A Little Unwell

by Kerry Jewell

A compelling, candid and darkly funny novel that explores the modern realities of our dysfunctional public health system, and the fragile human beings fighting to make it work.

Night shift. Just keep them all alive until the morning they said.
No higher brain function required they said.
They were wrong.

For Amy, being a doctor was supposed to mean winning at life.

Helping people. Saving lives. Having a secure job. Earning good money. Tick, tick, tick, tick.

But now, in her second year in a city hospital the reality is a world away from Amy's med school dreams. She is finding out that people don't always want to be 'helped', the pay barely covers rent, her hours are ridiculous, her favourite patients are getting sicker, and her surgical trainee boyfriend has recently gone shy on proposing.

What Amy does have are the friendships forged by dealing with recalcitrant patients, endless nightshifts, and crying in the emergency department bathrooms. And a belief that maybe, underneath it all, it's a job that's still worth doing.

And when things begin to go wrong - horribly wrong - they're all that Amy has. Will it be enough?

A Little Unwell is a darkly funny and emotionally powerful medical drama about the life of a female junior doctor - dealing with recalcitrant patients, long hours and crying in the emergency department bathrooms - informed by the real-life experiences of the author.

Genres: Medical, Fiction

352 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2026

Reviews

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette, this is an ARC review.

If you didn’t know better, you’d be forgiven for thinking that A Little Unwell was a memoir. Riddled with the gallows humour that can only come from having worked in healthcare herself, Jewell writes about Amy, a junior doctor navigating the complexities of a hospital night shift rotation and some semblance of a personal life.

It’s rare that I ACTUALLY laugh out loud when I read but this book had me in fits of giggles from the start, before it had me bawling. The book paints a grim and unfortunately extremely realistic view of the Australian public healthcare system and some of the vast challenges our doctors are faced with every day - gruesome injuries, difficult patients, difficult colleagues, compassion fatigue, actual fatigue.

I enjoyed the tone and pace of the book and found it a very engaging novel, despite its often heavy content. I think this book will resonate deeply with anyone who has worked in frontline healthcare, and be equally valuable to those readers who haven’t. My only qualm was that I found Chris so infuriating, but I understand that this was purposeful!

TW: The novel is quite graphic in parts, uses strong language and addresses suicide. Read at your discretion.

Dark, wickedly funny, tragic and powerful - if you loved “This is Going to Hurt” then you will love A Little Unwell!

[Mehrbano · Rating 3 out of 5]

a realistic portrayal of life as a junior doctor
no true cathartic moment for the stuff between amy and the most openly and obviously garbage boyfriend i've ever read about. girl, get up!!!!!!!!!
the ending was rushed in this regard

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Little Unwell makes me feel like I’ve just caught up with our FMC Amy for coffee after rain checking a dozen times and just being mind blown by everything she’s just gone through. 🤯

Of course she down plays whatever is going on but I’m humoured, saddened and my blood boils on behalf of her. Being a junior doctor is no fucking joke 😮‍💨

I was captivated by the fact that I felt as though I was inside Amy’s head!!! In awe of the medical field and what women put up with. Emphasis on what WOMEN PUT UP WITH! I wanted to fight for Amy, fight with Amy and fight FOR AMY. I want to hold her close and say I love you and I see you’re doing the best and it’s incredible. I want to lay her head in my lap and tell her everything will be okay because the losers don’t deserve her and that she makes a difference where it matters 😭

Please read with caution as it’s following the life of a doctor in ED and such so just be mindful of that. Honestly I’m still sobbing 😭

Thank you to @hachetteaus and @netgalley for my eARC it was just the kind of read I needed to be flooded with emotion 🫶🏻

[Leahna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Unwell read like a memoir, which isn’t surprising given the author’s experience in the medical field. Having said that, I found the medical aspects of the book to be accessible for — what I can imagine — a wide range of people. This paired seamlessly with the plot and the issues that the main character, Amy, had to face.

I found myself experiencing a range of emotions while reading this book. On one hand, the humour made me laugh out loud at times — and on the other, I could relate to certain scenes that explored grief and mental health, due to my own recent experiences. Basically, my nana had a stroke last year and eventually passed away in palliative care (on her 93rd birthday — of course she had to make her exit memorable). My mum and I spent a lot of time at the hospital, so the setting in this book felt familiar to me. It made me think of all the medical staff that were there for my nana, and I appreciate them so much for taking the time to get to know who my nana was before the stroke — I know how under resourced and understaffed they are.

