Obsessed. Loved the insights into Ghanaian culture and the coming-of-age aspect of this book. I can’t wait to reread and get my hands on the physical copy !!

I was so excited when this book dropped on my Kindle! I love medical shows and romances books so what could be more perfect that this book?!

I adored this book for so many reasons but mostly two things: the romance in the medical field and the own voices story of a black women loving her life. There was many ups and downs in this book for Angie in this book but there is no denying she was happy and loving life in many scenes of this book. The romance in this book is also top notch!

I recommend this book to any romance reader!

Good debut novel about a strong woman discovering her way and what she wants and what she doesn’t want out of life, despite the pressure put on her by her Ghanaian parents. Angie is a mess student who doesn’t live up to her parents expectations, despite the fact that she’s training to be a doctor! When her sister gets engaged, they put even more pressure on Angie to have it all, and Angie isn’t sure what all she wants, except for Ricky, the best friend of her best friend’s partner.
There was good banter, strong family dynamics and a heroine who learned to stand up for herself and of course, there’s a love story. I liked that the author wrote this book based on her own personal experiences as she studies to be a doctor and she even drew the cover. There were a lot of footnotes which you don’t see very often in novels these days, so that sets this apart as well.
If you’re a fan of hospital shows, you’ll likely enjoy this story.
Thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for this eArc in exchange for my review.

Angie is a 25 yr old Ghanaian-American who is in her third year of medical school. Her perfect on paper boyfriend just broke up with her and while she is busy with school, studying, and keeping friendships she also feels as though she can’t be alone. Then she meets Ricky, a Mexican-American artist. With the pressures of school, proving herself to her parents and the ups and downs of her friendships including Ricky she finds herself at odds.

On Rotation brings heartfelt angst and love while touching on difficult and delicate subjects such as immigrant family expectations, racism and sexism in the workplace, body shaming, drug addiction, and insecurities to name a few. I would say this is a contemporary fiction novel with some romance. I loved this coming of age story and adored learning more about the Ghanaian traditions. The Mexican traditions were spot on as well and I very much related.

While Angie disappointed me at times with her accusatory nature and indecisiveness I had to remind myself that she was 25 and at times it was necessary to be selfish and choose herself. Her journey was a joy to watch. The footnotes throughout are a fabulous idea for a physical book, but when trying to navigate on a digital copy I found it to be not so helpful.

A fantastic debut novel!! Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for an advanced copy in enchanted for my honest review!

On Rotation
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 (Rounded up to 5 ⭐️)
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: Kindle eBook
Date Published: 6/21/22
Author: Shirlene Obuobi
Publisher: Avon Books
Pages: 352
Goodreads Rating: 4.12

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon Books for providing a digital advanced readers copy of the book for me to read for my honest opinion.

Synopsis: Ghanaian-American Angela Appiah has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter.” But then it quickly all falls apart: her boyfriend dumps her, she bombs the most important exam of her medical career, and her best friend pulls away. Angie, who has always faced her problems by working “twice as hard to get half as far,” is at a loss. Suddenly, she begins to question everything: her career choice, her friendships, even why she's attracted to men who don't love her as much as she loves them. Enter Ricky Gutierrez— brilliant, thoughtful, sexy, and most importantly, seems to see Angie for who she is instead of what she can represent.

My Thoughts: I absolutely adored this book. The story is narrated by Angie, told from her perspective. I wanted to read this as soon as I saw it promoted and I was grateful for the limited time chance through a Book Club Early Read Program (sorry I couldn’t get it finished prior to the release date). The characters were well developed, had depth, amazing banter, deep chemistry between Angie and Ricky, and the supporting characters were wonderful, especially Nia and Tabitha. The book was a rollercoaster of emotions, sometimes I wanted to yell at Angie, other times I cried with her, laughed with her, just all around full emotions carried within these pages. The author’s writing was brilliant, complex, intriguing, and kept me engaged throughout the book. This may be a debut book, but I am not 100% sure, however, I will definitely read more from this author again! I highly recommend going to buy this book right now!!!

