Sad Perfect: A Novel

by Stephanie Elliot

Perfect is only on the surface in this gripping novel about a teen girl who looks normal but struggles with a little known eating disorder.

Sixteen-year-old Pea has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, which means she can't eat very much because nutritious foods frighten her. Having ARFID is like having a monster inside of her, one that dictates what she can eat, what she does and who she socializes with. This monster is growing and controlling more than just her food issues?it's causing anxiety, depression, and giving her thoughts that she doesn't want to have.

When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she's fine. At first, everything really does feel like it's getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, best friend, and Ben the support and strength that she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn't have to control her.

Sad Perfect is the haunting debut novel from Stephanie Elliot.

A Margaret Ferguson

Book Praise for Sad Perfect

"Elliot's novel helps to fill a gap within teen narratives about disordered eating." --Kirkus Review

"A well-written page-turner whose sensitive topic is covered with finesse and grace. This novel would be a worthy addition to a high school library collection." --School Library Journal

"Diversity in young adult books is finally on the rise, and Sad Perfect fits the bill. It takes an honest look at an eating disorder and mental health issues faced by some teens. Sad Perfect is recommended for libraries serving middle school age and up, where it will appeal to fans of realistic fiction about difficult topics." --VOYA

"Written in the second-person, Sad Perfect is the spare, hauntingly told story of a teenage girl and the eating disorder that threatens to consume her. You'll be riveted by her story, and by Elliot's careful observations of social media, the healthcare system, and parental neglect. Girls, and boys, will be reading this elegant and sad book for years to come." --Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times-bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

"A raw and visceral exploration of a unique eating disorder. Told in the second person, Sad Perfect is a masterfully crafted novel about the struggle for self-love and the healing power of self-acceptance." --Shannon M. Parker, author of The Girl Who Fell

Genres: Mental Health, Young Adult, Contemporary, Mental Illness, Fiction, Romance, Realistic Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2017

Reviews

[Emma Giordano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: I just wanted to place this review at the top of mind to let you all know that another reviewer was very harmed by the rep in this book. I think it's important that while I'll continue to love this book and what it's done for me, I give you guys the opportunity to view someone else's experience (but spoiler warning for this review). So if you'd like to see how this book affected someone the complete opposite way it affected me, I encourage you to read this review before making a decision if this book is for you: http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this...

4.5 Stars! I sincerely enjoyed this book. It fulfilled all of my expectations & was exactly as satisfying as I thought it would be! Thank you so much to Stephanie & everyone at FSG who was able to get me a copy pre-release! I'll have a more fleshed out review on my channel soon later this month.

When I found out we had a YA novel about Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), I was already sold. Though I don't have as much experience with ARFID through my studies, Sad Perfect seemed to have fantastic eating disorder rep! Though my diagnosis was different, I was able to see so many of my own thoughts, fears, and compulsions in Pea's relationship with food. I really related to this book and I think anyone who has struggled with their eating would get something from this read! There's a lot about this book that I related to, (which I won't spoil, but dang, the author nailed my experiences down to the "lego chairs". It was so similar it was weird), so it was super comforting to feel so identified! I do just want to place a slight trigger warning for self-harm on this book. Personally, it's the least intense (meaning not overtly descriptive/not severely destructive) portrayal of this topic I've encountered in YA mental illness novels thus far so you may not be bothered by the scenes in question, but just be weary! Otherwise, it is definitely on my list of eating disorder books, especially considering it talks about a disorder very few exist!

I also loved how the ENTIRE book is told is second person! When I recognized this, it was weird for just a split-second because I had never read a book like this, but very quickly I fell in love! I feel this is how more mental health stories should be told. It was SO EASY to get into Pea's head when she is telling the story as if you share her thoughts. The narration was really A+ and I'm completely happy with it.

I think a lot of people may jump the gun and assume this book is a case of insta-love, and truthfully, it is. That's the point. It states in the synopsis that Pea falls very hard for Ben which leads her to make some irresponsible choices. My interpretation is that the book's intention is not to showcase a fast-developing love story, but to display the consequences of placing other priorities over your mental health. In my opinion, this is a super realistic representation of how a young individual may get caught up in a relationship and neglect their personal care. So please, keep that in mind if you're someone who is put off by super fast romances.

My ONLY real critique is I feel the dialogue could use improvement. The narration was so individual and unique while the actual words of characters felt somewhat stiff and stereotypical. It did not really take away from the story for me, but I think it's something that could easily be improved in future books.

I'll have a longer & much more coherent video review but in total, I really really loved Sad Perfect. If you're looking for ED recommendations, I highly suggest reading it once it hits shelves this February 28th!

I received a copy of this book for free by Farrar, Straus, and Giroux in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[emi · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ahhh disappointment, my old friend, it's nice to see you. It's been awhile.

For a more detailed and better explanation about how problematic this book is, feel free to read this review


Warning: I get incredibly personal in this review and I apologize in advance for it. I'm not usually this personal. I do talking about some stuff that I'm not usually open to sharing. Because's it hard for me to share as many people struggle to comprehend the way my brain works. Now, I'm used to people judging and not understanding, and you are free to do just that, but don't waste your time leaving negative comments. They will just be deleted. If there is something you want me to clarify or want to try to understand clearly, that's fine. I don't expect you to fully understand my thought process. Just don't be an asshole.

I have no idea what fruit tastes like.

I’ve never actually been told if I have had fruit when I was still a toddler. I must have since it’s one of those food groups that parents like to force upon their child at a young age, but I don’t have any memories of me eating an apple or a pear or a pineapple or whatever. If I was to try to eat one today, if I was even able to bring it up to my mouth, I would probably have an anxiety attack and spend the rest of the day crying in my room. Instead, I eat a small cluster of about 6 or 7 different types of food. Whenever I am asked what I do eat, I usually reply with, “chicken strips, macaroni and cheese, cheese pizza, and most white bread products” because that’s is a huge portion of my everyday meals.

That’s just my life. I hate food. I don't try new foods. I can't eat in front of strangers. I can't cook in front of strangers. Eating is often a chore for me.

