I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I found this book to me infinitely frustrating as the two characters do not end up getting together until I had read 92% of the book. There was a little too much medical speak for me personally.

3.75 stars rounded up

Full disclosure... I received the ARC for this book last year. However, when I started, I realized that it wasn't what I was expecting. I was expecting romance in the backdrop of hospital, and what I got (at least around the first several chapters) was more like a diary of a medical student on his way to be a surgeon. It was boring. I decided to stop and moved on.

Cue a year later... At the moment, I am NOT in the mood of reading something romance-y. I want the romance to be slightly in the background. AND, I actually finished the second book by this author, Hard Bitten, which I really, really liked. It fit with my current mood.

With that in mind, I took my ARC copy back out of my DNF pile.

AND VOILA... it proves that sometimes a DNF-book can be just the right book at the right time.

I agree with most of the reviewers that they couldn't really categorize this as romance. Maybe more of contemporary fiction with romantic element? The story focuses on Neil Carmona's life inside (mostly inside) and outside the hospital, first as a medical student, then all through five years of residency. Including the CRAZY hours, the research study, the work-group, and the never-ending question whether doctors can have a work-life balance.

Yes, we get the story of Meil crush towards the cardio attending Dr. Eli Newcombe all these time, but the romance-lovey-dovey part didn't really happen at least until the last 15% - 20% of the book, when Eli finally reciprocated.

But I LOVED it this time around. I was very much engaged with the hospital scene -- while sometimes feeling relieved because I didn't follow my wanting to be a doctor when I was teenager *lol*. The author indeed has a medicine background, and that makes the hospital life seems very real and based on her experience.

I didn't mind the slow-burn romance, although because it was crammed into the last part, it became a little bit frantic too. I would've love to have an epilogue of sort. However, all in all, this is a SUCCESSFUL read for me, the second time around :)


The ARC is provided by the publisher via Netgalley for an exchange of fair and honest review. No high rating is required for any ARC received.

I wouldn't necessarily call this book a romance as the it's only the last 10-15% of the book that the MC gets his man. Still I really enjoyed the story and glimpse of life as an intern.

On this occasion no review as it unfortunately didn't work for me.

~4.5 Stars~

In M.K. York’s Necessary Medicine we meet Neil Carmona, initially, albeit briefly, as a second-year med student, jump to him passing his boards, and then follow him all the way through his internship and residency. And, I have to tell you guys, I was completely sucked in to Neil’s journey from the first page, and was entranced until the very end. I LOVED this book. Loved. I totally devoured it. And, then happily started rereading it a week or so later! It was one of those books for me.

The story will inevitably be compared to Grey’s Anatomy—or other medical dramas—and with good reason, I think. As we go along with Neil on his journey, we also get to know his friends, colleagues, exes, heroes, and love interests. We learn the ins and outs of the program, and some of the inner workings of the hospital. We celebrate Neil’s triumphs, and stress over his pitfalls, just as so many of us have been doing with Meredith Grey for thirteen seasons now. Neil will draw you in and make you fall in love with him…but, along the way you will also fall in love with Eli—So. Much.—and Pete, and Mark and Kristi. York got me to care about all of them with her realism, her wit and her snappy dialogue.

Neil first sees Eli, though he has no idea who he is, during his second year of med school, while waiting in line at a coffee stand. He feels an immediate attraction to the handsome stranger, but doesn’t have time to try to talk to him, as he has to race off to a lecture. And, who should walk up to the podium at the front of the lecture hall? Turns out coffee stand silver fox is Dr. Eli Newcombe, the transplantation specialist giving the talk. Neil also notices that Dr. Newcombe is wearing a wedding ring, but who is he kidding, anyway? He doesn’t have time to even think about pursuing dating of any kind. So obviously, he decides to try to put him out of his mind.

Fast forward two years…Neil spots Eli again during his interview at Kingsland Medical Center, one of the hospitals he is considering for his residency. He again tries to not spend too much time thinking about Dr. Newcombe, but can’t help wondering how he ended up in the Bay Area, and minus a wedding ring. Neil does end up at Kingsland, of course, and thus begins the dance between him and Eli.

I can’t tell you how much I loved Eli. I have so much love and respect for him as a character. His good qualities are many, and his flaws honestly are few. He’s brilliant, obviously, and devastatingly handsome—but, those things are just the icing on the cake. Even more importantly, he’s an excellent doctor, is exceedingly kind and considerate, and is a great friend. And, I loved the way Neil notices everything about Eli, like his kindness and how unfailingly good he is to everyone, from patients and their families to the hospital staff.

Neil is also fantastic, and also the complete package. Brains, looks, an amazing work ethic, at times he seemed invincible. But, there were other times when I felt so bad for him that I just wanted to hug him pretty much constantly. The unimaginable sleep deprivation, the feeling that you will never have a life again, despite what counselors or mentors might tell you; most of us can’t realistically contemplate what life as a med student or resident is like. His crush on Eli was pretty epic also, spanning over many years. When something finally happened between them, I wanted to jump out of my chair and cheer out loud. Their love story was incredible. I loved how they built their connection over years; the slow burn worked perfectly here.

There were so many things that worked for me in this book. First and foremost, the characters are wonderful. Neil’s mentor, Pete, is so much fun. Pete and Eli are good friends, too, so that gives lots of opportunities for Neil and Eli to be thrown together. Neil’s buddies, Mark and Kristi, also kick ass. The three of them were so great together, and their banter was hilarious. There was some drama with Mark, which was a significant part of the storyline at one point, that I felt sort of dropped off, and then reappeared and was tidily resolved a bit quickly, but that was a minor beef. Another major part of the storyline that I thought was so cool was a Diversity Initiative the hospital was trying to get off the ground, on which Neil and Eli worked closely together. A very interesting and deserving subject, that I’m glad the author spent so much time on.

I know I already mentioned it, but I love how realistic the book comes across. Obviously, the author knows what she’s talking about, as her bio says she’s a med student herself, but it definitely feels authentic. And, I enjoyed the medical stuff a lot. I didn’t find it tedious or boring whatsoever. I saw some early reviews wherein people were unhappy with the heavy load of medical information in the book, and the amount of time given to Neil’s experiences as a med student; the issue seeming to be that the romance suffered because of it, that it wasn’t a romance at all because they don’t truly get together until late in the book. I wholeheartedly disagree. To me, the content and pace were great, and the love story was beautiful. And, the ending was sooo good! I had a huge lump in my throat when I finished.

I absolutely, one-hundred-percent recommend this book. It’s true it might not be for everyone, but I hope you end up loving it like I did. Give it a shot for yourselves; I think most of you will be glad you did. But, don’t go thinking you can steal my book boyfriend!!! Eli is mine!

Reviews shared on Goodreads, Amazon, B & N and V's Reads: https://vsreads.com/2017/07/19/finding-love-is-necessary-medicine-a-review/

3.5 Stars.

Neal Carmona is a med student when his path first crosses with Dr. Eli Newcombe, renown heart transplant surgeon. Neal immediately recognizes that Eli is exactly his type: older, prematurely grey and way-smart. Not like anything would ever come of his attraction; Dr. Newcombe is giving a guest lecture at his university.

Fast forward a couple of years. Neal's graduated and beginning a residency in the San Fran area. He's never hidden his sexuality and he's not going to start now. He wants to find a partner, but his training gets in the way. And that applies when Dr. Eli Newcombe joins the surgical staff. Neal fantasizes that he and Eli share a connection, especially when they begin working together on a diversity initiative to increase hiring of minority physicians at the hospital. Eli is far senior in the pecking order, and Neal knows making a mistake like admitting his attraction could land him in a world of trouble. Neal's accepted in his field, mostly, but he knows this wouldn't extend far if a division chief, like Eli, decided he was inappropriate.

I'm going to be honest, this book is a VERY SLOW burn. Eli does have an attraction to Neal, and a burning passion he won't unleash. He's very much cognizant of his administrative power over Neal, and he won't risk impropriety tarnishing Neal's reputation. They build a friendship that grows into a physical relationship. That then gets scuttled, and reconnected as Neal and Eli work out their dynamic. Eli isn't gay, per se, and his coming out is complicated.

Having a deep insight into medical training, and having married a med student, I can attest that the trouble and issues the author presents are accurate. Unfortunately, like all training physicians, Neal's struggle through residency isn't that interesting. It's a lot of sleep deprivation and working weird hours and lack of connection and heart, head, and back aches. That's all very true. I struggled to stay invested with the story at points, however, on account of the pacing. Because that low-level drama is a bit sleepy.

The relationship development between Neal and Eli happens in fits and starts--and I got that. I felt Neal's frustration. I did like how the supporting cast, notably Neal's mentor, got them to see beyond the hurdles. The end is a sweet HEA, with Neal and Eli finding happiness together in a way that makes sense and stays true to the context of physicians who fall for one another. I think if you really love medical settings and just a hint of passion, this might be your book. I read a review copy provided by NetGalley.

Necessary Medicine by M.K. York
Source: Netgalley
My Rating: 2½/5 stars
My Review:

The synopsis for Necessary Medicine offered a whole host of promise that the book itself simply didn’t deliver on. Here’s the list . . . . .

Neil: To a great extent, Necessary Medicine is Neil’s story, his journey from his first days in medical school through the end of his residency. To become a doctor is a selfless act and Neil’s journey is full of hardship, ups, downs, no sleep, and the lapsing of nearly relationship he had prior to med school. The days and nights are long and often bleed into one another and if it weren’t for his staff mentor, Dr. Wending, Neil likely wouldn’t survive.

Neil’s relationship with Dr. Wending is the highlight of this very long and slowly paced read. Dr. Wending is far older than Neil and has been down the path Neil is travelling. Dr. Wending keeps Neil grounded, helps him stay focused, and provides some much-needed levity when it’s required. Dr. Wending is also instrumental in helping Neil navigate the personal side of his life, a thing that can be phenomenally tricky given Neil’s career path.

Throughout the read, Neil shows the most growth both intellectually and emotionally. Neil is good at his job and he soaks up every lesson he’s taught during his training. Emotionally, he is a bit of train wreck at times, but overall, Neil is the mature man in the group. In fact, when Neil meets The One, he is emotionally prepared for the relationship and though he is the younger of the two, he is the most emotionally stable.

Eli: For there to be a romance, there must be two people and Eli would be the second half of the equation. Eli is a respected cardiologist who is known for both his skill and his reserve. While most assume he is simply shy or a typical doctor with no bedside manner, Eli has intentionally kept his circle of friends incredibly small. Eli’s sense of propriety and perception is so strong, he has intentionally separated himself from most people so as not to cause or be the topic of gossip. While this has “worked” for many years for Eli, it has also caused him a great deal of unhappiness. The unhappiness becomes glaringly obvious when Eli meets Neil and develops feelings for him. Eli is terrified of crossing any professional lines and compromising he and/or Neil’s reputation so he keeps all interactions with Neil purely clinical.

Until the moment he is “caught” by Neil and his feelings are revealed . . . . .

Once Eli allows himself to become romantically entangled with Neil, he is so much happier and a far more interesting character. It takes time and a great deal of trial and error for Eli to recognize he can have his career and reputation as well as love without suffering negative consequences. Eli blossoms under Neil’s love and though he is the older of the two, Eli is new to M/M relationships and often takes his cues from the younger, more experienced Neil. This sort of role reversal is quite refreshing, but just not enough to save the overall read.

The Bottom Line: I stuck it out with this read, in large part, because I don’t like DNFing books if I don’t absolutely have to. Neil and Eli are mildly interesting characters (with so much wasted potential to be amazing!) and I wanted to know the end of their story. To get to the end I had to wade through a lot of things I sincerely think will turn away many, many readers. Honestly, if I weren’t so stubborn, I likely would have given up as well. First, there is the medical terminology. I’m a smart girl and there is a great deal of terminology in this read that I had no understanding of. I appreciate this is a book about doctors interacting with other doctors and they would totally understand each other, but this is playing out in a novel for readers, not other doctors! Next, there is the problem of how Eli and Neil are brought together. The whole equal opportunity/safe work place may be a timely issue, but it is forced in this read and there are so many other ways, especially in a busy hospital, that Neil and Eli could have interreacted. Finally, there aren’t many happy moments and/or romantic moments in this read until the very end, and I do mean, the very end. While I was able to stick it out to the bitter end on this one, I don’t think this is a book that will appeal to many readers despite what the synopsis promises.

It begins with a glance between a young surgical resident and a visiting lecturer. Neil and his crush Eli end up working together in the same hospital and a very slow burn between these two begins.

Oh, I got why they didn't feel they could act on their attraction to one another. I thought that the consideration of their respective positions in the hospital was a good one, and it was nice (in a way) to have the main characters care about the ethics of them getting together.

The hospital action also seemed very realistic, and the incredible demands on Neil as a resident were also realistic and well-written. There was a real sense of time being a barrier to Eli and Neil acting on their attraction to one another.

And there was some definite heat between these two. I think I did like that the most, the slow and gentle build-up of the tensions between them that are acted upon when Eli's guard finally develops a crack. It takes a long time to get there, so if you are looking for a romance that is more physical and explicit, Necessary Medicine doesn't go that way.

This is a slower paced story with lots of elements of realism. While the slowness got on my nerves, especially when opportunity presented itself, got on my nerves in the first half of the book. The second half had more conflict between Eli and Neil and that helped the build up to the big moment.

I liked aspects of this book and felt other areas could have been better. The gradual growth of the attraction between Neil and Eli was well done. I really didn't mind the slow burn, but the pace could have been better, especially in the first half of the book. I found myself wanting to know how these two would resolve their situation, and that kept me reading. I definitely liked the characters. There are also some good secondary characters in Mark, Neil's colleague and Pete, his mentor.

I'll be interested in seeing what this new author will do for a followup.

An ARC was provided for review.

I was really looking forward to reading a medical based MM story. In my mind I pictured a McDreamy and McSteamy heating up the ER with the hospital wing with their passion. Unfortunately, that didn’t play out as much in this story as I had hoped. While there was a connection between the two doctors, Neil and Eli, I found it to be filled with more medical and technical jargon than actual story.

The story is told from Neil’s POV. It focused much more on his experience throughout his medical career than his crush on Eli. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by all of the medical television shows, but I found this book to be lacking in actual story and be more focused on details and actual medical terminology. What I did enjoy about this book was the attention to detail and realistic stress Neil faced each day. Other than that, this was not the right book for me and would be better suited for someone with a medical background or someone more interested in a story that reads more like a memoir than romance.

I think the publisher might have done York a disservice by pitching this as a romance as it's really more a pretty well done novel of a man making his way through medical school and residency, with a little love interest thrown in. Neil is very sympathetic- overworked, overwhelmed, and unable to act on his feelings for Eli. I likely would not have picked this up had I seen it on the shelf because of the cover etc, which seems to promise more melodrama than there actually is. Thanks, though, to Netgalley, I read it in an ARC and quite enjoyed it. Recommend this to those who like medical dramas.

I really really tried to like this book but there was way to much medical jargon and not enough.......
other things.
I just could not connect with anything.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Told from Neil's point of view, the story takes us from the first time Neil sees Eli in a coffee shop right before a lecture where Eli is the guest lecturer, to the end of his residency.

We quickly follow Neil to residency where we see the difficulties he faces and how hard you have to work to become a surgeon. Trying to find time to sleep is hard enough, let alone trying to have a social life or any kind of work life balance. Neil does makes friends at the hospital. Mark and Kristi, fellow residents, Pete, his mentor, and also Eli, as they work together to help improve diversity at the hospital, all help Neil as he moves through residency.

I devoured Necessary Medicine in less than 24 hours. I am a huge fan of medical drama shows like ER and Grey's Anatomy, so this story was right up my alley. Necessary Medicine is a slow burn and I loved it. I was engaged with the story right from the beginning. I loved the different characters and seeing life at the hospital. Of course, the highlight is the growing friendship between Neil and Eli and their move from friends to more, which was perfectly done. Necessary Medicine is a wonderful story.


Sarah – ☆☆☆
This is one of the more realistic medical stories that I’ve read. The book follows Neil through the ups and downs of his grueling four-year surgical residency. The slow burn romance between Neil and Eli, one of the senior doctors in his hospital, runs alongside the story of Neil’s medical career.

I found the medical details in this story more successful than the romance. Neil’s grueling schedule brought back vivid and unwelcome memories of living with my husband during his years as a junior doctor in the UK. The American residency system is slightly different, but making high stakes decisions while sleep deprived is a common experience. It would be impossible not to empathise with Neil and his colleagues.

While this story tracks Neil’s residency with accuracy and honesty, I’m not sure it works as a novel. Four years is a long period of time to cover in a novel. Here, I felt that the author struggles at times to sustain an exciting pace through four years of repetitive and tedious medical study. With only the timeline of Neil’s residency to structure the plot, this felt at times more like a series of journal entries than a novel.

Four years is also a long time to stretch out a romance. Neil first encounters Eli as a medical student at a lecture. For me, Neil’s journey from quiet fandom to admirer to colleague to friend and finally to something more is just too drawn out. Any initial chemistry between these two died long before they actually got together. Eli’s hang-ups about his sexuality and his life in the closet complicate the romance and do nothing to make him a more attractive partner for Neil. Hiding in the closet makes Eli feel much older than Neil – I found the age gap between these two more off-putting than sexy.

While I appreciate the accuracy of the medical details in this story, it did little for me as a novel. Readers with a keen interest in medical dramas or medical careers will enjoy this for the careful detail. Readers wanting a sexy m/m romance should probably look elsewhere.

A great debut novel!

Necessary Medicine is the first published novel by M.K. York and I liked it a lot. This book isn't your typical M/M romance story; it follows the path of medical student/intern/resident Neil Carmona. I'm not really sure how many years this book spans but it's quite a few. It's described as a "slow-burn romance" and that it is. The first kiss between the two MCs (main characters) doesn't happen until Chapter 16 (out of 26 chapters).

The story contains a lot of medical terms and jargon; I was very glad I read this on my tablet so that I could easily look up terms I wasn't familiar with. (Unfortunately, I was very familiar with one and knew instantly what this meant: "He’d had a kind of nasty lap chole that morning that they’d had to convert to open, so he was already tired and on edge." It refers to laparoscopic gallbladder surgery that had to be switched to the old-fashioned open type of operation. I can tell you from personal experience this is NOT fun!)

While at times it was a bit distracting to not understand all of the medical terms, this didn't really take away from that fact that Necessary Medicine was a great story about one man's journey to becoming a doctor with side stories about his relationships with fellow medical students/interns/residents and doctors. I loved the character of his mentor, Dr. Wendling, who eventually becomes his friend, Pete.

Dr. Elias (Eli) Newcombe is someone that Neil meets while still a medical student. Neil first sees him in a coffee shop and is taken by how handsome he is and they exchange glances. Later that day, Neil discovers that the man he saw is Dr. Newcombe, the guest lecturer for his class, and he can't keep his eyes off of him.

The book progresses through time fairly quickly in the beginning – by Chapter 4 Neil is a second-year resident – but slows down after that giving us much more detail about Neil's life as a surgical resident. My heart ached for the trials and tribulations that Neil and his fellow residents had to endure during their training. The way Ms. York describes the absolute exhaustion made me wonder how these young doctors could possibly provide good medical care. If this is an accurate depiction of the life of a medical resident it's a bit scary to know that the person treating patients might be so incredibly sleep deprived.

This review is getting to be way too long so to wrap things up – if you're looking for a book with lots of sexy time this probably isn't the one for you. However, if you'd like to read a story about what seems to me to be a very realistic depiction of the life of a new doctor, how he handles the lack of personal time and eventually gets his HEA with the man he loves, then you should snap this one up.

Two more things: I would definitely read more books by M.K. York and the book has a wonderful epilogue.

***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com***

3 Stars

I truly wanted to love this book. The cover is gorgeous and the blurb sounded so promising, but, unfortunately, it didn't deliver. The book, while well-written, was overly long and had more details regarding a surgery residency and hospital politics than I ever wanted to know. I guess the author wrote what she knew about since she's a resident herself, but really, she got lost in all the details and the romance fell to the backburner, to the point where Neil and Eli only get together for the last 15% or so of the story, taking slow burn to a whole new level.

I think there was more chemistry/scenes between Neil and his mentor Pete than between Neil and Eli. I could see why Neil would have a crush on Eli, but I never felt it reciprocated until the end, so yeah. *shrugs*

So, if you want to read an account of what a surgeon goes through during their five years of surgical residency with some romantic undertones, then, by all means, this is the book for you.

*Copy provided to the reviewer via NetGalley for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.*

I liked this for what it was: a medical book. It certainly wasn't a medical romance, and as my first medical romance not what I thought it could be in that genre (the rich doctor's baby, or whatever, y'know) but I enjoyed it. The romance felt a little shoehorned in, but the writing was good. Would read another book by the author, but perhaps more straight up medicine, or just more romance woven in.

While I quite enjoyed it, it's not romance as readers of mm expect. The slow build is almost too tense, and it's possible many will abandon it because Neil and Eli barely interact for the first quarter.

I liked Neil's narration, as I found him genuine and kind.

But is it enough?

His interactions with other secondary characters reveal a lot of personality and emotion, but there's very little plot to deal with.

The last quarter is the best. Eli is a flawed, charismatic character. It's easy to see why Neil has it so bad for him, and is willing to wait, and we watch his growth as a doctor in a lot of detail while he does. Eli's journey to openness and acceptance is stuff of wine and roses.

But is it enough?

Copy provided by publisher via Netgalley, and read with thanks. Out on April 24.

DNF after chapter 2. Slow pace + lack of interest in the main character (or any character) + multiple reviews from others I follow that say it doesn't pick up and the romance is MIA (though there is a HEA). No use wasting my time, to be quite honest.

Great read with a lot of medical matters. It's a entertaining read with the slowest slow burn ever.
I almost quit. Sorry but I wanted some romance and kisses and stuff..it lasted and lasted. But the story kept me reading I just longed for some connection and in the meantime the pages kept turning and turning With others words it was captivated as hell :) it was good, all the medical cases were good. Everything was good only....shit....the slow burn....damn....it almost did go backwards instead of forward.

And now....the story....:)
Neil is a medical student standing in a coffee line wearing a hoodie and jeans and when he sees Eli who gives a medical presentation at the faculty, he thinks he is stunning...when their eyes meet something happened.

Years go by and Neil's works hard, he gets an opportunity to work at the hospital where Eli works....they get involved with Neil's study, internship, and later surgery. They go on trips to medical congress, seminars etc. and their friendship is deepening.

Until 40% there was nothing but camaraderie. Neil had a crush five years ago and he still feels something but he can't do anything with it.
I missed passion from Eli's side... There was only attraction from Neil's side. And through the story I almost forgot about they would ever coming together. Until.....60% then this changed. In a very endearing and heartbreaking way Neil discover Eli's real feelings toward Neil.....and Eli is devastated....
That went straight to my heart....
Only now their deep friendship is in jeopardy....
No way Eli would start something with Neil.... until.....that's the only thing he can do....

I'm feel terrible to admit I skipped through a lot of medical terms and sessions. It was for me of no interest really..I did read some but mostly I didn't go deep into those parts. I was to desperate for the men to come together, I yearned for connection, for passion for love...

This whole story was really profound. It was spread over years...it was mostly from Neil's perspective and for me that was good but I missed Eli's feelings and perspective.
Both men were focused on their friendship and there were not even flirty escapades. More a deep comrades. Only from Neil's mind there were yearnings and feelings of crashing hearts.
But he respected Eli so much he didn't want to loose him as friend.
And they were friends, they did a lot of things together.

The romantic part of this story gets more satisfying when Eli finally opens up and we get a look from his point of view, how much he struggled through all those years, actually from the moment he saw a 'much to young' beautiful person in hoody and jeans.
His mind was so beautiful to see, i wished this started earlier in this story, because that was exactly what I yearned for.

A really solid read which I enjoyed enormously The way of writing felt honest (I took all the medical terms for granted) it was an extended story, never dull but it could have more romance in it....and when it finally came, it was like the sun start shining and everything felt more brighter. They have their so deserved HEA.

~ Kindly received a copy given by Netgalley ~

When the book starts, Neil is a medical student and then he's an intern, and then a fellow. The book moves through the years a bit, but I found it easy enough to follow so I was never confused as to where Neil was in his journey to becoming an attending doctor. As for Eli, he's a cardiologist who Neil first sees in medical school, when Eli is there to give a speech. Once Neil is working at the hospital, he's path crosses with Eli more and more often. While Neil has been harboring a crush on Eli for years, he doesn't think the feeling is at mutual since Eli has an ex wife and has never once mentioned being bisexual. As such, Neil tries to enjoy their budding friendship without getting too attached, and it works for awhile.

Obviously Eli has feelings for Neil too. I don't think that's a spoiler as it's in the summary, and that's just how these stories go, right? At the same time, Eli isn't willing to risk either of their jobs or reputations by acting on those feelings and it definitely upsets Neil. This makes sense though; Neil has had these feelings for years and when he finally realizes that they are reciprocated, he's pushed away. Despite this, things do end up okay for the two, but I don't want to go into too many details and spoil the whole story. The details are the story after all.

One thing that I will note though is that the book felt a bit too long, as the author focuses a lot on the medical aspect of the story. While I understood most of the details, it did feel like a bit much in parts. Granted, the author is a medical student so it does make sense. While some of the descriptions could have been left out, having some does make the hospital and its inhabitants feel that much more realistic. What tends to suffer from these details is that the actual romance doesn't really appear until maybe halfway through the book. I was never bored reading the book, but I was definitely more interested in the relationship aspect of the book.

Necessary Medicine is York's debut, but hopefully she'll write more!

2* Not sure what to make of this. More a book about the reasons you wouldn't want to be a doctor in the US than anything else.

I honestly wondered what I was reading as I read this, as it was nothing but talk of long hours, no relationships, no life outside of work, people being exhausted, on-call stuff, trying out different areas of medicine, colleagues succumbing to the pressures of work, doctors not looking after themselves, and the likes. The leads met briefly at the start of the tale when the younger attended a lecture given by the older, and over the 5yrs that the tale spanned, they saw each other occasionally as distant colleagues. And then, they shared a hotel room for a week, not on the greatest terms and the younger one saw the older one sniffing one of his shirts, and that was the dawn of their 'romance'.

Skip another long period of them spending very little time together and it's their wedding day. Hmm.

Not worth the time I spent on this, unfortunately, as it was boring to the extreme. Sorry.

ARC courtesy of Carina Press and NetGalley for my reading pleasure.