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Hollow Beauty
When tall, gorgeous Brody asks Olivia to the prom, she’s ecstatic—until he suggests that she use the two months before the dance to lose some weight. Does he think she’s fat? His comment sends Olivia on a spiral of insecurity and dangerously rapid weight loss that borders on anorexia.
As her pounds vanish, her friendship deepens with Ross, the new prep cook at the diner where she works. Despite his mysterious limp, he doesn’t suffer crippling low self-esteem like Olivia does; usually, she can’t even look at herself in the mirror anymore. But when she’s riding dirt bikes and searching for caves with Ross, she doesn’t feel ugly or fat, just herself again—hanging out and having fun.
With Brody, instead of finding the romance and true love she had hoped for, she feels like a terrified rabbit that he’s going to devour. She refuses to think about that. She’s almost thin enough to be beautiful for the prom.
And then the unthinkable happens.
As her pounds vanish, her friendship deepens with Ross, the new prep cook at the diner where she works. Despite his mysterious limp, he doesn’t suffer crippling low self-esteem like Olivia does; usually, she can’t even look at herself in the mirror anymore. But when she’s riding dirt bikes and searching for caves with Ross, she doesn’t feel ugly or fat, just herself again—hanging out and having fun.
With Brody, instead of finding the romance and true love she had hoped for, she feels like a terrified rabbit that he’s going to devour. She refuses to think about that. She’s almost thin enough to be beautiful for the prom.
And then the unthinkable happens.
225 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2014
About the author
Khristina Chess
13 books134 followersKhristina Chess is an award-winning author of more than a dozen young adult novels, including The Cutting Edge of Friendship, The Delinquent Hero, and Junior Missing. Her novel about eating disorders, Hollow Beauty, was named a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards. She tackles tough teen topics and writes binge-worthy books across multiple genres, including contemporary, thriller, mystery, dystopian, and adventure.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
Visit her online at www.khristinachess.com and on Twitter @KhristinaChess.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 3, 2017
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you! =)
Olivia is excited when Brody asks her to their senior prom.
This is only on one condition, she must lose 20 pounds before the prom.
She is 5'4" and 129. Once she gets to 110, she keeps losing.
Apparently, Brody likes his girls to be anorexic-thin.
Lucky for Olivia, she has great-true blue friends that stand by her. And then there's Ross.....
If a guy ever asked me to lose weight before dating me, I'd tell him to kiss my fat ass.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
This book was a nice surprise.
I enjoyed it and liked many characters in this book except for that douche-bag Brody.
June 28, 2016
Highlight of this book: I read most of it on a ferry crossing the Channel in the middle of the night, and it distracted me almost enough to forget just how much I hate boats. Almost.
But the book itself: it's a relatively quiet take on the typical anorexia narrative. In this case, Olivia is led to lose weight by a boy—he's popular, she has a crush on him, and he's interested...but thinks she should lose weight. So she does. There's this, though:
Blaming him for all of this would be easy. He was a big jerk. He'd taken my low self-esteem and combined it with my jealousy and competitiveness with Erica Miller to create a monster.
Except I let him, didn't I? I was the one who'd gone on the diet—and stuck to it. (loc.2858)
And yeah, I appreciate that it's not presented as super cut-and-dry. Oh, Brody's a total tool:
"One goodnight kiss if I win, and two if you win," he suggested.
Oh, my. I gulped and managed to say, "You'll let me win."
He chuckled. "You're assuming I want to kiss you." (loc. 903)
It does seem kind of problematic that Olivia's problems start with a boy (I wish she were able to just, like, smack him upside the head and go find somebody more interesting), but...it doesn't seem so unrealistic for an insecure teen to take others' comments so much to heart, even when, as she comments on early in the book, she has some understanding of eating disorders / healthy eating. It's also nice that this isn't one of those Worst Cases the Doctors Have Ever Seen.
It's not a standout, but it wasn't painful either. So...there we go.
