It's not often that I feel so seen in a romance novel. 32 Days in May by Betty Corrello is a sweet, steamy romance featuring a heroine diagnosed with lupus, a chronic illness that takes a serious toll on her health. I don't have lupus, but several years ago I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, a similar autoimmune disease.

Nadia has run away from her former life and is hiding out in her parents' condo in Evergreen--a small coastal NJ town. Small and boring suits her just fine, and despite her sister's concerns, she's determined to handle her life and her health however she wants. Her rheumatologist sets her up on a date with his nephew Marco--who just happens to be a former actor who comes with his own baggage. Their first date leads to an unconventional arrangement--dating for the month of May, no strings attached, no expectations. Nadia decides that since it's a limited time arrangement, she'll keep her diagnosis to herself, but as things start to feel increasingly real, and their relationship begins to take a toll on her health, she has to decide how honest she's going to be and if she wants to see if this relationship can last beyond just the month of May.

I. LOVED. THIS. BOOK. The way Corrello writes about chronic illness is incredibly authentic, and it's so validating to see romances that take physical limitations into consideration. The relationship between Nadia and Marco was wonderful and steamy and everything you'd want in a romance novel, but where this book really shines is in honoring and respecting Nadia and her diagnosis, providing representation for those of us who live with the reality of chronic pain, brain fog, the endless list of evolving symptoms, and not a whole lot of understanding from friends and family who haven't experienced it.

The audiobook was great. Joy Nash's performance was pitch-perfect, and she did such a great job bringing the book to life.

Bravo. 10/10. No notes. Absolute perfection.

Massive thanks to the publisher and Harper Audio for my advance listening copy.

This was a great book! I learned a lot about lupus from the perspective of Nadia. I was hopeful, sad, excited, alllll the feelings for Nadia and Marco. I loved the narrator and the plot. All in all, would definitely recommend this to romance lovers.

32 Days In May by Betty Corrello is a beautiful romance that also covers some heavy topics. I’m so happy I picked this up.

Nadia was recently diagnosed with Lupus. Feeling down on her luck she is set up with former star, Marco. They decide to pretend date for the month of May. This story covers so many topics, alcoholism and chronic illness to name a few. Corrello handled this topics so delicately— I had so much empathy for the characters. I couldn’t help but laugh, smile, and cry for Nadia and Marco.

I listened to 32 Days in May and loved the audio book. Joy Nash, the narrator, did such a wonderful job capturing Nadia. I was sucked into the story. I felt Joy’s narration added to my enjoyment.

I absolutely can’t wait to read more from Corrello. I will definitely go back to her past novel and be first in line for her next. I highly recommend 32 Days in May.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperAudio Adult for an advanced copy of this book!

I thought that Nadia's chronic illnesses was represented really well. Her lupus is an undeniable part of her life, and there are times where she tries to pretend to be "normal" but it always has a physical consequence for her later. She tries to keep her medication a secret, meaning she stops taking it regularly, and I thought the reveal when she couldn't keep it a secret anymore was really well done.

I'm a bit conflicted about this one. I really enjoyed aspects of this book, but I also found their personalities to be very brash. This felt like a case where swearing was leaned on too heavily and it took away from my enjoyment of the book.

Thank you to Harper Audio for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

I thought that 32 Days in May looked like a cute, lighthearted beach read, and while it did have sweet moments and fun banter 32 Days in May also features topics including: mental health, chronic illness, and substance abuse.

What starts out as a no-strings fling that is only supposed to last only for the month of May quickly becomes so much more. This is an epic love story between two perfectly imperfect people.

I highly recommend this book and I look forward to reading more books by Betty Corrello, as this was my first.

The narration was great, accents were spot on. She was able to differentiate between each character and allow them to come through to the audience.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Audio. And Betty Corrello for this ALC.

