A group of doctors, all longtime friends, are on vacation in Spain when one, who works for the CDC gets word that a bunch of chatter is happening about a new virus spreading in the location they're visiting, a virus that soon ends up spreading nationwide, resembling the 2020 Pandemic we just lived.

However, this novel, written by Dr. Martin, a former practicing emergency medicine physician, conceived, beautifully researched, and wrote this novel before the world knew about Covid-19 and it's important for people to know that going in, though there will of course be comparisons. So, while it will be tough for some people to read, this book will find its audience who will appreciate learning about the ends and outs of a pandemic after just living through one; I thought it was completely fascinating, not just the uniqueness of it, but the twists and turns she went with the story.

While it's a novel about the fake pandemic she has created, at its heart it is a novel about these women and the bonds of friendship they share, through flashbacks and present time, and how the virus affects there own lives. Dr. Martin uses characters from both of her first two novels The Queen of Hearts and The Antidote for Everything and I enjoyed seeing where they are now and what happened to them after the first novels ended.

Very well-written, heart wrenching, and just all around unique, Doctors and Friends is a novel about friendship quite unlike any other you've read, and it left me uncontrollably sobbing.....so....imo, it's a winner!

Thank you to the author and Berkley for providing a review copy!

Which one is more terrifying : observing the contagious virus’ spreading around the world and seeing how the lives have completely changed or reading a book which is written before outbreak seems like an exact premonition of what we have been getting through for nearly one and half years long!

I believe in the theory: we live what we imagine.

During the pandemic, I rejected to watch or read anything about contagious diseases, sci-fi movies or any content making me more agitated and exhaust my overthinking mind but here we go: this book will be the first attempt for me to wear my big girl pants, confronting my inner fears and when I started reading the first chapter, I was still having second thoughts but I ripped the band aid so fast and a little screaming and cursing later, I moved on. I think we all literally do the same thing.

This book seems like a standalone but if you read the previous books of the author, you will see there are characters including the eight doctors team. Georgia ( urologist), Jonah (specialized on family medicine) are from “Antidote for everything” , Zadie ( pediatric cardiologist) and Emma (trauma surgeon) are from Queen of Hearts.

There are three time lines: Before- During- After artiovirus.

The story starts with Hannah, Kira, Compton’s planing their trip to Seville. They have been close friends since medicine school and it became tradition for them to reunite once in a year to take a much deserved vacation. But their gathering ends quickly as they realize an outbreak of fast spreading virus throws the world into chaos, threatening lives.

Kira lives in Atlanta, raising two brilliant kids named Beau, Roarie, a successful infectious disease specialist who is the main character of the story. She’s calm, smart, protective mother. But now she has to give a life changing decision between becoming mother and proceeding the requirements of her job. An experimental new treatment opportunity can save lives but she gotta try that treatment on her own children. Could she do that?

Hannah works as ob- gyn in San Diego, spiraling slowly, psychologically exhausted for not fulfilling her own wish to give birth to her own child.

And Compton who returns back to her job as ER doctor in NYC, witnessing the changing face of the city after the outbreak and she already gets startled by her own personal loss now she tries her best to help people and live in the new normal chaotic world.

This book reminds us as we concentrate our own physical and mental well beings during the pandemic, the doctors out there put their patients first, saving lives, working long hours without seeing their own families. They are the soldiers on the front line, selfless, brave, true heroes!

This meaningful, impressively realistic work made us remember those facts! Just because of that as soon as you got rid of PTSD effects of COVID-19, I highly recommend you to this book!

Especially the last few twists and conclusion of the story was satisfying. I loved the characters. It still disturbed me to read a book about contagious virus but I tried to concentrate on the characters’ stories and their own dilemmas to ease my mind.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

It isn’t required, but I suggest reading Kimmery Martin’s previous books before this one. It is a stand-alone but with multiple characters featuring prominently, getting to know some of them in the other books will help you keep track of this who’s who.

While this is a pandemic book, it is not about COVID-19. It’s about an imaginary virus with the author’s imagining of a pandemic response. That being said, it’s definitely hard not to view it with that lense. As far as this goes compared to the influx of pandemic-related books, this one gets a lot more technical considering Martin’s background. I enjoyed it, but it may not be for everyone. I stand by saying her books are like reading an episode of Grey’s Anatomy so something to think about there. I appreciated getting a fictional narrative from a physician’s perspective and also felt the personal/emotional parts were done very well. I definitely got tears in my eyes at some points!

This was an interesting book to read at the tail end of Covid-19. If you read the author's notes at the end of the book (and I highly recommend you do), you will learn that Kimmery Martin started this book way before Covid-19 existed. It was only during the editing process that Covid started. Most of what happens in Doctors and Friends parallels quite closely with the experience we just had. This is not unusual considering past pandemics around the globe, the science, and human behavior.

Reading this book during the Covid-19 lens and while we are still living through it changes the experience. It becomes less of a work of fiction and more like a slightly altered experience. I can't help but think how I would have processed it differently had Covid not happened. Certainly the medical jargon would have been harder to understand had I not heard it in the news over and over again. In that respect, this book skews heavily towards medicine and science.

The pandemic is viewed through the eyes of seven doctors, women who are close friends in practices in different fields and locations. While I found their various medical experiences interesting, at times it was hard to keep the character's lives separate. I wish they had more distinctive personalities. Kira and Compton seemed to be the most fleshed out characters but I feel like they got the most time devoted to them in the book. This book tried to be too much I think, being a medical thriller and a book focused on close friendships.

If you aren't burned out on all things pandemic, you will appreciate the accuracy of this book. If you need more time, be sure to revisit it later. The women are independent, determined, and intelligent and it would be nice to hear more of their individual stories in the future.