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koreanlinda's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This was such a fortunate find in the library. Victoria Ying tells her own story of an eating disorder through a teenage protagonist Val. She is a Vietnamese American with a mother who micromanages her daughter's eating. I have a mother who obsesses over other's judgment of appearance and eating, so I related to Val's struggle. It took me a long time to love my body, stop dieting, and focus on more important parts of my life.
I hope this book and similar stories are read widely among young people. I think the pressure to look good on social media is ever so high. It takes a lot of self-care and community support to fight off that pressure.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in March 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
I hope this book and similar stories are read widely among young people. I think the pressure to look good on social media is ever so high. It takes a lot of self-care and community support to fight off that pressure.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in March 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Fatphobia
Moderate: Child abuse and Death of parent
black_flamed_candle_b00ks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
befrazzledenby's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
As someone who's struggled with an eating disorder for most of their life, I was pretty disappointed by this graphic novel, which was a surprise. It was so fast-paced, and felt so shallow but also way too deep at times, like the pace of the novel couldn't contain the intense emotionality of everything happening in the plot/character. It just didn't feel realistic or very human to me. I've had patrons rave about it, though, and the illustrations (colored pencil, I think) were really lovely and fit the theme. The pacing was too off for me, though.
Graphic: Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, and Suicide
readingwithkaitlyn's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Vomit, Grief, and Death of parent
Dead animal, stereotypes,
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