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Changing Ways #1
Changing Ways
Growing up sucks. Struggling to cope with the constant stress of school, her mother, and her confusing social life, sixteen-year-old Grace Edwards finds sanity in the most destructive of ways: dieting and self-harming. But just when Grace thinks she has everything under control, a classmate catches her cutting in the girls’ locker room, and Grace’s entire
life is flipped upside down.
Now she’s faced with the unthinkable – a stint in a psych ward with kids who seem so much worse than she is. After all, she’s not sick. She’s totally okay. She’ll never do it again. But the longer Grace stays, the more she realizes that the kids in the ward aren’t that different from her.
Slowly Grace comes to terms with her mental illness, but as her discharge date crawls closer, she knows that the outside world is an unpredictable place . . . and one which whispers temptations about hidden food, dangerous objects, and failure to stay in recovery.
life is flipped upside down.
Now she’s faced with the unthinkable – a stint in a psych ward with kids who seem so much worse than she is. After all, she’s not sick. She’s totally okay. She’ll never do it again. But the longer Grace stays, the more she realizes that the kids in the ward aren’t that different from her.
Slowly Grace comes to terms with her mental illness, but as her discharge date crawls closer, she knows that the outside world is an unpredictable place . . . and one which whispers temptations about hidden food, dangerous objects, and failure to stay in recovery.
312 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2018
10 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Julia Tannenbaum
3 books28 followersJulia Tannenbaum is the author of The Changing Ways Series, a young adult trilogy that chronicles a teenager’s journey to overcome anorexia. Drawing from personal experiences, she self-published her debut novel Changing Ways when she was eighteen years old. She is an advocate for mental health and disability awareness whose essays have appeared in a variety of newspapers, magazines, and blogs, including the Hartford Courant and OC87 Recovery Diaries. She lives in Vermont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
January 12, 2020
Grace is 16 and a junior at Chuck L. Everett High School (“Chuckles”) in western Connecticut. She lives with her mother and younger brother, Jamie, and misses her father. She’s trying out for Varsity soccer this year.
Grace’s best friend, Lou, is “bold and strong-willed and brutally honest”. Lou’s mother is undergoing treatment for stage 4 breast cancer, although the gravity of this didn’t hit the mark for me.
The way Grace’s mother’s boyfriend was introduced made it seem like he was going to be detrimental to their family dynamic but this didn’t really go anywhere.
While the conversations between Grace, her family and Lou flowed well, those that took place in a treatment setting tended to feel more like therapy speak than what you’d expect between a group of teenagers dealing with such difficult issues. I found most of the other patients interchangeable, not really getting a sense of who they were outside of their diagnoses.
I think I would have gotten into this book more if I’d read it as a teenager. It may also have helped if I hadn’t already read other books that have addressed eating disorders and self harm in a way that grabbed me more on an emotional level.
Unfortunately, while I applaud the author for tackling such difficult and personal subject matter, I never forgot that I was reading a book written by a teenager. If I’d written a book while I was a teenager I expect it would have much the same feel to it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but I am interested to see how the author’s writing develops over time.
Content warnings include .
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked Whale Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
I’ve never been satisfied with how I look - even when I was younger, I was self-conscious of my appearance. Now that I’m older, those insecurities are more profound than ever.Recently Grace has secretly been self harming and restricting her food intake. When another student catches her self harming at school Grace winds up hospitalised.
“I don’t know what’s making me do it. That’s the problem.”Grace is fortunate that her treatment begins a lot sooner than it does for most people but this doesn’t mean recovery will be easy. I appreciated that recovery from eating disorders and self harm were portrayed realistically. Grace’s isn’t a success only journey. Recovery isn’t linear and there are setbacks along the way.
Grace’s best friend, Lou, is “bold and strong-willed and brutally honest”. Lou’s mother is undergoing treatment for stage 4 breast cancer, although the gravity of this didn’t hit the mark for me.
The way Grace’s mother’s boyfriend was introduced made it seem like he was going to be detrimental to their family dynamic but this didn’t really go anywhere.
While the conversations between Grace, her family and Lou flowed well, those that took place in a treatment setting tended to feel more like therapy speak than what you’d expect between a group of teenagers dealing with such difficult issues. I found most of the other patients interchangeable, not really getting a sense of who they were outside of their diagnoses.
I think I would have gotten into this book more if I’d read it as a teenager. It may also have helped if I hadn’t already read other books that have addressed eating disorders and self harm in a way that grabbed me more on an emotional level.
Unfortunately, while I applaud the author for tackling such difficult and personal subject matter, I never forgot that I was reading a book written by a teenager. If I’d written a book while I was a teenager I expect it would have much the same feel to it. That’s not necessarily a bad thing but I am interested to see how the author’s writing develops over time.
Content warnings include .
Thank you to NetGalley and Wicked Whale Publishing for the opportunity to read this book.
March 29, 2024
The author wrote the book when she was seventeen!!!!
You rock!
TW: Eating Disorder Rep, Sf Harm, Terminal Illness, loss of a loved one, Homophobic Content & Bullying
Books: Changing Ways Trilogy by Julia Tannenbaum
➡️Book 1: Changing Ways 4 🌟
Our sixteen year old main protagonist, Grace Edwards, starts school and is struggling with the stress of being a teenager trying to ace in studies and social life. Her relationship with her mother starts straining and she’s trying to cope with everything by beginning to control her diet and sf harming.
➡️ Book 2: Breaking Free 5 🌟
Grace is being treated in a treatment facility with close supervision of her mother and she’s trying really hard. It’s super stressful to read this sequel and I can see what people with this health condition go through. Nevertheless, it is a realistic representation read.
➡️ Book 3: Choosing Life 5 🌟
I absolutely love the final book. It wraps up everything well. The interactions between the characters- the friends, the romantic aspects, parent child, siblings, colleagues and family - are quite realistic.
