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Worth: The New Science of Self-Esteem and Secure Attachment
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Expected 15 Sep 26Win a free kindle copy of this book!
2 days and 12:53:54
50 copies available
U.S. only
From the New York Times bestselling author of Platonic, a groundbreaking guide exploring the promise (and limits) of secure attachment to help us feel better and boost our self-esteem.
What if what you thought you knew about secure attachment was wrong? Or worse, making you more insecure?
Dr. Marisa G. Franco is the New York Times bestselling friendship expert whose advice Glennon Doyle calls “wise, concrete, and effective”—Dr. Franco literally wrote the book on how to become a securely attached friend. But since then, she’s realized that when we feel unworthy, the things we think should make us feel secure and raise our self-esteem
Optimistic self-talk makes us feel worse, not better.Positive feedback raises our blood pressure.Compliments make us uncomfortable.Positive events make us sicker.
The good Self-esteem is a skill that can be learned—and you can get better at it, which in turn strengthens all your other relationships. In Worth, Dr. Franco mines promising new research at the intersection of psychology and neuroscience to show us why so many of us still struggle with self-esteem (even in this self-obsessed age), and how we can build a foundation of lasting self-worth that doesn’t rely on likes or followers. Through exercises, stories, and the cutting-edge science of memory reconsolidation, updating damaging memories to change the stories we tell ourselves, Dr. Franco shows how we can bring meaning, self-worth, and secure attachment back into our lives, from the inside out. If you feel like you’ve read every book on healing, but you are still struggling, Worth will help you finally find the transformation you’ve been looking for.
What if what you thought you knew about secure attachment was wrong? Or worse, making you more insecure?
Dr. Marisa G. Franco is the New York Times bestselling friendship expert whose advice Glennon Doyle calls “wise, concrete, and effective”—Dr. Franco literally wrote the book on how to become a securely attached friend. But since then, she’s realized that when we feel unworthy, the things we think should make us feel secure and raise our self-esteem
Optimistic self-talk makes us feel worse, not better.Positive feedback raises our blood pressure.Compliments make us uncomfortable.Positive events make us sicker.
The good Self-esteem is a skill that can be learned—and you can get better at it, which in turn strengthens all your other relationships. In Worth, Dr. Franco mines promising new research at the intersection of psychology and neuroscience to show us why so many of us still struggle with self-esteem (even in this self-obsessed age), and how we can build a foundation of lasting self-worth that doesn’t rely on likes or followers. Through exercises, stories, and the cutting-edge science of memory reconsolidation, updating damaging memories to change the stories we tell ourselves, Dr. Franco shows how we can bring meaning, self-worth, and secure attachment back into our lives, from the inside out. If you feel like you’ve read every book on healing, but you are still struggling, Worth will help you finally find the transformation you’ve been looking for.
240 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication September 15, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 22, 2026
Plot and Vibe Summary
In Worth, Dr. Marisa G. Franco bypasses generic "love yourself" platitudes to explore the science of self esteem. The book acts as a cognitive toolkit, unpacking how attachment theory and neuroscience shape our internal insecurities. The vibe is academic yet compassionate, feeling like an enlightening therapy session grounded in real data rather than superficial self help trends.
What Worked
Dismantling Toxic Positivity: Validating critique on how forced positive affirmations can actually backfire on insecure individuals.
Neuroscience Focus: Fascinating insights into memory reconsolidation and how to physically rewrite old, damaging subconscious narratives.
Practical Exercises: Actionable writing prompts that successfully bridge the gap between psychological theory and daily habit.
What May Not Work For Everyone
Dense Pacing: Heavy reliance on study data occasionally slows down the narrative momentum, requiring a more deliberate reading pace. Though I personally loved all the data provided as it really helps push the point through.
Final Thoughts
Worth is a vital blueprint for anyone exhausted by performative confidence culture. Dr. Franco moves the conversation away from superficial self care, offering sustainable psychological healing instead. It is an essential read for understanding how to fundamentally change your internal narrative.
Themes & Tropes
Internal Metamorphosis: Heavy focus on radical personal growth and healing from past emotional conditioning.
