First and foremost, thank you to the publisher and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved this story and it was definitely worth the read!

Somewhere in the space between Julian and me, someone is throwing sutures that connect my heart to him-a row of vertical mattresses in permanent silk, ever tightening."

When I say this is a slow burn, I mean it is a slowwww burnnnnn. They literally hate each other in the beginning, which means their banter is insanely good. And there is the trope of him calling her by her first name, even though she hates it and goes by her middle name. He says it just to tease her and I love it.

The way they were frenemies, to friends, to lovers was amazing. I loved that they both starting helping each other with the parts of the job they were struggling with, and it was a big part of the reason that they fell for each other. I also loved how patient Julian was with their relationship. He knew she has gone through so much, and did not try to rush her feelings for him, even though he struggled with that. With all she experienced, it made sense to me why she was so hesitant, and why she was so scared she would ruin him and his reputation. They both just wanted to protect each other, and that is such a beautiful trait for a relationship. I also just have to mention the banter again because it was so good. I love enemies to lovers, and I love it even more when the banter is still present even after they fall for each other.

book/movie/show with similar vibes: Grey's Anatomy, All Downhill With You (Julie Olivia)

songs i associate with this book: Tan Fácil (CNCO), Out of the Woods (Taylor Swift), Say Don't Go (Taylor Swift), Love Me (Justin Bieber), Happily (One Direction), New Romantics (Taylor Swift)

you should read if you like/tropes: enemies to friends to lovers, slow burn, workplace romance

full ratings:

plot: 5/5⭐
fmc: 5/5⭐
mmc: 5/5⭐
side characters: 4/5⭐
pace: 5/5⭐
writing style: 5/5⭐
relationship progression: 4/5⭐
couple’s chemistry: 5/5⭐
banter: 5/5⭐

final rating: 5⭐
spice level: 2/5🌶️

Love Sick follows Grace and Julian. They are both residents starting their first year in the same OB/GYN program. Grace is starting the program under the shadow of rumors that she has slept her way into the program. Julian is starting the program feeling like he is behind all the other residents and must work harder than the others. Grace and Julian do not hit it off from the start. Julian tries to distance himself from the rumors surrounding Grace. Grace takes that distance as Julian believes that the rumors are true. The two go from enemies to reluctant friends to more.

I’m landing on a 3-star rating because it felt very middle of the road to me. It had some unfortunate issues. Most of the side characters and sometimes Julian acted horribly toward Grace. The hiring process at that hospital needs to be reviewed. Most employees were misogynistic or hateful to Grace due to unsubstantiated rumors. Even when the rumor was proved to be untrue, there was not any show of true regret. It would have been improved if there was some true acknowledgement of the damage that could have happened to her career not to mention her mental health.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
I enjoyed this one! I liked the medical school romance aspect. The toxic rumors made me sad for our FMC. This was overall an enjoyable and cute read!

First year OBGYN resident, Grace is battling with a false rumor of how she slept her way into the program. Julian is exhausted from years of studying. If only he could concentrate. Instead, he's preoccupied by the judgy girl grappling with an absurd rumour - a woman he unintentionally offended on day one.

This book reminded me so much of the new Netflix show Pulse. Highly packed with drama, emotional moments, & of course romance.

The story does a great job portraying different residents' lives at different stages, especially when such rumors come to play. As for the romance, i really liked towards the 2nd half of the book. For someone who loves enemies-to-lovers banter, Grace & Julian's initial animosity came across as childish & sometimes cringy to me.

I adored how their relationship blossomed, though. I liked how Julian became protective towards Grace & fell so hard for her. Not gonna lie the 3rd act definitely got to me. It was painful & sad. But nevertheless I liked the communication in the end.

<i>Thank you Netgalley & Publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.<i>

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing: Canary Street Press for the chance to read this complex and deep romance.
The book centers on medical residency students Grace and Julian, struggling through their first two years in the program. After getting off on the wrong foot, the two have a strong enemies-to-lovers story. They help each other navigate the almost impossible workload, the fall for each other. The book is slow-burn and has very sweet moments as their relationship builds.
I didn't anticipate just how much medical information would be included. The story is very realistic and thorough with the difficulties of residency. It was overwhelming at times and had very serious moments of crisis, especially regarding births. I imagine it can be triggering in various ways.
The book touches on other important and serious topics such as PTSD, emotional and sexual abuse, social anxiety, and ADHD.
A main plot point revolves around women in life and especially in career fields and how difficult it can be involving rumors, dangerously toxic gossip, power-imbalance, bullying, and other toxic masculinity.
The romance was very deep and powerful. I liked both Grace and Julian. They balanced each other out. You absolutely root for them and their love. The complexities of their relationship, work, and past and current trauma made the book emotional and stressful at times. I enjoyed the book and think it is a meaningful and thoughtful story.

