This one’s raw, real, and surprisingly funny given how heavy some of the topics are. Corrello writes like she’s sitting across from you with a glass of wine, telling you the hardest and most beautiful story of her life. What hit me hardest was how honest she is—she doesn’t hold back or try to make the messy stuff look pretty. That said, the pacing felt a little off at times. Especially in the second half, things moved fast and I wanted more time to sit with certain moments. Some parts felt rushed, and I think a little more depth would’ve made the emotional impact land even harder.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 — 3.5 stars with an R for language and heavy themes including grief, addiction, and mental health.

Thanks to NetGalley and Betty Corrello for the ARC

32 Days in May by Betty Corrello is a deeply personal and emotionally charged book that had me hooked from the beginning. Corrello’s storytelling is raw, vulnerable, and often humorous in the face of some very serious topics. Her voice as a narrator adds a unique authenticity—like listening to a friend tell you the most painful, beautiful story of her life.

What stood out most to me was her unflinching honesty. She doesn't sugarcoat the hard stuff.
That said, the pacing didn’t always work for me. The story sometimes jumped quickly between events or emotions, especially in the second half. I found myself wishing for more time spent unpacking certain moments—there were places where deeper reflection or detail would have made the impact even stronger. It felt like the book was rushing to cover a wide range of experiences without fully sitting with some of the most powerful ones.

Still, I really appreciated this book. It's clear Betty Corrello has a strong voice and an important story to tell.

3.5 Stars. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC

After several early positive reviews, I thought I might enjoy. I just don't think it was right for me
. I didn't enjoy he voice of the main character and had trouble connecting with her journey. Narration was not a fit for me either.

First, I listened to the audiobook. I think it could have negatively impacted the story for me. It is narrated in a Jersey/tri-state accent. And it was awful. I also didn't love the author's style. So combined, it was not great. Especially at first. It did get somewhat better as it went on, but I really could not get into this.

I really wanted to like this one, but had trouble relating to, and liking the characters. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator sometimes had an accent for the main character and sometimes…she didn’t.
I enjoyed the premise of the book that the two characters would “date” until the end of May, just like they had seen in a movie. However, I thought the pacing of the book was a little off and I didn’t exactly get a lot of chemistry between the two main characters. I also found the interaction between Nadia and her sister was a little off.

Thank you to NetGalley & HarperAudio for the ARC of this audiobook.

I struggled with this book. It was very depressing and I could not connect with any of the characters. I love the book cover and the premise sounds great but I am not the audience for it.

Thank you NetGalley, Betty Corrello, and Harper Audio Adult for the ARC of 32 Days in May. This book was highly relatable to me since I live at the Jersey shore. I could envision the places mentioned in the book.

"32 Days in May," a novel by Betty Corrello released in May 2025, has garnered attention for its heartfelt story and relatable characters. The book delves into themes of healing, love, and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of Evergreen, New Jersey.

The story revolves around Nadia Fabiola, a Philadelphia ad executive whose life takes an unexpected turn when she's diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus. This autoimmune disorder forces her to re-evaluate her priorities, leading her to leave her job and move back to her parents' home in Evergreen. Seeking a fresh start, Nadia finds herself on a blind date with Marco Antoniou, a former teen heartthrob and TV star who is also looking to reset his life after some past troubles.

Marco is house-sitting in Evergreen for a month while his uncle is on vacation. Nadia and Marco decide to embark on a no-strings-attached relationship, agreeing to date for the month of May before Marco leaves. However, as they spend more time together, their connection deepens, and they begin to fall for each other.

Corrello masterfully crafts complex characters in Nadia and Marco, showcasing their vulnerabilities and strengths. Nadia is portrayed as bold and kind, with a dry wit, while Marco is charming and shows genuine interest in Nadia. Their chemistry is undeniable, making their interactions captivating.

