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How to Be Well: Navigating Our Self-Care Epidemic, One Dubious Cure at a Time
A Kirkus Best Book of 2025
A deeply researched, lively, and personal exploration of the multibillion-dollar wellness industry -- about why women are feeling so un-well and how this trend has shaped our thinking about health and self-care
Peloton. Pilates. Biohacking. Colonics. Ashwagandha. Today, the wellness industry is a $3.7 trillion behemoth that touches us all. In this timely and clear-eyed book, journalist Amy Larocca peels back the layers behind the wellness movement and reckons with its promises and profits. How did we get here and how did the idea of wellness become integrated with women's lives? And how did we end up spending so much money on products that may not work at all?
Amy Larocca takes readers into the communities that swear by their activated charcoal toothpaste and green juice enemas, explaining what each of these practices really is—and what the science says. Larocca holds a magnifying glass to alternative medicine and nouveau lifestyle prescriptions -- and tries a lot herself along the way -- ultimately delivering an assessment of how the wellness industry embodies our (gendered, class-based, racialized) perceptions of care and self-improvement, and how it preys on our unshakable fear of the unknown. She traces the history of how the beauty and fashion industries have peddled snake oil to women for decades—and why we keep coming back for more.
A clear-eyed and honest portrait of the weird world of wellness, How to Be Well lays bare the ways in which the simple notion of caring for oneself has become a seriously big business.
A deeply researched, lively, and personal exploration of the multibillion-dollar wellness industry -- about why women are feeling so un-well and how this trend has shaped our thinking about health and self-care
Peloton. Pilates. Biohacking. Colonics. Ashwagandha. Today, the wellness industry is a $3.7 trillion behemoth that touches us all. In this timely and clear-eyed book, journalist Amy Larocca peels back the layers behind the wellness movement and reckons with its promises and profits. How did we get here and how did the idea of wellness become integrated with women's lives? And how did we end up spending so much money on products that may not work at all?
Amy Larocca takes readers into the communities that swear by their activated charcoal toothpaste and green juice enemas, explaining what each of these practices really is—and what the science says. Larocca holds a magnifying glass to alternative medicine and nouveau lifestyle prescriptions -- and tries a lot herself along the way -- ultimately delivering an assessment of how the wellness industry embodies our (gendered, class-based, racialized) perceptions of care and self-improvement, and how it preys on our unshakable fear of the unknown. She traces the history of how the beauty and fashion industries have peddled snake oil to women for decades—and why we keep coming back for more.
A clear-eyed and honest portrait of the weird world of wellness, How to Be Well lays bare the ways in which the simple notion of caring for oneself has become a seriously big business.
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Published May 13, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 185 reviews
February 9, 2025
Inaccurately named, as the author spends 100% of the book satirically reviewing popular wellness fads, with no attention given to the true determinants of wellbeing. This book irritated me. Maybe because despite the way she mocks ashwaganda smoothies and luxury doctor’s offices, she also admits to trying most of the ridiculous schemes herself. As a criticism of the industry, it was hard for me to take seriously since the writer admittedly uses her affluence and privilege to take advantage of the offerings she in turn calls unnecessary. Yes, she points out how classist and racist our pursuits of “wellness” often are, but in the same breath she admits spending $2K on a full-body scan just for peace of mind. It’s just icky because in the title she claims to have a solution, when in reality she’s just reviewing the snake oil for those of us who can’t afford it. 🤷🏼♀️
If anything, this is an interesting look at the range of products and services that exist in the billion-dollar wellness world. But you won’t learn anything new, and you certainly won’t come away with any actionable insights.
If anything, this is an interesting look at the range of products and services that exist in the billion-dollar wellness world. But you won’t learn anything new, and you certainly won’t come away with any actionable insights.
December 10, 2024
To be completely fair, it's noted up front that I am not the intended reader for Amy Larocca's "How to Be Well: Without Spending All Your Money and Losing Your Mind."
Larocca has written "How to Be Well," by her own admission, for the women most significantly impacted by her relatively deep dive exploration of the multibillion dollar wellness industry and its epic promises and failure to deliver.
Peloton. Pilates. Biohacking. Colonics. Ashwagandha. Much more. Larocca explores this industry and how it became such an integrated part of women's lives. While Larocca dedicates one chapter to men specifically, the truth is the undeniable position she takes is that it's women who've been most impacted by this industry that puts profits before its promises.
For those who've spent extra cash for clean foods, charcoal toothpaste, juicing, detoxing, meditation, or any number of other "wellness" gimmicks, Larocca pulls back the veil and puts the magnifying glass on these various methods and techniques - often utilizing them herself - and ultimately comes to some sobering conclusions.
The truth is that Larocca spends very little time on actually "how to be well," instead exposing all the ways we convince ourselves we're on the road to wellness only to be disappointed with poor results, overblown promises, and mostly hype. If there's a lesson here, it's that wellness is less about spending your hard-earned cash on trendy gimmicks and more about actually learning about staying healthy, self-care, and living into a healthy body image.
