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Kimmery Martin

Author of The Queen of Hearts

5 Works 691 Members 37 Reviews

Works by Kimmery Martin

The Queen of Hearts (2018) 428 copies, 25 reviews
The Antidote for Everything (2020) 183 copies, 10 reviews
Doctors and Friends (2021) 68 copies, 1 review
Doctors and Friends (2022) 11 copies, 1 review
Srdcová královna (2019) 1 copy

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
20th century
Gender
female

Members

Reviews

40 reviews
Real Rating: 4.75* of five, rounded up because no one has made me feel so in tune with a story that I've just...not noticed...the w-bombs she's dropped on me in a VERY long time.

The Publisher Says: In this whip-smart and timely novel from acclaimed author Kimmery Martin, two doctors travel a surprising path when they must choose between treating their patients and keeping their jobs.

Georgia Brown’s profession as a urologist requires her to interact with plenty of naked men, but her show more romantic prospects have fizzled. The most important person in her life is her friend Jonah Tsukada, a funny, empathetic family medicine doctor who works at the same hospital in Charleston, South Carolina and who has become as close as family to her.

Just after Georgia leaves the country for a medical conference, Jonah shares startling news. The hospital is instructing doctors to stop providing medical care for transgender patients. Jonah, a gay man, is the first to be fired when he refuses to abandon his patients. Stunned by the predicament of her closest friend, Georgia’s natural instinct is to fight alongside him. But when her attempts to address the situation result in incalculable harm, both Georgia and Jonah find themselves facing the loss of much more than their careers.

I CHECKED THIS BOOK OUT OF MY LOCAL LIBRARY. USE THAT LIBRARY! THEY NEED OUR BUSINESS!

My Review
: This is, apparently, one of my reviews that got struck because of the actions of someone truly cowardly and contemptible. No matter now! Their claws have been pulled, which is a thing I wouldn't even do to a cat.

When Georgia, a kind-hearted and very busy doctor, flies to Amsterdam to a conference, she is gifted by the universe with a hot guy, Mark, to have a vacation romance with. The problem is she's got a world of distracting trouble at home that impacts her found family, most especially her gay BFF Jonah. The solution is for Jonah to pack up and join her (and Mark) in Amsterdam.

As they're doctors, this doesn't strain credulity. They can afford it; they're neither one married or even involved (except Georgia's thinking about Mark that way and is wondering if he is too). The time they spend playing together in Amsterdam is illuminating...and you just know what will come of that when they get home! Mark's cool with Jonah the gay BFF, and with Georgia being herself. In fact, he's just a really, really great guy. This is always a good sign!
“I see,” Mark said, a perplexed look on his face as they all took seats. Georgia and Jonah did that to people sometimes: the syncopated rhythm of their speech, their obvious closeness, the unadulterated fun they had in each other’s company—all these things had bothered previous boyfriends of both of them, even though neither of them, of course, could possibly present as a romantic rival. But Mark didn’t seem threatened, just alert. He shifted his attention back to her.

All fun must end; all good things come with hideously high price tags, if the small-souled religious jackanapes have anything at all to say about it. And, in South Carolina where Georgia and Jonah practice medicine, they certainly do:
“That’s a widely held misconception, that science and religion are incompatible,” she said. “And if you’re Southern and religious, everyone assumes you’ve got the brainpower of an amoeba and you fit in socially somewhere to the right of Attila the Hun.”
–and–
"I've read the Gospels," she said, pausing, "word for word, and I feel strongly that Christ would not have said to me, 'Suffer unto the gays urinary retention; but everybody else can see the urologist.'"

I absolutely adore that line. It's so exactly and precisely accurate, true, and a devastating rebuke of the misuse of Religion from within the church! I know it's a no-brainer...but I am enraged at this (fictional; barely) nightmarish homophobic, transphobic, heinously unchristian use of their stupid religion's *actual*expressed*foundational*tenets* at every turn. That's what elevates this read above the herd and makes me wish I could push it at more people.

Another facet of Georgia (and, to my surprise, mega-rich-guy Mark) is the anti-materialist commonsensicality of them both:
Here she was, primed for action, and stuck with nothing to attack except a herd of smug Danish modern sling-back chairs the color of a polished acorn.
–and–
She beckoned toward a mohair-covered daybed, strewn with cashmere throws in various flaming colors: fuchsia, orange, lime. “This could take a while. Why don’t you join me on the divan? I’ll make cocktails.”

“This thing looks like a crayon factory vomited on a cotton ball,” he said, but, obediently, he removed his suit jacket and flopped onto the mohair concoction.

It's a lovely little grace note...not only does Georgia not check her brain at the church door, she doesn't fall for the blandishments of the overpriced and underdelivered "luxury goods" industry. Mark, we're told, is a businessman with a track record of success, so it makes a little less sense to me for him not to use the glossy surfaces of things to advertise it...but I will gladly accept Author Kimmery's decision.