I requested this book because I was recently diagnosed with an auto-immune disease and I thought maybe this would help me not feel so alone and like I’m just flopping around in the nether with this new way of life and it did just that. What a brilliant novel filled with humor and heart, fierceness and softness. It was sexy and sweet and I fell head over heels in love with Nadia and Marco. Their decent from strangers to lovers was so real and I loved spending
time the month of May with them. Nadia is so sarcastic and sardonic and Marco cannot get enough of her. Marco is so careful and reserved but the way he brings the absolute best sides of Nadia out had me obsessed. I absolutely loved their banter and caught myself laughing out loud and giggling like a school girl at their antics. This is the perfect summer romance that will make you feel hopeful and sad, bittersweet and beautiful. I’m a woman obsessed!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced audio of 32 Days in May by Betty Corrello.

This contemporary romance had such wonderful, real characters. As a person with lupus, it was great to read a romance with the female main character struggling with a diagnosis and symptoms. It was sweet, heartwarming, and funny. I think it's wonderful that contemporary romances are really having a moment and representing so many groups of people.

I loved every single moment of this audiobook!! The narrator pulled me into the story. It was an outstanding performance!!! This is the perfect amount of rom com banter along side such a believable relationship that it made my gut ache & burn for them.
As someone who also carries an invisible autoimmune disease with me every moment of every day, I was in awe of how someone outside of me could describe exactly how I feel.

Top 5 books I’ve ever read. Honestly…. This is my #1! Obsessed!!

I laughed, I cried, I swooned — ohhhh how I swooned 😅 There were so many moments where Marco Antoniou had me grinning from ear to ear. And just as obsessed as I am with Marco (because tryuly, I am), I am even more obsessed with this book as a whole. It’s romantic, it’s emotional, it’s full of depth, and I literally loved every second of the audio. The narrator did such an amazing job capturing the voices and personalities of all of the different characters and she truly breathed life into this already amazing story. Loved it!!!

5 ⭐️
this was beautiful!! betty's writing is emotional and impactful. I'm learning that I LOVE the fake dating trope when it's done well. this is the perfect book to transition into the summer time!
- fake dating
- tasteful spice
- set at the jersey shore & rome
- chronic illness rep
- mental health rep
- addiction rep
- found family
thank you to Avon for the opportunity to read an arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this audiobook. Joy Nash is a fantastic narrator and the perfect voice for this story. I'm from the Philly area, and she nails the accent, plus she does so many voices well. You just fall in love with the characters. Great story. I didn't want it to end and immediately ordered her other audiobook, also narrated by Joy Nash. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to listen and review this wonderful book. Absolutely enjoyed it.

This was a really cute romance book. Both main characters, Nadia and Marco are such realistic portrayals of people struggling with their personal demons. After getting diagnosed either lupus and losing her big advertising gig, Nadia moves back to her childhood Jersey Shore town to process her new sickness. Marco, a former actor who is also going through his own existential life crisis, goes on a date with Nadia where they strike a deal to date only for the month of May while he’s in town.

This book is tackles a lot of hard emotional subjects while having the reader really feel for its characters. These characters feel real and their issues raw and realistic. These chemistry between Marco and Nadia is off the charts and their interactions a full of cute and witty banter.

This is a really sweet love story about flawed people just trying to do their best to navigate the many turns life takes all while trying to find love.

Joy Nash is an absolute delight of a narrator. I’ve previously reviewed the book, so I want to say all of the wonderful things about the narration. And it is, indeed, wonderful. Her dialect work is amazing (I’ve previously listened to her read Penny Reid books, so I thought she was southern) - the intricacies of the South Philly and Jersey Shore sound is amazing. Just love, love, love. Hire her for everything.

A beautifully written and heartbreaking story about a young woman, Nadia, who is recently diagnosed with Lupus and is slowly learning what this means for her mentally, her body and her future. Nadia falls for this guy; Marco and she tries to keep her diagnosis from him. This was an emotional read as I followed Nadia on her new journey of re-self-discovery. This felt like an authentic story that showcased the isolation that can happen after a diagnosis and how important it is to have friends or family to help pick you up. This was a wonderful story about grieving what once was, friendship and connection.

What a beautiful, well thought out, emotional roller coaster of a ride... filled with laughter, love, friendships, and... pain.

