiveness. Told with powerful prose, the author brings us into the lives of the richly developed characters with tenderness while bringing us on a heart-filled journey of love, loss, and the choices we make. Fierce and poignant, readers who love women’s fiction and true-to-life stories should not miss this stunning debut.
July 28, 2020
The age-old challenge of career versus family. But what if you’re a woman whose career means saving the lives only you can, and sacrificing time with those you love is a price you're willing to pay?
Nowhere Near Goodbye examines the fraught balance of love and family versus drive and life purpose. Can women ever reconcile those choices and find peace in the necessary sacrifices, or forgive themselves for choosing not putting family first? And if you make that decision, is there space in the universe for second chances?
Thoughtful women’s fiction which poses those questions and will leave you pondering life's choices, in the best way. An emotional, thought-provoking, and poignant read.
Nowhere Near Goodbye examines the fraught balance of love and family versus drive and life purpose. Can women ever reconcile those choices and find peace in the necessary sacrifices, or forgive themselves for choosing not putting family first? And if you make that decision, is there space in the universe for second chances?
Thoughtful women’s fiction which poses those questions and will leave you pondering life's choices, in the best way. An emotional, thought-provoking, and poignant read.
August 8, 2020
Motherhood or career. In today's world so many women are faced with that choice.
Barbara Conrey's protagonist, Emma, is faced with just that choice. Does she fulfill the promise made to her childhood friend Kate--to find a cure for GBM. Or does she devote her time to the child she brought into this world. Her struggle is real and pulls at your heart. Beautifully written. A must read.
Barbara Conrey's protagonist, Emma, is faced with just that choice. Does she fulfill the promise made to her childhood friend Kate--to find a cure for GBM. Or does she devote her time to the child she brought into this world. Her struggle is real and pulls at your heart. Beautifully written. A must read.
August 4, 2020
Nowhere Near Goodbye is a debut novel that explores a woman's choices. A dedicated cancer researcher, Emma Blake is overjoyed to find out she is expecting a child. But when her career, her child, and her love for her childhood friend, Kate, are in conflict, Emma makes a fateful decision that changes her life. Is it possible for a woman to have it all? There are no easy answers, as Emma discovers.
Emma is an admirable, yet flawed character, who the reader grows to love and root for as she desperately tries to find a cure for the cancer that killed her best friend. This tender novel doesn't shy away from those poignant choices we all must make, and is ultimately a satisfying story of a woman who manages to right the wrongs of her past.
Emma is an admirable, yet flawed character, who the reader grows to love and root for as she desperately tries to find a cure for the cancer that killed her best friend. This tender novel doesn't shy away from those poignant choices we all must make, and is ultimately a satisfying story of a woman who manages to right the wrongs of her past.
October 3, 2020
I enjoy a story that tackles the hard reality of human behavior. Sometimes the bond between mother and child are there, but life and dreams and a vicious desire to make a mark in the world to save others is too powerful to ignore. This is real life. This is real life at its hardest--balancing deep desires and lifelong ambition and facing the fact that sometimes the two don't mix.
Ms. Conrey tackles this hard reality with subtle emotion, clues to Emma's background that create her unique outlook, and just the right amount of tension to keep the story moving. I admit, most mothers cannot relate to Emma's particular situation, but they're out there. A woman I know chose this same path, although different circumstances altogether, nonetheless the same outcome. It happens. Most mothers cannot imagine Emma's decision, but after reading this beautifully written story, I sympathized with the main character and understand my friend a little more. Though I didn't agree with her decision, I understood the motivation behind it. It was hard to read at times, but those are the kinds of books that keep me turning pages.
Life isn't easy, and Ms. Conrey delivers a deeply thought-provoking story of balancing career and raising a family that has kept me thinking about Emma and a cast of uniquely flawed and heartwarming characters long after I turned the last page. And that does not happen often.
Well-done, Ms. Conrey.
I recommend this book for those who enjoy a story that will impact you in more ways than one. Well-done. Looking forward to your next novel.