What happens as a result of this authorial decision is that, as the stakes pile up and begin to form the auto-da-fé pyre, I am deeply and intensely invested in it all. I am not going to tell you anything I wouldn't've wanted to know going into this read: There's serious and disgusting amounts of sexism, homophobia, and deeply toxic patriarchal masculinity that gets weaponized against both our main characters (and thus, in Mark's eyes, against him too). There's a lot of soul-searching and conversation that ponders the real costs of the kind of stupidity and hatred that passes for "politically conservative morality" (in reality not political, not conservative, not moral):
In this day and age, people believe whatever fits with their worldview, no matter how strong the evidence against it is.
–and–
"The only thing that matters—the only antidote for discrimination and corruption and every other evil that plagues our society—is integrity. Behaving with honor. Shining a light on the truth. Not gaming the system to suit your . . . aims.”

There's a lot to unpack in those sentences. I am always surprised when someone writes down and gets published what I've been saying in my head for a long time. It's definitely happened here.

The way this book ends is, well...it suits the story. I think it should tell long-time readers of my reviews everything they need to know when I say I forgot to count the w-bombs Author Kimmery dropped on me...I forgot to notice them after two or three. I was that deeply and passionately involved in this well-told tale of what Family means, of how Faith should look, and what Fairness demands.

Definitely recommended reading.
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Doctors and Friends is more than anything a story about friendship, but it is also eerily about a pandemic, not COVID, but close enough to be tough going at times. It is the third in a series of books about women whose friendship remains strong since medical school. In this book, three of the women are heavily featured, Hannah, Compton, and Kira. Kira works for the CDC, Hannah is an ob-gyn, and Compton works in a New York City ER. Through happenstance, they happen to encounter the new virus show more in its earliest stage while on vacation, taking the ferry that runs between Spain and Morocco.

Kira is soon subsumed by the work of mitigating the virus, even appearing with the President to talk to the public about how to protect themselves. Compton is overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster as NYC is the first city to see the virus surge. Hannah is desperately hoping to get pregnant while dealing with delivering babies during a pandemic. What if her patient has the virus, what if she gets the virus while pregnant.

The political polarization and refusal to wear masks or get vaccinated is not so much of a problem in this book, perhaps because the virus strikes children and young adults more than seniors. Kimmery Martin is too optimistic about how much we love our children, though. I think Sandy Hook proves that.

All three are profoundly changed during the pandemic. Kira faces a moral crisis of impossible choices. Compton must deal with unending tragedy and grief. Hannah balances hope and fear in an uncertain and painful time.

Doctors and Friends is an engrossing novel. I read into the wee hours and cried way too much. Martin began writing this before COVID and although the virus in her book is not a coronavirus, the response to a pandemic is going to be similar, eerily similar. Some people might find it difficult to read this while we are still mired in COVID, but others will find it comforting and reassuring to understand more of the complexities and hard decisions made by doctors in extremis. I think a lot of us have some form of PTSD from the lockdown and the loss. The best way to treat PTSD is to simulate its cause, perhaps this book would be helpful, more so because it adds that important emotional context often absent from journalistic accounts.

Martin created characters that I cared about. Now I want to read the other books in her series. These are not the typical series with cliffhangers and a continuing single story arc, they stand alone with the lives of a few being highlighted while the other friends are less prominent, but I want to read them all. I love books with smart, complex people who are good, kind, and competent.

Doctors and Friends will be released on November 9th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Doctors and Friends at Berkley | Penguin Random House
Kimmery Martin author site
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2021/10/26/9781984802866/
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The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin is a 2018 Berkley publication.

A suspenseful and emotional medical drama

Zadie and Emma have been best friends since their medical school days. They come from completely different backgrounds, but the friendship has endured countless trials, marriages, children, and demanding careers. Their lives are hectic, and filled with family and career related challenges, triumphs, and tragedies. They share all of it with one another, asking and giving advice, show more sympathizing with, and supporting one another. But, the one thing they never, ever, never talk about is their third year in Med school…

Imagine all the angst, medical intensity, the emotion, heartbreak, tragedy and high drama of Grey’s Anatomy, but with a darker, edgier, suspenseful tone running beneath the surface.

Queen of Hearts has this bipolar thing going on. On one hand, it’s a chick-lit novel about besties who stick with each other through all of life’s various valleys and peaks, but there’s a ‘dark side’, a sinister feeling of foreboding, of impending doom. It’s not just the emotional gut-punches, the graphic medical situations, or the appearance of Dr. X, who will most assuredly bring down all the carefully constructed walls built by Zadie and Emma when it comes to the past, and who also holds the power in the palm of his gifted hands, to once again, leave devastation in his wake.

