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On Rotation
For fans of Grey’s Anatomy and Seven Days in June, this dazzling debut novel by Shirlene Obuobi explores that time in your life when you must decide what you want, how to get it, & who you are, all while navigating love, friendship, and the realization that the path you’re traveling is going to be a bumpy ride.
Ghanaian-American Angela Appiah has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter.”
- Enroll in an elite medical school
- Snag a suitable lawyer/doctor/engineer boyfriend
- Surround self with a gaggle of successful and/or loyal friends
But then it quickly all falls apart: her boyfriend dumps her, she bombs the most important exam of her medical career, and her best friend pulls away. And her parents, whose approval seems to hinge on how closely she follows the path they chose, are a lot less proud of their daughter. It’s a quarter life crisis of epic proportions.
Angie, who has always faced her problems by working “twice as hard to get half as far,” is at a loss. Suddenly, she begins to question everything: her career choice, her friendships, even why she's attracted to men who don't love her as much as she loves them.
And just when things couldn’t get more complicated, enter Ricky Gutierrez— brilliant, thoughtful, sexy, and most importantly, seems to see Angie for who she is instead of what she can represent.
Unfortunately, he’s also got “wasteman” practically tattooed across his forehead, and Angie’s done chasing mirages of men. Or so she thinks. For someone who’s always been in control, Angie realizes that there’s one thing she can’t plan on: matters of her heart.
Ghanaian-American Angela Appiah has checked off all the boxes for the “Perfect Immigrant Daughter.”
- Enroll in an elite medical school
- Snag a suitable lawyer/doctor/engineer boyfriend
- Surround self with a gaggle of successful and/or loyal friends
But then it quickly all falls apart: her boyfriend dumps her, she bombs the most important exam of her medical career, and her best friend pulls away. And her parents, whose approval seems to hinge on how closely she follows the path they chose, are a lot less proud of their daughter. It’s a quarter life crisis of epic proportions.
Angie, who has always faced her problems by working “twice as hard to get half as far,” is at a loss. Suddenly, she begins to question everything: her career choice, her friendships, even why she's attracted to men who don't love her as much as she loves them.
And just when things couldn’t get more complicated, enter Ricky Gutierrez— brilliant, thoughtful, sexy, and most importantly, seems to see Angie for who she is instead of what she can represent.
Unfortunately, he’s also got “wasteman” practically tattooed across his forehead, and Angie’s done chasing mirages of men. Or so she thinks. For someone who’s always been in control, Angie realizes that there’s one thing she can’t plan on: matters of her heart.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published June 21, 2022
1167 people are currently reading
32624 people want to read
About the author
Shirlene Obuobi
5 books1,141 followersShirlene Obuobi is a Ghanaian-American physician, cartoonist, and author who grew up in Chicago, Illinois, Hot Springs, Arkansas and The Woodlands, Texas. When she’s not in the hospital (and let’s be honest, even when she’s in it), she can be found drawing comics, writing on her phone, and obsessing over her three cats. She currently lives in Chicago, where she is completing her cardiology fellowship.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,157 reviews
May 26, 2022
Thank you to everyone who picks up this book and decides to give it a chance. Battling my imposter's syndrome to even give my own book a 5 star rating, but what the heck. I worked hard on her. On Rotation doesn't fit a lot of clear cut boxes- it's more Women's Fiction than Romance, more Coming of Age than a medical drama. In writing it, I wanted to create characters who felt true to the people I knew and loved; messy, complicated & stumbling through their efforts at self determination. Hope I achieved that, and that you love my debut as much as I do.
August 27, 2022
The old me would have eaten this shit up, but she’s dead, so let’s get into it. We got a really cute friend to lovers, but this was still frustrating. I appreciate how realistic this can be for most people but I don’t think I want to see it in my romance books.........at least for a very long time. What I’m talking about is the common trope that has these grown-ass adults not communicating properly with each other. Nevertheless, this was an opportunity for growth for the characters and I was mostly satisfied by the ending. Angie’s character was definitely illustrating someone who isn’t exactly secure in herself to trust others to love her, but I did feel like Ricky had his faults too. They were still so cheesily cute.
I enjoyed that we did get more about Angie’s personal life: her medical career, her friends and family, and her culture. These parts of the story helped shift the focus here and there and that was very much needed. I particularly enjoyed the parts where she discussed how relationships can be hard for people in the medical field. Again these realistic things help make a book easier to read.
I enjoyed that we did get more about Angie’s personal life: her medical career, her friends and family, and her culture. These parts of the story helped shift the focus here and there and that was very much needed. I particularly enjoyed the parts where she discussed how relationships can be hard for people in the medical field. Again these realistic things help make a book easier to read.