The novel explores the challenges Nadia faces as she learns to live with lupus. Corrello seamlessly weaves information about the disease into the story, providing readers with a greater understanding of its impact. Nadia's struggles with her diagnosis and the emotional toll it takes on her are portrayed with honesty and compassion.

Marco, too, is on his own healing journey, dealing with past issues and seeking a fresh start. He and Nadia find strength in each other, offering support and understanding as they navigate their personal challenges. Their vulnerability and willingness to open up to each other create a powerful connection.

While the romance between Nadia and Marco is central to the story, "32 Days in May" also delves into deeper themes of healing and self-acceptance. Both characters are flawed and relatable, making their journey all the more compelling. The book explores the importance of found family and the power of human connection in overcoming adversity.

Some readers have noted that the storytelling style may take some getting used to, with a diary-like quality that can feel detached at times. However, many have praised Corrello's ability to create a heartwarming and emotionally resonant story that stays with them long after they finish reading.

Overall, "32 Days in May" is a well-written and engaging novel that explores themes of love, healing, and self-discovery. With its relatable characters, heartfelt story, and insightful portrayal of living with a chronic illness, it's a perfect summer beach read that will leave readers feeling both entertained and moved.

Thank you HarperAudio and Avon for the free advanced copies of this book.

32 Days in May is a sweet book set on the Jersey Shore. Featuring a fun cast of characters, it had me laughing out loud many times throughout the book.

Recently diagnosed with lupus and learning how to live with her chronic illness, Nadia meets Marco, a cousin of her doctor’s and a Hollywood celebrity. After a wild first date, they decide to date for just the month of May as an ode to one of Nadia’s favorite movies. As the month goes on and they go on a series of fun dates and begin to share more about their personal lives, they realize perhaps there is more to this than they anticipated.

The main character Nadia gave me Mavis Beaumont (Netflix’s Survival of the Thickest) vibes. She is bold, kind, takes care of others, and goes through a journey of self-discovery that is empowering. I loved her dynamic with Marco, and the way she held him accountable.

While I enjoyed the book overall, there were parts of the story that were slow and the writing felt a little choppy. However, it was a beautiful exploration of chronic illness and a sweet summer read.

🎧 The narrator did a great job voicing multiple characters and very different regional accents throughout the book.

I’ll admit I was fairly skeptical of this book in the beginning, but wow, Betty Corello really did something special with 32 Days in May.

It took me until around the 15% mark to get used to the writing style, and I was convinced I wasn’t going to like the main characters.

Nadia, dealing with depression after a lupus diagnosis, is running away from her life at her parents beach house. One of her doctors asks her to hang out with his cousin because she “needs to get out more”. Enter Marco: a cigarette smoking, mullet sporting, D-list actor. After one wild night together, Nadia and Marco agree to date for one month, no-strings attached— just a fling to escape their respective realities.

The banter and tension in this was excellent. I loved how sassy Nadia was, and how much Marco ate it up. I loved how tender their relationship became. It felt like these two characters understood each other so deeply. Truly, I was so surprised by how much Marco grew on me.

Overall, this book sexy, emotional, and a great summer romance. (And thankfully, the mullet and cigarettes were short lived.)

This book handles a lot of sensitive topics, so I recommend not skipping the authors note in the beginning.

Thanks so much to Avon for the arc!

I fear this book has ruined all other books for me. Hands down the most beautiful book I've read in 2025 so far! I can't believe how many times I cried, just at the tenderness and beauty of it all! It was truly so moving and I grew to love these characters so deeply!

Thank you Harper Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

About the book:

Nadia has been coping with her recent diagnosis with Lupus. She is set up with Marco, a former TV star who has many of his own personal struggles that he has been managing. They decide to "Sweet November" each other, wherein they will date for a month with no strings attached.
To see these two imperfect people enjoying life and learning that they CAN be happy, and deserve to be loved was an absolute joy.