Science to Life Blueprint: Blending rigid academic data with intimate human frameworks.
The Skeptic’s Guide: Deconstructing mainstream self-help assumptions to offer counter-intuitive, real solutions.
Thanks to NetGalley for sending an ARC or advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
In Worth, Dr. Marisa G. Franco bypasses generic "love yourself" platitudes to explore the science of self esteem. The book acts as a cognitive toolkit, unpacking how attachment theory and neuroscience shape our internal insecurities. The vibe is academic yet compassionate, feeling like an enlightening therapy session grounded in real data rather than superficial self help trends.
What Worked
Dismantling Toxic Positivity: Validating critique on how forced positive affirmations can actually backfire on insecure individuals.
Neuroscience Focus: Fascinating insights into memory reconsolidation and how to physically rewrite old, damaging subconscious narratives.
Practical Exercises: Actionable writing prompts that successfully bridge the gap between psychological theory and daily habit.
What May Not Work For Everyone
Dense Pacing: Heavy reliance on study data occasionally slows down the narrative momentum, requiring a more deliberate reading pace. Though I personally loved all the data provided as it really helps push the point through.
Final Thoughts
Worth is a vital blueprint for anyone exhausted by performative confidence culture. Dr. Franco moves the conversation away from superficial self care, offering sustainable psychological healing instead. It is an essential read for understanding how to fundamentally change your internal narrative.
Themes & Tropes
Internal Metamorphosis: Heavy focus on radical personal growth and healing from past emotional conditioning.
Science to Life Blueprint: Blending rigid academic data with intimate human frameworks.
The Skeptic’s Guide: Deconstructing mainstream self-help assumptions to offer counter-intuitive, real solutions.
Thanks to NetGalley for sending an ARC or advanced reader copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 8, 2026
3.5 /
what i liked
writing style: marisa franco is a powerful storyteller and distiller of psychological concepts. she does it all with charm, empathy, humor, and a singular conversational style.
pov: one of marisa’s greatest strengths is the manner in which she shares her perspectives. especially when it comes to naming finely tuned, meaningful nuance— where the simplest added detail or lens tilt brings about profound internal paradigm shifts. she did this again and again in ‘platonic’ and it’s present here as well.
her theory of worth: it’s likely that for many, this piece will be a life-changing paradigm shift. the insights that create the framework may seem obvious and deceptively simple. but bringing it all together into a coherent form that really hits and is validated in science is the magic. it’s the section i highlighted most.
why this wasn’t a 5 star for me like ‘platonic’ was
in a line: it didn’t seem to present brand new, groundbreaking science or a truly fresh reframing, so i felt a bit bait-and-switched by the subtitle.
her theory of worth: though i benefited from marisa’s articulations here, this wasn’t a new concept for me. i just happened to recently read a book from 2008 (almost 20 years old) called ‘loneliness: human nature and the need for social connection’ by john t. cacioppo. surprisingly, it presented loneliness not just as an emotional/situational state but a psychological and behavioral orientation. the framework was deeply reorienting for me. i bring it up because the descriptions and implications of that framework are ideologically very, very similar to marisa’s theory of worth. they feel significantly correlated to the point that for me as a layperson, they feel *almost* (but not completely) interchangeable. in the end, they hold indiscernible functional value for me. put another way, i already experienced the mic drop of a similar theory from john, so when marisa revealed hers, i was like, “oh. this is the new science?” i still highlighted many passages, though, because her distillations and articulations are always on point. cacioppo provides more nerdy and very fascinating detail for anyone curious. it was a surprisingly approachable report on his scientific studies.
the interventions in the second half: as someone who has been deep on a personal development journey for 15 years, i was familiar with most of them. they’ve all been around for awhile and again, are not new. relatedly, though the memory reconsolidation framework is interesting, it just felt like a new wrapper or reframing of existing concepts that have a similar functional value for me (i.e neuroplasticity). detailing the underlying mechanism behind something like EMDR that has been around for 40 years didn’t really do anything for me. for anyone who has who experienced it, the first thing you learn is that “you can change your brain’s relationship to your memories.” add to that that memory reconsolidation has been a topic in neuroscience for about 20 years already, the central intervention framework of the book doesn’t feel cutting-edge. but again, thanks to how she presents ideas, she did make me more curious about psychedelic interventions than i previously have been.
