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thinandbeautiful.com
Seventeen-year-old Maddy has always felt a hole in her life, but she has finally found a way to fill it with her quest to mold her body into her ideal, thinnest shape. When she comes across the world of "pro-ana" websites, where young people encourage each other in their mission to lose ever more weight, she realizes she is no longer alone. Finally, she has found a place where she is understood. Maddy quickly becomes addicted to the support and camaraderie she finds online. Now in a rehab facility where they are trying to "fix" a problem she doesn't think she has, Maddy's diary entries trace how she arrived at this point. Angry that she is barred from accessing her online friends, only the tragic consequences that come to one of her comrades in arms is enough to shock her into admitting that she does need help.
264 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
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January 28, 2010
As someone who has struggled with disordered eating, I was very eager to dig into Thinandbeautiful.com. This young adult book was written by Liane Shaw, a teacher who once struggled with anorexia. The story follows Maddie, an anorexic teenage girl who finds herself sucked into the "pro-ana" (pro-anorexia) website thinandbeautiful.com. Thinking no one understands how she feels about her weight and her body, Maddie pushes her friends and family away, finding her only comfort in the virtual arms of her online friends.
The story finds Maddie in a sort of rehab facility for eating disorders where she is told to keep a journal chronicling her descent into anorexia. The action shifts back and forth between the journal entries describing how Maddie fell into anorexic thinking (it all began when a doctor during a routine examination warns her to be careful about gaining "unwanted pounds") to the present day, her time in the rehab facility and her feelings that no one understands her "need" to be thinner. It's only when Maddie gets tragic news about one of her online friends that she begins to come to terms with the idea that she might have a problem.
Thinandbeautiful.com starts slowly. The journal format is difficult to get into, partially because it didn't really feel like the words of a 17-year-old girl. It read like the words of an adult trying to write as if she were a 17-year-old girl. In fact, it is reminiscent of the after school specials you might have watched in the late eighties.
Describing the descent into anorexia is difficult; the early parts of the book are slow and convoluted and don't really help to explain why someone would decide that their weight it isn't good enough, no matter how thin they may be. In fact, as much as the early pages of this book talk about Maddie's desire to be "thin and healthy," there is little mention of what her actual weight currently is or what she thinks it should be. Her goal is simply to be thinner, but there is little behind that desire. Her desire to be thin is fueled only by a vague notion that "thinner is better," not any idea about how her life will be different when she reaches her undefined magic goal weight.
I’m not saying there has to be a rational reason behind an irrational way of thinking, but I do think eating disorders are usually fueled by more than just a desire to be thin. It’s a perception that something else is lacking or that the thinness will help the sufferer achieve something, such as control. That’s why I found Maddie’s struggle difficult to identify with and understand.
About halfway through the book, once the journal entries reach their apex and Maddie really starts to confront her feelings about her family and her online friends, the story starts to resonate. You may not understand why Maddie has an eating disorder, but you do understand she’s hurting and that she’s struggling to find a way to conquer her illness. It is in the last third of the book that you feel the author's connection to the material; the words finally start to ring true and the book becomes genuine, just when it matters most.
However, Thinandbeautiful.com is a case of too little, too late. Those final glimpses aren't enough to recommend the book. Someone struggling with the same thoughts as Maddie may find Thinandbeautiful.com comforting, but those trying to understand why someone would starve themselves will find this novel lacking.
Review by Jennifer Lee Johnson
The story finds Maddie in a sort of rehab facility for eating disorders where she is told to keep a journal chronicling her descent into anorexia. The action shifts back and forth between the journal entries describing how Maddie fell into anorexic thinking (it all began when a doctor during a routine examination warns her to be careful about gaining "unwanted pounds") to the present day, her time in the rehab facility and her feelings that no one understands her "need" to be thinner. It's only when Maddie gets tragic news about one of her online friends that she begins to come to terms with the idea that she might have a problem.
Thinandbeautiful.com starts slowly. The journal format is difficult to get into, partially because it didn't really feel like the words of a 17-year-old girl. It read like the words of an adult trying to write as if she were a 17-year-old girl. In fact, it is reminiscent of the after school specials you might have watched in the late eighties.
Describing the descent into anorexia is difficult; the early parts of the book are slow and convoluted and don't really help to explain why someone would decide that their weight it isn't good enough, no matter how thin they may be. In fact, as much as the early pages of this book talk about Maddie's desire to be "thin and healthy," there is little mention of what her actual weight currently is or what she thinks it should be. Her goal is simply to be thinner, but there is little behind that desire. Her desire to be thin is fueled only by a vague notion that "thinner is better," not any idea about how her life will be different when she reaches her undefined magic goal weight.
I’m not saying there has to be a rational reason behind an irrational way of thinking, but I do think eating disorders are usually fueled by more than just a desire to be thin. It’s a perception that something else is lacking or that the thinness will help the sufferer achieve something, such as control. That’s why I found Maddie’s struggle difficult to identify with and understand.
About halfway through the book, once the journal entries reach their apex and Maddie really starts to confront her feelings about her family and her online friends, the story starts to resonate. You may not understand why Maddie has an eating disorder, but you do understand she’s hurting and that she’s struggling to find a way to conquer her illness. It is in the last third of the book that you feel the author's connection to the material; the words finally start to ring true and the book becomes genuine, just when it matters most.
However, Thinandbeautiful.com is a case of too little, too late. Those final glimpses aren't enough to recommend the book. Someone struggling with the same thoughts as Maddie may find Thinandbeautiful.com comforting, but those trying to understand why someone would starve themselves will find this novel lacking.
Review by Jennifer Lee Johnson
January 9, 2010
I loved this book, and it was really well written for me. I was so engrossed that I managed to read it in two sittings in one day.
Basically, the title says it all: thinandbeautiful.com. 17-year-old Maddie Nesserfield just wants to be that - thin and beautiful. So much so that she pushes everything that's dear to her to become that. What I love about this story is that it gives readers Maddie's point of view instead of being told in third person. It gave me quite useful insight of what was going through Maddie's mind and I honestly felt the urge that she feels too (though I didn't try any of those, aha)
But what was annoying was that I was siding against Maddie - I felt that whatever she did was totally wrong but in her mind it was right. But of course it was wrong, but the way she expressed it was like it was politically correct in her own world. I felt myself being irritated and wanted to yell in the book for her to lose her best friend, yelling at her parents and whoever tried to help her.
And the GWS (Girls Without Shadows) just added to my annoyance in this story. I mean, I honestly didn't think that this was to be encouraged. And what's more -- probably it is happening right now somewhere in the world. That's a scary thought when I put this book down.
