The Book:
The Antidote for Everything by Kimmery Martin
Published February 18, 2020 by Berkley
Date read: August 6, 2023
The Characters:
Georgia and Jonah
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
Georgia Brown’s profession as a urologist requires her to interact with plenty of naked men, but her romantic prospects have fizzled. The most important person in her life is her friend Jonah Tsukada, a funny, empathetic family medicine doctor who works at the same hospital in Charleston, South Carolina and who has become as close as family to her.
Just after Georgia leaves the country for a medical conference, Jonah shares startling news. The hospital is instructing doctors to stop providing medical care for transgender patients. Jonah, a gay man, is the first to be fired when he refuses to abandon his patients. Stunned by the predicament of her closest friend, Georgia’s natural instinct is to fight alongside him. But when her attempts to address the situation result in incalculable harm, both Georgia and Jonah find themselves facing the loss of much more than their careers.
How did The Antidote for Everything end?
The Reveal:
Donovan was the drug thief–that’s why he opposed Jonah’s dismissal for the drug theft. He hadn’t meant to put the drugs in Jonah’s coat, he just almost got caught with it and put it in the nearest hiding place he could find, which happened to be Jonah’s pocket. His assault of Georgia was attributed to his addiction, not that that’s an excuse.
It was Georgia’s idea to share an obviously faked video of Jonah stealing the drugs in order to get him off, but her plan made things worse for him. No one specific thing led to Jonah’s suicide attempt, he was just desperate and depressed.
The Ending:
Pete and Caz get on a flight back home. Caz goes to the bathroom, and when she comes out there is no one else on the plane, starting the plot over again.
My Thoughts:
Most importantly, Jonah survived and was happy to be alive. He was offered his job back but decided to move to California to directly help LGBTQ+ youth instead.
The Review:
I love Kimmery Martin’s medical thrillers, and The Antidote For Everything was no exception. And I’m so happy I got my hands on a hardcover copy, because I’m obsessed with these covers! I now have a full hardcover set, as well as a paperback copy of this one that I’ll declutter because it doesn’t match as well 😅
This book focuses on Georgia, a urologist in South Carolina. All of Martin’s books follow the same friend group, but can definitely be read as standalones. Georgia and her friend Jonah take on the hospital as the administration decides to refuse care to transgender patients. Our main characters refuse to abandon their patients, but the backlash turns personal.
I loved reading about Georgia and Jonah’s friendship. They will do anything for each other, from risking their jobs to risking their reputation to risking their lives. This book is a testament to the truest friendships. I liked Georgia’s strong, loyal, take-no-nonsense character. Her POV was interesting to read from and she was easy to relate to.
This book tackles some triggering topics, but the message is so important. Everyone deserves healthcare, and it’s infuriating to read about a hospital refusing that right to transgender individuals.
TW: suicide, transphobia/homophobia
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