When I was around three or four, something happened, I’m not sure what exactly, that created an extremely negative association with trying new foods. My first memory of knowing that something is different with my eating habits happened when I was around four years old. It happened when I was at preschool, during Dr. Seuess day when lunch that day was green eggs and ham. I liked eggs, I liked ham, but the second I saw they were green I remember hysterically crying and shaking, refusing to eat.

For the most part, as long as I’m not put in a situation where I have to eat in front of strangers and I avoid talking about food at all costs, it doesn’t control much of my life. People who know me and love me know about my eating habits and accept them for what they are. I’ve been like this for around fifteen years now, so I don’t think much about. It’s become part of who I am, just as much as I have brown hair and two siblings.

I was always labeled a "picky eater" (a term I utterly hate with all my soul), but I would always wonder if it was something more. I had a cousin labeled a "picky eater" too, but she seemed to just prefer to eat what she really liked. She was able to try things at restaurants, while I wasn't able to. Now, I'm not saying my eating habits are worse than hers or anything. I don't know what is going on in her mind and I will never know. She could be having an internal struggle inside her mind like I am. She might just be better at hiding her emotions than I am. But I would watch her try something without showing anxiety like I would, and it would make me feel degraded almost. If we were both picky eaters, then why wasn't I able to eat something new without feeling like my insides were going to explode right out of me.

I didn’t think about it being an eating disorder until it was brought to my attention a few years back. I figured it might be a mental disorder, for why else couldn’t I bring myself to eat like a normal human? But it is, technically, an eating disorder. It’s called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, or ARFID. It’s a newly diagnosed disorder that usually begins at an incredibly young age. ARFID, while often called picky eating, is more than that.

As a reader, I never thought I would see such a topic portrayed in a YA novel. ARFID is a normal part of my life, I never thought of it as being anything special, as my life is incredibly mundane. So back in December, when I discovered that Sad Perfect was being published, which told the story of a 16-year-old girl with ARFID, I was absolutely shocked. I was worried about this aspect of my life would be portrayed inaccurately. I portrayed my worries in a (pre)review, and I was fortunate enough to have the author, Stephanie Elliott, reach out to me. We communicated back and forth through email for a few days, where I was able to learn that the book was inspired by her own daughter’s experience with ARFID. Stephanie Elliott is a very sweet person, and no way does this review reflect my opinion of her at all.

I had higher expectations for Sad Perfect then I probably should have had, and I was disappointed in many different ways.

There are many parts of the book where I felt like my own thoughts about food were accurately portrayed. Thoughts that I have never been able to describe myself, and that I actually appreciated.

“You couldn’t explain to Alex why being at social events with food made you anxious. How you couldn’t really eat much of anything, and how thinking about food made you sick sometimes, and how even, if you were in the wrong frame of mind, watching other people eat a hamburger could make your own stomach churn.

Pea’s thoughts on food, at least in my opinion, were the most accurate representation of anything in this book. I’ve tried before to describe to people how watching others eat, whether it be in person or on television, can make me physically sick. This book did it in a way that I’ve never been able to before.

However, I think one major flaw of this book is that it was written in second person. Not only did it get very annoying, very fast, but I felt that it caused a barrier to form between the author and the
reader. Instead of showing us what it is like to live with ARFID, we were just told.

We were told that Pea didn’t like food.

We were told that this food made her anxious.

We were told that the “monster” controls her life.

Never once were we shown, in detailed, the effects the eating disorder has on Pea’s life.

ARFID, for me, is more than my negative thoughts on food. Though ARFID really doesn’t control me that much throughout my daily life, there are times where it does take the reigns that I wish was portrayed in this book.

Because ARFID, for me, is crying in the middle of the grocery store because I can’t remember if I like hot chocolate or not.

It’s locking myself in a bathroom, trying to calm myself down, during a work party after they start serving dinner.

It’s the agonizingly long minute of gagging up a tiny bite of food I accidentally ate, and the days it takes to get that taste out of my mouth.

Yet, this kind of thing was never shown in the book. Instead, we were just told what it was like to have ARFID and deal with it on a daily basis. I feel like Elliott really had the chance to portray something so real and dimensional, and yet she made it as flat as possible.

But let’s be real here, this entire book was just so flat. There were so many things going on in this book, that I wish Elliott really just focused on one or two things and developed them further. Towards the later part of the novel, the MC, Pea, was checked into a facility for suicide prevention. That entire thing was a mess. Not only did it shift the entire plot of the book about one about this unknown eating disorder to one about depression, it just made me question the entire structure of the book. I appreciate mental health representation in books, I really do, but I also appreciate stability in what I read. I picked up a book about a girl and her struggles with ARFID, and I expected that to be the main theme of the book, but in just a mere few pages, that was stripped away. It wouldn’t have even been a problem if the ARFID and depression aspects were woven together. The focus of this book became so nonexistent.

And the entire facility was also extremely unbelievable, so much so that I can’t even begin to describe it. I’m not even going to try.

Let’s talk about Pea as a character. She wasn’t much of one to begin with, to be honest. The only part of Pea’s personality was her eating disorder. I get that it is a big part of her life, but it doesn’t mean it is the only part of her life. We were told that she was a great artist, but we were never shown. Her dialogue was monotone. Her actions were predictable. There was no depth to her at all. I wish Elliott took the time to expand her as a person, to make her more than her struggles and show that she was a normal human being.

And the few things that we did get about her personality were incredibly negative. She was a judgemental, slut-shamer who wasn’t like ~~most girls~~.

Let’s just pull up those receipts. Shall we? This entire book was full of them.

You hate the girls your own age, except for Jae. They’re mostly high-pitched girls who only care about how many Instagram likes they have or how many Twitter retweets they get and you wonder what makes them so popular. Most days you wonder what it would be like if the universe were different.

*Sigh* Most days I wonder what it would be like if the universe were different and girls hating girls for no reason didn't exist but idk that could just be me.

But Jae, Jae means the world to you. She’s nothing like the girls at school who live and breathe by how many likes they get on Instagram.

If you can't tell, Pea is obsessed with Instagram.

"You kneel on your bed and and emit a little girlie squeal and then want to shove it back into your mouth, because you sound like one of those stupid girls. You don’t want to be a stupid girl."

WHAT EVEN IS THE PURPOSE OF GIRL HATE???? At this point, about 25 pages or so into the book, I was beyond #done.

