Adam Kay books

Adam Kay is a British author and former doctor best known for This Is Going to Hurt, a memoir about his years working in the National Health Service. He also writes children's books about medicine and science.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
It’s Not OK to Feel Blue 2019 Buy

Dexter Procter

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor 2024 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
How to Be a Bogus Doctor 2011 Buy
This Is Going to Hurt 2017 Buy
What Seems to Be the Problem 2019 Buy
Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas 2019 Buy
Kay’s Marvellous Medicine 2021 Buy
Kay’s Anatomy 2022 Buy
Undoctored: The Story of a Medic Who Ran Out of Patients 2022 Buy
Kay’s Brilliant Brains 2023 Buy
Kay’s Incredible Inventions 2024 Buy

Picture

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Amy Gets Eaten 2023 Buy

Standalone Novels

Title Published Buy on Amazon
A Particularly Nasty Case 2025 Buy

Adam Kay is a British writer and comedian who worked as a junior doctor in the NHS before turning to writing. This Is Going to Hurt (2017), based on his secret diaries from the hospital, became one of the best-selling non-fiction books in the UK and was adapted into a BBC TV series. The book gave readers a frank, often very funny look at life on the front lines of British healthcare.

Kay followed up with Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas (2019), covering his holiday shifts, and Undoctored (2022), which tells the story of what happened after he left medicine. He has also built a successful children’s book line with Kay’s Marvellous Medicine (2021), Kay’s Anatomy (2022), Kay’s Brilliant Brains (2023), and Kay’s Incredible Inventions (2024), which teach kids about the human body and science through humor. His children’s fiction includes Dexter Procter the 10-Year-Old Doctor (2024) and the picture book Amy Gets Eaten (2023).

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Adam Kay written?

Adam Kay has written thirteen books across five series.

What was Adam Kay's first book?

Adam Kay’s first book is How to Be a Bogus Doctor, published in 2011.

What is This Is Going to Hurt about?

This Is Going to Hurt (2017) is a memoir based on Adam Kay’s diaries from his time as a junior doctor in the NHS. The book covers the long hours, absurd situations, and emotional toll of working in hospitals, told with dark humor. It was adapted into a BBC television series.

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