Nadia is a writer. She loves her job and her life (mostly), but doesn't understand why she's been feeling so tired and out of it lately. And then, on the day of her BIG presentation, she oversleeps... and misses it. Not only that, but she is then fired. FIRED. And she then goes into a tailspin... self-loathing, sadness, grief... And, she finally goes to see a doc to see if they can find out what is actually going on with her... and then it all comes out. She has Lupus! (NOTE: This is NOT a spoiler. It is clearly given in the first line of the description of the book!)

While undergoing the gamut of doctors that she needs to see in order to figure all of this out, she comes upon a Rheumatologist who wants to set her up with someone in his family. Someone who is somewhat famous. She figures she has nothing to lose at this point, and goes ahead with meeting him. BUT... STOP THE PRESSES!! He is gorgeous!! And funny, and kind... and has a whole set of his own baggage.

And so they come up with the idea that they will spend ONE MONTH together. No strings attached. Once MAY is over, they will both move on with their lives...

But things don't always go as planned, do they???

Such a sweet, beautiful story, but *** if you are touched by someone who has LUPUS, beware, as this one really tugs on your heartstrings at times... ***
But then again, for most of the book I was literally LAUGHING out loud!! So, it's kind of a toss up!

5 big, bright, shining 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 for me!!

#32DaysInMay by #BettyCorrello and narrated beautifully by #JoyNash.

*** RELEASE DATE was on 5/13/25 ... SO LOOK 👀 FOR IT ON SHELVES NOW!!! ***

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #HarperAudioAdult for an ARC of the audiobook, in exchange for an honest review.

You can find my reviews on: Goodreads,
Insta @BookReviews_with_emsr and/or
My Facebook Book Club: Book Reviews With Elaine

Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends, & click ‘LIKE’ below… And, let me know YOUR thoughts if you read it!! 📚⭐️

32 Days in May on audiobook was just not a book I enjoyed listening to. I could not feel any connection with the characters. The chemistry between characters was flat. I wanted to feel something for the characters, but it never got to that point for me.
This is a book that I know many will like and would be a good one for a book club to read and discuss.
Thank you NetGalley, Betty Corrello and HarperAudio Adult for the copy of 32 Days in May. This is my personal review

I think Betty’s writing just isn’t for me. I can see why people like her books but both of them have just been missing the spark I am typically looking for in a romance.
The whole book felt kind of rushed to me. I also do not understand how you can fall in love with someone while hiding the biggest part of who you are from them. Chronic illness takes over so much of one’s life but we are supposed to believe that she is able to completely hide it from the mmc and still be vulnerable enough with him for them to fall in love.
This books was just “fine” to me, I’m not sure if I’ll read her next book, only time will tell.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. I really love this book and I especially enjoyed the disability/health representation. I think this might be one of the best books in the romance genre that I’ve read in 2025. I also thought the narrator did a very good job with the narration. Even though this book talked about some tough subjects, It still had a lot of heart to it, and I enjoyed the romance. I am definitely going to check out more books by this author in the future.

Nadia and Marco start to fake date during the month of May, promising each other they’ll be done by the time June comes. They start to fall into each other’s lives, they travel, they laugh, they cry. Will their promise persist and they’ll be done by June? Or will they accidentally fall in love and make each other’s lives immeasurably better? Read to find out!

I love this book. The characters felt incredibly grounded and real, and their banter was A++. If you love rom-coms and love a few classic tropes (fake dating, normie/celebrity dating to name a few), this book is for you. The balance between the real lives of the characters and their relationship was done so well that I found the book to be incredibly emotional. I cannot wait to dive into other works by this author - it was that good!

The audiobook was also amazingly narrated-the Jersey accent was SPOT on.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow, what a beautifully written book. Get ready for an emotional roller coaster with this one. It follows a young woman who is dealing with the emotional and physical toll of a Lupus diagnosis. When she fake dates someone for a month, she not only finds herself in love, but also living again. This story was about your support systems, the trauma of a diagnosis, the journey to find who you are and how to move forward with life. It made me laugh and cry and everything in between. I thought the characters were realistic and incredibly well developed. I loved that it took place at the Jersey Shore and in Philadelphia. A wonderfully written book. I listened and read this and both versions were wonderful.
Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copies.