At Majestic Mini-Golf, Ben pays for the eighteen-hole course, then grabs two putters. He chooses an orange ball and you choose a green one.

“I thought you would have picked a pink or yellow ball,” he says.

“Why?” you ask.

“I don’t know. Maybe that’s what I expect girls to do, pick girlie colors, but you’re different. I should have known better. That you’d pick the unexpected color.”

"Well, green is my favorite color, so I wanted the green one," you say.

"Aren't you feisty tonight," Ben says, laughing.

This quote bugged me more than it probably should. But obviously, only girls who don't like the color pink are valid.

And how does that make her feisty???? Just no. Please stop.

I don't get why pink gets so much hate? And why it has its own gender? Pink is a fucking awesome color, appreciate it.

“Oh! Get this! Ben said he’ll watch The Fault in Our Stars with me sometime.”

“The Fault in Our Stars, really?” Jae asks.

“He says he wants to see it.”

“What guy wants to watch Fault in Our Stars?��� Jae says.

“I know,” you say.

“Wow.”

Because, obviously, you gender determines what movies you want to watch and which movies you shouldn’t watch.

“Favorite flower?”

“Definitely white carnations.”

“Not red roses?”

“So cliché.”

I like red roses, so I took this personally. I mean, pink roses are better, but as we learned earlier, pink isn't a valid color.

As you wait, you busy yourself checking out the latest from the infamous Instagrammers. Yep, they’re still there, posting selfies in sports bras and Nike workout shorts, looking slutty as usual. You wonder if their moms have any clue about the pictures they post and the comments they get.

Pea's really obsessed with the girls on Instagram if you couldn't tell.

The staffer has a name tag that says DAMIAN and you can’t help but think of some devil-worship guy because of his name.

This though. I just don't understand the correlation between "Damian" and "devil-worship."

Just wtf.

Then let's bring in Ben. He was an utterly useless character who was even more bland than Pea. Were we supposed to root for their love? Because there was literally no chemistry between these two characters. Approximately 32 seconds after meeting him, Pea was actually calling him the most perfect person to ever exist. Then about 3095 seconds after meeting, they were declaring their love for each other. Then all of a sudden Pea was lying to her parents and sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet him, which would make sense if her relationship with Ben was portrayed as damaging, but it wasn't. It was the worst, incredibly unhealthy relationship I have ever read about.

Also, something I don't want to get into much detail about because then I'll be ranting for the next 30 years, Ben was pretty much only there to "cure" Pea. Let's pull up one or two more receipts, shall we?

"He’s the only one who seems to keep the monster at a lull."

Because, obviously, a boy can heal all the problems in life.

“What kind of sandwich is that?” you ask him.

“It’s turkey with cheese.”

“I wonder what would happen if I took a bite.”

He lifts his eyebrows. “I thought you were a vegetarian?”

“Self-imposed,” you say. You both laugh.

He hands you the sandwich and you look at it, and then take a bite. It’s a small bite, mostly bread, but there’s definitely some turkey and cheese in your mouth.

You chew.

You consider.

You try very hard not to think about what’s in your mouth because if your brain and your mouth work too hard together then you know you’ll gag.

You swallow quickly.

It tastes like … it tastes like nothing.

Urghhhhh I could literally be hanging out with my one true love, Kaz Brekker, and he wouldn't in any way change perspective on food.

About two months ago, it took me three days to eat a bag of animal crackers because I could remember if I liked them or not. I stared at these animal crackers constantly. I wanted to eat them, I really did, but I knew there was a brand of crackers I didn't like and I couldn't remember if it was thsi brand or not.

It took me three days to try them. Three days. And I was pretty proud of that, to be honest. There's times when I buy a new brand of my favorite food, mac and cheese, and it'll sit in my fridge for weeks before I can bring myself to heat it up. Sometimes, I'm not even able to eat it even then.

So when I read the scene, quoted above, when Pea is able just to try something like that, without any hesitation. Without having an internal struggle. Without having not one bit of anxiety, just a little brain struggle and that's it. I actually laughed out loud, and couldn't stop.

That's just not how it goes.

Then, at the end, we have this quote, which pissed me off beyond words.

You are certain that the monster didn’t really exist. He was everything around you, surrounding you. He was anxiety. He was depression. He was your brother. He was your parents when they were aggravating you. He was how you felt when you were hungry, or angry, or sad. He was the food that was keeping you from living your lfie this whole time. You unconsciously created the monster, someone else to blame, because you didn’t want to take on the responsibilities of fixing what was broken.

The monster was never real.

“I’m ready,” you tell Shayna. “I’m going to take the responsibility to get well, and not blame something else for my problems.”

Of course, you’ll need Shayna’s help, and with time, patience, and determination, you’ll succeed. You’re sure of it...

Thanks you, Elliott, for telling me that my ED is just a problem that I have that is my fault, a slight bump in the road. And because of that, I'm not living my life the way it was suppose to be living it.

Not only that, but my anxiety over foods doesn't exist. The fact that I can't try new foods without an anxiety attack isn't real. Oh, and also, my social anxiety doesn't exist either. What about my brother, who I love more than anything in this world, and struggles with anxiety too? His mental health problems don't exist either?

Thanks Stephanie Elliott, our problems have just been magically cured.

The fact that our brains don't work properly isn't our faults. Our problems are very much real and valid.

Way to victim blame.

I'm just disgusted.

To be honest, this book made me feel so shitty about myself. I have spent years building up confidence in my eating habits, and that was almost destroyed by 300 pages. Sad Perfect literally made me like my eating habits are wrong. And that my eating habits are all that matter in who I am as a person. So, as a result, who I am as a person is wrong. And that isn't true.

I had to remind myself that there isn't anything wrong with me. Yes, I have ARFID, but no, it doesn't determine who I am. It's not my fault that over fifteen years ago, something happened to me that left a negative scar and altered my perspective on food. It's a part of me, but it's not who I am. I'm a happy, healthy women.

And I am okay.

[Suzanne Leopold (Suzy Approved Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pea is a sixteen year old girl who struggles with the eating disorder ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). Her illness makes her avoid certain foods limiting her socialization with friends. She meets a boy named Ben but fears he will reject her once he discovers her secret. Her last boyfriend couldn't handle her illness and this hurt her emotionally.

After a few weeks with Ben, Pea starts to feel happier and decides to go off of her anxiety medication. She does this without notifying her doctors or parents. At first she feels fine but then her life starts to spiral out of control. Her battle to reclaim her old life becomes the main theme of the book.

This is a realistic book about a teenager living with a disorder in the stressful world of high school. It is targeted at young adults but the story does have universal appeal. This is a wonderful debut novel by Stephanie Elliot.

Giveaway on my blog - 1 copy until 7/3 https://www.facebook.com/suzyapproved...

[Aila · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read about 50 pages into this book (~15%) and stumbled upon a disturbing review about it, as well as the possible effects it would have on potential readers. With that, I'm not wasting anymore time on this harmful, damaging book.

I originally requested this because it seemed like a hopeful story of a mental illness that is newly discovered, offering insight on eating disorders and how to get treatment. From my reading experience, the narrator - using a second person POV - is talking about girl-on-girl hate and insta-love, fantasizing about a boy's veins and how romantic he is after meeting him once. After reading a review from a reader with an eating disorder, my thoughts were solidified. This book is hurtful and unhealthy, especially towards a potential teen reader who has an eating disorder. Given the fact that the 4 and 5 stars are from readers who haven't experienced what Pea, the main character, has, I urge you to pay attention to the readers who have experienced an eating disorder and depression, including the malignant representation it has in this book.

From Justina Ireland's blog, an anonymous review from a reader with purge-restrictive anorexia:

"“Sad Perfect” is not just problematic. It’s not just inaccurate. It’s dangerous. The night I first read this book I sat on my bed and sobbed for nearly an hour. I had to give my husband instructions to watch my food intake like a hawk because of how tempted I was to starve myself.

I’ll say this again: the reason I have been so determined to do this review is because I am terrified that a teenager with an ED will pick up this book and that reading it will pose a serious risk to their health.

If you suffer from an ED, especially if you suffer from anorexia or bulimia, I suggest you stop reading this review right now. The quotes I provide are really, very, super triggering, because in order to ingratiate herself with teen sufferers of ARFID, the author of “Sad Perfect” has decided to vilify sufferers of anorexia and bulimia.

Oh, there are other problems too: there’s a total of one PoC and white heteronormativity is held up as beautiful; the love interest is a classic example of you’re-so-special-not-like-all-those-other-girly-girls misogyny; the manuscript is rife with inaccurate, generalised information about EDs and other mental illnesses; and of course the author of the book is not an example of own voices (Elliot’s daughter suffers from ARFID, but she has no ED herself)."

That's enough to tell me that I don't need to waste my time on this. I don't need to see for myself how bad it is - these passages are enough in telling me how harmful the book is. I urge you to read that review for yourself. It's long, but it contains important, necessary words about how this book will be destructive to potential readers.

Pamela from Pamelibrarian addresses the unsafe representation of Pea's depression, and the way it is addressed in the book in her review here. There is also a horrible stigma around the mental ward Pea gets sent to as well, which again reinforces ideas that will negatively impact a potential reader's thoughts.

"It all boils down to this: as an author, you have a responsibility toward the teens for whom you are writing. Be a good role model. They are going to look up to you whether you want them to or not. So in your writing, it's your job to make sure that you are factual, that you are compassionate, and that you provide healthy examples of how to act, not hyped-up scary tactics or the message that you can fix your own brain. I don't want teens to read this and think that as long as they find a boyfriend or a girlfriend, their depression or anxiety or OCD or self-harm or ED will go away, blasted into oblivion by the power of love. That's not how it works, and it is irresponsible for Sad Perfect to present this as a path to recovery."

Stay away from this one guys. From the reviews of people with an eating disorder or depression, their reactions are enough to solidify the harmful effect this book will have.

[beautyliterate · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Trigger warning*

What I love about this website and the book community, in general, is being able to learn more from others. I want to thank a commenter who explain how she disagreed with me. How she felt this was cliche and hatred towards other types of EDs. I can see where she is coming from and wanted to express her thoughts see I think it's important ESPECIALLY for a book about a Mental Illness to see all different types of reviews. I still stand by majority of what I said but if some people feel this isn't accurate then I'm not going to say it is since I myself am on the outside of this specific disorder. Did I find this book to me eye opening in the fact not many people probably know about this disorder, yes. Did I enjoy reading it, yes. I can't overlook the fact people that do have a close connection to this book are not finding it an accurate portrayal.


*Was sent this book in exchange for an honest review*

[Mary Kubica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie Elliot's raw YA debut, SAD PERFECT, tells the story of a high school girl with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), one which impacts every aspect of her life - from her association with food to her relationships with family and friends. Pea is quite convinced a monster lives inside her, and keeping the monster content is her mission in life. Elliot's graphic and realistic portrayal of a young girl struggling with an eating disorder - as well as depression and anxiety - while dealing head on with all the upheaval of one's teenage years is powerful and moving, and makes very concrete an emotional disorder that might be hard for others to understand. Complete with the very dreamy Ben who Pea befriends, SAD PERFECT is sure to be a hit among teens and adults alike. Stephanie Elliot is a promising new voice in YA literature. So thrilled to get my hands on an early copy. Look for it in February 2017!

[Taylor B. · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm giving this book a one star rating because it was in fact a book and I wasn't bamboozled by the publisher. However, I was hit in the face with one of the most callous and inexcusable depictions of EDs from someone who should have known better that I have come across in a long time. Not only were depictions of EDs in this book inaccurate, but some of them were actually dangerous. The fellow anorexic that wrote the review I have linked down below summed it up better than I have the spoons to do so at the moment, and I implore those that have EDs to take caution in reading it (and consequently, this book as well). WARNING for spoilers.

http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this...

[Carrie (The Butterfly Reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pea doesn't have an easy life. Her family is very dysfunctional and she's struggling with an eating disorder and all that comes with it. Depression, anxiety, and she even dabbles in self harm. I'd never even heard of her eating disorder until this book. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is something rather newly named, most people just call them picky eaters.

Here is what Wikipedia says about it: Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), also previously known as selective eating disorder (SED), is a type of eating disorder, as well as feeding disorder, where the consumption of certain foods is limited based on the food's appearance, smell, taste, texture, brand, presentation, or a past negative experience with the food.

