On Rotation tells the story of medical student, Angie Appiah and her struggles with medical school, her Ghanaian parents, romance, friendship, and life.

This was a good layered read that wasn't only a romance but almost a coming-of-age story for Angie. I loved reading about her patients and med school experience as much as I loved reading about the romance.

Omg the miscommunications!!! I swear I wanted to bop both of them upside the head to knock some sense into them. These characters made us work for the happily ever after!

Overall, this was a cute read.

Thank you Netgally and harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for providing the ARC.

This was such an amazing read.

It was not wholly romance. It was more women's fiction mixed together with a coming of age story, and it was done in such a fantastic way that this story will resonate with everyone. I am not the child of immigrants, nor am I a doctor, but I think there is a very real thread tying people together through the shared experience that Angie goes through.

The characters in this book were a delight. I loved Nia and Michelle, and how their friendships with Angie were the same but also different enough that it left them at odds with each other sometimes. I loved Ricky, even though most of the time I was internally screaming at both him and Angie to just talk. I didn't care for her younger sister though - she acted very bratty and condescending to Angie, and I never felt like she appreciated anything that Angie did or was feeling.

Overall, it was an excellent read and a lot of fun. What an fantastic book from a great author.

Three and a half stars rounded up. There were things I loved about this book and other things I disliked.

First of all, I appreciate that this isn't atypical romance novel. Yes, a romantic relationship is a pivotal part of the plot but it's really about Andie's personal journey. Dating is a part of that but an almost bigger part is her medical school career. I loved the scenes when she's working with patients. It told me a lot about this character and also I learned some things about life as a medical student.

I was not a fan of her love interest Ricky, he's a flake. BUT he's a realistic guy. He's not a perfect romance hero and I do appreciate that about him. Their on again off again was frustrating as a reader but felt representative of real relationships.

Overall this was an interesting, engaging read and I recommend it for romance readers.

Thank you so much to Netgally and the publisher for sending me an e-arc of this book!

Characters: 4.5/5
Writing: 4.5/5
Plot: 3/5
Overall: 4/5

I had such a good time reading this book! The characters are beautifully written, and the story is heartwarming. It's definitely more of a slow burn romance, or possibly even contemporary fiction. There was quite a bit of miscommunication and back-and-forth, but the epilogue made it all worth it! This is a must read for all women in the medical field!

Review:
This has all the buzz words that get me excited for a story. I loved the generational feel of this story and the characters were so interesting. I felt like I learned some about another culture but it was such a grounded story and easily relatable even given the obvious cultural differences for me. I love Angela - she was so relatable and I felt for her as she feels like her life is falling apart. I just wanted to give her a hug and then I really felt like Ricky filled that role for me.

Such a quick read with a great story.

Synopsis:
For fans of Grey’s Anatomy and Seven Days in June, this dazzling debut novel by Shirlene Obuobi explores that time in your life when you must decide what you want, how to get it, & who you are, all while navigating love, friendship, and the realization that the path you’re traveling is going to be a bumpy ride.

Ghanaian-American Angela Appiah has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter.”

Enroll in an elite medical schoolSnag a suitable lawyer/doctor/engineer boyfriendSurround self with a gaggle of successful and/or loyal friends
But then it quickly all falls apart: her boyfriend dumps her, she bombs the most important exam of her medical career, and her best friend pulls away. And her parents, whose approval seems to hinge on how closely she follows the path they chose, are a lot less proud of their daughter. It’s a quarter life crisis of epic proportions.

Angie, who has always faced her problems by working “twice as hard to get half as far,” is at a loss. Suddenly, she begins to question everything: her career choice, her friendships, even why she's attracted to men who don't love her as much as she loves them.

And just when things couldn’t get more complicated, enter Ricky Gutierrez— brilliant, thoughtful, sexy, and most importantly, seems to see Angie for who she is instead of what she can represent.

Unfortunately, he’s also got “wasteman” practically tattooed across his forehead, and Angie’s done chasing mirages of men. Or so she thinks. For someone who’s always been in control, Angie realizes that there’s one thing she can’t plan on: matters of her heart.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let me just say that I really enjoyed this book and related to it so much. On Rotation is about medical student Angelah Appieah and how she balances life and love. Even though I went to pharmacy school instead of medical school, I know what it’s like to be overwhelmed with school work, not having much time for family/friends, and of course getting tripped up on questions from not so friendly preceptors during rotations. (I even cried during a presentation once, how embarrassing). I have lived all of this! It is crazy how so many of us have shared experiences. Let’s get into Ricky though. I did not like him at first because I don’t like men who pretend not to be interested but are all in your face the next day, yeah another relatable experience chile lol Angie and Ricky eventually got it together after working out their issues with each other. There is a very sweet grand romantic gesture involved, spoiler alert. I loved Angie’s circle of friends and how they were always there to cheer her up. There’s also LGBQTIA representation in this novel! Overall, I enjoyed On Rotation and recommend that you all check it out when it hits shelves next month! As always, happy reading!

