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.
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.
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