Ms. Conrey tackles this hard reality with subtle emotion, clues to Emma's background that create her unique outlook, and just the right amount of tension to keep the story moving. I admit, most mothers cannot relate to Emma's particular situation, but they're out there. A woman I know chose this same path, although different circumstances altogether, nonetheless the same outcome. It happens. Most mothers cannot imagine Emma's decision, but after reading this beautifully written story, I sympathized with the main character and understand my friend a little more. Though I didn't agree with her decision, I understood the motivation behind it. It was hard to read at times, but those are the kinds of books that keep me turning pages.
Life isn't easy, and Ms. Conrey delivers a deeply thought-provoking story of balancing career and raising a family that has kept me thinking about Emma and a cast of uniquely flawed and heartwarming characters long after I turned the last page. And that does not happen often.
Well-done, Ms. Conrey.
I recommend this book for those who enjoy a story that will impact you in more ways than one. Well-done. Looking forward to your next novel.
August 5, 2020
This book was not an easy read, especially for someone whose friend lost their daughter at a young age from brain cancer. But it seemed as though the author was right there holding my hand, saying it would be okay and we would get thru it together.
Emma is a pediatric oncologist whose friend Kate passed away when their kids from brain cancer. Emma becomes obsessed with finding a cure, and that obsession overtakes her when she becomes pregnant and even more so after she has her baby.
I don’t want to give anything away, but this book gripped me from the beginning and did not let go. So very well written. I definitely recommend it.
August 10, 2020
A poignant, heartstring-pulling tale about a mother who gives up everything to research a cure for a disease that took her childhood friend. With depth and compassion, Conrey tells a story of sacrifice and loss and hope.
August 4, 2020
I opened the ebook on it’s release date and couldn’t put it down. It’s that captivating!!!!! Many surprising twists. I immediately became invested in each character as they were introduced, wanting to know more. Pick up this book ~ You won’t regret it :)
August 6, 2020
Wow.wow.wow.
This book is TOUGH on all levels and was so heartbreaking, but important to read. This will not be for the faint of heart and I would like to be upfront about some of the difficult topics covered including childhood cancer and unwanted pregnancy. I didn't read the description of the book going into this, so I wasn't mentally prepared to read it, but loved it nonetheless.
Emma is an incredibly real, raw and relatable character which can be difficult to capture correctly in some novels, but Conrey nailed it. I felt every single emotion that she went through, all of the highs and lows and very personally invested in her story. I also cannot put into words how broken I felt at the ending - my heart is still hurting.
This book is gorgeously written and certainly one that will tug on your heart strings. Be prepared with lots of tissues ... you'll certainly need them! Thank you @barbaraconrey and @suzyapprovedbooktours for this amazing novel!
This book is TOUGH on all levels and was so heartbreaking, but important to read. This will not be for the faint of heart and I would like to be upfront about some of the difficult topics covered including childhood cancer and unwanted pregnancy. I didn't read the description of the book going into this, so I wasn't mentally prepared to read it, but loved it nonetheless.
Emma is an incredibly real, raw and relatable character which can be difficult to capture correctly in some novels, but Conrey nailed it. I felt every single emotion that she went through, all of the highs and lows and very personally invested in her story. I also cannot put into words how broken I felt at the ending - my heart is still hurting.
This book is gorgeously written and certainly one that will tug on your heart strings. Be prepared with lots of tissues ... you'll certainly need them! Thank you @barbaraconrey and @suzyapprovedbooktours for this amazing novel!
August 24, 2020
In her debut novel, Nowhere Near Goodbye, Conrey quickly and effectively draws readers into a world that many parents can relate to: career versus family, and how to balance the two.
And, in Emma Blake, Conrey delivers a main character readers can root for and commiserate with as we follow Emma through a heart-wrenching journey full of sacrifices and choices no parent would want to make.
With prose that is heartfelt and concise, and scenarios that are both tragic and hopeful, Nowhere Near Goodbye grabs readers from the beginning and never lets go.
And, in Emma Blake, Conrey delivers a main character readers can root for and commiserate with as we follow Emma through a heart-wrenching journey full of sacrifices and choices no parent would want to make.
