The White Coat Diaries follows Norah Kapadia, a first year medical intern. I was intrigued to read when I read the description that said it was like Grey's Anatomy meets Scrubs. The problem was there was no plot. Or there was a plot but the ending was never written. I liked the first half of the book and there was work laid out for many different storylines. I wasn't sure if this was going to be a romance, a drama, or somewhere in between, but there were enough storylines going on that it could be. Then the second half of the book came, and characters were forgotten. Storylines ended abruptly with no real ending. I kept reading when the "cover-up" was revealed about 75% of the way in thinking there were so many ways this book could go but the ending just wasn't there. I finished with no real answer as to what the point of the book was. Its unfortunate because I think there was enough laid out to make this a more complete book.

I like stories that have a point. I particularly like stories where the entire point of the plot, characters, and conflict is about love. Relationship love. Not career love. Not mountain hiking love. Not even self-love (although that has its time and place). It's not enough for me to read a story about a character that learns something. It's not enough for me to read about a character that experiences something. As a reader, I get to escape from life and experience for a span of however many pages what the character experiences. And what makes me the happiest is when those characters are falling in love. Does this make me deep or shallow? I don't know. I don't really care. Reading isn't about analyzing my "why." It's about enjoying the process. And so that's what I personally evaluate against when I'm reading a book.

The White Coat Diaries was one of those books that I got to the end of and thought "What was the point?" I know that sounds a bit harsh, but I've got to be real. The beginning was slow to get going for me. I struggled with Norah. I struggled with her mom. Norah is dealing with a lot of self-esteem issues. She's the nerdy girl who has a beautiful, spontaneous best friend. She's always felt a bit of an outsider looking in. She hasn't fully connected with her family and she hasn't fully connected with her friends or colleagues. I felt she was almost self-loathing through much of the book. Dealing with a lot of shame (feeling bad about who she is). This isn't a fun type of character to read about. Norah's mother is a hypochondriac. Her constant worry and nagging through the beginning of the book weighed on me as it did Norah. And Norah's brother Paul and his wife Reema were as well. I could see and understand all perspectives, but it didn't set things up for success when compared to my reading preferences.

Recently, I've read a couple of books with Indian characters and love both of them. I was on the hunt for more of the same when I read the description of The White Coat Diaries. Yet. the description (and this bears more exploration in a discussion post for the future perhaps) left me feeling like Norah's story would be headed in a distinctly negative direction. The description implies that Norah and Ethan fall in love and somehow both of them are pulled into a fatal error which results in a cover-up. A budding relationship likely can't survive that. And if it can, I'm not sure it's a relationship that I want to read about. The conflict is spelled out for the reader, but there's no real hope given of things turning out in any positive manner. And man do I want to discuss what actually happened in detail, but I can't spoil it. Well unless you want me to. *******Highlight for spoiler: I was expecting Ethan to ask Norah to cover his tail. What I wasn't expecting was how far Norah would willingly go for Ethan. Especially given the knowledge of his relationship with Elle. I was really disappointed in her. End spoiler.*******

The medical side of the story was what I would expect. It's what every TV show has shown us about the medical training program. ER, Grey's Anatomy, House, many many more. All of these TV shows reveal the rigorous and difficult training our doctors have to go through. They each show the negative sides to the medical field and the struggles doctors are facing as well. Some moments were presented so well, and I felt Norah's overwhelm. It was easy to see how mistakes could be made at any given moment. Other times, I felt like only the negative aspects of the profession were shown. Of course, I have no firsthand experience in the field. I wondered at times if a political agenda was being presented, but since I couldn't be sure, I have to say that if you're going to include one then this is the best possible way to do it. In a way, where the reader doesn't feel beat over the head with an opinion they are implied to be stupid if they don't agree with.

Since I've already stated that relationships are my favorite parts of stories, I'd be remiss if I didn't talk about them. I liked the camaraderie of Norah's fellow interns. The residents were each hard to like. Is it not possible to have a decent person in this position? The attendings too were all pretty despicable. Norah's family was demanding and not understanding which is odd considering her father was a doctor as well. Meryl, I had mixed feelings about. How things went there just left me feeling sad for and disappointed in both Meryl and Norah. Ethan, I couldn't so much fault him for his part in leading Norah on because he truly felt like he was being upfront with her. Gabe, I was semi rooting for. Overall, I was just disappointed in everyone.

Initially, The White Coat Diaries was slow to get going. I struggled to connect with the characters. I wasn't clear on what the purpose of the overall story was supposed to be other than ultimately taking responsibility for your mistakes even if it means losing what you thought you wanted. When I immediately finished, I thought I would give The White Coat Diaries 3 Stars, but since I've analyzed it more with this review, I'm thinking it's more of a 2 to 2.5 Star book for me. I didn't hate it, but it certainly doesn't align with my reading preferences. And I kind of wish I could have spent the time reading a different book. Have you read The White Coat Diaries? What did you think? Let me know!

A tense stressful look at the life of an intern. I enjoyed this book well enough, it was serious, entertaining and seemed realistic to me. What I could not get on board with was the big defining event, the moral dilemma. I didn’t buy it, and honestly thought ugh, seriously? Read it for yourself, maybe you’ll enjoy the ride.

** I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book.

*Given an advanced reading copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The White Coat Diaries by Madi Sinha is a fun mishmash novel that has a healthy dose of romance drama, family drama, and career drama.

Dr. Norah Kapardi is the daughter of a renowned cardiologist who died when she was a child in a car accident. So she wants to live up to his name, but it’s been difficult with her mother still mourning years later struggling with depression and diabetes. Norah’s brother and sister-in-law lay the guilt on her for not helping with her mother. Once she starts her residency, Norah quickly finds herself falling for her supervisor, Ethan. They start going out. Norah is falling hard, and she thinks Ethan is too until she discovers he may or may not be sleeping with another doctor. But when a patient on Norah’s watch dies unexpectedly due to Ethan’s advice, Ethan asks Norah to lie for him. Her feelings for him cloud her judgment. As she constructs the lie, she tries to figure out if Ethan is worth the possible obliteration of her medical career. But more mistakes along the way end up with her making sacrifices she didn’t expect.

The pressure to meet your career goals while being bogged down by family needs feels authentic, especially with Norah’s mother experiencing health issues and Norah being a doctor who helps when she can but can’t be on call 24/7 just for her mother. She has other patients! And she learns the importance of patient ethics as the book shows the stress of residency life and how patients’ well-being can still slip between the cracks when the doctors are not paying attention. While the doctors are worrying about patients, their own well-being is deteriorating, and they stay together all the time which leads to sexual tension. This story shows how hormones can lead to the wrong decisions as Norah, a virgin due to never having time for a social life, is still figuring out what it means to even be in love.

Overall, the novel is a page-turner since Grey’s Anatomy-like medical romances feel rare in the women’s fiction genre. The author is a doctor herself, so the ups and downs Norah is dealing with as she starts her career strikes a chord in the love, family, and friend departments.

Norah Kapadia graduated med school at the top of her class and is now starting her medical internship at a very prestigious hospital. She is beyond smart and hardworking. She has spent her entire 20s thus far in the library studying. Norah has few friends, zero romantic relationships (in fact, she’s still a virgin), and no social life to speak of. She tries to help her brother out with their basket case mother as often as she can, but her efforts never seem to be good enough. It doesn’t help that her very traditional Indian mother just wants Norah to settle down and get married already.

But Norah has worked too hard to get where she is, and she refuses to settle for anything less than her dream. Her rockstar doctor father may have died when Norah was young, but she will keep his legacy alive through her work. Never mind that her days as a medical intern have already pushed her past her limits of knowledge, patience, and physical endurance. At this point, she’s so far beyond her comfort zone that she feels like she’s floating outside her sleep-deprived body, just orbiting the shell of her former self in a haze of “is this even real life?” exhaustion. But she knows she’s capable of rising to the challenge and making her father proud. It helps that she’s surrounded by a stellar team of physicians. Also, her chief resident, Ethan Cantor, is a good teacher. Knowledgeable, experienced…and cute. Norah may be a virgin, but a little bit of eye candy never hurt anyone, right?

MY THOUGHTS
The publisher describes this book as “Grey’s Anatomy meets Scrubs,” and that is a spot on comparison. The book mostly focuses on Norah’s individual patients and her experiences interacting with other doctors, interns, and nurses. We see her manage the chaos the best she can, sometimes making borderline-crazy decisions borne of inexperience, and sometimes making connections about problems that even the doctors weren’t able to see. The book is fast-paced, super engrossing, and surprisingly lighthearted and fun. It was a five-star read for me until about the 85% mark because….WTH, that ending!! I won’t give anything away, but, seriously, I couldn’t understand Norah’s choices. I had a hard time believing this character would act the way she does—especially leading up to those final pages. I really need someone else to read this book so we can talk about it!

Still, there is no denying that The White Coat Diaries was so much fun to read. I may not have loved the ending—for real, I so wish it had gone a different way, ugh—but I loved reading it. I am definitely keeping author Madi Sinha on my radar. I can’t wait to see what she publishes next.

When this book was compared to a cross between Grey’s Anatomy and Scrubs, I knew I needed to read it - and what an excellent description that is for this book. I really enjoyed the hospitals scenes and found them so accurate.

I really liked Nora as a character and while I may not be a doctor I found her struggles in the medical field so relatable. She struggles to be a good doctor, balance her family, and try to have some sort of social life. 

I think Nora was well rounded as a character. I also really liked the side characters and reading about their patient interactions. I was honestly a little disappointed by the ending of the book because I feel like it came out of left field and blind-sighted me. It made me sad because I was really rooting for the story to wrap up and end a certain way.

HOWEVER, I still recommend this books - especially to those that work in the medical field, like all things involving healthcare, or just a good drama.

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley, and Madi Sinha for this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. The White Coat Diaries is out 8/15.

Being a medical resident is definitely not easy. Being a medical resident and having a life sounds darn near impossible.

Oh, Norah. She’s not just a medical resident, she’s also the never-even-dated daughter of a well-known Indian pediatrician who passed away years ago in an auto accident. So no pressure, but she’s supposed to be an obedient, married Indian daughter to her mother, and a brilliant doctor to carry on her father’s legacy. For a few minutes, she thinks she’s on the right track. She graduated and got a coveted medical residency, and even thinks there’s romantic chemistry with the handsome and successful chief resident.

Norah does what she thinks she has to in order to ensure her success and that of the man she wants to fall in love with. Unfortunately, drastic actions taken for the wrong reasons don’t stay feeling good over time.

This book was interesting in its depiction of Norah’s medical residency, and the lives of the other residents. While this book was presented as fiction, the way the medical staff referred to some of the patients was a little disappointing. Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It would be recommended for those who enjoy medical dramas or Indian fiction.

In this debut novel, written by a physician, we get a close-up-and-personal view of the life of a medical intern through the eyes and experiences of Norah Kapadia, MD. While occasionally funny, this too-true look at the frenetic, intense year of internship is frequently disturbing as well, and a huge ethical lapse made me lose respect for all the characters involved. It's a quick and absorbing read, but definitely does not paint a rosy picture of the state of medical education in the US.

Being a doctor is what Norah Kapadia is all she's ever wanted to be, but on her first day as an intern she is ready to quit. Overwhelmed she questions being a doctor. With her family being no help for encouragement if only to encourage her to be the "perfect Indian daughter". Ethan Cantor is the kind of doctor she aspires to be. He's easy going and charming, with the patients and her. When a medical mistake is made fatal, how far will Norah go to keep a secret?


The White Coat Diaries was such an exciting read. It was compared to Grey's Anatomy in the description so I had to have it. I'm a huge Grey's Anatomy fan and it did not disappoint. I loved all the hospital fast flow and I really loved Norah. She wants to be the best she can as a doctor but she also struggles. With her family, social life, and the high pace of what it takes to be a doctor, it is hard on her. She is a very rounded out character with love toward her family, but also frustration. Even all the side characters (other interns) were fun to read. As well as the patients, you really feel connected to them.


Although I loved about 85% of the book, I did not care for the ending. It almost felt like a left turn for me. I was rooting for one ending and got blindsided by one I did not expect. In this case, I did not like. Also Ethan, I could not stand him. I did agree with him and the way he viewed patients though.


That being said, I do definitely recommend. Especially if you like doctor stuff! It had a great balance of doctor life, family, friends, and drama.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for a gifted copy of this ARC. All opinions are my own. Due to the author's response to a blogger for DNFing this book, I won't be rating this book.

It's more of a women's fiction novel about her journey in residency. I think it shows the ups and downs of a medical resident but there's not much beyond that. I felt there were a lot of loose ends that did not get addressed.

As an Indian in Canada, I was hoping to like this book and get a look into the American Indian upbringing of a doctor. But I can't go beyond 20% unfortunately. I love reading books with Indian characters but I do not like it when women are portrayed as whiny and always concerned about "what will people think". It does not give anyone a good impression of a culture and only encourages such stereotypical ideas of people who have an Indian upbringing. 

Norah is a doctor and in the middle of a work event, her mom calls her wondering if she is having a heart attack and rather than call the ambulance Norah chose to drive 1.5 hours to her mom! I don't see the logic of this, even less coming from a doctor herself.

My ER/Grey’s Anatomy loving self was so excited for this book and it delivered. I really enjoyed the medical setting and peek into the life of a medical intern (brought me back to season 1 of Grey’s). I was hoping for a little more romance and maybe focusing on a few less characters to really deliver a richer storyline. However, there aren’t a TON of fiction books centered around the medical field and it was well written so it was still a page turner for me.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Berkley, and Madi Sinha for the opportunity to read and review her debut novel - 4.5 stars for a well-written look into the world of medical interns.  I'm not on Twitter and have read many reviews talking about the author's tweet, but I'm sticking to reviewing the book - which I thought was wonderful!

Norah is under so much pressure - after always being at the top of her class, she's starting her internship and finds herself at the bottom of the food chain at Philadelphia General Hospital.  In fact, those above her rarely call her by her correct name; it's usually just Intern.  But she's also struggling with her Indian family's expectations that she get married early, stay at home and take care of her mother, be who they want her to be.  How does she have time to be a good friend when she never has time to sleep?  Plus, she has never dated and now finds herself attracted to the resident in charge of her, Ethan.  When a patient under her care dies, she is faced with a moral and ethical dilemma that will change everything.

I enjoyed reading this story of what our young doctors are faced with as they go through their training, even without the current pandemic crisis.  I loved Norah's character - you could feel the push and pull of her emotions and thoughts - wanting to do what's right, wanting to fit in, wanting to be her own person, wanting someone to care - all while trying to do the best job she can to take care of her patients.  You could feel her exhaustion as she tries to catch just a little sleep in between her pages asking her to do something else.  Plus dealing with the patients and their families!  I think I will remember these people any time I have to deal with medical personnel.  This book felt true with many light, laugh out loud moments.

I look forward to reading more from this author - a very strong debut!

I have never watched an episode of Grey’s Anatomy but I did enjoy Scrubs and I can see the comparison. A group of hard- working, over- worked interning doctors are the focus of this story. Norah is our main narrator and she is a young Indian woman just trying to honor her father’s memory by becoming a doctor. Her mother loves to guilt trip her every chance she gets and her surrounding family isn’t too supportive either.

This was a good read and showed the determination and power that a young woman can exhibit when she puts herself first. I enjoyed this read.

4.5 

I can not think of the words to describe my love of this book. This book is going on my re-read shelf and may even make it onto my comfort read shelf! These books are the ones I re-read when life is kicking you in the face, and you need something that will help you destress.

At first glance, this sem to be a typical coming of age novel. For a while, it even seemed as if it was going to be a typical romance. However, it is much more than that.  At first glance, the protagonist appears to be your typical ethnic caricature, but she develops into so much more than that.  Norah really grows into a woman of worth. Her ride is a bumpy one.   For a while, I lost a little of my faith in Norah as a good person.  The author soon clears the air, and you finally see Norah as what she could have been all along if circumstances had been different.

I hope that this author thinks about writing a sequel to this book and that Norah might get a happily ever after. 

*ARC supplied by the publisher and author.

This book was a fun and entertaining portrayal of the realistic trials and tribulations of an medical intern trying to find a balance between work and life. As a pharmacist who has done a few rotations in the hospital setting, I could easily envision the scenarios Norah went through because the author provided vivid imagery through her writing. The Norah was complex as she was interesting and I thought she was portrayed in a way that made her really relatable. 

Thank you to Berkley and NetGalley for this arc.

Thank you so much to @berkleypub for providing @ravenclaw_accio_bookss and me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Working in a hospital setting, I found so many parts of this book to be completely spot on. I also found our MC, Norah Kapadia to be a very relatable character. Overall, I'd recommend this for fans of Grey's Anatomy and medical/hospital staff.

Full review for #thewhitecoatdiaries is on our blog (Link in bio. Check it out and let us know what you think!).
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Pub date: September 15, 2020

I was so excited for this book, and thanks to the much appreciated ARC from Berkley Publishing Group, it did not disappoint! I thoroughly enjoyed a front-row seat to surgery residency - including this young doctor's journey to juggle her dreams, job, family, love, and life all the while pulling all-night shifts with peoples' lives on the line. This was so enjoyable and I devoured it in one Sunday sitting!

The White Coat Diaries gives us a peek behind the curtains into the world of hospital residency. The unglamorous life both at the hospital and also the struggle to balance life outside the ER doors are major themes of Sinha's smart and witty debut novel. 

We follow along with Norah, as she tries to balance with personal and professional struggles including family expectations and dynamics, and the relatable journey of navigating life in your 20s. I loved that it featured a highly motivated woman protagonist who is balancing medicine and her South Asian culture. 

I read this at the beginning of August and was super excited to see what my fellow readers thought of this one because I really enjoyed it. Unfortunately, author Madi Sinha took a big misstep mid-month and attacked a reviewer on Twitter for their honest review and perfectly respectful DNF review (they had been gifted an advanced copy through a giveaway on Goodreads). 

While I understand that it takes a lot of work and time to write a book, everyone is entitled to their opinions and reviews are part of most any content you put out into the world.  People make mistakes but unfortunately, Sinha did not take accountability for her actions which really was the most harmful part. I can't support authors who behave in this way and no longer will be recommending this book. 

I do appreciate the advanced copy from Berkley in exchange for an honest review and as always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

*3.5 star rating

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for an ARC of The White Coat Diaries in exchange for my honest review.

The White Coat Diaries follows the story of Norah, an Indian-American woman who is fresh out of med school and starting as an intern at Philadelphia General Hospital. Since Norah has spent her whole life studying, the real world comes as a bit of a shock to her. She doesn't know how to navigate the world, relationships, her family, and her career.

I really liked reading this book because I haven't read another book set in a hospital and told from the point of view of a young doctor. It was also a really quick read; I was able to finish it in a little over 24 hours. I'm also a sucker for any book that takes place in Philly and this book was no exception. There's just something so satisfying about seeing Ninth and Samsom, Rittenhouse Square, and I-95 on a page and immediately being transported back to the east coast.

I'm going to be honest, I didn't love Norah's character. I understand why she was written the way she was, but she wasn't the most enjoyable character. There were also parts of the book that didn't seem to tie into the rest of the book. Norah is an Indian-American twenty-something year old, but her Indian identity did not play much into the story in the second half. There are a few side characters who are part of the story early on but fade out rather quickly. Maybe I'm just too curious and need more details about them.

I will also say that going into this book, I thought it was going to be a romance. It definitely is not a romance novel. I would classify it as contemporary or women's fiction.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes Grey's Anatomy, ER, Scrubs, or any other medical TV drama. While it is a quick and enjoyable read, it's not going to change your life in any major way. It's a solid read, but I won't be encouraging anyone to move it up their TBR anytime soon.