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Miracle Cures: A Novel
Not yet published
Expected 9 Mar 27A razor-sharp, blisteringly funny exploration of truth and belief in the face of misinformation, told through the eyes of a fact-checker at a celebrity wellness magazine, perfect for fans of Melissa Broder and Jen Beagin.
When Nelly lands a job as a fact-checker at a glamorous media conglomerate, she’s certain that her life will finally begin. She’ll escape her mother’s grimy house in New Jersey, meet the man of her dreams, and maybe even secure employer-sponsored healthcare before her twenty-sixth birthday. Tasked with checking the company’s newest venture—a magazine spearheaded by a controversial actress turned wellness guru—it soon becomes clear that the magazine has very few facts to check. Nelly spends her days wading through pseudoscience, cold calling self-proclaimed animal psychics, and trying to resist the pull of shiny face creams and exotic essences that promise youth, inner glow, and an end to her chronic yawning.
But after a health scare, Nelly starts to wonder if there might be something to the celebrity’s methods after all. She embarks on a quest to discover a miracle cure of her own, sampling somatic healing rituals and mysteriously addictive tinctures, letting manifestation mantras drown out the fact-checking red pencil in her head—until a shocking turn of events topples it all in one fell swoop.
In an age of alternative medicine, establishment skepticism, and a collapse of the grey area between fact and fantasy, Miracle Cures is a hilarious look at the belief systems we build for ourselves—and what happens when they come crumbling down.
When Nelly lands a job as a fact-checker at a glamorous media conglomerate, she’s certain that her life will finally begin. She’ll escape her mother’s grimy house in New Jersey, meet the man of her dreams, and maybe even secure employer-sponsored healthcare before her twenty-sixth birthday. Tasked with checking the company’s newest venture—a magazine spearheaded by a controversial actress turned wellness guru—it soon becomes clear that the magazine has very few facts to check. Nelly spends her days wading through pseudoscience, cold calling self-proclaimed animal psychics, and trying to resist the pull of shiny face creams and exotic essences that promise youth, inner glow, and an end to her chronic yawning.
But after a health scare, Nelly starts to wonder if there might be something to the celebrity’s methods after all. She embarks on a quest to discover a miracle cure of her own, sampling somatic healing rituals and mysteriously addictive tinctures, letting manifestation mantras drown out the fact-checking red pencil in her head—until a shocking turn of events topples it all in one fell swoop.
In an age of alternative medicine, establishment skepticism, and a collapse of the grey area between fact and fantasy, Miracle Cures is a hilarious look at the belief systems we build for ourselves—and what happens when they come crumbling down.
- GenresFiction
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 9, 2027
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
★★★★☆ (4.5 stars)
Miracle Cures is a witty, unsettling satire that asks what happens when the line between evidence and belief becomes so blurred that hope itself becomes a commodity.
Following a fact checker working for a celebrity wellness empire, the novel balances sharp humor with genuine vulnerability. It pokes fun at jade eggs, miracle tinctures, manifestation, and the endless promise that the next purchase might finally make us whole. Underneath the absurdity, though, is a surprisingly compassionate look at what drives people toward pseudoscience in the first place. Fear, desperation, chronic illness, and the universal desire to believe that there has to be an answer.
What I appreciated most is that the book resists making easy villains. It recognizes that wellness culture flourishes not only because influencers sell it, but because traditional healthcare often leaves people feeling unheard, dismissed, or without options. The satire lands because the emotional stakes are real.
Funny, clever, and uncomfortably relevant, Miracle Cures is as much about capitalism and misinformation as it is about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. It will especially resonate with readers fascinated by internet wellness culture, celebrity brands, and the impossible promise that health is something we can simply optimize our way into
Thank you on behalf of the publisher, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for honest review and feedback
*Pub Date Mar 9 2027
Simon & Schuster
Miracle Cures is a witty, unsettling satire that asks what happens when the line between evidence and belief becomes so blurred that hope itself becomes a commodity.
Following a fact checker working for a celebrity wellness empire, the novel balances sharp humor with genuine vulnerability. It pokes fun at jade eggs, miracle tinctures, manifestation, and the endless promise that the next purchase might finally make us whole. Underneath the absurdity, though, is a surprisingly compassionate look at what drives people toward pseudoscience in the first place. Fear, desperation, chronic illness, and the universal desire to believe that there has to be an answer.
What I appreciated most is that the book resists making easy villains. It recognizes that wellness culture flourishes not only because influencers sell it, but because traditional healthcare often leaves people feeling unheard, dismissed, or without options. The satire lands because the emotional stakes are real.
Funny, clever, and uncomfortably relevant, Miracle Cures is as much about capitalism and misinformation as it is about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive. It will especially resonate with readers fascinated by internet wellness culture, celebrity brands, and the impossible promise that health is something we can simply optimize our way into
Thank you on behalf of the publisher, Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for honest review and feedback
*Pub Date Mar 9 2027
Simon & Schuster
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of this one! How cool is it to be one of the first people to read a book? 3.5 rounded up.
The plot: A fact-checker at Goop starts to fall for the MAHA-esq schtick.
Overall, I liked it. Nelly has the overtly off-putting personality of your standard issue weird-girl book. I liked watching her navigate her personal life -- the boyfriend + roommate of it all when you're 26 and a little obsessed with 9/11.
I wish Dunne would've made more big choices + conducted more crazy stunts with Nelly while she was amidst her obsession. She's already in credit card debit, I wish we saw her worship The Movie Star or The Media Company or any of the doctors she chatted with. Part of me wanted to watch her descend so much deeper (like, near Tabitha-levels deeper).
I appreciate the way Dunne maintained gray area in alternative medicine + establishment skepticism though. To me, I didn't feel any type of way about Nelly blowing a bag on near-death massages, because there probably are SOME health benefits. My friends fall for junk on Tiktok Shop all the time and I'm supportive, and this felt like that.
In a book about alternative health + facts I thought I would hear more hot takes + hard stances. But I liked following Nelly's logic -- she never lost too much sight.
The plot: A fact-checker at Goop starts to fall for the MAHA-esq schtick.
Overall, I liked it. Nelly has the overtly off-putting personality of your standard issue weird-girl book. I liked watching her navigate her personal life -- the boyfriend + roommate of it all when you're 26 and a little obsessed with 9/11.
I wish Dunne would've made more big choices + conducted more crazy stunts with Nelly while she was amidst her obsession. She's already in credit card debit, I wish we saw her worship The Movie Star or The Media Company or any of the doctors she chatted with. Part of me wanted to watch her descend so much deeper (like, near Tabitha-levels deeper).
I appreciate the way Dunne maintained gray area in alternative medicine + establishment skepticism though. To me, I didn't feel any type of way about Nelly blowing a bag on near-death massages, because there probably are SOME health benefits. My friends fall for junk on Tiktok Shop all the time and I'm supportive, and this felt like that.
In a book about alternative health + facts I thought I would hear more hot takes + hard stances. But I liked following Nelly's logic -- she never lost too much sight.
July 10, 2026
Thank you to Net Galley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC. The blurb was so exciting, as soon as I got the ARC, I immediately downloaded it and started reading it. The beginning started off strong, the writing is funny as we are introduced to the main character’s job as well as what led her here to this point in life. But gradually it got boring as we move into the time before the publication of Issue 2, as things started to get repetitive. It’s sad that most of this book was boring even though what happened in real life was super dramatic. But I did enjoy remembering what happened in the world 9 years ago and identifying the real world equivalents of everything named vaguely in the form of a proper noun.
2.5 rounded up
2.5 rounded up
July 22, 2026
The book was engaging at the beginning. It opened with a lot of facts, and despite the barrage of details, it was intriguing. I wondered where it was going and what would be uncovered. It lagged a bit in the middle because it seemed repetitive. Still, the story was interesting, particularly because the protagonist, Nelly, goes through her own journey of discovery with beauty and wellness services.
July 16, 2026
Miracle Cures by Carey Dunne was both funny and had a very relatable voice. There were moments that felt like reading the story of a close friend, laughing occasionally as I watched this story unfold, cringing at other moments - the story was really quite captivating. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!
This story started off as hilarious and unique, but about halfway through started to get a bit repetitive and a little bit dry. The premise was very interesting, and the main character unique, but she kinda lost it there for a bit.
Would recommend to anyone looking to add to their “weird girl lit fic” pile - this fits right in!
This story started off as hilarious and unique, but about halfway through started to get a bit repetitive and a little bit dry. The premise was very interesting, and the main character unique, but she kinda lost it there for a bit.
Would recommend to anyone looking to add to their “weird girl lit fic” pile - this fits right in!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews