Loved the story loved the characters, Just a a great book. Thanks to Harper and Avon for the arc for my honest review.

I wish romance that has a medical background would stop getting slapped with Grey’s anatomy in the pitch because that sets an expectation and if you’re looking for the *steam* of greys this isn’t it. This was more of the character study like greys and the romance and heartbreak of seven days in June.

Anyway I liked this story and it’s characters. If you’re familiar with the medical field I think you’d appreciate that aspect. I really liked everyone in Angie’s circle, her sister and friends. Angie and Ricky’s relationship blossomed at realistic too which isn’t always portrayed. Someone else read it so we can talk.

This was a really enjoyable read for me. For me, romances that focus only on the romance don’t hit as hard. I much prefer books where there’s focus on stuff outside of the romance, such as in On Rotation where there was focus on self-love, friendship, careers, etc. I also felt that the medical aspects were well written unlike some books/tv shows where it can just be ridiculous how it’s portrayed. Overall, really enjoyed and will definitely check out future books by this author if they release them.

4.5 stars

I loved this book !

I think as someone who wants to get into the medical field it’s nice to read about it. Thought it is intimidating & sometimes stressful, I loved seeing this POV because sometimes when there is a doctor in a book it is hardly touched upon.

Friends to lovers is also one of my favorite tropes due to the tension and I like the way that Angie was not in control in this aspect. I found myself relating to her in this way since I have to try harder than most to get into the medical field and prove that I can make it, so it was nice to have a character I can relate to in this aspect,

The romance for me was the part that I feel could have been better developed. I tend to not like miscommunication and I think that was the main issue here. Some parts of their romance were so frustrating but being 25 & in the medical field it is accurate to not be as mature when it comes to personal life things. Overall, a great read and I loved how relatable it was !

Angela Appiah is trying to attain the coveted Perfect Immigrant Daughter but what must she sacrifice to attain it?
On Rotation is a realistic look at trying to juggle everything and still have yourself intact. Obuobi balances romance with Angela's personal and professional life. Her relationship is a rollercoaster but realistic and will be relatable to many readers. There are a few instances that will frustrate but there is a resolution which
ties up everything neatly.

I really wanted to love this, but unfortunately, it just fell a bit flat for me.

Things I loved - the representation of Ghanaian culture, Black hair and women of color in the medical field. Truly, I can imagine many readers will see themselves and their experiences in this story.

However, while I was rooting for the main characters (and adored the epilogue) this was just a bit too slow moving for me.

It almost felt like two books - a romance; and a work of literary fiction, with a dash of self discovery and cultural nuance. However, when combined, it seems like a lot.

But I am excited to see what else this author works on!

As much as I loved the romance in this one, I loved Angie on her own even more. Her navigation of complicated family dynamics, cultural differences, friendships (Nia my love!), and the frequently very flawed medical field were far more interesting to me than anything that happened with Ricky.

Angela Appiah has her perfect life in order; until she doesn't that is. When seemingly everything falls apart, Angela has to make some tough decisions about what's really important. Fans of Grey's Anatomy will love this book.

Rating: 3/5
Steam: 2/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for access to this ARC in exchange for my honest opinon.

I really wanted to love this one...but it was just okay. There was so much opportunity for this book to be amazing but overall it felt like the author tried to unpack too many important topics in a short amount of time.

I did enjoy the story, I liked Angie and Ricky as a couple by the end of the book. I liked that this book discussed the struggles and joys of immigrant children. There wasn't so much a focus on actual medicine, which is think was a wise choice, but I was also looking for it since it was advertised for fans of Grey's Anatomy.

I am interested to see what the author writes next but I am not rushing to recommend this book to everyone.

I thought that this was a fun romance. I enjoyed the premise and thought that the characters were well written.

📖Book Review📖
✨Title: On Rotation
✨Author: Shirlene Obuobi
✨Format: eBook
✨Publisher: Avon Books
✨Publication Date: 06/21/2022
✨Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✨Genre: contemporary

Angie is the child of American Immigrants who except a lot from her. She is in her third year of medical school, and the pressure is immense, but she still happens to meet a man while she was upset in the garden.