Everyone knows about anorexia and bulimia so it was interesting to learn about an eating disorder I'd never heard of. This story was actually based on the author's daughter's own experience. It's a dark and gritty novel. It's not scared to take it there, the self harm is talked about in this novel. So it's not for the faint of heart. It pulled out my emotions so wonderfully and I freely admit I cried while reading most of it.

This novel portrays anxiety, depression, and even self harm perfectly. Though I'm sure someone else wouldn't think that as we all experience things differently but for me, this author hit the nail on the head. I can't speak as to the eating disorder as thankfully I've never had one. Though with it based on her daughter, I'm sure it's just as real as the rest of the things in this novel.

This novel does have an ending that I was happy with. It's not a cure all ending and she's not magically cured of all her problems as these things Pea suffers from doesn't have a magic button. You can't just snap your fingers and it all goes away (though God I wish we could). That being said, the ending is a good one, it is a realistic one. Which I adore.

I love how Pea calls everything her monster, I do this myself with my own mental health issues and it just made me connect to Pea in a way that I usually don't with characters. Pea truly felt like a real person, and I wanted to reach out and hug her so much. Sometimes, my mental health struggles really do feel like a monster, so it was fitting.

If you are looking for a dark, gritty, and truly realistic novel, I fully recommend this one to you. If you suffer from any of things I mentioned above, I recommend this one to you too. It will make you feel less alone. It sure made me feel less alone in my struggle. If you can handle the darkness that is in the real world, this is also one I recommend to you.

Also what's so unique about this book is it's written in 2nd POV, which is something I've never had the pleasure to read before. It's really cool. It wasn't hard for me to adjust to at all. I was worried it might but not even one problem at all. Guess all the fanfiction I read in my teens came in handy ha ha.

Bottom line: this novel is beautiful and rooted so deep in truth that I found it's one of my all time favorites. I never thought I would say that about a contemporary as I normally love fantasy or paranormal but this book... it's truly lovely.

*I was lucky enough to get a free copy of this amazing novel. My thoughts are always my own.*

[Brittain *Needs a Nap and a Drink* · Rating 1 out of 5]

I will never read this book and I want to explain why. Hopefully someone else can benefit from me explaining my reasoning.

I have an eating disorder. I've been fighting against anorexia for years. I read another review, read the quotes from the book, and I have never been so close to tears over someone else's review.

This book is potentially extremely dangerous for people with eating disorders. It maligns people with anorexia and bulimia. It reinforces the catastrophic thoughts that encourage ED sufferers to blame themselves. It paints people with EDs as crazy. It takes the strength of people that are fighting these terrible diseases and devalues them because the author perceives these people as shallow or vain. It does not support women at all and is highly misogynistic.

The author seems to have no perception of how her book can perpetuate ED and self-harm. She should not have the power to trigger people and therefore, I'll shout my negative review from the highest mountains. Do not buy this book. Do not reward her for spreading misinformation and stereotypes. I'm dumbfounded at the quotes that I have read and I hate this book for how it describes people with ED as vain.

That's not it.

That's not it at all.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

Note: I have ARFID, have self-harmed, and have been locked up in a mental ward against my will.

Trigger warnings for this book (review is safe): anorexia, bulimia, vomiting, self-harm, suicide, mental hospitals

Man, I am so disappointed. When I first heard that there was going to be a book about ARFID, I was so excited. Not just so I could finally see this side of myself in a book, but also because other people would learn about ARFID. Maybe I was naive, but I was hoping for some good representation.
And what I got was a nightmare of a book that does not only wrongly represent people with ARFID, but is also extremely damaging to anyone with any eating disorder or mental health problem. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because it's not only problematic but also just shit, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to people with mental health problems.

It is badly researched, full of judgement and shaming (and no character development), and implies that a boyfriend will help you better than antidepressants. It missed so many opportunities in explaining the different ways that ARFID can affect one's life, and explaining more about the disorder. All it focused on was this bullshit high school relationship (they'd been dating for like... a few months?) and this stupid 'monster' inside of her. Sorry, but ARFID is not that poetic. I'd almost say it romanticizes it.
This is what ARFID is to me: it is part eating disorder, part anxiety disorder. I live on kids' menus, and that's fine with me, but I am always cold (which makes me accidentally burn my stomach with hot water bottles), and I have a lot of stomachaches and feel sick very easily. It makes eating with people very hard and unpleasant, but most people I care about take it into account when planning something. It's not a monster.

Also, it's written in second person POV, which can work when done well, but it was not done well in this book. It feels like a gimmick that was added because they realized the plot and characters on their own were too weak.

This review explains everything that is wrong with Sad Perfect, if you're curious: http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this...
Couldn't have worded it better myself.

I'd also recommend reading my status updates: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Rachel (APCB Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sad Perfect" takes exactly after its title. This book is both sad and perfect yet ends on a high note, leaving readers with a sigh full of contentment and a hint of something good on the horizon for these wonderful characters.

Sad Perfect is about a girl, Pea, who has an eating disorder called Avoidance/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (AFRID). Stephanie Elliot did a tremendous job informing the reader of the disorder and helping us understand it. So often in society there is such a stigma behind eating disorders, and this book shatters them and makes us sympathize and try to better comprehend the plights of those with eating disorders.

Stephanie took a bold risk by writing this book in 2nd person point of view, and it worked so well for this story. We read the story as if we are Pea. With this unique point of view, it truly helps us fully encompass Pea's situation and feelings. I felt like I had ARFID, and it really made me more compassionate towards her. Feeling Pea struggle firsthand was eye-opening and really demonstrates to readers the struggles people with eating disorders go through.

Ben and Pea have such great chemistry, and the romance was adorable! Ben and Pea's whirlwind summer relationship ensnared me, and I loved every second of it. Ben is so supportive and caring, and I love him. I WANT A BEN. There was a precarious balance, the romance could've worked beautifully or wrecked the story, luckily it really I am thrilled that the relationship and love that Pea has for Ben doesn't "cure" her disorder, instead it renews her desire to cope and try to get better. Love isn't the cure, it's the push to empower Pea to help herself. Although the romance is a big part of this book, it doesn't overshadow Pea's growth towards accepting her disorder and trying to get better.

