What do you think?
Rate this book
Beautiful Me
Talia is seventeen, weighs thirty-one kilos, and has been committed to a psychiatric unit. Ever wondered what was inside the mind of an anorexic? This is her journal, Beautiful Me.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 29, 2014
35 people are currently reading
3397 people want to read
About the author
Natasha Jennings
6 books42 followersNatasha Jennings is a psychiatric nurse who has worked with the criminally insane, the chronically mentally ill and, more recently, mentally ill adolescents – including anorexics. She is also a trained primary school teacher and a mother.
Natasha is the author of 2 works of fiction:
'Beautiful Me' - the journal of an anorexic teenage girl.
'A Blue Sky' - a collection of 16 short stories.
Natasha is the author of 2 works of fiction:
'Beautiful Me' - the journal of an anorexic teenage girl.
'A Blue Sky' - a collection of 16 short stories.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 10, 2017
I was extremely surprised by this book. The beginning was difficult to read - rambled sentences and not easy to follow. The way Talia addressed the diary was a bit irritating in the beginning due to her erratic way of "writing".
As you get to know Talia and her story you start to understand her writing and she calms down and starts making more sense. It also becomes clear why everything is so scattered at the start.
I enjoyed how Talia's character grows from beginning to end.
The story is heartbreaking but still has the message of hope she and Grace talks about earlier in the book.
Touching story and great book!
As you get to know Talia and her story you start to understand her writing and she calms down and starts making more sense. It also becomes clear why everything is so scattered at the start.
I enjoyed how Talia's character grows from beginning to end.
The story is heartbreaking but still has the message of hope she and Grace talks about earlier in the book.
Touching story and great book!
April 22, 2015
I couldn't give this book anything less than 5 stars... Honestly I couldn't. It gripped me from the start! When i ordered this book of amazon I Knew i would either LOVE it or HATE , there would be no middle ground. And i was right. I'm 20 Years old, and consider myself recovered from Anorexia nervosa (with which i was diagnosed at 16) I like to read books, both fiction and biography, subjected around, self harm and eating disorders because when the author gets it right i feel like i'm not so alone. the more i read the more i find feelings like i felt. And it helps me to move forward. When i was Ill I wrote in diary, I've still got them tucked away somewhere and they are very similar to the content in this book. This book will mean different things to different people. So i imagine the reviews will reflect this. To Me, i was able to empathize to such an extent I laughed out loud in several places despite the book having a dark tone throughout.
***SPOILERS TO FOLLOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK STOP READING HERE***
When You first open the book and begin to read the first pages of Talia's journal, you realize she's just been admitted to a psych unit under the metal health act. She swears a lot, she is VERY pissed off and she hates everyone. This is how people tend to feel when they are locked up against their will and have all their control taken away from them and they are forced to eat. At first i thought the swearing was excessive, but if you were to ever look through my diaries they would be much the same. Bitterness, and hatred but most off all pain peeled off every page. Anorexia can turn you into a bitch, and Talia thinks shes the worst person in the world. When, in fact, her mum is the bitch. I wanted so badly to reach into the book and slap that self obsessed mindless bitch across the face with a brick.
I;d guessed about half way through that her dad probably had something (everything) to do with Talias ED and I knew not long after this that he had probably abused her in some way (Confirmed at the end of course) Throughout the whole journal she is screaming it at the reader and of course everyone around her and it takes a while for you, her and the other characters realize there really is something shitty hiding in her past.
Finally, the ending, The final pages of a journal. Not the end of a story by any means. And i think its perfect. Anorexia is a story that never does end, its always there. But journals and chapters of our lives do... I wish Talia and everyone else out there suffering with menatl illness the best of Luck i truly do xxxx
***SPOILERS TO FOLLOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK STOP READING HERE***
When You first open the book and begin to read the first pages of Talia's journal, you realize she's just been admitted to a psych unit under the metal health act. She swears a lot, she is VERY pissed off and she hates everyone. This is how people tend to feel when they are locked up against their will and have all their control taken away from them and they are forced to eat. At first i thought the swearing was excessive, but if you were to ever look through my diaries they would be much the same. Bitterness, and hatred but most off all pain peeled off every page. Anorexia can turn you into a bitch, and Talia thinks shes the worst person in the world. When, in fact, her mum is the bitch. I wanted so badly to reach into the book and slap that self obsessed mindless bitch across the face with a brick.
I;d guessed about half way through that her dad probably had something (everything) to do with Talias ED and I knew not long after this that he had probably abused her in some way (Confirmed at the end of course) Throughout the whole journal she is screaming it at the reader and of course everyone around her and it takes a while for you, her and the other characters realize there really is something shitty hiding in her past.
Finally, the ending, The final pages of a journal. Not the end of a story by any means. And i think its perfect. Anorexia is a story that never does end, its always there. But journals and chapters of our lives do... I wish Talia and everyone else out there suffering with menatl illness the best of Luck i truly do xxxx
January 23, 2015
I loved this fierce but heart warming diary written from the perspective of Talia - a teenager with an eating disorder. It's a must read for any parent of a teenager or anyone working in mental health.
Written by a novelist from the mental health field - gives a great insight.
Written by a novelist from the mental health field - gives a great insight.
January 5, 2015
It is clear that Natasha Jennings has a good deal of craftsmanship in writing, but unlike many authors - she is not about the exhibition of her craft, she is about the story. And to succeed in telling a story, in any genre, you need a real voice in which to tell it. Natasha has given every Talia in the world such a voice.
The diary style is the sum of decades of experience with working with people who need us to help them. Most of us don't have it in us to give that kind of help, or so we imagine. The way Natasha handles her explanation of the issues shows us that we can all understand the very normal way we can all become 'un-normal' through just being alive, and how we can all gain some understanding of this human race.
Psychiatric nursing is hard, really hard, really, really hard. This book will probably not encourage many to take up the profession, but once read many will probably have a better understanding of how an ordinary kid can become ill, how kids commonly experience and handle the problem.
We can hear Talia's voice talking to us like we were her best friend. And to be able to write like that is a real talent. The writing and the story are top drawer.
The diary style is the sum of decades of experience with working with people who need us to help them. Most of us don't have it in us to give that kind of help, or so we imagine. The way Natasha handles her explanation of the issues shows us that we can all understand the very normal way we can all become 'un-normal' through just being alive, and how we can all gain some understanding of this human race.
Psychiatric nursing is hard, really hard, really, really hard. This book will probably not encourage many to take up the profession, but once read many will probably have a better understanding of how an ordinary kid can become ill, how kids commonly experience and handle the problem.
We can hear Talia's voice talking to us like we were her best friend. And to be able to write like that is a real talent. The writing and the story are top drawer.
November 14, 2014
I really enjoyed this book, so much in fact that I managed to get in some sneaky day time reading which is quite a feat with small children about!
This book will stay with you long after you have read the final page. It tells the story of a confused, angry and sad girl called Talia (who is struggling with an eating disorder), on a journey of self acceptance and healing that nearly costs her, her life. I found it to be an insightful and captivating read.
This book will stay with you long after you have read the final page. It tells the story of a confused, angry and sad girl called Talia (who is struggling with an eating disorder), on a journey of self acceptance and healing that nearly costs her, her life. I found it to be an insightful and captivating read.
December 16, 2017
The premise of the book is nice.
As an anorexic, I related to a lot of pieces of her inner monologue, and that's why I gave it two stars instead of one. The author knows what she's talking about, but that's where anything good ends.
So, first of all, the writing style. It was poor to say the best. It didn't flow well, and I realize that journaling is messy, but when it's put into a book...it still needs to flow somewhat. And on the note of it being a journal, //no one// is going to journal about their mom and step dad having sex as much as she did. I could go back and count. It was in a lot of entries.
On to the characters. The characters were absolute cardboard. I didn't connect to a single one of them, didn't even like most of them. Hated Talia and her mom especially. It was bad.
And the plot. What plot? Who knows.
There should be a strong trigger warning on this book anyways. This book should NOT be for anorexics, considering the numbers thrown throughout the book. Very triggering. Also should be a trigger warning for self harm and rape.
Don't waste your time.
As an anorexic, I related to a lot of pieces of her inner monologue, and that's why I gave it two stars instead of one. The author knows what she's talking about, but that's where anything good ends.
So, first of all, the writing style. It was poor to say the best. It didn't flow well, and I realize that journaling is messy, but when it's put into a book...it still needs to flow somewhat. And on the note of it being a journal, //no one// is going to journal about their mom and step dad having sex as much as she did. I could go back and count. It was in a lot of entries.
On to the characters. The characters were absolute cardboard. I didn't connect to a single one of them, didn't even like most of them. Hated Talia and her mom especially. It was bad.
And the plot. What plot? Who knows.