i promise i’m not trying to be a hater. i still love marisa. i just think the whole “new science” thing was a pretty big oversell for someone like me. but to be fair, probably like 3 people read cacioppo. so as i said, i think her theory of worth will be brand new and life changing for the more mainstream market she’ll hopefully reach. possibly same for the curated set of interventions she shared. EMDR is having a moment for lots of folks right now.
i received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
what i liked
writing style: marisa franco is a powerful storyteller and distiller of psychological concepts. she does it all with charm, empathy, humor, and a singular conversational style.
pov: one of marisa’s greatest strengths is the manner in which she shares her perspectives. especially when it comes to naming finely tuned, meaningful nuance— where the simplest added detail or lens tilt brings about profound internal paradigm shifts. she did this again and again in ‘platonic’ and it’s present here as well.
her theory of worth: it’s likely that for many, this piece will be a life-changing paradigm shift. the insights that create the framework may seem obvious and deceptively simple. but bringing it all together into a coherent form that really hits and is validated in science is the magic. it’s the section i highlighted most.
why this wasn’t a 5 star for me like ‘platonic’ was
in a line: it didn’t seem to present brand new, groundbreaking science or a truly fresh reframing, so i felt a bit bait-and-switched by the subtitle.
her theory of worth: though i benefited from marisa’s articulations here, this wasn’t a new concept for me. i just happened to recently read a book from 2008 (almost 20 years old) called ‘loneliness: human nature and the need for social connection’ by john t. cacioppo. surprisingly, it presented loneliness not just as an emotional/situational state but a psychological and behavioral orientation. the framework was deeply reorienting for me. i bring it up because the descriptions and implications of that framework are ideologically very, very similar to marisa’s theory of worth. they feel significantly correlated to the point that for me as a layperson, they feel *almost* (but not completely) interchangeable. in the end, they hold indiscernible functional value for me. put another way, i already experienced the mic drop of a similar theory from john, so when marisa revealed hers, i was like, “oh. this is the new science?” i still highlighted many passages, though, because her distillations and articulations are always on point. cacioppo provides more nerdy and very fascinating detail for anyone curious. it was a surprisingly approachable report on his scientific studies.
the interventions in the second half: as someone who has been deep on a personal development journey for 15 years, i was familiar with most of them. they’ve all been around for awhile and again, are not new. relatedly, though the memory reconsolidation framework is interesting, it just felt like a new wrapper or reframing of existing concepts that have a similar functional value for me (i.e neuroplasticity). detailing the underlying mechanism behind something like EMDR that has been around for 40 years didn’t really do anything for me. for anyone who has who experienced it, the first thing you learn is that “you can change your brain’s relationship to your memories.” add to that that memory reconsolidation has been a topic in neuroscience for about 20 years already, the central intervention framework of the book doesn’t feel cutting-edge. but again, thanks to how she presents ideas, she did make me more curious about psychedelic interventions than i previously have been.
i promise i’m not trying to be a hater. i still love marisa. i just think the whole “new science” thing was a pretty big oversell for someone like me. but to be fair, probably like 3 people read cacioppo. so as i said, i think her theory of worth will be brand new and life changing for the more mainstream market she’ll hopefully reach. possibly same for the curated set of interventions she shared. EMDR is having a moment for lots of folks right now.
i received an advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Overall thoughtful book with some great insights about generating and maintaining self-worth. The main strengths of Worth, in my opinion: 1) Dr. Franco’s ability to translate peer-reviewed scientific research into understandable, practical, day-to-day insights and applications, 2) her brief yet targeted disclosures about her own life and how she herself uses some of the ideas in this book, and 3) her sense of humor (e.g., the line about lemon tartine made me smile). I liked how she critically questioned some of the standard advice about self-worth as well as how she explained dense topics such as memory reconsolidation with ease. Though I know this book is more in line with the self-help genre than memoir, I got a bit emotional (in a good way) when she wrote about the idea of the fluid self and how she told herself “whoever you are, I will love you”… an iconic life for those of us who may struggle with perfectionism and the perils of high achievement!
