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!

I loved this book! I could not put this one down. Great premise and likable characters. On Rotation is a book about self discovery in personal and professional aspects of life. I enjoyed exploring the different relationships of the main character Angela Appiah. This book would translate well on the big or small screen. A five star read.

I enjoyed this book. It’s always nice to read a book set in a medical setting with accurate medical information. Obviously this was the case because the author is a doctor herself. This is a will they won’t they romance with other elements of friendship and medical school trials and such. I hope the author continues to write!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of “On Rotation.” I was very excited to read this book! I think that I just had a hard time reading it due to the constant miscommunication and the willingness to just give up between Angie and Ricky. Overall, I feel like this book gave me an interesting and eye-opening insight as to what it’s like working in a medical field as a person of color. 3⭐️

Skipped the books on my TBR to read one that isn’t coming out until the summer and I am so glad I did. On Rotation is a story about how life can be messy at times and finding yourself. In this book we find Angie, usually the perfect immigrant daughter, with her life falling apart. She just got dumped by her perfect lawyer boyfriend, she failed her most recent medical school exam, and her long time best friend is pulling away from their friendship. Suddenly she’s questioning everything, when she meets Ricky and begins to question everything. There is so much about him to love, but so many reasons why they can’t ever be together. 

This book is definitely more women’s fiction and coming of age than romance with characters who felt so complicated, messy, and REAL. I loved so much about this book - from Angie’s journey of self-discovery that was filled with strength and emotion, to the hilarious, snarky footnotes that had me laughing throughout. I adored how Angie’s Ghanaian culture was woven into the story. I was able to learn so much about not only the culture but the perspective of her family as immigrants. The friendships were also a beautiful part of this story. I loved seeing how Angie’s female friends supported each other through all of life’s changes and stood by each other as they pursued their dreams. Finally the romance. I loved Ricky and despite all of the obstacles in their way, I was rooting for Angie and Ricky the whole time. I adored everything about this one and highly recommend it!

Huge thank you to Avon Books for the advanced copy.

On Rotation is easily one of my favorite books I've read this year, and undoubtedly one of the best contemporary romances I've read in years, if not ever. Angie, Ricky, Nia, and all of their friends, are characters that are well-intentioned, but flawed (as we all are in our twenties) and it makes them feel very real and makes them so endearing. I briefly found myself annoyed at the conflicts caused by miscommunication throughout the novel, but at the end of the day, it felt realistic and not out of character.

Some highlights:
- The footnotes!! I learned from some and laughed at others. They added a lot to the story and felt like they were always in the perfect place
- So many pop culture references - Beyonce, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and lots more
- Shae's they/them pronouns - and how there was no fuss made over them. We need more of this in all books.

Please be sure to check out the many reviews from Black women, Women of Color in medicine, and children of immigrants who are sharing great perspectives on this novel!

THIS BOOK TOUCHED MY SOUL. Now, I may be a little biased as an incoming medical school student, but I LOVED reading a medical school romance. The characters were deep, multidimensional, and overall amazing. Angie, an incoming third-year student brings us into her life a medical student just beginning her clinical rotations. The story begins as she is being dumped by her boyfriend, receiving a poor score on her board exam, and overall just having a rough time. Then we meet Ricky, a charming, sweet boy. Everything seems to be looking better... until we find out he has a girlfriend. Then the story really takes off.

I really think this book will be the next big thing. We have a swoon-worthy book boyfriend, but he's also very realistic, doesn't always make the right call, and isn't picture perfect. This story follows a romance through all its ups, downs, and everything in between.

We not only get a page-turning romance, but the author also weaves medical school culture, shines a light on the social determinates of health that plague our medical system, navigates maturing friendships, dynamic cultures, family drama, and a whole host of tough topics. I laughed, I cried, and I couldn't put this book down. Amazing work.

I love reading medically accurate fiction. The main character is in medical school and the author is a doctor, so there were no horrible medically inaccurate depictions like some previous books I’ve read or shows I’ve watched involving doctors. The love story is a will they won’t they and took a while to build up. Overall I enjoyed this and was immediately captivated and wanted to keep reading. Definitely recommend.

I was given an advanced reader’s copy from NetGalley and the publisher for my honest review.

Okay as a medical student, this book stressed me out more than I wanted it to but it was also worth all of the laughs and fast paced romance fix that I needed in school. There's a major focus on platonic relationships and family which I appreciate because it is so essential to have a strong support system in medical school. The main character navigates trying to impress her immigrant family and the "others" - the mysterious Whatsapp cloud of people who always have something to say from another country. When her life starts falling apart what's a girl to do but get stressed out and what the family and OTHERS will say? It is so relatable for immigrant children trying to live up to their parents expectations and navigating life when you finally realize IT IS YOUR LIFE not theirs and learning to accept that. Amazing representation in medicine and awesome that a DOCTOR wrote this book. Can't wait for more stories in medicine from this Shirlene Obuobi!!!

3.5 stars.

A very sweet story following a medical student as she deals with school, family, friends, and romance.

I really enjoyed the focus on platonic relationships alongside romantic ones. Angie's pain when a friendship falls apart feels so vividly real, and it's not something represented much. I also loved that she made mistakes, learned from them, and owned up to them. She's not perfect, but you can see her struggling and trying and doing better, and it made her story feel so much richer and realer as a result.

As a side note, it was sooooo nice to read a medicine-adjacent story written by an actual doctor. No eyerolling mistakes (although of course this is the year step 1 changes to pass/fail). Can't believe the author managed to write and publish while in residency/fellowship - blown away by her talent and looking forward to following her writing career.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is frustrating, heartbreaking, and beautiful! I love the opportunity to learn about other cultures and careers and this book holds both in abundance. Obuobi recreates the palpable stress levels of the chaos that I can only imagine of being a medical student.

Angie is a beautiful soul that I am so happy I had the opportunity to get to know.

Angie Appiah has many things in her life planned out. She's in year three of medical school, lives with her best friend since high school, is following the path her parents dreamed for her, and is, for the most part, happy. Even when her boyfriend of 6 months dumps her, she isn't devastated. She has her school to focus on, and she didn't care that much about him anyways. But when approached by a strange and handsome man that she has great chemistry with, Angie begins a journey of second guessing many things in her life. Part self-discovery, part romance, this novel features a powerful Ghanaian woman in a world dominated by men as she finds her place in it all.

This book, while well-written, was a let-down for me. I enjoyed a lot about this book. I enjoyed the representation of multiple women of color in the medical field. I enjoyed learning about the Ghanaian culture. I also enjoyed, for the most part, our main character Angie. What really made this book a miss is that none of the very frustrating actions of our characters were well-justified. Ricky, the love interest, is introduced in the basis of a lie. He lies at the onset of the novel and I never forgave him from there. His explanation did nothing to sway my feelings. Then, her best friend Nia (not sure about spelling since I listened to this novel) did the same thing. Her actions were awful and totally unjustified. Her explanation was, in my opinion, lacking. The same could be said for Angie's parents. They were also horrible to Angie. While their motivation (parents pushing their child) is the most understandable explanation, it still didn't change how much I disliked them (also, her dad never really makes any kind of concession). And then, after spending most of the novel liking her, Angie does the same thing at about 80% of the novel. She acts in a totally uncalled for way and it's not justified, or at least it's not justified in a way that makes sense. All the characters in this book were incredibly frustrating and their choices were not, in my opinion, acceptable. I wish I could say I didn't want this book to end, but, in all honesty, I was glad when it was over.

I don't think that the synopsis, cover art, or title of this novel do it justice. I would not bill this as a typical romance novel. Definitely a lot of self-discovery and coming of age rather than romance. Additionally, the title, "On Rotation," really doesn't make sense to me. Maybe it's something I don't get, but it just seems like a medical term was slapped on it.

Concerning the actual audio recording, I enjoyed the narrator and felt she did a really great job.

Angie is my girl. I will ride or die for this woman and that is that!

I loved this book! For reason's that actually surprised me.
Shirlene does many amazing things.

The friendships. I loved them! Their conflicts, their resolutions, their conversations. Everything about them was absolutely real and very genuine. As much as I love Angie, in the moments where she was wrong I am so happy her friends called her out on it! I'm happy we got to see them as adults and go through adult problems!

The Ghanaian culture! I loved learning more about Ghanaian culture through this book. As a Nigerian, it was fun texting my Ghanaian friends and having them ask for the name of the book where I learned about "knocking". I also loved the portrayal of the family, it was very triggering (as an African child with African parents like Angie), but seeing her power through and be assertive was the most beautiful and affirming thing!

The nerdiness! As a nerd! This was full of references and callbacks to the things I loved. Angie truly is one of us and I appreciated the representations.

On to some things I didn't really love.

