Loved the set up of this book, the setting and characters. The 3rd act breakup was pretty predictable that ultimately made me somewhat disappointed in the FMC.

This book was cute! I really enjoyed the pace, and even though we experienced the two main characters getting to know each other over the course of a couple of years, it didn’t feel slow or like it dragged on. Sometimes enemies to lovers can just feel like a workplace rivalry but I thought this trope was done really well in this setting. The medical aspects seemed really spot on and when I looked up the author it made sense because she has the same specialty as her characters!

This romance novel kept me engaged the whole time with its interesting enemies to lovers workplace romance in a hospital setting. I felt privileged to see behind the scenes of what doctors go through in studying and starting their profession. I also love a good STEM romance and reading about Grace and Julian and their struggles in life and work and coming together despite it. Thank you to author Deidra Duncan and Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read this early on NetGalley.

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan

Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Spice: 1/5 🌶️

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, Netgalley, and the author for access to this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Love Sick was such an amazing read. An absolutely incredible debut novel! So completely engrossing and engaging with the perfect balance between romance and depth.

Grace, the FMC, has just begun her residency. Nobody really knows her yet, but when rumors arise that someone got in the program by sleeping with a committee member, everyone assumes it was her. Despite the horrible situation, the support that her co-residents show her was heartwarming. The found family aspect to the story was one of the best parts. It also helped to balance out the cutthroat nature of the residency.

Grace enters the OBGYN residency after surviving rumors in medical school only to have similar rumors start again. Julian, who is in the same program, is coming in as a DO rather than an MD and is battling insecurities about not deserving to be there. He believes the rumors about Grace before meeting her, which starts them off on the wrong foot. They are enemies who constantly bicker, but there is tension and such a good slow burn between them.

Grace and Julian had such amazing chemistry — as enemies, as friends, and as lovers. The support and love they have for each other was great to witness. Also, seeing the individual growth of both the MCs, as well as their growth together was awesome.

Overall, this is a fun, entertaining, swoon worthy read with such an amazing romance. Nevertheless, the story also has some drama and shows the difficulties that those in the medical field experience. I highly recommend it to all fans of medical dramas! Love Sick is a great slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers medical romance!

Tropes:
- Medical romance
- Workplace romance
- Enemies to friends to lovers
- Mental health rep
- Pining
- Slow burn

A doctor romance written by a practicing OBGYN was just what I needed!

I loved Grace and Julian, and the dual POV added so much enjoyment to this. I felt they were both realistic with flaws that they were able to work through to the end. Their romance was well paced because they slowly go from enemies to friends to lovers. Their dislike for each other was justified but it was so satisfying seeing them understand each other over time. The slow burn and chemistry was burning, y’all.

Julian understood Grace so well and was literally willing to do anything for her. I’ll admit his internal monologue and some of his decisions had me skeptical at first but I ended up really loving his character. I also adored his relationships with his family. I loved Grace too and had immense respect for her in how she dealt with the challenges of the rumors from the beginning. It was so unfair for her because it impacted the way the higher-ups and her peers treated her. She worked so hard for everything and I really felt for her!

The medical setting was written quite well and I felt immersed into the daily routines and cases. One particular case hit hard too. As someone who has worked in OBGYN and L&D in the past, the chaos of the day-to-day work was realistically portrayed. But this book also added a lot more context in seeing the clinical end from the POV of residents. I appreciated the dictionary at the beginning for all the terminology and acronyms.

The pacing was great because even though it’s a romance story, we follow Julian and Grace from the beginning of their residencies over the year(s) and all the challenges they have to overcome. It was very interesting to learn about their routines too. There were a few quick time skips with this, but it didn’t affect the enjoyment of the book. Their experiences also touch on the toxicity of gossip culture, resident burnout, gender bias, and the complex hierarchy/politics of the overall residency environment in teaching hospitals. I also found it interesting that the views on DOs vs MDs was mentioned too and wonder if that’s the case for other programs as well. The other characters in the friend group had unique impressions too and I really liked them.

There were just a few inconsistencies in the writing style itself and some modern lingo that was dropped frequently. I was also a bit frustrated with Grace’s actions but understood it was necessary to her character development and overcoming her insecurities.

This was, overall, and fun and great debut novel! I look forward to this author’s future works because she has a lot of potential!!! I wonder if there would be potential stories about the other characters too one day👀

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and the author for providing this NetGalley ARC!

