Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson.

So this is a bit of a personal reason as to why I wanted to read this, but first let me explain what it's about a little bit and then I will delve into the reasons why I wanted to read this and what I thought of it.

So it's a book about a girl names Lia who is suffering with anorexia, along with her friend names Cassie who was dealing with bulimia until the illness took her life when she couldn't handle it any more and she didn't eat so much. Lia feels like her life is being haunted by the memory of Cassie when she starts to get herself deeper into the disorder, she starts to eat less and less and wants to be the skinniest she can be. She lives with her father and step mother and her step sister who she adores, her mother is still in her life but she's extremely strict ordering her to eat and not understanding some of the other issues that are affecting her life. So yeah let's get into why I wanted to read this and what I thought.

Basically I myself have suffered with an eating disorder when I was growing up, I dealt with this for almost 2 years of my life and it's a horrible thing to deal with - but it's been 4 years since my eating has been an issue for me, I have days like everyone else who has overcome it but not to the extent that I was at, so I basically wanted to read this to see how the author dealt with such a taboo subject as it is something that doesn't come up in usual conversations. So I want to start off by saying that this is a beautifully wrote book, she really does hit nerves with this book and it is such a heart wrenching story that you can't help but fall in love with the story and the character of Lia, that you get hooked onto it and you are constantly hoping that she will overcome this horrible disorder. She deals with depression and self harm and body images and it's something that every teenager should read whether you're suffering with something like this or not as it really opens your eyes to some of the problems that people go through, and it helps you realise that some people don't always have it easy.

Lia throughout this book feels guilty about her friends death, because the night she died she called Lia 33 times and not once did she offer, the two girls had grown apart at this time, but the guilt that she feels all the way through the book is something that doesn't help her eating at all, she goes back to the motel where she died and wanted to see the room where she died. It's a deeply saddening book but it also wrenches you in and I found it very hard to put down, I literally read it in two sittings because I couldn't find myself putting it down. I know most of my book reviews have tons of spoilers in but this is one of them that I feel would be better if you read it yourself, so you can understand the true beauty of this book and why I love it so much. This is definitely a must have book on your shelf.

"There is no magic cure, no making it all go away forever. There are only small steps upward; an easier day, an unexpected laugh, a mirror that doesn't matter anymore."

I rate this 5 out of 5 stars!

UK Front Cover (I think it's only the UK one.)