Symptoms of a Heart Break: Book Review

Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Symptoms of a Heartbreak by Sona Charaipotra is a cute teen medical drama reminiscent of Gray’s Anatomy and the like. We follow the life of Indian-American teen doctor, Saira, as she navigates her legitimacy as Girl Genius and one of the youngest doctors in the country. And of course things get complicated when she develops feelings for one of her patients.

I think this book was an interesting take on ageism in the workplace. Saira worked so hard to be taken seriously, but at the same time neglected her high school experience. She was really struggling between being adultified and remembering she was still a kid. Even when all those people try to delegitimize her, she believed in her passion and ability to see her through.

One thing I couldn’t figure out if it made the story stronger or took something away from the experience from me, but the way that it played out like a series of TV episodes. I think having a diverse range of patients showed Saira’s different strengths. I think they added texture and a range of emotions to the story. On the other hand, I don’t like when books read like TV episodes. It feels disjointed and doesn’t fit neatly into a cohesive story like I like with novels.

The love story between Saira and Link was so cute though. I wish they got more time together throughout the novel, but I really liked their relationship when they finally got together. I like how Link reminded Saira to be a kid.

Overall I think this is super cute. I got to see a glimpse of Indian culture, and the story brought in important perspectives that Brown girls have to go through. I would recommend it.

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