But the book itself: it's a relatively quiet take on the typical anorexia narrative. In this case, Olivia is led to lose weight by a boy—he's popular, she has a crush on him, and he's interested...but thinks she should lose weight. So she does. There's this, though:
Blaming him for all of this would be easy. He was a big jerk. He'd taken my low self-esteem and combined it with my jealousy and competitiveness with Erica Miller to create a monster.
Except I let him, didn't I? I was the one who'd gone on the diet—and stuck to it. (loc.2858)
And yeah, I appreciate that it's not presented as super cut-and-dry. Oh, Brody's a total tool:
"One goodnight kiss if I win, and two if you win," he suggested.
Oh, my. I gulped and managed to say, "You'll let me win."
He chuckled. "You're assuming I want to kiss you." (loc. 903)
It does seem kind of problematic that Olivia's problems start with a boy (I wish she were able to just, like, smack him upside the head and go find somebody more interesting), but...it doesn't seem so unrealistic for an insecure teen to take others' comments so much to heart, even when, as she comments on early in the book, she has some understanding of eating disorders / healthy eating. It's also nice that this isn't one of those Worst Cases the Doctors Have Ever Seen.
It's not a standout, but it wasn't painful either. So...there we go.
September 14, 2026
**Trigger warning: eating disorders, restrictive eating, excessive exercise, body image, vomiting, and weight loss.**
*Hollow Beauty* was beautifully written, but this was one of the hardest books I have ever read.
Not because it was badly written. Quite the opposite. It was because I saw too much of myself in Olivia.
The story follows Olivia, a girl who likes the popular boy. One day, he tells her that she is cute, but she would be even cuter if she lost weight. She is already perfectly healthy, but those words get inside her head. She starts running. She starts restricting her food. She eventually reaches a plateau and begins eating only once a day.
And that is where this book became painfully personal for me.
I have struggled with an eating disorder, and while reading this, I found myself remembering things I wish I could forget.
Weighing myself constantly. Sometimes every day, sometimes more than once a day.
Skipping meals.
Going to the gym without eating.
Convincing myself I wasn't hungry.
Telling people I was full when I wasn't.
Sometimes pretending to eat and then throwing the food away.
Getting headaches.
Being exhausted all the time.
Sleeping because I had no energy.
And still telling myself, **“I'm fine.”**
There were also times when I would excuse myself to go throw up. I don't think I fully understood the damage I was doing to myself at the time. I just knew I was terrified of gaining weight.
My teeth paid the price for that too.
To this day, my teeth are fragile because of what I put my body through.
That's one of the hardest things about looking back. You don't always realize that the things you're doing to yourself in the moment can leave consequences that follow you years later.
That sentence, **“I'm fine,”** is probably one of the scariest parts of an eating disorder. You can be hurting yourself and still genuinely believe you're okay because you don't feel sick *yet.*
I remember sitting with a therapist and finally admitting what I had been doing. I told her, *“But I still feel fine.”*
She told me that I might not feel the consequences right away. I was young. My body was still trying to keep up with what I was putting it through. But if I continued down that path, eventually my body would start paying the price because my organs need nutrients too.
That terrified me.
Because at the time, I thought losing weight meant I was finally becoming beautiful.
And that's the heartbreaking part.
I didn't start out wanting to hurt myself. I wanted to lose weight because I felt like I was the "big girl." I felt invisible when I was bigger. So I started restricting my calories. The more weight I lost, the more I loved what I saw in the mirror.
And then something happened that makes me sad to admit:
**The smaller I became, the more beautiful I felt.**
People started asking me if I was a model. I got compliments. I felt admired. And suddenly, the thing that was destroying me was also the thing making me feel worthy.
That's how easily an eating disorder can lie to you.
It makes you believe that everyone is finally seeing you because you're finally small enough to be seen.
I remember getting to a point where I was eating around 1,200 calories or less a day. I would go to the gym without properly fueling my body. I would ignore the exhaustion. I would ignore the headaches. I would ignore what my body was desperately trying to tell me.
At one point, I weighed less than I had in high school.
And somehow, I still thought I needed to lose more.
Then my hair started thinning.
My energy disappeared.
I was constantly tired.
And still, part of me looked in the mirror and thought I looked beautiful.
That is what makes this book heartbreaking for me.
When Olivia's hair begins to thin and she starts losing her energy, I didn't just see a fictional character.
I saw a version of myself.
I had to stop and remind myself that I was reading a book and not reliving my own life.
But despite how triggering this story was, I really appreciate that I don't think the author glorifies extreme weight loss. The story shows the reality behind it. Losing weight doesn't magically make you happier. Being smaller doesn't make you more worthy. And hurting your body doesn't make you beautiful.
Olivia eventually begins to understand that her worth exists outside of her appearance, and that part of the story meant a lot to me.
Because I'm still learning that too.
I'm not where I used to be.
My relationship with food and my body isn't perfect, but it is better.
I used to weigh myself every single day. Now, I weigh myself about once a month.
That might sound like something small to someone else.
To me, it's huge.
It's a baby step.
But it's still a step.
And maybe that's what I took away from *Hollow Beauty* the most.
Recovery doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes recovery is eating the meal you wanted to skip. Sometimes it's going to the gym because you genuinely want to move your body instead of because you feel like you need to punish yourself. Sometimes it's stepping on the scale less often. Sometimes it's looking in the mirror and trying to see yourself as a human being instead of a number.
This book hurt me.
It reminded me of a version of myself that I don't ever want to become again.
But it also reminded me how far I've come.
And honestly, that might be the most heartbreaking and beautiful thing about it.
**I spent so much time trying to make myself smaller because I thought being smaller would make me worthy of love.**
Now I'm slowly learning that I never had to shrink myself to deserve it.
*Hollow Beauty* was beautifully written, but this was one of the hardest books I have ever read.
Not because it was badly written. Quite the opposite. It was because I saw too much of myself in Olivia.
The story follows Olivia, a girl who likes the popular boy. One day, he tells her that she is cute, but she would be even cuter if she lost weight. She is already perfectly healthy, but those words get inside her head. She starts running. She starts restricting her food. She eventually reaches a plateau and begins eating only once a day.
And that is where this book became painfully personal for me.
I have struggled with an eating disorder, and while reading this, I found myself remembering things I wish I could forget.
Weighing myself constantly. Sometimes every day, sometimes more than once a day.
Skipping meals.
Going to the gym without eating.
Convincing myself I wasn't hungry.
Telling people I was full when I wasn't.
Sometimes pretending to eat and then throwing the food away.
Getting headaches.
Being exhausted all the time.
Sleeping because I had no energy.
And still telling myself, **“I'm fine.”**
There were also times when I would excuse myself to go throw up. I don't think I fully understood the damage I was doing to myself at the time. I just knew I was terrified of gaining weight.
My teeth paid the price for that too.
To this day, my teeth are fragile because of what I put my body through.
That's one of the hardest things about looking back. You don't always realize that the things you're doing to yourself in the moment can leave consequences that follow you years later.
That sentence, **“I'm fine,”** is probably one of the scariest parts of an eating disorder. You can be hurting yourself and still genuinely believe you're okay because you don't feel sick *yet.*
I remember sitting with a therapist and finally admitting what I had been doing. I told her, *“But I still feel fine.”*
She told me that I might not feel the consequences right away. I was young. My body was still trying to keep up with what I was putting it through. But if I continued down that path, eventually my body would start paying the price because my organs need nutrients too.
That terrified me.
Because at the time, I thought losing weight meant I was finally becoming beautiful.
And that's the heartbreaking part.
I didn't start out wanting to hurt myself. I wanted to lose weight because I felt like I was the "big girl." I felt invisible when I was bigger. So I started restricting my calories. The more weight I lost, the more I loved what I saw in the mirror.
And then something happened that makes me sad to admit:
**The smaller I became, the more beautiful I felt.**
People started asking me if I was a model. I got compliments. I felt admired. And suddenly, the thing that was destroying me was also the thing making me feel worthy.
That's how easily an eating disorder can lie to you.
It makes you believe that everyone is finally seeing you because you're finally small enough to be seen.
