This book has been compared to the very popular TV show Grey’s Anatomy, of which I was a huge fan, until they killed off Dr. Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd. I understand the comparison: two best friends in medical school together, balancing endless work shifts, gruesome trauma patients, and of course hot sex in the on-call room... “The Queen of Hearts” does unfold like a TV medical drama with a pool date at the club that ends in an emergency tracheotomy on a choking club member, where the duo doctors use straws and plastic forks for their medical supplies, and the newspaper article the next day focuses on their bikini clad bodies despite their successful careers as a pediatric cardiologist and a trauma surgeon. There’s a mysterious element of the story regarding an ex-boyfriend/chief resident who shows up unexpectedly in town. Thrown in is the classic wrongful death lawsuit by a grieving family. Most of the book hints at, and slowly unfolds, a dark deception between these friends, which includes the death of another classmate/ex-boyfriend. The format and the story fell flat for me, too much zigzagging back and forth and the climax peters out. The ending gets neatly packaged up but I found it to be disappointing and farfetched.

I did not like the author’s approach of shifting narrators and switching between past and present. An author friend of mine once said, “don’t f*ck with chronology.” I think this story would have worked better written in the present tense with flashbacks to the past - which the author did in one chapter and that made it even more confusing. I have read dozens of books recently whose authors use the multiple narrator format and I’m finding it cliché and gimmicky. I think this story would have worked much better for me if Zadie was the sole narrator and she told the story from the present looking back.

I received an ARC of this e-book from NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

Kimmery Martin’s debut novel is the story of two friends, betrayal, and the possibility of forgiveness. Zadie and Emma meet in medical school and become dependable friends as they experience the ins and outs of their medical training.

There are highs and lows that I imagine only people who’ve worked in a hospital or shared the common bond of med school can truly understand. Martin’s descriptive writing kept me interested, especially when I didn’t have a clue if what was happening during procedures, etc. was realistic. Given her real life experience as an ER doctor I just went along with the story. I was completely engaged in what transpired in the hospital setting and on a personal level with Zadie and Emma.

I think fans of medical dramas like Grey's Anatomy will enjoy The Queen of Hearts. I look forward to the author’s next novel.

I feel like this book would make a great TV show. I already love medical dramas, but I enjoyed the stories of these characters, the characters themselves (especially little Delaney), and the writing style of this author. The flashbacks were not hard to follow in any way and the story flowed smoothly even though it was set in two different times (medical school and current day). This author certainly knows how to tell a story and entertain. I have already recommended this title to a few family members and will recommend to more people. Great read!

I couldn’t put this book of secrets down. Something new was revealed at every turn. Set in the medical community in Charlotte, the story revolves around Zadie, a cardiologist, and Emma, a trauma surgeon, who have been friends since medical school. But when Nick Xenokostas moves to town, the bad memories rise to the surface.
As the women go through both personal and professional issues, they must also look at what their own friendship means and see if it can withstand the secrets from the past.
A great debut novel!

Was a quick read and, as a Charlotte native, I loved the setting. The characters were interesting but not especially likeable. My biggest complaint was that the resolve seemed way too hasty.

*Thanks Berkley via Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review!*

Likes:
I am a medical junkie. When I seen this cover I feel in love. I read the description and I was intrigued. You could tell the author had a medical background. I was really impressed with the medical drama. If it was nothing else but medical scenarios I think I still would have read this. I would like to have seen more of the POV from Zadie. Maybe even a couple of chapters from Nick and Graham. There was humor in this. I found myself laughing out loud. Delaney, Zadies youngest daughter, was hilarious. I liked how the real aspects of life showed up juggling a career, a home, children, and a marriage.

Dislikes:
I don't think ANY religious belief should be denigrated.
<i>"I thought maybe you were in one of those fundamentalist groups that makes their women eschew modern conveniences, like pants and education."</i>
I am one of those women who doesn't cut their hair and doesn't wear pants. I also have a COLLEGE DEGREE. Surprise!
Emma is from the backwoods of Kentucky. In which she blames a lot of her faults on. I am also from the backwoods and I am not ashamed. Nor will I blame my home or raising on my wrong doings.

Rating: 3.5/5

The Queen of Hearts is a compelling and beautifully written debut novel. Zadie and Emma, the two main characters, are realistic, likeable, and fascinating. The novel is told from both of their perspectives, and goes back in forth in time. Kimmery Martin seamlessly shifts between the two character's perspectives and the past and present as she tells the story about the life-altering events that shaped the two women as both personally and professionally. Something happened - in fact a lot of things happened that all tied together - back when Zadie and Emma were attending medical school. They both believe that the past is behind them until a ghost from their past shows up and forces them to confront their past mistakes and heartaches. While they are working through their pasts, they also have plenty of problems to deal with in their current lives. The question is if their friendship can survive. Overall, this is a well-written and intriguing novel. Martin combines Zadie's and Emma's stories together, giving the reader a well-rounded view into both women's home lives (family and general day to day events) along with their professional lives (both characters are doctors).

For me, this was just okay. It's a story about the bonds of friendship and boy were those bonds tested! I personally know I could not "forgive and forget" what Emma did to Zadie. Forgive...maybe! But not forget. The book had a very heavy medical theme with a LOT of technical language that an average person who doesn't watch a lot of medical dramas might not understand. It was decently written and kept me reading.

This was a quick and easy read. I ultimately was drawn to the cover but the story did not disappoint me.

Zadie and Emma were best friends in medical school and have remained friends as they moved on to medical careers and marriage. But when Dr. Nick Xenokostas, one of the residents during their medical internship, reappears in their lives, long buried secrets erupt. This book started out intriguing but ended up being bogged down by way too many details of medical cases and not quite enough intrigue.

This debut novel, aside from being gorgeous, is a smart, witty, and well-written medical drama. Reading it, all I could think of was how great this would translate into a season of Grey's Anatomy. It's filled with terrible lies and dark secrets, all of which captivate the reader and the events which bring to light said secrets take you in to a world of sadness and jealousy.

The beginning took a second to feel comfortable in, as there are flashbacks from both characters, but the book had my full attention and I couldn't put it down. The medical terminology can be a little hard to understand for someone with no knowledge, but it doesn't hold back the reader. I really enjoyed this one.

Kimmery Martin's beautifully written debut novel surrounding two friends is a delight. Well-respected doctors Zadie Anson, a pediatric cardiologist, and Emma Colley, a trauma surgeon, have been best friends since medical school and their opposite personalities complement each other.  Both are now married with children and juggling their careers and family.  The book starts with an air of mystery as Emma texts Zadie that she wants to talk about something that happened their third year in medical school.  They have had an unspoken agreement for two decades not to discuss what happened that year.  I could tell that it wasn't a good thing, but it took a while for the reason to reveal itself. Their stories are told by alternating voice between the two women as well as the time periods between the current and past.  This book has an excellent story-line that explores the strengths and tests of friendship, a realistic portrayal of the challenges working in the medical field, the mistakes and regrets made in life, the challenges of balancing a career and family,  rich characters, and many moments of wit and humor.  The book reminded me a lot of the books I have read and loved written by Liane Moriarty.  As a former resident of Charlotte, NC, I also enjoyed the setting and reading about familiar places.  Kimmery Martin has firmly landed on my must-read author list for future books.

Mark February 13, 2018, on your calendars to get this book when it is released.  

Thanks to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review.

The Queen of Hearts combines chick lit with medical drama. Zadie is a supermom/pediatric cardiologist balancing work with 4 kids in suburban Georgia. Everything is going well until a figure from her past emerges and throws her carefully balanced life out of whack. A interesting novel and plot, but I found that having the point of view constantly changing, without changing the characters' voices, made it a little confusing at times.

A compelling debut from an author who knows about the struggles of friendship, betrayal and forgiveness. Kimmery Martin loaded this book with rich detail, guiding readers through both the medical landscape of the ER to life, and also into the hearts and lives of the two women, who must come to terms with the past. The point of view in this story changes at a rapid-fire pace given that the story goes back and forth between the present and the late nineties. I had to reorient myself a few times because of this. Nonetheless, thoroughly enjoyed the novel.

This is a realistic, humorous, sweet and sometimes difficult to read novel about women and everything in their lves, juggling children and careers and relationships and staying true to themselves in the process. A must-read book club pick.

I really enjoyed this book. Zadie was so endearingly awkward and I thought it did a good job of showing the complexities of friendship. Not everything is so simple to resolve. The medical scenes were well written, intense, and seemed accurate. I liked how the mothering aspect was portrayed, and how even successful people feel flummoxed by their children at times. I will link to my longer review soon.

A good medical story wifh a realistic look at medical training and various procedures. However, not so in depth that we don't get fully acquainted with Zadie and Emma.

*Thanks to NetGallery for a digital copy of this book!*

This book has a beautiful cover, which is one of the things that sucked me in, even knowing better! This is Kimmery Martin's debut novel. It was a pretty fast read, and okay story, but nothing really interesting that grabbed me. It seemed very bland. It was what I expect Grey's Anatomy is like.

Emma's "terrible" secret was easy to figure out early into the novel. And I didn't think it was all as terrible as it was billed to be. The story deals with friendhip, love, betrayal. I really didn't like the characters, they seemed predictable, and never grabbed my emotions. The point of view changes very quickly from Emma to Zaide, and past to present. Sometimes it was too fast and had to go back to see where I was, which I don't like having to do.

So it was an easy read, not terrible, but never got interesting for me either. I never felt any suspense of tension, and the twist was easy to figure out. The best way for me to describe the book is "meh".

This book is amazing, it's not just the cover that is magnificent but the stories inside are mind blowing. She really deserves to be the best author and this book to be the best book of 2018. Can't wait for mu purchase in paperback .

(Full Disclosure: I received a free eGalley of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review).

This book is not for the faint of heart! But it is FULL of heart. But seriously, what a perfect book with the perfect title for Kimmery Martin to write. I always think that some of the best novels are written by people who aren't full-time writers and are experts in other professions and this is more proof of that. I'm also extremely jealous and in awe of someone like Kimmery who can work as a doctor AND be an awesome writer.

Two friends, Zadie and Emma have been friends since summer camp, made it through med school together, and now are both married with kids and medical careers. When Emma learns that one of their old chief residents and Zadie's ex, Dr. X, is coming to work with her unit, drama ensues. Both she and Zadie begin to freak out, together and separately, about Dr. X's return. We can kind of see why Zadie is freaking out (he's her ex, after all, and we know something went down), but we don't have all the information we need as to why she and Emma are both so upset.

I don't want to compare Kimmery to Liane Moriarty because I think they have very different writing styles, but it's the same kind of book. Female (moms specifically) relationships with a little bit of mystery. Throughout the whole story, you're trying to figure out why the ladies hate Dr. X so much and the answer is just not very obvious (at least it wasn't to me). I really appreciate when a writer can weave together a mystery that I don't immediately guess the ending to and that is also believable. I think Moriarty is a little bit funnier and more light-hearted, but Queen of Hearts is also dealing with some more serious topics. It's like if Liane Moriarty wrote an episode of Grey's Anatomy.

Like I said, the book is not for the faint of heart in terms of some of the more descriptive scenes, especially during surgeries. Informative and educational, but very vivid. The novel also deals with issues involving doctor responsibility and morality that will really make you think.

Fabulous debut novel from Kimmery Martin that I definitely recommend!