The Night Shift is a hospital based romance that follows anesthesiologist Gus and first year resident Violet (among other hospital staff) as they work night shift for the week of Christmas. This story is set in England, and some of the slang was lost on me as an American. Shockingly, I realized that I knew what several different things were, such as 'wheelie bin' from watching Bluey with my kids, so it wasn't all completely lost on me, but there was a lot that I sort of guessed as to it's meaning using context from paragraph it was in.

The story is told from both Gus and Violet's point of view, which gave us good backstory for both characters, and I enjoyed the internal monologue of both. It was refreshing to read a neurodivergent FMC. She is very authentically written and it was easy to sympathize with her, even if I cannot relate to her inability to interpret nuance in personal communication. I found myself rooting strongly for her as she spends her week on night shift working on improving both her bedside manner with patients and her interpersonal relationships with her varying coworkers.

It was also a fun twist to have a MMC who is described as very handsome, charming, outgoing - but in the chapters that are written from his viewpoint we can see that all is not as it seems. While he seems like the textbook book boyfriend, he too has anxieties and insecurity regarding personal relationships and how he comes across and it was nice to have a MMC who was sexy but not just simply a perfect man.

I really, really enjoyed this romance. It's an easy, fast-paced read that kept me laughing at the banter. The yearning and tension between the main characters was well done, and I enjoyed that the bedroom scenes were both sexy and kind of adorable watching Violet's brutal honesty. This is a great 'Christmas romance' without feeling like another Hallmark movie recipe for romance. Five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollinsUK, and Nancy Peach for providing me with an eARC of this novel to read. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I enjoyed this book, it really captured the essence of working night shifts in a hospital and felt very real (at times, slightly too real for little needle phobic me!)

Violet's nerodivergence was portrayed quite well, but there were times when I felt her character just didn't quite feel like a culmination of everything I'd read so far. Something just didn't click with me around her when it came to differences between her monologue attitudes and her actual actions. Towards the end things started coming together and I found it much easier to invest in her as a person.

Gus was a charming MMC but again, something was just slightly off. I struggled to find a desire to root for them as a couple, especially as their relationship goes from strangers to very intense in just a few days!

This was a good read overall, and worth picking up if you like reading hospital romance. The interactions between Violet and her patients was really sweet, and I loved seeing moments of Anjali being a mentor to Violet. And Jakub, my poor heart!

I also adored Dev and Marvin. They were such adorable side characters and I was really rooting for good outcomes for them. I loved the plot with them and found that really engaging.

3.5⭐️

**ARC provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

What a read! To be honest, I'm having trouble finding the words to write this because I enjoyed the first half so much, but the second one... Let's just say the motivation to keep reading left my body and soul.

I loved the characters, their chemistry... The pace of the story was pretty good. Sometimes, the medical stuff was a little boring, but it wasn't a big deal. But when THAT happened, I just checked out. I think I expected more character development. It left that feeling of disappointment in me, and now I can't get over it.

But I'm pretty sure that if I read the first half again, I would feel better. Just thinking about it makes my heart flutter.

The Night Shift honestly surprised me in the best way. I thought I was picking up a light, Christmassy romance, but it turned out to be warm, funny, and full of heart, with moments that genuinely stuck with me.
Violet is so easy to root for, she’s smart and determined, but also wonderfully human as she fumbles her way through her first week of night shifts. Her blunt honesty gets her into trouble sometimes, but it’s also what makes her so endearing. And Gus? On the surface, he’s the calm, charming doctor everyone adores, but there’s more to him than meets the eye, and I loved watching that unfold.
Nancy Peach makes you feel like you’re right there, dashing from patient to patient alongside the characters. By the end, I was grinning, and i'm very glad I picked this one up. A perfect holiday read.
Thansk to Netgalley, the author and the publishing house to read this book in advance.

