Mini Review: The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin // Unimpressed

The Queen of Hearts, by Kimmery Martin
Publication: February 13, 2018, by Berkley
Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary
Pages: 348
Format: Hardcover
Source: Publisher
Rating: 

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 in her third year of medical school that she has long since put behind her. Nick's unexpected reappearance during 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.

My Thoughts:

DNF @ 75 pages

I absolutely hate DNFing books, but I've learned that I must put down a book when I am struggling to continue reading it. And that's what unfortunately happened with The Queen of Hearts by Kimmery Martin. While the premise interested me, as I do plan to study medicine one day, I became so bored and felt that the story was lacking. It seemed as if the author wanted to turn this into a Grey's Anatomy-type drama. I expected it to be more about living the life of a doctor/surgeon and the friendship that the two main characters, Zadie and Emma, have. Instead, I just kept imagining that a huge fight would draw out between the characters and create drama. I honestly just wanted a nice, entertaining story that would keep me going for its 348 pages. Instead, this was less about the doctors and more about some 'beef' brewing. Eek.

Unfortunately, this story turned out worse than expected, but maybe you, reader, will enjoy it more than I did. If you like those medical dramas, this will surely be for you.

*A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What was the last book you DNFed?

A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery // A Truly Special and Touching Story

A Million Miles Away, by Lara Avery
Publication: July 7, 2015, by Poppy
Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: BEA/Publisher
Rating: 

When high school senior Kelsey's identical twin sister, Michelle, dies in a car crash, Kelsey is left without her other half. The only person who doesn't know about the tragedy is Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, recently deployed to Afghanistan. But when Kelsey finally connects with Peter online, she can't bear to tell him the truth. Active duty has taken its toll, and Peter, thinking that Kelsey is Michelle, says that seeing her is the one thing keeping him alive. Caught up in the moment, Kelsey has no choice: She lets Peter believe that she is her sister.
As Kelsey keeps up the act, she crosses the line from pretend to real. Soon, Kelsey can't deny that she's falling, hard, for the one boy she shouldn't want.

My Thoughts:

A Million Miles Away was a raw, realistic, gorgeous story I will never forget about. That's the honest and wholesome truth in one sentence. After reading Lara Avery's other novel, The Memory Book, I had this urge inside of me to pick this one up as well and read it and bawl as I read it and feel like I'm connecting to the story, you know? Let's just say that this book was a gorgeous masterpiece I recommend to everyone. If you enjoy chick-lit romances, this book is for you. If you usually enjoy mysteries and thrillers, this book is for you. If you enjoy fantasy, this book is for you. This book is literally for everyone. 

This time around, Lara Avery focuses on a main character named Kelsey, who has an identical twin sister, Michelle, who tragically dies in a car crash. She is finding it extremely difficult to move on, and the worst part is the fact that Michelle's boyfriend, Peter, is in Afghanistan for the military. He doesn't know that Michelle passed away, and Kelsey doesn't want to tell him the truth... yet. So in the meantime, she pretends that she is Michelle, though as she begins to form a relationship with Peter, she realizes that she has feelings for him, too.

I love the way Lara Avery had this story progress. You see, it wasn't cheesy or generic; this was one of the most raw and emotional books I've ever read. From the beginning, we immediately form an emotional connection with the characters in the way that we briefly meet Michelle, Kelsey's twin, before she passes away. We can immediately tell that they didn't always get along; Michelle is more artistic while Kelsey focuses on popularity and cheerleading. However, when times are rough, Michelle did tend to fall to Kelsey to solve her problems. Already from the first few chapters I was able to tell that this book wasn't one of those cliché chick-lit stories with characters whose lives are perfect. It was the complete opposite of that. Both sisters had their own problems, with each other and with others, and that just made the book so much more believable. I kept imagining a girl in Kansas struggling to move on after grief has succumbed her. 

What I especially adored about this story is the fact that it was easy to understand why Kelsey pretended to be Michelle. That's where the emotions that correspond to this story come in. I loved Peter as a character, and it seemed that from the start, Kelsey loved him too for keeping her sister happy. Kelsey is a character who didn't want to disappoint others, and by interacting with Peter, she was given the chance to learn more about the person her sister really was, instead of Michelle just being Kelsey's twin. This just exemplifies the fact that each individual is different, no matter what family or group you come from.

A Million Miles Away is a memorable story that I recommend to everyone. I truly imagine this becoming a movie, and it can be compared to the stories of Nicholas Sparks, but more mature in the sense that it's not just about the romance. It's about the emotions generated in both the characters and readers that make this story so special. I feel that Lara Avery's writing is really underhyped and more people should become aware of this fantastic author.

*A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

What is the most emotional book you've ever read?