It’s like watching a train wreck. You know it’s coming, but you are helpless to stop it, and you can’t tear your eyes away from the impending impact, or the carnage left behind.

I finished reading this book over two weeks ago. It has taken me this long to formulate my feelings. When I turned that last page I experienced a fuzzy feeling of disorientation. I really had to take some time to process it.

Finally, I think I can attempt to explain my thoughts. I admit I had quite a few conflicting feelings about how everything played out. Wow. I mean- wow. Once I had begun to form an opinion that would stick, I realized I couldn’t really explain how I had come to that point without giving too much away.

This review is long, and contains a lot of introspection and retrospection on my part, but it’s the mark of a good story when it prompts the reader to dig deeper and reflect on what they might do in a similar situation. It’s a gritty medical drama, but it’s also an ode to life, family, and above all friendship. So bear with me.

What a tangled web we weave….

Lies, betrayals, manipulations, and secrets- this book has them packed in so tight it can hardly contain them all. I still can’t wrap my head around some of it, and my feelings are still unsettled, even now. This story is part cautionary tale, partly a tale of borderline obsession, with a river of deception, envy, insecurities and competition. But, rest assured- your sins will always find you out. You can bury them, ignore them, hide them, and run from them, but eventually the truth bubbles to the surface. There are always consequences for our actions, some that take no prisoners, who hurt the very people we love and respect. Everyone has a secret, everyone has made questionable decisions, let our morals sick below our own standards. Atonement is a must, redemption hoped for. But, it is forgiveness that is the hardest thing to accomplish, but it is also the most powerful, effective ability humans are capable of.

Now, I can’t sit here and tell you my feelings are completely settled about this story, as I continue to struggle with ongoing conflicts. But, I think the story speaks to the powerful, but mysterious bonds of friendship. Friendship is a relationship like no other. It can be fraught with insecurities and jealousies, and is fragile in a way many other relationships are not, being devoid of familial bonds or the power of romantic love. Yet, it can create an unshakable bond, a special kind of love, a fierce loyalty and devotion, it brings out a certain kind of protectiveness and can often endure hardships that other relationships would never survive.

While there is a lot of emotional turmoil in this story, many heart rending situations and high drama, there is also the ‘light’ side of the story. The side where people rise to the occasion and do the right thing, where something good comes from something bad, and where the good side wins out in the end!

This story turned out to be much more than I had anticipated. I was on pins and needles from start to finish, swallowed a painful lump or two, cursed, fretted, and fumed. But, when all was said and done, I think this was a very well -constructed novel, filled with human foibles, realistic family challenges, and amazing depictions of human beings at their very worst, but also at their finest. Not only that, I love medical dramas- oh- and southern fiction- so there's that, too! 😊
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Georgia Brown is a urologist at a clinic associated with a hospital in Charleston, South Carolina; her friend Jonah Tsukada is a family practice physician. Both the clinic and the hospital are owned by a fundamentalist megachurch, but until now they've been able to treat patients as they see appropriate.

But Jonah is an out gay man, and he welcomes gay and transgender patients. Georgia, as a urologist, treats some of the same patients. And hospital and clinic policy is about to change. While show more Georgia is away at a medical conference in Amsterdam, Jonah calls to tell her he's been ordered to drop all his transgender patients, or be fired.

Jonah and Georgia's lives are about to become very interesting.

But it's not just workplace drama and a threat to the integrity of how they practice medicine. While on the plane to Amsterdam, there's a small medical emergency, and Georgia meets Mark, a very successful, and also very hot and very likable, businessman.

Jonah is Georgia's best friend. Mark is the first guy in years who seems likely to be more than just a passing interest for her. And when Mark and Jonah meet, it quickly becomes clear that they, too, will be good friends.

Except that Jonah is being forced out at the hospital; he won't agree to drop his transgender patients, and as a gay man himself, isn't very welcome at the hospital or the clinic anyway. Georgia is an honest and honorable woman, but she's also determined to protect her friend and their patients. Mark is an honest and honorable man, and was badly burned in childhood by the lies around his mother's health and her, to him, sudden death. People lying is a real trigger for him.

And Georgia decides on a very risky path to saving Jonah's job.

It's fascinating, intense, and challenging for Georgia, Jonah, and Mark.

The issues here are real and critical. It's completely legal in more than 30 states to discriminate against LGBTQ people, not only in employment, but even, yes, in providing medical care. What the hospital and clinic are doing in this book is completely legal not just in South Carolina, but in over thirty other states.

And Kimmery Martin makes you feel every single bit of how cruel and destructive this is.

Highly recommended.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
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Works
5
Members
691
Popularity
#36,610
Rating
½ 3.5
Reviews
37
ISBNs
24
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