𝗔𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 | 𝗠𝗮𝗱𝗶 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗵𝗮
Berkley Publishing | 5-Apr-22
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁 (Swipe> to see full synopsis)
-Dr. Maya Rao is a dedicated GYN trying to provide quality care in an unsupportive environment.
-Maya, a daughter of Indian immigrants, is determined to give her children the best education possible, so she and her family live a modest lifestyle in contrast to the very wealthy demographic of her children’s elite private school.
-As the primary breadwinner, she joins a private health care boutique that offers concierge, in-home health and wellness services.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
-Within the first chapter, I fell in love with Maya and wished all women could have a gynecologist like her.
-Maya’s experience of being ignored, underappreciated, and misjudged will undoubtedly be relatable to many readers.
-The author’s descriptions of the characters and their situations are clever and funny.

I was immediately caught up in Maya’s story as she tries, usually unsuccessfully, to balance a hectic work schedule with school pick-up and read this book in two sittings.

Using care and levity, Madi Sinha writes about a medical system that fails the needs of predominantly black and brown women in underprivileged communities and also fails the needs of women who can afford the most expensive personalized care. On one end, you find women unable to afford to take time from work or home for primary gynecological care. On the other, women who are used to getting what they want are provided with questionable alternative practices because it indulges their need for “natural” cures versus sound medical care.

Many good books were released last week with more out this week and I hope you will add this wonderful book to your Spring/Summer TBR!

This book is a hidden treasure. Maya is an overwhelmed Indian-American woman trying to balance motherhood, being a wife, and being a GYN and as if that isn't enough she's also dealing, or one may say not dealing with PTSD for a delivery gone horribly wrong. When Maya is forced to find a new job after a run-in with a patient, she is instantly thrust into the world of concierge medicine something so far from the morals and values that she has always followed. Maya begins to idolize her new boss, Amelia, and what looks like the perfect life she has but as things start to spiral out of control Maya must look within herself and find out what really matters to her and what she will and won't stand for.

Oh, I loved this one. Dr. Mayo Rao is living the life her parents dreamt for her. She is a doctor and married with three kids. It looks perfect…on paper. The reality is it’s not anywhere close to perfection and when a disastrous interaction with a patient forces her out of her position she needs to reevaluate her life choices.
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In walks Amelia the owner of a wellness clinic, who just happens to be searching for a gynecologist. As Maya joins the world of concierge medicine her world shifts. Some of these patients are downright hilarious with their demands. One of her patients, unborn babies said she would like to be born in the ocean and assured her mother she will turn position and not be breech when she is born. If only it were that easy!
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Of course, nothing is that easy in this book. I don’t want to give too much away but I really enjoyed this one. This book is out today!
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Thank you @berkleypub and @berittalksbooks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
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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.