Thank you to Avon and Harper collins for this ARC in exchange for an honest review

I loved the originality of the plot since I haven’t read many medical student romances so I was excited to read this one. However I was thinking a spicy Greys anatomy which set me up for failure.  😂😂 

Angela is a Ghanaian med student who is trying to figure out her life at 25. I loved the insight into the Ghanaian culture, the pre med culture, and the expectations that both loaded on her. Her relationships with her family and her best friend through all of the good and bad times were beautifully written. 

Ricky’s loyalty to his family was heart warming. They way he spoke about his Abuela was my favorite. However Ricky and Angela’s relationship was MESSY. It was filled with ups and downs and just a pinch of spice. 

Overall I recommend this book and I would definitely read another one of Obuobi’s books.

As a graduate student who has many friends in medical school as well as a physician for a sister, I was truly drawn to this book by its description. I am very glad that I was able to read it and review it early.
Obuobi really wrote a masterpiece with this book. It does have an interesting and slow start; however, it picks up just the right amount of pace.
Angie is a character that I think everyone in their mid-twenties can relate to as they are figuring out who they want to be versus their parental expectations.
I also enjoyed how the love story was not the main plot but learning to love yourself was.
I would highly recommend this book. I enjoyed it. it was a breath of fresh air.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC from NetGalley and Avon/Harper Voyager! This book is a beautiful debut #ownvoices about a Ghanian American woman working her way through Medical School all while juggling life, family and relationships. Loved this one! Angie and Ricky had great chemistry, and was an overall sweet romance. Obuobi tackles some heavy topics and does an excellent job! 4 stars!

*4.5

I didn’t know what to expect going into this book but I really enjoyed it. The miscommunication was a bit much at times but Angie and Ricky were cute so I got over it.

I received an arc through netgalley.

You ever really enjoy a book but wanna fight the characters? This is that book for me. 😂

I’ll start by saying, I give this book 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story was great. The author addressed topics about disparities for Black Americans in the health care system, Ghanaian culture and family dynamics, Latino friendships, relationships, self doubt, being alone, LGBTQIA+ representation, first immigrant children, addiction, finding yourself, and so much more. She hits it all.

This story is about Angela, a third year medical student. Angela’s story starts out with her boyfriend breaking up with her minutes before he is to meet her parents. The breakup hits her hard in more ways than one but she doesn’t get a whole lot of time to grieve before she meets Ricky. She and Ricky hit it off immediately but that comes to a halt when she finds out he has a girlfriend. Angela shifts her focus back into school and we get to see her journey as a 3rd year resident. Between her complicated relationship with Ricky, her friends her family, and her advisors/attending doctors (Dr. Wallace, pull up, I just wanna talk 👊🏾) at school, Angela goes through it.

Okay…so I wanted to throw my Kindle at the wall a few moments during this story. Particularly when it came to Ricky, he was my least favorite character. I felt like he gaslit Angela several times throughout and I just wanted to hit him. When he told her, “Not every guy who’s nice to you is hitting on you…” when he was indeed hitting on her made me want to flip a table. Then the situation with her bestie and roommate, Nia, lawd. 😩😩😡😡

All throughout there were so many moments where I found myself just going off at my Kindle because DAMN these characters made me work for a satisfying conclusion. But it came and I appreciated it a little more because Angela got everything that was coming to her. I won’t go into much more detail cuz BUY THE BOOK when it comes out JUNE 21st, 2022!!!

But this is what a good book does, take you on an emotional roller coaster and have you feeling all the feels all the way through. Also, I couldn’t put it down. I picked it up and finished in 2 days 😭😭😭

4 stars. I went back and forth with the narrator but untimely, I liked her. I didn’t like Ricky as a romantic lead at first but he won me over as well. The Goodreads description should be changed though because it does not feel wholly accurate. Also, there are a few too many asterisks that could probably just be in the main text. Everything else though? Chef’s kiss. It works really as a self realization journey with romance elements. Also, I love the importance it put on friendships.

cws: racism, sexism, medical trauma, medical info, gunshot victim, emotional cheating/mention of cheating, alcoholism, addiction, death of a parent

On Rotation was a solid 4.5 star read, rounded up to a 5.

Angie Appiah is a stubborn, sometimes selfish, very insecure medical student who makes mistakes and is messy and experiences growing pains and gets to be unapologetically herself (mistakes and all). I love getting to see messy girls in books, and I love even more when they learn from their mistakes.

I cried reading this. Watching Angie’s friendships ebb and flow and watching her come to the realization that she is enough for herself, that she doesn’t need anyone’s company to be okay, it was just so good.

I’ll be honest, though, I literally did not care about Ricky. He gaslight Angie, he emotionally cheated on his girlfriend at the beginning of the book, he just wasn’t my favorite. The epilogue was sweet, though, I’ll give him that much. I don’t think this book should be classified as a romance, either, as it was definitely more of a contemporary fiction.

I would absolutely recommend this to my friends and I cannot wait to see what else Shirlene Obuobi writes.