This is a very diverse read and it's really well done. I learned a lot about different cultures and lifestyles.
A 25-year-old med student is navigating friendship, love, and family on top of studying, rotations, and just generally being a person.
I loved reading behind-the-scenes of medical school. I'm astounded by people in the medical profession. The romance was a little cheesy but mostly realistic. I loved that it wasn't all about sex- the characters genuinely connected with each other and showed that they cared more than they said it.

There's a lot of lingo and slang that makes the book authentic and I really appreciated that.

Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books for a galley.

Shirlene Obuobi wrote a relatable story that shares her Ghanaian cultures that I loved reading and learning about.

This book is a emotional roller coaster. It definitely took me on a emotional journey that was sad, sweet, funny, and maddening.

When I say that Angela frustrated me so much with her self sabotaging in her relationship with Ricky. I was like girl get a grip.

I really loved how Shirlene touched on the realities of disparities in healthcare for black folks.


TW: Absentee parent, Loss of a Parent, Grief



Thanks to NetGalley and HarpersCollins Publishers for providing a copy

On Rotation ends on Angie’s match day, and I finished reading it the night before my boyfriend’s match. How perfect is that?

I loved this story, and not just because of the parallels I could find to Pat’s medical school experience. Angie is such a great MC. She has a lot to juggle between medical school and the expectations of her family, not to mention keeping up a personal life. I loved the depth of Angie and Ricky’s relationship–no easy insta-love here! Instead, we got well-developed, deep emotions and well-written characters.

Angie’s friend group was amazing too!

I would rank On Rotation up there with Kimmery Martin’s medical thrillers, which I adore. This book is not to be missed!

I really enjoyed this story, especially the Ghanian elements in the story. Angela is a medical school student trying to maintain her perfect daughter facade for her parents who put the weight of the world on her shoulders at times. She just recently got dumped by her boyfriend and also didn't do well on a very important test to match for residency. She's basically panicking and starting to fold under the pressure. In comes this random guy Ricky and there's an instant attraction that occurs. She's attracted to him but he gives her friend vibes in return, but that changes and becomes more complicated with their worlds are more weaved together than they thought.

I appreciated the comedic relief but also real issues that presented themselves in this book. The pressure to please parents/family and friendships are such big issues in this book. Angie navigates I believe in the same manner most of us would when everything just becomes too much. But she finds her stride, and her love, and it was such a good ending.

Brief summary: There’s Angie, an aspiring doctor, half Ghanaian-half American girl with lots of issues—family, academically/career problems, friendship, romantic. And this is her story as she struggles and conquers and finds love and finds herself. All very empowering.

Someone that like these, should read it:
1. POC heroine. And hero. This is basically a cross-cultural romance.
2. Woman’s fiction. If you like to read about a woman solving life’s hurdles, then this is for you.
3. Interested in different cultures—you get to learn interesting facts about Ghanaian culture.
4. Not exactly for the Grey’s Anatomy fans, but I can see why they might refer to it. So if you like a bit of doctors drama, you might like this. But this doesn’t focus especially in what happens in the hospital at all times.

Why it didn’t work for me:
1. The writing style. This is a huge problem in my case. I couldn’t submerge myself into the story. I wasn’t very interested in what happened to Angie and how bad it was. I wasn’t very interested in the romance. Basically, I wasn’t interested in the story—not because of the premise, because the premise was interesting—but because the writing style didn’t work for me, I found it a bit tiring and I found myself distracted as I read this book.

Good news…this is pretty subjective, so it might not have worked for me, but it might work for you. So if anything from the pro list rang with you, give this book a chance.

