Member Reviews
Loved this book and the issues it tackled. I loved the format of the chapters each covering one day in the month. I felt the relationships were realistic and relatable between Nadia and her neighbors, sister, and Marco. I loved the photography element, and that Marco was reclaiming his own identity. My only criticism was that Nadia's inconsistency with taking her medications and how she would feel was a little bit hard to follow and stressed me out. That probably says more about my own anxiety than it does about the story, but for the frequent mentions of all the pills she was supposed to take it was nervewracking to not know how that would affect her, or if it did.
A fun premise. I thought the ending was lovely but I did have trouble sensing the chemistry between the characters which diminished my enjoyment of the story.
Thank you to Avon and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.
This book has made me feel so many things!! I love that this book has that intensity between the characters when it comes to meeting someone that you instantly feel is sparking emotions in you that you know are something special. Both characters have some things that make their lives complicated and I love how they find comfort in eachother in the beginning that they are both able to be themselves unapologetically but they realize afterward that they both have some things they need to change in order to be happy and have a better life. I loved watching the characters figure things out between themselves and focus on the feelings that they began to strongly feel. I also love that this book calls to attention 2 topics that should be discussed more. All in all I think this book will be in my mind for a while and am so thankful to have received an ARC of this!
Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review!
We loved 32 days in May! We loved the settings and how fun it was to travel to Rome in this book. The vulnerability and wittiness were perfect and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Betty.
I liked this book! It was a fun lighthearted romance, with travel themes, and also brining attention to chronic illness. I love reading anything about the Jersey Shore, or anything in NJ so this was a fun book. I liked how the chaos is in the family and in the new partner. I loved how fun it was, and even though there was they typical cheesy romance aspects, it was enjoyable!
Thank you to NetGalley, to the author, and to the publisher for this complementary ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!
This book makes me want to keep on reading more. It's about a woman living with lupus who’s struggling with so many things. She finds love with a guy and decides to date him for only one month. This book has so many things like dealing with chronic illness, mental health, relationships, and other things. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read this book and do a review.
32 Days in May was a good book. It wasnt great, due to the writing being scattered, but the story was fantastic. I have spent my professional career in patient advocacy focused on lupus and the main character's journey was accurate, heartbreaking, devastating and brave!
Get ready for the most darling book! I could not put this down. It was such a beautiful story. I fell in love with the characters. Highly recommend!
Corrello strikes a perfect balance of humor and emotional depth, making 32 Days in May both a lighthearted escape and a powerful meditation on intimacy, trust, and the impact of illness on relationships. This book is for anyone who’s ever struggled with vulnerability or has feared the idea of letting someone in, especially when life feels unpredictable. With its heartfelt storytelling and vibrant setting from the Jersey Shore to Rome, May-December is a beautiful reminder that love doesn’t always arrive in the package we expect. I definitely loved it.
32 Days in May by Betty Corello is a heartfelt and humorous story with a distinct voice that makes it stand out. The female lead is navigating life with lupus, choosing to keep her health issues private so she can savor moments of being treated like a healthy person—knowing full well she’ll pay for it later.
The male lead? A former TV actor who’s lost his way after years of not acting. Together, their story is equal parts sweet and raw, using humor to gloss over the heavier moments.
Bonus points for its love letter to the Jersey Shore and the NYC metro area!
If you’re into love stories with heart, grit, humor and chronic illness representation, this one’s for you.
Thanks to Avon and Netgalley for this advance review ecopy.
32 Days was Everything I wanted in An adorable remake of Sweet November. Nadia’s Struggles are so real, and I felt every heartbreak of trying to live a”normal” Life with a debilitating illness. Marco Coming into her life and upgrading her in such a way is endearing and infuriating! I love how this story borders, real life, and fantasy life with the “movie star” persona. This book includes all you look for in a perfect romance. I loved it completely! Highly recommend! Thank you for allowing me the privilege of reading this ARC!
32 Days in May is a refreshing and emotionally charged romance that had me hooked from the start. Nadia’s journey of rediscovering herself after a lupus diagnosis felt so heart wrenching and raw. The romance with Marco, is layered with chemistry and tension, but it’s Nadia’s vulnerability that truly stood out for me. The book doesn’t just skim the surface of love, it dives deep into the complexities of intimacy while dealing with a chronic illness. It’s a perfect blend of humor, heart, and hope, and the pacing had me turning pages, eagerly anticipating what would happen next. The way the author explored the delicate balance between health, love, and trust made this more than just a romance. It’s a story about finding strength when you least expect it. I very much loved and enjoyed it.
Nadia is in the prime of her life, until she isn’t. Shortly after being diagnosed with lupus, Nadia is suffering both physically and mentally, and moves to the small beach down of Evergreen in pursuit of something slower. When she meets Marco, a fallen-from-grace sitcom actor, she agrees to date for the rest of May; after which they’ll go their separate ways. While, at its heart, this is a love story, it’s also a story about learning to love yourself, even when it feels impossible.
The author does a beautiful job of depicting what it is like to live with an autoimmune condition. You can look healthy—and for periods of time even feel healthy—and life is almost harder for that, because of the ease with which you can disguise your suffering and carry on…until you can’t. Nadia journey into accepting her diagnosis, along with her own limitations, felt so familiar. A must read for everyone, but especially those who feel hopeless or unlovable due to an earth-shaking medical diagnosis.
I was so excited to receive an ARC of 32 Days In May because I absolutely adored Betty Corrello’s debut, Summertime Punchline. This novel definitely has heavier vibes but plenty of humor and heartrending romance as well! The way Corrello has developed the voice of her protagonist Nadia is incredible. I don’t have personal experience with lupus or any other chronic illness, but I felt like I was right there in her mind, figuring out how to navigate through the pain and still somehow find a way to live her life.
This is a gorgeous novel about what it means ot truly live, how to let others in to care about you (not solely in a romantic way, but also in terms of family and friends). I loved the way Nadia and Marco’s relationship developed and was emotionally drawn in throughout every page. I can’t wait for everyone to get their hands on this novel in May!
Thank you to NetGalley, Avon and Harper Voyager for the ARC of this book.
This is this author's second book, and wow what a journey. The fmc battles with lupus and mmc battles with addiction and childhood trauma. So please look up triggers.
I enjoyed following Nadia's journey physically, emotionally, and mentally. We see her go through hard things but then decide to try to live a little. I think she is a character that many people will connect to.
I wish we got a little bit more of Marco's struggles with addiction and childhood trauma. It would have helped make us readers connect with him more.
Overall, it's a great book. I recommend checking it out once it releases.
Happy to have read this advance reader copy.
I really enjoyed Betty Corrello's debut novel and was excited to read this one. One thing I greatly appreciate about Betty's work is her characters. She creates multidimensional, authentic characters that provide the backbone to a great story. This story felt a bit disjointed in parts and the story seemed a bit clunky in others, but overall I enjoyed the experience of reading it.
This is a solid three stars. I wanted to know more about the two leads and did not get a sense of why they fell hard so fast. I did appreciate the representation of lupus, and the author handled this very well. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.
32 days in May, on the surface, may seem like a typical contemporary romance. It has an "everyday" quality that describes the most mundane details about someone like only someone who is gently falling in love can.
We are on the Jersey Shore, seeing the world through Nadia's eyes, she attempted suicide due to debilitating depression after a lupus diagnosis. Lupus has given her terrible migraine headaches, overall body pain, and led to her being let go from her job. It was an all consuming job, one of those that we have a hard time separating our identity from. She is introduced to Marco, a celebrity former
TV actor who is the relative of her doctor. Marco is working hard at his sobriety and finding his next steps. They are instantly attracted to each other and decide to date for the month of May, a no-commitment casual relationship that will end when he goes back to LA.
Nadia doesn't tell him about her lupus or her depression, taking her medications in secret and getting to live a minor fantasy, having someone know her without knowing her diagnosis.
Beautiful, sweeping descriptions of the boardwalk and the ocean, sometimes snarky observations interspersed with well timed dialogue, 32 Days in May is an emotional romance. Who hasn't fantasized about being able to hide the shame of ourselves and find intimacy outside of our brokenness? And to have someone say, "I love you, for all you are, and the thing you are ashamed of is not something that defines you."
I have actually daydreamed about writing a book like this one. I have a severe case of misophonia, a loneliness inducing condition that is filled with shame. It is widely misunderstood, and to have someone love me despite my diagnosis is a romantic notion I can't even rationalize. You will love Marco and you will want to wrap up Nadia and be her big sister.
Thanks to @netgalley and @avonbooks for the ARC. Book to be released May 13, 2025.
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Betty, why must you make me get teary eyed while reading in a nail salon.
I loved Summertime Punchline and was THRILLED to get an ARC of 32 Days in May. I have a thousand other ARCs to read that are coming out sooner but I immediately pushed them to the side to dive into this one.
Betty is just so good at writing deep and emotionally complex characters who also make you laugh and have an unbeatable wit. Nadia’s pain and feelings of loneliness are so relatable and spoke so deeply to my soul. And Marco’s general sense of wandering to find himself hit me right in the heart. I want to be friends with both of them and am simultaneously also in love with both of them.
The sense of nostalgia this book gave me for Philly and the Shore and home was also like a physical ache in my chest, just as it was in Summertime Punchline. I’m only going to continue shouting about these books to everyone but particularly my Philly friends, who will feel so at home in Betty’s words 💙
POV: single first person
You can expect: temporary dating, no strings attached, friends to lovers, small town,, chronic illness rep, family, friendship.
Rep: lupus, depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, non-binary side character, lesbian side character, Greek American MMC, Italian American FMC, drug and alcohol addiction (past), grand mal seizure.
Spice: 1/5
CW: suicidal thoughts, addiction relapse (brief), hospitalization
‘Travel from the Jersey Shore to Rome and back in this delightfully funny, beautifully honest exploration of love, intimacy, and vulnerability while living with a chronic illness.’
Well….prep yourself and your heartstrings as you dig into this one. It’ll pull them, twist them, knot them up, yank ‘em right off and then put them back where they belong. Gahhleee, I want my own personal 32 days in May!
This was fun and endearing and meaningful and it seemed to go by way too fast. Nadia, the FMC is a complete riot and I absoluetly loved her!
This was my first book by Corrello and I can’t wait to read more. Thank you NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for this arc in exchange for review.
Pub Date May 13 2025