Throughout the book we watch Angie grow and allow this man to love her after she has felt like no one ever truly loves her.

There are bumps along the road, but the evolution was inspiring.
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#bookreview #bookstagram #bookworm #booklover #octoberbooks #octoberreads #bookish #2022reads #bookrecommendation #bookrec #booknerd #bookish #octoberbookreview #netgalley #arcreview #netgalleybookreview #onrotation #shirleneobuobi

Based in Chicago, the main character Angela Appiah is trying to juggle her studies, relationships and sometimes overbearing Ghanaian parents. Like most people, she buries herself in work (much to her circle's dismay), but a chance meeting turns into so much more…when she loosens the reigns and allow life to take over.

I loved so much about this book…the authentic knowledge of the Ghanaian culture, how Angie's sister and friends showed up for one another and, how the matriarchs provided wisdom, as it pertained to the matters of the heart.

What started as a slow burn, turned into a cute medical romantic comedy, and I loved it. If this is @shirlywhirlmd's debut novel, I would love to see what she comes up with next. I would like to thank @avonbooks and @netgalley, for this E-ARC. Go pick up this 💎💎💎💎 book.

I really really wanted to love this one, especially since it was marketed for fans of Grey's Anatomy and Seven Days in June, two things I love. However it was just okay. Grown adults unable to communicate about their issues is quickly becoming a trope I need to ignore altogether. This being the author's debut, I'll give her next book a try, but this was just a miss for me.

Amazing debut. Smart, funny, passionate, and heartbreaking in places, this book is a beautifully written knockout.

I totally geeked out over all the medical school details in this story by a Ghanaian-American cardiologist. The heroine is Ghanaian-American and the hero is Caucasian. In addition, he is not a lawyer, doctor, or engineer, but (gasp!) an artist. He’s also got “wasteman” practically tattooed across his forehead. A no-no to the heroine's family. But in reality, he is really a sweetheart. Excellent characterization of two dissimilar people who grow and learn to appreciate how the other one clicks. Obuobi is a writer to watch. This was her debut book.

Review will be published on Cogitations & Meditations later this month at http://keirasoleore.blogspot.com.

I was unable to read this book before it's release, but my library has purchased a copy. It is currently checked out at my library, and 34 other libraries in my consortia own this book.

There's quite a few layers to this book, and while I enjoyed it, I can't help but feel as though it was marketed incorrectly. I expected something more serious and literary based off the synopsis, while the cover and plot itself definitely allude to something more soapy. I enjoyed it, but for a mood reader, I think marketing this book correctly would've helped.

Slated as a contemporary romance, On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi also adds an adult coming-of-age story aspect to the narrative as we follow the protagonist, Angela “Angie” Appiah, begin to gain her footing as she takes the next steps towards her M.D. title while also doing some introspection, and building boundaries in this beautiful, emotional story of a young woman figuring out what she wants in life and love.

The moment we get introduced to our protagonist Angie, Obuobi manages to welcome the reader with a warmth and clarity of where the character stands that immediately gives you a deep understanding of her life to this point.

Her conflicting feelings about her family’s pushing her, her gradual growth, and her moment of finally coming to terms with her issues of self-worth and confidence are painfully relatable and made me much more invested in the story. It truly felt like we got to see so much insight into her way of thinking that it felt like watching a friend go through it.

I love how much of the Ghanaian culture we get rom the start, immersing the reader in the Appiah family’s world.

The Appiah family’s cultural background may be different. Still, the immigrant family culture is very much universal in a way that feels like you are settling in with them as we read about Tabatha’s boyfriend’s experience at the Knocking, how Angie’s parents reacted to hearing about her Step score, and so many more.

The immigrant, first-generation eldest daughter experience is seemingly universal (lucky for us, right?), making Angie’s issues and resolve to make progress all the more grounded and deeply felt in a way that I was immediately in her corner and stayed there throughout. You feel for her when she has those conversations with her parents about what she’s doing for her med school article submissions.

