Member Reviews
A compelling medical drama about a first year resident, Norah. The story centered around her struggles as a new doctor and also included some issues with family and identity, plus a little side of romance / relationships. I didn't LOVE any of the characters but did find most of them to be interesting enough that I flew the book pretty quickly. I look forward to reading more books by this author!
I really enjoyed reading this book. The characters were very well-developed and felt like real people, which I really enjoyed. I also loved the premise. I've watched many TV shows in a medical setting, but I haven't read many books like that, so this was a nice change of pace. The pacing of this book was well done. However, there were a few times that it felt like it just didn't keep my attention well. Overall, I enjoyed this book.
I love a good medical fiction, and this novel hits it just right with medicine and life. Instead of falling into the Grey's Anatomy trap, "The White Coat Diaries" doesn't feel fluffy or trite. It's emotional, inspirational, and really delves into (what I think) is the reality of being a physician.
One thing led to the next and I wasn’t able to read this book when it first came out. It still always intrigued me, but I just kept putting it off. When I came across it in the library, I figured now was as good a time as any to finally get this one off of my list.
Norah is a first year medical Intern. She has always felt medicine was her calling. This book follows her through her first year as she balances learning medicine and romance with a resident.
Ugh. I should’ve just continued to ignore this book. Norah is one of the most dislikable characters I’ve read in a very long time. She starts off naïve and ends up being completely insufferable. I don’t have any patience for characters who try to excuse “new experiences” and “innocence” as reasons to why they’re terrible friends, daughters, and overall people. She completely tanks a 15 year long friendship over making out with some guy. And all of her excuses are “this is new to me.”
Her brother and sister-in-law are also horrific people. She should cut off all contact with them and never speak to them again. At one point, she’s on call and dealing with multiple emergencies and her brother is calling her because her mother’s blood pressure is high and she refuses to go to the ER. And Norah keeps answering the phone!! And nothing happens!!
The only exciting part of this book happens at about 75% and even then it’s completely predictable. I got so annoyed with all of the characters (supposed love interest included), that I started to skim the last 25%. All I wanted to know was whether or not Norah was going to get in trouble, rightfully so, for the death of a patient.
Also, this book was in the romance section? Why? There is only a vague hint of romance in this story but she doesn’t end up with anyone and she doesn’t even really have a relationship with anyone throughout the totality of this book.
Skip this one. I understand why it’s noted as a nod to Scrubs and Gray’s but it’s such a poorly written tribute. The characters are insufferable, the storyline predictable, and the writing mediocre. I wish I had continued to let this one sit on my TBR shelf instead of spending the time reading it.
This author dragged a reviewer over social media for providing an honest review. Her comments were unfair and untrue and as a result I will not be reading or reviewing this book.
This was not at all what I expected, and in a good way. I thought it was going to be a romance novel, but it this really is more about what a graduate of med school goes through while completing their residency than it is a romance, and therefore I enjoyed this so very much.
Norah Kapadia is learning how to follow in her father's footsteps of becoming a doctor, all while finding who she is, struggling to stand her ground both against a mother that thinks she would be better off married and having children, and a family that thinks she is doing the most and should just take a seat. The residency life is hard enough on its own, but with all of these other outside pressures, and the fact that Norah is very naive about life itself, she is struggling with juggling everything and is also questioning whether she is even doing the right thing.
Like I said, I really enjoyed this one, and the medical information was an extra bonus that was great. There were ups and downs galore but I loved going on Norah's journey with her as she found herself in many sticky situations, some of which I'm sure are very common in the medical field and I thought she handled them all very well. (Well not all of them she did at first but she found her way eventually).
This one had been sitting on my shelf for a while and I am so glad I got to it, I really enjoyed it and would absolutely recommend it to others!
This was not the book for me so it was sadly a DNF. I liked the concept and was excited for it but I just couldn't get into it. DNF'd at 30%.
