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Room Empty
Dani is ravaged by anorexia and hasn’t eaten for days. Fletcher is fighting to stay off the streets and to stay off drugs. Will their attraction to each other save or destroy them?
Both patients at the Daisy Bank Rehab Centre, Fletcher wants to help Dani find out about the empty room at the heart of her What happened to Dani in that room when she was four? Whose is the dead body that lies across the door? Why won’t her mind let her remember?
As Dani and Fletcher begin to learn how to love, Sarah Mussi weaves an intoxicating story of pain, fear and redemption.
Both patients at the Daisy Bank Rehab Centre, Fletcher wants to help Dani find out about the empty room at the heart of her What happened to Dani in that room when she was four? Whose is the dead body that lies across the door? Why won’t her mind let her remember?
As Dani and Fletcher begin to learn how to love, Sarah Mussi weaves an intoxicating story of pain, fear and redemption.
304 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2017
19 people are currently reading
398 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Mussi
14 books53 followersSarah Mussi was born in Gloucestershire. After her education at a girl’s school in Cheltenham, she completed a post graduate degree at the Royal College of Art before leaving the UK for West Africa. She lived in Ghana, West Africa for over eighteen years, marrying a Ghanaian and teaching in Accra. Sarah now lives in Brixton and teaches in Lewisham, splitting her holidays between England and Ghana.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
January 18, 2021
2 stars.
I've spent too much time in the same world as the story. For that reason, this didn't interest me. I think if you are new to mental health clinics and recovery from an addiction, then this maybe rather insightful.
On a positive, I do like the cover and this is a rather quick read. Though it is emotionally quite deep.
I've spent too much time in the same world as the story. For that reason, this didn't interest me. I think if you are new to mental health clinics and recovery from an addiction, then this maybe rather insightful.
On a positive, I do like the cover and this is a rather quick read. Though it is emotionally quite deep.
March 14, 2017
*This book requires a trigger warning, it contains themes of anorexia and substance abuse*
Room Empty follows a character named Dani who suffers from anorexia. She is a patient at rehab centre where she meets her recovery buddy Fletcher who is suffering from a drug addiction. Fletcher is determined to save Dani and get to the bottom of what happened to Dani in the Room Empty when she was four.
This book has a very interesting concept of anorexia, referring to it as a monster which was one of the aspect I liked most about this book. It made the disease seem bigger than the person and gave depth to Dani as a character as she wasn’t just her illness. I did however have some slight issues with the relationship between Dani and Fletcher, at times it seemed very unhealthy. For example Fletcher would only agree to certain things if Dani would eat which in hindsight seems fine but considering they are both in recovery it just seemed a little strange.
Overall this book was paced very nicely and did contain a very important message. There was also an element of mystery which enhanced the story to another level as opposed to just focusing on the illness it touched on the reasons behind it. This book certainly won't be for everyone but if you're in the mood for a heavier YA contemporary this is the book for you.
Room Empty follows a character named Dani who suffers from anorexia. She is a patient at rehab centre where she meets her recovery buddy Fletcher who is suffering from a drug addiction. Fletcher is determined to save Dani and get to the bottom of what happened to Dani in the Room Empty when she was four.
This book has a very interesting concept of anorexia, referring to it as a monster which was one of the aspect I liked most about this book. It made the disease seem bigger than the person and gave depth to Dani as a character as she wasn’t just her illness. I did however have some slight issues with the relationship between Dani and Fletcher, at times it seemed very unhealthy. For example Fletcher would only agree to certain things if Dani would eat which in hindsight seems fine but considering they are both in recovery it just seemed a little strange.
Overall this book was paced very nicely and did contain a very important message. There was also an element of mystery which enhanced the story to another level as opposed to just focusing on the illness it touched on the reasons behind it. This book certainly won't be for everyone but if you're in the mood for a heavier YA contemporary this is the book for you.
January 23, 2020
I’ve got to be honest, I was a little bit disappointed with this book. I had such high hopes for it and as it’s been on my tbr for so long I was expecting to really love it. Unfortunately, I just found it lacking in lots of areas.
In Room Empty we follow Dani and Fletcher, two teenagers who are staying at a rehab facility for treatment. Dani has an eating disorder and Fletcher is an addict. They have been assigned to each other as ‘recovery buddies’ and the book follows their struggles.
My main issue with this story is the relationship between the two main characters. I found it far too underdeveloped and their feelings towards each other seemed to change inexplicably.
I also feel that the character development was quite poor and to be honest I didn’t feel a connection with either of them.
I personally don’t have any experience with the issues Dani and Fletcher go through so I wouldn’t be able to comment on the accuracy of the portrayal, but I do feel like it was done respectfully.
The one area that this book gets top marks from me on is the writing. There were so many incredible metaphors and analogies throughout the story and they really did help me to understand the characters’ struggles more.
Overall I found this book pretty average but I do think that the themes it deals with are hugely important. I’d still recommend giving it a read - 3 stars🌟🌟🌟
In Room Empty we follow Dani and Fletcher, two teenagers who are staying at a rehab facility for treatment. Dani has an eating disorder and Fletcher is an addict. They have been assigned to each other as ‘recovery buddies’ and the book follows their struggles.
My main issue with this story is the relationship between the two main characters. I found it far too underdeveloped and their feelings towards each other seemed to change inexplicably.
I also feel that the character development was quite poor and to be honest I didn’t feel a connection with either of them.
I personally don’t have any experience with the issues Dani and Fletcher go through so I wouldn’t be able to comment on the accuracy of the portrayal, but I do feel like it was done respectfully.
The one area that this book gets top marks from me on is the writing. There were so many incredible metaphors and analogies throughout the story and they really did help me to understand the characters’ struggles more.
Overall I found this book pretty average but I do think that the themes it deals with are hugely important. I’d still recommend giving it a read - 3 stars🌟🌟🌟
July 12, 2017
Trigger warning ; this book deals with different types of addictions but primarily focuses on Anorexia.
I found this book to be very hard hitting and emotional. Dani and Fletcher as characters were so complex and likeable, reading about their inner demons that they have been fighting for so long was intense and hard. The book was a page turner and I struggled to put it down because I was intrigued to find out what would happen next!
I found this book to be very hard hitting and emotional. Dani and Fletcher as characters were so complex and likeable, reading about their inner demons that they have been fighting for so long was intense and hard. The book was a page turner and I struggled to put it down because I was intrigued to find out what would happen next!
August 18, 2020
This book was okay. Some of it made me genuinely choke on emotion, and other parts I could not connect with at all. The ending was a little bit flat for me, even though it was supposed to be dramatic. But, I did enjoy my time reading it and I liked the storyline,
March 12, 2025
This book is about fighting addiction and fighting your own demons.Dani and fletcher are complex characters who are very likeable.Dani and fletcher are both patients of Daisy Bank rehab Centre.Dani is fighting anorexia while fletcher is fighting to stay clean and off the streets.i was so invested in this story it was really emotional I think Sarah handled these topics either great Care
March 30, 2017
I received this eARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
TW: anorexia, drug abuse, child abuse, suicide
You can find my full review for Room Empty on my blog bookscoffeecats.wordpress.com
TW: anorexia, drug abuse, child abuse, suicide
You can find my full review for Room Empty on my blog bookscoffeecats.wordpress.com
April 4, 2017
*Trigger warning for eating disorders, suicide, drug abuse and child abuse. Please proceed with caution if any of these topics are difficult for you!*
I recieved a free eARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
So, I was fairly excited to read this because I've been trying to read more books featuring mental illness, as it is something I feel passionate about, eating disorders especially. And I was weary when starting this book that this book might feature love 'fixing' the characters' problems, although I was hoping that this wouldn't be the case. But that wasn't what frustrated me whilst reading this book.
Just a bit of a disclaimer: A lot of this review is focused on Dani and the treatment of her eating disorder because that's something I know a fair amount about (and it's also mostly what the book focuses on). I don't know as much about drug addiction, which Fletcher the main male character is dealing with, so I haven't commented as much on the treatment of it.
This novel is told from the eyes of Dani, a patient at the Daisy Bank Rehab Centre, who's been suffering with anorexia for most of her life. The portrayal of Dani's eating disorder itself was fairly accurate, such as her setting herself strict rules to follow concerning what and when she could eat as well as comparing what she eats to what everyone else is eating. These things are typical of someone suffering from anorexia however what I couldn't understand about this story was the treatment of Dani's illness at the rehab centre. I'm not completely sure how rehab centres would differ from hospitals when it comes to treating anorexia. And I also understand that the rehab centre featured in this story isn't supposed to be the best centre ever but, still, Dani recieved little-to-no support for her illness and this really frustrated me.
Multiple times in this book Dani mentions how she feels faint after walking up the stairs, how she can feel how irregular her heartbeat is and how she is so close to dying. And I just couldn't stop thinking why isn't Dani in a hospital? If Dani is so thin and close to death, she shouldn't be allowed to walk around the centre, she should be on bed rest connected to a cardiac monitor with regular doctor/nurse visits. I disliked how this book talked about the implications to Dani's physical health as a result of starving herself yet took no precautions against it. I can't believe that no staff member at the rehab centre recognised that Dani was dangerously thin and needed medical attention. And, seeing as this book is set in the UK, medical help shouldn't have been impossible for Dani to access.
I also can't believe that no staff seemed to make an effort to support Dani's recovery, outside of compulsory group therapy sessions. Group therapy can only help so much and there was no mentions of one-to-one therapy, which is just as important. Dani was allowed to go days without eating and the only person who seemed to care about this was Fletcher, her newly assigned recovery buddy.
In this rehab centre drugs are banned, which you'd expect, to deter those who misuse drugs from continuing to do so. But how come Dani is allowed to sit at lunch with an empty plate and continue her addiction?
This plot of this story is centred around everyone having a 'room' in their mind where difficult emotions and experiences are kept hidden. Fletcher, Dani's recovery buddy and love interest, is determined to find out what is in Dani's 'room' and help her overcome it. I liked Fletcher's character, he was caring and honest and determined to help Dani, although all of this seemed to be in an attempt to cover up his own problems.
But, I disliked how quickly Dani and Fletcher became close and how they needed to save each other from their addictions, as if it was only their love which could tackle their problems. Friendship and love can be extremely helpful when helping an individual recover from a mental illness but they aren't a be all and end all of the recovery process. In all fairness, this book did touch on the character's battling their problems individually but this didn't seem to be it's main focus.
There are some other things which frustrated me about this story but I don't want go into them too much because spoilers. But there were things I liked about this book, such as the controlling and toxicity of Dani's thoughts about food and herself. The writing was also engaging and easy to read. However, these things didn't make up for the things which I didn't like about this book.
A part of me wonders whether I'm overthinking what happened in this story or I'm missing something or I'm taking this story too personally or literally. And I hate being so negative but I wanted to share all these thoughts anyway.
I recieved a free eARC of this book from the publishers in exchange for an honest review.
So, I was fairly excited to read this because I've been trying to read more books featuring mental illness, as it is something I feel passionate about, eating disorders especially. And I was weary when starting this book that this book might feature love 'fixing' the characters' problems, although I was hoping that this wouldn't be the case. But that wasn't what frustrated me whilst reading this book.
Just a bit of a disclaimer: A lot of this review is focused on Dani and the treatment of her eating disorder because that's something I know a fair amount about (and it's also mostly what the book focuses on). I don't know as much about drug addiction, which Fletcher the main male character is dealing with, so I haven't commented as much on the treatment of it.
This novel is told from the eyes of Dani, a patient at the Daisy Bank Rehab Centre, who's been suffering with anorexia for most of her life. The portrayal of Dani's eating disorder itself was fairly accurate, such as her setting herself strict rules to follow concerning what and when she could eat as well as comparing what she eats to what everyone else is eating. These things are typical of someone suffering from anorexia however what I couldn't understand about this story was the treatment of Dani's illness at the rehab centre. I'm not completely sure how rehab centres would differ from hospitals when it comes to treating anorexia. And I also understand that the rehab centre featured in this story isn't supposed to be the best centre ever but, still, Dani recieved little-to-no support for her illness and this really frustrated me.
Multiple times in this book Dani mentions how she feels faint after walking up the stairs, how she can feel how irregular her heartbeat is and how she is so close to dying. And I just couldn't stop thinking why isn't Dani in a hospital? If Dani is so thin and close to death, she shouldn't be allowed to walk around the centre, she should be on bed rest connected to a cardiac monitor with regular doctor/nurse visits. I disliked how this book talked about the implications to Dani's physical health as a result of starving herself yet took no precautions against it. I can't believe that no staff member at the rehab centre recognised that Dani was dangerously thin and needed medical attention. And, seeing as this book is set in the UK, medical help shouldn't have been impossible for Dani to access.
I also can't believe that no staff seemed to make an effort to support Dani's recovery, outside of compulsory group therapy sessions. Group therapy can only help so much and there was no mentions of one-to-one therapy, which is just as important. Dani was allowed to go days without eating and the only person who seemed to care about this was Fletcher, her newly assigned recovery buddy.
In this rehab centre drugs are banned, which you'd expect, to deter those who misuse drugs from continuing to do so. But how come Dani is allowed to sit at lunch with an empty plate and continue her addiction?
This plot of this story is centred around everyone having a 'room' in their mind where difficult emotions and experiences are kept hidden. Fletcher, Dani's recovery buddy and love interest, is determined to find out what is in Dani's 'room' and help her overcome it. I liked Fletcher's character, he was caring and honest and determined to help Dani, although all of this seemed to be in an attempt to cover up his own problems.
But, I disliked how quickly Dani and Fletcher became close and how they needed to save each other from their addictions, as if it was only their love which could tackle their problems. Friendship and love can be extremely helpful when helping an individual recover from a mental illness but they aren't a be all and end all of the recovery process. In all fairness, this book did touch on the character's battling their problems individually but this didn't seem to be it's main focus.
There are some other things which frustrated me about this story but I don't want go into them too much because spoilers. But there were things I liked about this book, such as the controlling and toxicity of Dani's thoughts about food and herself. The writing was also engaging and easy to read. However, these things didn't make up for the things which I didn't like about this book.
A part of me wonders whether I'm overthinking what happened in this story or I'm missing something or I'm taking this story too personally or literally. And I hate being so negative but I wanted to share all these thoughts anyway.
September 5, 2017
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
TW...ADDICTIONS, ANOREXIOA, DRUGS, ALCOHOL MISUSE, SUICIDE, REHAB...
OK, Dear Sarah Mussi...
I'm sorry WHAT?
What sort of cliff hanger is that?
What happens next?
Does Dani DIE?
Does Fletcher save her?
Who was the Third Person?
Will there be a second book?
How can you leave it like that? 😔😔
Ok, serious now. I enjoyed this book, some may find that disturbing after reading the Synopsis, but after having my own issue with Drink, Drugs etc and having my own Mental Health Diagnosis's aswell being in a Psych Hospital, I actually find these typed of books relatable.
Also my Mum had Anorexia and it's something I want to work along side in the future all things Mental Health, Drugs, Substance Misuse, Eating Disorders etc.
I will admit, I found parts hard because I thought of my own Mum who sadly passed away suddenly 30/12/12 aged just 44.
and so I could relate to Dani and Fletcher on the whole (Mum's being in Heaven) aswell as with their issues and relationships with friends & family.
I am 28 which some say is old for Books like these and YA books, but if I had the chance to read a book like this in my teens it really would've helped me alot I think.
Anyway. I did enjoy the book, I pray there is a second one 😉😉😉😉 and I highly recommend it to those interested in all things Mental Health/Substance misuse...aswell as just wanting to maybe understand a friend or relative.
Great Work Sarah. I just wish I had Tabbed all my Fave and not so Fav parts for a much better review.
TW...ADDICTIONS, ANOREXIOA, DRUGS, ALCOHOL MISUSE, SUICIDE, REHAB...
OK, Dear Sarah Mussi...
I'm sorry WHAT?
What sort of cliff hanger is that?
What happens next?
Does Dani DIE?
Does Fletcher save her?
Who was the Third Person?
Will there be a second book?
How can you leave it like that? 😔😔
Ok, serious now. I enjoyed this book, some may find that disturbing after reading the Synopsis, but after having my own issue with Drink, Drugs etc and having my own Mental Health Diagnosis's aswell being in a Psych Hospital, I actually find these typed of books relatable.
Also my Mum had Anorexia and it's something I want to work along side in the future all things Mental Health, Drugs, Substance Misuse, Eating Disorders etc.
I will admit, I found parts hard because I thought of my own Mum who sadly passed away suddenly 30/12/12 aged just 44.
and so I could relate to Dani and Fletcher on the whole (Mum's being in Heaven) aswell as with their issues and relationships with friends & family.
I am 28 which some say is old for Books like these and YA books, but if I had the chance to read a book like this in my teens it really would've helped me alot I think.
Anyway. I did enjoy the book, I pray there is a second one 😉😉😉😉 and I highly recommend it to those interested in all things Mental Health/Substance misuse...aswell as just wanting to maybe understand a friend or relative.
Great Work Sarah. I just wish I had Tabbed all my Fave and not so Fav parts for a much better review.
April 28, 2018
What a stunning book this has been to read.
Personally, as a sufferer of issues of many kinds, I can relate to many points in this book.
The story is set in a mostly government funded treatment center in Berkshire. The resident we focus around is Dani who seventeen, lived in care all her life and whom is anorexic. She has just found her friend, Carmen, dead by suicide and she found her. Her other friend, Fletcher is a drug addict and insists on being there for Dani and wants her to be there for him through his stay too.
She also has the alien, who insists on supporting her which is inside her head and is the more irrational, impulsive, emotional side of her. This side of her comes to light most often after she starts to remember being locked in a room with the dead body.
There is a great mystery to be solved within this novel as well as the turbulent yet loving relationship that builds and grows between Fletcher and Dani. I have to say as Dani's memories start to come back stronger in flashbacks to her, the fast paced and emotional ending to the book leaves me full of hope for Dani and Fletch.
I really recommend this book, thanks to the publishers allowing me to review Sarah's new book and make sure you read this one.
Personally, as a sufferer of issues of many kinds, I can relate to many points in this book.
The story is set in a mostly government funded treatment center in Berkshire. The resident we focus around is Dani who seventeen, lived in care all her life and whom is anorexic. She has just found her friend, Carmen, dead by suicide and she found her. Her other friend, Fletcher is a drug addict and insists on being there for Dani and wants her to be there for him through his stay too.
She also has the alien, who insists on supporting her which is inside her head and is the more irrational, impulsive, emotional side of her. This side of her comes to light most often after she starts to remember being locked in a room with the dead body.
There is a great mystery to be solved within this novel as well as the turbulent yet loving relationship that builds and grows between Fletcher and Dani. I have to say as Dani's memories start to come back stronger in flashbacks to her, the fast paced and emotional ending to the book leaves me full of hope for Dani and Fletch.
I really recommend this book, thanks to the publishers allowing me to review Sarah's new book and make sure you read this one.
May 13, 2017
*This book was received via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
This book was quite hard to read. Not only were there numerous typos throughout the book, but a lot of 'f's were missing from words so the reader was left to guess what word the author was trying to use. I also found the plot to drag on a little and it got to the point where I just wanted to skip a few pages. I didn't like the main characters either, however I don't think the reader was meant to. Overall, this was a promising read that disappointed me due to grammatical and syntax errors and the long length.
This book was quite hard to read. Not only were there numerous typos throughout the book, but a lot of 'f's were missing from words so the reader was left to guess what word the author was trying to use. I also found the plot to drag on a little and it got to the point where I just wanted to skip a few pages. I didn't like the main characters either, however I don't think the reader was meant to. Overall, this was a promising read that disappointed me due to grammatical and syntax errors and the long length.
May 30, 2024
I can't express how much hatred I have for this book.
The characters were SO underdeveloped I couldn't tell you what a single one looks like, the depiction of mental health disorders and eating disorders was awful, inaccurate and insensitive and the characters' personalities (or lack thereof) were SO hard to like.
Finished because I don't like to DNF books, that is the ONLY reason.
Sorry, not sorry.
The characters were SO underdeveloped I couldn't tell you what a single one looks like, the depiction of mental health disorders and eating disorders was awful, inaccurate and insensitive and the characters' personalities (or lack thereof) were SO hard to like.
Finished because I don't like to DNF books, that is the ONLY reason.
Sorry, not sorry.
December 30, 2020
I am going to write a review when I've actually slept because it's 20 to 9 in the morning and i haven't slept yet.
But this book made me so mad
But this book made me so mad
April 13, 2024
Thank fuck i finally finished jesus that was exhausting
Okay, I'm not going to delete what I had just said because I mean it but anyway, I just want to state that reading this book was exhausting and I have been reading it on and off for a period of 2 months, so if i forget something, or state something in my review that may be untrue or rather off track, it's probably due to me forgetting.
Where do I start with this book?
No im serious like as I am writing this I am trying to think of where to start
The book failed to keep me engaged, it was bland, it didn't have much flavour.
Where was the plot? What the fuck happened to the plot?
Okay sure, in the end, they stuck by one another and yada yada ya. But despite them exchanging words of encouragement and swearing that they wouldn't abandon each other, even though they literally said those things before, there was nothing to show how they worked with one another to stop being ill! Sure, Dani ate bread and butter and some lasagne for two days, but that's it. Did she actually go to therapy? Did her and Fletcher end up being together? You could say "Maybe the writer left it like that so that the reader can imagine an ending that suits them", sure, but in these kind of stories, it's plain stupid to leave it like that because it is a book about recovery. The reader could imagine that Dani never ate again and that Fletch maybe started using again. How did her and fletcher reconnect? Why did they reconnect? None of this is explained in the book. She calls him XY times and it all goes to voicemail after a screaming fight they had, after Fletcher literally left the centre because he couldn't recover, to him showing up there in the garden where she gives him supper and they swear to stick by one another. HUH???
The plot was weak, it just dragged on and on and on, same fucking story all the fucking time. Fletcher trying his best, Dani not even trying. Then all of a sudden, she looks at herself in the mirror, tells herself she's lovable, normal and pretty and goes back to her normal eating habits? You're telling me, that after YEARS, literally multiple periods of 365 days, she goes back to eating as if she never had an eating disorder? What about those boards she had "thinspo'? What happened to those? Why are they allowed to use phones in a recovery centre when their phones could literally cause them more damage? The portrayal of Dani's eating disorder is plain unrealistic and not well thought out. A person who has had an eating disorder doesn't just recover at the snapping of fingers. She wants to recover for Fletcher, yet she is out talking about how that Mariam girl who was giving the talk about co-dependency, was annoying and irritating. Mind you, that was in one of the 40's chapters, I don't exactly remember which one.
The ending? Honestly, a part of me is glad the ending was cut out, but a part of me, the part that wants to know and is curious about the story, even if it is deathly boring, wants to know that third person. So she goes out of her way to return to a place where her mother died to find out the man who did that to her, only for her to say "they'll get their karma"?? Bye. Literally got me interested for no reason. She goes to find the man just to ditch the entire thing. Literally BYE.
The alien shit pissed me off as well, it was creative, sure, but do I really have to hear about an imaginary alien farting or snoring or choking her? Like move on and get to the point please.
I like Fletcher's character, he's very open to helping and I'm glad he tried to help Dani, but he very much proved Dani was a narcissist. I fuckin' said it! This girl was using strategies, midway through trying to 'recover' such as feeding her friend Kerstin cookies and hoping she gets fat? I'm sorry, I laughed at that so hard like BYEEE just saying "I hope she gets fat." PLSS💀
But back to my point, it isn't logical the way she recovered when she was still very much starving herself till the 200th something page.
Mind you, I'm recalling the inconsistencies and flaws I found in the late chapters of the book (mostly). Imagine if I had read the book quicker and remembered all the flaws that were in the book? I would be exceeding the character limit I'm afraid...
If you want a real recovery book, this just ain't the one. To the author, I don't have much to say, have a good life and maybe write a better book idk.
Okay, I'm not going to delete what I had just said because I mean it but anyway, I just want to state that reading this book was exhausting and I have been reading it on and off for a period of 2 months, so if i forget something, or state something in my review that may be untrue or rather off track, it's probably due to me forgetting.
Where do I start with this book?
No im serious like as I am writing this I am trying to think of where to start
The book failed to keep me engaged, it was bland, it didn't have much flavour.
Where was the plot? What the fuck happened to the plot?
Okay sure, in the end, they stuck by one another and yada yada ya. But despite them exchanging words of encouragement and swearing that they wouldn't abandon each other, even though they literally said those things before, there was nothing to show how they worked with one another to stop being ill! Sure, Dani ate bread and butter and some lasagne for two days, but that's it. Did she actually go to therapy? Did her and Fletcher end up being together? You could say "Maybe the writer left it like that so that the reader can imagine an ending that suits them", sure, but in these kind of stories, it's plain stupid to leave it like that because it is a book about recovery. The reader could imagine that Dani never ate again and that Fletch maybe started using again. How did her and fletcher reconnect? Why did they reconnect? None of this is explained in the book. She calls him XY times and it all goes to voicemail after a screaming fight they had, after Fletcher literally left the centre because he couldn't recover, to him showing up there in the garden where she gives him supper and they swear to stick by one another. HUH???
The plot was weak, it just dragged on and on and on, same fucking story all the fucking time. Fletcher trying his best, Dani not even trying. Then all of a sudden, she looks at herself in the mirror, tells herself she's lovable, normal and pretty and goes back to her normal eating habits? You're telling me, that after YEARS, literally multiple periods of 365 days, she goes back to eating as if she never had an eating disorder? What about those boards she had "thinspo'? What happened to those? Why are they allowed to use phones in a recovery centre when their phones could literally cause them more damage? The portrayal of Dani's eating disorder is plain unrealistic and not well thought out. A person who has had an eating disorder doesn't just recover at the snapping of fingers. She wants to recover for Fletcher, yet she is out talking about how that Mariam girl who was giving the talk about co-dependency, was annoying and irritating. Mind you, that was in one of the 40's chapters, I don't exactly remember which one.
The ending? Honestly, a part of me is glad the ending was cut out, but a part of me, the part that wants to know and is curious about the story, even if it is deathly boring, wants to know that third person. So she goes out of her way to return to a place where her mother died to find out the man who did that to her, only for her to say "they'll get their karma"?? Bye. Literally got me interested for no reason. She goes to find the man just to ditch the entire thing. Literally BYE.
The alien shit pissed me off as well, it was creative, sure, but do I really have to hear about an imaginary alien farting or snoring or choking her? Like move on and get to the point please.
I like Fletcher's character, he's very open to helping and I'm glad he tried to help Dani, but he very much proved Dani was a narcissist. I fuckin' said it! This girl was using strategies, midway through trying to 'recover' such as feeding her friend Kerstin cookies and hoping she gets fat? I'm sorry, I laughed at that so hard like BYEEE just saying "I hope she gets fat." PLSS💀
But back to my point, it isn't logical the way she recovered when she was still very much starving herself till the 200th something page.
Mind you, I'm recalling the inconsistencies and flaws I found in the late chapters of the book (mostly). Imagine if I had read the book quicker and remembered all the flaws that were in the book? I would be exceeding the character limit I'm afraid...
If you want a real recovery book, this just ain't the one. To the author, I don't have much to say, have a good life and maybe write a better book idk.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 19, 2017
Thanks to Netgallery for providing me with a digital copy in exchange for an honest Review!
Trigger Warning for Anorexia, Suicide, Drug Abuse & Child Abuse!
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
L I K E S
• Dani’s anorexia was portrayed very thoroughly! I do not know if this book is ownvoices, but from what I have gathered the anorexia was portrayed in a thorough, accurate way. We see Dani describe her eating disorder as The Thinness and also involved the Alien, another figure she imagined. It was also interesting to see how she developed these strategies to feel good about herself, which involved not eating to become more lovable. In the end, we also saw where her eating disorder came from as she slowly unraveled a childhood trauma, that she had repressed for years. This was done with the concept of the Empty Room, where her past lay and which she visited again and again to remember what had happened back then. It did help her recover, though, as she finally got to know what she had repressed all these years.
• Flechter was a really likable character. I had to say that I really respected him, because he put up with all of Dani's treatment of everybody, even though he did not have to. He truly was a good recovery buddy for her, but I really think that Dani did not appreciate him enough, because she was so self-obsessed. In general, I felt really sad for Flechter, because he had to go through some horrible child abuse at the hands of his emotionally & physically abusive alcoholic mother. Reading about her made me really angry, because she’s the reason he felt worthless and escaped into drugs in the first place. Later he even ends up at a lower place, while of course Dani loses nothing, which also made me feel affronted in his place,. because it was rarely unfair. He certainly deserved better.
• The pacing and writing style made it very easy to get through the book! I have to say that this is one of the most positive aspects of the novel, because I flew through it. The writing style is very easy to get through and the pacing flows really nicely, so I never had trouble getting through the book. I actually also never got bored, because the suspense was build up very nicely and I really wanted to know how things continued with the characters!
D I S L I K E S
• Dani was one of the most unlikable characters that I’ve encountered. I got that she dealt with an eating disorder but that did not give her a free pass to go around being mean to people. The worst thing about her was how horribly self absorbed and selfish she was, because everything always had to be about her. She did not care about the other kids recovering, because Dani was always thinking how she’s the only one allowed to hurt, because she has it worst of all. Dani also thinks she’s the most important one that needs to be saved. It always has to be all about her, which got on my nerves pretty quickly, because she never thought about others, only about herself. She’s also super unkind and cruel towards the others, always looking down on them, because she is on her high horse. I did not get what her problem with the other kids was. Not to mention how she kept talking about Carmen’s suicide in the beginning - uuugh. She was also so dismissive of Flechters story, not wanting to hear it because she wants to talk only about herself and does not care about what everyone else has been through. One time Dani literally says that she wished thing would be like before, when it was all about her. I did not have even a bit of sympathy for her.
• The portrayal of the rehab center & psychologists was inaccurate & not really realistic. Dani constantly mocked their recovering techniques because according to her everything they ever did was useless, which is funny since she did not study Psychology, but always knows best *sarcasm*. In general psychologists were portrayed as arrogant snobs who did not know what they were doing & never helped anyone. (I do know that not every center/psychologist is competent, there are certainly exceptions) No one actually recovered & many techniques like one to one therapy were not even done. Furthermore, the center did not seem to care that nobody was recovering either. Dani was very weak and could barely walk anymore, but no one did anything to help her. She literally skipped meals and did not eat for days - normally she would have to have bed rest & be monitored & if things got rough force fed. I just hated how the entire rehab system was portrayed as flawed and useless, because while it won’t work for everybody, these people have studied years and gotten their degree, so stop acting like everyone has no idea what they are doing and is just an arrogant snob thinking they’re better than anyone else.
• Dani and Flechter’s relationship was not healthy. There was lots of Co-dependency, between them, which is not really healthy in any case, but especially not with two recovering people. There’s a reason relationships are forbidden in the rehab center, because as much as support helps, romantic relationships can get really messy and can easily make things worse. I disliked how Flechter thought he could just force Dani to eat again, which surely is not how eating disorders work. I also disliked how Dani was always like “I need you to this and that for me - ugh I want to go back to the times when it was all about me” and got so annoyed when Flechter told his story. In general, the entire ‘if you don’t recover I won’t come to circle time’ emotional blackmail bothered me to no ends.
• What the hell was up with this Kerstin? She was the caricature of the dumb neurotypical I got that, but she was getting on my nerves. And where did she even come from? How does she know Dani? No one knows because she just turns up & later disappears again. I really disliked her and had no ides why she even had to be in the book, because she did not bring anything to the story, she was just there to be annoying.
• The ending was kind of very abrupt. It felt like we were in a middle of a scene and then suddenly the book was finished. I would have liked to at least wrap things up a bit more and was startled when I figured out that there was nothing more to read. After all this buildup the ending scene was way too short.
IN CONCLUSION: Room Empty was a very interesting book about eating disorders, addiction and trauma, but sadly had a very unlikable main character as well as a not really realistic portrayal of the health system.
Trigger Warning for Anorexia, Suicide, Drug Abuse & Child Abuse!
Actual Rating: 2.5 Stars
L I K E S
• Dani’s anorexia was portrayed very thoroughly! I do not know if this book is ownvoices, but from what I have gathered the anorexia was portrayed in a thorough, accurate way. We see Dani describe her eating disorder as The Thinness and also involved the Alien, another figure she imagined. It was also interesting to see how she developed these strategies to feel good about herself, which involved not eating to become more lovable. In the end, we also saw where her eating disorder came from as she slowly unraveled a childhood trauma, that she had repressed for years. This was done with the concept of the Empty Room, where her past lay and which she visited again and again to remember what had happened back then. It did help her recover, though, as she finally got to know what she had repressed all these years.
• Flechter was a really likable character. I had to say that I really respected him, because he put up with all of Dani's treatment of everybody, even though he did not have to. He truly was a good recovery buddy for her, but I really think that Dani did not appreciate him enough, because she was so self-obsessed. In general, I felt really sad for Flechter, because he had to go through some horrible child abuse at the hands of his emotionally & physically abusive alcoholic mother. Reading about her made me really angry, because she’s the reason he felt worthless and escaped into drugs in the first place. Later he even ends up at a lower place, while of course Dani loses nothing, which also made me feel affronted in his place,. because it was rarely unfair. He certainly deserved better.
• The pacing and writing style made it very easy to get through the book! I have to say that this is one of the most positive aspects of the novel, because I flew through it. The writing style is very easy to get through and the pacing flows really nicely, so I never had trouble getting through the book. I actually also never got bored, because the suspense was build up very nicely and I really wanted to know how things continued with the characters!
D I S L I K E S
• Dani was one of the most unlikable characters that I’ve encountered. I got that she dealt with an eating disorder but that did not give her a free pass to go around being mean to people. The worst thing about her was how horribly self absorbed and selfish she was, because everything always had to be about her. She did not care about the other kids recovering, because Dani was always thinking how she’s the only one allowed to hurt, because she has it worst of all. Dani also thinks she’s the most important one that needs to be saved. It always has to be all about her, which got on my nerves pretty quickly, because she never thought about others, only about herself. She’s also super unkind and cruel towards the others, always looking down on them, because she is on her high horse. I did not get what her problem with the other kids was. Not to mention how she kept talking about Carmen’s suicide in the beginning - uuugh. She was also so dismissive of Flechters story, not wanting to hear it because she wants to talk only about herself and does not care about what everyone else has been through. One time Dani literally says that she wished thing would be like before, when it was all about her. I did not have even a bit of sympathy for her.
• The portrayal of the rehab center & psychologists was inaccurate & not really realistic. Dani constantly mocked their recovering techniques because according to her everything they ever did was useless, which is funny since she did not study Psychology, but always knows best *sarcasm*. In general psychologists were portrayed as arrogant snobs who did not know what they were doing & never helped anyone. (I do know that not every center/psychologist is competent, there are certainly exceptions) No one actually recovered & many techniques like one to one therapy were not even done. Furthermore, the center did not seem to care that nobody was recovering either. Dani was very weak and could barely walk anymore, but no one did anything to help her. She literally skipped meals and did not eat for days - normally she would have to have bed rest & be monitored & if things got rough force fed. I just hated how the entire rehab system was portrayed as flawed and useless, because while it won’t work for everybody, these people have studied years and gotten their degree, so stop acting like everyone has no idea what they are doing and is just an arrogant snob thinking they’re better than anyone else.
• Dani and Flechter’s relationship was not healthy. There was lots of Co-dependency, between them, which is not really healthy in any case, but especially not with two recovering people. There’s a reason relationships are forbidden in the rehab center, because as much as support helps, romantic relationships can get really messy and can easily make things worse. I disliked how Flechter thought he could just force Dani to eat again, which surely is not how eating disorders work. I also disliked how Dani was always like “I need you to this and that for me - ugh I want to go back to the times when it was all about me” and got so annoyed when Flechter told his story. In general, the entire ‘if you don’t recover I won’t come to circle time’ emotional blackmail bothered me to no ends.
• What the hell was up with this Kerstin? She was the caricature of the dumb neurotypical I got that, but she was getting on my nerves. And where did she even come from? How does she know Dani? No one knows because she just turns up & later disappears again. I really disliked her and had no ides why she even had to be in the book, because she did not bring anything to the story, she was just there to be annoying.
• The ending was kind of very abrupt. It felt like we were in a middle of a scene and then suddenly the book was finished. I would have liked to at least wrap things up a bit more and was startled when I figured out that there was nothing more to read. After all this buildup the ending scene was way too short.
IN CONCLUSION: Room Empty was a very interesting book about eating disorders, addiction and trauma, but sadly had a very unlikable main character as well as a not really realistic portrayal of the health system.
March 22, 2017
First of all, this book requires a massive, clear and bold trigger warning. There is addiction, anorexia, drugs, childhood abuse and other heavy topics.
Full review here: https://malloryreadsblog.wordpress.co...
I was sent a free copy of this book through Netgalley for an honest review.
This book was heavy. Really, really heavy and for me quite depressing. I can't decide whether I liked it or not.
The book is well written, it's fast paced and easy to read. But there is so much self-hate. And I mean I get that is part of the story and the characters and all that, I know it's realistic. Sometimes I do wish books weren't this realistic.
I liked the idea that anorexia was an alien. Dani's only friend who forced her not to eat. It was a new take on 'Ana' for me. And I guess some people would regard it like that. Her character and thought process was written so well I understood what she was going through.
The story was written smartly but at the same time also didn't make much sense to me. There was so much self-hate and arguing and thinking going on between things happening that the actions taking place were taken over by the thought process. I don't know if this was done on purpose? I mean, I guess maybe Sarah Mussi was going for what life is actually like for Dani? I honestly don't know.
Full review here: https://malloryreadsblog.wordpress.co...
I was sent a free copy of this book through Netgalley for an honest review.
This book was heavy. Really, really heavy and for me quite depressing. I can't decide whether I liked it or not.
The book is well written, it's fast paced and easy to read. But there is so much self-hate. And I mean I get that is part of the story and the characters and all that, I know it's realistic. Sometimes I do wish books weren't this realistic.
I liked the idea that anorexia was an alien. Dani's only friend who forced her not to eat. It was a new take on 'Ana' for me. And I guess some people would regard it like that. Her character and thought process was written so well I understood what she was going through.
The story was written smartly but at the same time also didn't make much sense to me. There was so much self-hate and arguing and thinking going on between things happening that the actions taking place were taken over by the thought process. I don't know if this was done on purpose? I mean, I guess maybe Sarah Mussi was going for what life is actually like for Dani? I honestly don't know.
February 15, 2018
To be honest, I almost feel like this only deserves 1.5 stars. The only reason it isn't 1 star is because I think the effort made to write the internalised chaos of an eating disorder is commendable. It was a difficult, strange style to follow, with the "Alien" and structure of skipping between thoughts and action, but really interesting nonetheless.
I have HUGE issues with Fletcher as a character. He is the epitome of 'romance as a cure', or at least he desperately wants to be. On MULTIPLE occasions he would say things along the lines of 'I want to save you', 'you won't even try to get better for me', 'I won't recover if you don't, it'll be your fault' and there's some really troubling, upsetting force-feeding kind of scenes that I hated. I felt huge sympathy for Dani and her discovery of her past, her trauma, and trying to move on. Again though, when she successfully ate some lunch, she wanted to go and tell FLETCHER, rather than being excited for herself and her own recovery. I don't think she was given enough justice as an individual.
I have HUGE issues with Fletcher as a character. He is the epitome of 'romance as a cure', or at least he desperately wants to be. On MULTIPLE occasions he would say things along the lines of 'I want to save you', 'you won't even try to get better for me', 'I won't recover if you don't, it'll be your fault' and there's some really troubling, upsetting force-feeding kind of scenes that I hated. I felt huge sympathy for Dani and her discovery of her past, her trauma, and trying to move on. Again though, when she successfully ate some lunch, she wanted to go and tell FLETCHER, rather than being excited for herself and her own recovery. I don't think she was given enough justice as an individual.
June 16, 2017
This book is great and very important. It was interesting from the beggining and I wanted to keep reading. The characters felt real because they all had problems and flaws, like all of us do. What I really like about this book is how it talks about topics such as addictions and also mental health. I think that maybe it could trigger some people who went through eating disorders, or any type of addiction, so maybe this book is not for everyone, but I learned some things from this book and it also made me understand a little bit more how it is for humans who are dealing with anorexia, bulimia, drug, alchohol addiction... I really liked the writing, and also the end was not predictable. This book deserves 4/5 stars!
January 9, 2020
I was really looking forward to reading this but right from the get go I struggled with the main character as she was not relatable. This book does provide good views of addicts as they are selfish at times and do want everyone to feel sorry for them, as Dani states that she does but I feel like the recovery side was too unrealistic. I struggle to believe that after not eating for several days that Dani (who suffers from an eating disorder) would be able to wake up, grab herself a feast and eat all of this, with barely no issues? This book really did nothing for me, and although it had a good plot, it didn’t seem to go anywhere with it as right at the end when you think you’re going to find out exactly what happened to Dani and her mother, it ends on a ‘cliff hanger’
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2023
4.5
This book lost half a star due to the fact that there was no trigger warning WHATSOEVER. It should be planted firmly on the cover because it is a lot.
Despite that, I absolutely loved everything about this book. I got a sense of both Dani's and Fletcher's addictions and how it makes them act, think and feel. Although their addictions are so different, the similarities are endless in the way it shapes them as people and their journies to recovery.
I enjoyed the fact that it wasn't a soppy love story, although they did love each other, you could tell, even though it took Dani a whole to acknowledge and admit that she did love Fletcher. As long as they needed each other, that love was felt.
I am thankful for a happy ending.
This book lost half a star due to the fact that there was no trigger warning WHATSOEVER. It should be planted firmly on the cover because it is a lot.
Despite that, I absolutely loved everything about this book. I got a sense of both Dani's and Fletcher's addictions and how it makes them act, think and feel. Although their addictions are so different, the similarities are endless in the way it shapes them as people and their journies to recovery.
I enjoyed the fact that it wasn't a soppy love story, although they did love each other, you could tell, even though it took Dani a whole to acknowledge and admit that she did love Fletcher. As long as they needed each other, that love was felt.
I am thankful for a happy ending.
May 16, 2020
Another of my latest reads - excuse the tattiness 🤭 was Room empty by Sarah Mussi 🌸 I found this book to be confusing and off track. I suffer with anorexia so the book is also triggering for that as well 🌸 this book is based on addiction and being in an addiction centre 🌸 Dani is lost and alone, she has no past memories and starved herself with her ‘alien’ then she meets fletcher he’s a junkie and puts his all into making her better 🌸 it’s funny, confusing and downright mental - I rate this book 4/5 ⭐️
May 28, 2017
Breakdown by Sarah Mussi was one of my most surprising YA discoveries in recent years so I was excited to read another book by Sarah's hand. Unfortunately Room Empty wasn't what I hoped it'd be. The self-centred main character was annoying instead of interesting and with a collision of issues within a single book there was just too much going on (almost like a tick box YA to hit all of the popular topics), not allowing time to develop any one of them.
February 16, 2023
This was a ‘break book’ so I could take a break from guessing complex twists. This was cleverly written in regards to you had to deduce what’s was real and what isn’t throughout the book. It gives you an insight into mental illness that I feel a lot of authors cannot portray well due to not having any experiences. I don’t know if the author has struggled with mental illness but this seems like an accurate portrayal.
August 30, 2023
I didn’t hate this book, but I didn’t love it either. The first 150 pages were really difficult to get thru. I didn’t like the writing and I couldn’t get any attachment to the characters. I also think that Dani ( main character) was REALLY annoying. After those 150 pages, something happened and I started to enjoy the book. I think it was the small character development that did the job. Also didn’t like the ending, the ending felt rushed.
January 25, 2018
I felt deeply engaged with the main characters, but have real concerns about the trigger issue, particularly around the suicide. Empty Room totally engaged me and drew me to the end of the story (although I feel there's more to tell), but writing from a school librarian's perspective there is a real need for caution.
February 8, 2019
Amazing book.
They way the author used short, quick sentences added so much to Dani and her thought process. It was also incredibly real. I've never had an eating disorder but I've thought and said so many of the things Dani did with my depression and anxiety. The way she deals with things and situations like using a point system, self-loathing, and wanting to suffer and wanting all these bad things to happen to you because you feel like you deserve it in a way. I also loved they was many things were capitalized like "Alien," and "my Thinness." It was something so little that you wouldn't expect in a book, yet it was so vital and added so much to the story and to Dani as a person.
I'd recommend this book to anyone, especially if they are interested in learning about disorders like this and someone's mindset might be like. I'd also recommend this if you wanted educate someone, like family or friends, on what you're going through by using a different perspective and being informative without the scary and unsettling medical websites.
They way the author used short, quick sentences added so much to Dani and her thought process. It was also incredibly real. I've never had an eating disorder but I've thought and said so many of the things Dani did with my depression and anxiety. The way she deals with things and situations like using a point system, self-loathing, and wanting to suffer and wanting all these bad things to happen to you because you feel like you deserve it in a way. I also loved they was many things were capitalized like "Alien," and "my Thinness." It was something so little that you wouldn't expect in a book, yet it was so vital and added so much to the story and to Dani as a person.
I'd recommend this book to anyone, especially if they are interested in learning about disorders like this and someone's mindset might be like. I'd also recommend this if you wanted educate someone, like family or friends, on what you're going through by using a different perspective and being informative without the scary and unsettling medical websites.
February 24, 2019
'We are all addicts of one kind or another.'
Two teens find friendship and love at a rehab center, one of them is diagnosed with an eating disorder and the other one is a homeless drug addict.
Can they help each other with their pain and battle their demons together?
This was a quick paced novel that kept me on the edge of my seat!
Deals with some dark themes
Two teens find friendship and love at a rehab center, one of them is diagnosed with an eating disorder and the other one is a homeless drug addict.
Can they help each other with their pain and battle their demons together?
This was a quick paced novel that kept me on the edge of my seat!
Deals with some dark themes
April 16, 2019
As it is understandable to know what the protagonist went through, the plot is so good! There's even romance and such amazing bonding between her and the lover. hehe.. Even though the person is at rehab to recover, it is not the only one. What I like about the book is how the person went through the "steps" of recovering, and well not just show recovering, but also the struggles.
November 24, 2020
Really didn't like it. The characters were very one dimensional, it's very unrealistic in terms of how the rehab centre was run and the storyline just didn't go anywhere? The writing feels tedious, with the majority of sentences repeated over and over again. It all just seemed jumbled together with no real meaning. With the theme being very important, it's such a let down.
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