Thank you NetGalley and Deidra Duncan for this ARC. For me, I didn't like this book because I enjoy more closed door or fade to black romances and so that is my bias. The story itself is a great concept and the characters were not superficial and had depth. However, I just did not like the way it was portrayed or written and I think that is because of my bias. There are very few contemporary and pop culture books that I enjoy. This definitely had potential but a lot of opinions and references were just overbearing. I do recommend this to anyone who likes open door, spicy romance, contemporary/pop culture romance, or medical romance.

I started reading this book and truly could not put it down. The characters are well-written and likable. The love story doesn’t feel forced or have any kind of morally questionable aspects (not every FMC needs to be barely legal and dating a dark and broody older man). The author being a Doctor herself really shows in how the technical aspects of the medical world are handled, both in what she chooses to explain and what she chooses to not go into tremendous detail about. The story was engaging, the romance was very fun and cute, and even the *spicier* scenes were not overly graphic or uncomfortable. I highly recommend this book and am very glad to have been able to read it prior to its release.

I am discovering so many debut novels that are based on real life experiences lately and this one is definitely one of my favorites. It showcased an accurate view of the struggles of residency and the environment the medical field can often perpetuate. Grace and Julian build their relationship slowly and naturally while making the transition from enemies, to frenemies, to friends and then to lovers. The added bonus of dual POV helps to really invest the reader in their experience and by extension, their relationship. We get to see the slow burn with banter galore and realistic challenges and responses to trauma and anxiety. I could have used a bit more of the “open door” approach to the love scenes but that is more personal preference on my end. The sister, Tori, was hilarious and I think her and Asher would be awesome together if the author continues on with this vein of stories. Overall a solid debut!

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Reading this felt like watching a season of Grey's Anatomy. The drama! The unjustness of said drama! The romance! THE LONGING! I'm dead. This had the most believable and realistic enemies to friends to lovers situation I've possibly ever read. I loved that the MCs were imperfect. I loved seeing them help each other to become better professionally. I'm slightly mad about the third act breakup, but I get it. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

3.5 stars rounded to 4 because I see that this is Duncan’s debut novel and I am nothing if not a girl’s girl.

I love any story set in a hospital. I also love any story that is enemies to lovers— so I signed up for this ARC immediately (thank you, NetGalley)!

Grace and Julian’s chemistry was sparkly with many great one liners; my copy is filled with highlights! Grace is adorable and someone that I would love to be friends with in real life. Julian is clearly written by a woman and I ain’t complaining about it!

I thought this story was compelling for the most part, but at times I found myself losing interest. I would probably recommend this novel to a romance-loving-friend after its pub date, but it’s not my favorite one I’ve read this year.

In my most of the time unpopular opinion, it was a little too ~sexy~ throughout for me. I like a closed door, clean romance; just wanted to note that if you want to pick this one up.

“But that’s what love is… giving someone a weapon to hurt you and trusting they won’t use it.”

“Nothing hurts when I’m with you.”

“Nothing will stop a man with a bad idea and good intentions.”

This book really focused on the double standard that exists in the workplace, and I can only imagine is super prevalent in the medical field. If a man gets to a position, he probably deserved it and worked his way up. If a woman gets the same, she probably slept her way up the ladder. It doesn’t help that Sapphire Grace Rose has what some would call a “stripper” name. To avoid the stigma, she mainly goes by Grace, but when a rumor spreads that someone slept their way into the resident program, it’s assumed that it’s her simply because of her name.
The rumors only escalate as the program goes on and her career begins to suffer as she is passed over for opportunities.
Meanwhile, Grace is actually the complete opposite of what is rumored. She stays away from intimacy after a past relationship with an ex, and finds it hard to get close to anyone. So it’s no surprise when she starts to get close to fellow resident Julian, she can’t help but let the rumors and her traumatic experience ruin it in her mind.
While the banter is fun, and makes for a good read, I enjoyed also the serious aspect of it and how it highlighted how difficult stigmas can make a workplace and create a hostile work environment. I also liked that there was a character development not just with herself, but also through her relationship with Julian, who serves as a rock, even when she tries to push herself away.
It also wasn’t insta love. Instant attraction sure— but the two had a really contentious dynamic, going at each other the way rivals do that turned to infatuation in a slow burn sense.

Thank you Harlequin Audio for the ALC!

LOVE SICK – Deidra Duncan
Canary Street Press
ISBN: ‎ 978-1-335-50752-5
May 13, 2025
Contemporary Romance

Texas – Present Day

First-year medical resident Grace Rose knows she will have to work hard for the next four years if she wants to become a doctor. With her anxiety levels already high, she is crushed to learn that the resident program’s rumor mill has already pegged her as the resident who slept her way into the program. It’s not true, and she only has a few who don’t believe the gossip. One of the other residents, Julian Santini, believes in the rumor and smirks at her, especially since her birth name is Sapphire Rose, and it only angers her. But soon, even Julian begins to believe her. While there are several other residents that Grace comes into contact with, it’s Julian she can’t seem to forget. Then she learns he is her neighbor in the apartment building where she lives. They are becoming friends. In fact, they help each other out, and he defends her. Is a romance slowly blooming between them?

LOVE SICK takes you inside the medical field of hospital residency programs. Right at the beginning of this tale, the author breaks down and explains the medical idioms because they are a part of the lingo used throughout the book. It turns out the hospital is a center of gossip, which means it can sometimes be toxic. The constant innuendo about Grace “sleeping her way” through the program always pops up from time to time. She soon becomes friends within the group, but even a couple of them wonder about her reputation. All Grace wants is to finish the four years and become a doctor.

Julian, for his part, has a bit of a learning disability, which Grace helps him with. They soon become each other’s rock, which means studying and spending time together. Their romance builds slowly in LOVE SICK. In fact, nothing in that department really happens until many chapters into the book. This tale is about the medical residency program and takes place over many months. We learn a lot about Grace and Julian’s backgrounds and the struggles they’ve had over the years. By the time you are a third way through, you will be rooting for them. Grace and Julian have their ups and downs both at the hospital and outside it. Will they overcome the odds to succeed?

An intriguing tale about love and the medical profession, which makes LOVE SICK a different kind of tale. Don’t miss the intrigue and drama. Pick up a copy today.

Patti Fischer
Romance Reviews Today

Please for the love of god no more Harry Potter references. It's 2025. I'm shocked that there's so many and then the main character is listening to Halsey. I really liked the medical aspects of this book, much more than the romance drama.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Deidra Duncan for an advanced copy of Love Sick (May 13, 2025). Love Sick follows medical residents Julian and Grace through their OBGYN program. Throughout the years their hate turns to love and they can no longer avoid the growing attraction between them. I loved this story! Between the medical setting, the banter and tension between the main characters, and the quirky side characters I couldn’t get enough. I also appreciated the representation of Grace’s social anxiety throughout the book. As someone who deals with social anxiety and anxiety in general, it was nice to see a relatable character written on the page. Julian is the epitome of a 5 star boyfriend, and I loved his take on the BrOBGYNs and woman’s issues. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a medical drama, witty banter, enemies to lovers, and all the longing tension. I will definetly be reading more books by the author!

I wasn’t ready for how much I would love this story! It definitely gives off Grey’s Anatomy vibes which is kind of fun. I’m loving the enemies to lovers, forced proximity, and the slow burn ooo the slow burn just amazing! Being OBGYN interns along with navigating through relationships is a recipe for some angst and this book definitely has its share of it. The characters butt heads which sparks the flame that turns into a steamy fire! I also love how much care was put into the mental health aspects of this book. Wonderful writing… I’ll definitely be looking for more from this author.

This debut enemies to lovers, forced proximity, slow burn is PERFECT for Grey's Anatomy fans and follows a group of OBGYN interns as they earn their stripes and negotiate personal relationships along the way. It was good on audio and had great emotional depth and mental health rep (he has AHDH and she has generalized anxiety disorder). I loved it a lot and can't wait for more by Deidra Duncan!!

I really liked this book. The characters were great. I enjoyed the banter as well. As someone who works with OBGYN residents for a living this book was very intriguing to me. Very accurate.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

An enemies to lovers story with doctors in training. Grace and Julian both feel they are at a disadvantage in their OB-GYN residency and they both have, to be honest, chips on their shoulders about it. Grace, however, is the subject of a nasty rumor about how she got her place and that rumor expands to other activity as the years go by. She's treated horribly by others except Julian and her tight group of colleagues, one of whom is keeping a secret. There's a lot of drama in the back and forth between Grace and Julian (and eventually a lot of steam as well) as they come together as a couple and then part. I know I was meant to like this for the romance but I most enjoyed the hospital sections- the patients, the medicine, the politics, and so on. I sincerely hope this doesn't reflect Duncan's own experience as a resident because no woman should suffer this sort of gossip and rumormongering. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A very good read.

Grace Rose is starting her first-year residency, but her peers think she slept her way into the program. Grace is determined to set the record straight, and after a tense first encounter with fellow resident Julian, Grace realizes that her reputation is not going to recover.

Forced to work together, Grace and Julian become good friends through bickering. Of course, they realize they are attracted to one another.