An interesting read which was something new for me. I really liked this book and was able to dip in and out. I would recommend.

A well written memoir depicting the day-to-day of a paramedic. Jake Jones is a former office worker turned unlikely paramedic. He is squeamish around blood and nearly fainted during his wife's labour. His voice jumps off the page, coming across as super down-to-earth and likeable.

I really enjoyed reading this slice of life, with each chapter exploring the different call-outs and experiences he's had on the job - from labours to trauma to mental health episodes, it's clear that no two days are the same. It is an interesting addition to the medical memoir genre. With that being said, it was sometimes disappointing that we never learnt the resolution of most of the patients - though I suppose this is the nature of the paramedic job. He provides what immediate assistance is required and sends his patients off to hospital (where required), then is on to his next job. Nevertheless, sometimes I did feel like I wanted to spend some more time with certain cases to discover whether they recovered.

This is a great book to read not if you want to learn more about the paramedic career but if you are interested in learning more about the frontline struggles within the NHS. Jones dedicates some time to chronicle the problems he's faced with underfunding and wasted use of resources. It was galling to hear how frequently he is sent out to patients who do not need a paramedic's assistance at all. Memorably he recounts one time (of many) where he is sent out to a home to explain to a patient with the flu to take some paracetamol for their symptoms. This problem is compounded by an overly rigid, automated triage service, which frequently makes mistakes in prioritising the wrong patients.

All-in-all, this was a super interesting read!

This is a collection of memoirs by the author about the people he was sent out to help. Also a warts and all view of ambulances/cars during the period he was a paramedic. It was informative and a real eye opener in some cases. The trouble is just as when I watch medical programmes on television I don’t always take to the patients or would be patients featured so didn’t find many people in this book that I actually liked enough to find out about, so did a lot of skimming. There was also too much whimsy and the chapters and events disjointed. Such a hard job with not much appreciation from some of the people needing assistance - every single paramedic is worth their weight in gold.

I really enjoyed this book, it’s not the sort of book I would usually read but I really found the extracts from real hospital to be riveting. Well written and very realistic.

Many thanks to netgalley and Jake Jones for the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

This was an enjoyable memoir of Jake Jone's life as a paramedic. There are a fair few of these sorts of books on the market at the moment and this is much better than one very well known one where the author is openly disdainful of pregnancy related calls and mental health ones. Jake is much kinder and more accepting that the role of the ambulance service has changed in recent years and that mental health calls especially are making up a bigger and bigger part of the paramedics daily duties.
The range of stories included are very good but I agree with other reviewers who have said that there isn't a building pace throughout the book and that this makes it 'putdown-able' which is not a great thing for a book.
Overall though, a good read and good insight into what goes on behind the blue lights.

I enjoy reading medical memoirs and this was an interesting read. Jake tells about how he became a paramedic and gives an insight into life in an ambulance and as a fast responder. Jake tells this with respect and dignity.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Quercus for this book. I love medical memoirs and this one about the life of a paramedic was wonderful. At times hilarious, moving and also thought provoking, this is a must-read for everyone to appreciate the vital and incredible work carried out by paramedics. A well written and very insightful book that I wholeheartedly recommend.

Jake Jones is a paramedic in the UK going from a trainee to a paramedic. Jake didn't start his journey from university like others but instead changing from an office job.

We don't really learn that much about this training or about his personal life instead the book is focused on the cases he goes to and some of the procedures around the job. The book does cover a long period of time in reality but it feels like we are only with him a week.

I did enjoy the book, it was a good read. The only complaint which actually isn't a complaint more of a passing comment is that it was just one level, there wasn't any increase in excitement it didn't build anywhere but it was still enjoyable.

Every time I read a book from a medical professional it is heartbreaking to see the way some people treat them and unfortunately, this is no exception.

I've never called an ambulance for myself or been in one but I would hope if I every were it would be someone sympathetic like a number of the medics in this book. You never know who they have seen before you so be kind.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for this an honest review.

Fascinating book giving a wonderful insight into the world of the Paramedic. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading factual stories with the human element included.

Honest, heartbreaking and funny too. This book gives an insight into a world most of us will never get to see....absolute must read :)

Thank you to @netgallery and @quercus for allowing me to read Can you hear me? By Jake Jones

I am a big fan of a medical memoir so this read is right up my street. I really liked the title of the book, which isn’t something i usually mention.
It was an easy read, fast pasted, interesting stories. It felt genuine and as thought Jake Jones could be a friend who is telling you about his day at work.
If your not medically minded, you can also read it, there wasn’t a heavy amount of medical language used which i would have expected but I assume that’s because I’m so used to reading this genre.

I did find that, especially at the start of the book, it jumped around a lot. From him talking about a call to then discussing his thoughts on another topic and jumping back again. At times i found it a little frustrating.

There is no denying that Paramedics are heroes. I take my hat off to them, I don’t think i could do what they do, see what they see. I have seen first hand what calm and collected people they are, even in moments of panic.
I am great full for everything that they do, the situations they put themselves in and the fact that we have access to them when we dial 999.

Overall Is it the best medical memoir I have read? No, but I didn’t dislike it, i have just read better. Would I recommend you read it? Maybe, but there’s better ones i would suggest first.

Paramedics really are the front line when it comes to emergencies and this book gives an insight into the many diverse situations they have to deal with.

Our NHS gets a lot of stick but reading this memoir makes you realise what this profession achieve, often with few resources and a whole host of work.

A book that shows paramedics for what they are - true heroes. They are the ones that start the life-saving process when they are called to an emergency, they are the ones that clean up the scrapes and save a trip to the hospital.

This book was a real eye-opener, it highlighted what Jake had to deal with including time-wasters but he stills did a great job with passion and empathy.
So many of us are quick to moan about how long it’s taking for an ambulance to come (I myself am guilty for that) but after reading this book you realise even more how much pressure they are under, they’re not simply sat in the ambulance waiting for their next call.

Jake told his stories with care, but also there was some witty parts so it was a light read in places.

On Thursday when we clap for the NHS I will clap a little bit harder for the paramedics.

Many of us in the UK woke up this morning to a changed world. We are now effectively in lockdown with restrictions imposed on our travels, work and exercise. They are tough measures, but necessary because it seems that far too many people aren’t taking COVID-19 seriously. Rather than angry, this just makes me sad that in a time when the country needs to come together to help stop the spread of this nasty virus, there is still a lot of selfishness out there. I know these are scary and strange times but we need to think of others as well as ourselves at this time, and namely our precious but precarious NHS.

CAN YOU HEAR ME? seems to be an all the more poignant read right now as the UK health services are coming under unprecedented pressure as they struggle to cope with the impact of COVID-19. Jake Jones’s memoir talks about what it’s like to be on the frontline as a paramedic, the first responders to many callouts, large and small, minor and emergency. It’s a fascinating insight into the daily lives of just one of the pillars of our amazing healthcare system, and, alongside THIS IS GOING TO HURT by Adam Kay, it is an essential read that demonstrates just how important our healthcare staff are.

As someone whose partner is a healthcare front-liners, please follow the government guidelines to do your part in fighting the coronavirus outbreak. Our healthcare front-liners aren’t superhuman; they are giving the best they can to help us, so the least we can do is help them by staying at home.

If you’re fighting the cabin fever, I am running my daily writing prompts in my stories to help keep you inspired. I’ll also be pulling together some more material in the coming days and weeks and creating a newsletter so that inspiration can be delivered directly to your inbox. Drop me a line if you’d like to be included, otherwise I’ll pop a link on my website in due course.

Thank you to @quercusbooks books for this #gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.

What an insight into the world of paramedics! Well written, funny yet poignant. Well written.
Would highly recommend!!

I enjoy NHS memoirs and this one didn’t let me down. Informative, humorous and emotional. Not the best one that I’ve read but still very enjoyable.

This book is not what I expected. There were a lot of philosophical tangents which were just a tad long-winded and a bit boring which made me zone out. The book also didn’t flow particularly well. The first few chapters jump around all over the place and are just confusing but it never really settles.

However, some of the cases were really interesting and it was great at showing the vast array of case types. It highlights how weird it must be to not find out what happens to your patient after you get them to hospital. It also shows how underfunded the NHS and social care industries are.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I love a good medical memoir and Can You Hear Me? is definitely up there with one of the better ones I've read. Jones shows us all different angles of society and how the ambulance service is overrun trying to deal with mental health support.

One of the more intriguing aspects of this book is how you don't find out what happened to the patients (in most cases), which is the exact situation paramedics find themselves in. At first, I found this a bit frustrating but then I realised I was missing the point of the book.

It lost a star as I occasionally found myself zoning out as the author occasionally goes off on long philosophical discussions and although sometimes enlightening, they were often just a little too long.

Highly recommended.

After reading 'This is going to hurt' (insight into junior doctors) and 'A bit of a stretch' (insight into a normal person's experience in going to prison) I was keen to read this similar proposition of a real-life experience of a paramedic.
It didn't disappoint. For the majority it was interesting to get a feel of the day to day experiences of a paramedic and what they encounter. Overall it got a bit 'samey', which can't be helped and a feeling of frustration was apparent, which was half expected - much like in the doctor and prison books I read prior to this, with their own budget difficulties.
I'd recommend this to anyone interested in getting a feel for life as a paramedic. Nothing ground-breaking but an interesting read for sure.

Many thanks for the ARC, I'm very grateful.

Really love books based on real events ever since I found Adam Kays books, and this was just as good.
It makes you really understand what it's like being on the frontline and really appreciate the job these guys do every day. In every scenario you read about it really is truly amazing how people cope in each unique scenario that is thrown at them.

If I could give these books more than five stars I would.