3.5⭐️ rounded up to 4.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The chemistry between Julian and Grace was amazing. The playful hate-flirting gave exactly what it needed to. For a lack of a better way to describe it, it was like really good fan-fiction banter. Silly, but entertaining. The friendships between the five OBGYN interns was really special to me, and I loved watching them all grow during their residency.

I did have a few qualms that bothered me as I was reading. The misogyny from the male doctors was INSANE. I know it happens, but a lot of it seemed very far-fetched to me. If this is how hospitals are, I’m so so sorry to every female doctor.

In the last bit of the book, Grace’s decisions REALLY frustrated me. She knew what she was doing was wrong and insisted Julian couldn’t be trusted, and had no legitimate reason to feel that way. He had never given her a reason to not trust him, and even after he begged her to trust him, she refused. It hurt reading, and it left me really annoyed; however, something Julian said made me feel a bit better about the situation. He said something along the lines of “When an insecure woman decides she’s not good enough for you, there’s no changing her mind.” It helped me understand a bit more, even if I didn’t agree with Grace.
The ending redeemed Grace’s stupidity for me, and it helped me root for them finishing the book. I look forward to more from this author!

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Canary Street Press for the ARC!

This book is a fantastic medical romcom! Considering I have absolutely no medical background, I wondered if I would understand that side of this story. But I not only followed along with what happened at the hospital, I loved getting a peek at what goes on behind the scenes! The romance was fantastic—Julian and Grace’s love story was so well written, and I couldn’t wait to find out how it would all play out!

nothing is quite as serendipitous as finishing this book while on my 24-hour OB shift.

✰ 3.5 stars

I usually keep my reviews short and sweet, with a witty quip or a snarky remark, but as a third year DO student and future OB/GYN, who saved this arc for her first OB/GYN rotation (for the utmost immersive experience, can you blame me?), I have more stake in the game here.

Julian and Grace have very unlikable tendencies. Julian denies he is a misogynist but then berates Grace for being overly emotional and reactive for confronting the men in her program for spreading sexist rumors about her. I felt like he could have done far more to call out the toxic masculinity and misogynistic commentary made by other men in his program. Grace’s prejudices surrounding DOs may have felt more personal to me than to the average reader, but for the smartest resident in her program, she was rather harmfully misinformed. She was also quite contradictory with her beliefs, mentioning she felt osteopathic medical schools were inferior but acknowledging her DO colleague had the same training as her and that the letters after a doctor’s name don’t really matter. I do not think Julian deserves a love interest with these ideologies. At the end of the book, she instigates the worst flavor of third act breakup possible: the "you deserve better" and "you're better off without me" breakup, which lasts for over a month before she gets enlightened and finally decides to communicate her problems.

A smaller critique: I absolutely despise the micro trope where one character calls the other character by a name they don’t prefer and the other character constantly corrects them. It’s a very weak form of banter. It’s not very clever, and it adds nothing to the narrative with its constant repetition (I'm talking more than ten times, easily). It surpasses teasing and becomes just plain rude and disrespectful. This is why I often do not find enjoyment in enemies to lovers contemporary romances. The trope just ends up being an excuse for the main characters to disrespect each other. Calling people by the name they prefer is the most inherent, necessary form of respect, especially between coworkers. To add more context, the name the male love interest calls the female protagonist is one that she has always hated to be called. It’s a real sore spot for her, yet he continues relentlessly.

As a medical student, I cannot accurately speak for how approachable the medicine is to someone uninvolved in healthcare. What I can say is I believe the author did a good job of explaining medical phenomena or residency dynamics when it got brought up, and she introduces the novel with a glossary of relevant terms so that every reader starts the book with some understanding of the building blocks of a residency program. What I can also say is that if you have ever binge watched a medical drama, you will likely follow along just fine.

To end on a positive note, the portrayal of an OB residency was impressively accurate, which is what you would expect for an author who is an OB/GYN herself. I loved the inclusion of imposter syndrome in medicine, something that affects us at all stages in training, and Julian's unique difficulties and insecurities being a DO surrounded by MDs.

thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ebook arc in exchange for an honest review

platform: netgalley ebook arc

Love Sick by Deidra Duncan is a lovely romance story with plenty of drama, friendship, family, & passion. I believe this is Diedra Duncan's fist book & I really hope she continues writing.
Love Sick is the story of Grace & Julian, as they navigate from enemies to lovers, then more all while going through OB-GYN residency. The medical references in this story were pretty fantastic for me being in heathcare myself, but don't worry if you're not cause overall, it's a great romance story with plenty of swoon & #relationshipgoals.
Thank you, #NetGalley, for allowing me to read Love Sick by Deidra Duncan. I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book on #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own, but if you're a romantic at heart, then you'll enjoy this wonderful story.

This one was the ultimate slow burn and I devoured it. As a nurse practitioner I love a book set in healthcare, but so often there are inaccuracies and this one being written by a physician herself obviously did not have any! I was immediately sucked into the world of OBGYN residency and the drama.

DNF at 55%. I really like the premise of this book and the banter between the characters were great in the first 40%. I really just couldn’t get into it. It felt dragged and nothing really was happening. As a nursing student some of the medical terminology was really funny but otherwise eh…

I loved every second of this book! I couldn't put it down. I loved the insight into the medical field; it's something I've always been curious about and Deidra Duncan didn't disappoint. I found it hard to believe it was a her debut! It's so well written and I didn't see the twist coming at all! It blew my mind and tied everything up so nicely. Duncan also does a fabulous job highlighting mental health and the struggles we go through that are often kept hidden. Julian was the perfect, patient, loving book boyfriend, despite some trials with Grace. I loved this and you will too, I promise! Do yourself a favor and pick it up. It's so different from anything else I've read lately and I was sad when I finished. Oh, and the ending was absolutely perfect.

Thank you Netgalley, Deidra Duncan, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC.

This book is the debut book for Deidra Duncan and she crushed it! Lovers of Grey's Anatomy will love this book and everything it offers. As a graduate student in the medical field, I loved all the references!! I also loved that the medicine didn't take a back seat throughout the romance. What a great start for this author!

I loved this book! For a doctor romance this is the most detailed and accurate portrayal. With working in the medical field, I find most medical story's lack in the background of the work the characters are doing. I love how this book accurately describes the rotations that doctors do while in residency and how challenging that can be.

For the characters, I absolutely LOVED Grace and Julian's banter through out the whole book. I laughed so many times in the beginning reading this. I even have to give a shoutout for the smaller characters within the story. All of the writing regarding the smaller characters had meaning and made the story 10x better and funnier. The story continued to progress very well and had many events that kept it ever changing and not dull. Also, how can you not love a good enemies to lovers??

This book did have mild spice. It wasn't too detailed about some of the sexual scenes but when it was detailed man was it steamyyyy.

The only thing I did not like was the portrayal of every nurse towards Grace. Some times while reading it felt like a bit too much with the bullying they do towards her.

All in all, I highly recommend this book!

Thank you Deidra, NetGalley, and Harlequin Trade publishing for allowing me to read this amazing ARC!

4 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Oh my gosh. This is the best ARC I’ve ever received! If you’re a healthcare worker like me, you will really love this cute romance!!! As a nurse, the accuracies hit home with all the medical talk & experiences in the hospital/clinics. If you love Grey’s Anatomy & love the enemies-to-lovers trope, you’ll like this book! Such a breath of fresh air to read about accurate medical representation in novels because the author is a practicing physician in OBGYN herself!!! The toxicity and hostility of women DOES exist within healthcare… the book is sooo real for that!!! & Reading about these new doctors brings back memories to some of my favorite medical residents & even the residents we (nurses) talked about watching out for because they could kill patients (kidding but not, lol). But anyway… what makes this story come to life is the vulnerability, romance, and friendships amidst everything going on around these new medical student graduates. ☺️

Writing: 4/5
Pace: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Ending: 4/5
Enjoyability: 4/5

(More in-depth analysis below)

👩🏻‍🏫💡 I received this book to read as an Advanced Reader/Review Copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are entirely my own.


💕Would you recommend this book?
Yes!!! Especially if you work in healthcare or love Grey’s Anatomy!

