Synopsis:
After an unpleasant experience getting stitches leaves her disenfranchised with doctors, Hero Atticus Taylor decides to be proactive. Capitalizing off of her literary-inspired name, she creates the Hero Atticus Taylor School of Manners for All Doctors, and uses both her prejudice toward doctors and her passion for Emily Post to educate medical students in all forms of etiquette. Her job has been a fulfilling and successful endeavor, until an agitating interaction with a former heart surgeon has Hero’s manner betraying her.
Doctor Lee Taylor is interested in enrolling the surgical students he oversees in Hero’s manners school but he can’t help himself from asking her on a date within minutes of meeting her. He is direct, decisive, and confident. Hero’s refusal and assumption that he is just like every other doctor who belittles her profession, only makes her more interesting to him. Even though he is completely smitten with Hero, Lee cannot see to gracefully reveal his secrets as their courtship continues.
Favorite Lines:
“If you leave this school having learned one thing, let it be this: Manners are the glue of society.”
“Don’t you all think she should have to go out to dinner with me to make up for the ruined sweater, and the permanent scar I’ll have on my stomach until I die?”
“Yes. My doctors permit me to have two cups a day. One with children so that I can scare them half to death, and one with a beautiful face for the evenings.”
My Opinion:
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.
Julie L. James’s Stitches starts with what feels like a rom-com collision in a hospital corridor: Hero Taylor, etiquette coach extraordinaire, is determined to civilize doctors, while superstar surgeon Dr. Lee Taylor strides in convinced he needs no polishing. Their very first run-in—complete with an airborne water bottle—makes it clear the book will balance slapstick energy with a sharp look at professional pride.
Hero’s crusade for better bedside manners grew out of a childhood accident that left her literally stitched together and philosophically convinced that courtesy saves lives. The classes she runs at her “Madhatters School” offer endless comic fodder as she pits teacup drills and mock-patient role-plays against Lee’s arched-eyebrow scepticism. Their back-and-forth lands because both characters mean well; it’s just that one teaches polite small talk and the other performs trauma surgery.
Halfway through, the story pivots: Lee reveals a personal health crisis that suddenly makes Hero’s lessons feel less like window dressing and more like survival gear. The tension between keeping calm for patients and facing your own mortality gives the romance real weight, turning former sparring partners into reluctant confidants.
James keeps the mood light with zippy dialogue and meme-ready banter, yet she layers in enough medical detail and emotional honesty to ground the comedy. Late-night heart-to-hearts, a chaotic children’s tea party, and a surprisingly tender discussion of Greek myths all showcase writing that moves smoothly from laugh-out-loud to lump-in-throat without whiplash. The result is a love story that respects both the scalpel and the spoon.
Summary:
Overall, Stitches is a breezy weekend binge for readers who like their enemies-to-lovers stories sprinkled with hospital drama and anchored by genuine stakes. Expect quick laughs, a few gut-punch moments, and the feel-good reminder that a little kindness—delivered at exactly the right moment—can be as healing as any procedure. Happy reading!
Likely Story 