If you are expecting romance, there’s not much in this series. I wouldn’t recommend this trilogy as romance fiction.
The series is heavily mental health/eating disorder based & how the ones who are struggling with such conditions in their day to day lives; what can be done, what approach as family and friends can take to help; how to avoid being controlling and getting overwhelmed when trying to be of help.
I hope the author writes more books in the future.
You rock!
TW: Eating Disorder Rep, Sf Harm, Terminal Illness, loss of a loved one, Homophobic Content & Bullying
Books: Changing Ways Trilogy by Julia Tannenbaum
➡️Book 1: Changing Ways 4 🌟
Our sixteen year old main protagonist, Grace Edwards, starts school and is struggling with the stress of being a teenager trying to ace in studies and social life. Her relationship with her mother starts straining and she’s trying to cope with everything by beginning to control her diet and sf harming.
➡️ Book 2: Breaking Free 5 🌟
Grace is being treated in a treatment facility with close supervision of her mother and she’s trying really hard. It’s super stressful to read this sequel and I can see what people with this health condition go through. Nevertheless, it is a realistic representation read.
➡️ Book 3: Choosing Life 5 🌟
I absolutely love the final book. It wraps up everything well. The interactions between the characters- the friends, the romantic aspects, parent child, siblings, colleagues and family - are quite realistic.
If you are expecting romance, there’s not much in this series. I wouldn’t recommend this trilogy as romance fiction.
The series is heavily mental health/eating disorder based & how the ones who are struggling with such conditions in their day to day lives; what can be done, what approach as family and friends can take to help; how to avoid being controlling and getting overwhelmed when trying to be of help.
I hope the author writes more books in the future.
September 2, 2018
A riveting portrait of teenhood shadowed by social pressure, self doubt, and the constant cost of
anorexia, yet the strength to power onward.
anorexia, yet the strength to power onward.
December 31, 2018
Funny thing: there's a queer Lou in here who reminds me more than a little of another queer Lou. Actually, I'd quite like to see a story from this Lou's perspective.
Tannenbaum approaches Grace's story with more balance than these stories often get. Grace is not the Sickest Patient Doctors Have Ever Seen; she doesn't spend months and months and months and months in hospital; a few weeks (or a Miracle Therapist) isn't enough to solve her problems. There's a lot of two-steps-forward-one-step-back and also two-steps-forward-two-steps-back. That's something that remains strangely underdone in this subgenre (subsubgenre?), so I appreciate the relative grey area. Also, points for Grace's mother being so on top of things.
I do think the story loses some steam when Grace went into hospital, partly because it feels kind of 'done' and partly because the character development and plotlines that have been building to that point get kind of dropped. Pre-hospital Grace loves soccer and is the only junior on the varsity team and hopes to play professionally someday, but mid- and post-hospital Grace forgets soccer pretty quickly. Her mother also develops a potentially problematic boyfriend, but that doesn't seem to go anywhere (and I'd just read Sadie, so you can bet that my abusive-boyfriend radar was working!)...and I couldn't help but think that more time out of treatment centres would have given these sorts of things more time to develop. (The flip side of that, of course, is that mental health issues do tend to derail the rest of life, so it's not unreasonable to think that Grace might find her focus changing.)
So I think that leaves us at...mixed review but generally solid.
Tannenbaum approaches Grace's story with more balance than these stories often get. Grace is not the Sickest Patient Doctors Have Ever Seen; she doesn't spend months and months and months and months in hospital; a few weeks (or a Miracle Therapist) isn't enough to solve her problems. There's a lot of two-steps-forward-one-step-back and also two-steps-forward-two-steps-back. That's something that remains strangely underdone in this subgenre (subsubgenre?), so I appreciate the relative grey area. Also, points for Grace's mother being so on top of things.
I do think the story loses some steam when Grace went into hospital, partly because it feels kind of 'done' and partly because the character development and plotlines that have been building to that point get kind of dropped. Pre-hospital Grace loves soccer and is the only junior on the varsity team and hopes to play professionally someday, but mid- and post-hospital Grace forgets soccer pretty quickly. Her mother also develops a potentially problematic boyfriend, but that doesn't seem to go anywhere (and I'd just read Sadie, so you can bet that my abusive-boyfriend radar was working!)...and I couldn't help but think that more time out of treatment centres would have given these sorts of things more time to develop. (The flip side of that, of course, is that mental health issues do tend to derail the rest of life, so it's not unreasonable to think that Grace might find her focus changing.)
So I think that leaves us at...mixed review but generally solid.
October 4, 2018
We highly recommend Changing Ways for teens and adults (especially parents).
Readers will immediately care about Grace, and the story is a page-turner as you'll want to know more about her journey.
We can't wait to see read Julia Tannenbaum's next book.
Readers will immediately care about Grace, and the story is a page-turner as you'll want to know more about her journey.
We can't wait to see read Julia Tannenbaum's next book.
December 30, 2020
Changing ways is the story about a 16-year-old girl called Grace Edwards. She is vulnerable, sensitive, and is not coping well with her life. From her diet to self-harming, she has suicidal thoughts, and as soon as things get a touch at school, it triggers the notion of her cutting herself.
It was soon found out that Grace is not well, so she is sent to a psych ward. Grace wants out and so tries to comply, but things do not get better for her, and when it does, Grace somehow falls back to her old ways.
I appreciated how the author wanted to bring about the conversation of how young adults are facing depression and self-harming in a story format. However, what I was mostly hoping for, was some kind of an ending that provided a clear message for Grace and everyone who was like Grace and could be reading this book.
Having someone like parents, grandparents, friends, and family is always a vital need for people under such a mental state, and Grace, too, had the support she needed to heal.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read fiction and stories that discuss psychology matters.
It was soon found out that Grace is not well, so she is sent to a psych ward. Grace wants out and so tries to comply, but things do not get better for her, and when it does, Grace somehow falls back to her old ways.
I appreciated how the author wanted to bring about the conversation of how young adults are facing depression and self-harming in a story format. However, what I was mostly hoping for, was some kind of an ending that provided a clear message for Grace and everyone who was like Grace and could be reading this book.
Having someone like parents, grandparents, friends, and family is always a vital need for people under such a mental state, and Grace, too, had the support she needed to heal.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read fiction and stories that discuss psychology matters.
October 8, 2018
This book obviously has its trigger warnings, may it be for self harm, depression, suicide, eating disorders, psyche ward treatmeants etc.
And with that comes my issues... I suffer from depression, I’ll have these days I literally want to throat punch everyone and can’t stand to be around people because the words they are saying in my eyes make no sense and don’t matter. More often than not I don’t get the lets go cry for an hr depression it’s that rage that no one listens to you and your not paying attention and it frustrates me. With this I kinda felt she had those ideas. No one truly noticed or listened to her except surface value so she turned to things she could control. I’m sure in some point of all our lives we’ve had thoughts I can’t do this anymore, one cut won’t be so bad, not eating. And all are not ok that’s not what I think the book or this review are saying but sometimes even the ones helping you really aren’t. Treatment centers can be great places but the one in the book I felt they lacked highly? Seriously these teens/people have far to many opportunities to get away with not eating so they escalate farther and then it’s damn near to far gone. So I found that mildly believeable.most of the sick patients you lacked more of a surface intro to them but they aren’t but mere passings of our leading characters life, just stepping stones of rocks skipping water till the next one is thrown.
I recommend it on a just for fun reading, not something I’d pass on to my die hard trigger readers. And probably won’t reread anytime soon.
And with that comes my issues... I suffer from depression, I’ll have these days I literally want to throat punch everyone and can’t stand to be around people because the words they are saying in my eyes make no sense and don’t matter. More often than not I don’t get the lets go cry for an hr depression it’s that rage that no one listens to you and your not paying attention and it frustrates me. With this I kinda felt she had those ideas. No one truly noticed or listened to her except surface value so she turned to things she could control. I’m sure in some point of all our lives we’ve had thoughts I can’t do this anymore, one cut won’t be so bad, not eating. And all are not ok that’s not what I think the book or this review are saying but sometimes even the ones helping you really aren’t. Treatment centers can be great places but the one in the book I felt they lacked highly? Seriously these teens/people have far to many opportunities to get away with not eating so they escalate farther and then it’s damn near to far gone. So I found that mildly believeable.most of the sick patients you lacked more of a surface intro to them but they aren’t but mere passings of our leading characters life, just stepping stones of rocks skipping water till the next one is thrown.
I recommend it on a just for fun reading, not something I’d pass on to my die hard trigger readers. And probably won’t reread anytime soon.
September 23, 2018
Changing Ways is a beautifully written and insightful debut novel that takes us on a journey into the thoughts and experiences of a teenage girl struggling with mental illness, while also providing a glimpse into what it is like to be a parent, friend and sibling who do everything in their power to support her. I laughed and I cried as I read this remarkable story and felt the spirit of the author come through in every word written. I am incredibly grateful that the author so articulately expressed what so many struggle to find the words to, and that she gave a voice to what is often so misunderstood. As a mother with children who struggle with mental illness, I would highly recommend this book to everyone and anyone who has an interest in understanding the incredible strength and courage it takes to live with and heal from this illness. I very much look forward to reading her next book!
January 31, 2021
"Always remember that the war inside your mind does not define you"
Changing ways by Julia Tannenbaum is an exceedingly brilliant read.
As we all know that life holds many phases and the most fragile in all is TEENAGE. An age where a child experience several hormones oozing at the same time.
The book upholds teenage girl Grace Edward, who is grappling with several emotions and hit anorexia.
Book had wonderfully shown how a teenager faces scuffles in school, family, relationships, the book encompasses her journey to discover herself, to discover contentment.
I was bewildered by author, how brilliantly she had discussed about mental illness, and it's consequences and how to overcome it.
It was definitely a great read, I'll congratulate Julia for such an amazing job.
Highly recommended!
Changing ways by Julia Tannenbaum is an exceedingly brilliant read.
As we all know that life holds many phases and the most fragile in all is TEENAGE. An age where a child experience several hormones oozing at the same time.
The book upholds teenage girl Grace Edward, who is grappling with several emotions and hit anorexia.
Book had wonderfully shown how a teenager faces scuffles in school, family, relationships, the book encompasses her journey to discover herself, to discover contentment.
I was bewildered by author, how brilliantly she had discussed about mental illness, and it's consequences and how to overcome it.
It was definitely a great read, I'll congratulate Julia for such an amazing job.
Highly recommended!
July 6, 2021
4 stars.
Could relate a lot but only on a basic level and what I'd call a mild form of Anorexia.
This book makes me reliase just how deep I am personally into my own ED.
I'm not sure how I feel about that. But, I have spent 30 years of my life with it.
If you are wanting a light version of what Anorexia is like with hospital admissions and though processes etc, this one doesn't go deep to show the truth of how BAD it really is.
I would class this as a PG rating as self harm in the form of cutting is also constantly talked about.
Could relate a lot but only on a basic level and what I'd call a mild form of Anorexia.
This book makes me reliase just how deep I am personally into my own ED.
I'm not sure how I feel about that. But, I have spent 30 years of my life with it.
If you are wanting a light version of what Anorexia is like with hospital admissions and though processes etc, this one doesn't go deep to show the truth of how BAD it really is.
I would class this as a PG rating as self harm in the form of cutting is also constantly talked about.
November 30, 2019
I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book should be read by so many more people!