So, when it came time for her to finally tell her mother about how she really felt, there was a visceral reaction and a sensation of empowerment that I couldn’t help but feel, and it was fabulous!

Between Tabatha and Nia, there is no shortage of un-minced words for our protagonist, and honestly, at specific points, it felt like something Angie needed to hear.

I loved Nia. From the moment she appears on the page, her frankness, comedic timing, and no-nonsense manner when it comes to Angie made her an instant favorite. The fact that we get insight into her inner life beyond just being friends with Angie in the span of On Rotation makes her, much like Ricky, feel like a real person. Her arc through the second part of the book was just as emotional as Angie’s, and you couldn’t help but feel for her and root for her decisions towards the end as you find out that she’s finally getting a chance at following her passion.

Though it’s not a dual perspective novel, you can feel everything Ricky feels throughout the book. Making a protagonist’s love interest that three-dimensional is such a wonderful thing to see and made me appreciate his connection with his grandparents, his aspirations, and his romance with Angie that much more impactful.

Shea’s introduction as Nia’s significant other initially made me think they would just be a random side character. But I loved how Obuobi brought them in, from making them Ricky’s best friend to be the truth bearer for Angie towards the end of the novel.

I anticipated the Sanity Circle, beyond Nia and Michelle, to take more of a central focal point in Angie’s expanded world. But the balance of the entire crew’s presence is well done.

Overall, it was an incredible story and an equally beautiful, messy, and authentic feeling love story as we saw Angie grow independently and her and Ricky’s relationship grow. On Rotation doesn’t shy away from the complex topics, from addiction to mistrust in the medical profession from marginalized communities and medical inequity. But these moments are done in a way that bolsters the central stories and is not shoehorned into the story for the sake of it.

I recommend this emotional, heartwarming, funny story for anyone looking for their next engrossing read about characters with depth and dimension.

Thank you to Avon for providing me a copy of On Rotation for review.

On Rotation was billed as a romance perfect for fans of Grey's Anatomy. As a romance reader who's also was an avid watcher of Grey's, until the 2021 season, I was intrigued by the premise. Angela Appiah is a Ghanaian-American who tries to be the perfect daughter and is currently in medical school. When her boyfriend breaks up with her and an important exam comes back with a less than stellar score, Angela feels like her life is falling apart. It's during this moment her life collides with Ricky Gutierrez, a brilliant, attractive artist who immediately comes to Angela's aid when she needs it. Ricky and Angela keep coming into each other's lives and it'll force Angela to think maybe Ricky is something more than a new friend.

What I liked about On Rotation was the medical life of Angela portrayed in the novel. I really wish we could have seen more of it throughout the novel. I didn't think we got see as much as we could have. I also love the friendship between Angela and her best friend, who each go through their own growing pains throughout the novel. I didn't care for the romance between Ricky and Angela. I thought it felt juvenile and it drove me crazy.

I know it's Obuobi's debut novel and I'd like to see what she writes in the future.

This one was not for me. I found it a drag to get through. The one most notable thing that I despised about this book were the footnotes. I get that they were trying to be "scholarly" with this, like one might see in a medical journal, but honestly their purpose was not clear. Were they there to provide the author's commentary on the story? Were they the main character's bonus internal commentary? Were they there to add clarity to the cultural references of the story to assist me, a dumb white woman, into figuring out what Angie and her family were talking about? I felt it sort of missed the mark on all these points and think the story would have been better off without them.
I didn't like any of the characters. Truly didn't like a single one of them. I thought their drama was petty and boiled quickly and dissolved quickly. Every time we were in the hospital, I found myself wanting to be with Angie in the "real world" and any time we were in the real world I wanted to be back in the hospital. I didn't like her relationship with Ricky, mostly because I didn't like Ricky.
I'd give this author another chance because at the very least I think the character's voices were well established and I enjoyed her writing style, but this story wasn't my cup of tea.