More or Less Maddy

"More or Less Maddy" is an absolutely captivating read that deserves more than five stars! Although it falls outside my usual genre—thrillers—I found it profoundly engaging because it explores the psyche and complexities of mental illness, a topic that has always intrigued me. You'll need to set aside any preconceptions you might have about bipolar disorder and open your mind to Maddie's emotions and perceptions.

Having spent nine years working behind the scenes at a mental health center primarily focused on paperwork, I gained insight into the harsh realities many individuals face. Countless patients discontinued their medication and encountered outcomes similar to Maddie's. As someone who deeply empathizes with others, I struggled show more with feelings of compassion after witnessing this repetitive cycle, especially since I wasn't family. That job sparked a passion in me to learn more about psychology and the intricacies of mental health while also forcing me to confront the issues my own family experienced.

Maddie is a college student grappling with her recent bipolar diagnosis, and the impact on her life is nothing short of heartbreaking. The author skillfully portrays Maddie's emotions, giving readers a rich understanding of her experience. While it's easy to relate to her mother's perspective, Maddie's voice adds depth that reshapes how we view this disorder. I can't help but sympathize with her desire for a "normal" life—who wouldn't feel suffocated under her mother's care and the side effects of the medication? This narrative offers powerful insight into the struggles many face, helping us understand why so many individuals battling mental illness also experience homelessness. show less

This is as engrossing as any character driven fiction I’ve read. It follows a young woman for the two years that follow her first manic depressive episode. She's not an especially likeable character but the raw honesty of how she is feeling and what she is thinking as she comes to grips with her bipolar disorder diagnosis made me feel as if she were someone I actually knew - someone I cared about. Again, as in Still Alice, the author manages to include an amazing amount of clinical information about the disorder without weakening the book’s emotional impact.

Lisa Genova’s books never disappoint. As a neuroscientist/novelist, each of her books focus on a different brain condition. What makes her books especially great is they build empathy and understanding of what it’s like for people who live with the condition portrayed and the experience of friends and family who love them. In this, she takes on bipolar disorder which to this day is not well understood, often stigmatized, and isolating.

If you’re reading this book, you’re likely either bipolar, know someone with bipolar, or are otherwise bi-curious. My dad was bipolar (the past tense is because he’s now passed, not because the bipolar left him). Though the character in this book with bipolar is a college-aged female, I could show more easily relate to her hospitalizations, movement between depression and mania, and what they felt like to her (and those around her). I think it helped me understand my dad a little better, especially what life may have been like when he was first experienced symptoms. He was around the same age as the fictional Maddy character, but not officially diagnosed until he was involuntarily hospitalized in his early 30s.

This book ended on a positive note for her and I hope real life mirrors that for anyone bipolar and those who love them. It doesn’t shy away from the relational difficulties that can come, which is good too.

I’d recommend this to anyone who wants or needs a fictional safe space to dive into and explore the psyche of someone learning to live and build the life she wants while accepting her bipolar diagnosis. It’s not the easiest or lightest of reads, but bipolar isn’t easy or light either. show less

"More or Less Maddy" is an absolutely captivating read that deserves more than five stars! Although it falls outside my usual genre—thrillers—I found it profoundly engaging because it explores the psyche and complexities of mental illness, a topic that has always intrigued me. You'll need to set aside any preconceptions you might have about bipolar disorder and open your mind to Maddie's emotions and perceptions.

Having spent nine years working behind the scenes at a mental health center primarily focused on paperwork, I gained insight into the harsh realities many individuals face. Countless patients discontinued their medication and encountered outcomes similar to Maddie's. As someone who deeply empathizes with others, I struggled show more with feelings of compassion after witnessing this repetitive cycle, especially since I wasn't family. That job sparked a passion in me to learn more about psychology and the intricacies of mental health while also forcing me to confront the issues my own family experienced.

