Official Review: Along Came COVID by Tony Scott, MD

Post by **Rosemary Wright** » 10 Mar 2021, 05:54

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Along Came COVID" by Tony Scott, MD.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Along Came COVID, by Tony Scott, MD, follows Faith Pernitelli, an obstetrics and gynecology resident, who just relocated to Albuquerque from Lubbock for a change. She is married to Brian, a physician also. She starts her first year of residency in the "Maternal-Fetal Medicine division of the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of New Mexico" and tries to settle down to work, giving it her best shot. Meanwhile, she has been having marriage problems due to Brian's unfaithfulness and abusive behavior. Unknowingly to her, Brian has been abusing drugs.

After a short while, Faith and Brian get divorced. Faith falls in love with Josh, who is also a resident, and gets pregnant soon after they start a relationship. Afterwards, a pregnant patient is diagnosed with COVID-19 in her medical centre and then others.

Alas, one day, after midnight, Faith wakes up feeling ill with a high body temperature, and she is taken to hospital. Has she contracted the above disease? If so, will she survive it and get back to Josh? Will Brian succumb to pressure from his superiors to go off drugs and go to rehab to get clean?

Inspired by true events, Along Came COVID was written at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. It's a fascinating read that unveils the struggles and victories of an obstetrics and gynecology team. It tells about their relationships with and how they handled their patients. In addition, the novel is easy to read and has a good plot, full of intriguing events inside and outside the medical center.

The book is enlightening, giving insight into COVID-19 and its preventive measures. While unveiling how the virus affects its victims and the residual effects on them, it reveals the heartaches of patients' relatives, their losses, and so forth. It highlights those that are especially vulnerable to the disease. Moreover, it tells about the relationship between drug abuse and depression, presenting means of recovery.

The book is engaging, except that some parts of it seem rushed. For example, it'd have been better if the author added more details about Faith and Josh's romance before she became pregnant to make it more realistic. Besides, it contains some medical procedures and terms that I couldn't wrap my head around. I suggest that the author should add a glossary to give their meanings.

Again, since the narration consists of cases of COVID-19 which involve some patients dying, it might not be advisable for sensitive people who have lost loved ones to coronavirus to read the book.

Altogether, I rate the book 4 out of 4 stars. I couldn't rate it lower since it's very interesting and eye-opening. I enjoyed reading about the characters. The author provided enough information about them, and they're relatable. Most of them are intelligent and fun, particularly Josh. Besides, the novel was well edited, though I noticed a couple of grammar errors, which are not distracting. I recommend it to medical fiction fans and anyone who wants to know more about COVID-19.

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Along Came COVID
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Kaitlyn Canedy · Post by **Kaitlyn Canedy** » 13 Mar 2021, 21:41

I had a chance to review this one, but I opted out due to this topic being sensitive for me. However, I did enjoy your thorough review. Glad that you liked it!

Heidadela · Post by **Heidadela** » 14 Mar 2021, 05:06

This is a great highlight of the horrors of 2020 due to Covid19. It's encouraging that an author put it in writing so that we have something to remember the Covid19 period. Thank you for a great review.

Petruschka1 · Post by **Petruschka1** » 14 Mar 2021, 10:11

This novel might be of interest to anybody wishing to learn more about Covid-19 and its effects. One of the main characters con-
tracting the disease adds to the tension. I look forward to reading this book.

Suzer6440 xyz · Post by **Suzer6440 xyz** » 14 Mar 2021, 10:59

This seems interesting and caught my attention. Thanks for the great review

Yvonne Monique · Post by **Yvonne Monique** » 14 Mar 2021, 17:45

I am getting a bit "covid tired", unfortunately. So many books are published lately, all somehow related to the Covid pandemic, that I feel that they are all taking advantage of the situation. Your review has been very informative, though.

Post by **Becca Olsson** » 14 Mar 2021, 22:33

With us all being a year into COVID, this seems like a really interesting read, particularly because of the perspectives of those who work in the medical field. I love that there’s a well developed plot to go with it. I’ll definitely be giving this book a try

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 15 Mar 2021, 11:47

This seems an interesting example of medical fiction, but it's too close to our reality for me to read it right now. Regardless, thank you for your great review!

aodonnell · Post by **aodonnell** » 15 Mar 2021, 13:52

It sounds like an interesting book. Like a combination of hospital drama shows that have been really popular, but made more relatable through real life inspiration.
Does the author's personal opinions and thoughts surrounding COVID and the handling of the pandemic seem to come through in the writing? With such intense lines drawn around it, I'm curious whether the author comes across as prescriptive at all.

Arpita Choudhari · Post by **Arpita Choudhari** » 25 Mar 2021, 00:57

This book is all about the covid phase and how people were stressed annoyed and depressed in this period of time. Many people will relate with this book and will like to read it .

prernarajput123 · Post by **prernarajput123** » 26 Mar 2021, 03:45

We all know that COVID-19 has affected the whole world. Getting an opportunity to read about the dreadful pandemic in a novel and to get the insights of the disease and to know how the frontline workers cope with it is intriguing. The review is very well written without giving any spoilers and going to give this book a read.

Mary Garrison · Post by **Mary Garrison** » 30 Mar 2021, 13:29

Thanks for the great review, I'm definitely going to have to read this book. I love medical drama and obviously it would be great to get more insight on covid. Managing relationships in such a high pace career is also interesting to me.

Hunter Tester · Post by **Hunter Tester** » 04 Apr 2021, 21:15

Sounds intriguing! Good review. I might be inclined to read it, but maybe once Covid isn’t still going on.

Kavita Shah · Post by **Kavita Shah** » 25 Apr 2021, 09:44

It's a good story which has all the recent activities. It will be a good read for future. Great review!

C3cilia · Post by **C3cilia** » 27 Apr 2021, 13:46

The title aroused my curiosity since it deals with the current events.I was inspired by the story since it is a representative of all that happened to many people. I WOULD recommend this book to everyone. Thanks for the great review.