I loved the ending, too. I loved how Maddie got a jolt, a sudden wake up call from her lala-land when lookingforlight died from anorexia and bulimia.
Basically, the title says it all: thinandbeautiful.com. 17-year-old Maddie Nesserfield just wants to be that - thin and beautiful. So much so that she pushes everything that's dear to her to become that. What I love about this story is that it gives readers Maddie's point of view instead of being told in third person. It gave me quite useful insight of what was going through Maddie's mind and I honestly felt the urge that she feels too (though I didn't try any of those, aha)
But what was annoying was that I was siding against Maddie - I felt that whatever she did was totally wrong but in her mind it was right. But of course it was wrong, but the way she expressed it was like it was politically correct in her own world. I felt myself being irritated and wanted to yell in the book for her to lose her best friend, yelling at her parents and whoever tried to help her.
And the GWS (Girls Without Shadows) just added to my annoyance in this story. I mean, I honestly didn't think that this was to be encouraged. And what's more -- probably it is happening right now somewhere in the world. That's a scary thought when I put this book down.
I loved the ending, too. I loved how Maddie got a jolt, a sudden wake up call from her lala-land when lookingforlight died from anorexia and bulimia.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 5, 2017
Another book about eating disorders that is just okay. I've never read a book (well...yet,) about this topic that I love. Mainly because the representations are so stupid.
The denial was so unrealistic. It annoyed me (I nearly swore!) so much how naive and stupid she was. She goes down as one of the most annoying main characters ever. How the hell could she deny it for that long? Fair enough at first, but NOT when she was institutionalised...and PURGING. I mean, yeah, maybe with her idiocy, she could imagine restricting as plain dieting. But purging isn't just dieting. A fricking 5 year old child knows that.
She'd also (like me...) come across a list of symptoms at some point, given she was obsessed with the internet, and relate to most of the points. It seems as if the author just looked at a list of symptoms herself and decided to focus on the 'denial.' I've never met anyone that didn't know they had an eating disorder, or at least thought of their eating/dieting as normal.
So, yeah, I totally despised Madison. I sided with her parents and everyone else throughout the entire book, even with my own anorexia. The other characters weren't developed at all, and I just couldn't relate to them.
Also, she was hospitalised for her eating disorder, yet she wasn't forced to attend meals?? What's the point of her being there? No wonder she refused to believe she had an eating disorder. I've been to a hospital where I didn't have a roommate and going to groups/sessions was optional, so I'm not going to slam that, but the MEALS. You have to go to them. In fact, you have to have someone to watch you eat (the reason you're there...), and you're not allowed to leave the hall for around 30 minutes, so people can't just run out and purge straight afterwards. In Madison's hospital, what is stopping that?
Everyone there had eating disorders, but they seemed to have no problem with eating. Marina and Wolf instantly stuffed their faces in front of Madison, not seeming to be self-aware or bothered. They'd only been in the hospital around a month, right? I want to go to this magical hospital, where I can be completely cured in a month (like Wolf and Marina), with no forced meal times, no one breathing down your neck, making sure you consumed at least 3,000 calories a day, no one trapping you in the hall, so you couldn't run out and get rid of the most calories you'd eaten in a year. What was to stop Madison just pouring the protein shake that she was apparently forced to eat into her drawer, or on the floor, then pretend to have eaten it? Honestly it was like some hotel, not a hospital. I want to go there.
Just like every other book I've read, the 'recovery' is around two pages at the end, and is always the most cliche way to recover with someone dying and them suddenly having a random epiphany.
I have to say again that I suffer from anorexia myself, which is why I think I feel so strongly about the representations in these books. If you want realism, then I wouldn't recommend this.
The denial was so unrealistic. It annoyed me (I nearly swore!) so much how naive and stupid she was. She goes down as one of the most annoying main characters ever. How the hell could she deny it for that long? Fair enough at first, but NOT when she was institutionalised...and PURGING. I mean, yeah, maybe with her idiocy, she could imagine restricting as plain dieting. But purging isn't just dieting. A fricking 5 year old child knows that.
She'd also (like me...) come across a list of symptoms at some point, given she was obsessed with the internet, and relate to most of the points. It seems as if the author just looked at a list of symptoms herself and decided to focus on the 'denial.' I've never met anyone that didn't know they had an eating disorder, or at least thought of their eating/dieting as normal.
So, yeah, I totally despised Madison. I sided with her parents and everyone else throughout the entire book, even with my own anorexia. The other characters weren't developed at all, and I just couldn't relate to them.
Also, she was hospitalised for her eating disorder, yet she wasn't forced to attend meals?? What's the point of her being there? No wonder she refused to believe she had an eating disorder. I've been to a hospital where I didn't have a roommate and going to groups/sessions was optional, so I'm not going to slam that, but the MEALS. You have to go to them. In fact, you have to have someone to watch you eat (the reason you're there...), and you're not allowed to leave the hall for around 30 minutes, so people can't just run out and purge straight afterwards. In Madison's hospital, what is stopping that?
Everyone there had eating disorders, but they seemed to have no problem with eating. Marina and Wolf instantly stuffed their faces in front of Madison, not seeming to be self-aware or bothered. They'd only been in the hospital around a month, right? I want to go to this magical hospital, where I can be completely cured in a month (like Wolf and Marina), with no forced meal times, no one breathing down your neck, making sure you consumed at least 3,000 calories a day, no one trapping you in the hall, so you couldn't run out and get rid of the most calories you'd eaten in a year. What was to stop Madison just pouring the protein shake that she was apparently forced to eat into her drawer, or on the floor, then pretend to have eaten it? Honestly it was like some hotel, not a hospital. I want to go there.
Just like every other book I've read, the 'recovery' is around two pages at the end, and is always the most cliche way to recover with someone dying and them suddenly having a random epiphany.
I have to say again that I suffer from anorexia myself, which is why I think I feel so strongly about the representations in these books. If you want realism, then I wouldn't recommend this.
September 11, 2009
Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
Maddie considers herself pretty normal. At the age of eleven, she began thinking, and yes, worrying, about her appearance. But aren't most girls concerned about things like hair, make-up, and weight? It may have been that visit to the doctor for a physical that got the problem started.
It was a routine sports physical. After the exam and Maddie was back in her clothes, the doctor came into the room to chat. Part of the conversation was a warning from him that girls her age need to start watching what they eat so they don't put on "unwanted" pounds.
Those words stayed with Maddie, and as her desire to create the perfect figure began to occupy more of her thoughts, those words may have urged her to go way beyond what was healthy and wise.
Most of THINANDBEAUTIFUL.COM involves Maddie writing about herself and confronting the fact that she is suffering from an eating disorder. She has many people who offer her support, but recognizing whose support she should seek is difficult.
Her family and school friends are ready to do whatever is necessary, but she is drawn to an online chat group known as Girls Without Shadows. Their belief is that they have the right to do what they want to their bodies in their desire to be thin and beautiful. The idea of eating disorders does not exist for them.
Author Liane Shaw presents the all too common problems of anorexia and bulimia in stark detail as she helps Maddie tell her story. The excuses and denial typical of those with eating disorders is made plain for all to see. Anyone suffering with one or both of these disorders, or anyone who knows someone who is, will benefit from reading Maddie's story.
Maddie considers herself pretty normal. At the age of eleven, she began thinking, and yes, worrying, about her appearance. But aren't most girls concerned about things like hair, make-up, and weight? It may have been that visit to the doctor for a physical that got the problem started.
It was a routine sports physical. After the exam and Maddie was back in her clothes, the doctor came into the room to chat. Part of the conversation was a warning from him that girls her age need to start watching what they eat so they don't put on "unwanted" pounds.
Those words stayed with Maddie, and as her desire to create the perfect figure began to occupy more of her thoughts, those words may have urged her to go way beyond what was healthy and wise.
Most of THINANDBEAUTIFUL.COM involves Maddie writing about herself and confronting the fact that she is suffering from an eating disorder. She has many people who offer her support, but recognizing whose support she should seek is difficult.
Her family and school friends are ready to do whatever is necessary, but she is drawn to an online chat group known as Girls Without Shadows. Their belief is that they have the right to do what they want to their bodies in their desire to be thin and beautiful. The idea of eating disorders does not exist for them.
Author Liane Shaw presents the all too common problems of anorexia and bulimia in stark detail as she helps Maddie tell her story. The excuses and denial typical of those with eating disorders is made plain for all to see. Anyone suffering with one or both of these disorders, or anyone who knows someone who is, will benefit from reading Maddie's story.
October 30, 2011
Concept/Ideas: 3/5
Storyline/Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
I loved ThinandBeautiful.com. It was an interesing and educational read. I loved the storyline, and I found it very sad, but at the same time, a great read about body image, and the pressures girl's feel nowadays to conform to a certain body type.
I found Maddie somewhat annoying, but the dialogue was still good, so I didn't really mind that factor. I loved her best friend Annie, and thought that she was such a sweetheart, who just didn't know how to take action towards her best friend's anorexia problem.
It was a fast read, only about 200 something pages, but I found it went by quickly because of the engrossing story, and heartbreaking voice of seventeen-year old Maddie.
I also enjoyed how it switched between two parts constantly. One part was her battle leading up to the anorexia, and the other was the diary/journal entries of her life while in a clinic recovering.
I loved this book, and I reccommend it to anyone, suffering from body issues or not, because not only does it teach you to value your body, and shows you how much the media negatively influences girls (AND boys) nowadays, but it also teaches you and makes you aware of the ongoing struggle and anorexia/bulimia problem that many girls have to deal with and suffer from.
Storyline/Plot: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Writing Style: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars
I loved ThinandBeautiful.com. It was an interesing and educational read. I loved the storyline, and I found it very sad, but at the same time, a great read about body image, and the pressures girl's feel nowadays to conform to a certain body type.
I found Maddie somewhat annoying, but the dialogue was still good, so I didn't really mind that factor. I loved her best friend Annie, and thought that she was such a sweetheart, who just didn't know how to take action towards her best friend's anorexia problem.
It was a fast read, only about 200 something pages, but I found it went by quickly because of the engrossing story, and heartbreaking voice of seventeen-year old Maddie.
I also enjoyed how it switched between two parts constantly. One part was her battle leading up to the anorexia, and the other was the diary/journal entries of her life while in a clinic recovering.
I loved this book, and I reccommend it to anyone, suffering from body issues or not, because not only does it teach you to value your body, and shows you how much the media negatively influences girls (AND boys) nowadays, but it also teaches you and makes you aware of the ongoing struggle and anorexia/bulimia problem that many girls have to deal with and suffer from.
January 12, 2015
I mean... it was alright. I guess. Maddie sounds more like a middle schooler than a 17 year old, and the formatting didn't work. Journal? Really? It doesn't read like a journal. I just... Idk, man, idk. It was just okay. Nothing special.
January 1, 2016
Grade: C-
After reading an ARC copy of Liane Shaw's thoughtful novel THE COLOR OF SILENCE, I was eager to see read THINANDBEAUTIFUL.COM, hoping to find the same subtle insight and sensitivity. Instead, narrator Madison is self-centered, unfriendly and without depth. Maddie is superficial, and while on the surface eating disorders may seem superficial, they are mental illnesses about the underlying issues of trauma, low self esteem, depression, anxiety, family dysfunction and/or a whole host of other issues that have nothing to do with eating, food and weight.
On the surface Maddie seemed to have it all, brains, looks, friends and a family who loved her. She believes her mother and Doctor think she's fat and that her life will be better if she loses weight. Fair enough. She's studied eating disorders in school and knows that pro-anorexia websites are dangerous, yet she finds a site where girls encourage each other to diet and claim they don't have eating disorders. My understanding of such sites is that anorexia is a goal, a badge of honor of sorts, although the girls on this site seem to believe they just want to be thin. Okay, maybe Shaw decided to go with this theory. Instead of being in denial, Madison seemed more clueless, lacking all insight. Not only was Maddie not introspective, but she was overtly unkind to her family and friends, especially her best friend.
The treatment center bore no resemblance to any psych hospital or eating disorder treatment facility that would be licensed to operate in the USA. Everything from eating to attending groups was voluntary. Madison didn't have a roommate, possible in some more upscale centers, but she was allowed to stay in her room all day and write in her journal. She wasn't even requires to go to the cafeteria for meals. Shaw could have done better research about the types of therapies that structure inpatient hospitalizations.
The ending was beyond clichéd. Can there be a book about eating disorders without a Big Event that causes the main character to have a proverbial lightbulb go off in her head and develop an instantaneous desire to embrace recovery?
THEMES: friendship, mental health, eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, family, friendship
THINANDBEAUTIFUL.COM is a forgettable story of a teenager resisting recovery from anorexia in a treatment facility.
After reading an ARC copy of Liane Shaw's thoughtful novel THE COLOR OF SILENCE, I was eager to see read THINANDBEAUTIFUL.COM, hoping to find the same subtle insight and sensitivity. Instead, narrator Madison is self-centered, unfriendly and without depth. Maddie is superficial, and while on the surface eating disorders may seem superficial, they are mental illnesses about the underlying issues of trauma, low self esteem, depression, anxiety, family dysfunction and/or a whole host of other issues that have nothing to do with eating, food and weight.
On the surface Maddie seemed to have it all, brains, looks, friends and a family who loved her. She believes her mother and Doctor think she's fat and that her life will be better if she loses weight. Fair enough. She's studied eating disorders in school and knows that pro-anorexia websites are dangerous, yet she finds a site where girls encourage each other to diet and claim they don't have eating disorders. My understanding of such sites is that anorexia is a goal, a badge of honor of sorts, although the girls on this site seem to believe they just want to be thin. Okay, maybe Shaw decided to go with this theory. Instead of being in denial, Madison seemed more clueless, lacking all insight. Not only was Maddie not introspective, but she was overtly unkind to her family and friends, especially her best friend.
The treatment center bore no resemblance to any psych hospital or eating disorder treatment facility that would be licensed to operate in the USA. Everything from eating to attending groups was voluntary. Madison didn't have a roommate, possible in some more upscale centers, but she was allowed to stay in her room all day and write in her journal. She wasn't even requires to go to the cafeteria for meals. Shaw could have done better research about the types of therapies that structure inpatient hospitalizations.
The ending was beyond clichéd. Can there be a book about eating disorders without a Big Event that causes the main character to have a proverbial lightbulb go off in her head and develop an instantaneous desire to embrace recovery?
THEMES: friendship, mental health, eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, family, friendship
THINANDBEAUTIFUL.COM is a forgettable story of a teenager resisting recovery from anorexia in a treatment facility.
January 25, 2020
2.5 Stars
POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Some material in this story --- especially the GWS chat logs --- could be possibly triggering for readers with sensitivities / tendencies towards eating disorders
Taking inspiration from her own struggles with anorexia nervosa, author Liane Shaw brings readers the story of seventeen year old Maddie, who comes to find herself sucked into the world of "thinspiration" websites. These sites are a controversial area of the internet where advice and stories are shared that subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) encourage young women to turn to anorexia or bulimia to reach their frighteningly low goal weights. When we first meet Maddie, she has recently been sent to a rehab facility for eating disorder patients, her official diagnosis determined to be "anorexia nervosa with bulimic tendencies." Though she denies she has a problem, when the therapist gives her a journal to write her story in, Maddie sees some benefit in the exercise, as it will allow her to tell her story from her perspective, so readers can choose for themselves whose side to take.
No joke, Maddie starts from the VERY beginning...as in, the earliest days of childhood, sharing any pivotal moments she can recall that may or may not have led her to being in this facility now. Though it's not necessarily crucial to Maddie's ED story, there is some comedic relief from heavier subjects in her training bra-shopping story. She's an 11 year old girl, newly introduced to puberty, goes training bra shopping with her mom, and OF COURSE the two hottest guys in her class stroll into the store just as Maddie's mom is holding up various styles of boulder holders up to Maddie's chest trying to figure out what size to go with. Also gotta love Maddie's rant on the term "training bra": "What am I training them to do? I didn't even ask for them and now I have to teach them tricks?!" 😄
It's not until high school that we start getting to the core of Maddie's struggles that ultimately lead her down the ED path. The first big incident comes during her pre-HS physical exam, where a doctor tells her it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her food intake / calorie count from here on out. Maddie interprets this as the doctor lowkey calling her fat. Just entering high school, Maddie is not the most popular student, but she's super curious as to what it must be like to be accepted into that crowd. Influenced by fashion magazines, social media, and the like, Maddie starts cutting back her portion sizes. Nothing alarming at first, but she gets a little addicted to the practice when she sees her clothing sizes steadily shrinking and the popular, pretty girls starting to initiate conversations with her, offering to do her makeup, etc.
Maddie gradually reduces her caloric intake even more --- to the point where she's showing early signs of malnutrition: headaches, stomach pains, muscle aches, persistent fatigue --- but she just can't make herself stop. Even when her mother and her best friend try to voice concern, Maddie tunes it out, convinced some people just want to see her forever fat.
The unhealthy habits go one step further the night she decides to do a Wikipedia search on the topic of eating disorders. While looking through that information, Maddie remembers a class discussion from awhile back regarding those "thinspiration" sites. A quick internet search pulls up pages of results for dozens of such sites, most with big disclaimers that say something to the effect of "this site is not here to promote eating disorders", but rather simply sharing information for those who want it. Though that might be what the big disclaimers at the top of the page say, Maddie scrolls to the bottom of the page on one site to find a listing for about a dozen more sites --- THOSE links in much smaller font --- that DO lead visitors to questionable sites. The one that most grabs her attention is --- you guessed it --- thinandbeautiful.com.
Through this site, Maddie meets and befriends the ladies of GWS (Girls Without Shadows). The shared goal of all these girls is to whittle themselves down so much that they "create bodies that no longer cast shadows." GWS members try to be cute in their message board posts, using non-scary lingo to describe their methods --- "choc tabs" (laxatives), "two finger tango" (self induced vomiting) --- but the group later finds their actions have very real, very life-threatening consequences. Prior to that though, we witness the gradual pulling away Maddie has with formerly close friends and family, especially in the case of Maddie's longtime best friend, Annie.
When Annie finds out about Maddie spending so much time on the thinspiration site, she tries to gently express concern and urges Maddie to seek help. Not surprisingly, Maddie's initial response is to get defensive and claim Annie "just doesn't get it." She even goes so far as to claim the GWS are now her "real friends"... even though she's never met any of the GWS in person and she's been close with Annie since they were practically babies. Then there's later a scene where Maddie's mom wakes up to what's going on, and that's how we meet Maddie in rehab at the start of the book.
As you might expect, given what we learn about Maddie pretty early on, she's strongly resistant to treatment of any kind. Remember, she doesn't believe she's the one with the problem. But also remember that this is a YA novel, and in YA novels virtually any conflict can be turned around with the appearance of a cute guy. Shaw delivers one in the form of Pieter, aka "Wolf", the lone guy in Maddie's therapy group. But his involvement in the story is not as surface-level as you might be imagining. While yes, there's talk back and forth about how all the girls in therapy find him cute and mysterious and all that, Wolf also helps Maddie realize some important stuff... such as the usefulness in being open to therapy, even group therapy! With Wolf's encouragment, Maddie begins to take treatment more seriously and whaddayaknow, turns out there is benefit in hearing the stories of others with similar struggles! Wolf's backstory also serves to illustrate how males can develop an eating disorder in a world where the trouble is typically associated with female patients.
For the topics it addresses, all the different trigger scenarios Shaw illustrates, taking time to incorporate Wolf's story and show how even men are affected by ridiculous body standards often pushed by social media... for all that, I give this story credit. But the plot itself could've been a lot tighter, more tension incorporated. It had that "yeah, good start, but...." feel through a lot of the story. While Maddie does have some moving lines here and there, I was hoping for the book to pack a stronger punch in general. Maddie's closing thoughts left me wondering if she was really going to have any long-term success with this therapy. Even at story's close, it seemed like she was only minimally processing all the warnings people were trying to give her.
POTENTIAL TRIGGER WARNING: Some material in this story --- especially the GWS chat logs --- could be possibly triggering for readers with sensitivities / tendencies towards eating disorders
Taking inspiration from her own struggles with anorexia nervosa, author Liane Shaw brings readers the story of seventeen year old Maddie, who comes to find herself sucked into the world of "thinspiration" websites. These sites are a controversial area of the internet where advice and stories are shared that subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) encourage young women to turn to anorexia or bulimia to reach their frighteningly low goal weights. When we first meet Maddie, she has recently been sent to a rehab facility for eating disorder patients, her official diagnosis determined to be "anorexia nervosa with bulimic tendencies." Though she denies she has a problem, when the therapist gives her a journal to write her story in, Maddie sees some benefit in the exercise, as it will allow her to tell her story from her perspective, so readers can choose for themselves whose side to take.
No joke, Maddie starts from the VERY beginning...as in, the earliest days of childhood, sharing any pivotal moments she can recall that may or may not have led her to being in this facility now. Though it's not necessarily crucial to Maddie's ED story, there is some comedic relief from heavier subjects in her training bra-shopping story. She's an 11 year old girl, newly introduced to puberty, goes training bra shopping with her mom, and OF COURSE the two hottest guys in her class stroll into the store just as Maddie's mom is holding up various styles of boulder holders up to Maddie's chest trying to figure out what size to go with. Also gotta love Maddie's rant on the term "training bra": "What am I training them to do? I didn't even ask for them and now I have to teach them tricks?!" 😄
It's not until high school that we start getting to the core of Maddie's struggles that ultimately lead her down the ED path. The first big incident comes during her pre-HS physical exam, where a doctor tells her it wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on her food intake / calorie count from here on out. Maddie interprets this as the doctor lowkey calling her fat. Just entering high school, Maddie is not the most popular student, but she's super curious as to what it must be like to be accepted into that crowd. Influenced by fashion magazines, social media, and the like, Maddie starts cutting back her portion sizes. Nothing alarming at first, but she gets a little addicted to the practice when she sees her clothing sizes steadily shrinking and the popular, pretty girls starting to initiate conversations with her, offering to do her makeup, etc.
Maddie gradually reduces her caloric intake even more --- to the point where she's showing early signs of malnutrition: headaches, stomach pains, muscle aches, persistent fatigue --- but she just can't make herself stop. Even when her mother and her best friend try to voice concern, Maddie tunes it out, convinced some people just want to see her forever fat.
The unhealthy habits go one step further the night she decides to do a Wikipedia search on the topic of eating disorders. While looking through that information, Maddie remembers a class discussion from awhile back regarding those "thinspiration" sites. A quick internet search pulls up pages of results for dozens of such sites, most with big disclaimers that say something to the effect of "this site is not here to promote eating disorders", but rather simply sharing information for those who want it. Though that might be what the big disclaimers at the top of the page say, Maddie scrolls to the bottom of the page on one site to find a listing for about a dozen more sites --- THOSE links in much smaller font --- that DO lead visitors to questionable sites. The one that most grabs her attention is --- you guessed it --- thinandbeautiful.com.
Through this site, Maddie meets and befriends the ladies of GWS (Girls Without Shadows). The shared goal of all these girls is to whittle themselves down so much that they "create bodies that no longer cast shadows." GWS members try to be cute in their message board posts, using non-scary lingo to describe their methods --- "choc tabs" (laxatives), "two finger tango" (self induced vomiting) --- but the group later finds their actions have very real, very life-threatening consequences. Prior to that though, we witness the gradual pulling away Maddie has with formerly close friends and family, especially in the case of Maddie's longtime best friend, Annie.
When Annie finds out about Maddie spending so much time on the thinspiration site, she tries to gently express concern and urges Maddie to seek help. Not surprisingly, Maddie's initial response is to get defensive and claim Annie "just doesn't get it." She even goes so far as to claim the GWS are now her "real friends"... even though she's never met any of the GWS in person and she's been close with Annie since they were practically babies. Then there's later a scene where Maddie's mom wakes up to what's going on, and that's how we meet Maddie in rehab at the start of the book.
As you might expect, given what we learn about Maddie pretty early on, she's strongly resistant to treatment of any kind. Remember, she doesn't believe she's the one with the problem. But also remember that this is a YA novel, and in YA novels virtually any conflict can be turned around with the appearance of a cute guy. Shaw delivers one in the form of Pieter, aka "Wolf", the lone guy in Maddie's therapy group. But his involvement in the story is not as surface-level as you might be imagining. While yes, there's talk back and forth about how all the girls in therapy find him cute and mysterious and all that, Wolf also helps Maddie realize some important stuff... such as the usefulness in being open to therapy, even group therapy! With Wolf's encouragment, Maddie begins to take treatment more seriously and whaddayaknow, turns out there is benefit in hearing the stories of others with similar struggles! Wolf's backstory also serves to illustrate how males can develop an eating disorder in a world where the trouble is typically associated with female patients.
For the topics it addresses, all the different trigger scenarios Shaw illustrates, taking time to incorporate Wolf's story and show how even men are affected by ridiculous body standards often pushed by social media... for all that, I give this story credit. But the plot itself could've been a lot tighter, more tension incorporated. It had that "yeah, good start, but...." feel through a lot of the story. While Maddie does have some moving lines here and there, I was hoping for the book to pack a stronger punch in general. Maddie's closing thoughts left me wondering if she was really going to have any long-term success with this therapy. Even at story's close, it seemed like she was only minimally processing all the warnings people were trying to give her.
January 5, 2019
Read in 2011 and then again in 2019 because I was curious about what I'd felt underwhelming the first time. I think it's this: addressing the idea of pro-ana sites probably felt much more novel and exciting when the book was published in 2009 than it does now. As it it, the plot is pretty much every other basic YA eating disorder novel with the very slight twist that some of the backstory involves a website where girls encourage each other to starve each other while denying any possibility of an eating disorder and claiming that it's all just lifestyle choice. (This is surprising to me, actually; anyone who's spent any time at all on similar real-life sites will know that there's...extensive aspiration towards disorder labels.) Instead of Maddy having an in-person friend who dies of an eating disorder, which is common in this subgenre, .
Two and a half stars, I think; it's not at all terrible but a bit lackluster.
Two and a half stars, I think; it's not at all terrible but a bit lackluster.
October 11, 2011
This book was amazing in the sense that i have heard a lot about ED, and the girls (and boys) affected by it, but i never could understand their point of view. I never could tell how they refused to think that what they were doing was wrong and unhealthy.
Thinandbeautiful.com showed me the perspective of a young girl with anorexia and bulimia, but she doesnt think she has it. No matter what, she tells herself she is ugly/fat, putting herself down. And she refuses to admit or even think that anyone is trying to help her. She thinks everyone is against her.
It opened my eyes to the fact that nobody can truly understand what a person going through that is experiencing, even if its in journal form...
a beautiful book, but extremely depressing. very very well written
Thinandbeautiful.com showed me the perspective of a young girl with anorexia and bulimia, but she doesnt think she has it. No matter what, she tells herself she is ugly/fat, putting herself down. And she refuses to admit or even think that anyone is trying to help her. She thinks everyone is against her.
It opened my eyes to the fact that nobody can truly understand what a person going through that is experiencing, even if its in journal form...
a beautiful book, but extremely depressing. very very well written
December 14, 2014
A fantastic book that had me gripped from beginning to end. Unlike a lot of books about anorexia, it doesnt just show the reader the physical side to anorexia, it takes you deep into the mind and delusions of the sufferer. It's extremely well written and i can't help but think it's based partly on a real-life incident.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in eating disorders or psychology and aged 15 and over as it's quite emotional.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in eating disorders or psychology and aged 15 and over as it's quite emotional.
August 4, 2020
An excellent portrayal of the eating disorder, bulimia and the affect it has on women in their teens. This books helps people understand the challenges that a young woman faces with her body and the dangers that the internet has. I read this along time ago when I was a teenager.
October 8, 2011
Would have been great if I was 12 years old. Did learn the term Pro Ana so it wasn't a complete loss
June 23, 2013
This book looked like it would be really interesting, but I was disappointed. I found it boring and without an exciting plot line. I recommend that no one reads this book ever!
February 10, 2015
I liked the book, but the romance was unnecessary as they're in a mental health hospital.
July 11, 2024
What happened to the Wolf plotline?
December 4, 2023
I grew up around when the thinspo/pro-ana community was still pretty accessible. I enjoyed the chat logs included in the book and how that community was portrayed. The tips, the inspo pictures, the encouragement among members. That dynamic is interesting to me. However, I feel like the author didn't emphasize enough how the community was actually encouraging horrible behaviors. Maddie never came to terms that she had a real issue and all the character growth (which was not very much) seemed to be concentrated in the last fifteen or so pages. It literally took someone dying for her to even come close to start 'recovering'. I understand how EDs can warp your psyche but I feel like responding to a death of a friend with 'she just wanted to look good' is a disturbing response, even if Maddie did grieve. I understand that she was a teenager in this book but she came across to me as a lot more juvenile. She did not seem to show any empathy whatsoever until the end, where she realized she hurt Annie. The non-journal part of the novel where she was at the facility seemed to drag on. The only real substance of that part was making a friend and speaking to her GWS friends at the end. Even the 'romance' was extremely dull.
Out of all the novels on this topic I've read, this is by far the worst. Maddie seemed to only care about herself and acted twelve instead of seventeen. The only reason that I didn't give a one star review is that I did like the writing style and her journal describing her journey.
Out of all the novels on this topic I've read, this is by far the worst. Maddie seemed to only care about herself and acted twelve instead of seventeen. The only reason that I didn't give a one star review is that I did like the writing style and her journal describing her journey.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 17, 2024
I feel really bad writing this after learning the author herself has suffered with an ED. However…
I feel that this book is dangerous. Possibly more dangerous than 13 Reasons Why.
This book is essentially a step-by-step how to guide on how to give yourself an eating disorder.
I know the moral in the end is essentially “don’t get an eating disorder,” but a mentally ill teenager reading this probably won’t get that. They will see the main character become the focus of her family and friends’ attention. They will see them fret over her and beg her to stop and get help. A mentally ill teenager who desperately needs and wants help and attention will read this and think ok, clearly the best way to get those things is to give myself an ED. This book not only told me that, but gave me a guide on how to restrict calories, throw up, find pro-Ana sites, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone came out and said this book is what started their ED.
Do you remember DARE? In America, when I was a kid, there was a program where a police officer would come to your classroom and talk to you about drug abuse. There were so many ways to get high that we didn’t know about, and probably wouldn’t have known about if DARE didn’t exist. For example, huffing air duster or spray paint or other common household items. We didn’t know you could use those things to get high. If DARE didn’t exist I’m sure we wouldn’t have found out until much later, if at all, and I bet some kids went home and did it just to see what it was like. This book is like DARE but for eating disorders.
I feel that this book is dangerous. Possibly more dangerous than 13 Reasons Why.
This book is essentially a step-by-step how to guide on how to give yourself an eating disorder.
I know the moral in the end is essentially “don’t get an eating disorder,” but a mentally ill teenager reading this probably won’t get that. They will see the main character become the focus of her family and friends’ attention. They will see them fret over her and beg her to stop and get help. A mentally ill teenager who desperately needs and wants help and attention will read this and think ok, clearly the best way to get those things is to give myself an ED. This book not only told me that, but gave me a guide on how to restrict calories, throw up, find pro-Ana sites, etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone came out and said this book is what started their ED.
Do you remember DARE? In America, when I was a kid, there was a program where a police officer would come to your classroom and talk to you about drug abuse. There were so many ways to get high that we didn’t know about, and probably wouldn’t have known about if DARE didn’t exist. For example, huffing air duster or spray paint or other common household items. We didn’t know you could use those things to get high. If DARE didn’t exist I’m sure we wouldn’t have found out until much later, if at all, and I bet some kids went home and did it just to see what it was like. This book is like DARE but for eating disorders.
August 14, 2023
Took me a while to finish this book. I think I waited too late to write a review about it because I simply cant remember specific plot line in this book. It was boring and seemed to drag on. Ive read other books about EDs and I can remember key points in those books. This one however was just forgettable. Girl gets ED. Denys Ed. Recovers because something sad happens. Oh and ofc there's a boy and romance yawn.
June 24, 2025
Madison was pretty stuck up the entire book. It wasn't until her friend died she made a change or at least had a change of heart.. we never really find out what happens like if she ever got out of the rehab, did she follow through on everything she said or did she just fall in a deeper depression considering EDs can be deeper than just not eating.. did she ever get her appetite back? Things like that usually take time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2024
just a waste of time. the entire plot could be summarized in a 10 minute psa they play at school assemblies, and the mc had about the emotional depth of a cardboard cutout (but so did the rest of the characters if you can even call them that)
January 26, 2025
I thought it was interesting to have the book be in Maddy's point of view and in the form of diary entries. Although I'm not sure the author discouraged anorexia nervosa enough to make this a PSA against eating disorders.
June 6, 2018
Why
It was a great book about a girl with an eating disorder and it took you through her with her revovery
It was a great book about a girl with an eating disorder and it took you through her with her revovery
January 5, 2023
Heavy and deep read. Very deep and thoughtful. Touching and heartbreaking.
February 5, 2025
This felt like it was written by a narcissistic 12 year old whose only research was watching starving in suburbia 😂
July 14, 2025
I learned something new!
June 18, 2014
I picked up this book on a whim during one of my very many library conquests. I hadn't seen or heard of it before but was drawn to the concept and thought I would give it a try. I think that Thinandbeautiful.com is an honest story that needed to be told. I always find that when reading contemporary fiction it's often the subjects that are the most difficult to narrate that can end up having the largest and greatest affect on people. There's definitely a lot in Maddie that many individuals may be able to see in themselves either in the present or at one point and time in their lives. I haven't read that many books focused primarily on eating disorders but I thought that the portrayal of such seemed authentic and well represented. At the very back of the book it mentioned that the author Liane Shaw had dealt personally with an eating disorder and so I have no doubt in my mind that this book is as realistic as it could be.
Maddie as a character was tricky for me. On the one hand I sympathized with her greatly because her life was being overrun by something that she was it great denial about. She kept pushing all those who cared for her the most farther and farther away from her blaming them for being selfish and irrational. I understand that this is all a part of the eating disorder talking, that the hardest part of getting better for many people is the admittance that something is wrong. Yet, that being said, I at times found it difficult to fully like Maddie. She was very vocal and not at all self aware. She believed there was nothing wrong, that she just wanted to be skinny and that it was her body and she could do as she wished. She did not believe she had an eating disorder. Again, this all makes sense in the context of the story given her disorder but at times I just couldn't sympathize which in turn made me feel kind of guilty given her circumstance. I don't think however that I necessarily needed to like Maddie at every given point in the novel. I realize that the frustration I felt as a reader was probably close to that of her friends and family that were being shunned and lied to time and time again. I think with Thinandbeautiful.com it was more important to have a fully realistic and honest protagonist than to have one that was highly likable and pleasant.
The ending of this book took me a little by surprise because I literally had no idea what to expect. Thinandbeautiful.com is set in the present day where Maddie is in a treatment facility receiving help for a disorder that she does not believe she has. The novel deals with Maddie as part of her treatment having to journal about her "life story." This results in the majority of this book being complied of flash back scenes starting from the very beginning and the events that triggered Maddie's eating disorder all interwoven with the present day. Maddie is a very stubborn character and not so open to change which is why I didn't know how this novel would conclude. I will say though that I thought the author drew everything together in the best possible way.
Overall: Thinandbeautiful.com is a book that I can see reaching out to quite a handful of people. It is a book that I feel deals with an important subject matter and does so quite well. It is definitely honest and doesn't shy away from addressing anything serious or important.
Maddie as a character was tricky for me. On the one hand I sympathized with her greatly because her life was being overrun by something that she was it great denial about. She kept pushing all those who cared for her the most farther and farther away from her blaming them for being selfish and irrational. I understand that this is all a part of the eating disorder talking, that the hardest part of getting better for many people is the admittance that something is wrong. Yet, that being said, I at times found it difficult to fully like Maddie. She was very vocal and not at all self aware. She believed there was nothing wrong, that she just wanted to be skinny and that it was her body and she could do as she wished. She did not believe she had an eating disorder. Again, this all makes sense in the context of the story given her disorder but at times I just couldn't sympathize which in turn made me feel kind of guilty given her circumstance. I don't think however that I necessarily needed to like Maddie at every given point in the novel. I realize that the frustration I felt as a reader was probably close to that of her friends and family that were being shunned and lied to time and time again. I think with Thinandbeautiful.com it was more important to have a fully realistic and honest protagonist than to have one that was highly likable and pleasant.
The ending of this book took me a little by surprise because I literally had no idea what to expect. Thinandbeautiful.com is set in the present day where Maddie is in a treatment facility receiving help for a disorder that she does not believe she has. The novel deals with Maddie as part of her treatment having to journal about her "life story." This results in the majority of this book being complied of flash back scenes starting from the very beginning and the events that triggered Maddie's eating disorder all interwoven with the present day. Maddie is a very stubborn character and not so open to change which is why I didn't know how this novel would conclude. I will say though that I thought the author drew everything together in the best possible way.
Overall: Thinandbeautiful.com is a book that I can see reaching out to quite a handful of people. It is a book that I feel deals with an important subject matter and does so quite well. It is definitely honest and doesn't shy away from addressing anything serious or important.
November 19, 2011
Thinandbeautiful.com takes us to the life of Maddie who is 'on a diet'. But thats it. She's doesnt have an eaiting disorder - right? I mean, she just wants to look good. Its what every girl wants and Maddie's no different. So what if she hardly eats and she's becoming a sack of bones? So what if she's so exhausted her grades are going down and she cant hold a relationship with her friends and family? And so what if she slowly kills herself with starvation because ... if you cant be beautiful, why live at all?
Thinandbeautiful, thinandbeautiful, THINandBEAUTIFUL. Maddie says it as one word, as if you cant be beautfiul without being thin. And if you can never be thin enough, no matter how much you lean over that toilet bowl and refuse to eat, the mirror will never show you that you are thin enough. So does that mean you'll never be beautiful?
This book was truly seriously, deep. I mean, I cant think of any other word for it. I hated Maddie's character (which kinda sucks considering she IS the main character). And I hated her whole
'relationship' with the other anorexic boy. Blah. Too dull and I skipped it. The reason I gave the book 4 stars rather than the 3 is because I think its a decent portrayal on a girl dealing and coming to terms with her disease: anorexia. We learn about it in health class but then again, we also hear about all the new diets in the media and are always being shown skinny, skinny boney models. And the image of beauty is so twisted that it is now to be an anorexic tall girl.
Hopefully this book will enlighten us on why people are anorexic so that instead of openly judging them, we can think a little more carefully. I'm not saying anorexia is good, heavens no! But I am saying that maybe we are the reason for it. We are exposing kids to all this negative things with being HEALTHY! When I was a kid, I watched Arthur (and didnt start watching things like Glee until the 6th/7th grade). Nowadays, kids as young as 4 or 5 are being exposed to more media that unfortunatley displays the obvious fact that if you are skinny, you are beautiful and therfore accepted. And who wouldn't want to be accepted in such a judgemental world? Like, they'll show the obese girl being isolated and eating alone while the skinny girl being popular. Good message? I think not.
So maybe thinandbeautiful.com wasn't the best read in the world but the message is good and it has an interesting format that can keep us interested long enough to read and understand the book. Obviously, there are far better reasons for anorexia than 'the doctor insulted me' but Liane Shaw did a great job. I understand that she also battled anorexia. I suppose some of her story comes out in this.
If you have the free time and want something a bit more serious to read, try thinandbeautiful.com. Its a light read and has that ability to make you think hours after you read it.
Thinandbeautiful, thinandbeautiful, THINandBEAUTIFUL. Maddie says it as one word, as if you cant be beautfiul without being thin. And if you can never be thin enough, no matter how much you lean over that toilet bowl and refuse to eat, the mirror will never show you that you are thin enough. So does that mean you'll never be beautiful?
This book was truly seriously, deep. I mean, I cant think of any other word for it. I hated Maddie's character (which kinda sucks considering she IS the main character). And I hated her whole
'relationship' with the other anorexic boy. Blah. Too dull and I skipped it. The reason I gave the book 4 stars rather than the 3 is because I think its a decent portrayal on a girl dealing and coming to terms with her disease: anorexia. We learn about it in health class but then again, we also hear about all the new diets in the media and are always being shown skinny, skinny boney models. And the image of beauty is so twisted that it is now to be an anorexic tall girl.
Hopefully this book will enlighten us on why people are anorexic so that instead of openly judging them, we can think a little more carefully. I'm not saying anorexia is good, heavens no! But I am saying that maybe we are the reason for it. We are exposing kids to all this negative things with being HEALTHY! When I was a kid, I watched Arthur (and didnt start watching things like Glee until the 6th/7th grade). Nowadays, kids as young as 4 or 5 are being exposed to more media that unfortunatley displays the obvious fact that if you are skinny, you are beautiful and therfore accepted. And who wouldn't want to be accepted in such a judgemental world? Like, they'll show the obese girl being isolated and eating alone while the skinny girl being popular. Good message? I think not.
So maybe thinandbeautiful.com wasn't the best read in the world but the message is good and it has an interesting format that can keep us interested long enough to read and understand the book. Obviously, there are far better reasons for anorexia than 'the doctor insulted me' but Liane Shaw did a great job. I understand that she also battled anorexia. I suppose some of her story comes out in this.
If you have the free time and want something a bit more serious to read, try thinandbeautiful.com. Its a light read and has that ability to make you think hours after you read it.
May 17, 2012
Thinandbeautiful.com Review
*Spoiler Alert*
Thinandbeautiful.com by Liane Shaw is an in-depth book following the life of Maddie J.Nessfield a 17 year old girl with anorexia. Inspired by her own battle of anorexia, Liane Shaw gives an insight to what really happens to anorexic people, how they act and how they think. When a health doctor innocently misunderstands it for a sign that she’s fat. Developing unhealthy thoughts, she starts purging, dieting, over exercising and shutting off her family and friends. Convinced that no one understands her, she discovers the ‘Girls Without Shadows’ on a pro ana site and becomes close friends. Maddie’s unhealthy ways soon becomes a serious addiction. After being admitted to a rehab center for teenagers she is asked to keep a journal. Only a tragedy would be the wake up call she needed to admit she has a problem and she needs help. This book follows her journal entries as she battles her way through anorexia.
One of my favorite scene was Maddie’s first attempt at purging as it was described very detailed and was very easy to picture. I liked how after her father finds out she’s purging, Maddie is unable to stop because her body just won’t cooperate. This was a very depressing chapter to read especially when her parents were crying and pleading her to stop destroying her body. My favorite scene was at the end of the book when Maddie’s perspective starts to change when her GWS friend dies of heart failure. It suddenly strikes her that this was what was going to happen to her if she didn’t get help. The only thing I didn’t like was the end of the book because I didn’t know if she actually got help or how her life was after. Overall I really liked it even though it was the typical resolution of a book. But what hooked me into the book was the topic was very contrasting and different from other books I have read.
I would recommend this book to girls of all ages, even people without anorexia as it prevents the thought of ever trying it. I rate this book 4 stars as Maddie goes through many problems teenage girls go through and I can really to it.
*Spoiler Alert*
Thinandbeautiful.com by Liane Shaw is an in-depth book following the life of Maddie J.Nessfield a 17 year old girl with anorexia. Inspired by her own battle of anorexia, Liane Shaw gives an insight to what really happens to anorexic people, how they act and how they think. When a health doctor innocently misunderstands it for a sign that she’s fat. Developing unhealthy thoughts, she starts purging, dieting, over exercising and shutting off her family and friends. Convinced that no one understands her, she discovers the ‘Girls Without Shadows’ on a pro ana site and becomes close friends. Maddie’s unhealthy ways soon becomes a serious addiction. After being admitted to a rehab center for teenagers she is asked to keep a journal. Only a tragedy would be the wake up call she needed to admit she has a problem and she needs help. This book follows her journal entries as she battles her way through anorexia.
One of my favorite scene was Maddie’s first attempt at purging as it was described very detailed and was very easy to picture. I liked how after her father finds out she’s purging, Maddie is unable to stop because her body just won’t cooperate. This was a very depressing chapter to read especially when her parents were crying and pleading her to stop destroying her body. My favorite scene was at the end of the book when Maddie’s perspective starts to change when her GWS friend dies of heart failure. It suddenly strikes her that this was what was going to happen to her if she didn’t get help. The only thing I didn’t like was the end of the book because I didn’t know if she actually got help or how her life was after. Overall I really liked it even though it was the typical resolution of a book. But what hooked me into the book was the topic was very contrasting and different from other books I have read.
I would recommend this book to girls of all ages, even people without anorexia as it prevents the thought of ever trying it. I rate this book 4 stars as Maddie goes through many problems teenage girls go through and I can really to it.
July 31, 2024
4⭐️
i related a bit too hard
i related a bit too hard
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