Exceptional and clever narrative about women in the medical field who form a friendship and then secrets are revealed years later in their lives. The suspense is excellent and the surprise twist was something I guessed. However, the pathos and emotions seem a little like soap opera Greys Anatomy stories. That said, I really enjoyed the plot and the characters. I can’t believe they stayed friends but I also admire how she wove all the background into the present day. I love stories that have multiple points of view and timelines.

I enjoyed this story of two female friends that are both doctors with different concentrations. The book follows their paths and, we get to peer into the drama and obstacles the women face. I wouldn't say anything in this book was mind-blowing, but the story was well-developed. I also liked the behind-the-scenes look into the lives of doctors.

A debut women's fiction novel that features two friends who are practicing physicians. Trying to juggle their careers, motherhood, marriage, and other relationships in Charlotte, North Carolina, Zadie Anson and Emma Colley are living their dreams.

Through difficult days with patients, the friends stay in close contact and support each other with humor, empathy, and love. Then, a blast from the past -- Dr. Nick Xenokostas, their former chief resident back in their medical school days -- comes to work with Emma's group. The memories and pain at his reappearance force them both to face each other to finally talk about everything that happened during that particularly terrible third year. No spoilers.

Although rich with the medical details I so love, the focus of this novel was more on women's relationships and romantic alliances. Since I had just finished DOCTORS AND FRIENDS, I was intrigued by Zadie and Emma's backstory, and was happy to get to know them better since they were mainly peripheral in that book. I'm so pleased to have found this author and will continue to read her.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Company for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Love love love this cover. The story took me a bit to settle into - liked the medical aspect and how it tied into the story.

I loved this novel so much and found it hard to put down – this was definitely my favorite book of the month, and close to five stars! The story was really compelling, and it reminded me of a (more realistic but still dramatic) Grey’s Anatomy. I loved all the characters and couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. The language was incredibly descriptive and beautiful, making it easy for me to put myself in the story and picture everything clearly, so even though the plot was centered around the romantic drama, I wouldn’t classify it as just another chick lit novel. Looking forward to the next book by this fantastic debut author!

I’m not used to reading books about doctors, but I love watching shows about them, so when I saw a book about a female doctor I had to pick it up. When I saw it was also about friendships and relationships I was sold and knew it would be a winner as long as it was written well. Luckily for me this one clicked all my boxes. We had a great main character, drama within friendships and relationships, and family life.

Zadie and Emma’s friendship made me so happy, I loved reading about how it could last so long and be so equal. I enjoyed the fact that they were both doctors, but had different concentrations. Once we got more in depth with their families it got more interesting. I like seeing how others’ families are so different.

Overall I really enjoyed this one, as I mentioned before it had everything I wanted and expected. The drama was so real and raw at points, it hit hard, but nothing I wasn’t expecting.i thought it was written well and easy to follow. I will definitely be picking up more by this author.

A dual perspective novel that follows the lives of two successful friends and doctors, however one of them has been keeping a secret close which will ultimately affect her life-long friendship.

This book was really different! It definitely got me out of my comfort zone. I really enjoyed the read, I found it a quick read because of the intrigue within the plot. I connected with Zadie more than Emma, for sure, but both their paths were so fascinating! I thought this book had a great Greys Anatomy vibe to it as well, and that element gave it a unique spin. Overall, a solid 4-star read for me, and I'm looking forward to the author's next books!

I tried giving this one another shot, but ended up DNFing at around 40%. I did not like the main characters or the crass writing style. This just did not work for me, unfortunately.

I couldn't get into this book! It sounded super interesting and I was excited to read it but it didn't suck me in. Well-written and definitely a kind of dark, twisty 'what-happened-in-the-past' vibe but I think this would actually be perfect as a TV drama instead of a book. Not as fast-moving as I had hoped!

If you are looking for a book that reads like a Grey's Anatomy book then this is definitely for you. (Beware if you are squeamish, this book is very bloody and gruesome with lots of gory descriptions). I was hoping for more of a friendship based drama, but more than half the book is about patients in the trauma service. Don't get me wrong, I found that part interesting as most people do, but soon discovered that the medical drama was MUCH more interesting than the friendship drama.

We are teased many many times about something that happened in Zadie and Emma's third year of medical school that changed them forever, but they refuse to talk about. The reveal was so dragged out (so many chapters when they would ALMOST start talking about it and then get interrupted). As the past story very slowly unfolds, it becomes obvious what the secrets are very quickly. When the betrayals and the past secrets are revealed, it was so obvious that the drama was kind of lost.

