REVIEW: The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin @berkleypub @kimmerym #allthebookreviews #prhpartner
The Queen of Hearts
by Kimmery Martin
A debut novel that reads like Martin's been writing for decades.
Thank you so much to Berkley Pub for these copies in return for our honest reviews. Jessica and I loved having this book outside our normal genre in the mix!
💖 HAPPY PUBLISHING DAY 💖
Publisher: Berkley
Published: February 13, 2018
Hardcover
352 Pages
Genre: Contemporary
Goodreads Synopsis:
A debut novel that pulses with humor and empathy and explores the heart's capacity for forgiveness...
Zadie Anson and Emma Colley have been best friends since their early twenties, when they first began navigating serious romantic relationships amid the intensity of medical school. Now they're happily married wives and mothers with successful careers--Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, North Carolina are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of a former colleague unearths a secret one of them has been harboring for years.
As chief resident, Nick Xenokostas was the center of Zadie's life--both professionally and personally--throughout a tragic chain of events in her third year of medical school that she has long since put behind her. Nick's unexpected reappearance during a time of new professional crisis shocks both women into a deeper look at the difficult choices they made at the beginning of their careers. As it becomes evident that Emma must have known more than she revealed about circumstances that nearly derailed both their lives, Zadie starts to question everything she thought she knew about her closest friend.
My Review:
Told through Zadie and Emma's perspectives, the author takes us on a journey of their friendship... From when they hit it off the first day in their dorms as new roommates to decades later as lifelong friends, their "persons" and the only one who truly accepted each others' nuances. Both lead busy lives with their husbands, children and as doctors. Then one day their lives become disrupted with the arrival of Nick Xenokastos, Dr. X, a blast from their past. This drudges up old secrets and betrayals.
I'm honestly surprised that this is a debut novel. Extremely well written, this felt like a cross between Grey's Anatomy and Big Little Lies (as she describes it and it fits PERFECTLY). The humor that is riddled throughout had me tittering quite frequently. I swear I think Lainie might be my favorite character! And also ACE WRAP! 🤣
What this book exemplifies is the ups and downs of a friendship that stems from the growing pains of medical school, career and family. And how while sometimes the unforgivable can happen, there's always a way to find forgiveness if you really want to. Martin takes us from past to present in Zadie and Emma's lives and does it effortlessly. I'm truly impressed with how immersed I became with this story.
I highly recommend this read. A contemporary medical and life drama that reads quickly and will suck you right in... get on it people.
★★★★★
Jessica's Review:
Going into THE QUEEN OF HEARTS by Kimmery Martin, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. To be honest, I thought it was going to be a retelling of sorts and so did my partner reader (clearly we went based off the title and not the synopsis!) I was pleasantly surprised by this incredible and beautifully written debut novel about navigating the medical world and trying to maintain friendships while harboring secrets.
Zadie and Emma are best friends and have been since medical school. Both have been through a lot with each other - surviving the intensity of med school and trying to make it through different relationships together. Now both are married with children and have thriving careers. Zadie is in pediatric cardiology and Emma is a trauma surgeon, despite how chaotic their lives can be, they're both content where they are.
One day all of that is threatened when a former colleague of theirs, Nick Xenokostas, reenters their lives. Nick had an important role in Zadie's life at one time - as the chief resident during medical school he became the center of her world both professionally and personally. His reappearance makes them both reflect back on some of the hardest decisions they've had to make and begin to wonder if they really know each other like they think they do.
Told in alternating perspectives, Emma and Zadie in the present, and then Zadie back in her third year of medical school (when Nick was so prevalent in her life). The way that Martin writes and presents both characters was so well done - there was no confusion as to which perspective we were in and both Emma and Zadie had their own unique voice. This was an engrossing and compelling read and it was a peek into a world that I know very little about. The struggles that those in the medical field experience in trying to juggle their home lives and professional lives while trying to live up to that high standard that is expected of them.
Kimmery Martin will be an insta-buy author for me and I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! If you like a good medical drama/fiction novel, then you need to pick up THE QUEEN OF HEARTS. The beautiful and fluid writing will have you hooked from the beginning.
A solid 5/5 stars!
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