With prose that is heartfelt and concise, and scenarios that are both tragic and hopeful, Nowhere Near Goodbye grabs readers from the beginning and never lets go.
August 8, 2020
Barbara Conrey, the author of "Nowhere Near Goodbye" has written a compelling, intriguing, intense, emotional, and memorable novel. The genres for this novel are domestic fiction, women's fiction, and contemporary fiction. The story takes place in both the present and twenty-five years ago, when the protagonist, Emma Blake's child-hood friend Kate died from brain cancer. The author describes her dramatic cast of characters as complicated and complex. There are secrets, betrayals, and promises. This is a book of second chances, forgiveness, love, and hope. The author also describes the difficulty in the roles of being both a mother and working hard as an oncologist.
Emma has made a promise to both herself and Kate's father Ned to find a cure for brain cancer. Emma is conflicted when she finds out she is pregnant with her first child. She wants a baby and she wants to find the cure for brain cancer. Tim is extremely supportive of Emma and the baby. Unfortunately, Emma can't find the proper balance between being a mother and an oncologist at the same time. Often Emma doesn't get to see her baby the whole day when she is doing her research.
Emma does realize that she has to acknowledge her fears and past promises, but doesn't realize how. I would highly recommend this amazing and unique book for all women (and men) that like to have a career and a family. This is a thought-provoking and emotional read that will stay with you.
Emma has made a promise to both herself and Kate's father Ned to find a cure for brain cancer. Emma is conflicted when she finds out she is pregnant with her first child. She wants a baby and she wants to find the cure for brain cancer. Tim is extremely supportive of Emma and the baby. Unfortunately, Emma can't find the proper balance between being a mother and an oncologist at the same time. Often Emma doesn't get to see her baby the whole day when she is doing her research.
Emma does realize that she has to acknowledge her fears and past promises, but doesn't realize how. I would highly recommend this amazing and unique book for all women (and men) that like to have a career and a family. This is a thought-provoking and emotional read that will stay with you.
August 11, 2020
Nowhere Near Goodbye is a wonderfully written book about choices that people make and their consequences. Emma lost her friend to cancer and grows up trying to fulfill a promise to find a cure. However even though she was told she could not have children after a car accident when she was young, she finds herself pregnant and becoming a mother has put her at odds with her own career path and a promise made long ago. It's beautifully written novel by Ms. Conrey. She gives gives Emma and Tim (her husband) life. Their life after the baby becomes confusing (especially for Tim) and there are chapters where the interaction between them is heartbreaking.
I'm not normally someone who reads books like this (especially one this raw and emotional.) I'm more of a Lee Child kind of guy. But I could not put this book down and read it in a day (which was a first for me.)
Quite a start Ms. Conrey!
I'm not normally someone who reads books like this (especially one this raw and emotional.) I'm more of a Lee Child kind of guy. But I could not put this book down and read it in a day (which was a first for me.)
Quite a start Ms. Conrey!
August 11, 2020
Nowhere Near Goodbye will draw you in & keep you reading until the end, then you will wish the story didn’t end. Great character development & storyline. Emma is the woman you love/dislike throughout the book. She faced the struggle that working women often face - balancing family & career. Tim is the man every woman wants to marry making it harder to understand Emma’s choices. As a reader I felt her conflict & wondered what I would have done if I was Emma. Having finished the book I can’t help but hope for a sequel.
August 15, 2020
What would you give up to chase your obsession?
Kate and Emma are inseparable childhood friends, until Kate passed away from GBM. Emma makes a promise to Kate's father, Ned, who is a researcher for GBM, that she will become a doctor's that can cure GBM. Ned becomes Emma's mentor, but his obsession with curing the disease will set in motion events that will destroy Emma's family life. Can Emma find her life balance before it is too late and before she loses everything dear to her?
Kate and Emma are inseparable childhood friends, until Kate passed away from GBM. Emma makes a promise to Kate's father, Ned, who is a researcher for GBM, that she will become a doctor's that can cure GBM. Ned becomes Emma's mentor, but his obsession with curing the disease will set in motion events that will destroy Emma's family life. Can Emma find her life balance before it is too late and before she loses everything dear to her?