I really, really enjoyed the story, the characters, the in-depth look at a hospital and its workings, and yet…something was off. I finally realized that Violet, the FMC, didn’t function as fully integrated person. Yes, yes, I do understand that she is neurodivergent but the writing made her seem more as if she had a split personality. Her dialogue and behaviour were radically different depending upon whom she was with and this kept me off-balance throughout the book. There was nothing in the exposition that would have led me to believe that she would quickly interact as comfortably and intimately as she did with the MMC.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author snd the publisher for the free ARC. Opinions stated here are wholly my own.

A hospital based Christmas romance? What more else could you need?
Following junior doctor violet and dr dreamy Gus working night shifts and the different situations that arise along the way
As a student in the medical field it was right up my street, really enjoyed it.
Little slow to begin but in the end I just couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to Nancy Peach, harpercollins uk and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I really enjoyed this one! The Night Shift is such a lovely mix of humour, heart, and emotion, all set against a busy winter in a hospital.

Violet Winters is a newly qualified doctor and I loved seeing the world through her eyes. Her neurodivergence is written so well and feels really authentic—it’s a big part of who she is, but not her whole personality. She’s awkward, direct, and so easy to root for.

Then there’s Gus Jovic—calm, charming, and the perfect balance to Violet’s energy. I really liked watching their relationship grow as they slowly let their guard down with each other. It is a quick romance (the whole thing is set over a week), so the pacing might be a bit fast for some, but I still found it believable and sweet.

The hospital setting felt really realistic and detailed—it’s obvious Nancy Peach knows what she’s talking about—and it made the story so much more immersive. The side characters were also brilliant, adding warmth and depth without stealing focus from Violet and Gus.

Overall, this was a heartfelt, feel-good read that made me smile but also tugged on my heartstrings.

I really grew to love this book! It had amazing character development with both main characters and i truly fell in love with both of them by the end of the book.

The Night Shift deals with heavy topics such as LGBTQ+ violence, attempted assault, and grief. All of the topics were handled delicately and were important aspects to the story.

The setting!! I loved it. A hospital during Christmas and new years? Too good. It was definitely more medical based than holiday based- but it totally made sense for the characters and the plot.

Thank you to NetGalley, Nancy Peach, HarperCollins UK, and One More Chapter for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

As someone who works in the medical field, medical romance has a special place in my heart. I understand the pain of being an intern (foundation year in UK) working her first night shift during the holidays. It is heavy on the medical side along with a lot of introspective reflections. Very light on the physical smut side, which may not be worth trudging through the pedantic medical routines for some readers.

This book became more about Violet growing as a doctor moreso than a pure romance. You know the usual type, booksmart but terrible at bedside manner. She is blunt and too the point and her delivery can use some work. On the polar opposite, we have Gus the charmer who always tries to make everyone happy at the expense of his own wants, especially in his relationship.

I appreciate the good writing (despite some UK English words haha) as always. The side characters are memorable and more than just a background decoration (Mr. Zeller's story almost brings tears to my eyes).

There are heavier topics of misogyny faced by women in STEM, and struggles faced by LGBTQ+ community that I wish the author had explored further. The question of whether being complacent makes you complicit to the moral problem at hand is in the context of Gus trying to keep everyone happy by not rocking the boat. I wish we could have seen more growth from Gus on that part.

Overall, not a bad read, although the medical part may have bored many readers.

For a romance set during Christmas time, I was expecting some holiday cheer. This wasn't necessarily festive or cute in the traditional sense, but the characters had a bumbling charm that kept me reading. I loved the blatant honesty, bordering on inappropriate truths the FMC dealt. But I didn't love the romance. The MMC was portrayed as being pretty perfect and desirable, but I just didn't see it. And immediately inviting his ex-fiancée back into his life after being separated (and moving on with someone else) was gross and turned me off to him as a love interest for Violet. I KNOW, he was also dealing with his own issues and trying to overcome his people-pleasing nature, but I still hate it, and Violet deserves better. Even though I didn't like the romance in this book I still really enjoyed the introspection and seeing Violet navigate relationships with coworkers, patients, and friends. Thanks Netgalley for the e-ARC!

