Healthy Happy ADHD by Lisa Dee is an insightful and practical guide for individuals with ADHD, offering strategies for managing symptoms and leading a fulfilling life. Dee’s writing is supportive and encouraging, with tips on nutrition, mindfulness, and organizational skills tailored to the ADHD community. The book provides valuable tools for improving mental and emotional well-being while promoting self-care. It’s a helpful resource for anyone seeking to better understand and navigate life with ADHD.

I want to caution readers who take to heart the author's decision not to medicate for her ADHD. What worked for her may not work for everyone, including myself. However, her guidance is honestly so useful for anyone whether they have ADHD or not. She gives advice, then breaks down step by step methods that are designed to help people with executive function find a way to get started and keep going.

Her nutrition advice is set up similarly. Instead of recommending just food portions and nutrition, she suggests some healthy meals that are easy to make when you don't have the spoons to cook a big meal.

There is a lot of focus on reframing, finding ways to meditate, envision your future self as a way to set yourself up for success, and positive psychology. I really liked the way the author shared her ideas. They felt very doable and I was excited to try her techniques.

I recommend this book for anyone who wants to try to reset their mental and physical health, and who believes in goal setting.

As an adult woman recently diagnosed with ADHD, the sheer amount of information out there can be so overwhelming, but Healthy Happy ADHD is an amazing guide that makes it all feel a little more manageable. Lisa Dee does a fantastic job breaking things down in an ADHD-friendly way, offering realistic and adaptable advice for navigating life with ADHD.

One of my favorite parts was the discussion on ADHD and its connection to PMDD. This is so often overlooked, yet it’s a huge issue for so many women. Seeing it addressed so thoroughly made me feel seen in a way that few ADHD books have before.

That said, the book lost me a little when it veered into diet, exercise, and chemical exposure. While I get the importance of overall well-being, it sometimes felt like there was an implication that these factors were to blame for ADHD symptoms rather than tools to help manage them. That section didn’t resonate with me as much, but overall, the book provided incredible insights, helpful strategies, and a sense of understanding that’s invaluable.

If you’re an ADHD woman looking for a compassionate, practical guide that covers everything from executive dysfunction to self-compassion (and even those often missed hormonal connections), this book is absolutely worth picking up!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa Dee, and Rodale Books for the eARC of this book.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for a review!

So I was diagnosed with ADHD right before college and I am constantly trying to learn more about it - that means I consume a lot about ADHD. I wanted to love Healthy Happy ADHD but it sadly missed the mark for me (but I may be overly critical of the books I have read). I come from a fairly healthy and active family so a lot of these suggestions are things that I have lived with my whole life - I feel the author gave a ton of ideas but didn't expand on them. For example, the things that she mentioned were eating more protein and getting more movement and exercise in - I feel like she didn't give enough examples of exercises that you could do (she talked about running but nothing else.) She also didn't give any examples of good recipes (and on top of that didn't mention anything about food sensitivities or texture issues with ADHD). At times this felt like a neurodivergent person wrote it and other times it felt like a neurotypical person wrote it. I will say one thing I loved about this book was the formatting - the bolded phrases of important info were beneficial, but weren't enough for me to recommend this book. I also really loved the setback questions (TBH they earned a star themselves bc I use it all the time now) If you want a book about ADHD I would recommend How to ADHD by Jessica McCabe, that was the best book on ADHD that I have found.

Thank you for providing me with an advanced reader copy!

I loved this book! As someone with ADHD that has been diagnosed in adulthood, it's been tough navigating my new framework for looking at myself and finding good resources that will help me. This book will be invaluable for me and I will be reaching for it many times over, as I continue to learn more about myself and grow into self-acceptance. I think this will be great for the ADHD community and many late-diagnosed folks out there!

This book, written by a woman with ADHD, offers a comprehensive guide to health, fitness, and well-being tailored specifically for women with ADHD. It focuses on life hacks designed to meet the unique needs of those with ADHD, particularly the need for stimulation. The aim is to minimize overwhelming feelings and persistent stress, helping readers quiet the external noise and reconnect with their minds and bodies.

While the book touches briefly on scientific and medical concepts to explain the impact of ADHD on the brain and body, its main focus lies in providing practical strategies. These strategies are geared toward reducing mental and emotional overload by incorporating small, manageable changes into daily life. For instance, in the discussion on healthier eating, the book takes a positive approach by emphasizing foods to incorporate into meals rather than imposing restrictive guidelines.

I found the book to be interesting and informative, though it required some time to fully absorb everything. This is definitely a resource worth keeping on hand to refer back to in the future.

Thank you go NetGalley and Rodale Books for the opportunity to read this arc copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

✨ Review ✨ Happy, Healthy ADHD by Lisa Dee

Thanks to Rodale Books and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

There were, like in many books like this, lots of tips and takeaways that resonated with me BUT it also skewed toward talking about food, exercise, etc. in a way that didn’t really feel body positive. I wanted more - how to motivate yourself to exercise and eat better - and less of some of the healthy lifestyle preaching. With that said, I loved the section on quick meal prep using whatever you have, and would have loved even more examples of this!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: self-help, health/mental health
Pub Date: Feb 2025

This book gave words to things I’ve never been able to express and helped me understand myself better. It gave me the language to explain the support I need, and not only be willing to accept it but to ask for it proactively. It shifted my outlook about the effect ADHD has had on my life and has helped me be kinder and less critical of myself.

i really enjoyed this, even though i haven't actually been diagnosed, so take my review with a grain of salt. i appreciated the friendly and supportive tone of the book, i feel like i got some good tips and some new ways to think about or do things, and hopefully i'll be a little kinder to myself after this book.

I really liked how simple and straight forward this was to read. The sections about movement, nutrition, and hormone cycles were very helpful. This is a great book to have in your toolbox!

Author Lisa Dee wrote about her experiences with ADHD as written in her book Healthy Happy ADHD. Author Lisa Dee writes on how she found that she might be experiencing ADHD symptoms. The book is written basically for women on what ADHD is and the symptoms along with ways of how to deal and cope with the disorder in their daily lives. Day to day life at home, work and out in the community. If you find yourself struggling and feeling that you might have ADHD please see advice.

Really useful book for someone with ADHD. It took me a while to get into, but that always happens with non-fiction. I took away a lot from it and will definitely refer back to this one in future

Happy Healthy ADHD by Lisa Dee is an empowering and practical guide for neurodivergent women looking to build a healthier lifestyle that works with their ADHD, not against it. Lisa Dee’s blend of personal experience, research, and actionable tips makes this book both relatable and accessible.

What I appreciated most was the book’s ADHD-friendly approach—short, digestible sections and clear, adaptable advice. Dee’s emphasis on ditching restrictive, shame-based health norms felt refreshing and inclusive, and her strategies for creating ADHD-friendly routines were genuinely helpful. The Easy Meals section and guidance on managing hormonal fluctuations were particularly valuable, offering insights that felt tailored to the unique challenges of ADHD.

While the advice was practical and encouraging, some areas could have gone a bit deeper. For example, I would have loved more examples of how to adjust the tips for those facing severe executive dysfunction. Still, the book’s overall tone of self-compassion and empowerment makes it a standout resource.

If you’re a woman navigating ADHD and looking for approachable strategies to improve your well-being, Happy Healthy ADHD is an excellent pick. Lisa Dee’s honesty, warmth, and expertise make this book a must-read for anyone seeking to thrive with ADHD.

This book offers a helpful introduction to managing ADHD, especially for femme-presenting individuals. It thoughtfully addresses masking and the “female” neurodivergent experience, with well-researched, practical tips beyond generic advice. The friendly tone kept me engaged, and I appreciated the “take what resonates” approach.

However, some aspects felt out of touch, assuming access to resources like gyms, therapists, and free time. The emphasis on body shaping also had subtle fatphobic undertones.

Overall, it’s a useful guide, but its accessibility may vary depending on individual circumstances.


Thank you to NetGalley and Rodale Inc.

Synopsis
This book is a life blueprint tailored specifically to ADHD but anyone can read it. It has different sections like grocery shopping tips, exercises you can do and mental health tips. With the end of each section the author answers a question from their platform.

Thoughts
I loved it! Can I just say that this book needs to be published. I need to preference this by saying I don’t have ADHD but I have another severe mental illness. I want to implement some of these tips in my daily life and see if they work.

Audience
I think that the tips in this book aren’t just for those with ADHD but everyone. Adults struggling with their 20s, adults that have faced trauma, adults that have relationship issues. You have really done a good job by targeting a wide array of people.

This is a great book for adults with ADHD who are full of guilt about whether or not they "do enough". There are practical tips on how to be happy and healthy and lots of reminders that your brain is different and what works for others may not work for you and that's ok.

(ad pr) Thank you to NetGalley, Rodale Inc & Lisa Dee

Usually, I love reading Self help items and have always been curious about ADHD though I’ve never been diagnosed with it, however I kept getting distracted reading this, would re start over sections. I thought the layout was great and it wasn’t long sections but just didn’t hold my attention.

Publication date: 4th February, 2025
Read dates: 13th November – 17th December 2024

I enjoyed this book. As an adult woman who is not diagnosed, this book was pretty helpful and insightful. Will be reading it again and recommending it to friends and family.

This book is great for anyone with ADHD. It has really helped me step back and see how I treat myself and how to live with ADHD in a more positive light.

A nice read for someone who is newly diagnosed, probably good for someone in their late twenties or early thirties. I’m glad I read this, I think it has shifted my perspective on a how I treat myself. And it has motivated me to try some new things! Would recommend to a newly diagnosed adhd woman.