kristennm1972 's review for:

The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin

2.0

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I was looking for escapism when I picked up this book, and the best thing I can say about it is that it served that purpose well. Otherwise the story felt predictable to me, and the writing distractingly self-conscious. I was disappointed by its casual sexism and racism—lots of reliance on stereotypes for cheap humor. I suppose the silver lining is that despite the poor choices Emma and Zadie make because of a man, they both end up successful doctors with happy marriages and family lives—and they decide to salvage their lifelong friendship. I hated the fact that Nick surfaced at the end of the novel to play the hero, but at least he did the right thing and still ended up not getting what he wanted (I guess). I am a firm believer that we can be redeemed no matter how far we fall, and I appreciate when that theme is explored in literature, but this particular take fell flat for me.