The footnotes. My GOD! Reading this on a kindle was pain because of the back and forth I had to go through. It was also annoying that aside from being definitions, the footnotes also included some dialogue and very necessary character context for behavior. I wish those things were just written into the story. It really took me out of the story at times.

The romance. For a romance novel, that was the least exciting thing about this book. Every happy moment was soon followed by a not happy moment that it was so hard to root for them. I understand it was meant to show that some relationships aren't easy but it made me just dislike Ricky for the most part.
Did I tear up at the end? Yes, but only because my girl, Angie, was happy. I still do not trust Ricky one bit because of the back and forth we did throughout the book.

Overall, this was an amazing novel! I cannot wait to read more of Shirlene's stories :)

Thank you to AvonBooks and Netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a fun story that gave me some great cultural insight to a Ghanaian family living in the US. I enjoyed Angie and her personality. She had me laughing a lot. I thought this was a fun romcom that had good romance, but also touched on some serious topics!

I went back and forth a lot with this book, but in the end, I really ended up liking it. I think it would have been better to read a finished copy because some things about the ARC were annoying logistically (She had a bunch of * anecdotal notes, but they weren’t on the page of the note, they were all at the end. So I read them all at the end, and they were funny/insightful, and I think could have added more color to the story if you were reading them throughout the book - is that too nitpicky?). I also feel like most of the book read as a stream of consciousness, which can sometimes be hard to follow or stick with.

Anyway, I think there were a lot of things this book did well. I think the author captured how hard it can be to find a partner, be in a relationship, juggle higher education, friendships, pressure from family, and pressure one can put on themselves when trying to do it all. I think the romance in this book was interesting. I wasn’t into the male MC at first, but he slowly grew on me and in the end, I was in my feelings for them as they navigated life and their hardships. This book had a few triggers for me, so I’d recommend checking for CW, but if you are looking for a book written about a first-gen Ghanian girl navigating life and love, then I’d definitely recommend this book.

Thank you, Netgalley for this copy in exchange for my honest review :)

On Rotation is the story Angie Appiah, seemingly-Perfect Ghanaian Immigrant Daughter. She’s in medical school with a lawyer boyfriend and an amazing friend group… but when one by one, things start to fall apart, she finds herself crying in a garden when someone else walks into her life.

Shirlene Obuobi did an excellent job discussing the pressures of being an immigrant daughter, being in medical school, and navigating adult relationships. As a Black medical student, Angie experiences and sees so much racism and within the healthcare system, and this is one of On Rotation’s strongest storylines. Angie is also learning who she is throughout the book, which includes navigating a new romantic relationship. I absolutely love the meet cute between Angie and Ricky, and loved that they didn’t have an easy start because of the baggage they both had. I did think Angie’s character development went a little backwards — she started off as such a strong force in the beginning and all through the middle, but when she started second guessing Ricky over and over again, it felt to me like she regressed a bit and was being really immature. Angie’s friend group is rock solid, and I also thought that was really well done in this book. The ending was excellent and rounded out the book really well!

Thanks to Avon for the copy of this book!

3.5 stars

This book is difficult to review because it was such a mixed bag for me. There were some aspects I really enjoyed and then some writing choices and plotting that just didn't work for me (but it might for you!)

The Good:
-I loved Angie's sense of humor, she was fun to have as a protagonist and narrator
-Ricky was such a sweet guy, I'm over the bad boy, mean love interests. Give me all the sensitive souls
-The romance was very sweet, this was definitely more of a slow burn (but not entirely!) and it was definitely worth it
-Ties to cultural identity throughout. It's not a main theme in the book, but I did like getting to look at how Angie's Ghanaian culture played into her life as a child of immigrants

The Bad:
-My main issue here was that I kept getting the sense that this book couldn't make up its mind. Did it want to be a romcom? Or a medical drama? Or women's fiction? It tried its hand at all three and never really fulfilled any genre, and maybe that was intentional, but it didn't work for me.
-The conflict resolved wayyy too easily for me and I think that in part was due to the tell rather than show approach to the writing. It wasn't completely distracting once I got into this, but I would have liked more descriptions.
-Ricky's actions and some of the side characters seemed to occasionally be out of character to fit with the plot... which is not ideal lol

The Interesting:
This is just a piece of information that I found interesting; a lot of Angie's narrative (in a broad sense) mirrors our author Shirlene Obuobi and while after finding that out the book could feel a bit self-inserty, I still think that's rather cool and painted a pretty realistic experience of a Black med student.

Overall, a sweet debut that sort of falls into some of those first book faults, but Obuobi definitely shows a lot of promise.