Aubrey Gainey

Tw: mentions of ED, body dismorphia, and a little bit of a spoiler if you squint hard enough. I already wrote a review but I had to rewrite it because my review doesn't even come close to describing how this book has affected me. I love reading, it's one of my biggest passions and I hope to become a successful author eventually. Even though I love reading I went two years without picking up a book (for very personal and sad reasons) , last weekend I decided to try reading. I have a box full of books next to my bed and I want to read all of them eventually, but lo and behold this book is the first one I chose. I don't know why, maybe it was fate or because I'm an angsty teen and the art of starving sounds hardcore lol. Who knows? Anyways, a couple of months ago I had read the description of the book and it sounded intriguing but didn't spark too much interest. It wasn't until I started reading the book when I realized just how much it was going to change me. From the first page I was hooked, even though I had never dealt with an eating disorder I have struggled with severe body dismorphia for years and this book made me feel seen. It made me feel like I was apart of something bigger than myself. It's also made me do a lot of self reflection in the last few days. Normally when I read books and I finish them I don't really think about them much, don't get me wrong I still think about the sometimes but everything reminds me of this book. For example, a couple of days ago I passed by a field with some trees on it from small sprouts to trees full of bushy leaves and it reminded me of how tariq's father owned the Christmas tree farm that was desrived in that same manor. Anyways all of this to say it's a really really good book and I will cherish it near and dear to my heart forever.