I always feel like I learn more about mental illnesses by reading books on that topic and this was no different, I never read a book that portrayed anorexia. Grace didn’t want to admit she was anorexic because she didn’t think she was, she didn’t think she needed help, so while you understand her frustration you also want her to get better so badly that you get some frustrations yourself!
I just loved this so much and I think it should be read by many.
Oh, and is it too bad if I say that while reading a book about anorexia I was also getting hungry by all the food that they talked about? Because I did… ups.
This book should be read by so many more people!
I always feel like I learn more about mental illnesses by reading books on that topic and this was no different, I never read a book that portrayed anorexia. Grace didn’t want to admit she was anorexic because she didn’t think she was, she didn’t think she needed help, so while you understand her frustration you also want her to get better so badly that you get some frustrations yourself!
I just loved this so much and I think it should be read by many.
Oh, and is it too bad if I say that while reading a book about anorexia I was also getting hungry by all the food that they talked about? Because I did… ups.
April 6, 2020
Julia Tannenbaum writes with a fresh, authentic voice telling the story of a teen's struggle with an eating disorder. Life for 16-year old Grace often feels out of control - a situations she tries to manage through cutting and strict regulation of what she eats. Told with empathy, insight and understanding, Grace's story ends on a hopeful note. I'm looking forward to the sequel, Breaking Free.
October 18, 2018
Originally posted at ragdollreads.co.uk
Ragdoll Rating: 5/5 Buttons
Recommended For: Anybody who wants to take a gut-punch to the feels (in a good way).
About the Book...
TW: This book contains details of self harm, anorexia and other mental health issues, psychiatric wards and hospitals.
For Grace Edwards, life is a bit of an emotional storm. Her father left after her mother had an affair. That, combined with the usual high school horrors would make anyone miserable. But it's not all bad. Her dream of playing varsity soccer has just come true, and things are starting to look up. Then it all falls apart.
Grace finds herself hauled off to a psychiatric ward and gets hit with a scary diagnosis. Anorexia.
Changing Ways follows Grace through the early stages of her battle with her mental health demons.
What I thought...
I'll start this section with a warning. I had to stop reading after a few chapters as I was in a bad mental health place myself, and if I'm honest, this book cut pretty close to the bone. Having now completed the book, I'm really glad I waited until I felt better. The content of this book is obviously emotionally complex and if you've been through something similar, can be difficult, even triggering to read. But it's worth it, when you're in a better head space.
My first impressions of this book were primarily curiosity. This book is set in the US, the land of private health care, and I'm in the UK where we have the NHS. I was really amazed at the difference in mental health provision between the two countries. I even took to twitter to ask for confirmation that this as an accurate representation of how things worked over there. Apparently it is! For those of you who are interested, I've been in a psychiatric ward twice in my life for various reasons, and it took an incredible amount of effort and problems to get there. Grace goes from being caught self-harming to a psychiatric facility in a matter of hours, which is apparently standard practice. It was quite the culture shock, but as it turns out this disconnect in experience really opened up the rest of the book for me.
Since Grace is whisked off immediately for observation, she really doesn't want to be in the facility. She doesn't see the point and she resists at every turn. The idea of the controlled environment and treatment plans makes her feel infantlized and robbed of her independence. Her diagnosis makes her feel broken, and it's heartbreaking, but also infuriating because from the outside you can see how damaging it is. From my point of view, it was a really insightful look at how mental illness affects those around us which is so difficult to consider when you're in the throws of your own crisis.
Eventually Grace is moved on to an outpatient program, and it would have been easy at this point, to want Grace to just get better and stay that way, especially considering how terrified Grace is about being forced back into hospital. But she doesn't. As Tannenbaum so rightly suggests, recovery takes time, a lot of time, and you don't just leave the hospital feeling fine. Grace finds herself in a program for people with eating disorders, and her struggles increase when she start comparing herself to other, thinner patients.
Throughout the book, Grace's ability to cope and follow her treatment plan fluctuates. Sometimes she struggles, other times it's a little easier. Grace's recovery isn't just a steady climb back to normal, and actually at the end of the book (If you want to avoid the spoiler, skip the rest of this paragraph) Grace finds herself back in hospital over Christmas, her worst fears realised, and obviously, she hates it. It sounds like a miserable ending, but actually it's beautiful.
My favourite part of this book, I think, comes towards the end, when Grace is having one of her better periods, and she is sitting round the table waiting for another girl to finish her small meal for over an hour. This is something Grace has struggled with herself throughout the book, but she is infuriated. She wants to grab the girl by her shoulders and shake her back to sense. It's a beautiful moment, because this was how I'd been feeling for most of the book, and Grace has the clarity of mind to notice that this is something she has found difficult.
"I wanted to shake her bony shoulders and exclaim, "Just eat already! Why can't you just eat!?"
But I didn't. Instead, I played with the new admission bracelet around my wrist and reminded myself that not too long ago, I was her; petrified of every bite, every calorie that entered my body."
It was a wonderful moment, because this is such a difficult thing to come to terms with, and it made me hopeful that this knowledge would fortify Grace in her difficult periods.
Final Thoughts...
Changing Ways is a story of complex and difficult concepts, written in a way that is incredibly easy to read. It is emotionally draining at times, and beautiful throughout. I love it when I read something that makes me feel like the author understands a bit of my world, and that is exactly how I felt reading this book. I'm so glad I read it.
Ragdoll Rating: 5/5 Buttons
Recommended For: Anybody who wants to take a gut-punch to the feels (in a good way).
About the Book...
TW: This book contains details of self harm, anorexia and other mental health issues, psychiatric wards and hospitals.
For Grace Edwards, life is a bit of an emotional storm. Her father left after her mother had an affair. That, combined with the usual high school horrors would make anyone miserable. But it's not all bad. Her dream of playing varsity soccer has just come true, and things are starting to look up. Then it all falls apart.