I was initially excited to dive into this book, especially as a fan of holiday-themed stories. However, it ultimately didn’t resonate with me as I had hoped. The pacing in the first half felt slow, and I found the heavy use of medical terminology somewhat overwhelming, which made it harder to stay engaged.

While there was nothing fundamentally wrong with the characters or plot, I struggled to connect with Violet and Gus. Their relationship lacked the emotional depth or chemistry I typically look for in a romance. Additionally, the narrative seemed to juggle too many themes at once, which diluted the impact of the core storyline.

That said, I can see how others might enjoy this, especially readers with a stronger interest in the medical field or those looking for a quieter, more introspective holiday read.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I want to start by thanking the author Nancy Peach for reading this ARC of 'the Night Shift' through Netgalley. I will still give an honest review on this book eventhough I got to read this book for free.

Expectations:
The cover art is so cute and set the vibes of a night shift in the hospital immediately. The cover drew my attention and felt very fitting for a contemporary romance book. I think the title is also very fitting for the setting of the book and this made me very excited to read this story.

Violet:
It felt like a relieve to read about someone like Violet. She obviously struggles with reading social cues and I like that this struggle is not being romanticized. Also, seeing how she was able to grow in one week was very impressive, but maybe a little unrealistic. I thought Violet was already aware she had autism, but only later on she discovered the likelyhood of this when hearing it from her collegue. This surprised me she frequently mentioning her struggles and I thought she was very self-aware about it. I like how straight forward she is and doesn't try to mask as much around other people.

Gus:
I liked Gus from the start. Seemed like a good guy who was very willing to help everyone in the hospital. Later on I read about his people pleasing tendicies and how this affected his previous relationship and with Violet. I liked how his issues were also seriously affecting him. The book showed us instead of only telling about his issues.

Violet and Gus' relationship:
As this is a contemporary romance book, I will judge it as such. I love the prompt of the one week night shift, what could happen. But for a contemporary romance, to first talk to one another and to declaring your almost love to another person is just too much. Their pace felt too quick and unnatural. The way Amelia came back was very predictable and that Gus would have to choose between them. I liked how this struggle was played out and eventually kind of resolved at the end. But this is why I find their relationship too quick. Yeah, you can find eachother attractive, but to get emotionally that involved in one week felt very love bomby from both sides.

Political correctness:
I understand that political corectness is something very important and I also try to do so very much in my personal life. However, it felt like the way Violet, Gus, Anjali, the woman Violet met in the swimming pool and even the creepy older doctor who hit on Violet talked in the same way about political correctness. They would say a statement, add information as to why or why not some people could say it and eventually why or why not they were able to make a comment about it. In real life not many people are this aware of even correcting themselves in the middle of their talkings. For Violet, Gus and Anjali it made sense. But not for the last two. They would just make their statement and go on with their day, like the racist female patient.

Writing style:
Onto the writing. It was difficult for me to get through this book, mainly because of the writing style. It was very descriptive of medical situations with lots of medical terms. I do not have a medical background and there were not many times terms were explained to me or a small footnote to fall back on. This interrupted my reading flow.
I did enjoy the dialogue very much between everyone. I had some moments I laughed a lot. The memories or flashbacks in between the present scenarios were also too long and too descriptive where I felt very lost when I returned to the present with either Gus or Violet. Also, after Violet and Gus' kiss, why is there a flashback from Gus and his ex. Why is it important to have a flashback to an ex when having spicy time with someone new? Also, I did not enjoy that the chapters did not have numbers. I enjoy to know where I am in the book by looking at the chapters. Now it was only Violet or Gus with a date as chapter indication.

Errors:
While reading I found two mistakes in the digital ARC. Both were about capital usage in the middle of a sentence.

1. 'Often If you admitted a failing to people they would try and minimise or deny its existence,...'

2. Believe me, it makes a big differences Don't ever change that part of yourself to fit in with what you think other people want to hear.'

Conclusion:
I rated this book two stars because of the reasons listed above. I think if you enjoy reading a lot of descriptions and have a medical background you would enjoy this book.