As an adult male in my 50s with lifelong serious disabilities, "How to Be Well" was most certainly not written for me, however, I'd also say it'll have some appeal to anyone who's ever forked over way too much dough hoping for the miracle that never arrives.
I couldn't help but think there were places Larocca could have taken "How to be Well" rather than simply as a fairly straightforward journey through these very practices and products including an exploration of the prosperity theology that often lays underneath it all and, perhaps, some balanced exploration of those practices and products that do, in fact, empower our wellness (and they do exist).
"How to Be Well" is an engaging primer on the wellness industry and a great read for those caught in its cycle. While I didn't necessarily learn a whole lot new myself, I appreciated Larocca's efforts here and have no doubt the book will find its readers in a world that has truly losts its mind for all things "wellness."
Larocca has written "How to Be Well," by her own admission, for the women most significantly impacted by her relatively deep dive exploration of the multibillion dollar wellness industry and its epic promises and failure to deliver.
Peloton. Pilates. Biohacking. Colonics. Ashwagandha. Much more. Larocca explores this industry and how it became such an integrated part of women's lives. While Larocca dedicates one chapter to men specifically, the truth is the undeniable position she takes is that it's women who've been most impacted by this industry that puts profits before its promises.
For those who've spent extra cash for clean foods, charcoal toothpaste, juicing, detoxing, meditation, or any number of other "wellness" gimmicks, Larocca pulls back the veil and puts the magnifying glass on these various methods and techniques - often utilizing them herself - and ultimately comes to some sobering conclusions.
The truth is that Larocca spends very little time on actually "how to be well," instead exposing all the ways we convince ourselves we're on the road to wellness only to be disappointed with poor results, overblown promises, and mostly hype. If there's a lesson here, it's that wellness is less about spending your hard-earned cash on trendy gimmicks and more about actually learning about staying healthy, self-care, and living into a healthy body image.
As an adult male in my 50s with lifelong serious disabilities, "How to Be Well" was most certainly not written for me, however, I'd also say it'll have some appeal to anyone who's ever forked over way too much dough hoping for the miracle that never arrives.
I couldn't help but think there were places Larocca could have taken "How to be Well" rather than simply as a fairly straightforward journey through these very practices and products including an exploration of the prosperity theology that often lays underneath it all and, perhaps, some balanced exploration of those practices and products that do, in fact, empower our wellness (and they do exist).
"How to Be Well" is an engaging primer on the wellness industry and a great read for those caught in its cycle. While I didn't necessarily learn a whole lot new myself, I appreciated Larocca's efforts here and have no doubt the book will find its readers in a world that has truly losts its mind for all things "wellness."
May 24, 2025
I think what I would have liked more of from this book was maybe…anger? Stronger criticism of the wellness industry? Perhaps that’s my own bias - I work in healthcare and am watching my fields implode and be directed at the federal level by an anti science quack who accidentally has three or so legit ideas. He nestles right into this insanity.
As I was reading this, I was listening to “Mountains Beyond Mountains” about Dr Paul Farmer’s work in Haiti. The juxtaposition of the story of a pregnant woman dying because she couldn’t afford to purchase a blood transfusion (MBM) against the absurdity of people spending all their wealth trying to “biohack” themselves into living forever (HTBW) was just absurd. And for those who give this book bad reviews because they find the title misleading - 1) I’m sorry you don’t know how to read the book cover inner flap, and 2) the answer is to have money so you can afford simple things like time to sleep and eat well.
As I was reading this, I was listening to “Mountains Beyond Mountains” about Dr Paul Farmer’s work in Haiti. The juxtaposition of the story of a pregnant woman dying because she couldn’t afford to purchase a blood transfusion (MBM) against the absurdity of people spending all their wealth trying to “biohack” themselves into living forever (HTBW) was just absurd. And for those who give this book bad reviews because they find the title misleading - 1) I’m sorry you don’t know how to read the book cover inner flap, and 2) the answer is to have money so you can afford simple things like time to sleep and eat well.
June 6, 2025
2.5 Stars
This had a lot of promise, conceptually, but unfortunately, the book was a letdown.
Tone:
There was a lot of self insertion from the author (everything was about them, or tied to them specifically) which made for a narrow viewpoint and lack of exploration beyond that narrow viewpoint. On top of that, despite the book being so much of the author’s own views and experiences, there was very little self reflection. This made for a one note book, which didn’t really deliver on its concept.
On top of that, I found the author’s tone could sometimes be really thoughtless, and even mean-spirited, which coloured the way they talked about certain concepts, treatments, and people.
Writing:
The writing wasn’t the strongest - the author left out a lot of detail, context, and explanation, so often they were telling us about something happening, rather than telling us what actually happened.
Content:
Some chapters offered nothing of note - they just introduce a wellness fad, and that’s it. For example, the chapter on microdosing very broadly discussed the concept of microdosing… and that’s it.
Overall this read almost like a big listicle, and there was very little explanation, discussion, or additional thought included.
This had a lot of promise, conceptually, but unfortunately, the book was a letdown.