Grace finds herself hauled off to a psychiatric ward and gets hit with a scary diagnosis. Anorexia.
Changing Ways follows Grace through the early stages of her battle with her mental health demons.
What I thought...
I'll start this section with a warning. I had to stop reading after a few chapters as I was in a bad mental health place myself, and if I'm honest, this book cut pretty close to the bone. Having now completed the book, I'm really glad I waited until I felt better. The content of this book is obviously emotionally complex and if you've been through something similar, can be difficult, even triggering to read. But it's worth it, when you're in a better head space.
My first impressions of this book were primarily curiosity. This book is set in the US, the land of private health care, and I'm in the UK where we have the NHS. I was really amazed at the difference in mental health provision between the two countries. I even took to twitter to ask for confirmation that this as an accurate representation of how things worked over there. Apparently it is! For those of you who are interested, I've been in a psychiatric ward twice in my life for various reasons, and it took an incredible amount of effort and problems to get there. Grace goes from being caught self-harming to a psychiatric facility in a matter of hours, which is apparently standard practice. It was quite the culture shock, but as it turns out this disconnect in experience really opened up the rest of the book for me.
Since Grace is whisked off immediately for observation, she really doesn't want to be in the facility. She doesn't see the point and she resists at every turn. The idea of the controlled environment and treatment plans makes her feel infantlized and robbed of her independence. Her diagnosis makes her feel broken, and it's heartbreaking, but also infuriating because from the outside you can see how damaging it is. From my point of view, it was a really insightful look at how mental illness affects those around us which is so difficult to consider when you're in the throws of your own crisis.
Eventually Grace is moved on to an outpatient program, and it would have been easy at this point, to want Grace to just get better and stay that way, especially considering how terrified Grace is about being forced back into hospital. But she doesn't. As Tannenbaum so rightly suggests, recovery takes time, a lot of time, and you don't just leave the hospital feeling fine. Grace finds herself in a program for people with eating disorders, and her struggles increase when she start comparing herself to other, thinner patients.
Throughout the book, Grace's ability to cope and follow her treatment plan fluctuates. Sometimes she struggles, other times it's a little easier. Grace's recovery isn't just a steady climb back to normal, and actually at the end of the book (If you want to avoid the spoiler, skip the rest of this paragraph) Grace finds herself back in hospital over Christmas, her worst fears realised, and obviously, she hates it. It sounds like a miserable ending, but actually it's beautiful.
My favourite part of this book, I think, comes towards the end, when Grace is having one of her better periods, and she is sitting round the table waiting for another girl to finish her small meal for over an hour. This is something Grace has struggled with herself throughout the book, but she is infuriated. She wants to grab the girl by her shoulders and shake her back to sense. It's a beautiful moment, because this was how I'd been feeling for most of the book, and Grace has the clarity of mind to notice that this is something she has found difficult.
"I wanted to shake her bony shoulders and exclaim, "Just eat already! Why can't you just eat!?"
But I didn't. Instead, I played with the new admission bracelet around my wrist and reminded myself that not too long ago, I was her; petrified of every bite, every calorie that entered my body."
It was a wonderful moment, because this is such a difficult thing to come to terms with, and it made me hopeful that this knowledge would fortify Grace in her difficult periods.
Final Thoughts...
Changing Ways is a story of complex and difficult concepts, written in a way that is incredibly easy to read. It is emotionally draining at times, and beautiful throughout. I love it when I read something that makes me feel like the author understands a bit of my world, and that is exactly how I felt reading this book. I'm so glad I read it.
March 26, 2025
I ordinarily wouldn’t reread my previously-published works under any circumstances; however, I’m researching an eating disorder-themed book and wanted to remember what it was like to be in that anorexic mindset. As Changing Ways is largely based on my own experiences, and was written when I was barely a year out of inpatient treatment, I decided to bite the bullet and revisit my debut novel.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the first eight chapters. Grace’s spiral into anorexia is so real and raw that I was brought right back to that horrible time in my life. I felt for her and wanted badly for her not to succumb to her illness, though of course, I knew that she would. I also felt for her family and friends, the people closest to her who didn't understand what was wrong or why she was pushing them away. Anorexia is such a complex, isolating illness, and I'm proud of how well I captured the confusion and emotional intensity of a mental health crisis.
However, I wish I had put as much thought and care into other aspects of the story as I did Grace’s eating disorder. I did virtually no research or conceptualizing for Changing Ways, and this is apparent in the sloppily-handled storyline with Grace’s absent father, as well as the one-dimensional, often cliched depictions of the other, more minor characters. Why I gave almost everyone Grace interacts with in—and out of—treatment a tragic or shocking backstory, I don’t know. This certainly wasn’t the reality with the kids I knew in the hospital, many of whom had ordinary upbringings like myself.
The on-the-nose, pseudo-deep dialogue is another issue I had with Changing Ways. My efforts to be profound and thought-provoking—or simply provocative—come across as cringeworthy and inauthentic, especially when these statements are being spoken by teenagers. I could have also done without all the references to the obscure pop culture I was into at the time. Furthermore, the misuse of semi-colons was mildly irritating, particularly since the grammar was otherwise pretty good. I don’t think there’s a single colon in this entire book.
Although the middle sections were a little painful to get through, I enjoyed the end; like the early chapters, I was moved by its realness and saddened for the struggling Grace. Relapse is an all too real part of eating disorder recovery, and I’m glad I chose to go in that direction rather than to wrap things up all nice and neat.
As a whole, I found my debut novel to be extremely inconsistent. Parts of it were very good, others almost laughably bad; but the authentic portrayal of eating disorders and recovery, which comprise the foundation of this flawed story, make it, in my opinion, a worthwhile read for struggling teens.
3 stars.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the first eight chapters. Grace’s spiral into anorexia is so real and raw that I was brought right back to that horrible time in my life. I felt for her and wanted badly for her not to succumb to her illness, though of course, I knew that she would. I also felt for her family and friends, the people closest to her who didn't understand what was wrong or why she was pushing them away. Anorexia is such a complex, isolating illness, and I'm proud of how well I captured the confusion and emotional intensity of a mental health crisis.
However, I wish I had put as much thought and care into other aspects of the story as I did Grace’s eating disorder. I did virtually no research or conceptualizing for Changing Ways, and this is apparent in the sloppily-handled storyline with Grace’s absent father, as well as the one-dimensional, often cliched depictions of the other, more minor characters. Why I gave almost everyone Grace interacts with in—and out of—treatment a tragic or shocking backstory, I don’t know. This certainly wasn’t the reality with the kids I knew in the hospital, many of whom had ordinary upbringings like myself.
The on-the-nose, pseudo-deep dialogue is another issue I had with Changing Ways. My efforts to be profound and thought-provoking—or simply provocative—come across as cringeworthy and inauthentic, especially when these statements are being spoken by teenagers. I could have also done without all the references to the obscure pop culture I was into at the time. Furthermore, the misuse of semi-colons was mildly irritating, particularly since the grammar was otherwise pretty good. I don’t think there’s a single colon in this entire book.
Although the middle sections were a little painful to get through, I enjoyed the end; like the early chapters, I was moved by its realness and saddened for the struggling Grace. Relapse is an all too real part of eating disorder recovery, and I’m glad I chose to go in that direction rather than to wrap things up all nice and neat.
As a whole, I found my debut novel to be extremely inconsistent. Parts of it were very good, others almost laughably bad; but the authentic portrayal of eating disorders and recovery, which comprise the foundation of this flawed story, make it, in my opinion, a worthwhile read for struggling teens.
3 stars.
March 3, 2021
Book- Changing Ways
Author- Julia Tannenbaum @julia.tannenbaum
Format- Kindle
Rating- 5/5
.
QQTD : How was your teenage? What did you loved most about the phase? What was the best moment you ever won't forget.
.
Teenage is a phase, something very different, from childhood as well as adulthood. Life is different. The world seems different. The thoughts you hold is different. You aren't mature enough but yes you aren't a child even there's a very thin line and we do mistakes too.
.
This book is a story about a sixteen-year-old high school girl, Grace Edwards, she witnessed their parents to get divorced at very early age. It's not easy to face these things, being a kid, she just couldn't accept those things. She was depressed. She couldn't share it with anyone. She gets into self harming. The most worst decision, still she decides to deal with the feeling. She couldn't share it with anyone and found it as the only way. But, later in school her friends find out what she is doing to herself. She was, sent to rehabilitation camp. And she could not accept it soon too. But, when she saw them, she realised the struggle she is going through, is similar to the people living there.
.
But will she be able to be happy again.? Will she love herself. Will she deal with all the things she is going through?
.
Depression, the easier it is utter this word the difficult it is to go through it. Because you get engulfed in the kind of pain which kills you from within making you go numb for days leaving you in the hollow world of darkness.
Someone has rightly said, " People think about you only in times of need." And this holds true because once the purpose is fullfilled our platter is served with ignorance and sadness.The title is simple but after reading the story I found that it had such a deep meaning. I wholeheartedly thank the author on highlighting a such a important issue through her book. It is a must read for everyone.
Thank you
Author- Julia Tannenbaum @julia.tannenbaum
Format- Kindle
Rating- 5/5
.
QQTD : How was your teenage? What did you loved most about the phase? What was the best moment you ever won't forget.
.
Teenage is a phase, something very different, from childhood as well as adulthood. Life is different. The world seems different. The thoughts you hold is different. You aren't mature enough but yes you aren't a child even there's a very thin line and we do mistakes too.
.
This book is a story about a sixteen-year-old high school girl, Grace Edwards, she witnessed their parents to get divorced at very early age. It's not easy to face these things, being a kid, she just couldn't accept those things. She was depressed. She couldn't share it with anyone. She gets into self harming. The most worst decision, still she decides to deal with the feeling. She couldn't share it with anyone and found it as the only way. But, later in school her friends find out what she is doing to herself. She was, sent to rehabilitation camp. And she could not accept it soon too. But, when she saw them, she realised the struggle she is going through, is similar to the people living there.
.
But will she be able to be happy again.? Will she love herself. Will she deal with all the things she is going through?
.
Depression, the easier it is utter this word the difficult it is to go through it. Because you get engulfed in the kind of pain which kills you from within making you go numb for days leaving you in the hollow world of darkness.
Someone has rightly said, " People think about you only in times of need." And this holds true because once the purpose is fullfilled our platter is served with ignorance and sadness.The title is simple but after reading the story I found that it had such a deep meaning. I wholeheartedly thank the author on highlighting a such a important issue through her book. It is a must read for everyone.
Thank you
February 19, 2021
This book is a story about a sixteen-year-old high school girl, Grace Edwards. Her mother and father had seperated very early on when she was a kid. Due to her being stressed with her social life, dealing with being only having a single parent and high school life, she starts finding solace in self-harm and dieting. One day at school, she gets discovered by her friend while she was indulging in self harm. This incident turns her life upside down. She is sent to a psych ward for treatment. It is very hard for her at the beginning but slowly she finds out that the people here are no different than her. Will she have a successful treatment? What will happen when she is discharged? Will she be able to fit in the outside world?
One of the most important aspect that this pandemic and lockdown has shown is the emphasis and importance of mental health. When I got the book, I didn't expect the author to have based the book on such a deep and necessary topic and was genuinely surprised. It is the need of the hour to have more discussion on mental health, especially teenagers. The author has done a great job in portraying the issue faced by teenagers of our time though Grace. She seems to be a tough girl at start but slowly we realise that there is something more than meets the eye. I also liked the character of her best friend Lou Jackson. The author has given due importance to the side characters which I really prefer in any novel as it makes the story more realistic.