I give this book four stars instead of five because some of the structure didn’t work 100% for me, if I’m being entirely honest. In some of the middle and end chapters, it felt like Dr. Franco was taking a wide gamut of different psychological theories (e.g., internal family systems, psychedelics, emotional freedom technique) and then drawing those back to the idea of worth/being secure-ish. Which is fine, though the approach didn’t feel entirely cohesive or intellectually/emotionally groundbreaking to me. I also thought the book could have gone a bit harder in addressing how systems of oppression like racism, colorism, etc. and their internalized manifestations affect self-worth, though I recognize you can’t do everything in one book.
Full disclosure, I received an advance reader copy of this book. Also, Dr. Franco and I graduated from the same PhD program – we didn’t overlap (she graduated a year or a couple of years ahead of when I started my doctorate program) though we’ve talked very occasionally. She’s always been a kind and thoughtful person. So, I disclose all of that so those who read my Goodreads reviews know I keep them real. Also, as a side note, Dr. Franco dedicating this book to her therapist and then starting her acknowledgements section with kind words to her therapist… iconic behavior.
I give this book four stars instead of five because some of the structure didn’t work 100% for me, if I’m being entirely honest. In some of the middle and end chapters, it felt like Dr. Franco was taking a wide gamut of different psychological theories (e.g., internal family systems, psychedelics, emotional freedom technique) and then drawing those back to the idea of worth/being secure-ish. Which is fine, though the approach didn’t feel entirely cohesive or intellectually/emotionally groundbreaking to me. I also thought the book could have gone a bit harder in addressing how systems of oppression like racism, colorism, etc. and their internalized manifestations affect self-worth, though I recognize you can’t do everything in one book.
Full disclosure, I received an advance reader copy of this book. Also, Dr. Franco and I graduated from the same PhD program – we didn’t overlap (she graduated a year or a couple of years ahead of when I started my doctorate program) though we’ve talked very occasionally. She’s always been a kind and thoughtful person. So, I disclose all of that so those who read my Goodreads reviews know I keep them real. Also, as a side note, Dr. Franco dedicating this book to her therapist and then starting her acknowledgements section with kind words to her therapist… iconic behavior.
Read
September 9, 2026This one is really good. Yay!
Franco's central claim floored me a little, that optimistic self-talk and compliments can genuinely backfire when your sense of worth is shaky, because they clash with the story you already believe about yourself. That reframe alone was worth the read. I'd never had language for why a compliment sometimes makes me squirm instead of feel good, and now I do.
The memory reconsolidation piece was the most fascinating part for me. The idea that you can actually update an old, damaging memory rather than just manage around it felt genuinely new, not just repackaged advice from every other book in this space. It gave me something concrete to try instead of just another mantra to repeat.
A few chapters lean hard into the science before circling back to the practical takeaway, and I found myself wanting to get to the exercises faster than the book let me, so those parts were a bit of a slog.
Overall this felt like a genuinely different angle on self-worth than what I've read before, less about boosting yourself up and more about understanding why the boosting wasn't working in the first place. I'd recommend it to anyone who feels like they've read every self-help book and still hasn't cracked it.
Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.
Franco's central claim floored me a little, that optimistic self-talk and compliments can genuinely backfire when your sense of worth is shaky, because they clash with the story you already believe about yourself. That reframe alone was worth the read. I'd never had language for why a compliment sometimes makes me squirm instead of feel good, and now I do.
The memory reconsolidation piece was the most fascinating part for me. The idea that you can actually update an old, damaging memory rather than just manage around it felt genuinely new, not just repackaged advice from every other book in this space. It gave me something concrete to try instead of just another mantra to repeat.
A few chapters lean hard into the science before circling back to the practical takeaway, and I found myself wanting to get to the exercises faster than the book let me, so those parts were a bit of a slog.
Overall this felt like a genuinely different angle on self-worth than what I've read before, less about boosting yourself up and more about understanding why the boosting wasn't working in the first place. I'd recommend it to anyone who feels like they've read every self-help book and still hasn't cracked it.
