Are You There God? It's Me, Menopause
A Novel
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Pub Date Oct 6 2026 | Archive Date Jan 15 2027
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Description
Perfect for fans of Catherine Newman, Ann Napolitano, and Meg Wolitzer, Are You There God? It’s Me, Menopause is a bold, funny Gen X ode to friendship, hormones, and what happens when you finally stop holding it all together.
Warm, razor-sharp, and deeply honest―Are You There God? It’s Me, Menopause is the kind of book women press into their friends’ hands, text about in all caps, and return to when life cracks open in unexpected ways.
Julia Levy has always known how to manage things: show up, stay polite, keep the peace… and absolutely do not say what she’s really thinking. Unfortunately, her hormones―and her life―never got the memo.
When menopause hits like a wrecking ball―upending her body, her relationships, and her carefully constructed identity―everything she’s spent years holding together starts to come undone. Friendships deepen and fracture. Long-buried truths bubble up. And suddenly, staying quiet feels less safe than saying the wrong thing out loud. As her world spirals into a hilarious, tender chaos of group chats, emotional landmines, reinvention attempts, and the kind of honesty that only comes at 50, she’s faced with a choice: keep smoothing things over… or finally tell the truth.
Because it turns out, midlife isn’t the end of anything. It’s the beginning of saying what you mean.
And sometimes?
You don’t find yourself by holding it all together. You find yourself… by letting it all fall apart.
Advance Praise
A Publishers Weekly Editor's Pick!
“Vulnerable, uproarious, and full of humor and insight, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Menopause celebrates female friendship while reframing midlife change as renewal.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Hilarious… Are You There, God? It's Me, Menopause is the ‘practical magic’ of midlife.”
— Suzanne Gilberg-Lenz, M.D., bestselling author of The Menopause Bootcamp, Chief Medical Correspondent, THE DREW BARRYMORE SHOW
It’s Sex and the City for the menopause set! This funny, heartfelt, refreshingly real novel is like dropping into the girl gang every woman in midlife needs—one that makes you feel seen and reminds you that navigating this crazy hormonal transition can be terrible and amazing, often at the same time.
—Meghan Rabbitt, Editor of The Sunday Paper
"Are you there, God? It’s me, Menopause is this generation's Ya-Ya Sisterhood."
—Holly Becker Lockett, Author of From Sad Bitch to Bad Bitch, The Divorce Guide for Every Woman Who isn't Belle Burden
Marketing Plan
Beginning this fall, Are You There, God? It's Me, Menopause: LIVE! will travel to Chicago (September 18), Boston (October 9), New York City (October 10), Los Angeles (October 17), and San Francisco (October 18). Presented by Menopause Rocks™ powered by Monarch, and Empress Editions, the national tour blends live storytelling, comedy, physician-led conversations, curated wellness experiences, and community into an unforgettable evening celebrating friendship, reinvention, and the possibilities that emerge in midlife.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9798992386523 |
| PRICE | $21.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 394 |
Available on NetGalley
Average rating from 21 members
Featured Reviews
Jodi J, Reviewer
WOW! It has been a VERY long time since I have read a book cover to cover in one day. I started this book in the morning and read it straight through to early evening.
We meet Julia and her friends during a transformative time in their lives - midlife. There is a life changing loss the friends feel every day but it doesn't define them. These women are AMAZING! Julia's family caused me to laugh out loud multiple times. The honesty, love, and strength of Julia's friendship group had me crying more than once (one time while I was still in the office).
This book is a guide I didn't know I needed. The grace, the love, the comradery the 4 main characters showed for each other was breathtaking. I saw a little bit of myself in each of the women & their stories.
Most importantly, as an almost 53 year old woman, I felt seen. I felt validated. I felt energized & invigorated.
Thank you NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. I will NEVER forget this book & I can say with certainty that when it is released, I will be buying copies for my circle of friends.