Maddie is a college student grappling with her recent bipolar diagnosis, and the impact on her life is nothing short of heartbreaking. The author skillfully portrays Maddie's emotions, giving readers a rich understanding of her experience. While it's easy to relate to her mother's perspective, Maddie's voice adds depth that reshapes how we view this disorder. I can't help but sympathize with her desire for a "normal" life—who wouldn't feel suffocated under her mother's care and the side effects of the medication? This narrative offers powerful insight into the struggles many face, helping us understand why so many individuals battling mental illness also experience homelessness. show less

Talk about an intriguing pairing of roles: A neuroscientist/novelist. In her author’s note, Genova states that she often writes about people “who tend to be ignored, feared or misunderstood because of what’s going on in their brains.”

Her body of work has touched on numerous brain disorders including Alzheimer’s in her acclaimed “Still Alice," but “More or Less Maddy” is her first novel that explores mental illness. She suggests “bipolar disorder is hiding in plain sight everywhere,” adding that it’s the sixth leading cause of disability worldwide and the tenth leading cause of death in the U.S.

This topic touches my heart, because my late mother had bipolar disorder. Sadly, the diagnosis didn’t come until she was show more in her early 40s, forcing her to spend several agonizing decades grappling with her condition. Since that time, a few close friends have battled similar mental health challenges.

“More or Less Maddy” lives up to its billing as being an emotional roller coaster ride that masterfully captures the stigma, alienation and fear of a misunderstood condition. It sags just a bit in the middle, but the final quarter of the book brilliantly blends this commentary on mental illness with the protagonist’s interest in stand-up comedy. It's a touching, thought-provoking and at times hilarious read.

I enjoyed watching a 2025 interview with Genova who explained why she turned to fiction to highlight her passion for neurological disorders.

“Fiction gives us the chance to walk in someone else’s shoes, to imagine what it feels like to be someone very different than you. And that’s where you can gain empathy.”

Well said, Ms. Genova. show less

I think I have read almost everything Lisa Genova, a neuroscientist-turned-fiction writer, has written. I learn so much from her stories about people who face serious health conditions. It is so much easier to understand complicated disorders when reading about a fictional character. In Genova's most recent book, More or Less Maddy, the title character is a typical teenager until her mental health condition, bipolar disorder, is discovered. Genova does a great job of describing how difficult it is for Maddy's mother to accept the mania and depression that are part of bipolar disorder, especially since she has horrible memories of Maddy's father, who suffered from mental health issues. The characters, including Maddy, her sister Emily, show more and her grandmother, are realistic and endearing. The mother is not so charming, but certainly relatable. Genova does a great job conveying the mother's worry, embarrassment, and discomfort with Maddy's diagnosis.

During the story, Maddy is hospitalized several times, and each time her medication is adjusted. The author includes meaningful information about the different drugs used to treat bipolar disorder and the advantages and disadvantages of each. Story elements also emphasize the importance of human beings to have an identity apart from a diagnosis. In attempting to convince her readers to be compassionate and understanding, Genova describes how inappropriate it is to refer to someone as though they are their diagnosis. We learn from the dialogue of the characters how to be respectful and use language that honors a person's humanity. So, to say Maddy is a person who manages bipolar disorder is so much more helpful than calling her mentally ill or using pejorative terms to define her by her health issue. show less

No one can pull you into a mind disorder quite like Lisa Genova. (And I have read all of her books!) She truly helps the reader understand all the trauma this diagnosis can do to a person and their family!

This story had me on a roller coaster, as I am sure this diagnosis would. I felt so sorry and hopeful for Maddy all at the same time. From the side effects, to the missteps, to the family drama…my heart broke. Then she would start to get better and I was her ever present champion. I wanted her to chase her dream and succeed. And what a process this was! I swear…I was cringing in places!

Need a unique tale that has you crying and cheering for Maddy all in the same paragraph…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel show more from the publisher for a honest review. show less