Thank you to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Worth has been such a transformative and healing read for me, and I know it’s a book I’ll continue to return to as I revisit the wisdom and practical tools it offers.
As someone who has been fairly skeptical of “self-help” and similar books in the past, I was especially impressed by how deeply personal, relatable, and accessible Worth felt. Reading the stories of how painful experiences can shape our sense of self-worth, alongside the research supporting these experiences, helped me develop more compassion for myself and feel less alone. It also helped me recognize the many harmful narratives I had been telling myself without even realizing it.
The book also opened my eyes to the ways the people in my life have their own struggles and wounds. It helped me better understand some of their actions toward me as reflections of their own pain and experiences, rather than automatically making them about myself.
Dr. Franco does an incredible job of humanizing our struggles with self-worth and security while also providing practical exercises to help us revisit and heal painful memories and the stories we’ve built around them. Worth gave me both a deeper understanding of myself and tangible tools for moving forward.
It’s a book I know I’ll be revisiting for a long time, and one I’ll be sharing with so many people in my life.
As someone who has been fairly skeptical of “self-help” and similar books in the past, I was especially impressed by how deeply personal, relatable, and accessible Worth felt. Reading the stories of how painful experiences can shape our sense of self-worth, alongside the research supporting these experiences, helped me develop more compassion for myself and feel less alone. It also helped me recognize the many harmful narratives I had been telling myself without even realizing it.
The book also opened my eyes to the ways the people in my life have their own struggles and wounds. It helped me better understand some of their actions toward me as reflections of their own pain and experiences, rather than automatically making them about myself.
Dr. Franco does an incredible job of humanizing our struggles with self-worth and security while also providing practical exercises to help us revisit and heal painful memories and the stories we’ve built around them. Worth gave me both a deeper understanding of myself and tangible tools for moving forward.
It’s a book I know I’ll be revisiting for a long time, and one I’ll be sharing with so many people in my life.
June 8, 2026
Dr. Marisa G. Franco has a rare gift: she makes the science feel personal and the personal feel transformative. I read Platonic and have followed her work closely since, so I came to Worth already trusting her as a thinker. She didn't disappoint.
What sets this book apart from the crowded self-help shelf is her willingness to challenge the very tools we've been handed. The idea that positive affirmations and external validation can actually deepen insecurity isn't just counterintuitive. It's clinically important. As a therapist, I've watched clients do all the "right" things and still feel stuck. Franco names why.
The memory reconsolidation framework is where the book really shines. She takes a concept rooted in neuroscience and translates it into something you can actually feel and use. That's not easy to do, and she does it with warmth and rigor in equal measure.
This is the kind of book I'll be recommending to clients, colleagues, and honestly, anyone who has ever wondered why doing the work hasn't felt like enough. Worth offers a different entry point, one that starts from the inside out. Franco continues to be one of the most thoughtful and necessary voices in this space.
What sets this book apart from the crowded self-help shelf is her willingness to challenge the very tools we've been handed. The idea that positive affirmations and external validation can actually deepen insecurity isn't just counterintuitive. It's clinically important. As a therapist, I've watched clients do all the "right" things and still feel stuck. Franco names why.
The memory reconsolidation framework is where the book really shines. She takes a concept rooted in neuroscience and translates it into something you can actually feel and use. That's not easy to do, and she does it with warmth and rigor in equal measure.
This is the kind of book I'll be recommending to clients, colleagues, and honestly, anyone who has ever wondered why doing the work hasn't felt like enough. Worth offers a different entry point, one that starts from the inside out. Franco continues to be one of the most thoughtful and necessary voices in this space.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley for the advance reading copy.
Whenever I think there can't possibly be a whole book on this topic, or anything new to say, Marisa Franco proves me wrong. Here she explores our sense of solidity within ourselves and in relationships, using the word "worth" for a calm rooted way of being. "Worth is the term for security within, which translate to secure relationships," she writes.