I remember getting to a point where I was eating around 1,200 calories or less a day. I would go to the gym without properly fueling my body. I would ignore the exhaustion. I would ignore the headaches. I would ignore what my body was desperately trying to tell me.
At one point, I weighed less than I had in high school.
And somehow, I still thought I needed to lose more.
Then my hair started thinning.
My energy disappeared.
I was constantly tired.
And still, part of me looked in the mirror and thought I looked beautiful.
That is what makes this book heartbreaking for me.
When Olivia's hair begins to thin and she starts losing her energy, I didn't just see a fictional character.
I saw a version of myself.
I had to stop and remind myself that I was reading a book and not reliving my own life.
But despite how triggering this story was, I really appreciate that I don't think the author glorifies extreme weight loss. The story shows the reality behind it. Losing weight doesn't magically make you happier. Being smaller doesn't make you more worthy. And hurting your body doesn't make you beautiful.
Olivia eventually begins to understand that her worth exists outside of her appearance, and that part of the story meant a lot to me.
Because I'm still learning that too.
I'm not where I used to be.
My relationship with food and my body isn't perfect, but it is better.
I used to weigh myself every single day. Now, I weigh myself about once a month.
That might sound like something small to someone else.
To me, it's huge.
It's a baby step.
But it's still a step.
And maybe that's what I took away from *Hollow Beauty* the most.
Recovery doesn't always look dramatic. Sometimes recovery is eating the meal you wanted to skip. Sometimes it's going to the gym because you genuinely want to move your body instead of because you feel like you need to punish yourself. Sometimes it's stepping on the scale less often. Sometimes it's looking in the mirror and trying to see yourself as a human being instead of a number.
This book hurt me.
It reminded me of a version of myself that I don't ever want to become again.
But it also reminded me how far I've come.
And honestly, that might be the most heartbreaking and beautiful thing about it.
**I spent so much time trying to make myself smaller because I thought being smaller would make me worthy of love.**
Now I'm slowly learning that I never had to shrink myself to deserve it.
September 26, 2025
loved this book!
This book brought me back to high school, when comments about your appearance can make you feel awful about yourself. I was rooting for Olivia to leave that jerky guy. Sometimes the cutest boy in school is ugly on the inside. I was also hoping for her to realize that she was hurting herself and that she didn’t need to lose more weight just to make him like her. I was so pleased with how it ended and I loved her conversations with Ross. He’s such a nicer guy and really cared about her. Makes me want to go explore a cave! Really well written book!
This book brought me back to high school, when comments about your appearance can make you feel awful about yourself. I was rooting for Olivia to leave that jerky guy. Sometimes the cutest boy in school is ugly on the inside. I was also hoping for her to realize that she was hurting herself and that she didn’t need to lose more weight just to make him like her. I was so pleased with how it ended and I loved her conversations with Ross. He’s such a nicer guy and really cared about her. Makes me want to go explore a cave! Really well written book!
February 14, 2016
I have read books that dealt with similar issues to Hollow Beauty, such as Wintergirls or Paperweight. Eating disorders among teenage girls are a sensitive topic and can be written about with thought, care, and respect. I found none of these things in Hollow Beauty.
SPOILERS AHEAD
To begin with, Olivia decides to diet because some boy she barely knows asks her to prom and says she can diet until then. What a terrible & shallow character to decide to diet on a whim like that. Olivia has no self esteem or self respect.
If you're going to decided to lose weight because some jerk makes an offhanded comment, you don't get to be angry (even silently) with your friend when she says you're slim enough already after seeing your diet change to practically nothing. Though, I don't believe she'd noticed in only a day, two at the max.
For someone who explicitly said she doesn't have an anorexic or bulimic bone in her body, suddenly saying "Eating doesn't make sense. Won't I lose the weight faster if I starve?" is absurd. Olivia starts to sound stupider by the minute.
How many times does this need to be said: you do NOT fall in love with someone after a week! Also, it's rude to make plans, then ditch that person because something "better" came along. I can give her a little credit for at least telling Ross she can't come and why because lying never ends well, but it's still a rotten thing to do.
