At Least You Have Your Health by Madi Sinha is an engaging and clever book about women’s healthcare!

Maya is an Indian-American gynecologist at a busy city hospital, and she struggles to balance her career with her roles as a wife and mother to three children. When she’s offered a job with a concierge wellness clinic that caters to wealthy women, Maya decides it’s an opportunity she can’t pass up. Will the clinic’s methods and patients’ demands cause her to reevaluate everything she believes in?

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! It was full of wit and humor, and it offered a fresh perspective on race and class disparities in medical treatment, especially inequalities in women’s health care. It also realistically portrayed the life of a working mom. Maya was a dedicated mom, wife, and doctor who was constantly trying to balance work and family life. As a working mom, I felt like I could really relate to Maya and her everyday struggles. I wasn’t familiar with concierge medicine prior to reading this book, so that was fascinating to learn about even though I thought some of the patients’ requests were over the top and not the best ideas. There was also a mystery surrounding Maya’s boss’s teen daughter that made the story even more entertaining. Overall, I thought this was an interesting and thought-provoking book about the practice of medicine, women’s bodies, family, parenting, and work-life balance!

As someone who usually devours thrillers and extreme horror novels, this book was way out of my comfort zone, but I ended up loving it so much that I ordered her first book, THE WHITE COAT DIARIES.

This book touched upon so many issues that plague women today...the desire to have it all, the desire to be seen, and the desire to make a difference. Dr. Maya Rao is a gynecologist with a bustling practice, but a disastrous encounter with an entitled patient results in a three month suspension. After refusing to apologize, Dr. Rao quits. Fate intervenes when she crosses paths with Amelia DeGilles at a school event, and soon she is swept up in the world of concierge medicine, While her beliefs don't exactly align with Amelia's, she tells herself this job affords her the wealth, privilege, and flexibility her previous job didn't.

I appreciated all the lighthearted moments in this book, but I really loved the depth of Maya's character. It was revealed that she stopped practicing obstetrics early in the book but didn't delve into the why until much later, which made for a very sobering experience. I also appreciated the knowledge of her daily struggle of growing up poor in India and the casual racism that she experienced even with a white coat on.

Everything about this book was stellar...the character development, the pacing, the dialogue, and especially the huge issues the author tackled with finesse, such as racism, equality in health care, and what it means to be a woman Highly recommended.

I started out being ho-hum about this women's fiction novel, but grew more and more interested and finally loved it! Maya Rao is a gynecologist who offended a high profile client in her hospital practice but finds another job with other high-end clients in a boutique clinic for women that encourages self-medicating and alternative medicine . It's a comedy that turns serious when Maya has to help her demanding clients who get themselves in hot water with their unorthodox health ideas.

A comedy in part with some suspense, and educational as well as entertaining, the novel was well conceived, plotted, and written. Five stars.

At Least You Have Your Health is an enjoyable read that explores real issues of work/life balance, family dynamics, race, and class. I loved the main character, Dr. Maya Rao a gynecologist who trades in her position at a hospital clinic and joins a concierge medicine group after an incident with a patient. I found myself rooting for Maya, even when some of the decisions she made were questionable. There were some laugh-out-loud moments as well as a little mystery too! Overall a great read and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Maya is a busy mom of three and a physician working in gynecology at a city hospital. When an appointment with a patient ends badly Maya is put on a three month leave. Maya, furious with the situation chooses to walk away. A new job opportunity opens up when Maya meets one of the moms at her daughters new private school. Amelia runs a wellness clinic for wealthy women and offers home services. Some of the treatments are a little wacky to Maya (balancing crystals, shamans, and extremely expensive supplements and vitamins) but she loves the availability her new job offers. When Amelia’s daughter Prem starts to show symptoms for an unusual illness, Maya quickly realizes how important it is to rely on scientifically backed treatment.

I adored Maya, the somewhat disheveled mom trying to do the best for her family. She worked so hard to get where she was and tried so hard to support her husband Dean while finishing his degree. There were definitely times where I was shaking my head at some of the decisions she made, especially without discussion with Dean first.