October 28, 2022
On Rotation was a book that I was looking forward to greatly this year because I've been looking for more medical romances that feature Black characters. Unfortunately, while I enjoyed some aspects of this book, I definitely felt as though it was more of a women's fiction/realistic fiction narrative. There were romantic elements, but the greatest portion of this book focused on the main character going on a journey of self-discovery.
On Rotation follows Angie who is a Ghanaian American medical student that is not only trying to get her own life together, but also fulfill the expectations of her immigrant parents. Unfortunately, Angie's world get a little more hectic when she not only gets dumped by her boyfriend, but also underperforms on a medical exam that was pretty important to defining her specialty. Let with nothing but a series of mishaps, Angie must figure out how to balance her personal life while trying to figure out her place in the medical field while also attempting to open her heart back up to love.
There are two key elements that I really enjoyed about this book: the clear medical knowledge of the author and the representation of cultural expectations. For some reason I seem to gravitate towards any book that explores how difficult it can be to balance cultural expectations with personal expectations. I have a parent that is an immigrant and there were moments in my life where I felt like there were certain expectations and pressures that some of my peers weren't facing. It made things just a tad bit complicated. Obuobi did a great job capturing this with Angie and how her parents expectations not only conflicted with her own expectations, but also became toxic in a lot of ways. It was nice seeing Angie figure out what was best for her while also attempting to understand her family. Then there was the incorporation of medical situations and terminology that was fascinating and so thorough due to the author being a part of the field. It assisted in capturing my attention and making the plot more interesting. There were also a few moments where Obuobi addressed the experiences of being Black in the medical field and I appreciated that as well.
Now, in terms of the overall structure of the novel, there where parts when the story dragged. I also wasn't a fan of the romance. I think that they had chemistry and were cute in a lot of ways, but I wasn't invested nor did I really care because I was more tied to Angie's personal journey and experience. I definitely appreciate the author attempting to give us a well rounded perspective of Angie's life, but I found myself drifting every time we had to deal with the romantic elements. It's not that I expected Angie not to have any love interests, but I could have done without. After her initial break up, it would have been fun to see Angie focus solely on herself, her friends, and her career.
Overall, I think that this is a solid debut novel with some interesting elements. I'll definitely be interested in seeing what Obuobi does in the future.
On Rotation follows Angie who is a Ghanaian American medical student that is not only trying to get her own life together, but also fulfill the expectations of her immigrant parents. Unfortunately, Angie's world get a little more hectic when she not only gets dumped by her boyfriend, but also underperforms on a medical exam that was pretty important to defining her specialty. Let with nothing but a series of mishaps, Angie must figure out how to balance her personal life while trying to figure out her place in the medical field while also attempting to open her heart back up to love.
There are two key elements that I really enjoyed about this book: the clear medical knowledge of the author and the representation of cultural expectations. For some reason I seem to gravitate towards any book that explores how difficult it can be to balance cultural expectations with personal expectations. I have a parent that is an immigrant and there were moments in my life where I felt like there were certain expectations and pressures that some of my peers weren't facing. It made things just a tad bit complicated. Obuobi did a great job capturing this with Angie and how her parents expectations not only conflicted with her own expectations, but also became toxic in a lot of ways. It was nice seeing Angie figure out what was best for her while also attempting to understand her family. Then there was the incorporation of medical situations and terminology that was fascinating and so thorough due to the author being a part of the field. It assisted in capturing my attention and making the plot more interesting. There were also a few moments where Obuobi addressed the experiences of being Black in the medical field and I appreciated that as well.
Now, in terms of the overall structure of the novel, there where parts when the story dragged. I also wasn't a fan of the romance. I think that they had chemistry and were cute in a lot of ways, but I wasn't invested nor did I really care because I was more tied to Angie's personal journey and experience. I definitely appreciate the author attempting to give us a well rounded perspective of Angie's life, but I found myself drifting every time we had to deal with the romantic elements. It's not that I expected Angie not to have any love interests, but I could have done without. After her initial break up, it would have been fun to see Angie focus solely on herself, her friends, and her career.
Overall, I think that this is a solid debut novel with some interesting elements. I'll definitely be interested in seeing what Obuobi does in the future.
May 15, 2023
This was a fun read, and at first I thought I’d rate it five stars.
Halfway through though, I started to feel like the story started to drag and be repetitive.
The main character got on my nerves a lot. She’s super childish. Super overly dramatic over a guy who she met two hours before. Then crying and making huge dramas over imaginary issues. She was annoying as shit. He was also not a great guy.
I prefer stories where the conflicts are real and not only in the MC’s head.
I also thought there would be more hospital stuff, but we barely got any interesting interactions.
