This book was just what I needed this week. A super cute and fun medical rom-com about two OBGYN residents as they navigate hospital life and personal relationships. Grace is off to a poor first impression when I rumor about her makes it round before she can even start her first day. Julian is a DO who’s insecure about being the only non-MD in his group. These two enemies soon find they have more in common than just be co-residents and sparks being to fly. I binged this book in one sitting and very much enjoyed the storyline and whole flow of the book! You yourself a favor and pick this one up when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a cute romance about OB/GYN residents. I am a physician, and I was intrigued by the fact that this is a story about residents. I felt that the residency aspects of the story were portrayed fairly well - reflecting the camaraderie, friendship, drudgery and stress of those heightened years. However, I don't think that real-life residents hang out socially with their attendings the way they do in the book, and I certainly never experienced the type of treatment from attendings and nurses that Grace did in the story.

Without spoilers, I will just say that the initial rumor that causes all of Grace's angst in the story is a little cliched, and the amount of gossip in the hospital seemed grossly exaggerated. On top of that, Grace's coping skills leave much to be desired. I found her character a little bit melodramatic, even once I understood her back story. But I feel like the author was shooting for that soap opera-y Grey's Anatomy vibe, in which case she accomplished that.

I did like the male main character Julian a lot, so that helped. As someone who was born on Christmas Day, I found it funny that his mom complained about him having to work on Christmas, with his reply being "Babies don't care about holidays, Mom." Julian's impostor syndrome due to being a DO instead of an MD was an interesting facet to the book. (I think maybe the author felt she had to give him something to be insecure about as well, so he wasn't too perfect.) As an MD whose partner is a DO, I can honestly say that we all function in exactly the same way, and I hope that young DOs and future DOs will soon no longer have this feeling of impostor syndrome.

Of note, there were several typos/misspellings in the book that I found incredibly frustrating - "backpeddled" instead of backpedaled, "Lex Luther" instead of Lex Luthor, "on read" instead of unread....it made me wonder if anyone even proofread this book. And some of the dialogue in the book is very millennial-sounding, which stood out a lot to this Gen Xer. Since it comes out in 2 months, I have a feeling it may be too late to fix any of this, but if someone sees this and can do something about it, please do! Thank you!

Grey’s Anatomy meets The Hating Game

Enemies to Lovers in a medical romance, sign me up! Love Sick is Diedre Duncan’s debut novel and was an absolute delight.

Grace and Julian are first year OB-GYN residents in the same program. After a nasty rumor is spreading around the hospital regarding how Grace got into the program, these two do not get off to a good start.

Grace and Julian are forced to work together through grueling shifts and residency group chat and the banter and snark are endless. Through those long hours, Grace and Julian come to know one another. Told through their entire residency, you see the two grow not only as doctors but also personally. They balance each other out in the best way.

I thoroughly enjoyed how medically in depth this book was. Written by a doctor, Diedre did an amazing job balancing real vs exaggerated medicine enough to keep it fun and engaging. I thought the D.O. vs M.D. feud between Grace and Julian was spot on. Love Sick was such a journey and I loved following these characters through residency. This was such a run ride and I cannot recommend this one enough!

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trading Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of Love Sick.

The banter was so addictive and I loved that it felt like I was watching the early seasons of greys anatomy! And the fact that this was written by a practicing doctor is even better! Overall 4 stars!

This book had me hooked from the very first page, especially since the vocabulary. It’s hard to believe this is a debut rom-com, it’s so perfectly crafted that you’ll find yourself craving more of these characters. (Thankfully, we’re getting more of Asher!)

Marketed as Grey’s Anatomy meets The Hating Game, this couldn’t be more accurate.

Grace Rose, a new OB-GYN, is starting her first year of residency, and it’s anything but smooth. As if the chaos of hospital life weren’t enough, she finds herself at the center of the false rumor that she slept her way into the program. This only worsens her already overwhelming social anxiety.

Enter Julian, a fellow first-year resident who, at first, buys into the gossip. By the time he realizes he was wrong, the damage is done, and his relationship with Grace gets off to a disastrous start.

But working in a high-pressure environment means they need to set aside their differences. She struggles with the hands-on aspects of the job, while he needs help with the academic side. They might just be the perfect team, if they can get past their rocky beginning. And maybe, just maybe, something more could bloom between them.

This is a slow, slow burn dual POV romance that unfolds over two years, packed with witty banter, hilarious pettiness, and some seriously satisfying character development. By the end, you won’t just be attached to the main characters, you’ll also fall in love with their tight-knit therapy group of friends.