There were many laugh out loud moments that all moms can relate to, kids are fun. I loved in the acknowledgments the thanks Sinha gives to Moms, for trying to do the best they can for their kids. Being a mom is sometimes a very difficult and thankless job, and sometimes it’s so nice to see the recognition.

This book definitely brings up important topics such as how class and money could effect the type of healthcare you receive. How many people don’t get the type of education they should to properly care for their bodies, especially women and women of color. I thought that the material was discussed in a thorough and sensitive way, while still remaining true to proving the lack in education.

Being a heath care worker in family medicine, this book caught my attention easily. I really enjoyed reading about Maya and related to her struggles to be everything. To be a good provider for her patients and a good mom. Trying to juggle pick up and dinners with work as a mom is a hard job in itself. She quits her job and works in concierge medicine for the flexibility and money but quickly realizes the entitlement and crazy notions her patients have regarding treatments and natural healing is not in line with her medical knowledge. It also deals with her growing up poor after her parents come to America from India. They were determined she would be a doctor. This gave her some issues to work through as an adult. Her kids were fantastic and I enjoyed her growth throughout the book.

This is a great book for that fan who loves snarky humorous women's fiction and Grey's Anatomy. (I know I'm not the only one.) A send up of annoying suburban types, a look at trying to balance it all, women who swear by Goop and candles of a certain scent... it's all here. A fun, quick, light read. You'll take your vitamins when you're done!

Aah, what an amazing read!! I didn’t realize how incredible it was going to be! Once I got a few chapters in, I was hooked and could not put it down.

The main character, Maya, is incredibly relatable and made me feel like I’m not alone in the major mom guilt department. But even if you’re not a parent, I still think most readers could relate to her because no, she doesn’t have it all together and yes, that is actually fine (not to mention normal).

All I will tell you about the plot is that Maya is a mother and a doctor who decides to work for a high-end medical service whose medical methods are…questionable, to say the least. That’s it. That’s all I’m telling you. Just read this book and enjoy the twists and turns.

I was not bored for one moment of this one and I cannot recommend it enough to basically everyone. This one is out now so go snatch it up and tell me what you think!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for my copy. This review has been posted on Goodreads and on my Bookstagram account (link provided).

At Least You Have Your Health is written from the perspective of Doctor Maya Rao, a flawed but likable character. This novels tackles the disproportionate access individuals have to health care, especially those in black and brown communities.

Maya accepts a position working for a concierge Health Care System that caters to the rich. She gets to set a schedule to help her balance her work life balance with three young kids and an ever patient husband. Slowly her dream job begins to unravel when the ethical oath she swore to uphold are pushed to limit with the clientele.

Sinha has crafted a story about women’s healthcare with levity and fun while not shying away to point out the wrongs in the system. This is a GREAT addition to the world of Women’s Fiction, especially its realistic descriptions of life as a working mom.

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the complimentary copy.

“There seemed to be, among the proponents of alternative medicine, a belief that nature was always good and gentle and kind. That the natural order of things was to heal and renew and rejuvenate. Yet nature was also responsible for arsenic and scorpion venom. Aneurysms were natural, as were polio and rabies. Bleeding to death during childbirth was particularly natural. Man’s manipulation of nature was necessary for the survival of our species because nature, it seemed obvious to Maya, has forever been trying to kill us.”

Wow I flew through this book, it was so scandalously fun! I loved the juxtaposition of modern medicine and ancient medicine…and the very real issues that can happen when the uninformed use ancient ways to their own detriment. But I also work in medicine, and I see modern medicine quite literally torturing people just to keep them with a pulse. A literal body in a bed alive by the force and will of machines. My favorite medical quote is ~just because you can doesn’t mean you should~. But I digress.