Halfway through though, I started to feel like the story started to drag and be repetitive.
The main character got on my nerves a lot. She’s super childish. Super overly dramatic over a guy who she met two hours before. Then crying and making huge dramas over imaginary issues. She was annoying as shit. He was also not a great guy.
I prefer stories where the conflicts are real and not only in the MC’s head.
I also thought there would be more hospital stuff, but we barely got any interesting interactions.
June 28, 2022
I really wish Black authors wouldn't use footnotes, asterisks, etc to explain Black culture to their reader. If it hadn't been the only "fun" book I brought with me on vacation I would have given up especially when she started describing Black hair, I can only assume she was speaking to white readers with the constant explanations. Even when it came to Ghanaian culture, I didn't know what a knocking ceremony was but I could have figured it out based on context or taken the time to Google. Obuobi's writing style is also curiously formal, she used a lot of terms and phrases that I had previously thought of as British (and I was so unimpressed by this book that I left it in Greece so I don't have the receipts handy) but I vaguely recall terms such as "hurry out", "peaked" and CV as well as an emphasis on biscuits. I don't mind British/Ghanaian slang at all but I wish the switch up had been explained. It's especially curious because Obuobi goes to great lengths to establish that the story is set in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, but that care and descriptive writing doesn't extend to actually describing Chicago (and yes I'm biased as a Chicagoan). It felt like the story could have occurred anywhere. Obuobi also tries very hard to TEACH THE READER like so "He was sixty-something years old, of the generation that remembered scorched churches and sundown towns, and every young Black person’s success seemed to loosen the scars left by the state-sanctioned violence he had endured in his youth", I wish I was parodying the writing but I found an excerpt online and it all came flooding back to me.
This novel is also very dated which I have mixed feelings about. I used to get annoyed when authors do that but now I try to let it go but there were so many pop culture references that it was impossible to ignore. It made for a distracted reading experience especially when it extended beyond pop culture (has any Black woman described a man as hood in 2022)? Additionally I never realized it until this book but I'm not a fan of romances where the love interest starts the book in a relationship with someone else. ESPECIALLY because his niceness could have been mistaken for flirtation and at first I was ok with him calling Angie out for assuming but then you realize they're going to keep running into each other and it left a bad taste in my mouth. It made him seem slightly devious, someone trying to make Angie question what she knows to be true. I did think their mutual love of anime was cute and bonding over being geeks of color but it never comes back up and I think those jokes would have been helpful for better establishing their chemistry. Since I didn't trust Ricky from the beginning I never warmed up to him but the romantic gesture at the end was very well played, both practical and sweet. There is also thoughtful commentary about familial boundaries in an immigrant family that I wish had been further explored but I was glad we got what we did.
ON ROTATION is a contemporary novel that doesn't revolve around a romance but rather focuses on a mid 20something Ghanian American woman trying to juggle med school, family demands, friendship and a waning love life. The writing style is bubbly but also didactic and peppered with 2016-2018 pop culture references and slang that were off putting to me. Not only does Obuobi hold the reader's hand as she writes about Black American and Ghanian American experiences but she also tries very hard to make sure the reader knows Angie's world is diverse and inclusive. Interestingly the story moves quickly but the romance does not, primarily due to Ricky's entanglements and emotional hang ups. But the book does have some nice moments particularly when exploring themes around balancing med school while being a good friend, navigating familial expectations that feel suffocating and trying to figure out how to be in a healthy relationship while dealing with your family's trauma. But overall: meh, I expected more.
This novel is also very dated which I have mixed feelings about. I used to get annoyed when authors do that but now I try to let it go but there were so many pop culture references that it was impossible to ignore. It made for a distracted reading experience especially when it extended beyond pop culture (has any Black woman described a man as hood in 2022)? Additionally I never realized it until this book but I'm not a fan of romances where the love interest starts the book in a relationship with someone else. ESPECIALLY because his niceness could have been mistaken for flirtation and at first I was ok with him calling Angie out for assuming but then you realize they're going to keep running into each other and it left a bad taste in my mouth. It made him seem slightly devious, someone trying to make Angie question what she knows to be true. I did think their mutual love of anime was cute and bonding over being geeks of color but it never comes back up and I think those jokes would have been helpful for better establishing their chemistry. Since I didn't trust Ricky from the beginning I never warmed up to him but the romantic gesture at the end was very well played, both practical and sweet. There is also thoughtful commentary about familial boundaries in an immigrant family that I wish had been further explored but I was glad we got what we did.
ON ROTATION is a contemporary novel that doesn't revolve around a romance but rather focuses on a mid 20something Ghanian American woman trying to juggle med school, family demands, friendship and a waning love life. The writing style is bubbly but also didactic and peppered with 2016-2018 pop culture references and slang that were off putting to me. Not only does Obuobi hold the reader's hand as she writes about Black American and Ghanian American experiences but she also tries very hard to make sure the reader knows Angie's world is diverse and inclusive. Interestingly the story moves quickly but the romance does not, primarily due to Ricky's entanglements and emotional hang ups. But the book does have some nice moments particularly when exploring themes around balancing med school while being a good friend, navigating familial expectations that feel suffocating and trying to figure out how to be in a healthy relationship while dealing with your family's trauma. But overall: meh, I expected more.
December 29, 2021
thank you to the publisher, and the author for letting me read an ARC of this amazing
story through NetGalley.
As some one who is an immigrant child and is a dental student this story felt really relatable to me. Angie’s struggles with studies family and relations was familiar to me and I could totally picture myself in her shoe I totally understand her insecurities and love that author think about them and put them in the story. She was so strong and honestly I learned sth or two from her.the romance and chemistry was also phenomenal and I enjoy that they build up their relation ship.
This was totally a 5 star book for me and I would 100% recommend it to friends and family.
story through NetGalley.
As some one who is an immigrant child and is a dental student this story felt really relatable to me. Angie’s struggles with studies family and relations was familiar to me and I could totally picture myself in her shoe I totally understand her insecurities and love that author think about them and put them in the story. She was so strong and honestly I learned sth or two from her.the romance and chemistry was also phenomenal and I enjoy that they build up their relation ship.
This was totally a 5 star book for me and I would 100% recommend it to friends and family.
June 12, 2022
DNF at 25%. The premise seemed promising, but the incessant use of footnotes throughout the book is a huge distraction, especially in e-book format. Maybe it would see less annoying in a print edition, but the structure and footnotes made it practically unreadable for me, and I wasn't engaged enough in the story to continue making the effort.
January 6, 2023
i just didn’t resonate with this story as much unfortunately
February 17, 2023
I seriously almost quit this like four times.
May 13, 2023
4/5 ⭐️
- This book is sooooo good!!! I could literally feel the love between Angie and Ricky as if they were real people. I really hope this author has another book in the works because she really knows how to make you fall in love with the characters!!! The back and forth & fears within relationship/friendships was so spot on to how it feels when you’re really learning to trust someone. I could see Angie spiraling in her thoughts at times and it just felt so authentic.
- I finished this book in less than 24 hours and I definitely would have finished it even faster if there had been more dialogue. Would have loved a little more of that, but nonetheless it was so great to read from Angie’s point of view and read her thoughts/feelings!
- There were so many different themes in this book that I loved - friendship breakups, growing up, the relationship with your siblings/parents, issues in healthcare, race/society, implicit bias, death, romance… it literally had it all! I love that romance was the major theme but there were so many other things going on in the story because that’s so true to life. There was so much diversity in this book too!
- This book is sooooo good!!! I could literally feel the love between Angie and Ricky as if they were real people. I really hope this author has another book in the works because she really knows how to make you fall in love with the characters!!! The back and forth & fears within relationship/friendships was so spot on to how it feels when you’re really learning to trust someone. I could see Angie spiraling in her thoughts at times and it just felt so authentic.
- I finished this book in less than 24 hours and I definitely would have finished it even faster if there had been more dialogue. Would have loved a little more of that, but nonetheless it was so great to read from Angie’s point of view and read her thoughts/feelings!
- There were so many different themes in this book that I loved - friendship breakups, growing up, the relationship with your siblings/parents, issues in healthcare, race/society, implicit bias, death, romance… it literally had it all! I love that romance was the major theme but there were so many other things going on in the story because that’s so true to life. There was so much diversity in this book too!
December 17, 2021
This book is so much that the world needs right now. Angie is a black woman, trying to find her way through the complications of love and her career in medicine. And I think my favorite part about it is being able to see black people living their lives! This is a book about living!!! And I am so in love with Ricky and Angie. I was lucky enough to read an early version of this story last year and I haven’t stopped thinking about them since. Shirlene writes with a big voice, and the characters jump off the page because of it. Everything about medicine had me hooked, and the love story is so realistic and beautiful! But what I also loved is the Ghanaian traditions we get to see with Angie’s family. I am so happy to know about The Knocking ceremony and to see it played out so well in a novel. I love this book so very much. I am the president of the Shirlene Obuobi fan club and I’m saying it here before anyone tries to take my spot. Please read it, you’ll be happy you did.
