A review by leahlovesloslibros
Milk Fed by Melissa Broder

challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This is the story of Rachel, a twenty-something who has an unhealthy relationship with food, largely thanks to her mother. When her therapist suggest Rachel take a ninety-day detox from her mother, she begins to explore food through visits to a local frozen yogurt shop, as well as a [hopeful] new relationship with the woman who serves it to her, Miriam. Milk Fed started out slow for me. I wasn't hooked right away, but as I kept going it picked up a bit. 

This book is rife with trigger and content warnings, most of which center around food/eating disorders/fatphobia, etc. Rachel is constantly obsessing over her food intake and calorie count, thanks to the fact that her mother has been criticizing her food choices and her body since she was a girl. Food and eating were something to be ashamed of, and although she knows that it is unhealthy, she can't stop the habits.

Enter Miriam, a healthy, larger woman who works at the local frozen yogurt shop and is more than happy to introduce her favorite indulgences to Rachel. The more Rachel eats, the more she starts to develop complicated feelings for this woman who is basically the opposite of her in every way. Can Rachel discern her feelings for food from her feelings for Miriam, or are they so interdependent that one cannot exist without the other?

This book tackled a lot of tough issues, which did not deter me, but it was also a bit heavier than what I was looking for in that moment. I think I would have enjoyed it a little more at a different time. 
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