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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
First, the sentence I'm required to write: I won an ARC through Goodreads.
This book took me back to a time when my younger sister was a medical student and I would be sitting with my mother and sister at a restaurant with my sister talking about what she was learning and I was telling her that I didn't want to hear the details and I was certain that dinners around us shared my feelings. Often, I would push my plate away, made sick by something she was talking about. There is blood and some rather vivid descriptions of medical procedures, and I felt at times that they could have been edited to make the book get to the overwhelming question of what happened during Emma and Zadie's third year in medical school.
The characters are for the most part well developed. If there was one character I'd liked to have seen developed more it is Wyatt, Emma's husband. I never fully understood what drew the two of them together. Maybe it's that part of me that I want to know how they met, what they love about each other. We see that in Emma's relationship with Graham and in Zadie's relationships with both X and her husband, (whose name escapes me right now). Wyatt feels like a filler character.
I'm not going to get too much into the book, I don't want to give anything away, but I have to say that I was a bit upset with the ending. It rang false for me. Zadie didn't come off as being a good person, but as a door mat. Really, there is nothing that would make her think "this is it, I'm done!" There will be some who think she is a wonderful woman, but I'm wondering about how big of a sap she is. I liked her, Zadie is the woman who would be anyone's best friend, that ending though is really pissing me off.
This is Martin's first book, and it's a strong debut. Her talent will develop more and I can see an amazing writing career for her.
This book took me back to a time when my younger sister was a medical student and I would be sitting with my mother and sister at a restaurant with my sister talking about what she was learning and I was telling her that I didn't want to hear the details and I was certain that dinners around us shared my feelings. Often, I would push my plate away, made sick by something she was talking about. There is blood and some rather vivid descriptions of medical procedures, and I felt at times that they could have been edited to make the book get to the overwhelming question of what happened during Emma and Zadie's third year in medical school.
The characters are for the most part well developed. If there was one character I'd liked to have seen developed more it is Wyatt, Emma's husband. I never fully understood what drew the two of them together. Maybe it's that part of me that I want to know how they met, what they love about each other. We see that in Emma's relationship with Graham and in Zadie's relationships with both X and her husband, (whose name escapes me right now). Wyatt feels like a filler character.
I'm not going to get too much into the book, I don't want to give anything away, but I have to say that I was a bit upset with the ending. It rang false for me. Zadie didn't come off as being a good person, but as a door mat. Really, there is nothing that would make her think "this is it, I'm done!" There will be some who think she is a wonderful woman, but I'm wondering about how big of a sap she is. I liked her, Zadie is the woman who would be anyone's best friend, that ending though is really pissing me off.
This is Martin's first book, and it's a strong debut. Her talent will develop more and I can see an amazing writing career for her.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 stars . I loved the medical stuff . However, I hated most of the non-medical stuff!
Honestly, this book was meh. I felt like it was longer than it needed it to be because there were more stories about medical traumas than the main story between the two friends and the secrets they have held on to since med school felt dragged out. I just kept thinking...... "spit it out already" (even though I suspected what the secrete was early on). There were scenes that felt off. For example, there is a scene where the author mocks one of her POC characters with a dialect and then goes on to talk about a doctor with a Jersey accent without really illustrating the differences in her writing/spelling. I also felt like the writing itself was basic, granted this is Kimmery Martin's debut novel, but it still could have used a little bit of editing. I also have a problem with endings where the characters are easily forgiving each other for actions that altered their whole life. In this case, it was the ending where Zadie tells Emma she loves her when there was so much to unpack from Emma's past actions. If my friend took actions that affected me and the life I would have, no way in hell would I easily reconcile and forget everything.
I will end by saying that the medical scenes made me keep reading this book because the rest of the stories in this book made me want to not finish the book.
I will end by saying that the medical scenes made me keep reading this book because the rest of the stories in this book made me want to not finish the book.
The Queen of Hearts earns three stars for a book that was entertaining but not compelling. I love the beautiful cover, and the medical background and drama was very well-done and realistic. The story of Zadie, a pediatric cardiologist, her long-time friend Emma, a trauma surgeon, and Dr. X (for Xenokostas) was a bit too much like a soap opera for me. The "big secret" is easy to figure out, with too much foreshadowing. The main reason I finished to book was to see if I had figured it out, and I did. So many other reviewers have said that The Queen of Hearts is Grey's Anatomy in book format, and that's the most accurate description I can come up with. It's a fun diversion, but I wish the beautiful cover had contained a better story.
Thanks to Berkley for providing me with an advance reading copy.
Thanks to Berkley for providing me with an advance reading copy.
It’s okay. I found it a little bit difficult to follow the writing, even though I enjoyed the back and forth in the time. There were a few *GAAAASP* moments and overall it was a story of friendship, love and betrayal.
3 stars
3 stars
Definitely agree with all the reviews calling this the Grey’s Anatomy of books! Something about the ending threw me off though... not sure I can put my finger on it, but it almost felt too cleaned up for the sake of ending the story. I wish it went into more depth about the aftermath.