August 16, 2020
An outstanding debut by Barbara Conrey gives us a look into the struggles and emotions new mothers face when driven by a career goal. But in this, book, it's so much more than just a career goal and you'll find that out as the story unfolds. The author takes us along Emma's journey from childhood emotional trauma to a parent's worst nightmare with vulnerability, honesty, and raw humanity. Nowhere Near Goodbye is a page-turner that had me reading late into the night, and I absolutely loved the ending.
Reviewers note: This is a women's fiction, general market book.
Reviewers note: This is a women's fiction, general market book.
August 8, 2020
Great debut
This was a good story. The characters drew me in from the very beginning. I felt Emma’s struggle between family and work. I was drawn in to the struggle to find a cure for glioblastoma. I ended up reading it in one long night. Just couldn’t put it down!
This was a good story. The characters drew me in from the very beginning. I felt Emma’s struggle between family and work. I was drawn in to the struggle to find a cure for glioblastoma. I ended up reading it in one long night. Just couldn’t put it down!
August 4, 2020
✨4.5/5 ✨
Emotional, heartbreaking, and hopeful, NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is an EXCITING DEBUT, inspired from real life, in WOMEN'S FICTION.
The choices we make..
The choices we regret....
______________
🥳Happy Pub Day🎉
Available for INR 223/- @amazonkindle
251 pages, 54 chapters.
____________
Nowhere Near Goodbye is a story of Family, Failure, and Second Chances..
It is FABULOUSLY WRITTEN, the language is so fresh & crisp, that there is NOT A SINGLE DULL MOMENT IN THE ENTIRE READ‼️
___________
🦉🦉The STORYLINE:
Emma & Kate are childhood buddies, Emma being the sensitive one.
Kate develops a kind of cancer which annihilates her..Emma promises, to find a cure someday.
She studies & becomes a successful Oncologist & keeps herself busy in her research.
Meanwhile she is married to the love of her life, Tim. Due to certain complications, both of know beforehand that Emma would not be able to conceive.
But..as fate would have it..Emma concieves..
Now she is torn between her research, her career, her commitment & her family..
Kate's father Ned constantly nudges her to focus on her research & fulfill her promise..
But Ned has a secret, and when Emma discovers what he’s been hiding, the foundation of her world cracks.
What happens next❓Will she keep the baby❓What will she choose❓Will she regret her choices later❓
___________
A tear- jerker, an emotional turmoil of friendships, promises, love, family, deception, forgiveness, choices, regrets & second chances..
The author has perfectly dealt with quite a handful of issues here..
Friendship,
Cancer,
Forgiveness,
Motherhood,
Post-partum period,
Choices a female is torn between- career & putting family first..
Expectations versus choices..
____________
A perfect debut in Women Fiction Genre with an emotionally satisfying ending‼️
4.5/5✨
____________
🦉🦉Is it right to expect a woman to keep family first always❓
📚from the author:
Books are like small children—it takes a village to raise them
from that very first spark of an idea until they reach the hands
of a reader...
#noorthebookwormreviews
#nowhereneargoodbye
Emotional, heartbreaking, and hopeful, NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE is an EXCITING DEBUT, inspired from real life, in WOMEN'S FICTION.
The choices we make..
The choices we regret....
______________
🥳Happy Pub Day🎉
Available for INR 223/- @amazonkindle
251 pages, 54 chapters.
____________
Nowhere Near Goodbye is a story of Family, Failure, and Second Chances..
It is FABULOUSLY WRITTEN, the language is so fresh & crisp, that there is NOT A SINGLE DULL MOMENT IN THE ENTIRE READ‼️
___________
🦉🦉The STORYLINE:
Emma & Kate are childhood buddies, Emma being the sensitive one.
Kate develops a kind of cancer which annihilates her..Emma promises, to find a cure someday.
She studies & becomes a successful Oncologist & keeps herself busy in her research.
Meanwhile she is married to the love of her life, Tim. Due to certain complications, both of know beforehand that Emma would not be able to conceive.
But..as fate would have it..Emma concieves..
Now she is torn between her research, her career, her commitment & her family..
