Autoimmunity and the Good Girls

"Sister, you were made to rise and heal in this time." ~ 92%

Let me begin this review with a definition and background on myself. In autoimmunity, the immune system gets confused and the body mistakingly attacks its own healthy organs and cells. It can be genetic, triggered by stress or environmental factors. About 80% of people diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder are women. Most common types are rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, alopecia, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, and Multiple Sclerosis. There is no cure but it is treatable. I was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disorder three (3) years ago, which prompted my interest in reading any and everything about autoimmunity. So here I am reviewing Autoimmunity and the Good Girls: How Permission to Put Ourselves First Has the Power to Keep Us Well.

Women have been told to be good, put others first, be caretakers and neglect their own needs. This comes at a cost per award-winning filmmaker, activist, and founder of Women Rising, Sara Hirsh Bordo. Lives are compromised and so are immune systems. She funded quantitative research with results showing women raised in caretaker roles (eldest daughters) are disproportionately likely to develop autoimmune diseases.

"The most common reflection women share with me is they had no idea that how they were raised created the body they now live in." ~ 10%

I expected a personal account of the author's own experience with being diagnosed (✔️) along with careful, relevant research supporting the conclusion that firstborn daughters or "good girls" are likely to develop an autoimmune disorder (🫤) and ways to empower or heal in a healthy way (❤️‍🩹). What I got was an author saying we make our own selves sick; being a good girl growing up creates a compromised immune system in womanhood. Who wants to read that?! While lying on my deathbed the last thing I would have wanted to hear was, "You did this to yourself." And I firmly disagree that my body attacks itself because of how I was raised. 

While I appreciate the anecdotes and personal experience that Bordo shared, the tone was very shame-on-you. I fully understand that her experience is not my experience. But there may be readers that take Bordo's word as gospel. This would create the opposite effect of the book's purpose. It lacks an expert's opinion, facts from a medical professional, acknowledgment of other studies, and female empowerment. I was this close 🤏🏾 to DNF'ing but wanted to see if it got better before I stamp it as unrecommended to Bookhearts. I am left uninspired, offended and unheard after reading Bordo's Autoimmunity and the Good Girls. 

Even so, I recognize the effort it takes to release a book and that milestone is worth celebrating. So Happy Early Pub Day to Sara Hirsh Bordo! Autoimmunity and the Good Girls will be on shelves June 2, 2026.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Autoimmunity and the Good Girls
Author: Sara Hirsh Bordo
Published: June 2026
Pages: 304
Edition: Galley
Genre: Health Nonfiction
Rating: 🖤

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

"These are just vehicles that hold up a mirror in which you can see yourself and identify your opportunities for development." ~ 7%

Stop sabotaging your career and get ahead in the workplace! Yes, I am talking to you, Girl Boss. Ms. Untamed. Ms. Nice Girl. Ms. I Face Challenges that Men Do Not. Do I have your attention? Good. Then so should Dr. Lois P. Frankel.

In this new 3rd edition of Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, Dr. Lois P. Frankel deep dives into unconscious mistakes women make that sabotage their careers. Key word is unconscious. We don't know how to reject the nice girl mentality. We manifest with the best of them but our behavior learned in girlhood could sabotage us as adults. This book will help to take control of your career, speak your mind while being respectful and respected, create a memorable brand, and get that corner office!

Mistake 82: Confusing Leadership with Management

This book (which I have dubbed as Corporate Nonfiction genre) begins with what's happened over twenty years for women in the workplace. We have come a long way but not far enough. Very quickly, the author establishes credibility. She is a former nice girl with kid gloves off. She's older with more insurance to double down on behaviors that impede workplace success. 

It is a lot of valuable information within Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office. The author makes it easy to comprehend and points readers to the information most relevant. There is a self-assessment that will direct you to the unconscious mistakes you may make. I started with those chapters first then read the others for purposes of this book review. I confidently report it is spot on with advice I have already started to implement.

Mistake 77: Code-Switching

I've seen this book title floating through the Threads streets among professional women. I'm hopping on the bandwagon in highly recommending it to my C-suite friends and 9-5 baddies. I have highlights and annotations galore, along with passages I will revisit throughout my corporate career.

