I’m always a fan of Lisa Genovas work and this was no exception. I definitely felt drawn in immediately and really enjoyed the premise. However, I had trouble picturing the character as a comedian. What we knew of her personality, didn’t seem to match with her ambitions. That could just totally be on me though. I also felt like the ending was rushed a bit, like she just was over writing and ended it as quickly as possible. Overall, though I did enjoy it and would recommend it!

DNF at 30% due to foul language. I was really looking forward to this book as I’ve loved her others. But the amount of f bombs was too much for my taste.

Title: More or less Maddy
Author: Lisa Genova
Publisher: Gallery Nooks/Gallery/Scout Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Pub Date was: January 14, 2025
My Rating: 4 Stars
Pages 368

Author Lisa Genova is a neuroscientist. Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University.
In this story, Lisa Genova explores the mysteries of our brains in such a way we are living the experience with Maddy.

The story follows 19-year-old freshman NYU student Maddy Banks, who learns of her bipolar diagnosis after being prescribed a stimulant for her depression at the university health center. The stimulant triggers manic episodes, leading to her discovery.
Maddy is not happy with the traditional treatment- she finds the meds leave her drowsy, dizzy, and emotionally drained, appearances. She is struggling to understand as well as accept her diagnosis; her mother enforces strict rules as she wants to prevent a recurrence of the earlier manic episode.
Recently Maddy was asked to share her experience she wrote about. Of course, nervous at first but she found she loves stand-up comedy and decided to give up a so called “normal” life for a career in comedy.
Although I loved the idea of this story there were parts I didn’t love and definitely wanted to support Maddy
I have attended stand-op comedy routines in Vega and crude humor was a disappointment – I get that Maddy is getting satisfaction and thus is happy!
I was pleased when we experience one of Maddy’s routines it wasn’t crude but very informative.
She starts off by stating she wants to share something she hasn’t told many people.
“I have bipolar disorder. Some would say I <i>am </i> biopoIar, instead of I <i> have </i>biopolar.” She then goes on to give other examples – I had a pizza last night but that doesn’t mean I was a pizza.” The audience, of course, laughs.
I found this very interesting and thought - yep I am guilty.
Lisa Genova does a fabulous of writer by providing informative in an entertaining story.
Additionally in her ‘Author’s Note’ she give more information as well as a web site ibpf.org that offers more information.

I have read two other books by author, Lisa Genova- "Inside the O’Briens" and " Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting,
I really enjoyed both.
I will definitely read another!
Want to thank NetGalley and Gallery Books /GallleryScout Press for this eGalley.
Publishing Dare was Tuesday, January 14, 2025..

First thank you to gallery books and net gallery for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis; Maddy is a college student dealing with the usual stressors. When she gets help at the student center, she is thrown into a manic cycle. Maddy must deal with growing up and her new diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

What I liked: this book felt very real and you really felt her manic cycles or depression. I have been a fan of the author for a while and really enjoy her work especially teaching about how the brain works. This book was no different. Maddy and her mom were the characters that I felt the most. Her mom is so concerned and tries to protect her. Maddy just wants to be “normal” and live her dream but struggles with her new diagnosis.

One thing I do think it wrapped up a little too neatly but still recommend the book

Anytime mental illness is brought to the forefront is a good thing. She does a great job of depicting the roller coaster of mental illness, the ups and downs as well as the crashes. She not only highlights the person and their emotional turmoil but she emphasizes how difficult the ride is for the loved ones around them. Noone stands alone and mental illness effects everyone.

This is an incredible and realistic story of a person with bipolar disorder. Lisa takes us on a journey with Maddy as she not only learns she has bipolar disorder but also how she and her family experience it and deal with it. You will experience an emotional roller coaster and be brought into Maddy's world of what she's going through. I was sobbing by the end of the book.

A story about not only bipolar disorder but also one of self-discovery, family relationships and friendships. If you know someone with bipolar disorder, this book is going to give you new insight and hopefully, a much deeper empathy for them and for their family.

3.5 stars!

Every one of Genova's books have taught me something combined with a really interesting story to help put you in the shoes of the main character. Once again, she carried that off so well. This time the subject is bipolar disorder, something many of us have heard about, but didn't know anyone who had it or what it felt like.

Maddy had a normal upbringing through high school, then went off to college just as her long time boyfriend broke up with her. Needless to say, first semester of "the happiest times you will have" were not happy ones for her. She was miserable, didn't mingle, didn't make friends or date. Ironically, for someone who had trouble even smiling, comedy came into her life and she decides to become a comedian, starting with local like mic nights and the support of a coworker.

Little did she know what was really going on in her mind and body until the mania overtook her. I won't go into more details as to not give it all away, but let's say she learns what she can and can't do after her diagnosis. Ditto for her mom who is perfect, of course.

Nicely done; informative and not overbearing! Thank you NetGalley for an advance reader copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

This was a brilliantly written book about what it's like to live with Bipolar disorder. Through Maddy's journey, we learn what it feels like to experience a manic episode and depression. We learn how devastating getting the official mental health diagnosis can be and what it feels like to have to go on medications to control it. I felt for Maddy as she struggled with feelings of shame and uncertainty and being micro-managed by her mom. At the same time, I loved how Maddy wanted to be a stand-up comic and the determination and drive she had for it.

I really learned a lot about Bipolar disorder from reading this book!

What exactly does it mean to be normal? This is the question that Maddy is struggling with. For all of her life, she’s been told to do well in school, go to college, find an acceptable career, get married and have kids…this is how it’s done in her family. When she goes off to college, however, her life takes a different path. Alternating moods, bouts of depression, periods of mania…something is not right. At first she chalks it up to the normal struggles of a young person living away from home for the first time. And it doesn’t help that her long-term relationship has recently ended. But eventually the truth cannot be denied. Something is going on. When she’s diagnosed as bipolar, neither she nor her family know how to deal with it. This is a new world they must navigate, and they must find a new definition for normal. Once again Lisa Genova has nailed it. She does such a great job of writing about real issues with characters that the reader cares about.

always love Lisa Genova's books and this one was no exception! Maddy Banks is a young adult going to NYU. She is put on an antidepressant after dealing with depression and lethargy. This throws her into a manic episode in which she believes that she is going to write Taylor Swift's biography and that she is going to be a stand-up comedian. She ends up being hospitalized and diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.

I so appreciate books where you can see something like Bipolar through the protagonist's eyes. I was rooting for Maddy all the way through the book. Lisa Genova does a superb job of researching and presenting the information. Excellent Read!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Scout Press for the advanced digital copy of the book.

All of Lisa Genova's books have focused on some aspect of neuroscience and I'm super happy to see her dive into the world of mental illness. I read another reviewer say that "this book is easy to read without being an easy read" and I can't echo that sentiment enough. This book takes you through Maddy's ups in downs in a way that I've never seen bipolar disorder depicted.

This one will stay with me for a long time. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books | Gallery/Scout Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you @authorlisagenova @gallerybooks @netgalley and @bookloversthebuzz for the #gifted ebook and this is my honest review.

Maddy is a student at NYU trying to cope with the stress of college, an on again/off again relationship, and figuring out her future. She is given medication for depression which sets off a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Maddy is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. The depression and manic episodes were hard to read but gave a better understanding of what was going through Maddy's mind. Being a mother I can understand Maddy's mother wanting to protect her but it was also maddening as I felt she was hindering Maddy in finding her new "normal" in being a standup comic.

Like Lisa Genova's book STILL ALICE, MORE OR LESS MADDY will stay with me for a long time. This is a moving and often heartbreaking look at a young college student as she struggles with the diagnosis of Bipolar Disorder and the effects on her identity, relationships and dreams. This book gave me a better understanding of bipolar disorder and the effects of the medication can have on the mind and body. I highly recommend you read this book.

This book hits really close to home, as it will for many readers, I'm sure. Mental illness, and especially bipolar disorder, carries so much stigma and Dr. Genova tells the story of Maddy with heart and honesty.

Maddy is a freshman at NYU and her family is part of the country club set in a Connecticut town. Her older sister is living in New York and is planning her wedding. Her brother is off to Australia for a semester. Maddy doesn't seem to fit in anywhere, with her on again, off again relationship with Adam and loss of high school BFF because of that relationship.

When Maddy starts believing that Taylor Swift is her friend and they will be working together, or that she is writing a comedy special for Netflix, the reader can see the spiral begin. We follow her through manic periods where she makes impulsive decisions that are often quite bad (using her mother's credit card to buy an unnecessary and absurdly expensive jacket, rage texting) and the crushing depressions that follow.

The book is easy to read without being an easy read. I found myself becoming very emotional at times, and I imagine other readers will, too.

My thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books | Gallery/Scout Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“I wish you could feel what it feels like to be in my head.” —Selena Gomez

This is a quote in the introduction of this
exceptional novel by Lisa Genova that stuck with me so much. I read it in one day, blown away by Maddy.

While reading, I was reminded that on the days when it can be hard to do anything, just getting out of bed is a goal. If all you can do is take a shower, that’s okay. Struggles around mental health are real. They’re common. The more we continue to talk about it, the better we all will be. Maddy has to figure out how to navigate what her brain tells her. She must figure out how to function in the best way possible with bipolar disorder. Genova writes Maddy with the utmost compassion & realness, giving her a raw look at how it impacts her, shining a light on the stigma that must end around mental health.

Thank you, Lisa Genova, @bookloversthebuzz gallery books, & netgalley, for my gifted early copy & including me!

Genova's expert understanding and accessible explanations of neuroscience combined with her incredibly deep sense of empathy, make More or Less Maddy another incredibly powerful read from one of the best issues-driven novelists out there. Weaving both the humor and intrigue of navigating life as an aspiring stand-up comic and the emotionally fraught moments of dealing with having a mental illness, Maddy is one of the most authentic characters I've ever read. This book had me crying, screaming, laughing, and feeling every other emotion in-between. Though it just about wrecked me, I loved it!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #GalleryBooks for the book #MoreOrLessMaddy by #LisaGenova. I loved this book because it is a real thing that is going on all around you. The struggle is real and I have seen first hand how it affects people. In this book, Maddy is dealing with being bi polar and finding out how it affects her and her family and friends. This is a book everyone should read.

A deeply moving and introspective novel that follows Maddy, a young woman grappling with the complexities of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
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Brilliantly written. Lisa Genova provides a riveting and insightful look into how bipolar disorder shows up in life. I rooted for Maddy from the first page to the last.
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More Or Less Maddy delivered everything I look for in a superbly delivered character driven novel.

I waited for audio for this because I wanted the full experience of hearing it in my ears. This is so well-done. I thought the beginning was a little slow, but I respect the need to build. Every time Maddie was about to dive into manic behavior, I was *stressed*. Those scenes were so vivid.
My only nit (there's always one) is the end. I know endings are hard- I always say this when I don't like an ending-- but this one just.....stops. And then we get the epilogue in which people are the exact opposite of the way they were six months prior with some 'we worked it out' language. The book was long enough, we deserved to see Maddie work through that.

But I guess if we don't have it, the book is fine enough.

4.5 ⭐

Some books serve as a reminder to me not only of the joy of reading, but also of the importance of fiction. More or Less Maddy was one such read. ⁣

I should start by saying that Lisa Genova has long been a standout author for me because of her background. She has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard University, and each of her fictional books centers around a main character living with a neurological disorder. ⁣

This new release, More or Less Maddy, introduces us to Maddy Banks and allows us to walk alongside her as she receives a Bipolar diagnosis during her freshman year at NYU. And this is why I love fiction. Bipolar is so often stigmatized and misunderstood, colored with fear and misinformation. Through Maddy, however, Genova is able to humanize this disorder and put a face to it, shedding those stigmas, and leading to better understanding. I know I for one fell in love with Maddy. I found myself emotional as I witnessed what she had to endure, and it's impossible not to root for her as she finds her balance and follows her dreams. This is not only a compelling read that I found myself totally invested in, but it's also an important read. I loved this book so very much.

I highly recommend this powerful book. Lisa Genova once again masterfully combines storytelling with education through her portrayal of Maddy's journey with bipolar disorder. Through vivid depictions of her character's extreme emotional states, readers gain profound insight into how this condition impacts not only those diagnosed but also their entire support network. The narrative proved both captivating and illuminating.
Genova continues to excel at tackling challenging medical subjects with remarkable sensitivity. Her thoughtful approach and deep empathy for her characters shine through in every chapter, making complex topics accessible while never sacrificing authenticity or respect for those affected by the conditions she portrays.

Lisa Genova continues to be one of my favorite authors. Thank you to NetGalley and Scout Press for the Advanced Reader Copy. All opinions are my own.

Review to be posted to Instagram @Nicki_Rachlin, Goodreads, and amazon.com