July 20, 2022
I really ended up enjoying this but not for reason I thought I would. This looked like a more romcom kind of book that was medical themed but what I got was much more great. The relationship between the heroin and the love interest was one of the most realistic relationship I've seen lately. Not all sunshine and rainbows but romantic nevertheless. The side story was very well done as well. Definitely interested to read more from Shirlene Obuobi in the future
August 5, 2022
Everyone in this book was insufferable holy shit. Ricky was honestly the worst and since she was so delusional and desperate to be loved that she fell for all of it. He immediately was awful and she still continued to entertain him which was insane. The back and forth just gave me whiplash. This was almost too descriptive and detailed. Like the author was assuming no one would know anything and they had to tell us in great detail. The resolution of the conflict was so ridiculous! I should’ve dnf’d this but I was so excited for this book and was hoping it was going to be a new favorite. Also therapy would do everyone in this book some real good.
August 18, 2023
this book had a lot of potential but I feel like every storyline was not executed to the best of its abilities. I became bored and honestly over it. And also it's another child of American immigrants story about parents who are too judgmental and only care about grades and success...... we have all read it before and it doesn't offer anything new to that same story.
February 2, 2022
(free review copy) This novel was EXCELLENT. I loved how complex it was and how it also kept things light enough to move along quickly. Highly recommend to anyone who likes Kimmery Martin’s medical world novels!
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August 2, 2022Content warnings:
Would you look at that, I finally found a medical romance that I actually enjoyed. Which is probably due to the fact that it's written by someone who actually knows what they're talking about from firsthand experience. But no matter the reason, what matters is the outcome: I had a great ol'time with this story. Loved the romance and the fact that while having conflict, the story strayed away abit from the third act breakup structure. I also loved that it also had a focus on self-love and feeling whole outside of having a romantic partner as well as enjoying your own company. It was also well rounded with family, friendship and career stakes. And of course, the romance itself was cute and well developed, I also found the way the MC approached it and reacted to certain things (albeit frustrating) realistic considering her dating history. The only complaint I have is that the writing was a bit infodumpy at times.
Would you look at that, I finally found a medical romance that I actually enjoyed. Which is probably due to the fact that it's written by someone who actually knows what they're talking about from firsthand experience. But no matter the reason, what matters is the outcome: I had a great ol'time with this story. Loved the romance and the fact that while having conflict, the story strayed away abit from the third act breakup structure. I also loved that it also had a focus on self-love and feeling whole outside of having a romantic partner as well as enjoying your own company. It was also well rounded with family, friendship and career stakes. And of course, the romance itself was cute and well developed, I also found the way the MC approached it and reacted to certain things (albeit frustrating) realistic considering her dating history. The only complaint I have is that the writing was a bit infodumpy at times.
December 2, 2022
honestly it was kinda way to repetitive but it was still pretty good. not gonna lie the entire first half of the book was perfection but then near the end it started getting like "ugh how many times is this girl gonna freaking do this"
December 20, 2022
This was a fun time.
It's definitely not a romance that I think makes a strong case for the single perspective community. As rich as the plots were, I still feel short changed by not getting Ricky's view, especially given how these characters get together in the first place and all of the ups and downs associated.
I did like the book though, and getting to see Angie finding community with her friends and having to navigate platonic and romantic love at this point in her life when nothing feels like it's coming together. The scene with her mother braiding her hair after they've had a falling out is probably one of my favorites in the book. And I think it's the one time that the break up felt fine. It happened nice and early, right around the 70% mark, and it wasn't due to some misunderstanding really? There was a full conversation about why the characters were feeling the way they were and it felt believable in what was able to bring them back together.
I will say that while nothing in this book was particularly graphic, there is a death of a teenager early on in the book that Angie has to deal with as part of one of her rotations, and then there is the death of a loved one that is navigated later on in the narrative so know that going in.
All in all I had a good time. I'm looking forward to what Obuobi comes out with next and I'm a little upset for waiting so long to pick this up.
It's definitely not a romance that I think makes a strong case for the single perspective community. As rich as the plots were, I still feel short changed by not getting Ricky's view, especially given how these characters get together in the first place and all of the ups and downs associated.
I did like the book though, and getting to see Angie finding community with her friends and having to navigate platonic and romantic love at this point in her life when nothing feels like it's coming together. The scene with her mother braiding her hair after they've had a falling out is probably one of my favorites in the book. And I think it's the one time that the break up felt fine. It happened nice and early, right around the 70% mark, and it wasn't due to some misunderstanding really? There was a full conversation about why the characters were feeling the way they were and it felt believable in what was able to bring them back together.
I will say that while nothing in this book was particularly graphic, there is a death of a teenager early on in the book that Angie has to deal with as part of one of her rotations, and then there is the death of a loved one that is navigated later on in the narrative so know that going in.
All in all I had a good time. I'm looking forward to what Obuobi comes out with next and I'm a little upset for waiting so long to pick this up.