Happy Belated Pub to Dr. Lois P. Frankel! Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: Revised 3rd Edition is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office
Author: Lois P. Frankel, PhD
Published: March 2026
Pages: 353
Edition: Galley
Genre: Corporate Nonfiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits

(Honeybee Diner Mysteries #1) 

"Honeybee's is more than a plate of shrimp and grits. It's more than one meal, one moment, one tragedy. It's history. It's family. It's community." ~ 7%

My Series Sunday pick is Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits, the first book in a new cozy mystery series by Skylar Warren. Jessie Haynes swapped her dreams of becoming a journalist in Atlanta for the sizzle of a fryer in her grandmother's diner. She takes feeding the folks of Willow Bluff seriously. So when the mayor drops dead after one bite of the famous shrimp and grits because of a severe peanut allergy, she refuses to let it shatter her grandmother's legacy. All eyes point toward Jessie since she made the grits herself, especially when an empty peanut packet is found in the diner's pantry. Like all small towns, gossip spreads fast while Jessie tries to clear her name.

Welcome to the cozy mystery world, Skylar Warren from Chi-Town! Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits is a fair introduction to a new series. The author gave enough background on the main character, Jessie Haynes, to make her familiar and likable. She is a strong Black woman with roots, confidence and good intentions. Unlike other heroines in cozy mysteries, she is directly impacted by the murder and tries to solve it for her family's reputation, not meddling for amateur sleuth fun. 

While I appreciated getting to know all the residents of Willow Bluff (where ere'body knows ere'body), a great majority of the book focused on the community and relationships. Murder, which is usually the focus of a cozy mystery, was like an afterthought. Perhaps this was the author's intent for the first Honeybee Diner Mysteries novel but it caused the story to lag. It was a bit much once you add in the many metaphors, similes and analogies. Whew—it was heavy on descriptions like the grits were heavy on thickness.

"Folks remember how you carry yourself long after they forget the dirt they tried to bury you under." ~ 11%

Nevertheless, I plan to read the next book in the series titled Murder with a Side of Red Velvet. Hopefully it will focus more on the murder mystery and include recipes of the savory food that Jessie whips up in the chef's kitchen. I sure would like to try a piece of peach cobbler or the infamous grits that keeps the townfolk coming back through Honeybee Diner's doors.

Happy Early Pub Day to debut author Skylar Warren! Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits will be available Wednesday, May 13.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Murder with a Side of Shrimp and Grits

Author: Skylar Warren

Published: May 2026

Pages: 377

Edition: Galley

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

Now Then

"Love is freedom...And love is finding home. Again." ~89%

Now Then is a debut novel by NBC News Anchor Morgan Radford. It follows two timelines. Now—1991 Cambridge, MA. Lily is an 18-year-old freshman at Harvard University on a path to self-discovery. She feels out of place having come from humble beginnings with a Cuban immigrant mother and Black American father. Through a budding romance with Vikram and a friendship with her roommate Hana, she navigates college life and adult years.

Then—1957 Havana, Cuba. Marisol is a young woman with dreams of becoming a journalist. One tragic night forces her to flee the Cuban Revolution, leaving her homeland behind with plenty scars. She never revealed what happened until she started writing letters to her daughter, Lily. The written words deliver secrets and help both women discover their identities.  

This novel is clearly written by a journalist at heart. The tone is heavy on factual events, history and social justice. Romance is thrown in to give it a fictional feel. The theme that stands out is the mother-daughter relationship. It is very heartfelt.

A letter written by the mother to her daughter set the mood for the novel. I settled in with an iced tumbler of fresh strawberry lemonade and cold Thin Mints straight from the freezer. Over the course of three days, I read a tale of two very different women that seamlessly weaved together. Until the confusing end. It was a lot of events packed into almost 400 pages and still the author felt the need to wrap it up so tightly that the time jump made no sense. Almost as if the author suddenly remembered the romance trope. It was jarring to the point I thought my ARC was missing a chapter, or at the very least, missing a few pages. But nope, I compared to the official copy and the ending stayed as is. 

Nevertheless, I believe Now Then will appeal to most readers. The mix of journalistic Cuban history and fiction will keep readers engaged.

Happy Pub Day to Morgan Radford! Now Then is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Now Then
Author: Morgan Radford
Published: May 2026
Pages: 349
Edition: Galley
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

Good Joy, Bad Joy

"Who says your greatest love has to be a romantic one?" ~ 96%

As Joy nears 90 years old, she cannot help but realize the people she has outlived: her husband, family and friends. The only one left standing is her best friend Hazel. That changes when Hazel reveals she only has a few months to live. But she's at peace with the diagnosis knowing she has lived an adventurous, exciting life. It gets Joy to thinking. So many years following the rules, being the good girl and nothing to show for it. And so begins her foray into breaking the rules.

Good Joy, Bad Joy had good lessons about living life to the fullest, appreciating friendships and self-discovery. But in getting to the lessons, it didn't quite deliver a liking to the character. I could not connect with Joy; not because of her mature age but because of her actions. Maybe it's me but an 89-year-old driving way over the speed limit for fun is irresponsible. So is committing a petty crime. You wait until damn near 90 years old to act like an unsupervised teenager? And was it purposeful irony that her name is Joy? Seemed like it based on her little joy, vast regrets. I would have rather read about Joy and Hazel reliving memories of their friendship dating back to eight years old. 

Considering the average rating is 4.3, I am in the minority so don't let my review deter you. What is an okay read for me, may be a good read for you.

Happy Pub Day to Mikki Brammer! Good Joy, Bad Joy is officially on shelves.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Good Joy, Bad Joy
Author: Mikki Brammer
Published: May 2026
Pages: 294
Edition: Galley
Genre: Grown Chick Lit
Rating: 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Delusional

(Michael Bennett #18) 

"You don't ever mess with family." ~ 86%

My Series Sunday pick is Delusional, the 18th book in the Michael Bennett series by James Patterson and James O. Born. NYPD Detective Michael Bennett and his new-ish partner Rob Trilling investigate a case that crosses state borders. In New York, there is a series of deadly bombs. In New Jersey, a military base is burglarized for explosives. In Montana, violence and arson take over a small town. There is also an anti-government group that keeps popping up in unexpected places. Oh, and Mary Catherine is expecting their 11th child! Whew—there is a lot going on in this new installment.

Why does it feel like I've read this before? I could easily guess the detectives and killers next steps. I could predict what would happen in the Bennett household, even with ten kids running around and a pregnant wife. The entire time reading Delusional felt like déjà vu. Am I over this series?

"Do you know how hard it is to get people to listen to hard truths?" ~ 91%

Maybe it is time for Patterson to wrap this series up. It is not thrilling as it used to be. Or perhaps it was too many cases to fully develop each storyline so they all lacked in interest. If you are a follower of the Michael Bennett series, then read it for continuity purposes. But if you are new to these authors and this once great character, I recommend you do not start with this one.

Happy Early Pub Day to James Patterson and James O. Born! Delusional will be available August 27, 2026.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: Delusional

Author: James Patterson and James O. Born

Expected Publication: August 2026

Pages: 448

Edition: Galley

Genre: Thriller

Challenge: Keeping Up With Patterson

Rating: 🖤 🖤

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

The Graphic Novel

"I want life to start happening. I want to fall in love and I want a boy to fall in love with me back." ~ 93%

The Time Best YA Book of All Time has a new graphic novel adaptation! To All the Boys I've Loved Before is the first book in the beloved series by Jenny Han. Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox. One for every boy she has ever loved (five in all). She pours her heart out in these letters with all the things she would never say in real life. You can probably guess what happens next. The secret letters are mailed and suddenly her love life is very complicated. Can you imagine?!

I am familiar with this series, thanks to my 16-year-old niece that recommended it. So I was excited for the opportunity to review this edition early. I was especially curious on how it would compare to the novel and the movie. Now it is expected that scenes are cut to fit into a graphic novel. However, it seems so much was removed that the story did not flow and seemed abrupt. Majority of the text bubbles were blank so I had to rely on the art for context. Still it felt like a lot was missing, which is unfortunate.

As for the art, the Illustrator did her thang! It was cute, clear, colorful and charming. TATBILB was the first graphic novel that I had the pleasure of reading on my new Kindle ColorSoft. What a treat! The pastel tones fit the vibe perfectly. Lots of soft pinks, baby blues, dreamy teals and muted yellows. A visual reminder this graphic novel is intended for a younger audience.

 

Now is as good a time as any to watch the movie and spin-off series XO, Kitty streaming on Netflix. Gift this graphic novel adaptation to your daughters, nieces or little cousins. 

Happy Early Pub Day to Jenny Han, Barbara Perez Marquez and Akimaro! To All the Boys I've Loved Before: The Graphic Novel will be available Tuesday, May 5.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Title: To All the Boys I've Loved Before: The Graphic Novel
Author: Jenny Han; Barbara Perez Marquez (Adapter); Akimaro (Illustrator)
Published: May 2026
Pages: 168
Edition: Graphic Novel Galley
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