This is a gut-wrenching, hope-filled, then hope-dashed, then hope-filled-again book that is very difficult to put down. Kelley and Thomas French are both well-known journalists who have taken the notes they wrote during their micro-preemie daughter's first 196 days of life, all of which were spent in the hospital, along with the tiny baby's 7,000-page medical record, and created the heartfelt story of how they became a family.

Little Juniper arrived way too soon. Four months too soon. She weighed a mere 20 ounces --- the same as a large loaf of sliced bread --- and her head was the size of a tennis ball. She was definitely not yet ready to be born, but a series of accidents helped precipitate her premature arrival. After an emergency C-section, she was whisked off to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU), where her survival was anything but assured, even given the tremendous medical care she received and the vast array of technical equipment that kept her well monitored and as stable as possible.

"...a gut-wrenching, hope-filled, then hope-dashed, then hope-filled-again book that is very difficult to put down..."

Kelley and Tom spent six months in new parent hell. Their whole world was a reflection of what was happening to their tiny daughter. Their careers and lives were on hold. Juniper was on a ventilator, attached to a feeding tube, and had IVs and monitors connected to her everywhere. Alarms sounded whenever her blood pressure or oxygen saturation level dropped. But monitor readings did not tell the entire story, and many scans, x-rays and blood tests were also needed to provide the medical team with vital information each time little Juniper suffered another crisis, which was all too often.

Tom could not bear to leave his daughter's side and read Harry Potter books to her. In time, Juniper came to know his voice and was soothed by it. Her monitor readings were better when he read. Kelley had gone through uncomfortable and stressful in vitro fertilization. A dear friend donated the eggs necessary for her to carry a child. It was her job to provide life-enhancing milk, and she spent many frustrating and uncomfortable hours connected to a breast pump. Even though the output was scant, every drop of milk was essential.

One nurse, who had come to love the tiny girl entrusted to her care, began dressing Juniper in adorable outfits meant for chihuahas that she purchased at the pet store. She even fashioned a Harry Potter outfit for her. This provided a bit of levity and relief from the grim reality that surrounded the parents and medical team in the NICU.

The authors, both of whom are excellent writers, alternate chapters. Kelley writes, "Every day that she didn't die made it easier to believe that she might not..."

Spoiler alert: JUNIPER has a positive ending, but you will want to read each and every page yourself to understand and appreciate the agonizing journey that Kelley, Tom and especially little Juniper endured to become an intact and very happy family.