Many thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Melissa Broder. 3 stars with lots of trigger warnings about eating disorders.
Rachel is a young, lapsed Jew with an eating disorder who constantly seeks out mother figures to fill a void. From an early age, Rachel's mother promoted calorie counting and thinness as a goal. Rachel's therapist suggests a 90-day detox from communicating with her mother in order to help her heal. At her favorite frozen yogurt shop, Rachel meets Miriam, an Orthodox Jew who loves to eat and loves to feed people, including Rachel. Rachel loves who she becomes when she is with Miriam, throwing calorie counting aside and embracing a new relationship with food and her body. The two enter into a secret relationship together because Miriam's family would disown her otherwise.
I will preface this review by stating that I'm sure I'm not the target audience for this book. There were parts of this book I loved - Rachel is very relatable to so many women who count calories eaten and expended, who tie their weight to their self-esteem. I loved seeing the progression of Rachel, growing into a healthy relationship with food and her body as well as in her relationships with those around her. What I didn't love so much were the repetitive dream sequences and very erotic sex scenes.
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