This book was a fascinating look at the life of an Indian woman trying to honor the sacrifices of her immigrant parents while still forging her own path. Maya was tough and brilliant and, although swayed temporarily, very strong willed and always looking out for the best interest of her patients. I would take her any day as my doctor.

“It was hard being female. Being female meant having a whole set of internal organs that society didn’t find important enough to worry or think or care about until a baby was involved and regulations needed to be handed down.” Here here to all of our lady doctors actively trying to change this very real and very unfortunate fact!! 🙌🏻

Thank you to Netgalley, Berkley Publishing, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Available now!

I loved this book! The main character was so real to me, I went through the gauntlet of emotions with her. It was such a great family drama, chick lit story with a lot of subtle undertones about racism, choices, and priveledge.

I really enjoyed The white coat diaries by this author last year so I was excited to read her new book. This one features Dr. Maya Rao, a gynecologist and mom of three who has to leave her hospital job amidst a scandal and starts working for a private clinic that caters to the beauty conscious suburban mom set. While working there she befriends Amelia, whose perfect life isn't all it appears to be. This was a fun, highly entertaining, relatable read with some decent twists. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance review copy!

Favorite Quotes:

She adjusted her oversized black sunglasses, the ones she imagined made her look something like Audrey Hepburn but in fact made her look something like a very large hornet.

Tad used phrases like “leveraging our strategic partnerships” and wrote excitedly of his plans to target hospital advertising to “capture female patients in the 18-65 year old range.” The latter expression always made Maya picture Tad running through a field with a butterfly net, in pursuit of a panicked woman wearing no-slip socks and rolling an IV pole behind her.

What you have here at Hamilton is a group of very opinionated, very uptight parents who are trying to relive their childhoods through their kids… They want their kids’ days to be filled with unicorns and rainbows and the occasional diorama made out of a Jimmy Choo shoe box.

He was already on a toilet in one of the stalls, swinging his legs and loudly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. “And through the red sticks forest stands, a nation, and the frogs, invisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

“You should make sure to use birth control, even while you’re nursing.” “What about avocados?” a woman with short silver hair and a red leather jacket wanted to know. “What about them?” “If you put one in before sex, it works like a diaphragm. No?” Maya stared at the woman. “No. Please don’t do that.” “Oh my God, Heather,” the woman with the baby said, her hand on her forehead. “Your vag is not for serving guacamole!”


My Review:

This was a fun and giggle-snort-worthy read and a pleasant surprise. The engaging and humorously entertaining plotlines and narratives were liberally peppered with keenly observant insights of cultural differences and pressures as well as cleverly amusing humor and snark. I savored each well-textured and brilliantly nuanced storyline; even when the characters were disappointing and annoying me with their self-involved pettiness, narrow thinking, bigotry, and obsessive social climbing. This was my first exposure to the agile storytelling of Madi Sinha and I am now a devoted acolyte of this talented wordsmith.

this whole book hinges on the discussion of women's healthcare, a topic too often overlooked, and one that certainly deserves a megaphone and a spotlight, particularly in this day and age. Though the system at large fails us all, it disproportionately affects women and even more so, women of color, and Sinha's message is loud and clear. All of Maya's visions for the future in the industry aren't simply pie-in-the-sky idealism, and there has never been a better time for change than the present moment. I applaud her for bringing these insights and revelations into the mainstream in a fresh and accessible way, and hopefully inspiring her readers to help BE the change we all wish to see in the medical world.

This book is Women's Fiction the way it was meant to be: like the best women you've ever known, this one is bold, funny, clever, profound, strong...and in a class all its own!

I received a gifted galley of AT LEAST YOU HAVE YOUR HEALTH by Madi Sinha BUSINESS NOT AS USUAL by Sharon C. Cooper for an honest review. Thank you to @BerkleyPub and @Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review!

AT LEAST YOU HAVE YOUR HEALTH follows Maya, a gynecologist with a very busy life both at work and at home. She has put some limits on her work after a tragic and traumatic experience in her past, but there is so much more that she wants to be doing. When another bad experience leaves her without a job, she takes advantage of a well timed meeting with Amelia, a woman who owns a concierge wellness clinic that provides house calls and specialized services to those who can afford them.