Kate's father Ned constantly nudges her to focus on her research & fulfill her promise..
But Ned has a secret, and when Emma discovers what he’s been hiding, the foundation of her world cracks.
What happens next❓Will she keep the baby❓What will she choose❓Will she regret her choices later❓
___________
A tear- jerker, an emotional turmoil of friendships, promises, love, family, deception, forgiveness, choices, regrets & second chances..
The author has perfectly dealt with quite a handful of issues here..
Friendship,
Cancer,
Forgiveness,
Motherhood,
Post-partum period,
Choices a female is torn between- career & putting family first..
Expectations versus choices..
____________
A perfect debut in Women Fiction Genre with an emotionally satisfying ending‼️
4.5/5✨
____________
🦉🦉Is it right to expect a woman to keep family first always❓
📚from the author:
Books are like small children—it takes a village to raise them
from that very first spark of an idea until they reach the hands
of a reader...
#noorthebookwormreviews
#nowhereneargoodbye
September 14, 2020
An extremely compelling and poignant read where author Barbara Conrey has left a slice of her heart in the words of the story. Relationships had never come so close to a sacrificial analysis as this book saw them. Emotions were just buried under the surface, they were vast and complex.
Life is never linear, is it?
Emma and Kate were best of friends. Kate died of a brain tumor, and Emma vowed to find a cure for it. Kate’s father Ned too pushed Emma to excel at the cost of her family life. Then Emma became pregnant. She had to choose between family and career. A tough decision.
A debut by author Barbara Conrey, I loved how the dilemma in a woman was shown. Career or family? Can a woman have both, giving them equal commitment? Pregnancy and delivery were complex situations, and add to that the need to keep the promises, it was no wonder that Emma had to shatter to find her solution.
The characters remained strong, and their psyche was well explored. I liked and empathized with husband, Tim. Though not detailed, his emotions came through. I loved how the subtle byplay became the driving force in the book. All facets of their characterization came to light as the pages turned. Being a doc, the medical terms were easy to understand.
Emma was a great doc, her passion and drive to stand up for her patients came through. And therein lay my biggest niggle. I couldn’t connect to her, though I understood her situation. It felt that she never went beyond her narrow vision of life. She was Nowhere Near Goodbye, but she was first to say goodbye.
The story had its twists written every few pages which made my pulse skitter. Some reactions were shocking and laid my emotions bare, and some were expected in the course of the plotline.
Overall, it was a book meant to be read by every woman who stood at the precipice of choice.
Life is never linear, is it?
Emma and Kate were best of friends. Kate died of a brain tumor, and Emma vowed to find a cure for it. Kate’s father Ned too pushed Emma to excel at the cost of her family life. Then Emma became pregnant. She had to choose between family and career. A tough decision.
A debut by author Barbara Conrey, I loved how the dilemma in a woman was shown. Career or family? Can a woman have both, giving them equal commitment? Pregnancy and delivery were complex situations, and add to that the need to keep the promises, it was no wonder that Emma had to shatter to find her solution.
The characters remained strong, and their psyche was well explored. I liked and empathized with husband, Tim. Though not detailed, his emotions came through. I loved how the subtle byplay became the driving force in the book. All facets of their characterization came to light as the pages turned. Being a doc, the medical terms were easy to understand.
Emma was a great doc, her passion and drive to stand up for her patients came through. And therein lay my biggest niggle. I couldn’t connect to her, though I understood her situation. It felt that she never went beyond her narrow vision of life. She was Nowhere Near Goodbye, but she was first to say goodbye.
The story had its twists written every few pages which made my pulse skitter. Some reactions were shocking and laid my emotions bare, and some were expected in the course of the plotline.
Overall, it was a book meant to be read by every woman who stood at the precipice of choice.
August 14, 2020
This novel treats the conflict between women’s desire to marry and raise a family and their ambition to have a meaningful, satisfying career. In recent decades more women are entering demanding careers—as doctors, lawyers, politicians, scholars. Then the balance gets harder. I remember when I was getting my PhD during the height of the feminist movement, a woman professor spent a whole lecture on the subject, with her conclusion being: if a woman wants a real career, she should not marry and have children.