I absolutely devoured this book faster than I wanted to! I wanted more. It was like being with my besties. I had the best time reading and relating to the cast of characters. The writing was smart and witty. I found myself laughing and nodding my head so often. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Reviewer 1654356
Oh gosh! This is so funny and oh so relatable in many ways! I recommend all people going through menopause read this for the laugh and so you don’t feel alone
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Menopause” odd dedicated to Judy Blume. The dedication comes from author Heather Bartos WHO INCLUDES ME in the dedication, too! She actually includes all of us- we Gen Xers who are stepping into the sandwich generation, peri/menopause, reimagining, rethinking, reorganizing, etc!
With this investment in the book I was worried that it would not hold up. Dear potential reader- it did! I loved each one of the TWATS, sent screenshots to my own version of this group, and just generally enjoyed feeling seen and heard as I read.
Snuggle up with this book, be prepared to ride the end with a note of permission (there is an unfortunate “Second Spring” fete) and enjoy! Full disclosure: I am now considering a fainting goat. IYKYK!
This book was superb I couldn’t recommend it enough as a woman going through menopause this gem of a book helped me tremendously . The main character of Julia was amazing and in many questions I was nodding along to her, truly brilliant book
Alena B, Reviewer
Heather Bartos brings warmth, humor, and honesty to a topic that many women experience but often feel unprepared for. She discusses menopause with compassion while balancing medical information with real-life experiences, making the book feel like advice from a knowledgeable friend.
The explanations of hormonal changes, symptoms, treatment options, and emotional well-being are informative without becoming overwhelming. I especially appreciated the reassuring tone that validates many common experiences while encouraging readers to advocate for their own health.
This is an empowering and accessible resource for anyone navigating perimenopause or menopause.
Bookseller 1206470
Incredible!! I couldn’t put this book down. The interesting characters and descriptive scenes grabbed my attention from the very beginning.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.
I devoured this book!
From the dedication, which was for all women, myself included, who have stepped into or are stepping into this natural transition of life and to the very last page, this story had me. I laughed, I cried, I nodded in recognition, and most of all, I felt seen.
As a woman who has been living this stage of life, it was so refreshing to finally see these stories and conversations brought into the light. Menopause is something so many of us experience, yet it’s rarely talked about with this much honesty, humor, and heart.
If you’re in this stage of life and don’t see yourself in one of these women (Julia, Gem, CiCi, or Kim) either you’re not there yet, or you’ve found the perfect balance of HRT.
I immediately connected with everything Julia was going through: the challenges of everyday life, insomnia, hot flashes, the dreaded “soft-focus” vision, and trying to rediscover yourself while refusing to stay small.
Each of these women faced their own unique struggles while navigating hot flashes, incontinence, brain fog, and all the other nuances of menopause. But at the end of the day, what carried them through was their friendship. Their unwavering support for one another reminded me just how important it is to have women in your corner who truly understand what you’re going through.
While I would’ve loved even more time with each character individually to deepen those connections, there was still enough on every page to make me relate to them again and again.
My hope is that Julia finds the right HRT and continues to fully step into the woman she’s becoming.
Whether you’re just entering menopause, deep in the middle of it, or supporting someone who is, this is a story that deserves to be read. It reminds us that while menopause may be a shared experience, none of us has to go through it alone.
This book made me laugh, cry, and feel completely understood. That’s a rare gift, and this book has already stayed with me and will continue to do so.
You know that warm, slightly bittersweet feeling when a song, smell, or memory instantly transports you back in time, making you miss how things used to be? Well, that is exactly what hit me the second I saw the title of this book: Are You There God? It’s Me, Menopause.
I was instantly triggered right back to reading iconic Judy Blume and found myself chanting, “I must, I must, I must increase my bust!”
Honestly, this book was everything I had hoped it would be and then some.
First off, the author pays a wonderful homage to Judy Blume, which I absolutely loved. But more than that, this book delivered so much validation that I desperately needed for my own sanity. As an almost 51-year-old postmenopausal woman without a circle of women in my life to dissect the daily woes of "the change" with, reading this made me feel just a little less alone.
Did it make me bawl my eyes out because of pure friendship envy? Absolutely. I ran the absolute gamut of emotions while reading this—but mostly, I laughed so hard I almost peed myself (if you know, you know 😅).
We need so many more books for women like us! If you are menopause-adjacent or even just menopause-curious, I cannot recommend this enough. It may technically be a work of fiction, but you honestly cannot get any closer to the truth.
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