I didn’t know much about this book going into it, but I really liked Maya right away. She has had some difficult experiences in her work and facing racist comments as a woman of color, she finally reaches her limit. I really liked the ideas she tried to put forward about providing more education to women and people in general about their own bodies. The traditional medicine model where she’s been working doesn’t give her the room she needs to think outside of the box.

Switching to working for Eunoia Women’s Health is an abrupt shift and it quickly takes her to the polar opposite end of the spectrum where she is asked to disregard her medical training at times to cater to the wishes of the patient. I did get a bit frustrated at times where there was obviously a bad call being made, but I also could feel for her floundering a bit in making this transition.

Overall I think this book really makes some good points about the need to balance traditional medicine with alternative options. AT LEAST YOU HAVE YOUR HEALTH is available now!

I stayed up way past my bedtime to squeeze in more- two nights in a row and well worth it.
Maya has had it with the sexist and patriarchal medical care- even in her field of gynecology. As a an Indian American woman, patients ask if she is the dr; ask bizarre questions due to lack of understanding basic anatomy, with the hope of being magically fixed.
Maya loses her cool with a supposed VIP patient - with no regrets. Amelia DeGilles pursues Maya to become an in-home ob-gyn via her business - concentrated personal care for women members. Is this really the solution? Boutique medical for the wealthy elite.
Humor. Empowering women with harsh reality of education, lack of quality care, so many misinformed. And the acknowledgements - an ode to women, healthcare and the fight for equality still facing us.

I know, I know. I usually read romance books and maybe a few thriller books. But I do tend to read fiction if the book appeals to me. And this book did.

At Least You Have Your Health will make you question many things as you keep reading it. Is it ethically right? Or is it not ethical? That’s the debate in this book as you keep on reading it. So much is always changing that keeps you wondering should I or should I not. Always a question for yourself.

At Least You Have Your Health is realistic and compelling women’s fiction that revolves around mainly Maya and also Amelia, and their different views on women’s healthcare. The story is about Indian immigrants, upbringing, hyperparenting, women in medicine, racism, motherhood, work-life balance, women’s health care and healthcare system, and inclusion and diversity.

Writing is compelling, thoughtful, slightly witty, and steady-paced. The story is written in third person narrative from Maya’s perspective. There is occasional Amelia’s POV that tells about her childhood, life and what made her to start Eunoia, a healthcare company for rich women.

Plot is interesting. It started with introduction of Maya, an Indian-American gynecologist, wife and mother of 3 kids and also is main breadwinner of the house as her husband Dean is still doing his PhD along with how she was brought up that made her who she is and what she thinks about education and upbringing of kids. She is doing a lot and works on a tight schedule with drop of three kids to school then 9-5 job at hospital, and pick up of kids at 5. She cannot afford being late. She is also struggling as non-white woman in medicine that is very much patriarchal. A bad day, one incident and her losing her composure force her to leave her job. By chance, she meets Amelia DeGilles, very rich and honored by all elite moms, at private school’s parents meeting who wanted a gynecologist for her concierge medicine company, Eunoia. Charmed by her look and wealth and despite her husband’s doubts Maya joins Eunoia to keep her family financially floating and they actually sail but at a cost.

It was interesting to read how Maya will do in this new job and how being with Amelia and circle of private school moms will change her, how much the change will affect her family and her ethics, will she let go of ethics and what she believed about women’s healthcare to be part of Eunoia and wealthy people, or will she fight for the right thing.

This is character driven story and there is lot happening and is many layers in story than my simplified summary. Maya and Amelia are interesting characters.

I liked Maya. It was easy to empathize with her and her situation. Her childhood story and story of her mother, what made her mother to be obsessed her kids choose money oriented careers is relatable. It is something as Indian I have seen a lot in parents. Almost every other parents are like Maya’s parents. I could understand her feelings and can imagine how alone she must be feeling with her constant struggle to be included in American community when she was subjected to racial inequality at every step and phase of her life.