Franco observes that everyone is talking about "secure attachment" these days, "Secure attachment has become a status symbol," she says wryly, noting that it's "easy to perform" and hard to live. "Finding worth requires us to see all sides of ourselves," while social media and our distracting devices make that easy to avoid. Franco explores how past hurts mark us for current relationships, and gives guidance on how to move beyond the past into a secure present.
Along the way, Franco generously shares her own failures and struggles as way-posts for us.
I found a lot of wisdom in this book, and plan to read it again.
Whenever I think there can't possibly be a whole book on this topic, or anything new to say, Marisa Franco proves me wrong. Here she explores our sense of solidity within ourselves and in relationships, using the word "worth" for a calm rooted way of being. "Worth is the term for security within, which translate to secure relationships," she writes.
Franco observes that everyone is talking about "secure attachment" these days, "Secure attachment has become a status symbol," she says wryly, noting that it's "easy to perform" and hard to live. "Finding worth requires us to see all sides of ourselves," while social media and our distracting devices make that easy to avoid. Franco explores how past hurts mark us for current relationships, and gives guidance on how to move beyond the past into a secure present.
Along the way, Franco generously shares her own failures and struggles as way-posts for us.
I found a lot of wisdom in this book, and plan to read it again.
September 9, 2026
What Dr. Franco’s first book Platonic did for relationships with others, Worth does for the relationship with the self.
You should read or listen to Worth if you…
- seek to better understand (all the different parts of) yourself
- enjoy feeling like ‘huh, I never thought about it like that…’
- have ever wondered why you may cringe when you receive a compliment
- nerd out on research about the mind
- are curious whether knowing yourself may be overrated
- would like practical and thoughtful exercises to tune in to your worthiness
- want to feel like you’re in conversation with Dr. Franco (you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll question everything)
We can all benefit from what is taught in Worth - a book worthy of a read, a re-read, and a share with someone you love.
You should read or listen to Worth if you…
- seek to better understand (all the different parts of) yourself
- enjoy feeling like ‘huh, I never thought about it like that…’
- have ever wondered why you may cringe when you receive a compliment
- nerd out on research about the mind
- are curious whether knowing yourself may be overrated
- would like practical and thoughtful exercises to tune in to your worthiness
- want to feel like you’re in conversation with Dr. Franco (you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll question everything)
We can all benefit from what is taught in Worth - a book worthy of a read, a re-read, and a share with someone you love.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Mari book review
Reading this book and working through the exercises at the end of each chapter was a life changing experience. As someone who has been skeptical of techniques like parts work and psychedelic-assisted therapy in the past, I really appreciated Dr. Franco’s ability to clearly and compellingly translate complex research, and I feel like this book helped me exponentially grow my toolkit for inner work.
My friends and I read through the book and worked through the exercises together, which really helped with understanding how to approach the different techniques and brought us closer together. I would highly recommend this book to anyone on their journey to feel more worthy and secure!
Reading this book and working through the exercises at the end of each chapter was a life changing experience. As someone who has been skeptical of techniques like parts work and psychedelic-assisted therapy in the past, I really appreciated Dr. Franco’s ability to clearly and compellingly translate complex research, and I feel like this book helped me exponentially grow my toolkit for inner work.
My friends and I read through the book and worked through the exercises together, which really helped with understanding how to approach the different techniques and brought us closer together. I would highly recommend this book to anyone on their journey to feel more worthy and secure!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Worth feels like a more personal and deeper reaching follow up to Platonic, both for the author and the reader. At times it feels uncomfortable, in the way all great introspective books do and leads to slightly more internal explorations than its predecessor. If Platonic captured your mind, this is perhaps the more fundamental “why” behind all of it.
September 10, 2026
I really enjoyed Worth by Marisa G Franco, particularly the focus on neuroscience mixed with humor/storytelling. I also liked the writing prompts, as it helped the book feel more engaging and gave me practical tools to apply.
I'm a therapist and can definetly see myself introducing these concepts in sessions, and using certain writing prompts with clients.
I'm a therapist and can definetly see myself introducing these concepts in sessions, and using certain writing prompts with clients.
August 26, 2026
Great insights! Dr. Franco is an amazing writer.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews