The premise drew me in at first. I have lived some of this “on rotation” lifestyle. However, the plot was slow and the it became hard to continue to pick up this book. I had just finished another book like that and so maybe my timing was off for this one. It will probably be a better fit for a different reader.
#OnRotation #NetGalley #AvonandHarperVoyager

This book had a lot of promise, I did enjoy some portions but the writing felt a little tedious at times.

The main character was enjoyable enough to keep me reading. I was interested to see how she would continue on after hitting a lot of roadblocks at one time.

Her family interactions were comical; even though this was not my favorite I would definitely recommend it to friends.

DNF ~30%

I feel bad leaving a negative review for a book I didn't finish, but this really wasn't my cup of tea so I thought I'd share WHY I couldn't get myself to finish this book. I had trouble connecting with the main character and was completely uninterested in the plot. I remember waiting for the romance to begin and it just dragged, it wasn't even like a slow burn it just dragged on before anything even happened. I was hoping to read about a young woman in the medical field and didn't even find that element interesting enough to continue reading. I'm sure someone else will enjoy this book, but it wasn't for me personally.

Took me a bit to get into this one wasn’t really a fan of the male main character and the story did tend to drag a bit but it was ok.

What is a young medical student with overbearing and exacting parents who both expect her to be a perfect student and preparing to get married to do? The answer to that question is at the heart of the funny romance novel centered on aspiring doctor Angie Appiah, who at the start of On Rotation, written by Ghanaian-American cardiology fellow Shirlene Obuobi, is focused on her own anatomy. Specifically, her butt, which is ample and attracts people like her soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend, Frederick. Angie is noticing how great the distance is between movie boyfriends and ones like this one, who make it difficult for her to focus on the balance she is trying to strike between her professional aspirations and the personal milestones – like marriage – that her family expects.
In her quest to be the perfect immigrant daughter, Angie has a tough time distinguishing between her own needs and desires and those of the people around her. She gets some relief when she meets Ricky, a handsome, talented and thoughtful artist. He’s got his own issues – including the fact that he flirts hard even though he has a girlfriend. Angie is furious for a few reasons: She’s bombed a test that could determine her future in medicine, her best friend and roommate, Nia, is boo’d up with Shae and she is decidedly not, now this fine man has led her on. When things start getting complicated, Angie has to decide how she’s going to fix everything – instead of focusing so much on what everyone else is doing or focusing on, she begins to start focusing on herself.
On Rotation really shines when Angie shuts out the voices of her sister and her parents for long enough to listen to her own voice and follow her own wisdom, as awkward as that is sometimes to read. The hospital setting and the calculations she has to make for her career is easily reminiscent of both Grey’s Anatomy and My Sister the Serial Killer – with the dynamic, high-stakes setting and conditions that require an agility of response to patients suffering from everything from diabetes to gunshot wounds and characters that reflect a diverse, dynamic Chicago. The chemistry Angie and Ricky have is the heat that binds both them and the narrative together; necessarily so, Angie’s angst over her professional ambitions is far less compelling. She and Ricky at a spa, where she flirts with a Korean guy, is steamy on a couple of levels, for example. But she can’t give her attention to all the places where it should go, and as a result, when things unravel, it’s hard to know if they will get together even after his break up and her determination to keep things platonic.
What is ultimately satisfying about On Rotation is that in a world that still makes women choose between having a fulfilling, purpose-centered career and a happy home life that may or may not include family, Obuobi shows us that it is possible to have a Happily Ever After on multiple levels. Of course, getting there is not easy or without compromise, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth pursuing the work and personal loves of your life. This is a perfect summer romance for the beach, even if, at first glance, it feels more like you should keep it with you in the waiting room of a hospital. The romance soars across contexts, and it’s hilarious and smart to boot.

Thanks to Avon and Harper Voyager, the author, and NetGalley for the free gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

I picked up this romance because the description said for fans of Grey’s Anatomy, and that was truly so misleading because there was not nearly as much drama as a Grey’s Anatomy episode.

This book had so much potential but it felt like it dragged on just a little too long and it got a little bit repetitive. The first part of the story was GREAT.

But as always the poor communication trope just truly pisses me off and it was really throwing off the story from actually going somewhere.

My review seems pretty spot on with the majority, cute a fun romance but could have been so much more.

I remember I was so excited to read this book because I'm a pre-med and I had always wanted to read a book from the perspective of a student doctor, specifically a woman of color in medicine. I resonated a lot with the book from the study grind to the rocky friendship moments to the hectic family dynamic. The part I loved most about the book was watching the MC stand up for herself and pursue the opportunities she was passionate about no matter how many rejections or critiques she received. I think that's a huge part of going into medicine, especially as a woman of color. I will say the pacing of the book at times was a little choppy and I wasn't very invested in the romance. It seemed like a side plot that just didn't seem super necessary for the book. On the contrary, the discussion surrounding friendships and how to maintain them piqued my interest because I too have had my fair share of rocky friendships due to my pre-med priorities. All in all, I enjoyed this book and I'm lad it exists. I know I'll be returning to it as I continue on my own journey in medicine.

I tried but couldn't get into it. There was something about the writing that I didn't vibe with. About 100 pages in and I just wasn't hooked. DNF.