This is the story of Angie, a Ghanaian-American young woman in med school dealing with a few major life issues. Her boyfriend dumped her, she doesn't do well on one of the most important tests of her medical career, and she is in conflict with her parents and her best friend. It's definitely a lot to deal with. I liked Angie's character a lot. She is strong and determined, in all aspects of her life, except she is a hot mess in the love department. Enter Ricky - an artist, smart, handsome, and checks all the boxes.

This story is marketed as a rom com but I found it to dig a little deeper than that. There are familial dynamics woven into the story with a lot of cultural traditions sprinkled throughout. The footnotes were a great help in explaining cultural rituals I was uncertain of.

The thing that stood out most for me was Ricky's character. It was really nice to see a Mexican-American male lead not be portrayed as machista and actually be a really, really good guy! His relationship with his Abuela was spot on and reminded me very much of my own husband's relationship with his.

I could have done without some of their relationship woes though, as it seemed a bit like they were in high school, but maybe Ghanaian women are just like Hispanic women where we can be a bit dramatic about the smallest of things especially when insecurities are involved?!?!?

It’s a great debut by an #OwnVoices author!

3.5 ⭐️

On Rotation is out now!

Thank you @avonbooks and @netgalley for providing an eARC in exchange for my review.

I absolutely adore Shirlene Obuobi’s writing style in this book. The storyline was pretty strong to keep me entertained, but what kept me laughing so much? Her funny, engaging writing style! I felt like I was listening to a close friend’s inner dialogue the entire time. Please keep it coming in your future books, Shirlene!

On Rotation is about Angela (Angie) Appiah and her life struggles and accomplishments as she goes through her clinical rotation in medical school. Never been in a serious relationship with anyone until Ricky comes around, Angie does her best to balance out the friendship and genuinely being interested in dating Ricky. But it wouldn't be as entertaining a book if it was that easy. I enjoyed both the easy and difficult parts about their situationship throughout the book, and I love how much they grew by the end of it.

Along with that, the friendship hiccups between Angie and Nia was so real. I think many of us go through that at some point in their life. Balancing out friendships and romantic relationships can be challenging, and you sometimes hurt the people you love the most when you only meant the best.

Overall, this book was super funny, but it was very informative on how it’s like to be a medical student. The stress that comes with the study itself, but outside of school life can be challenging for everyday people. I love how Angie knows what she wants and never settles for anything less than what she deserves. In addition, she is courageous when I know I would be scared to face the truth. I love some powerful women! I only wish the best for the future Angie in her life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Quercus Books for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I initially wanted to read this book because I’m a fan of grey’s anatomy and medical shows in general and secondly to understand what my friend went through during her med school years and see it through her lens vs me as the outsider. I loved being able to put 2+2 together in my memories of what my friend experienced. I always appreciate reading a book through a different cultural lens than my own. In this book we meet Angie as she is getting ready to start her 3rd year of med school and follow her through until we see her on match day. We follow her through the highs and lows of good/bad grades, irritating people in higher positions, through the ups and downs of relationships, and ultimately coming into her own. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who, like me, is fascinated by all things medical but isn’t actually a part of the medical field.

I think Angie navigating being the only Black girl in medical school is so important. Not wanting to stand out but standing out. I'm not sure though the descriptions felt a bit forced focus on her body, being single, etc. Nonetheless stories confronting representation are important.

I was so excited to start this book because I'm a big fan of greys anatomy and all the romance and drama that goes along with it. This book however had a much better understanding of the medical field which I actually really liked. There were alot of terms that could be confusing but the author included footnotes to help out which could get a bit distracting in ebooks but I still liked how helpful they were. Loved the chemistry in this book and the background info we got really helped me bond with the characters.

i read the majority of this book over the weekend when i went to canada!
i loved loved loved the writing style of this book, and the asterisks that gave witty definitions, such a good addition!! love a strong female lead, and loved that all of the characters were poc

i do have to admit, ricky made me soooo angry at certain points!!! his indecisiveness was killing me🥴 and i felt angie’s reactions were totally justified, but i guess that tells me that i did have some things to learn from their relationship.

it is a romance, but it is also SO much more!! this book highlights that there is an implicit bias and racial disparities in health care settings, although i do wish we got to know more about angie's research on that!!