In _Nowhere Near Goodbye_, Emma is a doctor-researcher, obsessively spending twelve- to fifteen- hour days trying to find a cure for the condition that killed her childhood friend Kate. Emma thinks she cannot have children, but then she and her work-at-home husband discover she is pregnant. Her emotions swing from joy to horror as she realizes being a mother will impede her research. The novel follows this situation as their daughter grows into a beautiful little girl. I have to admit I couldn’t fully identify with Emma’s behavior and feelings. However, the drama becomes more impelling as the novel progresses. Emma never consciously chooses between family and career; she rationalizes that she can do both when clearly she can’t. I feel the novel presents two possible endings in the last two chapters, but I won’t write a spoiler. All I can say is I was quite emotionally involved by then—and I liked the “final” ending.
In _Nowhere Near Goodbye_, Emma is a doctor-researcher, obsessively spending twelve- to fifteen- hour days trying to find a cure for the condition that killed her childhood friend Kate. Emma thinks she cannot have children, but then she and her work-at-home husband discover she is pregnant. Her emotions swing from joy to horror as she realizes being a mother will impede her research. The novel follows this situation as their daughter grows into a beautiful little girl. I have to admit I couldn’t fully identify with Emma’s behavior and feelings. However, the drama becomes more impelling as the novel progresses. Emma never consciously chooses between family and career; she rationalizes that she can do both when clearly she can’t. I feel the novel presents two possible endings in the last two chapters, but I won’t write a spoiler. All I can say is I was quite emotionally involved by then—and I liked the “final” ending.
September 21, 2020
My review of Nowhere Near Goodbye by Barbara Conrey
Nowhere Near Goodbye by Barbara Conrey is a powerful, thought -provoking book that shouldn't be missed by any of my reading friends! Wow!
I loved the childhood friendship between Kate and Emma.....true friends forever are hard to find!
As an adult, there were times when I felt like grabbing Emma's shoulders and shaking her until her teeth rattled! "Time waits for no man". I haven't a clue where that quite came from, but it isn't mine. I feel like Emma was torn between loyalty to her friend, with little thought of the repercussions on her family. My heart was broken time after time by this book, and no matter what, I will never comprehend how someone missed the " mother" gene.
I will not spoil the book for anyone, but Barbara Conrey, you have written a fabulous winner with this book! I love your straightforward style of writing, and the way you dragged me into the lives of all of the characters. That being said, let it be known that I didn't care one little bit for Ned, and his constant influence on Emma's decisions,his lack of concern for her priorities, and his cold way of placing the guilt where it didn't belong!
Kudos to you, Barbara, and please keep writing,as you have done a magnificent job!
Nowhere Near Goodbye by Barbara Conrey is a powerful, thought -provoking book that shouldn't be missed by any of my reading friends! Wow!
I loved the childhood friendship between Kate and Emma.....true friends forever are hard to find!
As an adult, there were times when I felt like grabbing Emma's shoulders and shaking her until her teeth rattled! "Time waits for no man". I haven't a clue where that quite came from, but it isn't mine. I feel like Emma was torn between loyalty to her friend, with little thought of the repercussions on her family. My heart was broken time after time by this book, and no matter what, I will never comprehend how someone missed the " mother" gene.
I will not spoil the book for anyone, but Barbara Conrey, you have written a fabulous winner with this book! I love your straightforward style of writing, and the way you dragged me into the lives of all of the characters. That being said, let it be known that I didn't care one little bit for Ned, and his constant influence on Emma's decisions,his lack of concern for her priorities, and his cold way of placing the guilt where it didn't belong!
Kudos to you, Barbara, and please keep writing,as you have done a magnificent job!
August 25, 2020
This beautifully written novel is about one woman’s tragic loss that she dedicated her life to helping others not suffer from bit in doing so she must juggle not just a extremely hard and at times painful career with her own families needs which can feel to her she has nothing left to give. A profound and heartbreaking story that many can relate to especially as a working mother. A must read I highly recommend and look forward to reading books by this author in the future!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 149 reviews