Doctors and Friends was mostly more and a little bit less than I had expected. Despite some heroics that even in the light of our experiences with COVID seem slightly overblown, the novel is absorbing. Once I got into it, which did not take very long, I could barely put it down. I wish it had a better title - Doctors and Friends makes me think it's a cheesy romance novel -- but once readers realize what it is they won't be sorry. I look forward to more good reads from Kimmery Martin.

Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin

Kimmery Martin wrote this story before Covid-19 became a part of all our lives. As a former emergency medicine physician, her understanding of the strain on the health care workers during a pandemic is shown here in horrifying detail. Before Covid-19, I think it would have been easy for me to dismiss the happenings in this story as something that happens somewhere else, to someone else, but after the last eighteen or so months, this story felt way too real.

The story covers seven women doctors, close friends since their medical school days. Each of them is successful in their medical specialty. Five of the women are present when one of the first known victims of a fast spreading virus fells a young woman. One of them, Kira Marchand, an infectious disease doctor at the CDC in Atlanta, is center stage in the effort to learn just what is killing hundreds of thousands of people and what can be done to save lives and stop the spread of this virus and one that comes after it.

Another of the friends is Compton Winfield, is an emergency room doctor in New York City, where the city is brought to a stand still by the number of victims of the pandemic. It's an unwinnable war for some and even for those who may survive the initial onslaught to their body, many will be hit later with something different but just as horrible. We also follow Hannah Geier, an ob-gyn in San Diego, whose hopes of finally having a baby may be shattered by this devastating virus.

As doctors, each of these women must keep working to save those they can, despite the futility of their efforts. Friends and family are lost, the emotional and mental toll is enormous, and they and other health workers struggle with exhaustion, grief, guilt, and the feeling of helplessness. Before now I've avoided reading a story like this because the "realness" was more than I wanted to face but I'm glad I read the story and I enjoyed the closeness, love, and unconditional support these women gave to each other. There are choices that must be made, life and death choices that may even decide the fate of the closest of family members, choices made under the worst of circumstances. I appreciate that despite the horribleness of the situation, that the author gave us some happy times and happy outcomes. Happy outcomes that can't erase all the heartache and loss but that allow for hope to exist, all the same.

Thank you to Elisha at Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

I cannot believe this book was written before the pandemic happened. I mean I do, but dang - people could have such clarity it would go down this way and yet the whole world was basically completely unprepared? How does that happen. It was eerily similar in way too many ways! -alternating chapters worked great. Really well done. Highly recommend!

DNF about 60% when i gave up. This was a well written book but just a little too technical for me. Living through this current pandemic made reading this difficult.

Doctors and Friends is more than anything a story about friendship, but it is also eerily about a pandemic, not COVID, but close enough to be tough going at times. It is the third in a series of books about women whose friendship remains strong since medical school. In this book, three of the women are heavily featured, Hannah, Compton, and Kira. Kira works for the CDC, Hannah is an ob-gyn, and Compton works in a New York City ER. Through happenstance, they happen to encounter the new virus in its earliest stage while on vacation, taking the ferry that runs between Spain and Morocco.

Kira is soon subsumed by the work of mitigating the virus, even appearing with the President to talk to the public about how to protect themselves. Compton is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster as NYC is the first city to see the virus surge. Hannah is desperately hoping to get pregnant while dealing with delivering babies during a pandemic. What if her patient has the virus, what if she gets the virus while pregnant.

The political polarization and refusal to wear masks or get vaccinated is not so much of a problem in this book, perhaps because the virus strikes children and young adults more than seniors. Kimmery Martin is too optimistic about how much we love our children, though. I think Sandy Hook proves that.

All three are profoundly changed during the pandemic. Kira faces a moral crisis of impossible choices. Compton must deal with unending tragedy and grief. Hannah balances hope and fear in an uncertain and painful time.



Doctors and Friends is an engrossing novel. I read into the wee hours and cried way too much. Martin began writing this before COVID and although the virus in her book is not a coronavirus, the response to a pandemic is going to be similar, eerily similar. Some people might find it difficult to read this while we are still mired in COVID, but others will find it comforting and reassuring to understand more of the complexities and hard decisions made by doctors in extremis. I think a lot of us have some form of PTSD from the lockdown and the loss. The best way to treat PTSD is to simulate its cause, perhaps this book would be helpful, more so because it adds that important emotional context often absent from journalistic accounts.

Martin created characters that I cared about. Now I want to read the other books in her series. These are not the typical series with cliffhangers and a continuing single story arc, they stand alone with the lives of a few being highlighted while the other friends are less prominent, but I want to read them all. I love books with smart, complex people who are good, kind, and competent.

Doctors and Friends will be released on November 9th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Doctors and Friends at Berkley | Penguin Random House
Kimmery Martin author site

What an exciting offering from Kimmery Martin especially in light of what we have all been through these past months. It was so realistic and gives the viewpoints of the medical professionals who are definitely struggling on t he frontlines with the pandemic but also with their personal lives. I held my breath as each dilemna presented itself for a solution. Super great book.

Doctors and Friends by Kimberly Martin is so authentic when compared to what we have all been living through. It's hard to believe that she wrote this before our pandemic because it's so scary real.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Author Kimmery Martin says she started this novel before the pandemic, and I believe her. Seven women formed a close friendship while in medical school. We’ve met some of the classmates in Martin’s early books: “The Queen of Hearts” involved pediatric cardiologist Zadie and Emma, a trauma surgeon; while “The Antidote for Everything” focused on urologist, Georgia. Her new novel concerns Kira, an infectious disease doctor at the CDC. Subplots involving Compton, an ER doctor in NYC during the pandemic and Hannah, an Ob-Gyn dealing with her own infertility, add to tension.

While the classmates are enjoying a reunion in southern Spain, a passenger on the Gibraltar ferry dies from a highly contagious lethal virus. Soon, each physician will be dealing with aspects of the global pandemic in her practice -- from sheer fatigue to ethical dilemmas.

This book is more medical suspense and women’s fiction, than apocalyptic. Overall, I found it hopeful. And I’m also looking forward to more books, unfolding more stories about this amazing group of women doctors.

WOW! What a timely read by Dr. Kimmery Martin. Written about a global pandemic, prior to the infamous Covid-19. We re-visit a few of our friends from her previous novels, so it does help if you are familiar with them.. Told in different points of views from our friends, Kira is our infectious disease specialist who is in hiding after putting her reputation on the line. The book is eerily relevant in today's day and age for the medical profession.

The only thing I struggled with was all the medical terminology. I really enjoyed the strong friendships and love each doctor had for one another.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars!

This eerily prescient novel about a global virus pandemic is a very well written but troubling read. The saving grace is the relationship and input of the doctor friends that give it a much needed human perspective. The healing power of their friendship is a testament to the resiliency of the human spirit.

Kira is an infectious disease doctor at the CDC. On her big girls trip with her best friends from med school, a mysterious illness pops up. Suddenly the friends are seeing the beginnings of the Artiovirus, and it’s not a pretty sight. This book was written before covid and while the story may feel familiar, it is not based off the current pandemic.

I hate writing this review. I hate it so damn much. I hate it because this book was 10000000% the wrong book at the wrong time. While Kimberly makes it clear in her authors note that this book was written before covid (I remember her talking about what she was writing right before covid so I know it’s true) but the idea of reading about a pandemic that isn’t covid, but through reading living through the early days through the sickness was like PTSD for me. It was reliving the early days at the grocery store when I had a panic attack over people not wearing masks and getting way too close to me, it was reliving the release of a vaccine, of an end in sight only for it to be pulled right back by people not getting the vaccine. It’s funny because I just finished and loved Jodi Picoults new book recently that is set during covid. I think with this one it was the medical side being shared which I always love in Kimmery Martins books, and if we weren’t still fighting this damn virus everyday I think I would have loved this book.

I am really liking this new author. This book was very realistic given todays world. I was interested to know that she had started writing it before the pandemic. Each book can be read alone but if you read the other two books she wrote, you can enjoy the stories of this group of doctors. I can't wait until her next book!

I have enjoyed the Dr. Martins’s two previous works, so I was thrilled to get an early look at the next, “Doctors and Friends”. Written BEFORE Covid-19, this is still a book about a viral Pandemic, called the “Artiovirus”, and the effects and responses of a group of mostly-female physicians live’s and practices. There are also “Before, During & After” viral timelines, which mostly focus on the three newcomer’s - Kira, Hannah & Compton. I particularly enjoyed the call-back characters from Martin’s two previous books. Now, while I understand that Dr. Martin wrote it before the current pandemic (which is really something!), I personally think it would had better impact to have re-edited it to COVID - both the actual virus name itself and the evolving medical information about it, so a lot more of us could relate. Nonetheless, I do recommend to any not burned out on pandemic reading. My sincere thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the complimentary DRC, which did not affect my review!

Doctors and Friends by Kimmery Martin Well written and with good balance between medical facts and lives and backgrounds of Hannah, Compton, and Kira. Although the book was written pre Covid, it hit too close to the current climate of the pandemic. Not a good read for me at this time.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Great just like her other books. She will be the author we have next spring at our Friends of the library Author dinner…I can’t wait

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e ARC of this book.
Amazing that this book was written prior to Covid 19. I would not have thought that pandemics and people's behavior would be that predictable. Jarringly realistic since we have been living this for the past year and a half. Well researched and written with likeable characters.

Although fiction (and not necessarily about the COVID-19 pandemic) this book will be a great reference for future readers looking for insight into the COVID-19 pandemic. The actions of the characters were heartfelt and believable (likely due to Martin's firsthand medical experience)

This was a wonderful read. How prescient was the author to imagine this "fake" virus and as we're reading, we are living in the midst of a real pandemic. Above all, this is a book of long-time friendships and how friends support each other no matter what. I couldn't put this down until I had finished it. Thanks to the authors and kudos to the doctors everywhere.

Man talk about chills! This was an impressive and realistic book especially with everything that has happened.The novel takes place in three timelines before , during, after, and the novel is about 8 doctors that are friends, Kira who works infectious disease, Cander works in in emergency medicine, Hannah is a Ob-Gyn Georgia who works in urology, Vani in internal medicine, Zadie in pediatric cardiology, Emma in trauma surgery, and Jonah works in family medicine. I truly enjoyed the friendship between these characters! It shows us fear of the unknown and suffering and responsibilities, that the doctors take on and deal with during a pandemic. I found this book to be unique, well written and a wonderful read!