The Midlife Edit: A Transformative Self-Help Journey for Women

McNeil, who posts about wellness under the Instagram handle @FiftySister, debuts with a run-of-the-mill guide on how middle-aged women can transform their mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. In 2019, when McNeil was in her early 50s, she felt “suffocated under the weight of possessions” and relocated from the English home where she and her husband had lived for 33 years to a “small rental property in Portugal,” leaving behind everything except a few boxes of essentials. Her excitement was soon replaced by despair as the Covid pandemic left her feeling isolated in a new country, but she recounts finding her footing thanks to various self-care strategies and lifestyle changes. Unfortunately, these strategies are by turns vague and overly familiar. Self-help platitudes abound, as when McNeil encourages readers to “embrace your inner child” by staying open to new experiences and to practice self-acceptance through means she doesn’t specify. Despite having no apparent qualifications to do so, McNeil provides dietary suggestions, and though most are fairly standard (avoid added sugars, eat more plant-based foods), they’re often lacking in specifics. For instance, she encourages readers to “pay attention to key nutrients like vitamin B12... and consider supplements when necessary,” but doesn’t discuss how to track B12 levels or at what point supplements become needed. Readers would be better off with Sharon Malone’s Grown Woman Talk. (Sept.)