The Queen of Hearts

A debut novel set against a background of hospital rounds and life-or-death decisions 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.


Check out my Instagram post.

My Review

You know what I hate worse is getting your hopes up about a book only to find it missed the target in my case. This book did hold potential for a first novel from new author, Kimmery Martin. I just felt like this book didn't really know what it wanted to be...a medical drama, thriller, etc. Therefore, the characters and plot seemed a bit weak. If there had been more focus on one kind of genre, I may be saying praises for this book.

I could not stand Dr. X. The guy between friends, Zadie and Emma. Speaking of the two women, it was Zadie that I got closer to. She seemed more personable. The drama surrounding the secret involving Dr. X was fine but I wanted more intensity. Yet, I will say that the alternating flash backs from the past to the present was smooth. I am curious to see what Ms. Martin comes out with next.