Thank you to Netgalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a unique book that I very much enjoyed! On Rotation tells the story of a young medical student, Angie Appiah, and the challenges she faces in love, life and medicine. I wouldn't necessarily classify this one as romance. It definitely falls more into the women's fiction/coming of age category in my opinion. In fact, the romance was actually what I liked least about this book. Angie's dating struggles are so real and honest, but I didn't love the connection (and drama) between her and Ricky.

As a whole, this is a lovely debut! Shirlene Obuobi managed to write a fun and entertaining book that tackles some really heavy issues in a genuine and heartfelt way. As a nurse who spent her 20's working in a pediatric hospital, it was fun to read a lighter fictional book set in the medical world (although at times it did remind me why I'm so glad I left the bedside). I think one of the reasons I enjoyed this so much was because of the setting, but Obudobi writes about her own field in such an engaging and approachable way that non-healthcare folks will love this too!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book; all opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for allowing me to be an early reader.

Format - E ARC (net galley)

Rating- ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Spice- 🌶

Series- N/A

Troupes- medical drama, friends to lovers, STEM Rep,

CW- Racism, Sexism, death of a parent

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I requested this debut novel. Ali Hazelwood recommended it so obviously I wanted to read it. This book was so much more than the unique cover and synopsis suggest. Yes it’s about a first generation Ghanaian woman fighting her way though medical school, but it’s also about the friendships you build and the community you surround yourself with.

Obuobi gives us such a dynamic character in Angie, she is a complex and engaging and she’s so real and flawed and scared of the unknown. Ricky is her opposite he’s calm and stead but he is also unsure of himself and his place in the world.

I am not a huge fan of Grey’s Anatomy (it’s just to dramatic for me) so when I see that people are comparing this book to that I don’t quite understand. Angie is a 3rd year medical student so there is a fair amount of medical terminology and situations, but not so much that it distracts from the story telling. I also really appreciate the * though out the story that lead you to an explanation or tidbit from the Author/Angie.

This book is about Angie and how she finds love while also living this life she has chosen for herself. It has a HEA but it is not all about the romantic love. There is strong friendship and family love that support her long the way and this wonderful book depicts it all beautifully.

This book will draw you in and keep you engaged until the end it was truly a joy to read even while crying. I look forward to more from Obuobi!

Thank you Netgally and harper Voyager for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I did like this book, but I had a few gripes with it. It started off with sort of a cheating vibe, which is never my thing. I understand having a connection with someone and not wanting to admit it because you’re dating someone else, but I felt like Ricky was gaslighting her at certain points because of his own conflicted feelings and insecurities. And while it was addressed, I don’t know if his groveling was good enough to make up for it for me. Angie addressed her self issues and took accountability and I felt like his were brushed aside for the most part.

Though with that said, it started off rough for me because if those reasons but I did enjoy it. I’m a pre-med student and I’m black, so the conversations about not feeling good enough and imposter syndrome were on point. And also I love that health disparities due to race were brought up.

This book wasn’t just a romance, it dealt with friendship issues, family issues, so many issues. But.. overall I did enjoy it. I just wish some things didn’t get under my skin as much as they did. The epilogue was very sweet.

Wow! This book!

I requested On Rotation by Shirlene Obuobi because I thought it would be an enjoyable read. I was really blown away by the emotional depth and realness of this story. To me, the story was primarily about Angie and secondarily about her relationship with Ricky. I loved Angie. Seeing her finish medical school and come into her own was awe inspiring. Also, the research nerd in me loved the description and importance of Angie’s research study.

I had high expectations from this one, but reality wasn't close to the mark. I tried picking this up multiple times and forced myself to finally read a big chunk of it, but I couldn't bring myself to love it.

I think it's too hyped with the black person and medical student tropes. I'll maybe read Obuobi's next book after thoroughly scanning the reviews.

4.5 This was so good! This was full of heart, smart, and freaking funny. We follow Angie, and her trials with medical school, love, friendships and family. This was for sure a romance but had a heavy dose of women’s fiction in there. This was light but not fluffy, sweet but not saccharine. I loved the inclusion of Ghanaian culture and I was right at home with the medical lingo and setting.

Quite possibly my favorite romance so far this year!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!

Book Review: In this debut novel we meet Angie, a Ghanaian American medical student who is navigating relationships in her life. We see her learning to set boundaries and define her role with herself, her friends, her parents, and her romantic partners. She hits a point where she’s struggling with all of these relationships, so she throws herself into her med school work.

I was drawn to this novel because of the reference to Grey’s Anatomy and Seven Days in June, and I immediately added it to my TBR. At times I was wishing for more medical scenes and more detail on her research project, though I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Angie, Ricky, their families, and their friends. Such a great setting for their story.

In their “can’t stay away from each other” storyline, it was nice to see insecurities shown honestly and met with forgiveness from people who love them. Looking forward to more from this author!

Thank you to @netgalley @avonbooks and @harpervoyagerus for providing an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review – I was thrilled when I got approved!