I absolutely loved this book and I'm so grateful to Netgalley for approving me for the title. This is a debut novel for Yara Zgheib, and I hope to see that she's published another title soon. The pace of this novel was just what I needed, and the character development was rich and critical to the plot.

The story follows Anna Roux's struggle with Anorexia Nervosa, and it reflects both on her life before it took hold, as well as her time in a treatment facility with other women fighting the disease as well. Zgheib wrote about her habits, feelings and the physical ramifications of the disease from a well informed viewpoint. Each woman had their own story, and while Anna's experience took a front seat, the relationships formed and witnessed were an important part of the story.

It's an emotional read for sure, but the descriptions of her journey and the food she once loved were compelling. Her relationship with her husband, Mattias, brought both a lightness and a heaviness to the story. I appreciated what I perceive as a realistic portrayal of the impact on family and life, and not everything was tied up in a neat bow. I think this further reflects the author's impeccable research or perhaps a personal connection to the disease.

While it brought me to tears at times, it didn't stay stuck in a place that made it hard to continue.

I highly recommend this and look forward to other novels written by Yara in the future. Five stars!