This book is powerful and gut-wrenching in parts, yet Stephanie perfectly balances out the stark "reality bites" moments with cheerful, happy moments. Overall I am completely smitten with this book, and I urge you to read it!!

Book Doppelgänger: Made You Up by Francesca Zappia

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 1 out of 5]

GRADE: D-
1.5 Stars

Pea has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), a lesser known known eating disorder. She meets Ben, falls immediately in love and stops taking her meds, before embracing recovery.

I really wanted to like SAD PERFECT. Mental health books are wonderful resources to help teenagers understand themselves and others. Bibliotherapy can help teens (and adults) recognize problems and give them avenues to seek help, SAD PERFECT may be the first book written about ARFID which makes it doubly important. Perhaps that's why I was so disappointed in Stephanie Elliot's story. I'm a child psychologist, so I tend to view mental health books through those eyes in terms of accuracy and message.

First the positives. I initially enjoyed the use of second person "you" rather that first person "I" that Pea used to refer to herself. Just as she didn't take ownership of her eating issues, instead referring to them as The Monster, she never took responsibility for herself, by referring to herself as You. I liked Elliot's writing style. I also appreciate that Elliot chose to bring a little known disorder to light. Her daughter had the disorder. One GoodReads already recognized herself in the story and said Elliot reached out to her. That enough merits a star on the review.

Now the minuses. Having a disorder or knowing a sufferer can sometimes make a writer too close to the subject to have perspective. I don't know if that's the case with Elliot. I do know where I first had a lot of empathy for Pea, I gradually lost it. Having a mental illness is hard, especially during the teen years when bodies and minds are maturing at uneven paces and hormones are running amok. At times mental illness influence behavior in a negative manner, although it's not an excuse for treating people badly.

Pea is on medication for depression and anxiety, but not in therapy. She should have been. I'm of the opinion pediatricians should not prescribe psychotropics unless the child is in therapy and only after communication and that a psychiatric consult is the best approach for initial prescription due to the complexity of different meds. But Pea's situation is not unusual. Pea chooses to stop taking her meds, unbeknownst to her parents, again not unusual, but not optimal.

She is such an annoying character. She thinks her problems are worse than everyone else's, blames everyone else for everything, is manipulative to her boyfriend and lacks almost all insight. I wish Elliot had made Pea more likable and less bratty or hadn't made her more unlikable as the book progressed. I guess that she wanted to show Pea's psychological decline, but Pea's behavior made me not care about her illness or her recovery.

The psych clinic was portrayed poorly. While hospitalized, I didn't like how the psych aid snuck Pea a letter or badmouthed the director. That shouldn't happen. Pea would have been on one-to-one supervision because she was considered suicidal (whether or not she actually was wasn't the issue). I don't like suicide (especially at an inpatient hospital) used as drama and while it can happen, it's a very rare occurrence. The hospital where I interned had a few over several decades and none were people on short term holds for acute suicidal tendencies because these patients were better supervised. Making the hospital a "bad guy" serves no one.

I thought the romance aspect happened too quickly and never bought into Pea wanting to tell Ben about her newly diagnosed eating disorder on the second date. The other unrealistic aspect was how perfectly he handled her disorder, how he told his mother, whom Pea had just met, and how perfectly she understood and told his father who also got it. Real life is much more complicated.

I don't want to pile on. I did appreciate the hopeful aspect. A better ending would be for Pea to embrace herself as "I" rather than continue the narration as "you".

SAD PERFECT may be helpful in furthering the understanding of ARFID, despite an annoying main character and mediocre storytelling.

[S. M. Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy hell, this book broke me in the best way. This is a raw, visceral look at one teen's struggle with a newly classified eating disorder and her path to finding self acceptance. Told in the second person, Sad Perfect is a masterpiece of craft. I felt like I was holding my breath throughout the entire book and I wasn't sorry for a second. Highly recommend!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading an ARC of SAD PERFECT in exchange for an honest review.
In Stephanie Elliot's impressive YA debut, we meet Pea, a 16-year-old high school student who struggles with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), a complex and often confusing eating disorder. Pea is unable to tolerate the taste, feel, and smell of most foods, which makes eating a constant challenge. In fact, Pea feels as if there's a "monster" living inside her; a monster that controls her every thought and action. When Pea meets Ben, however, the cute friend of her BFF's cousin, Pea is hopeful that the monster will finally disappear. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The monster is armed, and ready to do battle. What follows is Pea's heroic journey to understand, and ultimately overcome, her eating disorder once a for all. A brave, important debut.

[Ruth Lehrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to receive a free ARC of this 2017 YA novel.
Such a touching, honest book! It is worth reading just for the skillful and unexpected use of a second person narrator alone. It allowed me to live more fully in the life of the main character. Despite the heavy topic, this book was a fast read. I’m sure this is going to be an important book for teenagers who have this eating disorder which many people are not aware of. I am looking forward to anything Stephanie Eliot writes next.

[Lisa Steinke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie Elliot has written a fabulous debut! From the unique premise to the complex characters, this novel hooked me from page one. I could not put it down! If you love YA or even if you've never read a young adult novel, you will definitely adore this book. I absolutely loved it. Bravo, Stephanie!

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this beautiful book in one sitting. Told in a unique second person perspective, Pea's story put me through a wringer of emotions. I smiled (Ben, hello), I cried, I raged for Pea. This is a tough subject, but handled so perfectly by the author. Well done.

[Sara (A Gingerly Review) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If I could give this book all of the stars in the sky, it still might not be enough. I have so much love for this story and this author. Pea's story is lovingly and brilliantly told. I want everyone to read this book. I think everyone should read this book. Please, promise me that you are going to read this book.

Full review can be found here: https://agingerlyreview.wordpress.com...

I count myself fortunate to read this book as part of the author’s ARC tour. This book caught me off guard for several reasons, mainly because I actually found myself relating to the protagonist. I have never admitted that to anyone but the author herself. This story is raw, rough, and beautifully written.

Pea, a sixteen year old girl, looks like your average teenager only she isn’t. Pea has some dark secrets she is keeping private. She has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), which means she actively avoids a lot of food. The only way she can describe it is like having a monster living inside of her talking to her. She has a small list of foods that are deemed “okay” to eat. This “monster” not only controls her eating, it causes depression, anxiety, and much darker thoughts. Pea doesn’t want to admit she has this monster but after she meets a boy, Ben, the monster becomes too much for her to ignore. Everything escalates and quickly gets out of control. Pea starts to believe she doesn’t need her anxiety medicine so she stops taking it. Things go from bad to worse faster than anyone could have realized. Just when it seemed Pea would never find her way out of the black hole, she has the realization that with the strength of her family and Ben, she can beat this monster and the eating disorder doesn’t have to rule her life.

The main thing that stuck out to me about this story was the fact that it was written in second person. I have not ever read a story in second person before. I believed it worked perfectly for this story. I truly felt as if I was experiencing everything Pea was going through. To have the extra insight into Pea’s thoughts and feelings added another level to this story. Pea’s character is actually based directly on Stephanie’s daughter. That means this is based on a true story. I felt it was incredibly brave of Stephanie to put her daughter’s story out for the world to read. At the same time, it made me accept the fact that I have my own food avoidance eating problem. I never thought I would read about a protagonist with the same issue.

I really liked the characters in the story. I felt they were all so well developed and defined. Pea’s character isn’t bombarded with the need to be thin and “fit in” but it does bring the topic of food avoidance and anxiety to light. Ben’s character does a wonderful job of being supportive and not pressuring. Not one time does he do anything he isn’t supposed to do. He never pushes Pea to be something she isn’t. Instead, he gives her his entire support even when she is being secretive. Stephanie captured the start of Pea & Ben’s relationship in a sensational light. It starts out sweet and tender and innocent, but it isn’t always that way as they are both very young and bound to make mistakes. Pea’s parents have a wonderful presence in this story. I loved reading how involved her parents were. It was refreshing, I’ll tell you that much. Even her brother was worried about her sister and it showed that an entire family can rally together to show support for a loved one. Amazing.

Pea’s character fills the void for those teens that avoid food for one reason or another. Let’s be honest – there is just too much pressure on teenage girls in today’s society to be a certain size and look. This story nailed that topic so well. It also brought light to this particular disorder. Stephanie doesn’t shy away from uncomfortable situations. It talks about both positive and negative coping mechanisms. It worked perfectly in this story. I also like how as the story goes along, it is more than a contemporary story. It shows how important the love and support of family and friends can be for someone suffering from anxiety, depression, and an eating disorder. I am sure I don’t need to say I tore through this book in no time. Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. It flowed wonderfully and it was over before I knew it. It was an emotional roller coaster for me.

I’m not sure I can say enough good things about this story. I want everyone to read it. I want everyone to give it a chance and read Pea’s story. This is such a astonishing story that will stay with a reader long after they finish it. Please, add this to your TBR if you haven’t already. You won’t regret it.

[Jeff Giles · Rating 5 out of 5]

SUCH a moving novel with SUCH a loud, beating heart. Stephanie Elliot's debut YA novel is about a 16-year-old girl named Pea, who's life is ruled by "the monster" inside her. The monster is a rare eating disorder, called ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), which makes it hard for Pea to stand the sight of most foods, let alone eat them. Even when Pea meets an amazingly kind, supportive boy named Ben, the disorder undermines and devastates her at every turn. Her family is loving, supportive and proactive, but they can only partly understand the hell she's in. The last third of the book, when Pea's teachers and parents fear she may do serious harm to herself and sign her into a hospital, is particular devastating. But this is NOT a depressing book but a warm, hopeful ode to supportiveness, resources and recovery. You will cry tears of every kind, but especially tears of relief. SAD PERFECT is written in second-person ("You hate the whole fucking world at that moment"), and it reads like a mother's love letter to her struggling daughter—a way for the mother to say, in essence, "I love you more than you can imagine, and we will figure this out together." Read this novel. It's real and it's lovely.

[Caryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely knew Stephanie Elliot comes from experience in writing this book and I'm grateful for the knowledge of this new eating disorder that I hadn't heard of. A must read for any young person who struggles with fitting in or relating to their family or anxiety or depression. A quick and important read that opened my eyes with fiction to this new disorder. I look forward to another book by her.

[Sundara Gandhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4 stars

TRIGGER WARNING!!!
CONTAINS SCENARIOS OF SELF-HARM (EVEN IN THE COVER PAGE) AND CLAIMED TO HAVE NEGATIVELY IMPACTED FEW PEOPLE WHO HAVE EATING DISORDERS (be it-anorexia,bulimia or ARFID-Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder). GO INTO THIS BOOK ONLY WHEN YOU ARE CERTAINLY SURE THAT YOU CAN HANDLE IT WITHOUT BEING TRIGGERED BY THE CONTENT OF THIS BOOK.

Genre: YA/Eating disorder/Anxiety/Depression

PROS:-
Being one of my anticipated releases of 2017, I personally loved this book because of these three reasons specifically:
1) The female protagonist is actually expressing willingness to get recovered.
2) It also portrayed the family dynamics acutely well-parents/siblings who love you but also who dunno how else to help you or understand specifically what you are going through (like what tips you off or what makes you spark or when to leave you alone or when to insist on keeping an eye on you-all those confusions about them feeling inadequate/helpless at times are brought out really well).
3) This book also placed much emphasis on love. Any kind of love,support and acceptance from your family or friends or boyfriend can truly help a person suffering from any kind of mental illness. This is what made the whole novel extremely worthwhile for me. LOVE and HOPE-I am sold there.
The insta-love element complemented the YA genre and the consequences of it served as a break through to chalk out the mental illness story.
I was unaware that an eating disorder called ARFID even existed before coming across this book so I am grateful to Elliot for choosing such an under represented disorder and basing her book on it. I was surprised that I could relate to Pea well enough despite not being introduced to the disorder before. All through the novel I felt Pea did her best to survive through her illness and she handled few situations in a sensible manner (as best as she could for someone with a disorder) by which she gained my respect as a protagonist. At a point she even tried to outgrow her disorder by trying one of her "unsafe" foods which was a brave act and how much of a big deal it is to do that, if you are familiar with the disorder. I loved Pea as a fictional character so much and I know I will always look upto her whenever I come across any mental illness story. The way things fall into place towards the ending had me in tears and left a very content feeling floating through me and filled me with so much hope and life.