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June 8, 2022Enjoyed this! I did let my "Grey's Anatomy" expectations get the better of me a little too much, expecting silly nonstop drama, and it's not that, largely because the author actually knows medicine. But I love that it's heavy on both the MC's professional life and love life, with very present friendships - it actually gave me hetero Honey Girl vibes, a little bit. (And it's not screamingly hetero, either - the BFF is a queer woman who enters a relationship with a nonbinary person.) V enjoyable read for sure!
July 3, 2022
Less of a romance (even though it's tacked on) and more of a contemporary story about a young woman's "coming of age" as she tackles medical school, her family, and life in general. I mean, there's romance, of course, but it's not a "romance". The former aspects play stronger roles in the story.
Worth a read. 3.5/5
Worth a read. 3.5/5
March 13, 2023
2.5 literally everyone’s toxic
June 3, 2022
update: after telling my friends about how awful the LI was, i’m angry all over again and lowering it to 2*. the tldr is everything about this book is great except the romance and the LI.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Here's the thing, I really enjoyed so much about this book, and had it ended differently it would've been an easy 4 stars. But I was actively rooting against the romance, so when Angie got back together with Ricky, my enjoyment completely plummetted.
The writing in this is so wonderful, and the author is clearly so talented. Angie is so well-rounded and well-written, and I related to her immensely. The side characters, too, all felt very real and human. Ricky, too, felt very realistic--he's written exactly like many toxic men I have known in my life. What I found most unrealistic was everyone encouraging her to go back to him, because, oh my god, if one of my friends went back to him after the FIRST emotional gaslighting, I would've been pissed.
I'll readily admit that I'm projecting a bit here. I've been in relationships with people like Ricky: they act one way, then when you dare mention how they're acting they gaslight you all to hell, just to spontaneously pull a 180 and tell you they didn't mean it and you'd been interpreting their actions correctly all along. Men who are selfish, and expect the woman to always just accept him immediately at their word, no matter what their actions indicate, no matter how those words change. He never grovels, because he never feels like he's done anything wrong--instead, ANGIE grovels, for not trusting this man who'd given her no reason to trust him and a dozen reasons not to. Maybe I just wanted her to be better than me, but god was I disappointed when this strong, powerful woman went back to this man.
Everything else about this story was so lovely. The medical drama aspects, Angie finding herself and working towards her future, the ups and downs of her relationships with her friends--all of these were so great. I loved how the big, sad moment existed outside of their relationship, too; I like some of the drama to come extrinsically and I felt this book did that very well. All the little asterisks and footnotes were fun and funny and great additions. I just wish one of the major aspects of this book hadn't made my blood boil.
3/5 stars because this is well-written and has great representation--although my own personal enjoyment would put this more at a 2/5.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
Here's the thing, I really enjoyed so much about this book, and had it ended differently it would've been an easy 4 stars. But I was actively rooting against the romance, so when Angie got back together with Ricky, my enjoyment completely plummetted.
The writing in this is so wonderful, and the author is clearly so talented. Angie is so well-rounded and well-written, and I related to her immensely. The side characters, too, all felt very real and human. Ricky, too, felt very realistic--he's written exactly like many toxic men I have known in my life. What I found most unrealistic was everyone encouraging her to go back to him, because, oh my god, if one of my friends went back to him after the FIRST emotional gaslighting, I would've been pissed.
I'll readily admit that I'm projecting a bit here. I've been in relationships with people like Ricky: they act one way, then when you dare mention how they're acting they gaslight you all to hell, just to spontaneously pull a 180 and tell you they didn't mean it and you'd been interpreting their actions correctly all along. Men who are selfish, and expect the woman to always just accept him immediately at their word, no matter what their actions indicate, no matter how those words change. He never grovels, because he never feels like he's done anything wrong--instead, ANGIE grovels, for not trusting this man who'd given her no reason to trust him and a dozen reasons not to. Maybe I just wanted her to be better than me, but god was I disappointed when this strong, powerful woman went back to this man.
Everything else about this story was so lovely. The medical drama aspects, Angie finding herself and working towards her future, the ups and downs of her relationships with her friends--all of these were so great. I loved how the big, sad moment existed outside of their relationship, too; I like some of the drama to come extrinsically and I felt this book did that very well. All the little asterisks and footnotes were fun and funny and great additions. I just wish one of the major aspects of this book hadn't made my blood boil.
3/5 stars because this is well-written and has great representation--although my own personal enjoyment would put this more at a 2/5.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2022
(3.5) This book was a reminder that I shouldn’t read contemporary romance when I’m about to start my period, because my emotions get all gooey, and I feel painfully single. And, man alive, did the two main characters in this book make me realize that I didn’t have a special someone as I read this sprawled across my bed in ratty sweats and with way-too-oily hair.
Our two romantic leads, Angie and Ricky, have chemistry that leaps off the page, and I really enjoyed them both as a couple and as individuals. They’re flawed characters, but they come off as likable, and you’re definitely hoping the two figure things out. I wish Ricky had been a bit more developed; the first-person narrative from Angie’s POV makes it hard occasionally to see him as a fully realized individual and not a figment of his relationship to Angie. That narration style also sometimes came across as monologue-y, which is never my favorite. Angie and Ricky’s will-they, won’t-they, sometimes defined, sometimes undefined situationship was a bit hard to follow, and I occasionally got annoyed with the way things were playing out. Still, you rooted for the couple’s happily ever after.
It’s more than obvious in this book that Shirlene Obuobi knows what she’s talking about when it comes to the medical jargon, but she never gets you get bogged down in it. Instead, everything is approachable. Her conversational writing style and the book’s cheeky tone make this an easy book to move through. It also really adds to the characterizations, especially Angie’s (as we get her every unfiltered thought); you feel like you’re her best friend. Now, this is a weird thing to have an issue with, but I didn’t love all the asterisks in the book. Because I was reading an electronic copy of the book, the asterisks moved me to the back of the book only to then make me find my original place back in the text. Some of the asterisks related to defining fancy terminology, but others were dialogue and asides that could have easily been included in the text. Things might be different in a print copy of the book, but the constant flipping around for no really good reason grated on me.
I thought Obuobi tackled big issues with aplomb — such as the immigrant experience, implicit bias in medicine, challenging family situations, distrust in medical professionals. The heavy topics never took you out of the book because of the wonderful way Obouobi wrote about them, and everything furthered Angie’s journey. And Angie’s journey was most definitely an enjoyable one to be along for; you really care about her (and feel protective of her) and want her to get everything she desires. I think, largely because Angie is such an enjoyable character, this book has a wonderful heart to it and is a fun read — just, maybe, unlike me, don’t read it when you’re about to start your period if you, too, are single.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyage, and Shirlene Obuobi for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Our two romantic leads, Angie and Ricky, have chemistry that leaps off the page, and I really enjoyed them both as a couple and as individuals. They’re flawed characters, but they come off as likable, and you’re definitely hoping the two figure things out. I wish Ricky had been a bit more developed; the first-person narrative from Angie’s POV makes it hard occasionally to see him as a fully realized individual and not a figment of his relationship to Angie. That narration style also sometimes came across as monologue-y, which is never my favorite. Angie and Ricky’s will-they, won’t-they, sometimes defined, sometimes undefined situationship was a bit hard to follow, and I occasionally got annoyed with the way things were playing out. Still, you rooted for the couple’s happily ever after.
It’s more than obvious in this book that Shirlene Obuobi knows what she’s talking about when it comes to the medical jargon, but she never gets you get bogged down in it. Instead, everything is approachable. Her conversational writing style and the book’s cheeky tone make this an easy book to move through. It also really adds to the characterizations, especially Angie’s (as we get her every unfiltered thought); you feel like you’re her best friend. Now, this is a weird thing to have an issue with, but I didn’t love all the asterisks in the book. Because I was reading an electronic copy of the book, the asterisks moved me to the back of the book only to then make me find my original place back in the text. Some of the asterisks related to defining fancy terminology, but others were dialogue and asides that could have easily been included in the text. Things might be different in a print copy of the book, but the constant flipping around for no really good reason grated on me.
I thought Obuobi tackled big issues with aplomb — such as the immigrant experience, implicit bias in medicine, challenging family situations, distrust in medical professionals. The heavy topics never took you out of the book because of the wonderful way Obouobi wrote about them, and everything furthered Angie’s journey. And Angie’s journey was most definitely an enjoyable one to be along for; you really care about her (and feel protective of her) and want her to get everything she desires. I think, largely because Angie is such an enjoyable character, this book has a wonderful heart to it and is a fun read — just, maybe, unlike me, don’t read it when you’re about to start your period if you, too, are single.
Special thanks to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyage, and Shirlene Obuobi for proving me with an e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 29, 2022
Charming, thoughtful, and laugh-out-loud funny. This is the medical school novel of my dreams, featuring a swoonworthy love story, all the complexity of friendships in your twenties, and deeply emphathetic commentary about navigating medicine as a woman of color.
February 21, 2023
Angela really was her own worst enemy at times….but, she soon got herself together once she stepped in to help Ricky and his family deal with the loss of his father. I’m happy Angela saw the light and sought change. Her and Ricky were good for one another.