What I liked most about her is she is doing a lot, juggling life and work, and it’s amazing she does it all without help. I could get why she wanted the best for her kids and didn’t want them to suffer and experience the way she did. It was sad to see her talk about people being mean because of their color with her daughter, Diya, who looked like her more than her other two kids who looked white like her husband. I can see how she was swept up in the race of being on top of everything and wanting respect and honor people like Amelia had. It was sad to see how being in rich white mothers’ circle was changing her, everything she has got and achieved seems less and less important to her and desire to fit in and be included gets so strong that she couldn’t see right and didn’t want to notice its impact on family. I so wanted to shake her and make her see what she is doing.

There is also layer of one horrible incident that caused her trauma and never delivering babies again. I loved how she realised her mistakes around climax, how whole journey made her see the real problem, what she needed to do to have satisfying and content life keeping her ethics and dream balanced, and also helped her in confronting her trauma and take steps toward healing.

Amelia isn’t exactly bad person but you can see early in story that she is highly misguided and all her beliefs are so wrong. Her concierge medicine idea is good but it’s not for normal people, it’s not helping community. It’s for rich people who can afford it, who wanted everything hush hush. The kind of treatments and therapies she offered are highly dubious. Like Dean I will say it’s scamming.

Amelia also had bad childhood but at some point, I felt she is unreliable. The way she is obsessed over her kids’ health and consulted weird therapists and spiritualists to heal even the smallest thing not right in their kids’ health or behavior, is batshit crazy and she refused to see any logic or science behind something wrong with her kid’s health. I also didn’t like the actual reason she hired Maya. It sure makes her bad person in my eyes. But I’m glad she got her lesson in the end. I was just surprised it took so long to get there.

Dean- Maya’s husband and Esther -Maya’s assistant are the most reasonable and wise characters in the story. I liked Dean for being such a supportive husband. Being white he might not really know what Maya felt, her being non-white and looked down by people and all but he is most empathetic person. He listened to her, cheered her, and supported her in their ten years of marriage. He won my heart when he said to Maya he is not impressed by Amelia and her wealth or respect she has but by Maya who is an amazing gynecologist and mother. Maya found his content nature grating but I loved that trait of him and I’m more like him when it comes to seeing where my money is going and why.

Esther is from Haitian immigrant family. She made the story more lighthearted. She is loyal and lovely person and amazing at her job as assistant. I loved her for being wise and telling the truth to Maya when things start to go out of hand. Her reason for being assistant and why she want to study medicine was great.

Best part is all the layers and themes of inclusion, medicine, classism, racism, and women’s healthcare. I liked how author talked about life of immigrants, their struggle in new country with inclusion and racism, how little people know about women’s anatomy and healthcare and how schools and hospitals still use the outdated system when it comes to education on women’s anatomy and sex. I also liked a little bit of medical info and medical history as well which was informative.

The layer of hyper parenting is most thought provoking. Reading all moms and the way they behaved made me think, what’s wrong with parents these days. There is so much competition between them and they all are literally forcing their dreams and beliefs on their kids. One mom (or was it Amelia?) cared about what classes her kid attended and what language the kid learned at age 4! (And here I’m only worried about my kid’s potty training!) It made me think if it’s really necessary to go to prestigious schools and universities? And what about being happy and content? why it is discarded for high paying career? It’s not just American but everywhere in world parents behave this way. My goodness, the way they feed kids with vitamins and superstitious therapy is shocking. They did what the internet said putting their logic and medical proofs aside. It all made me laugh and shake my head in disbelief.

Climax is great. I enjoyed reading everything that happened from this point. The revelation of what was happening to Amelia’s daughter is surprising. The end is amazing and uplifting. I enjoyed how everything changed Maya and her life.

Why 4 stars-

At some point, I felt the story is stuck with pace and I was tired of Maya not seeing what she is doing and how it is changing her and their way of living.

Overall, At Least You Have Your Health is moving, thought-provoking, compelling and steady paced women’s fiction. It’s perfect book club read with many topics to discuss.

I highly recommend this if you enjoy,
Steady paced story
women’s fiction
Women in STEM
theme of inclusion, diversity, racism, classism
layer of hyper parenting, immigrant life, PTSD
topic of women’s healthcare

THIS BOOK. THIS BOOK. At Least You Have Your Health by Madi Sinha is an exceptional book. It has been a long, long time since I have read such an engaging Women's Fiction novel like this one. Many thanks to Berkley Pub for inviting me to review this gem! 5/5 ⭐

Gosh, the drama and the suspense in At Least You Have Your Health were everything! The book is a medical drama with a very, very clever plot. I loved every moment of reading it. ALYHYH 's storyline revolves around how flawed and overlooked the Women's Healthcare System is. The author did an amazing job of highlighting different issues in a very thoughtful manner. The book had so many layers - I could honestly talk about it for hours! 💕

Maya's character arc was so intricately woven. As a South Asian, I related to her struggles with having an academically enriched life. Her relationship with her parents was so thoughtfully written. Maya's activities were unlikeable at times, but honestly, it was understandable. She made me angry, but I also shared a sense of empathy with her. The storyline was complex and there were important lessons all along the way. The battle of alternative VS Scientific medicine is nothing new, but this book made me look into the matter from various different angles. Maya's kids were absolutely adorable! I loved how she taught them the importance of knowing about the anatomy of your bodies. It was definitely one of my favorite parts of the book. Also, Dean, Maya's handsome was just so amazing. Seeing him support her through everything was just so wholesome. :')

The book represented the themes of sexism, colorism, and motherhood perfectly. One thing I particularly loved is how the author showcased how Maya and Esther had different experiences with racism even though both of them were women of color. It was very eye-opening! I was invested in the storyline from the first chapter, and I couldn't stop until I read the very last line. Madi Sinha's writing has a very addicting touch. I have become a huge fan. If you are a fan of Laura Hankin's novels, I am pretty sure you will love Madi Sinha's books too.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy. This did not affect my rating.

*3.5/5 *

This book takes on sexism, racism, multi-cultural family dynamics, conservative vs. alternative medicine in an honest way; the highs and lows, the trials and errors.

In At Least You Have Your Health we are introduced to Dr. Maya Rao, the mother of three young children, wife, and gynecologist at a busy Philadelphia hospital. Maya is a no nonsense doctor, she wants women’s health to be talked about in plain words, and for everyone to be educated about their bodies. She is vocal about this. One day, running late, things in Maya’s work life comes to a head when an entitled patient won’t listen to medical advice. With her career at the hospital being threatened and her morals being tested, Maya walks away from it all and ends up working at a private concierge health practice - with the wealthy and seemingly picture-perfect Amelia DeGilles (ADG for short). She sees patients at their homes, in airport bathrooms, literally wherever because of the exorbitant cost of being a patient at Euonia.

Maya’s home life – which started out hectic but loving – turns a little sour as disagreements with her husband Dean start to pop up here and there about this new job, her employer, the medicine itself.
Maya starts to want more, to send her kids to private schools and private nurseries, ordering a meal prep service, start taking expensive supplements (even though the drugstore brand would be just fine). Dean doesn’t mind not being rich, he doesn’t mind if they have to give up a few things to make ends meet.

I wasn’t sure what to think going into this book, but it was like a concierge medical practice Grey’s Anatomy, without the hooking-up in the on-call rooms. Some of the quick one-off cases were funny – crystal stuck in an orifice, etc. The two big cases were fascinating and troubling all in their own ways. The talk about women’s health was great. Our bodies are not shameful and we should be learning all about them from a younger age.

The writing was enjoyable, I kept turning the pages to see what kind of medical issue was going to happen next! I would definitely check out other books by this author in the future.