Hillbilly Hellthcare

by Jodi Renfroe

Jolene is a hospital dietitian with a happy, middle-class existence in Appalachia. She has a special relationship with
her attractive renter, Brad, and lives on a quiet farm in the Kentucky hills. Things take a turn when her hospital
announces it has fallen victim to corporate downsizing. Newly unemployed, she scrambles to find the best available job in a depressed economy, and considers it a blessing when hired at CapMed. However, not all is as it seems. The staff, under the management of Miss Sweets, are a kooky cast of characters representing multiple facets of Appalachian life and are working under a veil of anxiety. Their hilarious office conversations are the only bright spot in a dismal workplace.
Jolene soon finds herself at odds with her bumbling new manager, Miss Sweets, as well. Finally, using a special gift, she
learns dark secrets about her new employer and must decide to fight or walk away. Can Jolene be the one to free them all
from the oppression? Or will she lose everything in the process?

Genres: Fiction

216 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2022

Reviews

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, I LOVE that dietitians are being represented in fiction! It was a mostly light, funny read but revolved almost exclusively around office politics. I think things could have been improved by going into other domains such as relationships outside of work, or even into conversations with patients which are often entertaining. I wasn't the biggest fan of the cover-especially since it didn't really seem to add up with the setting of most of the novel. I also didn't care for the ending that much-perhaps because of all of the violence our country has seen in just the last week. But again, I'm happy to see an RD writing dietitian fiction....our jobs can be SO hard at times, much more than I ever imagined, and it's good to get our field out there:)

[Alaina Bradford · Rating 3 out of 5]

So nice to read a book about RDs. Super light and quick read. I think more could have been written outside of the hospital and I was not a fan of the random weird Biblical references. The end also seemed extremely quick like she just wanted the book to be done with and didn't have the patience to end it properly.

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed it enough to finish- but I agree with other reviewers that I would’ve liked more patient interactions. I also don’t appreciate the entire anti-SAHM chapter. An author can put whatever politics they like in their book, but I don’t agree and I think throwing in a chapter like that is a clumsy way to do it

[Mads Floyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unparalleled insight into the world of an average American woman in the healthcare system- a broken, dysfunctional hell with no equal in bureaucratic negligence in our society today- with a critical eye and an emphasis on lighthearted humor, Mrs. Renfroe combines both wit and low-class gumption to create a memoir within the upper echelon of amateur memoirs.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great work! I really enjoyed the novel and had a hard time putting it down. I look forward to reading Jodi's future work!

[mcfrancis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast read! Office chit-chat and politics in a rural hospital.