I can say that it was written very well and I loved some of the characters, but not so much Emma or Zadie. For main characters, I thought they could be more well developed (though we do get some insight into Emma near the end).

This book was okay and a quick read, but the story line was too predictable for me to really love it.

This book is Grey's Anatomy all the way. The drama, the medical cases and the twisted relationships that have formed. I loved the characters that martin created and enjoyed getting to know them but towards the end I really had issues with one of them. The problem I had was that they had done things that didn’t seem to mesh with who they were. I also felt that the amount of foreshadowing to get to the big dark secret was a bit overdone. It seemed like it took forever to get there and while I liked all the medical stuff in the book, it began to feel like filler and drag. I also just didn’t like the ending of the book. That is a personal preference though and I think a lot of people will like the book. If you love medical dramas then this is definitely a good place to start!

I wanted to enjoy this book a lot more than I did. I loved the idea of a literary equivalent to Grey's Anatomy. But unfortunately it did not deliver the same snappy dialogue, complex relationships and sharp take on contemporary issues.

Overall this was a quick fun read. I’d say if your a huge fan of greys anatomy you will enjoy this book!

My interest was captured at the beginning of the book, so much that you don't dare not finish it. The author was able to insert a quick wit and clever one-liners into the body without distracting one from the story at hand. However, the graphic descriptions of the medical procedures in the trauma and ER surgical centers were too much for this faint at heart reader that can't even look when getting a flu shot. The author was so successful in character development that I "knew" them all, including the "tall, dark and handsome god doctor." Finally, it is a memorable book about friendship, the power, the challenges, the threats, the importance and the quest for survival after betrayal. I expect to see future fiction following this debut novel.

If you like Grey's Anatomy and women's fiction, then this is the book for you! I really liked the medical descriptions (there's an emergency surgery that involves a straw and a fork!) and the character development.

I'm not going to lie, I was lured in by that eye-catching cover art. The colors, the design, it was all working for me. However, predictable "twists," repetitive info dumps, and a season's worth of Grey's Anatomy medical jargon left me feeling torn.

I enjoyed that the author was clearly knowledgeable about the subject matter, but when the pages-long descriptions of trauma rounds are more interesting than the fictional doctors delivering the dialogue you tend to start dreading their narratives. Don't get me wrong, I honestly didn't have many issues with Zadie (one half of our MC duo), but Emma is a whole other story. And maybe if she was in one, I would have enjoyed this more.

Honestly, the story just didn't work for me, but that doesn't mean it's a bad book. It is well written and full of new-to-me Scrabble-approved words and highlighter-worthy quotes. And while it did little to get my heart pumping, I do think it's a unique story that any member of the medical field would enjoy reading.

I loved the cover and requested it without knowing what it was about, or that it was a medical drama. The story was well written and I am still thinking about the ending. Perfect for fans of Grey’s Anatomy,

Fans of Grey’s Anatomy will just love this book, a modern day fiction set at a hospital, surrounded by accomplished female doctors.

Queen of Hearts follows Zadie and Emma, two doctors who have been best friends since their early twenties. The book flashes between modern day (where they are married and have children) and flashing back to when they did their residencies. When a doctor from their past re-enters, it threatens to tear apart everything they hold dear. Are Zadie and Emma as close as they once thought, or are secrets embedded into the very core of their friendship?

This book is so much deeper than the description provided (including the one by me) implies. I am trying to make it so you don’t catch on to any of the surprises, but this book definitely exceeded my expectations in a great way. One thing to mention, it is a MEDICAL drama, so if the imagery of surgeries makes you uncomfortable then you may need to skim past those parts.

Here are a few things I love to read about:

1) Parenting
2) Female friendships
3) Marriage
4) Romance
5) HOSPITALS!!!!

Okay, I know that's a weird list, but it's so so true. One of my very favorite books from 2016 was an epic history of Bellevue Hospital. And have you read 5 Days at Memorial? WHAT A BOOK! Okay, back to this one. THE QUEEN OF HEARTS combines ALL of these things in my list above and does so in a page-turning suspenseful fashion. My very very favorite part though, was the medical stuff. I am fairly certain I was the #1 fan of ER way back in the day (until too many helicopters fell on people) because hospitals and medical stories absolutely fascinate me! Martin did a fabulous job of balancing the domestic drama with the medical storyline, with enough parenting thrown in to make it all seem relatable.

If you like even a few of the things on my list here, add this to your TBR. You won't be able to put it down!