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan releases on May 13, 2025!

A huge thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Deidra Duncan, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book! I also really love that it was written by a doctor and felt that it gave it a little something extra. I loved the enemies to lovers aspect and this filled the grey's anatomy sized hole in my heart since I've been caught up on the show! Absolutely loved this one.

This book is a true testament to writing about what you know—a book about doctors, written by a doctor. It’s refreshing to see a subject-matter expert craft something based on their own experience. Although I know nothing about residency, internships, etc., it still felt incredibly accurate.

Grace is a bundle of social anxiety, which is only worsened by the rumors circulating about how she acquired her residency spot. Julian, a man raised by women, battles severe ADHD. Together, they make the perfect pair to help each other navigate the long four years of residency. The chemistry between them was both sweet and authentic. They made time for each other and used their individual strengths to help the other overcome both technical challenges and mental blocks.

I liked this book more than I expected and would definitely read more from this author. I hope she revisits this group of doctors!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC.

wow wow wow wow!!! when i tell you this is exactly the book i needed to fill the greys anatomy hole in my soul (especially after the ellen pompeo call her daddy episode), you best believe me. i read this whole book in one setting and WOW! the character development was incredible, and the romance 🤌🏼. a doctor book written by a doctor!!!!! round of applause

my only complaint was there were a few moments where i wasn’t fully understanding the characters decisions, and it made it a bit frustrating to read. however, this book has some dark themes that need to be addressed, and i think this author did a fantastic job writing these tough conversations.

overall, i really recommend this book and im so excited for it to be published!!

—Grey's Anatomy vibes (but like, the early seasons)

—rivals to lovers

—written by an OBGYN

Heat Index: 5./5/10

The Basics:

Grace starts her intern year as an aspiring OBGYN off the wrong foot—with toxic, baseless rumors suggesting she slept her way into the program. She's not happy with fellow internet Julian seems to believe those rumors; and though he quickly realizes he was wrong, the damage is done. Now they're sniping and competing their way through residency, despite the fact that they could potentially help each other... and have an attraction they don't want to face.

The Review:

It feels basic to compare Love Sick to early days Grey's, but it really does give that vibe. From the moment you plunge into the book's world, full of nurses and techs, intern comrades-in-arms, judgy attendings, and so on. This is in every way a workplace romance, because Julian and Grace understandably spend most of their time at work. Hospital politics are huge—not only in regards to the misogyny Grace experiences, but the bias other doctors have against Julian as a DO versus an MD. (This is something I knew very little about ahead of time, but Duncan explained it in a way that made it easier for me to understand.)

The cadence reminds me of Grey's, too. The rivalries, the friendships, even the dialogue to an extent. But, while I can't personally attest to the accuracy of the narrative, it felt less melodramatic. Maybe I'm just buying into marketing here, but it did read to me like it was written by someone who knows what she's talking about. And that was really one of my favorite things about the book. I felt immersed in the world. The narrative covers two years, and you really feel those bonds grow, you absorb the stakes for Grace and Julian—and that makes their romance feel more authentic.

Because I'll admit, there was definitely an uphill battle involved in making me really buy into this relationship being a good thing for Grace. I really didn't get why Julian would even give the rumor as much time as he did... if he was a decent guy. Like, you don't know this girl? Why would you just buy it? That still bugs me, even if it's quickly rectified. And maybe I would've understood his reasoning more if a picture had been painted there, but it wasn't, so....

And because we're basically introduced to Julian in his "believing a misogynistic rumor about a total stranger" era, it does bug me a good bit that he continued to call Grace by a name she didn't like. In general, I'm not one for the "hero gives heroine a nickname she hates" trope. It's just not cute to me. But in this case, Grace's legal first name is Sapphire and her last name is Rose. She's used to people commenting on Sapphire Rose being a stripper name, she's sensitive about not being taken seriously, makes sense to me. So Julian gets that the rumor is false, he gets that it hurt her, and then, because she admittedly keeps holding that against him for the long term... He follows up by condescendingly calling her a name she's sensitive about because it's been used to demean her and sexualize her...?

But he's written papers about disparities in women's healthcare and is super passionate about that, so it's cool, I guess? I mean, a part of me feels like this type of dumbassery is fairly realistic and the type of thing we're supposed to accept in "good guys" because everyone else is that much WORSE.... It just wasn't very hot to me.