There should be a strong trigger warning on this book anyways. This book should NOT be for anorexics, considering the numbers thrown throughout the book. Very triggering. Also should be a trigger warning for self harm and rape.
Don't waste your time.
April 8, 2017
For the first hundred or so pages, I felt very frustrated with this book. As someone who has suffered from an eating disorder - and has met many others as well with the same affliction - I read the diary entries of Talia feeling like her experience was irritatingly simplified. First of all she fit the stereotypical physical appearance of extremely emaciated, 31 kilo anorectic; which, though I don't have a right to judge, left me a bit bitter considering so many accounts of anorexic patients are portrayed as the horror-story stick figure, when there are many of those who suffer from anorexia who, though getting close to death, never reach nearly as low a weight. However, again, that may be personal bitterness talking because I don't intend to deny Jennings' creative license with her novel.
In terms of my criticism of Talia's experience being oversimplified, I was at first irritated by the ease she had with her weight restoration and recovery. Sure, she fought a bit in the beginning, but all of a sudden she seemed to magically be just fine. Granted there ARE people who are motivated enough to stop fighting altogether and get on with the weight restoration, but it's not typical. From experience, it tends to get more difficult as the process goes on. She also didn't seem to express any other background of her eating disorder besides that she went on a diet and lost control of losing weight.
However, her struggle with her illness did become gradually more complex as the story progressed. Though Jennings was no doubt trying to build suspense by not revealing a crucial detail of the cause of Talia's eating disorder until the end of the book, when the twist did occur it seemed pretty out of the blue. Though it made sense and kind of brought the pieces of the puzzle together, once the information was revealed, it seemed to kind of stick as a monumental game-changer for a few pages before kind of fading into the background.
I became a little more fond of the book in the last hundred or so pages since it did seem to more accurately relay how quickly and even inconspicuously a relapse can occur, but (and this sounds harsh, I'm aware) it seemed pretty obvious to me that the book was written by someone who did not have an eating disorder. Overall, though it was worth a read, I was slightly disappointed with the book. There are worse books out there on eating disorders, but I wouldn't put this on my list of those highly recommended.
In terms of my criticism of Talia's experience being oversimplified, I was at first irritated by the ease she had with her weight restoration and recovery. Sure, she fought a bit in the beginning, but all of a sudden she seemed to magically be just fine. Granted there ARE people who are motivated enough to stop fighting altogether and get on with the weight restoration, but it's not typical. From experience, it tends to get more difficult as the process goes on. She also didn't seem to express any other background of her eating disorder besides that she went on a diet and lost control of losing weight.
However, her struggle with her illness did become gradually more complex as the story progressed. Though Jennings was no doubt trying to build suspense by not revealing a crucial detail of the cause of Talia's eating disorder until the end of the book, when the twist did occur it seemed pretty out of the blue. Though it made sense and kind of brought the pieces of the puzzle together, once the information was revealed, it seemed to kind of stick as a monumental game-changer for a few pages before kind of fading into the background.
I became a little more fond of the book in the last hundred or so pages since it did seem to more accurately relay how quickly and even inconspicuously a relapse can occur, but (and this sounds harsh, I'm aware) it seemed pretty obvious to me that the book was written by someone who did not have an eating disorder. Overall, though it was worth a read, I was slightly disappointed with the book. There are worse books out there on eating disorders, but I wouldn't put this on my list of those highly recommended.
August 24, 2019
I got this book thinking that it was non fiction based on how people tagged it. In reality it is a fiction diary of a young girl struggling with anorexia. I am sure though that it is very realistic. The author is a psychiatric nurse who worked with young people having eating disorders so she knows what she is talking about. One can see that the girl has some anger and self hate issues that are part of it.
And yet I didn't really like it much. It wasn't a pleasant read. And this not because of the topic. I didn't really like the writing. It seemed too forced and the dialogues didn't feel realistic, the way normal people would talk to each other. It is also very simplistic and stereotypical. It touches so many other topics that are important for that age: homosexuality, unprotected sex etc. But it reads kind of boring and doesn't have special stories.
That said I might have liked this book more if I were a teenager myself, which is the demographic group I would think this book is directed to. This is why I usually avoid YA books. I just have read too many books on the topics myself so it is all too predictable for me. Even the shocking revelation at the end was not shocking to me at all. I knew it will come.
And yet I didn't really like it much. It wasn't a pleasant read. And this not because of the topic. I didn't really like the writing. It seemed too forced and the dialogues didn't feel realistic, the way normal people would talk to each other. It is also very simplistic and stereotypical. It touches so many other topics that are important for that age: homosexuality, unprotected sex etc. But it reads kind of boring and doesn't have special stories.
That said I might have liked this book more if I were a teenager myself, which is the demographic group I would think this book is directed to. This is why I usually avoid YA books. I just have read too many books on the topics myself so it is all too predictable for me. Even the shocking revelation at the end was not shocking to me at all. I knew it will come.
Read
December 25, 2017I won this book via Good Reads First Reads. I struggled to connect with this book, having no history of an eating disorder. However, I am an ECE administrator and I look forward to adding this book to our lending library for staff and parents at my school. :)
January 28, 2015
I loved this book from the moment I first started reading it, it really draws you into this young girl's life and her struggles as a teenager with anorexic. It is really easy to read as an adult, in fact I was enthralled with her episodes in the psych ward and what went on. It is a wonderful book about a courageous young girl who is struggling on in a very un-normal world. You laugh and cry with her, and you will her to overturn her illness. Will read again once I've got it off my friend who's reading it!
January 3, 2015
I believe this book is a masterpiece! I felt completely caught up in the emotion and thoughts of this young, vulnerable girl. I just wanted to keep reading. I have learnt so much and it gives me even more of an insight into mental illness and also to the vulnerability of young people and the basic need and importance of feeling loved. This book is very confronting and even shocking at times but is so wonderfully written. I highly recommend it.
February 20, 2015
Incredible book. Felt like you were on Talia's journey with her the whole way through. Couldn't believe how it could take you from crying to laughing so quickly. Ending was unexpected but such a great insight into the life of someone living with a mental illness. Would definitely recommend. Loved it!
August 26, 2016
This is the journal of Talia, a seventeen year old anorexic committed to a psychiatric unit. I found it a great read. Insightful, thought provoking, very funny at times, but also incredibly sad and moving. Very highly recommended!
February 10, 2015
This is a shocking book. It shocked me. It brought me to tears and smiles, often on the same page. It is an important book, I hope it is read by many people from all walks of life, and when we see anorexic or obese people, or sadness or anger, we do not judge but try to have empathy
March 18, 2015
I know what its like to not be understood. I know that its hard to eat when you are called fat anorexic and so I've gone through it. And this book described what i felt. The things i though. I love it.
March 3, 2015
I really loved this book and found it hard to put down. I was drawn into the story immediately and thought about Talia when I wasn't reading. This story is a great insight into mental illness and the struggles to be well.
I highly recommend this novel.
I highly recommend this novel.
March 9, 2015
Initially in the first few pages I thought there was a lot of swearing but once I got into the story it became an essential part to it. I could not put it down.. What a fantastic book and it truly gave me an insight into someone living with anorexia... This book could help so many people!!!!
March 18, 2015
I loved taking Talia's journey with her. Its an important book for mothers and daughters alike. It shines a light on anorexia but Natasha Jennings cleverly threads other important issues into the book. Read it and I'm sure you'll love Talia as much as me.
April 3, 2015
Beautiful Me made me laugh and made me cry. Talia'a voice was authentic and brought to life how insidious eating disorders can be. I hope Natasha writes a sequel - I'd like to know what happens next and more about Talia's mum...
January 8, 2015
I loved this book. It made me smile, cry and think about how we love and how we show love. At times there was no author just Talia. Beautifully written.
November 22, 2014
Awesome and insightful book. Loved it.
December 4, 2014
Stunning book written diary style about a girl's long battle with anorexia. Read this book in a week; I loved this, thank you Natasha for such a heartwrenching book
Want to read
December 19, 2014Sounds good. I just read a book about a guy with anorexia, and man it was interesting. Hope I can get my hands on this one soon.
December 28, 2014
What I love about this book is, though it is a powerful, raw and gut wrenching read, it is laugh out loud funny, which lightens the load. Loved it!
January 8, 2015
Beautiful me, beautiful book. Forced it upon everyone in my family to read and they all loved it. 10/10 would make into Hollywood blockbuster
January 17, 2015
I loved this book ... It came at the right time .. Thank you
January 29, 2015
Great read - Loved this book. Well written Natasha.
February 10, 2015
Loved the book - couldn't put it down. Well written and really held your interest. Although the ending was alittle unexpected. Definitely worth a read.
August 6, 2015
Loved this book, gives u a real understanding of ones suffering from anorexia. Well written hard to put down, a must read
July 16, 2017
Really enjoyed this. Its a quick read and very good. Will definitely be re-reading.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews