Another incredibly moving, relatable and informative memoir from a late in life woman diagnosed as austistic. Marian details her struggles growing up trying to fit in (and failing), the exhaustion of 'masking,' her particular stims and so much more. I especially related to her challenges with motherhood and her journey to getting a diagnosis and just how life-affirming that can be for some. Great on audio and HIGHLY recommended for those wondering about their own neurodiversity identity or fans of other ownvoices autism memoirs like Strong female character, Ten steps to Nanette and I overcame my autism diagnosis and all I got was this lousy anxiety disorder. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Wow! As a neurodivergent mother myself, I found Marian’s memoir to be highly relatable and profound. This book will help so many others!

Hearing the book in the authors own voice really enriched the experience!

Marian Schembari was in her thirties when she was diagnosed with autism. This memoir follows her personal journey. The writing is both deeply personal and very educational. It mainly chronicles her own experiences, but also explains concepts, autistic traits, etc. when relevant.

The audiobook is narrated by the author. I really appreciated this because it felt like she was telling her own story to me in her own words with her own voice.

𝘼 𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙇𝙀 𝙇𝙀𝙎𝙎 𝘽𝙍𝙊𝙆𝙀𝙉 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒂𝒏 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒎 𝑫𝒊𝒂𝒈𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒔 𝑭𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝑴𝒆 𝑾𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒆 By Marian Schembari was a memoir with so much heart and information.

I was excited to have received the copy from @flatiron_books along with this perfect pin (2nd slide). After reading several chapters, I then saw the audiobook on @netgalley from @macmillan.audio and was again grateful to add it to my reading experience. The combination of audio and visual is absolutely my favorite for memoirs.

This is a deeply moving journey filled with some of the relatable issues we all face growing up, but with the extra levels of Schembari struggling to understand her inability to fit the expectations around her.

I was surprised to see what expectations were out there. I know my story, but I am fascinated to see how other girls grew up and how these forces formed us all. To have this extra level of difficulty in being understood, both by herself and others, led to such frustration for years. I was frustrated alongside and for her.

Enlightening was all the research she shares about the lack of research with autism and women. While I have learned to be less shocked by these lacks in the medical fields, I still felt sad and angry. What was beautiful in this journey is how the diagnosis gave such freedom with new choices and understanding, again from herself and others.

I definitely recommend this memoir, both in print and audio, and I thank the publishers for my #gifted copies.

Marian Schembari navigated multiple misdiagnoses before receiving an autism diagnosis at age 34. In her memoir, she shares challenges that she faced throughout her life -- from never fitting in through childhood, struggling with relationships as a young adult, difficulty holding down a job, and difficulty adjusting to motherhood. Stereotypes surrounding autism are highlighted not only from society as a whole, but the medical community specifically. This will have you feeling all the feels as you laugh through funny anecdotes and tear up in the heartbreaking moments of feeling "othered" while seeking an explanation for why you are the way you are.

First, I love that the author narrated the audiobook herself. It felt so real - like a conversation with a girlfriend. It was raw and beautiful. I originally added this to my TBR list because I wanted to learn more about autism, especially adult diagnoses. Working in higher ed, I've encountered a number of students struggling to get adult diagnoses and was eager to understand more. I was shocked when I found myself identifying so much with the author. I don't know why, but I didn't expect to share so many of the same experiences. So basically, it felt really relatable for the majority of the book - right through learning how to advocate for yourself and ask for/make the necessary accommodations for yourself. I definitely recommend to anyone looking to expand their knowledge, even fellow neurodivergents.

This book speaks to me! A memoir from a woman who was diagnosed with autism later in life but clearly had signs in early elementary school, the author paints a picture of the myriad struggles of what it means to be "high functioning." From sensory overload to being underemployed to relationship struggles, the author absolutely nailed it. I had the pleasure of the audiobook and the narration was perfection. A 5 star read! * I received an advanced complimentary copy from the author/publishing company in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A Little Less Broken is a memoir chronicling Marian Schembari's journey to her autism diagnosis. The book reflects on her childhood feeling like she didn't fit in with her family or her friends, her time in college struggling to adjust to a new way of life, and her life after college spent travelling, wrestling with jobs and romantic relationships, and struggles with motherhood. The book also delves into how harmful stereotypes of autism can be, especially when it comes to girls and women trying to get diagnosed. It also discusses how difficult it can be to receive a diagnosis as an adult.

