From the late 1990s when they met at a medical school, Zadie Anson and Emma Colley were always the best of friends, being there for each other through thick and thin. On the surface, the two appear to be happy with their friendship, but what will happen when a long-stated secret that almost put their friendship in jeopardy re-emerges and wreaks havoc on their lifelong friendship? Can their friendship survive such a secret, or will they become its casualties?

Based on the back cover copy, I approached THE QUEEN OF HEARTS by Kimmery Martin as a women's fiction novel and expected it to focus on women's friendship along with a second chance love story, and in-depth psychological portraits of Zadie and Emma to see their growth throughout the novel. While on the surface THE QUEEN OF HEARTS did contain elements of women's friendship and a possible second chance romance, it did not contain the psychological portraits of Zadie and Emma, nor did I feel as if they matured after the experiences of the novel.

I really enjoyed the details and knowledge Martin added to the backdrop of THE QUEEN OF HEARTS. For example, although I haven't been to North Carolina, the details and life of its residents are well drawn. Additionally, from reading other books written by doctors as well as knowing some people who went through similar training, the medical world is well done and realistic. However, I think the story could have benefited from either notes or footnotes on the medical slang that was used throughout the novel.

Reading THE QUEEN OF HEARTS by Kimmery Martin is akin to looking through a microscope but only seeing the shimmering colors without having any idea what cells they are part of. If you are seeking a medical drama tale that is nostalgic and is full of potential as well as unexpected plot twists and turns, then THE QUEEN OF HEARTS by should be on top of your to-read list.

Book Summary

Zadie Anson and Emma Colley have been best friends since their early twenties, when they first began navigating serious romantic relationships amid the intensity of medical school. Now they’re happily married wives and mothers with successful careers—Zadie as a pediatric cardiologist and Emma as a trauma surgeon. Their lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, are chaotic but fulfilling, until the return of a former colleague unearths a secret one of them has been harboring for years.

As chief resident, Nick Xenokostas was the center of Zadie’s life—both professionally and personally—throughout a tragic chain of events during her third year of medical school that she has long since put behind her. Nick’s unexpected reappearance at a time of new professional crisis shocks both women into a deeper look at the difficult choices they made at the beginning of their careers. As it becomes evident that Emma must have known more than she revealed about circumstances that nearly derailed both their lives, Zadie starts to question everything she thought she knew about her closest friend.