January 16, 2025
3.5 ★'s
This was right up my alley. The humorous and genuine writing smackfilled with personality, the eldest immigrant daughter, academic overachiever fmc with trust issues, the close-knitted friendship group, learning about medical school and the rich ghanian culture.
Even as a white, european woman with little to no knowledge of american medical school(all I know is based on greys anatomy tbh) or ghanian culture, that on paper has very little in common with this book or characters I still got so much out of this book and felt for these characters. Shirlene’s writing is fun, upbeat and inviting. I learned a bunch during this read which is always an extra treat when reading.
The one thing that I couldn’t get with the program is the mmc. I would’ve honestly preferred for the fmc to stay single. I know if I met Ricky I would’ve run the other way… He is 50 shades of red flag, and not even in a hot psycho dark romance type of way(idk what this says about me), more so in a flaky fuckboy “is he even interested or just leading her on” type of way. But I also have trust issues, so I could relate to Angie through and through…🫡
Ricky is the only reason for the slightly lower rating. If I could’ve done some tweaks to him or if the fmc stayed on her “I don’t need a man, I love myself”-train I would’ve loved this one way more. But the general vibe of this book was so warm, so I would still recommend it... just not for the romance.🥹
_______________
°. *࿐pre-read:
Shirlene wrote one of my top reads of last year, so I have to give this one a try 🙂↕️
This was right up my alley. The humorous and genuine writing smackfilled with personality, the eldest immigrant daughter, academic overachiever fmc with trust issues, the close-knitted friendship group, learning about medical school and the rich ghanian culture.
Even as a white, european woman with little to no knowledge of american medical school(all I know is based on greys anatomy tbh) or ghanian culture, that on paper has very little in common with this book or characters I still got so much out of this book and felt for these characters. Shirlene’s writing is fun, upbeat and inviting. I learned a bunch during this read which is always an extra treat when reading.
The one thing that I couldn’t get with the program is the mmc. I would’ve honestly preferred for the fmc to stay single. I know if I met Ricky I would’ve run the other way… He is 50 shades of red flag, and not even in a hot psycho dark romance type of way(idk what this says about me), more so in a flaky fuckboy “is he even interested or just leading her on” type of way. But I also have trust issues, so I could relate to Angie through and through…🫡
Ricky is the only reason for the slightly lower rating. If I could’ve done some tweaks to him or if the fmc stayed on her “I don’t need a man, I love myself”-train I would’ve loved this one way more. But the general vibe of this book was so warm, so I would still recommend it... just not for the romance.🥹
_______________
°. *࿐pre-read:
Shirlene wrote one of my top reads of last year, so I have to give this one a try 🙂↕️
February 7, 2024
dnf at 50%. my first dnf of the year. everything about this book was annoying. i can’t be half-assed to explain why bc there are a lot of reviews that do it already, please check them out if you’re curious about this book.
June 24, 2022
I loved ON ROTATION, and it brought all the drama with plenty of laughs and a romance too.
Angie is a Ghanaian-American trying to find her way in life while balancing medical school, a boyfriend who won’t commit, and meddling parents.
Compared to Grey’s Anatomy, I loved the medical drama and I’m always a fan of strong female friendships which were featured in the story too. Overall it was a funny and relatable story, and I loved that the author included Ghanaian traditions and can’t wait to read more by her!
*many thanks to Avon/William Morrow and Harper Audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy and audiobook for review
Angie is a Ghanaian-American trying to find her way in life while balancing medical school, a boyfriend who won’t commit, and meddling parents.
Compared to Grey’s Anatomy, I loved the medical drama and I’m always a fan of strong female friendships which were featured in the story too. Overall it was a funny and relatable story, and I loved that the author included Ghanaian traditions and can’t wait to read more by her!
*many thanks to Avon/William Morrow and Harper Audio/Netgalley for the gifted copy and audiobook for review
May 20, 2022
I love finding a debut author to fangirl over and this was such a solid first book! It’s a mash up of some of my favorite things too, you get romance, great character growth as Angie is really going through it for the majority of the book, strong female friendships, family and cultural traditions and expectations and a side of medical drama a la Grey’s Anatomy. Seriously so much to love here for me! Merging all of that together could be tricky but in the right authors hands it works and the author worked her magic. This was such a layered read and I loved seeing all aspects of Angie’s life, it gave me such a clear picture of who she is and I was rooting hard for her. Instead of just focusing on her romantic entanglement with Ricky she goes through friend drama, work drama and family drama. There are some powerful depictions of her immigrant experience and the pressures her family placed on her to succeed, and what success looks like to them was interesting. The whole thing was relatable, insightful and just a joy to read and narrator Mela Lee is absolutely fantastic!
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