This book also made me think about the importance we put on work, and how in many industries, stress and burnout is normalised as just a part of the job. In my opinion, work should not take precedence of one’s mental health and their right to enjoy their own life. Even if you don’t work in the medical field, I think most people will be able to relate to this aspect in this book. I also appreciated that the author highlighted the sexism and double standards women have to face in the workplace.

Overall, I had a great experience with this one. It made me reflect on my own life.

Thank you to @hachetteaus for sending me an ARC! 💚

[Quinn Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Netgalley & Hachette for providing an ARC.
Wow - I didn’t expect to love this book as much as I did! I enjoyed the humour, tone, pace and insight this book gave into the Australian Healthcare system. Do I think it’d be as enjoyable to someone who doesn’t work in healthcare and can’t relate to the patient interactions and systemic frustrations as much? I’m not sure. But as someone who does work in public healthcare I LOVED it. This books deals with some grim topics so definitely check trigger warnings if you’re sensitive to some topics - but I loved this and think it’s a great debut novel.

[Matilda (booksinwildplaces) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley, Hachette Australia & New Zealand & Kerry Jewell for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 2.5 stars.
Genre(s): medical fiction.
Date read: 22/01/2026-17/02/2026.

Overall impression: as a junior doctor, I was really excited to pick up A Little Unwell and see how it relates to my experiences. Whilst a lot of the topics and patient interactions were relevant and universally experienced by many doctors going through training, it was definitely dramatised to appeal to the general public. I didn't really like the relationship between Amy and her partner - who was very clearly toxic/misogynistic from the start of the book. It dominated the story more than I would have liked and made it tricky for me to want to continue. The plot twists/reveals with him towards the end of the book were predictable and overdue. I didn't finish the book feeling satisfied because Amy was the punching bag for the entire book and there was no sense of justice.

Tropes:
➵ Junior doctor experience
➵ Difficult cases
➵ Not everyone wants to be saved
➵ Heartwarming patient interactions
➵ High school sweethearts
➵ Unfaithful spouse
➵ Imposter syndrome
➵ Mental illness rep
➵ Trying to survive night shift
➵ Mentee-mentor relationships
➵ Happy-for-now

⤷ Plot:
The story featured a mixture of patient cases - both difficult patient interactions and heartwarming moments that make the job worth the overtime, stress and fatigue. Amy made a lot of assumptions about patients and was quite blunt, which might appeal to people that enjoyed This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor or You Went to Emergency for What?. The cases were often factually correct but didn't contain too much detail that they would be overwhelming for most readers to understand. They were my favourite part of the book and I liked being able to draw parallels between the story and what I've seen while working.

The rest of the plot focused on Amy and her relationships. The drama was unnecessary and made the story a lot less enjoyable for me. I was tempted to DNF 50% in because I couldn't stand reading about her boyfriend any longer. But I'm glad I persisted because the other friendships were worth it.

⤷ Characters:
Amy didn't feel very relatable to me. Whilst a lot of junior doctors are perfectionists, people pleasers and overly apologetic in the workplace, she took on that personality in every domain of her life. Her boyfriend completely walked all over her and she tolerated his abuse, brushing bizarre behaviour (like pissing on the inside wall of their house, tipping over a bottle on the carpet and leaving it for hours so she could clean it up, etc.) off as normal.

I think my main issue was that Amy and her partner just didn't feel very real to me. They were extremely immature and a lot of the drama felt like it belonged in high school. I didn't really like either of them, which made it hard to feel compelled to read the book.

⤷ World-building:
I had a few issues with the world-building and introduction to terminology at the start. Whilst it was supposed to be set in Melbourne, Australia, there were parts of the book that were Americanised. For example, medical students go to university - not college; and medical students/doctors don't wear white coats. It also made no sense to me that the author would state that postgraduate medical students were those that weren't smart enough to get into medical school from high school. Most universities in Australia don't even accept high school graduates - they only accept postgraduate students. And many doctors pursue other career paths before deciding they want to try medicine.

These are fairly minor points but they jarred me out of the story at times.

⤷ Writing:
I enjoyed the writing style and found it easily digestible.

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[Sam Still Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Little Unwell is a no holds barred look at the life of a junior doctor in Australia. Overworked, a bit lost and compromising in family and relationships, Amy is doing her best just to make it through each shift. Sometimes sad and sometimes funny, it’s an insight into how hospitals and their staff function.

Amy is a second year doctor at an unnamed Melbourne public hospital. She’s not sure what she wants to specialise in as it’s taking all her focus just to get through each day – not just the patients, but teaching students, dealing with workplace drama and bureaucracy. Out of work, she lives with her doctor partner Chris, who is aiming to become a surgeon but failing to study for his exams. All Amy’s friends are doctors or hospital colleagues, and when they get together it’s mainly about drinking and hospital gossip. The story follows Amy through three of her rotations – rehabilitation medicine, night cover for the general medicine and the emergency department. ‘Frequent flyer’ and ‘platinum status’ patients pass through often – to the point where Amy gets to know some of them quite well, including their backgrounds. The story also follows Amy and Chris’ relationship, and how fatigue and stress affect all the group, sometimes with tragic consequences.

I really liked this novel and that it kept things honest in the under resourced system where staff are doing their utmost to keep the wheels turning. Stress, burnout, unpaid overtime…it’s all here, as well as excessive drinking, extreme fatigues and use of other substances. Amy is a likeable and friendly character throughout, guiding the reader through the ‘back end’ of the hospital system. She’s honest in that she doesn’t have her medical life planned for the next twenty years and her fierce loyalty to her family is something to admire. As for side characters…Chris becomes increasingly unlikeable over the course of the novel, as it becomes more obvious that he’s got multiple issues. I do wonder how much of that is pressure from his family as well as being unsure as to whether surgery or medicine in general as for him. Liv, the medical registrar, is forthright with some good advice for Amy about not taking the issues of the system onboard and Katie, Amy’s friend and fellow junior doctor, demonstrates that sexism is still rife. Their other friend, Wilbur, who is highly intelligent and vulnerable, shows that even the most talented can break when given months of nights, trauma and little support.

The humour is dark, so it some will find it hilarious at points (like me, my level is emergency department/The Pitt black) but some might find it callous. Sometimes, that humour is the only way to cope and I’m glad that Jewell kept it in the story. Some of the subplot about Amy’s grandmother/family dramas felt a little forced, but I think the overall point of that plot to show some of the dangers of overwork was well done. Jewell writes with a friendly tone that is easy to follow, yet shows the reader the less glamourous parts of medical life. It’s a great debut and I’m looking forward to reading more of her work, particularly some of the medical jokes (such as where Amy gets it wrong between nuclear medicine and radiology – Jewell is herself a nuclear medicine physician).

Thank you to Hachette for the ARC of this novel. My review is honest.

http://samstillreading.wordpress.com

[Faye · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Little Unwell Well by Kerry Jewellfollows Amy, a junior doctor navigating the relentless demands of hospital life (i.e., long shifts, emotional exhaustion, complicated relationships and the often unseen toll of caring for others). As Doctor Amy moves through her rotations, the novel pulls back the curtain on the realities of the medical field which exposes both the systemic pressures and the human moments that define it.

I really appreciate what this novel is trying to do. It shines a light on the lived reality of junior doctors (the exhaustion, the pressure, the systemic issues, etc.). As someone who isn’t in medicine but has family members who are (doctors and nurses alike) this book felt like a meaningful peek into a world I’ve never fully understood. TBH if this is even close to what it’s like (especially thinking about places like the Philippines, where conditions can be even more challenging), I’m incredibly impressed. This book made me reflect on just how much we rely on the medical community and how little we sometimes consider their wellbeing in return.

That said, while I connected with the message, I did struggle with the reading experience at times. The cast of characters is quite large (Amy, her colleagues, nurses, patients, family members). I found myself flipping back to earlier chapters trying to remember who was who, which pulled me out of the story. It wasn’t until about the halfway mark that I felt more grounded and able to follow everything smoothly. I do understand that this wide cast reflects the reality of Amy’s world but I personally wished for a tighter focus so I could really connect more deeply with a few key characters.

I’ve also seen some early reviews describe this as darkly funny but I didn’t really experience it that way. Maybe it’s because I’m not in the medical field, but I didn’t find myself laughing. I could see the attempt to inject lightness into heavy situations though and I appreciated that effort.

Overall, this is a solid read for me. The sentiment and what I learned from it ultimately carried the book. It’s one of those reads that may not fully land emotionally or structurally but still leaves you thinking and definitely makes you appreciate the people who take care of us every single day.

Thank you NetGalley and Hachette Australia for giving me access to an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[KC (Lit in Byron) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette for the opportunity to provide an honest ARC review.

This one sits in that uncomfortable space between ambition and cost, and it doesn’t soften either side of it.

Amy’s story feels painfully recognisable. Small town girl, big goals, and the quiet understanding that to make it in medicine you don’t just work hard, you give everything. Not metaphorically. Literally. Time, relationships, stability, parts of yourself you don’t realise you’re trading away until they’re gone.

What landed for me was how internal it all feels. The pressure isn’t just coming from the system, though that’s brutal enough. It’s coming from her. The need to be capable, to not disappoint, to keep everyone around her steady while she’s slowly coming undone. That constant emotional negotiation is written with real clarity. It never feels exaggerated, just exhausting in a way that rings true.

The supporting characters are doing quiet, important work. They’re not there to rescue her, which I appreciated. They question her, they nudge, they hold up mirrors she doesn’t always want to look into. It gives the story some balance against the intensity of her internal spiral.

There’s also a thread here about what it costs to choose a career that demands more than is reasonable. The missed relationships, the fractured connections, the way your world narrows without you meaning it to. It’s not dramatic for the sake of it. It’s just honest about the trade-offs.

I also liked that it didn’t ignore the gendered layer of it all. The expectation to prove yourself, to not accept second place, to push harder just to stand level. Amy’s decisions around that felt earned, not symbolic.

Pacing-wise, it holds steady. It’s heavy, but it doesn’t drag. I kept reading because I wanted to see where she’d land, and whether she’d actually allow herself something different.

This will hit hardest for anyone who’s worked in or around healthcare. You’ll recognise the weight of it. But even outside that world, it’s a story about ambition, identity, and the moment where pushing forward stops being sustainable.

- Wickedly observant and deeply human, this is healthcare without the filter. -

[literaryescapade · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Review: 


📚A Little Unwell 📚

Author: Kerry Jewell


Premise: For Amy, being a doctor was supposed to mean winning at life.


Helping people. Saving lives. Having a secure job. Earning good money. Tick, tick, tick, tick.


But now, in her second year in a city hospital the reality is a world away from Amy's med school dreams. She is finding out that people don't always want to be 'helped', the pay barely covers rent, her hours are ridiculous, her favourite patients are getting sicker, and her surgical trainee boyfriend has recently gone shy on proposing.


What Amy does have are the friendships forged by dealing with recalcitrant patients, endless nightshifts, and crying in the emergency department bathrooms. And a belief that maybe, underneath it all, it's a job that's still worth doing.


And when things begin to go wrong - horribly wrong - they're all that Amy has. Will it be enough?


Review:


As someone who has just gotten off the biggest medical drama binge of their life (thank you The Pitt), I can absolutely assure you that the chaos, dark humour and depressing yet humanity-filled storylines are in this book. 

Amy, our DOCTOR main character (you'll understand why there is an emphasis when you read it) is going through it. More so than many, but not as much as some around her. Work has become life and the little escapes - the tiny moments of joy in such tired filled sadness, are a breath of fresh air. Then comes the life falling apart part. And that in of itself, is an experience and a half.

But what truly makes this beautifully written plot shine are the characters you meet. Each are so incredibly diverse and so full of personality that you only realise they are not all that real as the pages close and you're sitting in the living room staring into space wondering how (and I mean HOW) one can choose a profession that slowly takes from you over and over and over again. Until, like me, you realise you are in one.

And that is absolutely beautiful.


Highly recommend for all the Pitties and everyone else that loves a bit of a laugh, a massive cry and a warm hug of hope.


⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

[Karren Sandercock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Melbourne, Australia. Amy always wanted to be a doctor, as a teenager it was her dream, to be in a respected profession and earn good money, help the sick and save lives.

Amy is a postgraduate and in her second year, about to start a three month stint of night shift at a busy public hospital and the time she spent at university with her friends hanging out and having fun is a distance memory. Amy discovers some patient don’t always want to be 'helped', no one can reason with them and others can be nice like Norman and its advised not to have favourites or become attached.

Amy makes friends with the nurses, all while dealing with nights, not seeing her partner Chris and despite then sharing an apartment, on a general medicine ward and then in the crazy and hectic emergency department.

I received a copy of A Little Unwell from NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand in exchange for an honest review. Author Kerry Jewell is a doctor, so she knows what it’s like to work in the busy and stressful public health system, junior doctors are meant to get a lot of support and often they don't, discrimination against women still is happening and we forget doctors are human.

I really liked Amy’s character, her sister Charly was funny and so was Zoe and Chris and Dave were idiots. The Story is written like a memoir and at first I thought it was one, A Little Unwell will make you laugh, cry and think. Four and a half stars from me, I highly recommend and a realistic look at what it's like being a doctor in Australia.

[Victoria Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a unique read? I thought that this read more like a memoir of a medical professional with a little bit of plot woven through. I was absolutely itching for some major plot point or something to happen but it kind of just ...stalled.

It was an interesting read with all the medical facts and information but i just wanted so much more from this story. I found Amy to be quite relatable and funny with her internal monologue. I thought her relationship with Chris was a tad insufferable to read about - genuinely do not know what Amy saw in him. He was such a narcissistic pig to read about and just the epitome of what's wrong with certain individuals in the workforce.

The ending with her leaving Chris was great to read about but felt rushed through and i would have loved to have seen more on the fall out. Again, this book felt more like a memoir than a book of fiction.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hachette for an advanced copy of this book.

[Guia✨ (of_booksandplants) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed A Little Unwell. It was funny, honest, and felt very real. I had the chance to read an ARC copy, and it ended up having more depth than I expected. It balances humour with the harder side of working in healthcare really well.

As someone who works in healthcare, there were so many moments that felt familiar. The long shifts, being physically tired but still needing to keep going, dealing with all kinds of people, and trying to care for others while running low yourself. That side of the story really worked for me because it felt relatable without being overdone.

I also liked Amy as a main character. She felt messy, human, and realistic. Not perfect, but trying her best, which made her easy to connect with.

Overall, this was a solid read. If you work in healthcare, I think there’s a good chance parts of it will hit close to home.

Thank you to Hachette Australia and Kerry Jewell for the ARC copy.

[Melody | Spilt Wine Book Club]

DNF 😭 I absolutely loved the writing style and the central character, and definitely saw this being the kind of book I would love.
Unfortunately I just didn’t vibe with the medical setting and patient care stories — after the first couple I was just lost and disinterested. I wanted more on our protagonist and her colleagues (which very well may play out further into the novel) but I couldn’t stick it out.
For lovers of medical dramas and those in the industry, I think this will be a hit.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book holds so much. Hard truths, heartache, raw honesty, deep emotions, joy, humanity, and humour.
It has provided an important behind the scenes insight into the healthcare system and much of its failings, whilst highlighting the seemingly endless compassion shown by those who work in it. And made me laugh many times to boot.
For those who aren't part of that world, I think you will learn a lot. And for those who are, I hope you feel seen.
Kerry has done an incredible job. A++

[tinkingaboutbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading A Little Unwell felt like being a fly on the wall of a public hospital at 3am. It’s not all heroic saves with compliant patients, mostly just trying to stay awake as a medical professional, while the system crumbles around you.

Amy is a relatable character. She’s a smart and capable young doctor, who is being squeezed dry by her job. To top it off, she has a dick of a partner, Chris, at home.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of A Little Unwell. The book is fast-paced, frustrating, yet enjoyable to read. I recommend this to Adam Kay fans.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come

[Jessica Beaumont · Rating 2 out of 5]

I almost finished it, but just couldn't even finish the last little bit. I thought id try it because I love medical and I understand the woes that go with it, but there was nothing to this book.

[Sammi dastardly.reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

That hurt.

[update]
A Little Unwell is a tragic, funny and insightful read.
Kerry Jewell, thanks to her profession, provides an authentic look into the medical industry and the people who work within it.

If you are looking for a book to make you laugh, cry and rage, this one is for you.
The real, raw look into the medical world is intertwined with a story of love, friendship, grief and toxic relationships.

Thank you to @hachetteaus and @netgalley for my eARC, I will definitely be purchasing a shelf trophy!