How is it that Olivia can spend the entire book knowing what the signs of an eating disorder are, keeps saying she'll never do that, but turns around and does it? The way she's doing it makes her look like an idiot. I'm supposed to believe she's 18?
Now some comments on her dating Brody.
First of all, letting a guy win because he can't handle being beaten by a girl is a sign of a bad relationship. Second, letting him win shouldn't translate to going further sexually than you're ready for.
"Was I crazy for even considering sex with him?"
YES you loon! He's manipulative and pressuring you to sleep with him. He's a narcissistic asshole you've let destroy you with one comment. Why the hell are you still with him?!
You're repulsed by the idea of having sex with him, but hey, maybe if you drink you'll be able to go through with it? What kind of thinking is that?
OK, no. When you're thinking that drinking will help you relax and maybe the problem in a relationship is you because you won't loosen up and have sex, that sounds like an emotionally abusive relationship.
Now, Ross.
Ross is at least a little creepy. He is watching Olivia so closely he notices teeny tiny things, like the fit of her jeans, the bones in her wrist, etc. If someone told me that, regardless of whether we were friends or not, I'd be weirded out.
I can't say that jumping from one relationship to the next is such a smart idea, especially when the last one was ridiculously abusive. Leaving that, dealing with an eating disorder (yes, that IS what Olivia had), and becoming majorly involved with the next guy just isn't smart. And really, how many ED people can quit cold turkey and "heal" themselves with no help whatsoever? It isn't realistic and gives the wrong idea about someone with this sort of issue.
Summary
The plot sounded like it could be a great book chronicling Olivia's story, but it ended up being terrible.
SPOILERS AHEAD
To begin with, Olivia decides to diet because some boy she barely knows asks her to prom and says she can diet until then. What a terrible & shallow character to decide to diet on a whim like that. Olivia has no self esteem or self respect.
If you're going to decided to lose weight because some jerk makes an offhanded comment, you don't get to be angry (even silently) with your friend when she says you're slim enough already after seeing your diet change to practically nothing. Though, I don't believe she'd noticed in only a day, two at the max.
For someone who explicitly said she doesn't have an anorexic or bulimic bone in her body, suddenly saying "Eating doesn't make sense. Won't I lose the weight faster if I starve?" is absurd. Olivia starts to sound stupider by the minute.
How many times does this need to be said: you do NOT fall in love with someone after a week! Also, it's rude to make plans, then ditch that person because something "better" came along. I can give her a little credit for at least telling Ross she can't come and why because lying never ends well, but it's still a rotten thing to do.
How is it that Olivia can spend the entire book knowing what the signs of an eating disorder are, keeps saying she'll never do that, but turns around and does it? The way she's doing it makes her look like an idiot. I'm supposed to believe she's 18?
Now some comments on her dating Brody.
First of all, letting a guy win because he can't handle being beaten by a girl is a sign of a bad relationship. Second, letting him win shouldn't translate to going further sexually than you're ready for.
"Was I crazy for even considering sex with him?"
YES you loon! He's manipulative and pressuring you to sleep with him. He's a narcissistic asshole you've let destroy you with one comment. Why the hell are you still with him?!
You're repulsed by the idea of having sex with him, but hey, maybe if you drink you'll be able to go through with it? What kind of thinking is that?
OK, no. When you're thinking that drinking will help you relax and maybe the problem in a relationship is you because you won't loosen up and have sex, that sounds like an emotionally abusive relationship.
Now, Ross.
Ross is at least a little creepy. He is watching Olivia so closely he notices teeny tiny things, like the fit of her jeans, the bones in her wrist, etc. If someone told me that, regardless of whether we were friends or not, I'd be weirded out.
I can't say that jumping from one relationship to the next is such a smart idea, especially when the last one was ridiculously abusive. Leaving that, dealing with an eating disorder (yes, that IS what Olivia had), and becoming majorly involved with the next guy just isn't smart. And really, how many ED people can quit cold turkey and "heal" themselves with no help whatsoever? It isn't realistic and gives the wrong idea about someone with this sort of issue.
Summary
The plot sounded like it could be a great book chronicling Olivia's story, but it ended up being terrible.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2014
I received this a signed copy of book for free from a Goodreads giveaway.
Olivia, a senior in high school, never really thought of herself as "fat" until she got mixed up with the wrong guy. Brody, a boy she had had a crush on for a long time, asks her to the prom and implies that she should lose weight in order to look beautiful at prom. Olivia never saw herself as one of those girls who obsessed over their weight, but soon enough she seemed to rely on her scale to tell her how she should feel: when the numbers fell, she could feel happy, but not quite satisfied. She always felt the need to lose a little more, a little more, a little more...
This was a bit of a chilling read as it describes the lengths some people will go through in order to lose weight. It's really scary that someone would even consider eating meager amounts of food or skipping meals on purpose in order to look "beautiful."
The character of Olivia (as well as the rest of the main characters) had a lot of depth and was very easy to relate to. I could definitely understand the feeling she experienced when she lost track of herself while trying to please somebody else. If your 'crush' doesn't like you for who you are, you need to find a new one. This book reinforces the quote by Bernard M. Baruch: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.” It's important to surround yourself with people who will love you for who you are, not lead you down dangerous and unhealthy paths.
This is definitely a great book for teens to read, especially ones who are in high school and may face people who will tease them for being different. Bullies don't often think about the long-lasting damage their words can do. It was an inspiring story to read, as Olivia realized her mistakes and worked to get her old self back. I couldn't put this book down. A great, inspiring read.
Olivia, a senior in high school, never really thought of herself as "fat" until she got mixed up with the wrong guy. Brody, a boy she had had a crush on for a long time, asks her to the prom and implies that she should lose weight in order to look beautiful at prom. Olivia never saw herself as one of those girls who obsessed over their weight, but soon enough she seemed to rely on her scale to tell her how she should feel: when the numbers fell, she could feel happy, but not quite satisfied. She always felt the need to lose a little more, a little more, a little more...
This was a bit of a chilling read as it describes the lengths some people will go through in order to lose weight. It's really scary that someone would even consider eating meager amounts of food or skipping meals on purpose in order to look "beautiful."
The character of Olivia (as well as the rest of the main characters) had a lot of depth and was very easy to relate to. I could definitely understand the feeling she experienced when she lost track of herself while trying to please somebody else. If your 'crush' doesn't like you for who you are, you need to find a new one. This book reinforces the quote by Bernard M. Baruch: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.” It's important to surround yourself with people who will love you for who you are, not lead you down dangerous and unhealthy paths.
This is definitely a great book for teens to read, especially ones who are in high school and may face people who will tease them for being different. Bullies don't often think about the long-lasting damage their words can do. It was an inspiring story to read, as Olivia realized her mistakes and worked to get her old self back. I couldn't put this book down. A great, inspiring read.
September 25, 2018
Some people felt the main character's trigger of her condition was not sensible, but those people have never been teenage girls with fragile mental health. There is truth in a story that recognizes you can never know what might push someone over the edge that's really what hollow beauty teaches.
September 18, 2014
This book really makes you think about an unspoken problem that has been happening for years to girls, even though it does affect guys to. Olivia was happy with the way she looked and due to one remark made by a selfish guy, she started becoming obsessed with her weight. She even admits how the scale starts to rule her life. Her appearance is fine to everybody else and they try to help her, but everytime Brody makes a comment to her, she becomes more obsessed with losing weight. Joining Blubber Busters online did not help her either, only made things worse. I'm glad that she finally realized that she had pushed things to far and decided to change the direction of her life and even let Ross help her with making those changes. I'm glad that she ended up with the right guy for the right reasons.
October 16, 2014
This book was well written, losing weight is a struggle in it's self, but being a teenager and being a senior on top of that, with lost self esteem, never a good combination. When you read this book, you kinda get a look at what a teenage girl is struggling with, on top of that getting ask to prom by the one you've been crushing on for awhile. And trying to lose weight when you're not over weight, because someone says you would look better if you lost some weight. This book is a must read, I give her a 5 star rating.
December 24, 2014
This book shows some of the insight of someone struggling with an eating disorder. Even though Olivia convicts herself that she doesn't have a problem and is just "dieting" it is apparent to everyone around her that she has a problem. I really enjoyed reading this book and seeing how Olivia handles her problem and grows throughout the story.
November 11, 2014
This is a really thought provoking work that calls out the pressures and stresses surrounding the cult of image for young girls. Even if you don't have experience with eating disorders, this book is powerful and will resonate personally.
August 28, 2015
Pretty good representation
It wasnt the most amazing or complex book ive ever read, but it has a good plot for an easy read and the character development is okay. Rather obvious ending.
It wasnt the most amazing or complex book ive ever read, but it has a good plot for an easy read and the character development is okay. Rather obvious ending.
August 24, 2017
I won this book off a goodreads giveaway. It was an easy read and aimed at a teenage audience. I believe that teenage girls will enjoy it much more that I did.
April 6, 2023
I actually think that the way some of the eating thoughts and disorders are dealt with in this was really harmful.
Her decision to lose weight on the whim of a boy who suddenly showed interest, her absolute denial about having an anorexic or bulimic bone in her body but then going on about eating nothing to lose weight, it all just seemed very off to me.
These things are very real things that people live with on a daily basis and I don’t feel this book dealt with them delicately or realistically.
Her decision to lose weight on the whim of a boy who suddenly showed interest, her absolute denial about having an anorexic or bulimic bone in her body but then going on about eating nothing to lose weight, it all just seemed very off to me.
These things are very real things that people live with on a daily basis and I don’t feel this book dealt with them delicately or realistically.
January 18, 2023
This book trivialized the horrors of having an eating disorder. There were no trigger warnings either, and it makes it seem like 1. being underweight is beautiful, and 2. that it's incredibly easy to lose weight. It also demonizes the characters on the pro-ana forums
December 22, 2023
oh what a lovely story, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. It doesn't matter if who reads it has or not issues with the topic, still anyone can learn from it.
January 28, 2026
stereotypes upon stereotypes, but honestly about what i expected
July 20, 2026
cute and short i loved it
October 8, 2026
Similar deal to any other ED book. Idk why I like reading these though haha. Nothing stands out.
April 14, 2018
I'm always interested in realistic young adult books. The ones that address the tough stuff: eating disorders, self harm, conversion therapy, depression. Those are the books that helped me the most when I was that age, and I still look to them in adulthood. This isn't the first book on eating disorders that I've read, and it's something that I've dealt with in real life as well. Unfortunately, I didn't think that Hollow Beauty did a very good job with this topic.
What bothers me the most, I think, is how quickly the eating disorder issue presents itself. The boy she has a crush on tells her she needs to lose weight on page 4 of the book. And she just clings to this and the disorder starts. Did she have self-esteem issues before? Is weight something she's struggled with before? Was she already thinking about slimming down? I don't know. In the first few pages up to that point, she is happy with some fries after a sports meet. And then like lightning, out of nowhere, it begins. I wish that there was more about Olivia at the beginning, because it is so instantaneous that it comes off as odd.
I also don't really think her weight loss seemed realistic. People noticed the second she lost even a tiny bit of weight, and felt the need to comment on it. No one notices a pound or two, especially for athletes, who are always getting into shape. Not to mention that she's super rude to anyone who even shows a little of concern.
Her version of love just makes me sad. That you need to be all oogly eyed and lovey dovey and holding hands. Her judge of character at one point is that the jerk she likes doesn't open her car door, but the friend who zomg she can't POSSIBLY have feelings for, does. Such an odd little thing to use as a measurement, but whatever floats your boat I guess?
Another thing that bugged me is that while Jerk is talking about sex with her, and she's clearly uncomfortable with all of it, she has the bright idea that maybe she should just drink first so she'll like it. I'm sure that some girls out there really think like that but GOOD GOD, NO. In another moment of oddness, Olivia- who gets upset when she is even just a few calories off of where she thought and can't eat much without hating herself- slams a hard lemonade without thinking about it. Alcohol is terrible for you, weight loss wise, especially something as sugary as a Mike's.
I know I have a lot of problems with this book, but it wasn't ALL bad.
I liked that at the start of each chapter, it gave Olivia's current weight, and her goal weight. It was a good way to organize where she is in the journey and to keep track of what's going on.
I loved Ross, the friend she makes at the diner. He has a scar and a limp and is always kind to her. He's patient when she asks a million questions about his hobby, he shows concern for her weight loss, and I think it's cute that, as he's a cook, he just wants to feed her. If he was in this story more, I would have liked it more.
The book also does a good job of showing how toxic the internet/online groups can be. She joins a weight loss site called Blubber Busters which has a forum. She realizes quickly that support isn't always helpful, and that some of these girls take the weight obsession too far. While I'm not on eating disorder/weight loss apps, I am in other communities that definitely have some cesspools. I think it was a good thing to include.
There's also discussion questions in the back, if you're reading this for a club or class or something.
Overall, I found this book problematic and it wasn't for me. But it wasn't a total loss. There were some parts that were well represented, and enough interesting points that kept me reading until the end of the book. This might be a case of "it's not you, it's me", since other people seem to really like it. But, it just wasn't the book for me. Perhaps it'll be a better read for you.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
What bothers me the most, I think, is how quickly the eating disorder issue presents itself. The boy she has a crush on tells her she needs to lose weight on page 4 of the book. And she just clings to this and the disorder starts. Did she have self-esteem issues before? Is weight something she's struggled with before? Was she already thinking about slimming down? I don't know. In the first few pages up to that point, she is happy with some fries after a sports meet. And then like lightning, out of nowhere, it begins. I wish that there was more about Olivia at the beginning, because it is so instantaneous that it comes off as odd.
I also don't really think her weight loss seemed realistic. People noticed the second she lost even a tiny bit of weight, and felt the need to comment on it. No one notices a pound or two, especially for athletes, who are always getting into shape. Not to mention that she's super rude to anyone who even shows a little of concern.
Her version of love just makes me sad. That you need to be all oogly eyed and lovey dovey and holding hands. Her judge of character at one point is that the jerk she likes doesn't open her car door, but the friend who zomg she can't POSSIBLY have feelings for, does. Such an odd little thing to use as a measurement, but whatever floats your boat I guess?
Another thing that bugged me is that while Jerk is talking about sex with her, and she's clearly uncomfortable with all of it, she has the bright idea that maybe she should just drink first so she'll like it. I'm sure that some girls out there really think like that but GOOD GOD, NO. In another moment of oddness, Olivia- who gets upset when she is even just a few calories off of where she thought and can't eat much without hating herself- slams a hard lemonade without thinking about it. Alcohol is terrible for you, weight loss wise, especially something as sugary as a Mike's.
I know I have a lot of problems with this book, but it wasn't ALL bad.
I liked that at the start of each chapter, it gave Olivia's current weight, and her goal weight. It was a good way to organize where she is in the journey and to keep track of what's going on.
I loved Ross, the friend she makes at the diner. He has a scar and a limp and is always kind to her. He's patient when she asks a million questions about his hobby, he shows concern for her weight loss, and I think it's cute that, as he's a cook, he just wants to feed her. If he was in this story more, I would have liked it more.
The book also does a good job of showing how toxic the internet/online groups can be. She joins a weight loss site called Blubber Busters which has a forum. She realizes quickly that support isn't always helpful, and that some of these girls take the weight obsession too far. While I'm not on eating disorder/weight loss apps, I am in other communities that definitely have some cesspools. I think it was a good thing to include.
There's also discussion questions in the back, if you're reading this for a club or class or something.
Overall, I found this book problematic and it wasn't for me. But it wasn't a total loss. There were some parts that were well represented, and enough interesting points that kept me reading until the end of the book. This might be a case of "it's not you, it's me", since other people seem to really like it. But, it just wasn't the book for me. Perhaps it'll be a better read for you.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
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