This is the first romance book I’ve ever seen get med school right, and I loved it!

I was premed (I changed career paths lol), worked at a med school library for a while, and married my husband (who I started dating in undergrad) while he was a 3rd year med student. I’m the rare non-medical person who spent years interacting with dozens of med students a day - they’re all tired, stressed, depressed, and just a little emotionally stunted. This book captures all of that so well! I’ve been through boards, shelf exams, match day, call shifts, etc as a partner and friend, and one of my biggest pet peeves in romance is when the author writes a character as a physician and clearly knows nothing about medical training. The authenticity of the med student experience in this was *chef’s kiss* perfection. The writing was hilarious and I could tell from the first few pages that I’d found a new auto-buy author. (I also loved the informative footnotes and that the author didn’t shy away from making sure all readers understand the complexity of med school and residency!) This is a master class in how to write what you know, and I had so much fun reading it!

OMG this book had me all over the place with emotions!

I just couldn't put it down yesterday! And I absolutely loved Angela. She was stuck in a box I had found myself in, in my 20's. Good enough to flirt with but not good enough to date or love.

The evolution of her relationship with Ricky was so perfect. The way they met just showed his personality trying to cheer her up but it was the wrong timing. But he just couldn't get her out of his head and she thought she was alone in her feelings.

They were lucky or unlucky that both of their very best friends started dating so they could get some details or find insight. Sometimes you don't have a clue and just pass cause you assume they don't want you but if you can ask someone if you will be well received then it makes things not as scary.

The other huge side of this story was her studying and medical rounds. As a woman of color her perspective on the medical field is very different from the other students around her and I have heard stories about the assumptions and the inappropriate questions that can be asked. Her project to bridge the gap in the disparities is something needed. I loved and was anxious listening to her experiences in each department. The med field is so interesting that you can go into each practice and find what interests you while you are learning. (Accounting doesn't have that.)

Her parents were very strict on her career progression and her dating life. They really wanted a say in every step of the way. 

I need this physical copy on my shelf!! I love romances that make me feel all the feels of the ups and downs of the relationship as if it's happening to me. I wanted to shake them at times and the one unlikely person was the one that brought them together.

And Ricky's Abuela was the sweetest and her and Shae were my fav supporting characters.

Thank you avonbooks and netgalley for my honest and voluntary review.

There aren’t enough books about med students!! There should be way more, just like
this one. I was impressed with how realistically this book showed what life is like as a medical student. As a student in the medical field, I felt like it accurately portrayed the stress and excitement we go though each day surfing clinical experiences. It also portrays how friendships change as we grow older so realistically it hurts. However, I felt myself getting frustrated with how back and forth the romance was as the story went on.

Angie Appiah is a Ghanaian-American that has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter.”

On Rotation is a phenomenal and beautiful story. The author, Shirlene Obuobi, is also an incredible writer! This story is extremely well written, it’s raw and it’s honest.

This story touches on:
👩🏾‍⚕️ Life Long + STRONG Female Friendships
👩🏾‍⚕️ Medical School Journey
👩🏾‍⚕️ Finding Yourself
👩🏾‍⚕️ Ghanaian Culture + Traditions
👩🏾‍⚕️ Love!

This story is also extremely relatable for black women, especially those born of Immigrant parents. The authors depiction of Angie’s relationship with her parents was very telling of how black women from different cultures are pressured to perform at high levels within their careers, while also being expected to succeed romantically.

The author includes a lot of footnotes in the story and it will help you understand the medical jargon that is used. The footnotes were also humorous at times and added more to the storyline!

On Rotation is a coming of age story. It has romance, humor, culture and it touches on important topics within the medical field, specifically, racial health care disparities!

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyage for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.