CONS:-
While there are people who enjoyed the second person narration in this book, I was not one of them. Not that I hated it,just did not see the point. Even if it was in first person narration it would not have made much difference to me in understanding the thoughts of the protagonist (Comes down to personal preference). The fact that brother-sister relationship was not given much place in the book disappoints me a little bit.

I just want to mention that I am deeply regretful for those who feel that the book has distressed/harmed them in any way especially me being as one of those persons who reaches out as first priority to books for comfort and consolation. I am sorry that this book could not offer you that. But I also know that such sensitive topics are not concrete for everyone and the interpretation of them is subjective rather than objective. I do wish that the author/publisher would change the cover page of the book in future editions but apart from that, I strongly feel that attacking the author for an attempt made on the book because of its subject matter is not only unreasonable but also destructive in our literary world.

The only solution to come to terms with books like this is by way of achieving a 'COMPROMISE' wherein the authors could distinctly specify/display any sort of trigger warnings so that people can refrain from reading these books if they are not ready/comfortable reading about these issues.

If you want to checkout another controversial review of this book,here is the link-http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this...

[Karen Fortunati · Rating 5 out of 5]

You are going to want to read this stunning debut by a writer to watch! It is the heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story of Pea who struggles with a little known eating disorder called ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.) Elliot takes us deep inside the disorder - detailing the immense anxiety, depression and confusion that it carries. Pea calls it the "monster" and begins to feel that living with the monster might not be bearable. A flawed family dynamic exacerbates the situation yet it is a loving family and Pea also has the support of her loyal best friend, Jae, and a new therapist who is able to reach Pea and inspire seeds of hope.

Around the same time that Pea begins working with her therapist, she meets Ben and the attraction is instantaneous. Ben is kind and sensitive and infinitely supportive. Although their love is intense, and it provides confidence, it is not the thing that heals Pea. There are no magical cures here. What makes this story triumphant is Pea acknowledging that her recovery lies in her heart and head alone and makes the decision to do the work that will get her to where she wants to be.

What elevates SAD PERFECT is Elliot's glorious writing. Her language is sparse and clean and allows the power of the raw emotions to completely engulf the reader. In addition, the novel is written in the second person and in this story, works to further pull you in and experience - in a way - what Pea is experiencing.

A powerful and profound story written by an author who will be on everyone's radar!

[KT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been sitting on this review for almost a week, processing the whirlwind of emotions SAD PERFECT caused in me. This book is profound, moving, important, and beautiful. The second person narrative knocked my socks off. I've never loved second person, so I was nervous going into this, but I was wrong to be. Experiencing everything as Pea absolutely made the book. It was a unique, ingenious way to remove the distance that a book about an unknown eating disorder could normally cause. Instead, I felt like I was feeling what Pea was feeling (which was bizarre, because, unlike Pea, I am madly in love with food), and I had an empathy for her I couldn't have had otherwise.

The romance with Ben (oh, Ben) was another area where I was a little nervous, but, again, my fears were unfounded. Pea's relationship with Ben wasn't a magical cure-all. I won't get into it beyond that, because I don't want to be spoilery, but Ben doesn't miraculously take all her problems away (even if he's one of my favorite book boyfriends in a long time). But the swoony, happy moments were a lovely balance to the darker, tougher elements of the book.

In short: read SAD PERFECT.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie Elliot's SAD PERFECT was... well, sad and perfect. I loved this story, which takes us deep into the psyche of a nameless girl (who her father calls Pea) and right into the heart of her struggle with food and how it affects literally every aspect of her life. I wouldn't go so far as to say I have ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), but I have some food avoidance issues of my own, so I deeply related to Pea's social problems. I often have worries about food in the back of my mind when going out to parties or gatherings -- will I like what's being served? Will I look strange for refusing it if I don't like it? Will I offend someone by not eating their food? I was so happy to see these issues brought to the forefront in YA. This book is so, so important.

[Marci Curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully raw and haunting. Absolutely brilliant.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* (Surprisingly the best part of the book is that it's written in 2nd person pov. That's fun.)
This book is really stupid, but I enjoyed it more than the other 2 star books so it gets a 3.

The stupidity... I can't even. The main character's an asshole. She hates popular people and calls them sluts. She hates on the other girls in therapy who have a different eating disorders than her while they comforting her. A mental institution she is sent to is made out to be a terrible place with terrible authority figures which sends a really bad message. The one person who she feels can help her from her eating disorder is her boyfriend Ben who she's only known for about 2 months. The romance was terrible. Their conversations were barely shown outside of her eating disorder discussions. They literally made out around 20 times. He was stale white bread.

This book spoils the Fault in our Stars (I already knew the ending, but still). The main character hates Harry Potter too which makes her even worse.

[bittertea · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you have an eating disorder and you're interested in reading this book, please proceed with caution. SAD PERFECT is damaging and potentially dangerous.

For details, please read the following review, which includes direct quotes:

http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this...

From that review: I couldn’t bear to think about what might happen if any teen opens this book expecting help, hope, and support, and finds instead that they are vilified, depicted as disgusting, made to think that they won’t get help from hospitals, their family, or group therapy but will get help from their crushes, given false hope about their illness, made to think that their illness is melodramatic or silly, that they don’t even have an illness because they’re not female, or any of the other horribly unhealthy, dangerous things Stephanie Elliot has to say in this book.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great book! Sad Perfect was a story about a teenage girl and her journey with an eating disorder. Not only did I learn what ARFID was, but I also came to realize the impact of this disorder on the entire family.

I liked how Elliot brought light to a topic that many do not know about. In doing so, I feel it will enable other kids/families to learn from her experiences.

I highly recommend Sad Perfect!

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved, loved! Can't say enough good things about this story. Sad Perfect is written in second person narrative and it really works here and makes the story that much more compelling. I feel as if I a learned a lot about eating disorders and AFRID in particular. Elliot has crafted a relatable protagonist...and then there's the hero. The hero was gentle, patient, loyal, and perfect for the protagonist. Sad Perfect is a great read and I would highly recommend it to teen girls.