Tone:
There was a lot of self insertion from the author (everything was about them, or tied to them specifically) which made for a narrow viewpoint and lack of exploration beyond that narrow viewpoint. On top of that, despite the book being so much of the author’s own views and experiences, there was very little self reflection. This made for a one note book, which didn’t really deliver on its concept.
On top of that, I found the author’s tone could sometimes be really thoughtless, and even mean-spirited, which coloured the way they talked about certain concepts, treatments, and people.
Writing:
The writing wasn’t the strongest - the author left out a lot of detail, context, and explanation, so often they were telling us about something happening, rather than telling us what actually happened.
Content:
Some chapters offered nothing of note - they just introduce a wellness fad, and that’s it. For example, the chapter on microdosing very broadly discussed the concept of microdosing… and that’s it.
Overall this read almost like a big listicle, and there was very little explanation, discussion, or additional thought included.
May 9, 2025
I enjoyed How to Be Well Without Spending All Your Money and Losing Your Mind and appreciated Amy Larocca’s honest take on wellness culture. As someone who’s seen firsthand how marketing can mislead, I related to her warnings about gimmicks, overpriced trends, and the importance of doing your research. I especially resonated with the message that your body often tells you what it needs—like how cutting out sugar and grease helped my acne more than any product ever did.
While the book was informative and relatable, I’m not someone who actively seeks out wellness trends, so some of it wasn’t for me. I already follow a practical approach to health and felt like much of it confirmed what I already knew. Still, I appreciated Larocca’s transparency in testing many of the remedies herself, and my favorite takeaway was: "Remember that things that are for sale are not always what they seem."
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC—this is a thoughtful read for anyone navigating the overwhelming wellness world and wanting to learn about it.
While the book was informative and relatable, I’m not someone who actively seeks out wellness trends, so some of it wasn’t for me. I already follow a practical approach to health and felt like much of it confirmed what I already knew. Still, I appreciated Larocca’s transparency in testing many of the remedies herself, and my favorite takeaway was: "Remember that things that are for sale are not always what they seem."
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC—this is a thoughtful read for anyone navigating the overwhelming wellness world and wanting to learn about it.
March 18, 2025
This didn’t do it for me. The title makes it seem like you might walk away with something helpful in but the subhead isn’t accurate. There’s no map to navigate anything offered in the pages to come. Instead what you’ll find is a critique of the wellness industry…. or more specifically things that the author feels fall under the umbrella of the wellness industry.
The author seems to lightly bash the trends she references but often acknowledges the merit they might have for other people. It resulted in the construct feeling all over the place: questioning pseudoscience (fair!), looking into colonics (and maybe having one? It was unclear from one paragraph to the next? and then confirmed in the conclusion?) doing a semi-deep dive on body positivity and also touching on chronic illness. It was just inconsistent.
I feel like I’ve read - and enjoyed - the article version of this and the extended book version of it didn’t really bring anything new to the table, it just kind of made me want to get a green juice...
The author seems to lightly bash the trends she references but often acknowledges the merit they might have for other people. It resulted in the construct feeling all over the place: questioning pseudoscience (fair!), looking into colonics (and maybe having one? It was unclear from one paragraph to the next? and then confirmed in the conclusion?) doing a semi-deep dive on body positivity and also touching on chronic illness. It was just inconsistent.
I feel like I’ve read - and enjoyed - the article version of this and the extended book version of it didn’t really bring anything new to the table, it just kind of made me want to get a green juice...
June 20, 2025
This book is a self-aware critique of the almost 7 trillion dollar wellness industry from a journalist and former Fashion Director of New York Magazine. She comes at this topic from the point of view of someone very familiar with the beauty industry. I'm more familiar with the wellness industry as it intersects with metaphysical and spiritual businesses so I found her perspective really interesting. She mentions crystals and talks about meditation but most of the narrative contains critiques of "wellness" interventions - basically just rebranded diet, fitness, lifestyle, and beauty products. She covers colonics, cleanses, clean eating, cold plunges, biohacking, boutique medical care, and the image of the "well woman." Unsurprisingly, Gwyneth Paltrow's wellness and lifestyle brand Goop is mentioned quite a few times.
Larocca definitely has a particular perspective and - as a middle-aged, wealthy white woman - she is the target market for all of these products, services, and interventions. And she knows it. That and her journalism credentials position her to give an insider's look to those of us that can't afford a whole-body MRI out of pocket on a whim, a stay at a luxury wellness spa, or an at home colonic.
Her critiques of wellness culture are fair - services and products run the gamut from effective and supportive/comforting at best, to complete quackery or health endangerment at the worst. She calls out how some wellness approaches to diet/cleansing are just repackaged eating disorders, how "clean living" adds another layer of anxiety and striving to motherhood, and how the ultimate goals of the wellness industry are the same as the beauty industry - playing on (or up) women's insecurities and social conditioning, reinforcing body anxiety, perfectionism, and constant striving.
Reccomended to anyone interested in critiques of the wellness/beauty/fashion industry or wellness/spiritual businesses. If you enjoyed this perspective you might also like: The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, and the Promise of Self-care by Rina Raphael, Yoke: My Yoga of Self-acceptance by Jessamyn Stanley. There are a few others in this vein I'll add when/if I read and if they're any good 🤷🏼♀️
ARC from NetGalley
Larocca definitely has a particular perspective and - as a middle-aged, wealthy white woman - she is the target market for all of these products, services, and interventions. And she knows it. That and her journalism credentials position her to give an insider's look to those of us that can't afford a whole-body MRI out of pocket on a whim, a stay at a luxury wellness spa, or an at home colonic.
Her critiques of wellness culture are fair - services and products run the gamut from effective and supportive/comforting at best, to complete quackery or health endangerment at the worst. She calls out how some wellness approaches to diet/cleansing are just repackaged eating disorders, how "clean living" adds another layer of anxiety and striving to motherhood, and how the ultimate goals of the wellness industry are the same as the beauty industry - playing on (or up) women's insecurities and social conditioning, reinforcing body anxiety, perfectionism, and constant striving.
Reccomended to anyone interested in critiques of the wellness/beauty/fashion industry or wellness/spiritual businesses. If you enjoyed this perspective you might also like: The Gospel of Wellness: Gyms, Gurus, and the Promise of Self-care by Rina Raphael, Yoke: My Yoga of Self-acceptance by Jessamyn Stanley. There are a few others in this vein I'll add when/if I read and if they're any good 🤷🏼♀️
ARC from NetGalley
June 15, 2025
Very scattered in organization. The author seems too close to an industry she is skewering.
August 26, 2025
This could have been a Harper’s Bazaar article
October 20, 2025
How to Be Well by Amy Larocca was a fascinating overview of all of the latest health trends and treatments. It was gripping, interesting, and made me think about myself and all of the people in my life and what we do to be "well". It begs the question... what does it even mean to be ~well?! Is it even possible to keep up with all of the things available that people are doing in regular offices and functional clinics? It seems hard to keep up with, and this was a great overview, even comparing fitness/health/wellness to what fashion was in the 90's and early 2000's. I may re-read it later! Great audiobook, too!
May 29, 2025
If you’re clued into wellness culture already this book doesn’t provide any hard hitting deep dives but it was still entertaining. I also assumed she would be trying a lot of the stuff she talks about on herself but that wasn’t really addressed much throughout the book.
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July 16, 2025I will grant that as an affluent white woman attempting to point out that not everyone is an affluent white woman, Larocca did better than most here, but this is still more of a quick roundup of every wellness and health fad ever than any sort of analysis of those things. Great primer or quickie history but every section could have been its own book in the hands of someone who has more awareness and experience of marginalization. The call coming from inside the house-ness of this all means it's likely to be absolutely mindblowing to other affluent white women who read this but for me it was just a reminder that someone with a more interesting background and better brain could do a better job with this subject matter.
June 12, 2025
DNF. I struggled through a few chapters. Then read two different books. Then struggled some more. Life is too short for bad books.
April 9, 2025
I belive I am a well person, and yet, I am constantly drawn to information about wellness. It's hard to reconcile why that is.
Larocca unpacks the ever-growing behemoth of the wellness industry, through so many angles I feel I now understand the answer to why wellness is so attractive a subject. The author is a historian, user, and skeptic of all aspects of the wellness industry in a way that is not judgmental, but informative and approachable.
First we see that there has been a lack of holistic, fundamental medical practices in the U.S. that has led many to seek their wellness regimes and information. This led to a capitalist approach to wellness that wants to give everyone the magic fix or the secret to wellness... at a price. She debunks many myths, and also says what works for wellness, which is not exciting or glamorous. Sleep, clean water, whole foods, movement, and community. The absolute non-revolutionary nature of wellness that works is counteracted by the wellness industry, which needs consumers to consume.
A wonderful read for anyone looking to dive into the why of wellness as the industry it is today.
Larocca unpacks the ever-growing behemoth of the wellness industry, through so many angles I feel I now understand the answer to why wellness is so attractive a subject. The author is a historian, user, and skeptic of all aspects of the wellness industry in a way that is not judgmental, but informative and approachable.
First we see that there has been a lack of holistic, fundamental medical practices in the U.S. that has led many to seek their wellness regimes and information. This led to a capitalist approach to wellness that wants to give everyone the magic fix or the secret to wellness... at a price. She debunks many myths, and also says what works for wellness, which is not exciting or glamorous. Sleep, clean water, whole foods, movement, and community. The absolute non-revolutionary nature of wellness that works is counteracted by the wellness industry, which needs consumers to consume.
A wonderful read for anyone looking to dive into the why of wellness as the industry it is today.
October 13, 2025
I loved this! Amy really goes through the many facets of the wellness industry, describing its impact on American culture. Anyone who reads this book and is annoyed that she didn’t tell you “how to be well” clearly did not read past the title of the book to understand this is supposed to be a critique of the wellness industry and NOT a self help book.
January 30, 2026
I love a good wellness book, article or podcast. The author is a journalist and this should’ve been a long form article not an entire book. Nothing new, super boring. The only part I even sort of enjoyed was the conclusion which stated nothing works as a quick fix or miracle cure when it comes to your health. Get good sleep, drink water and make time for meaningful social connections. I’ve saved you from having to read the entire book.
June 8, 2025
I was hoping for a little more snark. Or maybe even likability. The tone was just too uptight. I finished it but kept hoping another library hold would be available.
June 19, 2025
very interesting !! In summary, being a woman is exhausting and we are our own worst enemies and society doesn’t help us… just eat your veggies move if you want to be present and don’t get a colonoscopy unless you need to
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July 10, 2025This book reads veryyy similar to The Gospel of Wellness by Rina Raphael. I found a lot of the time, the author had very detailed descriptions of the wellness practice, but there was limited commentary on the efficacy behind it. A lot seemed left up to the reader's interpretations, with subtle hints in the intros/conclusions to sum it all together.
I appreciate Amy Larocca being candid about her own struggles with wellness, and even admitting that she'll probably continue keeping up with wellness culture trends. But I feel like there was a wider conversation to be had about and how the wellness industry serves the privileged and exploits the marginalized.
There was a lot of observation and experience shared, not as much professional insight- which is FINE because she's a journalist! It's just a personal preference that I have; I wish she took the time to gather more professional opinions on wellness trends and not just the people leading it.
I appreciate Amy Larocca being candid about her own struggles with wellness, and even admitting that she'll probably continue keeping up with wellness culture trends. But I feel like there was a wider conversation to be had about and how the wellness industry serves the privileged and exploits the marginalized.
There was a lot of observation and experience shared, not as much professional insight- which is FINE because she's a journalist! It's just a personal preference that I have; I wish she took the time to gather more professional opinions on wellness trends and not just the people leading it.
Read
June 5, 2025There's nothing I enjoy more than ranting against the Wellness Industrial Complex. I spend a good amount of my precious time on this earth hating on wellness fads/scams that prey on people's very human desire to be healthy. This book just did not scratch the itch I thought it would. Rather than being a sociological or personal analysis of the Wellness Industry overall, this felt like a leisurely journey observing all the kinds of ways wellness exists today. Sure it was "thoroughly researched" in that it covered a lot of ground, but it didn't take any interesting steps further into "why" besides corporate profit, which to me is a very obvious and easy observation. This felt like a shoulder shrug of a book, especially when you think about the ways modern "wellness" can be truly insidious (I mean just look at the current Secretary of Health and Human Services).
June 6, 2025
disappointing. she writes of all the wellness fads and schemes, even tries many herself, but there's no meaningful benefit. I should've read the reviews before reading it, because I was mistaken regarding the purpose.of her book.
June 12, 2025
I want to read this again and really absorb it. So spot on. And I loved that she also had done all the things.
“What all these ideal American women have in common is that they are always very thin and they do not complain no matter how many responsibilities are added to their list.”
“I know the craft. I understand proportion, construction, and silhouette. But my real expertise is in the longing at fashion's core. Fashion is about beauty of course. But it is also about the desire to elevate daily life above its banal impatience. To consciously and actively share something about the way you'd like to be perceived by the rest of the world. And it can also be about wanting things that are hard to get. Fashion shows used to be assiduously private. Designer clothing was prohibitively expensive and hard to access outside of a few key cities. To know about fashion and access fashion was something elite. To belong to something mostly hidden from view was a tremendous part of its appeal.”
“It was a whole new vocabulary for aspiration, a whole new category for want. Cordyceps and He Shou Wu replacing Valentino and Prada as esoteric, chic, and desirably hard to get.”
“I sometimes think of wellness as the project of buying your own body back for yourself. A world in which the branded luxury version of you is for sale. A bizarre arrangement that comes with the side effect of exposing some of the greatest inequities of American life.
The offer seems to be this: with the right combination of determination, access, interest, and money an elevated state is attainable, reasonable, logical. It's what we all should aspire to and for.”
“Is wellness just consumerism or is it a new politics, a new religion?”
“Lamenting the way it used to be fails to consider the colossal number of people who never got what they needed.
“In the old model we go looking only when something goes wrong. Our most common relationship to health is reactive. Proactive measures like dieting and health food are considered mostly cosmetic.”
“None of these women has ditched a well compensated life however for an aesthetic vow. The idea that pursuing wellness can be every bit as lucrative as what they’ve left behind is crucial.”
“And society hasn’t moved so far away from the idea that the ideal female body is a corseted one even if that corset now comes in the form of calorie-restricted, strengthened abdominal muscles, as exhausting and often uncomfortable to maintain to many women as its tightly laced external predecessor. Women didn't really stop corseting we just put the corset beneath our top layer of skin to be shown off in spandex that at whatever size is always tight.”
“...it can work as a handy overcoat for narcissism. It can be embarrassing to spend so much time and money on one’s self in such hideously unequal times. And this idea can offer a crutch for the conscience or at least an attempt to recast these repetitive and narcissistic actions into honorable and tradition bound performances of virtue and concern for one’s fellow man.”
“There’s always the lifting of another extra layer, the expectation that only greatness is waiting to be revealed.”
“Back in Germany the Lebensreformers splintered. Some of the movement’s adherents packed up their heavy bread and moved to California, opening health food stores and living in the woods. They were called the nature boys and some considered them the fathers of the American hippie movement. Another wing, also obsessed with purity, joins the nazi party.”
“The healthy German body, they believed, was like a mico version of the perfect white nation state clean and pure as the driven snow.”
“Once you start ranking human life and deciding that some people have more of a right to live than others you’re going down a pretty ominous path.”
“Once you are past what society seems to describe as the peak age of womanhood - let’s generously call it 28 to 35 - you are endlessly sold the idea that that version of yourself has been unfairly taken away leaving you internally eternally sad and externally invisible.”
“Crucial to the biohacking trend is the belief in one’s inner superhero - an alter ego whose fundamental masculinity has been obscured by the plush conditions inherent to modern life.”
“What no one wants to say is this: what you really need is to be lucky. And what is often meant by lucky is rich.”
“What all these ideal American women have in common is that they are always very thin and they do not complain no matter how many responsibilities are added to their list.”
“I know the craft. I understand proportion, construction, and silhouette. But my real expertise is in the longing at fashion's core. Fashion is about beauty of course. But it is also about the desire to elevate daily life above its banal impatience. To consciously and actively share something about the way you'd like to be perceived by the rest of the world. And it can also be about wanting things that are hard to get. Fashion shows used to be assiduously private. Designer clothing was prohibitively expensive and hard to access outside of a few key cities. To know about fashion and access fashion was something elite. To belong to something mostly hidden from view was a tremendous part of its appeal.”
“It was a whole new vocabulary for aspiration, a whole new category for want. Cordyceps and He Shou Wu replacing Valentino and Prada as esoteric, chic, and desirably hard to get.”
“I sometimes think of wellness as the project of buying your own body back for yourself. A world in which the branded luxury version of you is for sale. A bizarre arrangement that comes with the side effect of exposing some of the greatest inequities of American life.
The offer seems to be this: with the right combination of determination, access, interest, and money an elevated state is attainable, reasonable, logical. It's what we all should aspire to and for.”
“Is wellness just consumerism or is it a new politics, a new religion?”
“Lamenting the way it used to be fails to consider the colossal number of people who never got what they needed.
“In the old model we go looking only when something goes wrong. Our most common relationship to health is reactive. Proactive measures like dieting and health food are considered mostly cosmetic.”
“None of these women has ditched a well compensated life however for an aesthetic vow. The idea that pursuing wellness can be every bit as lucrative as what they’ve left behind is crucial.”
“And society hasn’t moved so far away from the idea that the ideal female body is a corseted one even if that corset now comes in the form of calorie-restricted, strengthened abdominal muscles, as exhausting and often uncomfortable to maintain to many women as its tightly laced external predecessor. Women didn't really stop corseting we just put the corset beneath our top layer of skin to be shown off in spandex that at whatever size is always tight.”
“...it can work as a handy overcoat for narcissism. It can be embarrassing to spend so much time and money on one’s self in such hideously unequal times. And this idea can offer a crutch for the conscience or at least an attempt to recast these repetitive and narcissistic actions into honorable and tradition bound performances of virtue and concern for one’s fellow man.”
“There’s always the lifting of another extra layer, the expectation that only greatness is waiting to be revealed.”
“Back in Germany the Lebensreformers splintered. Some of the movement’s adherents packed up their heavy bread and moved to California, opening health food stores and living in the woods. They were called the nature boys and some considered them the fathers of the American hippie movement. Another wing, also obsessed with purity, joins the nazi party.”
“The healthy German body, they believed, was like a mico version of the perfect white nation state clean and pure as the driven snow.”
“Once you start ranking human life and deciding that some people have more of a right to live than others you’re going down a pretty ominous path.”
“Once you are past what society seems to describe as the peak age of womanhood - let’s generously call it 28 to 35 - you are endlessly sold the idea that that version of yourself has been unfairly taken away leaving you internally eternally sad and externally invisible.”
“Crucial to the biohacking trend is the belief in one’s inner superhero - an alter ego whose fundamental masculinity has been obscured by the plush conditions inherent to modern life.”
“What no one wants to say is this: what you really need is to be lucky. And what is often meant by lucky is rich.”
January 9, 2026
2.5 stars
I have such mixed feelings about the book. At some points I was nodding along, even gasping incredulously at some of the wild wellness claims I hadn’t heard of. And then at other points I was so deeply frustrated that I considered not finishing it at all.
The title is a misfit. “Exploring” would have been a much better word than “navigating,” as there’s no guidance offered to help others through it. It doesn’t actually give any insight on “how to be well” until the last couple of pages, and there are no hints to the answer anywhere else in the book. It feels like an afterthought.
