The White Coat Diaries

AUGUST 2020 UPDATE: Unfortunately, after witnessing the author lie and defame the character of a POC book influencer, I can no longer give my support.

3/5 stars

Release Date: September 15, 2020

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Norah Kapadia is a medical intern quickly learning the ropes of Philadelphia General Hospital. Each day presents new challenges and she quickly learns that sometimes, working in a hospital isn’t always about putting the patients first. Between trying to follow in her father’s footsteps, being the “perfect Indian daughter”, and graduating from residency, she wonders how she can handle it all. When a fatal mistake results in a lawsuit, she must decide for herself where her loyalties lie. 

This was an interesting read. I loved the medical detail and appreciated that a practicing physician authored the book. It was like “Grey’s Anatomy” with the crazy cases and questionable relationships between medical personnel. The book’s strongest aspects were the plots surrounding the grueling life of medical residents and inner working of a hospital. 

Norah was an okay character for me. I didn’t think there was much character development until the very end. Likewise, her relationship with her family and constant battle choosing between them and work was important for the first half of the book, then began to disappear, and then seemed to be mostly resolved without much explanation by the end. There was less romance than I expected after reading the book jacket summary and some of the supporting characters seemed to just have disappeared for the last 25% of the book.

It was a good read if you enjoy medical dramas, but if you are looking for a contemporary romance, you should look elsewhere. Overall, it was intriguing and I did enjoy reading about the characters, but I was disappointed by how the plot was resolved. It lacked proper closure and seemed a bit too convenient.