The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin | Book Review

I have been in love with the cover of The Queen of Hearts since the moment I lay eyes on it. Like, look at it! And when it made its way to me, I was ecstatic and fawning over it. I cannot even begin to describe that feeling. It was and still is, that intense, days after I finished reading it. The best part of this obsession, however, was how the author was so responsive. Every time I uploaded a picture of the book and tagged Kimmery Martin, she would respond! The first time she did, I almost fainted. But I’ve recovered ever since.

The Queen of Hearts is a medical drama and is the story of Emma Colley and Zadie Anson, two best friends who have been pretty much inseparable since college. They are now happily married with kids. Emma is a trauma surgeon who thinks that she needs to try hard to get people to like here. Zadie is a pediatric cardiologist who is warm and welcoming by nature. All seems hunky-dory until their past comes calling in the form of Dr. Nick Xenokostas, Zadie’s ex. And he brings with him secrets that threatens to bring Emma and Zadie’s worlds crashing down.

There isn’t just one reason why I fell in love with The Queen of Hearts. The language is easy, touching, and beautiful. The combination of the premise and the makes-you-snort humor is something that hits you when you least expect it. There are a number of medical terms in there that I couldn’t understand, but nothing that a little Googling couldn’t fix. These are minor obstacles to reading the story smoothly and enjoying it. When this thought came into my mind, the first thing that I did was hope that I’d think of the book the same way till the very end.

There is a little lost continuity in here, as if it jumps from place to place and between timelines and loses a little context. And even though it is clearly mentioned at the beginning of each chapter whether it is set in the present day or way back in 1999, it doesn’t shoo away the confusion. It is slight, but it is there.

But if you can ignore this, like I did, The Queen of Hearts is a wonderful story of friendship and love set in the medical world. I was and am glad I picked it up because at the end of it all, it’s the bruises on the heart that show how impactful the story really is. It is the time you take to recover from such an ending that shows how effective fiction can be. It is the question of how you can stop yourself from combusting that tells you how affected one can get by words.

The only thing that was going through my mind as I closed the book and stared at the cover was: How the hell can something so simple have such an effect on me? How? It’s a long shot, trying to get on with life and not having the end of this book hovering in the back of your head along with a number of questions you cannot really comprehend at the time being.

I just want to say that the story that sits inside these pages justifies the beautiful cover and the title. (Obviously.) It completely broke my heart. And I can clearly say that this wasn’t what I had expected when I told myself, “Oh, I need to buy this book because it is so stunning!” Nope. Not this sucker punch to the gut.

If you’d like a story of friendship, love, and forgiveness, go ahead and The Queen of Hearts. It is highly probable that you’ll fall in love with this book. Just like I did.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Until next time, keep reading and add melodrama to your life. 🙂

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