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honeycow's review against another edition
challenging
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you have ever had an ED it might be very difficult to get through, there's a lot of calorie counting and weight obsession-but it is done in a really raw and authentic way, if you have never had disordered thoughts this could be an insight into that world. The pacing was a little rushed in the end but the conclusion was still good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
Minor: Incest
vibingandy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder, Fatphobia, and Body shaming
Moderate: Homophobia, Incest, Lesbophobia, and Toxic relationship
apauliney's review
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest
la_bue's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Excrement, Suicidal thoughts, Incest, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Gaslighting, and Mental illness
jediprincess's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
This book was uncomfortable. I’m not sure how it was supposed to be taken, but felt really fatphobic and fetish-y in the way that I think it wasn’t supposed to be like but failed at.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Eating disorder
Moderate: Islamophobia and Incest
jmarquette's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Incest, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Self harm
artemisg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning and the end, but the middle (unfortunately, the majority) was a bit too gross for my taste and made me feel icky. Although I’m sure, that was the point.
Intellectually, I know that this book is an artful examination of eating disorders, religious identity and modern womanhood. However, so much of it was so gross that I couldn’t expend the energy examining and unpacking the themes; I just had to power through the visceral descriptions of mildly incestuous and fetishy sex fantasies (and eventual actual sex scenes). Rachel’s relationship with Miriam
This book follows our narrator, twenty-something-year-old Reform Jew Rachel, as she struggles with her relationship with her mother and body. She is a comedian and works in Hollywood for an acting agency or something (not relevant lol). She’s a recovering binge eater and anorexic and still lives by the calorie, obsessively tracking everything she eats, eating in secluded corners out of shame. She meets Miriam, an Orthodox Jew who insists on feeding her. Rachel gives in to her impulse to binge on food and lust, becoming borderline obsessed with Miriam but calling it love. They form kind of a friendship, have a tumultuous affair, and things fall apart.
My favourite parts of this book were the examinations of Rachel’s Jewish identity and the subplot involving a golem of herself and a dreamed Rabbi.
This book was objectively good but not to my taste. I like my books a little less objectifying, a little less Freudian, and a little less weird.
Intellectually, I know that this book is an artful examination of eating disorders, religious identity and modern womanhood. However, so much of it was so gross that I couldn’t expend the energy examining and unpacking the themes; I just had to power through the visceral descriptions of mildly incestuous and fetishy sex fantasies (and eventual actual sex scenes). Rachel’s relationship with Miriam
This book follows our narrator, twenty-something-year-old Reform Jew Rachel, as she struggles with her relationship with her mother and body. She is a comedian and works in Hollywood for an acting agency or something (not relevant lol). She’s a recovering binge eater and anorexic and still lives by the calorie, obsessively tracking everything she eats, eating in secluded corners out of shame. She meets Miriam, an Orthodox Jew who insists on feeding her. Rachel gives in to her impulse to binge on food and lust, becoming borderline obsessed with Miriam but calling it love. They form kind of a friendship, have a tumultuous affair, and things fall apart.
My favourite parts of this book were the examinations of Rachel’s Jewish identity and the subplot involving a golem of herself and a dreamed Rabbi.
This book was objectively good but not to my taste. I like my books a little less objectifying, a little less Freudian, and a little less weird.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Sexual content
Minor: Antisemitism and Incest
clevermor's review against another edition
DNF'd - The fat character is solely used as a plot device and to make the main character feel good about herself. I really tried to stick it out but its just so disgusting how the main character speaks about the fat woman she is crushing on. Horribly fatphobic. Dont even get me started on the gross and incestuous sex scenes. I know shes writing about mommy issues but I draw the line at fantasies about fucking her mom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Lesbophobia, Fatphobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Sexual content, and Incest
kyahfae's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Eating disorder and Mental illness
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Incest, Lesbophobia, and Sexual content
Minor: Vomit
kittybby's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
fast-paced
3.75
First of all, the biggest trigger warning in the world for eating disorders and fatphobia. Vivid detail about calorie counts, extremely restrictive food rituals, weight (with mention of numbers), binge-eating, etc. Also readers should know that there is discussion of parental abuse as well as vivid descriptions of sex/masturbation and it gets quite Freudian.
The weirdest book I've ever read. But also I was engrossed by it. Couldn't put it down. I read half of it in the first sitting then was thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. I finished it in less than a day.
"This was the thing about boundaries: they made sense in therapy, but when you tried to implement them in the real world, people had no idea what you were talking about. Or deep down they knew exactly what you were talking about and immediately set to work reinforcing their case of denial."
I will remember the line about how her going to her mother for praise/support was like going to the hardware store for milk.
Problematic? Absolutely. [ She fucks a woman who is her "worst nightmare" of what she would look like if she was fat. I don't know what I expected the ending to be. It felt a bit sudden and also leaves you with many questions. (hide spoiler)]
So an extremely weird book with a touch of incest-vibes but it's really captivating. I think I'd give this a 3.75.
The weirdest book I've ever read. But also I was engrossed by it. Couldn't put it down. I read half of it in the first sitting then was thinking about it even when I wasn't reading it. I finished it in less than a day.
"This was the thing about boundaries: they made sense in therapy, but when you tried to implement them in the real world, people had no idea what you were talking about. Or deep down they knew exactly what you were talking about and immediately set to work reinforcing their case of denial."
I will remember the line about how her going to her mother for praise/support was like going to the hardware store for milk.
Problematic? Absolutely. [ She fucks a woman who is her "worst nightmare" of what she would look like if she was fat. I don't know what I expected the ending to be. It felt a bit sudden and also leaves you with many questions. (hide spoiler)]
So an extremely weird book with a touch of incest-vibes but it's really captivating. I think I'd give this a 3.75.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Lesbophobia, Incest, Dysphoria, Eating disorder, and Sexual content