Which sucks, because Julian does have other hot moments! This is definitely a slow burn, but I liked it. And it's hard to get me into a slow burn, so that in itself speaks to Duncan's talent. I felt their chemistry, I was excited for them to get together. But these nagging issues just kept cropping up. Among them are some pop culture references I think will date the book—they made me raise my eyebrows. Can we drop the Harry Potter fangirlism, maybe?

I also find it interesting that this book centered on OBGYNs in America and really skated over a lot of the bigger issues affecting women's healthcare. This is a romance, I'm of two minds about how that could be handled, but it really sort of breezed over those issues. Most of the medical stuff, with a couple exceptions, is a lighter touch. Really not sure how for or against that choice I am.

Anyway! Basically, there was enough stuff for me to go "Yes, I see the bones, I'm into these components" while still feeling like I couldn't give it as high a rating as I would otherwise because of some problems that could've been corrected on another developmental pass.

The Sex:

Interesting mixed bag. There are a couple of REALLY hot moments in this book, badly needed after all the buildup. But then... a couple other moments sort of trickle away? Like, they start explicit, and then it's like "dot dot dot". Not closed door, just frustratingly tapered off

Conclusion:

I think Deidra Duncan has a lot of potential, and I definitely feel like she went for some big topics that I appreciate her pursuing. I just think a bit more work could've been done to make this stronger. That said, I do like her writing style and would try her next book.

Thanks to Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Deidra Duncan's debut is absolutely amazing!! I fell in love with Grace, Julian, Asher, Maxwell, Raven, and Kai, The only thing I hated to say goodbye to them once I finished the book!!!!!

In this enemies to study partners to what are we relationship between Grace and Julian, I loved seeing how they interacted with each other, and what sweethearts they were! I think this book teaches so many lessons in so many regards. We meet Julian and Grace when they are in the same department at their hospital, which actually gets them to meet on the wrong foot. With slowly warming up to each other, this causes them to help each other study for their tests in their CREOG tests. They find themselves tutoring each other, and with the tension that has built up from hating each other, the tutoring lessons also teach them how to warm up to each other.

Deidra Duncan's debut is nothing short of a masterpiece, these two characters really connected to me, and I also loved their friend group, tugging at my heartstrings, every time i sat down to read this book, I did not want to put it down. With romance, comedy, drama, and weekly group therapy check ins, I had the best time meeting the doctors!!1 I felt so connected to them, and I just wanted to give them all a hug (except one, you'll have to read the book to find out) with everything that they face!!!

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan will release May 13, 2025!!! A huge thank you to Canary Street Press, Deidra Duncan, and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

5 stars ⭐️ I love this book!! I surprising have never read a doctor romance and I feel like I’ve been missing out! I love the way the timeline progressed and the banter between the main characters was perfect.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc. I really liked this storyline. The characters were funny and the banter was addicting. I also really liked that this book was based in the medical field. Coming from the medical field myself, it was very fun to see it in the book.

It was like having a front row seat to a Grey's anatomy season. I was glued to this story from the beginning. I loved the Duo point of view. It gave more to the story. Julian and Grace have the best banter. The back and forth was cute. He loved riling her up. I found myself not just swooning but also emotional. The rumors that spread and her past really take hold of ones heart. It was a bit of a roller coster ride that gave a happy ending that i needed.

If you’re a big fan of Grey’s Anatomy, you are going to eat this uppp! Grace and Julian are both interns in an OB program. There are rumors that Grace slept her way in the program. As much as Grace and Julian hate each other, they also can’t help but be attracted to one another…

The TENSION in this!!! I was living for it!! Also their banters are top notch!! ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥 alsoooo Julian is Perfect! And the mouth on that mannnn!!! Its illegal! 🥵

Thank you Netgalley and Harlequin Trade publishing for this ARC! 🫶🏻

This was a DNF for me. I couldn't get invested in the story and too much was off putting. I really, really disliked the initial conflict and it was hard to move past that.

I love the cover…too cute! The title was good. The story was so good. I enjoyed knowing some medical and hospital terms. I hate when rumors get started without having the real facts. Glad the characters were able to get together and make things work. Would definitely recommend this book to others.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This really wasn't for me. I struggled through the whole book and never liked the FMC, Grace. I get why she didn't like the MMC, Julian, at first, but he legitimately apologized almost immediately for assuming the rumor about her was true, yet she not only didn't give him a chance, she decided she hated him from that point. Another character, Asher, was in the same exact position as Julian, yet she didn't seem to think what he did was wrong AND he became one of her best friends. What?? That really left a bad taste for me from the start of the book. I thought Grace was immature and the romance, if you could call it that, not believable. There were so many characters to try to keep track of that I gave up and just called them all "doctor" in my mind as I was reading. I didn't care for the rampant misogynistic throughout the entire story. Do I think it happens? Absolutely. Do I want to read about it in a romance? No, I do not. Lastly, no spoilers, but that drama with Aleesha was no surprise at the end, and I'm not sure why not one of the characters saw that coming.

This book follows Grace and Julian, both OB-GYN residents, starting as first years in a program in Texas. Grace, suffers from a lot of anxiety, due to her past, while Julian is dealing with the issue of being a DO, not an MD. When Julian attends the first all-male mixer of OB-GYN residents, one of the residents tells them a rumor about one of the three new female residents who slept her way to getting into the program. The men decide it must be the resident named Sapphire. Fast forward to the group mixer of residents, and Grace meets Julian, who she thinks is very attractive. As they talk, he asks her name and she says Grace, but eventually finds out her first name is Sapphire - he disappears on her. She finds out that everyone is talking about her due to the rumor and she storms out of the party and ends up fighting with Julian as he tries to apologize to her, but she calls him a misogynist and decides from then on to hate him. As the book goes on, we follow Grace and Julian through their residency and the two slowly go from enemies to lovers. However, once they become lovers, Grace hesitates and makes Julian keep everything a secret from their friends and job.

I wanted to love this book because as a healthcare worker, I find that not many medical books are that accurate. The book had the potential to be amazing, but it was honestly ruined for me by all the stupid pop culture references. One or two here and it is cute in regards to a conversation between FMC and MMC, and having the character have a mug with their favorite movie or book on it sure - even merch in their home - whatever, but there were just TOO MANY conversations calling each other Voldemort and Darth Vader. I'm a nerd, but if a guy talked to me like that I would be like I'm drier than the Sahara desert. Also, it made me a bit uncomfortable to have that much talk about Harry Potter in a book - as we all know JK is transphobic - do you want to give that woman more by having her book/characters referenced so much? This isn't published for two more months - I would seriously edit that shit out. I think if all that wasn't in there I would give it 4 stars. The other two painful things for me are the third-act breakup and how Grace handled Julian in the beginning. For the Julian thing, he was really trying to apologize to her and she was acting like a child. People are going to talk shit about you. I thought it was so unrealistic how crazy the rumor stuff got as well along with the treatment of Grace - I have worked in hospitals, nursing homes, and private clinics - and yeah there are rumors about people, but we are all there to do our job and if you suck at your job that is when people won't respect your work. Now the third act breakup was just ugh - "you deserve better" - that felt lazy to me. The medical representation was great though - I thought explaining medical terminology and the accuracy of the resident program was good.

This love story is so cute. I'm obsessed with how cute these two are. This is an loathing to lovers romance (that does have a third act break up) featuring anxiety and neurodivergence representation. Julian and Grace's love story was so fun to read. I was giggling and kicking my feet the whole time.

As someone in the medical field, some of the phrases and stories made me laugh so hard because I wouldn't be surprised if these are based on true situations experienced by the author. "Meth-clampsia" sent me rolling. It was so great to read a medical/hospital based romance written by a doctor because half the time when I read medical romances, all I can think is "that isn't how it works." Duncan also does a great job with the glossary at the beginning, but she also is easily able to explain certain terms while reading that doesn't feel patronizing or too dumbed down. Just the basic information you need to know to understand the story.

This story does have a lot of time jumps. However, I never felt like this detracted from the story. The only thing was that I felt like I wasn't able to get to know the supporting characters as well. My only other complaint is that I wish our characters would have gotten professional help for their mental health struggles, especially since they are medical professionals.

This was such a fun read, I think everybody should read this book just for the cuteness factor!

Review goes live April 7.

I had a journey with this book. I originally soft DNF'ed it at 30% in for two reasons: 1) I was having a hard time keeping track of all of the characters (so many doctors which I know is realistic in a hospital but my brain just could not keep up) and 2) I felt like the characters were being genuinely mean to each other, especially the male character. For example, Julian called Grace a witch and to me, it didn't feel playful enough, so it read as mean. Also, him calling her by a name she doesn't like over and over even when she tells him not to felt so rude to me! Also I felt that early on, Julian didn't do enough to stop the rumors about Grace and how she got her job.

However, both of those reasons are my preferences and me issues so I finish the book. I felt like it picked up and their chemistry became clearer and I felt more invested in Julian and Grace's story. There are also a bunch of people who said the portrayal of OB is very accurate so that was really interesting to read. I would recommend this book if you are in the medical field or want to know more about it!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC! All opinions are my own.