Unfortunately this one took me so long to get through, partly because I was just not connecting with the writing. I had high hopes, as I believe this book is a lot of what our world needs right now, but it just didn't hit the way I expected. It was a sweet romcom but I just couldn’t get behind the main couple. Their tension seemed fake and manufactured and their on again and off agains made no sense to me. I also usually enjoy tongue in cheek footnotes (Mary Roach, you are the queen of those) but this one was way over the top. It got to a point where I just started ignoring all the minutia.

The story follows a young Ghanaian med student in Chicago and her travails in finding true love. One day after a break up, finding out she didn’t score well on her Step 1, and her younger sister getting engaged before her, she runs into Ricky who seems perfect. However before she’s able to go all in she realizes that he may not feel the same way about her and worse, may never want to commit in any way. Can she convince her heart to walk away?

“But today, there was only me. And that was ok, because I was excellent company.”

Angie is busy checking off goals for her life and expectations of her Ghanaian parents: attend a top medical school, find a “suitable” boyfriend, have a supportive friend group. But her plans start to go off the rails when she doesn’t do well on a big med school exam, her boyfriend leaves, and her best friend and roommate moves out. When she meets Ricky, a man she finds annoying and decidedly not suitable, she starts to struggle with the plan she had versus the life she wants.

This book was a fun read. My favorite part was learning a bit about Angie’s Ghanaian-American culture. I saw a lot of myself in Angie and had flashbacks to my early grad school days. I felt like the romance ended up being the major focus and wanted more of her med school/family drama but I look forward to reading more books by this author. Bravo on a great debut!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Avon Books, and the author for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 19%. I really couldn't get behind the main male lead being a cheater. It's not someone I can root for nor want to read about.

I loved this book so much! It had the right balance of spice and female bad assery. I also loved all the inclusivity represented throughout, and the realities of being a Black woman in the medical field. This was such a great read - Angie is an awesome character with plenty of flaws (there are a few times throughout the book where you want to reach in and slap her), but she’s human and overcomes the.

Thank you, NetGalley for the copy!

Another arc from the backlog. I kind of wished this would have stayed in the back log...

I thought this book was very long for a story that wasn't very captivating. It was hard to feel sympathy for the main character because she always had this woe is me attitude. The main guy was all wishy washy and you were just sitting there screaming at him to make up his mind.

This is supposed to be a romance, but it really was lacking in that department. It also half committed to the medical side of the story. I wish this book would have just been focused on one or the other. A lot of the characters made rash decisions. It didn't feel like any of the characters were very mature. Did her roommate really decide to move out just because she felt the MC didn't care about her life? Or, was she just using it as an excuse to move in with their partner?

I could continue on with things I disliked about the book but I will leave it up to other readers to decide for themselves.

As a 3rd year medical student and intern, this book was so spot on. All the love for this one. I am so glad to have gotten the opportunity to read a FICTION novel by a doctor. Love to see it. Everything about medicine had me hooked, and the love story is so realistic and beautiful! But what I also loved is the Ghanaian traditions we get to see with Angie’s family. I am so happy to know about The Knocking ceremony and to see it played out so well in a novel. I love this book so very much.

A huge thank you to the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this book. I was so excited to receive this book; however, it just missed the mark for me. I didn't connect with the main character and the story just dragged for me. Maybe I will try it again when it is published because it may have been a timing issue (mood reader problems).

I want to thank the publisher and netgalley for the copy.

I really enjoyed this story. The pacing was great and something was always happening to keep it moving whether it was issues with Angela's friend or her new beau. Enjoyed her parents and her sister. Loved the slow evolution of the relation with her mom.


The presentation she does on black patients and the prejudice could have used more in page time. Angela complains about being uncomfortable about her bum. It does not come up again in the book. I could not understand Ricky's indecisiveness towards the end.

This was a really sweet, fresh rom/com from a perspective that isn't represented very often in the genre. The writing was engaging, the story was fast-paced, and I learned a lot about cultures and communities that are different from my own in a way that still felt natural and fresh to the story. I will definitely read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for access to an eARC of On Rotation by Shirlene Oboubi in exchange for an honest review.

CW: medical content/trauma, death of a parent, child death, infidelity, gaslighting, emotional abuse, toxic relationships, misogyny, racism, sexism, gun violence, police britality, addiction, body shaming, disordered eating, fatphobia, see full list on StoryGraph

Angela Appiah is a medical student navigating ever-changing relationships with her friends and family. She is juggling a lot in her life already, and then Ricky enters the scene. Angie finds herself having feelings for someone who is seemingly unavailable. And he works at the same hospital where she is doing her internship....and things get complicated....

I was so disappointed by this one because it was an ARC that I was SO excited to read! Like, seriously, I did a little happy dance when I got the approval email. But alas....this was just boring to me....I was trying to slog through it for 6 months and should have just DNF'd it. This was advertised as a romance, but I did not find it romantic at all because the dude was a f***boy if I've ever read one. I think this could have been a much better novel if we had just gotten a story about Angie's journey through medical school and navigating her family relationships.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel. I was not able to finish so won't be leaving a full review at this time.

Ghanaian-American Angie is having a quarter life crisis when she meets Ricky - a thoughtful, brilliant, and sexy man - who her parens would absolutely not approve of. However, Angie realizes that there’s one thing she can’t plan on: matters of her heart.

I enjoyed this debut and look forward to reading more from Shirlene Obuobi!