🪶Favorite Quote:
“ Before you, everything was just quiet. Then you came along and suddenly there was music. Like a love song. The kind you want to listen to over & over. It’s stuck on repeat in my head & synced to your heartbeat….. It’s become the rhythm of my life. “


🌶️ Spice Level: 🔥
There’s mild spice. Honestly, for all the banter between the two MMCs and the slow-burn… there needed to be MORE sexual tension! After their initial intimate scenes, I craved for more of that type of writing because of how damn long it took for them to be together! Lol!
——


📝Writing Style: 4/ 5
First person dual POV of the MMC and FMC. Every chapter also told what month/year of their medical residency we’re in. The writing is casual but is age-appropriate and doesn’t feel juvenile.

I like how the author informs readers in the beginning of some medical terminologies used (differences between interns/attendings/etc.). I’m a nurse, so I know what placenta abruption and a D&C is, so I’m just curious how much non-medical readers would question some of the diagnoses & procedures.


🏃🏻‍♀️Pace: 4/5
The pace was great in the beginning, but the slow-burn and the lack of intimate-detailed scenes kind of made the second/third parts a little slow & boring.


🗺️Plot: 4/5

Plot Themes/Tropes-
* Medical/Workplace Romance
* Enemies to Lovers
* Forced Proximity
* Slow Burn
* ⚠️Trigger Warnings/Other topics: Emotional abuse/manipulation, attempted assault/rape, mention of death, mention of miscarriages and infant deaths

Summary: Grace prefers going by her middle name ‘Grace’, but her actual name is “Sapphire Rose”& that itself gets her all these assumptions & stereotypes about who she is. As she starts her first year of OB residency, a rumor already goes around about how she slept around to get her slot at the program. What a way to have a reputation from the start. Then she makes a ‘frenemy’ with one of her co-interns, Julian, after he initially dismisses her at their first time meeting when he realizes she’s the girl the rumors are about.

The plot mostly lingers around their intern year and second-year of OBGYN residency. That’s how slow-burn this romance was, LOL. But in all seriousness, the plot is very simple. Two OB interns in denial about falling in love, and the “background”is their experiences in residency. It’s simple, but I love how the plot is realistic to medical experiences that occurs.


👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Characters: 4/ 5

Female Main Character (FMC):
Grace - Very intelligent, introverted, and reserved. I love her nerdiness. I hate how everyone keeps spreading rumors about her, but I also don’t like how she’s not good at communicating. Flaws and all, she does have somewhat of a redemption at the end.

Male Main Characters (MMC):
Julian- He’s a sweetheart and a charmer! I don’t really have anything negative to say about this man. He is SO loyal to his girl and that itself is swoon worthy! 😍

Supporting Characters: I love getting to know all the interns & residents. I feel like the author can expand on these series! Justice for Asher!!! And maybe a prequel to Alesha’s story?! So much potential!!!

🎬Ending: 4/ 5
Predictable. *SPOILER* The third-act breakup was really unnecessary, and I hated how martyr Grace was trying to be. 🙄 Also, I’m not trying to “downplay” Grace’s past trauma, but I thought there was going to be some other deeper mystery as to why she’s so reserved. However, it was a good ending to the story, so there’s nothing really bad to say!

🙂Enjoyability: 4/ 5
I really really enjoyed this book and all the medical accuracies & how relatable it was because I am a nurse and have worked with plenty medical interns/residents/physicians. I only bumped a star down because I wish the pace was a bit faster & plot less predictable.


📈Final Rating Averaged: 4 out of 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

——

Rating Rubric:
1/5: 🌟 Horrible - “Why did I even waste my time?”
2/5: 🌟🌟 Unimpressed - It could have been better.
3/5: 🌟🌟🌟 Good/Average- I would recommend this, but nothing was too out of the ordinary; it’s what’s expected.
4/5: 🌟🌟🌟🌟 Great! - There were some good surprises, but not enough to blow my mind.
5/5: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Outstanding - Above & Beyond, It left me wanting more and thinking more about it.

Julian has just started his hospital internship when he hears a scandalous rumor about one of his fellow interns, Saphire Grace Rose. They have a tense introduction that leads them to start off on the wrong foot and become workplace enemies. While trying to navigate surviving their hospital internships they also have to survive each other.

This book is for all the Greys Anatomy girlies that want an MMC that’s a little bit Derrick mixed with Karev and a MFC that’s a little Izzy mixed with Little Grey. Overall, a little too angsty for me to give it 4 or 5 stars but for a breakout novel had some funny dialogue and did alright with character growth. It’s neat that it’s written by a doctor that witnessed or experienced a lot of these situations herself.

While I can acknowledge for a breakout novel the author did okay and will probably only improve from here, some things about this story really missed the mark for me. Right out of the gate I felt like the incident that caused the conflict was off in delivery. It made it hard for me to sympathize with either character instead of be annoyed with them both for being juvenile. I also got very frustrated with the “why are you overreacting treatment” from ALL the main characters at first, and no one really taking up for her.
Also I know it happens, but the fact that defending her own honor at the beginning made her “hysterical” to literally every character EVEN the MMC left me agitated with ALL of them. Which is discouraging when you don’t feel like you can root for anyone.


Themes: enemies to lovers, hospital interns, found family, third act break up

This was like if you took an entire season of Grey’s Anatomy and put it into a book. There was romance, drama, friendship, and medicine. I really enjoyed this book! The main characters were both flawed but very human and very easy to relate to. They weren’t always perfect, they were sometimes rude or even a little bit unlikeable but I felt like that made it easier to root for them. Julian and Grace started off hating each other but it quickly turned into more playful banter with lots and lots of pining. I loved how Grace was able to slowly open up to Julian after having a bad former relationship and I especially liked how Julian picked up on her hesitation and was so patient and gentle with her.
There is a third act breakup and while I didn’t love it I did understand it and felt like it gave both Grace and Julian the room to grow that they really needed.
This are some slightly heavy themes in this book but I would still say overall it was a pretty lighthearted book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Canary Street press for the ARC!!

THIS BOOK!! I loved it! This book was the perfect combination of enemies to lovers, workplace romance, slow burn, and a “he falls first”. Grace is a first year OBGYN resident in a teaching hospital. She is immediately faced with rumors about her on her first day, claiming that she slept her way into the program. Grace maneuvers through these rumors affecting both her job and personal life. The author does a great job with character development throughout the story. Grace meets Julian, another first year, and they have amazing chemistry. Unfortunately, Julian offends Grace by putting his foot in his mouth regarding the rumor. They quickly become enemies. However, the tension between them is so so good!! I was rooting for both Grace and Julian from beginning to end.

I normally dislike medical romances because they hit a little too close to home for me being I am a nurse and normally are so far from accurate. But it turns out Deidra Duncan is not only an author but an OBGYN! I LOVED the accuracy of the residents every day work life and the hospital setting. So if you work in the medical field and love romance novels, I would 100% recommend this book. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the arc! I know this book will have its fanbase, but it wasn't for me, although I so wanted it to be! I love the setting in the medical field, but the rumors, treatment, and misunderstandings felt too immature for my taste, and I had trouble getting through it. I will absolutely read more of Duncan's books, as the writing was wonderful.

Imagine if Grey’s Anatomy and 10 Things I Hate About You had a baby… you’ve got Love Sick! Written by an actual OB-GYN, this romcom feels refreshingly authentic, giving readers a glimpse into the medical world while delivering a swoon-worthy enemies-to-lovers romance.

And I mean TRUE enemies to lovers, and deliciously so. Julian is the golden boy—kind to everyone except Grace (which is kind of, sort of her fault but we don’t blame her for it, ya know?), and she’s the only one immune to his charm. Their banter is razor-sharp, and their inner monologues as they fight their attraction make it even better. Add in some well-placed pop culture references, and the result is a romcom that is basically unputdownable.

Beyond the romance, Love Sick also explores some really interesting themes, like the sexism that still lingers in male-dominated fields like medicine. It also tackles how quickly a seemingly harmless rumour can spiral, shaping reputations and careers in ways that feel all too real. These elements add depth to the story without taking away from the lusty fun.

The first 15% felt a little rushed, and I wish some medical moments had a tiny bit more detail. Also, Julian’s motivation for becoming a doctor could have been shown a little more instead of told. But once the story found its rhythm, I devoured it.

Now… spoilers ahead… I loathe a third-act breakup… but this one wasn’t that bad. It made the ending much sweeter and well-earned and I closed the book feeling fully satisfied.

I dnf'd after two chapters. Julian's chapter made me uncomfortable and I didn't appreciate the sub plot about the promotion rumor. There was too much medical terminology in chapter one and the "bro" attitude turned me off before making it to Grace's chapter.

DNF at 26% (Please read this review with understanding that I did not finish this book and these are my honest, respectful opinions.)

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this book for my honest opinion. I do apologize for DNF'ing this ARC but life is too short to read a book you don't think you will enjoy in the end, and I DNF maybe once a year.

In books, there is such a thing as insta-love, but this was a heavy insta-dislike for me. I was very interested in this book because I'm in the medical field and I even work in a residency clinic myself, so I thought it'd be interesting to see a romance in this setting.

Hazing for interns is not new, but the rumors that Grace endured were excessive to me. To inhibit someone's progress for the sake of some rumors was so cruel. I understood that the author was trying to set Julian and Grace's relationship as love-hate, but Julian was an a*s to me. I read 26% of the book and he is aware that 1) people thought her legal name made her sound like a str*pper and people made fun of her for it and 2) Grace has blatantly reminded him time and time again how much she hates her name and he STILL calls her that. To me, I didn't see it as teasing, but it was just mean and added onto the issues she was going through in the hospital. She didn't deserve that.

I think this story relied too much on hospital cliches and I couldn't see myself enjoying a book that employed all of these things.

This book took place over the course of two years and the major jumps in time messed with me a bit. I felt like their relationship was a slow burn in the book, but if you look at the time it took, it was an unbelievable amount and I felt like having some deeper conversations a bit earlier would have helped move that along. Grace had a lot of baggage with relationships and while I could understand it, it took her a bit too long to get out of her head for my liking.

Mein Leseerlebnis

Das romance Buch enthält eine frische Geschichte, die in einem Krankenhaus spielt. Die Autorin ist übrigens selbst Ärztin, was ich sehr spannend finde. Man kann also davon ausgehen, dass die Details zur Krankenhauswelt und der Ausbildung der jungen Ärzt:innen zutreffen (die Armen!).

Leider konnte mich die Liebesgeschichte trotz der interessanten Grundidee nicht überzeugen. Lässt mich erklären, warum das so war.

Von der ersten Seite an konnten mich die Geschehnisse leider nicht mitreißen. Das lag vor allem daran, dass die Charaktere auf mich weder besonders interessant, sympathisch noch lebendig gewirkt haben. In Bezug auf ihr Verhalten wirkten sie auf mich zudem teils jünger, als sie es wirklich waren. Damit habe ich beim Lesen gehadert und hatte dadurch Probleme, mich auf den Roman einzulassen.

Da mich die Liebesgeschichte auch nach gut zehn Kapiteln nicht berühren konnte, habe ich beschlossen, sie nicht zu beenden.

Keine Bewertung, da abgebrochen.

Für wen?

Wer Liebesgeschichten mag, die junge Ärzt:innen in ihrer Ausbildung begleiten, für den könnte das Buch eine schöne Sache sein.

Mein Fall war das romance Buch leider nicht. Kann man mit den Charakteren mehr anfangen als ich und mag Sachen wie Grey’s Anatomy, dann könnte die Liebesgeschichte aber etwas für einen sein.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Deidra Duncan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely LOVED Love Sick. It had Grays Anatomy meets Ali Hazelwood vibes in a hospital setting; it was a fast-paced rivals to lovers story of Grace and Julian who are both residents at the local hospital and shows their progression from hate to more. There was lots of banter, witty dialogue, and memorable situations and side characters. I loved Julian and Grace as MCs, as they were relatable and interesting. Grace is a young woman who is an overachiever and perfectionist who is sometimes paralyzed by her need to be perfect. Julian is a laid back young man who has some difficulty with the academic side, but has gifted hands. Together they work together to help the other succeed.

This book had a lot of interesting background, too, including discussions on sexism, medical care, the working conditions and treatment of residents and student doctors, and more.

If you enjoy: rivals to lovers, Gray's Anatomy, Ali Hazelwood, STEM-based novels, and workplace romance, this novel will capture your heart! Definitely a must read.