The cover of the book was beautiful giving a sense of depth to the protagonist. The title is simple but after reading the story I found that it had such a deep meaning. I wholeheartedly thank the author on highlighting a such a important issue through her book. It is a must read for everyone.
Thank you
Happy Reading
January 19, 2021
🌼 Nonplussed in this chaotic lane,
Feels like it'll callous now in the bane.
Capitulate ourself in self myth,
Debunk thy debacle causing dearth.. 🌼
.
🍁 A significant enthralling fictional story written with prudence, prospect of virtues and a paradigm of salivating truths is much appreciated. This is the story of teen girl, Grace, filled with wimpish and succumbing thoughts. Her own thinking and perspective is leading her life to avenues and vulnerabilities. Being found in a sceptical state with her own self, she feels intemperate and reluctant. With gaiety in heart and perpetual chaos in mind, she tried to come out from the wanton sabotage situation but found her in impasse. 🍁
.
⭐ Albeit, the story is fascinating and laudable, what makes me super close and attracted with it, is the message that the author conveyed through her work. Mental illness is that important topic which our society feels like truculent onerous and often negotiate to talk about it. Being insouciant, inure and noxious specially in the teenage phase, having unusual attraction towards opposite gender with extant concupisence, even a petty situation can have a huge lambast impact in the child life which eventually led her do that inane fatuous things which are very inchoate and full of duplicity. They often urge for a life with maverick but to deal with all these insane activities with a convivial lambent nature is what that matters. The meaningful scrutinized way of penning a valuable message of mental health in her fictional work is extremely obeisance and commendable. Highly recommended for all. Great work by the virtuoso author. ⭐
.
✨❤ Beautiful, extol and deep read. Must read :) ❤✨
Feels like it'll callous now in the bane.
Capitulate ourself in self myth,
Debunk thy debacle causing dearth.. 🌼
.
🍁 A significant enthralling fictional story written with prudence, prospect of virtues and a paradigm of salivating truths is much appreciated. This is the story of teen girl, Grace, filled with wimpish and succumbing thoughts. Her own thinking and perspective is leading her life to avenues and vulnerabilities. Being found in a sceptical state with her own self, she feels intemperate and reluctant. With gaiety in heart and perpetual chaos in mind, she tried to come out from the wanton sabotage situation but found her in impasse. 🍁
.
⭐ Albeit, the story is fascinating and laudable, what makes me super close and attracted with it, is the message that the author conveyed through her work. Mental illness is that important topic which our society feels like truculent onerous and often negotiate to talk about it. Being insouciant, inure and noxious specially in the teenage phase, having unusual attraction towards opposite gender with extant concupisence, even a petty situation can have a huge lambast impact in the child life which eventually led her do that inane fatuous things which are very inchoate and full of duplicity. They often urge for a life with maverick but to deal with all these insane activities with a convivial lambent nature is what that matters. The meaningful scrutinized way of penning a valuable message of mental health in her fictional work is extremely obeisance and commendable. Highly recommended for all. Great work by the virtuoso author. ⭐
.
✨❤ Beautiful, extol and deep read. Must read :) ❤✨
March 3, 2021
🌙Why the mental health is a very neglected topic? Why people don't care of their mental health? Coming on this topic they hide from it, they find escape in their homes, or any their favorite place? The past lockdown has shown us that, the mental health is getting worse. People are always choosing the wrong steps, to find solace. But that's not the solace.
🌙This story is of a teenage girl. In the teenage a person faces lots of changes like hormones, emotions, mood swings and many more. Is this normal during that age? Yes, it is. Some pass that phase, like a blow of wind, and some stick to it like a stigma.
🌙A teenager whose parents got separated when she was too small. A single parent, take care of her. When there are two parents, we feel safe. Single parent put every effort, to give their children every happiness.
🌙She finds solace in harming herself and dieting. Once she was hurting her in school, and her friend saw her and told it to the school authority. Then she was sent to pshyc ward for the treatment. There she found, everyone there is like her, no one is different.
🌙Now, we have to see, will she be able to complete her treatment. Will she be the old strong girl again? Will she be able to hold her emotions from flowing away in form of hurting herself.
🌙This story is of a teenage girl. In the teenage a person faces lots of changes like hormones, emotions, mood swings and many more. Is this normal during that age? Yes, it is. Some pass that phase, like a blow of wind, and some stick to it like a stigma.
🌙A teenager whose parents got separated when she was too small. A single parent, take care of her. When there are two parents, we feel safe. Single parent put every effort, to give their children every happiness.
🌙She finds solace in harming herself and dieting. Once she was hurting her in school, and her friend saw her and told it to the school authority. Then she was sent to pshyc ward for the treatment. There she found, everyone there is like her, no one is different.
🌙Now, we have to see, will she be able to complete her treatment. Will she be the old strong girl again? Will she be able to hold her emotions from flowing away in form of hurting herself.
February 27, 2021
Trigger warning: eating disorders, self-harm
I really struggled with knowing how to rate this. I think I would put it as 3.5/5 stars.
Eating disorder stories, especially ones with #ownvoices components are so necessary. The author conveys the experience of mental illness and teenage-hood well. Like many people with eating disorders, the protagonist is high-achieving (ie as a soccer player), engages in self-harm (as a coping mechanism to feel numb), and engages in lying and secretive behavior to hide her lack of eating. Her path to recovery isn’t linear, which I also appreciated.
Part of why I had trouble rating this book was because the voice feels very similar to mine when I started writing (also at 17)— complete with stilted dialogue, plot lacking tension, and characters wanting more depth. Overall, the book is good and the author talented, I just see so much room for growth for both. (Which makes me excited to see how she progresses as a writer! I see great things in her future!)