The slow burn rivals lovers was so delicious in this book. Gahhh. I just ate it up. Think Grey’s Anatomy, the resident group of friends and gossip and drama but with a romance that transitions so beautifully from hate flirting rivals to (the best!) tension filled friendship to lovers. I loved both Grace and Julian so much from start to finish! There is a third act break up in here, but I didn’t hate. I felt like it worked with this story! I can’t wait for pub day to have a physical copy of this book to hug and put up on my shelf!

Read if you like:
🩺 Greys Anatomy
💋 Rivals to lovers
🔥 Slow burn
💬 Banter
🩵 Mental Health rep
☀️ Grumpy x sunshine

Love Sick
•
“Wanting her is part of every breath, buried deep in the most primitive areas of my brainstem, impossible to live without. Deprivation is lethal.”
🩺🥼
I kinda loved this one right away! I thought it was really fun, swoon worthy, and had me fully invested from the start, it was great…especially for a debut! I think the writing was a bit simple, not in a bad way, we’re just not going terribly deep and I was okay with that. Looking back I think there were some writing bits / overall layout that could have been executed a bit better, but I was having a lot fun so I wasn’t that worried! If you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy or maybe even Scrubs (I haven’t really seen enough of that one to know) I think you would enjoy this one! We’re following Grace and Julien during their residency years so it was giving early Grey’s vibes for sure. I loved the hospital setting and the author is an OBGYN herself so it felt like we got a front row seat to all things hospital life. I think she also did a great job of describing the boys club that we find way too often and how rumors affect women waaaaay (x100000) more than men. Dual POV, some realistic spicy moments and conversations, funny, great banter, and an awesome friend group. We do hop week to week or month to month, those were some moments that I wish had a smoother transition, but it did give us a real feel for how grueling residency is and how your social life comes last lol if you’re looking for a fun, easy romance check this one out! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
•
“I’ll let her destroy me, and I’ll do it with a smile. I’m hers now.”
•
•
Thank you Deidra Duncan, @canarystreetpress and @netgalley for this e-arc, it comes out May 13th!

If Grey’s Anatomy had a spin off focused solely on OBGYNs and was written as a slow burn enemies to lovers romance, it would be Love Sick by Diedra Duncan. This debut brings the drama, the passion, and the emotional gut punches all set in the high pressure world of medical residency.

Grace and Julian do not start off on good terms. We’re talking serious hate vibes. From the first chapter, the tension between them crackles off the page, and not the fun, flirty kind (yet). Their dynamic is chef’s kiss for enemies to lovers fans who like their romance with a side of real stakes and professional rivalry.

What sets this book apart is how deeply it dives into the reality of becoming a doctor. Duncan doesn’t shy away from the unglamorous side of medicine, the grueling hours, sleepless nights, emotionally draining patients, and the weight of constantly being evaluated. You feel what these characters are going through, and it adds so much depth to the romance and their character growth.

One of the most powerful threads in the story is how a single rumor can damage a person’s career, reputation, and confidence, especially in a world as competitive and hierarchical as medicine. Watching Grace and Julian navigate that landscape, while also slowly building trust and support for one another, was so rewarding.

Their slow burn is so worth it. From enemies to reluctant allies, to actual friends, and finally to something deeper, every step of their relationship feels earned. I adored their banter and sizzling chemistry, but also how they began to truly rely on one another in both their personal and professional lives.

Also, let’s talk about their friend group! The group therapy scenes were some of my favorites. Duncan gives us a vibrant cast of fellow residents, each with their own stories and struggles. It made the hospital setting feel lived in and emotionally rich, and honestly, I’m already ready for spin offs.

Love Sick is heartbreaking, smart, and swoony. It's perfect for fans of medical dramas, slow burn romance, and stories where love grows in the unlikeliest and most high pressure places. I can't wait to see what Diedra Duncan writes next!

Thank you to Canary Street Press for this ARC and the gifted finished copy. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc!!

3.5 stars for this doctor romance that gives all the Grey's Anatomy vibes! Love the gossip, the high-stakes environment, patient dynamics, and the found family of your intern cohort. I also loved the tension between our characters (though the initial lust-at-first-sight was STRONG), with the antagonistic relationship blossoming into something very tender and romantic.

Our hero Julian was AMAZING - He was so charming and emotionally intelligent. Despite being insecure about his intelligence and credentials, he was very self-aware and able to work through it. On the other hand, our heroine Grace (not to be a woman-hater) was frustrating. I empathize with her dealing with the deep-rooted misogyny in the workspace, but she did not handle it well... Her insecurity and past relationship trauma felt too extreme and led to a frustrating third-act conflict. Glad she finally came to her senses and it ended with a HEA. While I was annoyed with Grace, they made a very cute couple!

🦇 Love Sick Book Review 🦇

❓ Do you watch any medical TV shows?

🦇 Love may be the best medicine, but first-year resident Grace Rose isn’t prescribing it anytime soon. Not since hearing the rumor that she slept her way into the OB-GYN program. (Spoiler alert: not true.) With her social anxiety already in full spiral, Grace is determined to set the record straight. But after a tense first encounter with fellow resident Julian Santini—with his annoying good looks and witty charm—she realizes that her reputation may never fully recover. Forced to work together through grueling shifts and sleepless nights, Grace and Julian try to cut back on the bickering for the sake of their training. Before long, however, a different kind of tension exposes the cracks in their truce. With their hearts in critical condition, will they accept that love is the best remedy of all?

💜 I do love that I read this following a binge of The Pitt and Doctor Odessy. This book was way more heartfelt than either of those shows, though. Let's break it down.

✨ Characters (3/5): There's a pretty big cast of secondary characters, but they're nearly indistinguishable. Grace and Julian, on the other hand, are TOO precious. The two fit together seamlessly--Julian soothing Grace's anxiety, Grace amplifying his confidence. I do wish there was stronger characterization (and maybe more recent pop culture references). Though I'm glad the characters experience internal and external conflict, everything with the "best friend" left me feeling frustrated, even with the story's resolution (because sometimes, there's no fixing a shattered friendship).

✨ Plot and Pacing (3/5): I devoured this in less than 12 hours, so there's no exhausting lag with the pacing. I'm glad subtopics like toxic double standards were discussed. The rumor plot alone is strong, real, and supports both Grace and Julian's growth.

✨ World-Building (2/5): The story mostly exists in the hospital and MCs' apartments. I wish we got stronger setting descriptions--I definitely didn't feel any panic or stress when reading the hospital scenes, despite the tense situations mentioned.

✨ Romance (4/5): The romance in this story is everything. This is one of the slowest burns I've read in a while, and it's executed very well. I do love Julian falling faster and harder, wearing his heart on his sleeve, stepping back to give Grace time and space to figure out her own feelings. Well-executed, heartfelt, and a ship you can't help but root for.

✨ Mystery/Suspense (2/5): We're given too many pieces about Grace's trauma too soon; letting the mystery sit with readers (to the same extent Julian is left in the dark) would have added more tension.

✨ Tone/Prose (3/5): The prose is fine.

🦇 Recommended for fans of Will They or Won't They, Grey's Anatomy, The Hating Game, or The Good Doctor.

✨ The Vibes ✨
🩺 Forced Proximity
🩺 Workplace Romance
🩺 3rd Act Breakup
🩺 Enemies to Lovers
🩺 Slow Burn
🩺 Lots of References
🩺 Banter
🩺 Dual POV
🩺 Found Family
🩺 He Falls Faster & Harder

🦇 Major thanks to the author and publisher for providing an ARC of this book via Netgalley. 🥰 This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. #LoveSick

💬 Quotes
Is there anything more intimate than breathing someone into my lungs? Letting the essence of him saturate into my bloodstream and filter into every organ? What if my body grows receptors for him? Adapts to him? Wants him?

The woman is disturbingly sweet, and I’m beyond disarmed. All my weapons lay on the table between us. She’s free to pick up any she chooses and destroy me.

Some insults simply cut too deep to heal. Some insults bleed forever.

As someone who is typically not a fan of workplace romance and Grey's Anatomy, this book pleasantly surprised me! I believe if you like either of those things, this will be even more fun for you! The chemistry between the characters is incredible and actually delivers on the slow burn and angst. Do not even get me started on the hate flirting that happened... giggling and kicking my feet the whole way. Honestly, my only complaint was that this did have a third act breakup (which is not a dealbreaker for me, but may be for some people), and while I actually thought it made a lot of sense plot wise, I just felt like it dragged on a little too much. Other than that, LOVE!!! Deidra Duncan, I am excited to see what else you cook up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Canary Street Press, and Deidra Duncan for this ARC!!

"I should have told you a long time ago. You're a prison I don't want to escape. You're like drowning in paradise."

Thank you to Netgalley for this arc!

4.5/5 stars
very mild spice, I'd say this was open curtain/soft spice. 1/5

Love Sick is a book about two doctors trying to survive through residency rotations. I found out very quickly that this book is written by an actual OBGYN and the writing and research into it really shows. I loved that we almost get an inside perspective on what is happening in the medical field and how stressful it can easily become.

The stories on patients (most hilarious and meant to be that way) felt real and came from a place of truth in the writing. There is one to two stories about pregnant mothers that might be triggering for some, in regards to loss of a mother due to a wild circumstance, and one quick mention of the loss of an infant.
Julian Santini and Grace Rose are two characters placed at the same hospital unit for their rotations, their banter and character development were making me GIGGLE and kick my feet.

I thought that Julian was a wonderful MMC. He was flirty and knew when to push the right buttons. He truly stuck it through with Grace even with every rumor being thrown her way. Once he got to know Grace there was no second guessing for him, but I loved that his character knew not to push her. MMC's that don't put pressure and really follow the lead are just so perfect.

Grace Rose, Sapphire Rose... which is her legal name, was slightly more conflicting of a character for me and why I made this 4.5 stars instead of 5. I really enjoyed her character in the sense that she's a very well educated girls girl. She is good and knows her job like the back of her hand, can acknowledge when she needs help with things within her career. She never let the rumors in the hospital really affect her... until it came to her dating life.

I wanted a little bit more backbone when it came to the mean nurses. I would never believe that a nurse would speak to a resident the way that some things were written and she just walks away angrily. I think that her holding onto the shit her ex said was also a little repetitive.... but when it was finally revealed just how emotionally abusive her ex was it all made more sense.

I just wish authors would not hold out for <i>as</i> long, because it does become frustrating in the third act.

But overall.... This book was truly fantastic. I loveddddd the banter and teasing, the slow burn was exactly what I wanted. The time spent with these characters and how their friendship grew to what it was was SO freaking well done. I am so impressed by how much I wanted to just race through this. The book was slightly too long for me but I loved it!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Harlequin for an advance readers copy of #LoveSick. A really sweet romance between medical students. 4 stars.

This slow burn, enemies-to-lovers romance pairs two OB-GYN residents, Grace and Julian, who get off on very rocky footing. Grace is battling a cruel rumor and social anxiety, while Julian is trying to prove he deserves his place in the program. Their chemistry simmers under the surface, and watching their tension slowly shift into something deeper was so satisfying.

Told in dual POV, the banter is sharp, the longing is palpable, and the emotional moments hit just right. And I have to say—every Harry Potter reference made me smile. (10 points to Gryffindor for that touch.)

If you love a messy medical setting, complex characters, and slow-burning tension, this one’s for you. Add it to your TBR—Love Sick hits shelves May 13!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the advanced reader's copy of Love Sick by Deidra Duncan. I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Love Sick follows first-year medical students Sapphire "Grace" Rose and Julian Santani. Grace has trouble trusting others after a bad relationship during med school, and her walls go up even more after overhearing Julian and a few other classmates spreading a rumor about her at a mixer. Julian, who was raised by a single mom and has four sisters, doesn’t agree with the rumors and stands up for Grace when he can. This eventually leads them to start tutoring each other.

Overall, I thought the book was good—it’s a quick, easy read with some really enjoyable banter between Grace and Julian. The enemies-to-lovers trope definitely adds charm and makes it easy to root for the characters. That said, I’m not sure it’s a book I’d revisit. Aside from the banter, not much else stood out for me, and when I finished it, my reaction was more like, “Okay… that’s it?”

⭐⭐⭐

TROPES
🥼 Enemies to Lovers
🥼 Close Proximity
🥼 Workplace Romance
🥼 Dual POV

I have been watching all the new medical dramas like The Pitt and Pulse, and as someone who has followed Grey’s Anatomy for a while, I was excited for this book. With how into medical series I am at the moment, I wanted to read something similar, and remembered this eARC.

I won’t lie, this book was a bit of a let down for me. While I loved the main characters Grace and Julian, and love that this book is written by a professional in the field so the medical accuracy of going through an OB-GYN residency is there, the major theme surrounding Grace and how she starts the program fell incredibly flat for me. Because of what her first name actually is, and something that is happening in the department, she’s subjected to misogynistic rumors that impact her ability to do her job at multiple points within the story. While there is effort made as part of the plot progression to give this a more empowering ending, I don’t think it succeeds. This is something that impacts so many women or male-dominated fields, or literally any field, and for the “solution” to be tied up in something that was incredibly predictable and doesn’t actually help Grace in the slightest was frustrating. I was hopeful to see a real impact made, but instead it was tied up in a “reveal” that ultimately did more initial harm than good.

That said, the relationship between Grace and Julian itself was wonderful to read. Having chapters in the style of each month of residency helped show the passage of time in a way that made their story more realistic while also causing me as the reader to root for them and just hope they would somehow realize what was going on between them despite the messy meet cute they experienced. It was nice that, despite both of them having difficult relationship histories, only one of them let that impact what was happening in the present. When it impacts both, it often falls into miscommunication in a predictable nature, but that wasn’t the case here. Grace is the one struggling with it more, and she was the correct choice, based on what was revealed about her previous relationships, and her reasons for being emotionally where she’s at are real and heartbreaking.

The medical aspect of this story was so well throughout and felt authentic to what a residency track for OB-GYN would look like.
I enjoyed that it had a full cast of characters and explanations for terms that are not really used outside of the medical field.

This book is a captivating and immersive read from start to finish. The writing is engaging, the pacing well-balanced, and the characters are richly developed with relatable emotions and motivations. The story unfolds in a way that keeps the reader hooked, offering just the right mix of tension, heart, and thought-provoking themes. Whether you're looking for an emotional journey, a thrilling plot, or simply beautiful prose, this book delivers. It's a standout example of great storytelling and leaves a lasting impression long after the final page.

✨ Me at 3AM: emotionally wrecked, hopelessly in love, mentally paging Dr. Julian STAT. ✨

📚 TROPES
💉 enemies ➡ friends ➡ LOVERS
💉 SLOW. BURN. 🔥🔥🔥
💉 Medical romance that hit harder than a code blue

Grace + Julian = pure CHEMISTRY 🫀
The tension. The care. The way they chose each other again and again? I’m not okay 😭

📖 Devoured in a DAY. That’s how good it is.

👩‍⚕️ If you love Grey’s Anatomy, The Good Doctor, Chicago Med — say hello to your new obsession.

📢 To the author: If you're seeing this… just know I’d 100% fake a consult to hang with Grace and Julian in the OR. 💘

🩺 Huge thanks to NetGalley + Canary Street Press for the e-ARC

This was one of those stories that instantly pulls you in & refuses to let go. This book was so bingeable and the banter was absolutely top-tier. Deidra Duncan nailed it, delivering witty and heartfelt dialogue that had me giggling and kicking my feet the whole time. So well done. (Extra bonus points for the fact that Deidra is a doctor herself, and this novel was born out of her own passion and experiences. I love!)

The plot follows a group of medical residents over their 4 years of residency - we get insight to their struggles, wins, and growth as individuals and professionals. We get dual POVs from our main characters Grace and Julian - and for me, this absolutely slapped. I loved being able to hear what both of our main characters were thinking. The longing and pining after one another made me SWOON. The chemistry & slow-burn of it all had my heart just bursting.

I feel like all of the character development was very well done (even the side characters) and I loved the pacing of the story. The development of each character felt so thoughtful and realistic, and I genuinely cared about all of them by the end. (I mean, come on, the group therapy!?! I'd read a whole book just on THAT.)

I also feel like, although it can be uncomfortable, it is important to talk about the bullying, sexism and misogyny women experience in medicine. This was unfortunately, not surprising, but eye-opening for me to read about.

The only reason this is a 4.5 rather than a straight-up 5-star read for me is the dreaded third act breakup. I feel like I understand why it needed to happen, but at the same time I feel it could have been avoided entirely with a still-as-satisfying resolution at the end.

Thank you NetGalley, Deidra and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts & review.

READ IT. 4.5/5 stars