Really, this book is a collection of essays detailing one woman’s reflection on the wellness trends she’s dabbled in — and some she hasn’t. And to that end, I’m not even sure what point she’s trying to make in most of them. She remembers her husband questioning a “water-resistant” shampoo he finds in their shower, and reports her reply as: “Well, who knows what’s in that water?” Was this sarcastic? Did she buy the shampoo as research, or was it a genuine personal buy? She moves on from the anecdote quickly, leaving me confused about her stance and why she included it at all.
It’s loaded with surface-level condemnations of practices that actually have well-researched benefits, but she only focuses on the transcendent benefits that celebrities claim. Sometimes these are rational, sometimes unfair.
No, apple cider vinegar doesn’t cure every ailment — but one tablespoon does reduce blood sugar spikes when taken before a carb-heavy meal.
No, not all processed food/additives are going to harm you — but it’s true that people who react badly to American bread can eat it in Europe with little to no problem.
No, meditation won’t give you a halo of light like Katy Perry said — but I don’t doubt that it “changed everything” for Jennifer Aniston. “It centers you; your stress levels are down and you find yourself interacting with the world much easier and better, in a calmer way.” Meditation does reduce cortisol, which I’m sure does, in fact, make Jennifer Aniston a nicer person. She didn’t say anything that I don’t believe to be true for her own personal, paparazzi-plagued experience.
If this book had been positioned as an exploration of how marketing and “wellness culture” blow up and twist benefits of some things — while also profiting off some outright harmful things — it might have been received differently. But as it is, I closed the book feeling unsure what I’d read. There’s lots of good material here, but it’s lacking a meaningful throughline. It feels like a very long listicle of wellness fads the author has tried. It just doesn’t land the plane on any of the scattered objectives the author scratches the surface of.
I have such mixed feelings about the book. At some points I was nodding along, even gasping incredulously at some of the wild wellness claims I hadn’t heard of. And then at other points I was so deeply frustrated that I considered not finishing it at all.
The title is a misfit. “Exploring” would have been a much better word than “navigating,” as there’s no guidance offered to help others through it. It doesn’t actually give any insight on “how to be well” until the last couple of pages, and there are no hints to the answer anywhere else in the book. It feels like an afterthought.
Really, this book is a collection of essays detailing one woman’s reflection on the wellness trends she’s dabbled in — and some she hasn’t. And to that end, I’m not even sure what point she’s trying to make in most of them. She remembers her husband questioning a “water-resistant” shampoo he finds in their shower, and reports her reply as: “Well, who knows what’s in that water?” Was this sarcastic? Did she buy the shampoo as research, or was it a genuine personal buy? She moves on from the anecdote quickly, leaving me confused about her stance and why she included it at all.
It’s loaded with surface-level condemnations of practices that actually have well-researched benefits, but she only focuses on the transcendent benefits that celebrities claim. Sometimes these are rational, sometimes unfair.
No, apple cider vinegar doesn’t cure every ailment — but one tablespoon does reduce blood sugar spikes when taken before a carb-heavy meal.
No, not all processed food/additives are going to harm you — but it’s true that people who react badly to American bread can eat it in Europe with little to no problem.
No, meditation won’t give you a halo of light like Katy Perry said — but I don’t doubt that it “changed everything” for Jennifer Aniston. “It centers you; your stress levels are down and you find yourself interacting with the world much easier and better, in a calmer way.” Meditation does reduce cortisol, which I’m sure does, in fact, make Jennifer Aniston a nicer person. She didn’t say anything that I don’t believe to be true for her own personal, paparazzi-plagued experience.
If this book had been positioned as an exploration of how marketing and “wellness culture” blow up and twist benefits of some things — while also profiting off some outright harmful things — it might have been received differently. But as it is, I closed the book feeling unsure what I’d read. There’s lots of good material here, but it’s lacking a meaningful throughline. It feels like a very long listicle of wellness fads the author has tried. It just doesn’t land the plane on any of the scattered objectives the author scratches the surface of.
August 19, 2025
you know when you read a book on kindle and you check the percentage completion in the corner and you’re like “man, i’m not even halfway done?” and then you get to 60% and the acknowledgements and index starts. i was mostly done with the book thinking i wasn’t even halfway there, and i think that kind of messed up my experience for me because i kept being like “wow am i really that slow of a reader?” and “does she really have that much to say?”
BUT i came to the conclusion that the book was the perfect length (excluding the massive index obviously)
i think she basically summed up the wellness industry pretty well. and i also liked that she told us what to do with all of the information she gave us in the conclusion. i just think she could have left off on a better sentence. there two points that she mentioned in her conclusion that i personally would have used as a final sentence:
1) most of the wellness stuff you see on social media is just a money grab and you should be skeptical
2) to be “healthy,” all you need to do is eat your vegetables, exercise, touch grass, see a doctor, all of which are things that are easier to do if you have money
these would have probably been better points to end on instead of the actual sentence she ended on. but she did say both of these things in the conclusion chapter, so it was enough for me to feel satisfied.
OVERALL i think this is a great read and i personally would recommend it to my friends!