I liked it. It took me a little to get into it - the beginning felt a little slow - but I enjoyed the story as a whole. I liked Violet as a character, I think she was really well written, displaying her struggles with her neurodivergency, especially in relation to her job and interactions with others, really well. I found the way Violet and Gus' relationship progressed - them learning to trust each other and be vulnerable with each other - beautiful. Both her and Gus had bagage that came into play and made it difficult for their relationship to bloom, which took a bit to resolve, but I love the angst. I also loved the side characters a lot and I think all of the side stories were a great addition to the main love story.

🩷 Blurb -
Hearts are set to race on the night shift before Christmas. Junior doc Violet Winters is starting her first week of nights and she is petrified. She’s a straight-A student, but actually doing it, on real people, is another matter entirely. Who else would volunteer to do the night shift over Christmas except someone to ashamed to go home and tell their parents that after two months in the job they already had two active complaints against them?
Anaesthetist Dr Gus Jovic, on the other hand, is calm, confident, charming – and a total snack! He’s universally popular, and famously unflappable in a crisis. Violet can only gaze on helplessly as she isn’t the only one who volunteered to work the festive night shift to avoid going home…
💜 Review -
Having not read anything by the author before and seeing mixed reviews for the novel, I didn't know what to expect so I went in blind. I'm so glad that I ignored all the negative reviews as I loved it. Although it was a festive novel, it was very medical heavy and did take away some of the festive joy but it just made it very different to other festive novels and was a joy to read. Overall, a brilliant novel that I highly recommend to other readers.
💝 Thank you to Netgalley, One more Chapter and the author, Nancy Peach for my arc ebook copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Set in a busy hospital, the story follows two doctors navigating chaotic night shifts, past heartbreaks, and unexpected chemistry.

The banter is clever, the pacing brisk, and the dual POV adds fun layers to the romance. There’s also an unexpected voice quite literally that adds humor and heart in a unique way (think Bridget Jones meets Grey’s Anatomy). While some plot points felt a bit over-the-top, the warmth and humor carried it through.

A light, feel good read for anyone who enjoys quirky rom-coms with a bit of emotional grit. 3.5 ⭐️

Firstly thank you to One More Chapter and HarperCollins UK for the opportunity to read this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

I enjoyed this book. It was quite different and I really resonated with Violet in so many ways. Her desire for logic, amongst other things, was so much like myself and the challenges she faced I too have faced. It was nice to see Violet's character progress and the lessons she learned I feel I am learning too. I would confidenyly say that personalty, I haven't ever resonated with a character this much. Her relationship with Gus was a bit of a rollercoaster and it was lovely to see them gain trust for one another. It was a shame Gus had to have the classic realisation before telling Amelia to go, but I'm glad it happened. Dev & Marvin were such a fab addition to the story and as side characters they really added to the message of the book, which is rare as sometimes the side characters and plots don't really add anything. I struggled slightly with the tense of this book as it was a sort of narration from multiple POVs, but it didn't ruin the reading experience and I did eventually get used to it. My only complaint was that Barney Snell didn't get his comeuppance. Overall this was a great book and I really enjoyed it. I would definitely read other books by this author.

After reading the blurb i thought it would be an interesting book to read it sounded exciting and fun but i really striggled with this it was a bit too slow at the beginning for me the medical terminology got a bit ovewhelming for aomeone who isnt in the field and i really struggled to connect to the characters to the point ubfortunately i didnt finish it as i just lost interest. Its a shame as the story had so much potential this just wasnt for me

I'm a huge holiday book reader. Holiday books just bring me to a cozy warm place if they are good. Unfortunately, while this book had promise, it was too medical heavy with so much medical lingo added in that I felt like I was reading a medical journal.
If you can get past that or you're in Thr medical field then I think you might enjoy this one.
A big thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Expected publication September 05, 2025

I couldn't finish this one. It moved at a snails pace. I was 25% in and not a lot had even happened. This will appeal to some readers, but I wasn't one.

I struggled with this one. I couldn't get into it at all and felt like everything was just flat and meh. There was nothing great or outstanding in this book.