If You Love Me

The bond that a mother shares with her child is unspeakable.  For most mothers there is nothing their child can do that will break that bond.  Moms stand with their child, through thick and thin, even if it kills them.  You don't ask a mom if she loves her child, you as a mom how much she loves them.

Maureen Cavanagh is a divorced mother of four, adjusting to the life of an empty nester.  Her youngest child is off to college and Maureen is trying to figure out the next phase of her life.  It takes one seemingly ordinary night and one missing pair of diamond earrings to turn Maureen's world upside down.

Maureen's youngest daughter Katie has been acting strange lately and it doesn't take long for Maureen to put the pieces together.  Missing spoons, missing jewelry that is worth thousands of dollars, and a daughter that is not acting like herself.  There is no way the thoughts swirling in Marureen's mind could be true could they?  Katie is a normal young adult with her whole life ahead of her!  But once confronted Katie confesses: she is addicted to heroine.

Katie's parents immediately get her away from the boyfriend that they blame for getting her addicted in the first place, and put her into a detox program thinking this will be the end of the ordeal.  They soon realize this is just the beginning.

If You Love Me is Maureen's fight for her daughter's life.  She tells of the crack houses that she found Katie in on various occasions, the trips in and out of multiple rehabilitation clinics, and the numerous overdoses that should've killed Katie but thankfully didn't.  This is truly is a mother's worst nightmare and Maureen Cavanagh is living it.

I could not put this book down and finished it within a few hours of starting.  Your heart aches for both Katie and Maureen, as well as the other heartbreaking stories of others who have had to deal with addictions and their consequences.  Having two teenage boys myself I can only imagine going through what Maureen, as well as countless other parents, have had to endure in dealing with a child with an addiction.

If You Love Me is a must read for everyone, even those whose lives have never been touched by drug  addiction, so that light can be shown on the truths of Substance Abuse Disorders, and that people in our society will realize that no one is immune.

Maureen has done so much, not only for her daughter but for those who struggle to fight for themselves.  She has started a wonderful organization called Magnolia New Beginnings that helps people with Substance Abuse Disorders get help and hopefully break their addictions and get back on their feet.  You can find out more about Magnolia New Beginnings on their website as well as Facebook and Twitter.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.  All opinions are my own.