BUT i came to the conclusion that the book was the perfect length (excluding the massive index obviously)
i think she basically summed up the wellness industry pretty well. and i also liked that she told us what to do with all of the information she gave us in the conclusion. i just think she could have left off on a better sentence. there two points that she mentioned in her conclusion that i personally would have used as a final sentence:
1) most of the wellness stuff you see on social media is just a money grab and you should be skeptical
2) to be “healthy,” all you need to do is eat your vegetables, exercise, touch grass, see a doctor, all of which are things that are easier to do if you have money
these would have probably been better points to end on instead of the actual sentence she ended on. but she did say both of these things in the conclusion chapter, so it was enough for me to feel satisfied.
OVERALL i think this is a great read and i personally would recommend it to my friends!
June 17, 2025
This was…kind of an interesting book. I listened to it on 2x so it was a pretty quick read—kind of like a super long podcast. It felt almost memoir-ish? Like it was just an excuse for the author to try every single wellness treatment she could think of. I like her conclusion in the end that there isn’t one wellness thing that’s going to extend your life 50 years. The best things we can do are the things we already know we’re supposed to do: sleep, drink water, move your body (ideally outside), make friends. Did I learn anything from this book? Not really. But it felt validating that all of these buzzy fads are mostly just nonsense.
Note: I received access to an early copy through Penguin Random House audio in exchange for an honest review.
Note: I received access to an early copy through Penguin Random House audio in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2025
This was okay. It was easy to read, it was also easy to walk away from (so not a page turner). Some of the stuff she covered was familiar - Goop, antivax, etc. - some was batshit crazy stuff. Bottom line, it’s easier to be “well” if you’re already well-off, but a lot of people are being conned into wasting a lot of money on unnecessary stuff & the con artists are damaging people’s trust in real science, real expertise, and their own common sense.
June 19, 2025
This book is not about how to be well, but is a critique on the questionable wellness industry.. LaRocca discusses different fads and why people have turned to them and more. I thought this book was a fun read and pretty much read it in a day.
Thank you Knopf & Net Galley for an advanced copy of this one!
Thank you Knopf & Net Galley for an advanced copy of this one!
July 17, 2025
Solid reporting honestly, but when I realized I was only 30% through & we were just getting to the end of the 1st colonic, I tapped out.
It’s truly eye opening & yet not surprising how the pursuit of image has become synonymous with being healthy. And how much women are targeted … but I would say fully half of the examples of wellness gurus are women…
It’s truly eye opening & yet not surprising how the pursuit of image has become synonymous with being healthy. And how much women are targeted … but I would say fully half of the examples of wellness gurus are women…
August 3, 2025
I am currently reading a book called Never Enough: When Achievement Culture becomes toxic and what we can do about it. This book is similar in that we are trying to achieve wellness to the point we ignore the science and make our selves unhealthy in the pursuit. Also about how capitalism is feeding off our insecurity whether about our kids going to an Ivy League or living the healthiest life. And even the author admits she is taking this ride along with us.
March 22, 2025
In How to Be Well, Amy Larocca looked at the ways we can discover our self-care when we are constantly bombarded with ads on social media and TV about how we can better ourselves. She was a fashion journalist and she studied fashion and watched countless fashion shows. She has first hand experience with navigating all the different suggestions on wellness we see in the world. There is many ideas on how to achieve beauty and look younger. We can color our hair, take collagen, take medication such as Ozempic, do meditation, exercise, and a number of other things we try to purse to make us better.
She explored the topics of the Oura ring and how this jewelry gathers data from our sleep patterns and fitness levels. It lets you know when it is time to go to bed to get our rest. She shared how she tried showers, gratitude journals, dimming lights, blue filtering glasses to try and boost her sleep score. Her heart rate variability goes up and down. Celebs have tried it from Gwyneth Paltrow to Kim Kardashian. Kim had a score of 95. She shared how she even tried Lumen and CGM. They track when we should consume food and exertion. She couldn’t locate any meaningful patterns.
This book is very well researched and explores tons of information on beauty and wellness. I liked how she looked at a number of different tips and techniques on everything we do to look and feel younger. It’s very eye opening what women are especially pressure to do. There is one chapter on men and how they are are expected to handle erectile dysfunction, baldness, and being fit. It was interesting to learn how we can be content and how we can catch after wellness.
She explored the topics of the Oura ring and how this jewelry gathers data from our sleep patterns and fitness levels. It lets you know when it is time to go to bed to get our rest. She shared how she tried showers, gratitude journals, dimming lights, blue filtering glasses to try and boost her sleep score. Her heart rate variability goes up and down. Celebs have tried it from Gwyneth Paltrow to Kim Kardashian. Kim had a score of 95. She shared how she even tried Lumen and CGM. They track when we should consume food and exertion. She couldn’t locate any meaningful patterns.
This book is very well researched and explores tons of information on beauty and wellness. I liked how she looked at a number of different tips and techniques on everything we do to look and feel younger. It’s very eye opening what women are especially pressure to do. There is one chapter on men and how they are are expected to handle erectile dysfunction, baldness, and being fit. It was interesting to learn how we can be content and how we can catch after wellness.
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