My thoughts:

Joy Nash absolutely KILLED the narration! Oh my goodness. The Jersey accents brought every single character to LIFE. They felt so real and FUNNY! I want to kiss Joy on the lips for what she did with this audio! I mean, the way she described the majestic arc of Emmett's vomit was stunning lolol

Now, Betty. Betty Betty Betty. You beautiful human who has given us so much with 32 Days in May!! Looking back at my notes, none of them make sense because I was just beside my self through so much of this book lol. I laughed out loud so many times and I loved Nadia's mind. Then I cried actual tears so many times--because of Nadia's struggles and her strength, and Marco's love for her not despite of everything but because of it.
I'm grateful to know more about what it's like to live with Lupus, because of this book. Thank you Betty for sharing this part of your life with the world. Thank you for giving us Nadia!

I can't wait to hold this one in my hands on May 13, 2025!!!

I had high hopes for this novel, I had trouble connecting to the characters. It took a bit to get into the storyline.

Nadia Fabiola wants to lose herself in Evergreen—the Jersey Shore town where she grew up vacationing with her family—and never look back at her glamorous, gainfully employed former self. After a shocking lupus diagnosis turned her life upside down, she’s desperate for a sense of control over her body, her life, and her mental health. Nadia plans on keeping her life small and boring, while continuing to ignore her sister’s relentless questioning.

Nadia’s sister isn’t the only person worried about her. When her rheumatologist not-so-subtly sets her up with his infamous former-actor cousin, Marco Antoniou, Nadia is skeptical. But Marco is gorgeous—despite carrying his own baggage from a very public burnout. After a messy (but fun) first date, they decide that a May-long fling could be just what the doctor no commitment, no strings, just one month of escape.

Their undeniable chemistry starts to feel a lot like something more and while Marco pulls Nadia deeper into his life, she is dead set on keeping her diagnosis from him. But there are only so many days in May, and only so much pretending she can do. As the stress of their whirlwind romance takes its toll on Nadia’s health, she’s forced to decide if a chance at love is worth the risk of trusting someone new

This book was SO good! I absolutely love Betty Corrello’s writing style and now I need to go back and read her debut book, Summertime Punchline.

Nadia, the FMC, has lupus and her condition is worsening. She is losing her hair. She lost her career. She doesn’t have the energy that she did before lupus and she is depressed.

Then, her rheumatologist sets her up with his cousin, a B List actor named Marco Antonio. They have an instant connection and he asks her to date him for the month that he is in town on the Jersey Shore. Nadia decides to make the most of her time with him and she avoids telling him about her diagnosis. This one is an emotional rollercoaster (in the best way), you guys!

I really loved these characters and the book is written in a way that lets the romance shine, but still gives a full picture of what Nadia, the FMC, is going through with her health journey.

Things I Loved :
🌊Jersey Shore/Rome settings
🌊FMC with health struggle
🌊Famous MMC
🌊Addiction representation
🌊Italian American/Greek America culture
🌊Whirlwind romance
🌊Time-limited relationship

"Do you cry when you eat ice cream because you know it won’t last forever."

I had the honor of receiving an ARC of this as an audiobook, which was great. The narrator brough the characters to life.

Probably one of the funniest romance novels I've ever read. Nadia, the main character, has recently been diagnosed with lupus which has completely blown up her life. She escapes her normal life and begins living seaside at her parents' beach house.

Her rheum asks if he can introduce her to his cousin and that's where the romance begins.

The banter throughout this book is God Tier Level. Just some of the funniest things said:

“This is where they buried Liz Claborne’s final horcrux.” Describing Rome is having a very horrible graffiti problem to try to talk herself out of traveling to Rome.

If you have a chronic illness, this book is spot on for what life is like. The shame, the frustration, the denile, the mind f*ck, all of it. Nadia is one of the most relatable book characters for me, because of my life with autoimmune diseases.

I highly recommend this book. It was an easy, enjoyable, and hilarious read.

#netgalley #ARC

“Do you cry while you eat ice cream because you know it won’t last forever?”

32 Days in May by Betty Corrello felt like a real life love story. You start broken, then you start to feel that warmth that you forgot about, that you did not know existed anymore. And then it turns exciting like the best kind of roller coaster that never ends without all the bad stomach drops. But then that inside voice starts to talk and down the road you start to listen maybe second-guessing yourself or the person that you’re with in more ways than one. You try to be happy but you also try to talk yourself out of it. And I think the most important part of this book was it tells you that it’s OK to let yourself be happy. That no matter what’s happening with you mentally or physically, you deserve to be happy, we all do.

really well written! nadia is diagnosed with lupus and trying to live a semi normal life. she agrees to date a guy for only the month of May. this book was excellent on audio too!!!

Joy Nash absolutely nailed the narration—warm, grounded, and expressive without being overdone.

After a lupus diagnosis and losing her job, Nadia escapes to her family’s beach house on the Jersey Shore to self isolate and embrace depression. Her doctor asks her to show his cousin around town and she ends up hooking up with him. Cousin Marco turns out to be a minor celebrity with his own commitment phobia and serious baggage. After talking about favorite movies (Nadia's is Sweet November) Marco proposes they spend the month of fake-dating (a la Sweet November). Naturally.

It was very "insta-love" which I'm not a huge fan of but Corrello made it work. Nadia and Marco are good people but a bit broken. Corrello presents their relationship not as a line of red flags blowing in the breeze but as two people recognizing the pain in each other seeing a kindred spirit.

Its beautifully messy story about letting people in, finding your footing again, and choosing love without losing yourself. Corrello did a great job with the relationship between Nadia and her sister. Family can both be awful while loving you better than anyone and always there to welcome you home.

Thank you NetGalley for this early release listen! Incredibly raw, emotional, and beautiful. I loved their story and the writing had a unique flourish to it. There was so much vulnerability in her character and lots of laugh out loud moments. I definitely teared up at the end! Overall a wonderful read and even better audio!

This book was a beautiful piece of work!

Betty Corrello does an incredible job painting a picture of Evergreen, the disabling existence when your body is fighting against you, and the many adventures of Nadia and Marco. This book was incredibly good at talking about topics that I think many people are too unsure or unaware of but should be talked about greatly. Plus the commentary on how capitalism and how it teaches us incorrect ideals about our perfect life?

Witnessing Nadia and Marco learn that they are so much more than the worst experiences they've had is something beautiful to behold and I love them SO much.

Joy Nash perfectly executed this performance! Each distinct character and voice was perfect and I am so grateful for the chance to have listened to it.

Thank you to HarperAdult audio and NetGalley <3

A New Jersey love story. I really enjoyed this book. It’s something I would buy, and I will likely purchase the author’s previous book. The narration in this book is delightful. Just perfect Jersey accents.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader audio book.

32 Days in May hit me in a way few romances do. Yes, it’s a fling-turned-feelings love story with banter so good it made me laugh out loud (Murano glass museum scene, IYKYK). But it’s also a vulnerable, honest, and deeply emotional exploration of what it means to live with chronic illness—and to let someone love you through it.

As someone who lives with chronic illness (though not lupus), I saw so much of myself in Nadia. The exhaustion, the anger, the way you grieve a version of your life that suddenly feels out of reach (*cough cough* using humor as a trauma response). The push-pull of wanting connection but fearing what your body might do to that closeness. Nadia’s story was raw and real—but never pitying. She’s messy, sharp, funny, defensive, and deeply human. And I loved her for all of it. Marco surprised me. This wasn’t just another broody love interest. He has his own mess, and watching two people with cracks and bruises choose each other anyway? It gave me the feels. There’s so much heart in their story, and so many moments where I found myself whispering, “Yes. That’s what it's all about.”

Betty Corrello doesn’t romanticize illness—she writes it with clarity and care, layered in among laughter, desire, vulnerability, and hope. This isn’t just a love story—it’s a story about choosing to keep showing up for yourself and letting others show up for you too.