Sad Perfect Review

Date Published: February 28, 2017

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Number of Pages: 320

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

First thoughts:

There were so much feels in this book. I know from reading others reviews that this book can be dangerous to those with an eating disorder but in my opinion this is a story of hope. This book really allows those who suffer from an eating disorder to see that it's possible to overcome your problem. That with the right support system and an inner will you CAN overcome it. Warning! There are some serious topics discussed in this book and not intended for young and vulnerable readers.

Goodreads Summary:

The story of a teen girl's struggle with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and how love helps her on the road to recovery. 

Sixteen-year-old Pea looks normal, but she has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). It is like having a monster inside of her, one that only dictates what she can eat, but also causes anxiety, depression, and thoughts that she doesn't want to have. When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she's fine. At first, everything really does feel like it's getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, and in Ben, the support and strength she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn't have control of her. 

Plot: 

This was a story of love and self discovery of one's own self-will. Serious topics such as cutting and depression were discussed in this book and made the book more relate-able. I thought the progression of the book was smooth and fast. It was a serious book but it was so full-filling and heart-warming that it didn't seem too serious.

Romance:

The romance was cute yet a little unbelievable. They immediately fell in love and it would be referred as insta-love. Now I'm not usually the kind of person who likes insta-love but in this case it gave the main character the extra push she needed to heal. I liked Ben and Pea, they honestly were adorable together. I just think it wasn't believable. In today's society this kind of love is hard to find and maybe it's possible but I haven't seen it myself. But like I said I liked it in this book and I think Pea needed him to be able to fully discover herself.

Characters:

I really enjoyed most of the characters in this book. Pea was a young girl who was confused and conflicted about her life. She really didn't have any experience when it came to herself and how to handle depression and anxiety. She knew what kinds of foods she could eat but at first didn't want to explore what others she could include in her small choice of foods. Ben was a typical character. He was the boy next door kind of guy (he didn't really live next door). But he was sweet and cool at times. He may not have known what to do at all times but he did his best to lend his support to Pea. The other characters were okay but nothing to write home about. One of Pea's doctors was a real piece of work though. The one she met in the hospital. I hated her immediately, she was a real jerk and didn't deserve to be in the line of work she was in. Other than that I really enjoyed the two main characters. 

The Transformation of the character:

Pea is really the only character who transformed in this book, maybe her parents and brother but they weren't the key factor to this book. But Pea who once knew nothing of herself transformed into someone who was worth reading about. She really put in some hard work and you could see the caterpillar turn into the butterfly and fly away. 

Description:

The description in the book was really superb. The description of feelings and what was going on was really intense and beautiful. I really felt like I could feel what the character was feeling and understand exactly what it's like to be someone who is diagnosed with ARFID. The dialogue was pretty good, nothing too fancy but enough to get the point across and let the audience know exactly what it going on. I really enjoyed the description of the characters and what was going through their heads. Their inner-dialogue really opened up the book and allowed us to know what was going on and a sense of fore-shadowing.  

Style:

This book was written in second person. I will admit that it took me a little bit to get used to it because most of the books I read are written in first person. After awhile though it became easier and by the end of the book you could understand the need for second person. It was a bold and brilliant move to write in second person. I liked the author's writing itself. It was smooth as silk and easy to read. I actually enjoyed this author's writing style.

Quote of the book:

"It started the night Ben left your house. And every day it gets worse. The strange thing, the craziest thing about it, is you watch in amazement and can't believe you can't feel it. You can't feel any of it. That's not exactly true. You do feel something. You feel calm."

Last Thoughts:

I really enjoyed reading this book and hope you take the time to give it a chance too. Though this book might not be for everybody it is for some people. I personally felt a connection with this book and it'll be awhile before it's beauty fades from my mind. I will definitely be looking forward to any other books this author writes. 

Ratings: 

5 Fully bloomed! A.k.a. 5 stars!