Fast read, and got the vibe of Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs. Honest feedback, I loved the book! I enjoyed reading a day in the life of Norah and the crazy lives of doctors. So grateful for what they do.
HOLY HELL THAT WAS INTENSE. I went into this thinking it was a rom com (because cover) and NOPE. Not that at all. I was totally sucked in though and am now convinced that I don’t ever want to seek medical care again because the entire medical field is so dysfunctional and WHY DO THEY TREAT MED STUDENTS AND INTERNS LIKE THAT???
but seriously, if you want a very cynical look at the inside of a hospital, crack this open and settle in. I was horrified and absolutely riveted.
In The White Coat Diaries, we are transported to a world filled with medical terms, diagnosis, and the life of a working woman. Through the life of Norah Kadapia, we are shown her world in the beginning as an intern at a hospital, learning the ropes of what it would truly take to become a doctor.
But, along the way, we are given drama, complications, and a burst of emotions in which a doctor must face. Luckily for Norah, with the help of resident Dr. Ethan Cantor, she is able to gain insight and a deeper understanding of life as a doctor.
I gave The White Coat Diaries three stars, liking the way we got an introduction with how an intern lives and works. Through the life of Norah Kadapia, I felt that it was so easy to feel her emotions run through me. I felt connected to her and I could see how much of her character shown through the words. I found the relationship between Norah and Ethan quite interesting, quite enjoying how even though they had a romance, in some ways, I'm glad that the focus of The White Coat Diaries was not on her relationship with Ethan and her properly ending up with Ethan. I did however find it quite interesting to read as the synopsis on Goodreads had mentioned that The White Coat Diaries was romance focused, however, it didn't feel that way.
I found that while reading The White Coat Diaries, it was a little messy. While I know that this was showing the life of doctors and interns, it wasn't the story I found messy, it was more the writing style that made me uncomfortable. I felt that everywhere I read, I was focusing on ten different things at once. It made me confused for majority of the part and I just felt all over the place while reading this.
That being said, I did enjoy the growth Norah went through during the whole book and I liked how she became such a strong doctor and growing throughout the book. I feel like in some ways, I got a little bit more of an understanding toward doctors, nurses, and the interns and students that are hoping to one day become doctors.
DNF 21%
I didn’t connect with any of the characters or the story line. I wasn’t feeling the medical part of the story. It wasn’t interesting to me. Nora’s mom was very annoying. I just couldn’t continue.
The author comes from a medical background, and it shows in the authenticity of her description of life in a hospital emergency department.
Norah Kapadia has worked hard throughout college and medical school to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor. In spite of the sleep deprivation and often grumpy patients, she is happy, except maybe when her parents continue to push her to be the perfect “Indian daughter.”
I think many of us forget that when doctors graduate from medical school, that the upcoming years of residency are also meant for learning. Mistakes can still happen, and Norah has her share, most of them easily fixable, but when she is faced with an unethical situation, her decisions may come back to haunt her.
The book was OK, but not one that I’d go out of my way to read.
This felt a little like watching Grey's Anatomy - a show which I love - or The Resident - another show I definitely love. The one downside to it was that I felt a little worried about seeking any medical treatment now, now being more aware of the crazy errors or overworked nature of those in the medical profession.
I didn't care for the ending but it definitely made sense. I really enjoyed this book and would love to read more like it.
My library currently owns this book. While I enjoyed it, I didn't like it as a much as I thought I would.
Norah Kapadia is an intern at Philadelphia General - and it pretty much sucks. The book takes us through her intern year from her terrible first day to her relationship with her resident, Ethan, to the death of a patient to family issues. I really enjoyed this. I’m now feeling completely justified in never wanting to go to med school. This is women’s fiction not a romance like I normally read, and I really enjoyed the departure. There’s a little romance, but it definitely isn’t the star of the show.
My Review:
I started it before we planned our big international move but the nonengaging storyline made me put it down then I have a very big reading slump and so I didn’t pick it up again. This time I finished the book within 2 days. The storyline is the most interesting one but it has so many sickening details !! unless you have a good tolerance to the hospital’s gory details and a little bit of curiosity about a doctor’s life you can’t finish it! kudos to the author for this detailed sneak peek at a medical graduate’s life, I enjoyed the story. Seriously I felt doctors are much-underappreciated after reading this. Hats off to their service, if the story’s motive is just to make us realize this, then it definitely won on that aspect. But I hate the final chapters, it’s more of a drama for me than realistic and I really hate the way it ends. Otherwise, if you have good resistance to any bloody details about the human body and other things doctors doing it’s worth the read!! I recommend it!
Thoughts while reading:
The Indian aspect of the story is very well-formed. It’s a quite natural and believable story.img_8558
The nerd woman who established herself in the most difficult part of her life when being unsupported by her family is heart-wrenching but very entertaining too.img_8559
I hate the romance part of the story, the intelligent doctor who is logical about everything couldn’t figure out her relationship is irritating but still believable too! After all, love is blind isn’t it?img_8560
The politics of the medical field, how the doctors should be inhuman to survive here is very well explained and makes me wonder how much is this true?img_8561
The point where a character explained how the nurses would be head over heels for the orders from male doctors and how they won’t give a damn about female doctor’s orders made me cringe!! it may be true or may not be but still, women need to prove themselves no matter what?!! Hats off to all the women who are constantly proving themselves in this unequal women bullying world!
I was unable to finish this book. While I loved the writing and story that it was developing, there was just too much hospital/doctor description for me that it made me queasy (needles, blood, etc). This is obviously just because I have a phobia of such things and in no way reflects my thoughts on the book overall.
I really enjoyed the characters and I really wanted to see where the story lead, however I needed to stop reading.
The synopsis of Grey’s Anatomy meets Scrubs sold me and that’s all I needed go dive in with The White Coat Diaries.
I love any medical tv drama but have only read a handful of medical drama books. I’m always so fascinated by the behind-the-scenes workings that go on in a hospital.
Overall I found this to be an enjoyable read, and Norah was a great character, thrown into the world of medicine as a resident. I also thought the family dynamics that parallel with Norah’s life of self discovery with her blooming career were enjoyable to watch unfold.
*many thanks to Berkley and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review. All opinions are my own
Every year, suffering Grey’s Anatomy fans are promised that this season, the series will return to the light-hearted funny show it was when it first premiered. And every year, people end up dying, leaving town abruptly for fan-hated exes, getting addicted to drugs, etc. Then after the season finale, we are promised next year will be the light and funny one. It’s a vicious circle that Grey’s fans can’t escape. The White Coat Diaries, which is pitched as Grey’s Anatomy meets Scrubs, will remind Grey’s fans of the roller coaster ride the show has put us on. Madi Sinha’s debut novel mostly delivers on the promise of the pitch. But three-quarters of the way through, it becomes a darker book.
For the complete review, click on the link below.
The White Coat Diaries is a compelling mix of medicine, self-discovery, romance, and family drama. A tough combo to pull off but Madi Sinha clearly knows her territory, as a doctor and writer, and as a reader, we really go along on the rounds. The hospital setting leads to comparisons to Scrubs or other medical soaps, and that's apt. But the writing has a depth and quality that make the characters last longer than a 30-minute episode. We root for, we cringe with and we get all the feels from Norah, our main character, an intense, driven medical intern with a demanding and perennially disappointed Indian mother, a charming BFF, and several romantic prospects.. Norah makes the mistakes of any 26-year-old, but her 'mistakes' have life or death consequences. Great set up for self-discovery. Does Norah get a Happily Ever After? You'll have to read it and see. I only wish this book had a better/different title. The "Diaries" construct is played out and this book is not diary-like in any way. The story deserved something fresher.