This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay -- Starting February 2nd 2023

[Jenn]

Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids, and the hospital parking meter earns more than you.
Scribbled in secret after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, Adam Kay's This is Going to Hurt provides a no-holds-barred account of his time on the NHS front line. Hilarious, horrifying and heartbreaking, this diary is everything you wanted to know – and more than a few things you didn't – about life on and off the hospital ward.

As seen on ITV's Zoe Ball Book Club

This edition includes extra diary entries and a new afterword by the author.

[Sibil]

Epigraph-Chapter 1:
(view spoiler)[With this book is love at first sight! I love his writing and I love the fact that he is speaking to you. And I also think that this sort of book is needed. Because we are so used to seeing the "romantic" side of being a doctor (and I am not talking about romantic relationships, but there is always that magical or mystical alone around medicals figures, and it is deserved but we often forget that they are people and that the system is not the best with them. So let us get more reminders of that!)

And even if I didn't read much, it is quite hard to put down! It is easy to read and it is a smooth book, I turned page after page without noticing it. And my favorite parts are the footnote in which he explains the medical things, because he is good at explaining them!

I have checked the tv shows because I was curious, and I thought I could have started it and watched at least an episode to get a feeling for it, but the synopsis talks about him as a gynecologist and in the chapter I have read he is not, so I would wait a bit... But I am pretty curious! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

chapter 2-4
(view spoiler)[I wonder where he finds the time to be a good person! I mean, he is constantly at work, and it is a demanding job at that, yet he finds the time to help out a friend's brother. I mean, it's the decent thing to do, but how he manages it astounds me. I am feeling tired of only reading about him doing his job!!!
And it is also a bit scary to think of it all, because even if it's real and we should treat doctors better (we as a society, and the doctors that work in hospitals) and give them more time to rest because this is quite inhuman, it is scary to think that your life is in their hands.
Also, I am surprised (in a good way) that H is still with him and has because I understand him, but I can also wholly understand her (I think H is a she?) because there is no time inside their relationship! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

chapters 5-6
(view spoiler)[I know that before I said that we need the reality and not only the romantic side of things, but reading this book make me want to watch the second season of Hospital Playlist to balance things up a bit. Sure, you see also the reality of doctors' life in there but it's heartwarming and wholesome and so good on all levels!
But this apart, this book has some really nice moments too, it's not all bad things, and some parts are nice.
But really, I am feeling tired only reading about him going on about his days at work!!!!! (hide spoiler)]

[Janine]

Can I join in? I had to postpone my scheduled buddy read for this week, and I'm up for a shorter book to occupy my time until I can reschedule that book.

[Sibil]

Sure you can! :)

[Alex]

Chapter 1

(view spoiler)[ Haha, I like this. Reads very easily. The only issue I have is that I seem to loose focus quite easily. Reads like a blog - which is fine - but I really hope there is going to be more to it.

I like the humour, the little moments he describes, the patients, and how he tries to present serious matters in a fun, engaging way. I have huge expectations from this book. Let's see! (hide spoiler)]

[Alex]

Sibil wrote: "Epigraph-Chapter 1:
."

I really like the way he explains medical terms as well! It is very easy to read and enjoy - exactly what I need!

[Janine]

Introduction: (view spoiler)[I barely started listening (the audiobook is read by the author himself) and he's already making me laugh. I'm thinking this is going to be a big graphic, heartbreaking, but funny, more dark comedy than anything. (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Alex wrote: "Chapter 1

.."

(view spoiler)[I am glad you are enjoying it, at least so far. And you are right, it reads like a blog! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Janine wrote: "Introduction: [spoilers removed]"

I think this in audiobook would be even better than the book!

[Sibil]

Ended
(view spoiler)[I knew from the start that he is no more a doctor but... I was hoping it was because he decided to try something different or because he was trying to have more free time or something like that, not because of this. It really is sad. And I am so sorry for him! (hide spoiler)]

[Janine]

Chapter 1: (view spoiler)[I'm really loving the dark humor to keep things from getting too disturbing or devastating. It's really a look at the dark side of the medical practice and that it's not the glamour job we see even on the real life type shows like My Feet Are Killing Me. I did want to be a doctor back in middle school, and I'm sure I would have picked this up if it existed, and I'm already saying this is a must read for those high school students wanting to be doctors. One problem is a lot of pauses in the audio between entries. (hide spoiler)]

Sibil wrote: "Epigraph-Chapter 1: [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[In the audiobook, he describes each term as they come up, so it's like "medical term, explanation". (hide spoiler)]

Alex wrote: "Chapter 1 [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[Loving the humor too, and his delivery reading it was awesome. And yeah, it does feel random, but I think that's the point. The doctor's life at that stage is random and full of whatever the hospital throws at it. (hide spoiler)]

[Janine]

Chapter 4: (view spoiler)[I do like the funnier entries, and how he puts humor to the horrible deaths doing an MRI while having metal in your body. Really lets the horrors and not so fun side of being a doctor sink in. I also like how he starts the chapters, describing the context of this part of his life. He tends to end the chapters with a sad story, and it's crushing honestly.

I know you're reading instead of listening, but my goodness, Adam Kay is making me smile with his delivery, which I think is half of the comedy. (hide spoiler)]

Sibil wrote: "chapter 2-4 [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[Yeah, I'm glad he has enough time to actually have a life and do some deeds with the patients he's worked with. Makes me think to treat the doctors in my life better, they go through a lot and under tons of pressure (even though I do know doctor friends IRL, I was a bio major in college) for little pay. All I say is that is for teens thinking the doctor life is just glamor, think again.

I assume that H is his life partner, he never mentioned gender (probably for privacy reasons). (hide spoiler)]

[Janine]

Chapter 8: (view spoiler)[I'm surprised he hasn't had a major hissy fit yet on the job considering and the nonsense he has to deal with every day. Yeah, the stories are becoming a bit samey and a bit gruesome, but I think that's part of the point, to show the day to day life of a doctor. Now I'm thinking it's the job that made him quit, as I'm assuming his heart wasn't in it fully from the start. (hide spoiler)]

[Janine]

Chapter 9: (view spoiler)[Welp! I could tell that last incident was soul crushing. The dark comedy found in the rest of the book was gone. No quips, no jokes, his tone was very steady and serious. And just from the incident, yikes. That poor couple. (hide spoiler)]

[Janine]

Finished: (view spoiler)[That was a quick listen, and quite insightful about the not so fun parts of being a doctor. As I said, despite knowing IRL doctors, this was a very no-holds bar about how bad it can get. If you're a teen wanting to be a doctor, I'll recommend reading this first and see if you will stay the course or change your mind. I'm glad to have listened to it though.

I'm not sure if you got the later editions, where it has a few more entries (about 10 minutes worth), and talking about his thoughts about his experiences when the book first came out. I'm glad he seems like he's doing better with his job in comedy, which I can see he's fit for with the dark comedy all over this book. (hide spoiler)]

Sibil wrote: "Ended [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[I kinda figured it was going to be soul crushing based on the synopsis and some reviews I read prior, but still, it's really heartbreaking. I would have liked to have known if the woman survived, but I fear she likely died too. (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Janine wrote: "Chapter 1: [spoilers removed]

Sibil wrote: "Epigraph-Chapter 1: [spoilers removed]"
[spoilers removed]

Alex wrote: "Chapter 1 [spoilers removed]"
[spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[The humor is really amazing in there! (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Janine wrote: "

(view spoiler)[Good! I couldn't remember if he mentioned the gender, but gender and the right way to write names are things that I often miss!
And I agree, this book should be recommended to all the young people out there that want to become medics. We all have to choose a career while we are too young to really think about what is involved, and I think that this would help a lot, at least to give a better and less romanticized idea of it (hide spoiler)]

[Sibil]

Janine wrote: "Chapter 9: [spoilers removed]"

(view spoiler)[That was really atrocious (hide spoiler)]