The writing of this book felt like a conversation with the author, which was quite nice to listen to. The audiobook was also read by the author, who did a great job and is able to convey the tone that she wanted in the book. It is full of funny, heartbreaking, and eye-opening anecdotes that show how her life was made more difficult by not knowing her diagnosis growing up or understanding how she could create or ask for accommodations for herself. The last few chapters also get a bit more into the nitty-gritty of what it takes to get an autism diagnosis, the hurdles that someone has to jump, and the barriers that still exist today. This will be a great one for fans of memoirs, particularly if readers are going through similar struggles.

This book is such a great blend of personal narrative and information about autism and how it can present in women and girls. Many of Marian's experiences are very relatable to the point where I felt them viscerally in my own body. This is such an eye-opening look into the life of someone with a diagnosis of autism as a young woman and not as a child - I hope it becomes a resource for many trying to answer questions about themselves for years to come!

This book was fascinating and taught me so much. As a teacher, I don't have much experience with girls with autism. That makes sense now after learning about masking and late diagnoses. I thought the author did a really good job telling her story. She got her diagnosis late in life, so the book covered most of her life, but it never seemed to drag. After her diagnosis she had a lot of personal growth and was able to make accomodations for herself, which was nice to hear after all the masking she did previously. Thank you for sharing your story! And thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for the ALC.

"A Little Less Broken: How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole” by Marian Schembari is a deeply personal and enlightening memoir that chronicles the author’s journey to understanding her autism diagnosis at the age of 34.

Schembari’s narrative is both heart-wrenching and uplifting, as she recounts the years of misdiagnoses and the emotional turmoil of feeling out of place in a world that didn’t understand her. Her story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of self-acceptance.
The book is not just a memoir but also a well-researched exploration of autism, particularly how it manifests differently in women and girls.

Schembari combines her personal experiences with advanced research, making the book both engaging and informative. Her writing and narration is infused with humor and honesty, which makes even the more technical parts of the book accessible and enjoyable to read.

I feel "A Little Less Broken” is an eye-opening and educational read that challenges preconceived notions about autism and neurodivergence. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to understand the complexities of autism and the journey towards self-discovery and acceptance.

Marian was diagnosed with autism in her 30s. In this memoir, we get to go back through Marian's childhood and early adulthood, including getting married and having a child, and her experiences without a diagnosis.

My four year old son was recently diagnosed with autism, so this book piqued my interest. I'm so glad I picked it up. I learned a lot about how difficult it is for females to get diagnosed, especially adult women. And it gave me great insight into how I can help my son make adjustments to his environment so he can thrive.

I highly recommend the audio. Marian reads it and does a great job. It felt like having a conversation with her.

A Little Less Broken: How an Autism Diagnosis Finally Made Me Whole was a Macmillan Audio pick, and going in I knew this book would resonate with me, but didn’t realize just how much!

“Marian Schembari was thirty-four years old when she learned she was autistic. By then, she’d spent decades hiding her tics and shutting down in public, wondering why she couldn’t just act like everyone else.” After a slew of therapists over the years had misdiagnosed her, Marian first self-diagnosed, and immediately found relief in the ability to recognize and begin to accommodate herself. The part that really hit me in this book was Marian’s post-”official”-diagnosis revelation that self-diagnosis is perfectly valid, especially for women and other marginalized groups, such as queer and trans people and people of color, and even more especially for those who live in the united states where not only is autism diagnosis more focused on males, but mainly children—and lets not forget our costs of healthcare!

Sidebar to my own story: I began to suspect I was on the ASD spectrum a little over two years ago and have since done research to feel confident in a self-diagnosis. When asked by my PCP, in a rather condescending tone, why I wanted to get a diagnosis as an adult, I said, “To know!” And while there was an implication that my answer wasn’t “good enough,” I did get in touch with a telehealth therapist. She subsequently “validated me to death,” which was honestly not helpful at all. I also reached out to another therapist whose first response was to negate all of my findings OF MYSELF. Finally, being an American, adult female, I found it nearly impossible to find psychologists to contact that I could also afford. I was left for a while feeling like an imposter, which Marian goes over in her book, and finally settled into a feeling of acceptance with my loved ones and my family that was a starting point for me to better communicate my needs. All of this was mirrored in Marian’s experiences throughout her book, and her final statements on self-diagnosis validated everything I had gone through and felt and honestly fought for over the last two years.

The other major revelation of Marian’s book is her discussion on how we’ve been using the term spectrum all wrong! Spectrum is not a range, people are not “more” or “less” autistic; the autism spectrum, according to the DSM5, is “an uneven profile of abilities,” therefore one person’s autism will not look the same as another’s. While I recognized the basic message in this as something I already knew about autism, redefining the word spectrum broke a barrier I didn’t realize I had placed.

Marian narrated this audiobook herself, and I truly love when nonfiction authors do that! This was five stars for me, and I’ve already recommended it to friends!

I'm going to recommend this to so many people! This book had me bawling at times and giggling at others. I went through so many of the same experiences that it felt like she was writing my life story. There is so much great information sprinkled too!

I admire the author’s insightful portrayal of her experience parenting as an autistic mother. I also appreciate her citing other authors like Devon Pride and Hannah Gadsby.

This was such an important story. Marian is an excellent storyteller. I'd never heard of her or her essay before, but I'm always intrigued by narratives of women being diagnosed with autism since it is widely undiagnosed. She did an amazing job of making me invested in her journey to diagnosis. It felt painfully relatable at times, and by the end you can't help but root for her.

I think this was incredibly powerful and I hope it feels autistic women feel seen and empowered.

Marian Schembari recounts her life as a child, teenager, and adult struggling with undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder. Schembari received an official diagnosis in adulthood, but the journey to that point was not an easy one. From being bullied, to moving across the world, to struggling to maintain a job, Schembari dives into her life and openly invites the reader in to give us her experience as an adult diagnosed with autism.

Thank you Marian Schembari and Macmillan Audio for the audiobook version of this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are mine and mine alone.

This was probably a difficult story to tell, but Schembari tells it in such a way as to leave the reader with knowledge of someone’s experience in a world catered to neurotypical individuals. I find real-life accounts, such as this one, so valuable for readers. It shows a difference of how people are raised and shows how everyone struggles, but some people struggle more because of the expectations placed on us as humans, and specifically on girls and women.

I really loved that the author narrated her own memoir. I always appreciate it when an author is able to narrate, and this book was no exception. It makes the story so much more raw and real and like the author is telling the reader her story in person. I highly recommend the audiobook.

5 stars

First, I want to acknowledge that I'm writing this review as a neurotypical individual who teaches at an institution with a robust, respected program for autistic students. While I cannot empathize with Schembari's story, I made nonstop connections to the experiences I've heard from many of my students, and I deeply sympathized with many of the instances relayed here.

Schembari reveals her lifelong experiences throughout this gripping text, and her title is a great place to look for the punchline. The endgame is not a full resolution but a better understanding and explanation of her experiences and why she is the way she is, especially in relation to others. Schembari talks in depth about the way she encounters the world and how her perspective seems to differ so much from what she perceives to be typical of others. There are relationship challenges, social struggles, and everyday concerns including everything from itchy tags to constant threats of overstimulation and insensitivity. Schembari successfully takes readers right into these experiences, revealing the full sensations and scope of emotions and outcomes. These scenes can feel overwhelming to read, which makes readers even more attuned to how difficult they must be to live.

I listened to the audiobook, and I cannot recommend this version enough when and where accessible. Hearing Schembari tell her own story adds to the obvious authenticity of her work and experiences. My hope is that we'll hear more from this author, whether the focus is on her or on the motif in general.

I haven’t related this much to a book in a while. I’ve been thinking for a while about wanting to seek a formal autism diagnosis and then feeling silly like, what would a formal diagnosis even do anyway since I perform well and overachieve at work, but I think the authors story told me the why through her storytelling about her journey of late diagnosis.

Thank you so much to Macmillan audio for my gifted audiobook and eARC in exchange for my honest review!