I really struggled with knowing how to rate this. I think I would put it as 3.5/5 stars.
Eating disorder stories, especially ones with #ownvoices components are so necessary. The author conveys the experience of mental illness and teenage-hood well. Like many people with eating disorders, the protagonist is high-achieving (ie as a soccer player), engages in self-harm (as a coping mechanism to feel numb), and engages in lying and secretive behavior to hide her lack of eating. Her path to recovery isn’t linear, which I also appreciated.
Part of why I had trouble rating this book was because the voice feels very similar to mine when I started writing (also at 17)— complete with stilted dialogue, plot lacking tension, and characters wanting more depth. Overall, the book is good and the author talented, I just see so much room for growth for both. (Which makes me excited to see how she progresses as a writer! I see great things in her future!)
March 7, 2021
Book : Changing ways
Author : Julia Tannenbaum (@julia.tannenbaum
)
Format : PDF File
Overall Rating : 5/5
Teenage is something we all wish to live and spend happily. But not everyone can taste this cup of tea.
Well, as I started reading the story I was taken a back to see that how a teenage girl has to undergo innumerable tensions and pain in her life.
This is a story about a girl who witnesses the failure of her parents marriage that doesn't work out for few reasons. She goes through bad days each day as she finds only one thing in the house, that is parents fight.
Anxiety tops up her list and she runs into depression. This saddened me the most. I love how the author has beautifully put all the narration.
I like how the girl found herself still conformable with anxiety after so much of trauma. I felt bad when the girl starts to harm herself.
The principal's thought of sending her to the rehabilitation center comes to me as a surprise. And the struggle makes my heart sink.
I love the concept and I loved the book. Must read for all.
Happy reading
Author : Julia Tannenbaum (@julia.tannenbaum
)
Format : PDF File
Overall Rating : 5/5
Teenage is something we all wish to live and spend happily. But not everyone can taste this cup of tea.
Well, as I started reading the story I was taken a back to see that how a teenage girl has to undergo innumerable tensions and pain in her life.
This is a story about a girl who witnesses the failure of her parents marriage that doesn't work out for few reasons. She goes through bad days each day as she finds only one thing in the house, that is parents fight.
Anxiety tops up her list and she runs into depression. This saddened me the most. I love how the author has beautifully put all the narration.
I like how the girl found herself still conformable with anxiety after so much of trauma. I felt bad when the girl starts to harm herself.
The principal's thought of sending her to the rehabilitation center comes to me as a surprise. And the struggle makes my heart sink.
I love the concept and I loved the book. Must read for all.
Happy reading
October 18, 2018
Loved this book, what an eye opener! Usually I stray away from young adult genres but after reading 13 Reasons Why, I came across this book. More intriguing was the fact the book was written by a young author, always interesting to read through the perspective of a young writer.
This book accounts the story of a young girl, feeling lost and misunderstood and portrays her story in such a true to life way, it is hard for any reader not to become engrossed after the first chapter. Not only did the story telling keep me in suspense of what was going to happen next, but undertones of the message being sent was truly impactful. Everyone copes with situations in different ways, what may seem minimal to one can send another surging into a whirlwind of emotions and this lesson in perspective is key, especially amongst young adult / teen readers.
The author does an amazing job of taking a sensitive subject and writing a touching story, can’t wait to read more of her work!
This book accounts the story of a young girl, feeling lost and misunderstood and portrays her story in such a true to life way, it is hard for any reader not to become engrossed after the first chapter. Not only did the story telling keep me in suspense of what was going to happen next, but undertones of the message being sent was truly impactful. Everyone copes with situations in different ways, what may seem minimal to one can send another surging into a whirlwind of emotions and this lesson in perspective is key, especially amongst young adult / teen readers.
The author does an amazing job of taking a sensitive subject and writing a touching story, can’t wait to read more of her work!
September 30, 2018
3.5 stars
"Changing Ways" is a really emotional and intense novel and I liked that the author didn't portray recovery as easy. The protagonist's struggle felt realistic and her attempts at recovery were portrayed as a struggle and as difficult, which I feel is way more realistic than the portrayals in most YA novels that just gloss over the struggle. I was especially impressed when I saw how young the author is.
Unfortunately, the dialogue felt rather stilted at times. Overall, the relationships between Grace, her friend, and her family are really well done, but, especially towards the end, the dialogue felt really artificial at times, like the characters were reading from a manual on how to talk to someone with an eating disorder.
Still, this is an important novel and I will definitely read Ms Tannenbaum's next novel when it comes out.
"Changing Ways" is a really emotional and intense novel and I liked that the author didn't portray recovery as easy. The protagonist's struggle felt realistic and her attempts at recovery were portrayed as a struggle and as difficult, which I feel is way more realistic than the portrayals in most YA novels that just gloss over the struggle. I was especially impressed when I saw how young the author is.
Unfortunately, the dialogue felt rather stilted at times. Overall, the relationships between Grace, her friend, and her family are really well done, but, especially towards the end, the dialogue felt really artificial at times, like the characters were reading from a manual on how to talk to someone with an eating disorder.
Still, this is an important novel and I will definitely read Ms Tannenbaum's next novel when it comes out.
October 10, 2018
Changing Ways
by Julia Tannenbaum
Wicked Whale Publishing
Teens & YA
Pub Date 02 Sep 2018
I am reviewing a copy of Changing Ways through Wicked Whale Publishing and Netgalley:
Grace Edward tries to deal with the constant stress of school, her Mother and her confusing Social Life through dieting and self harming a classmate catches her self harming when she believes she has everything under control and her life is turned upside down. She's faced with the unthinkable a stint in the psych ward where the kids seem so much worse than she is.
She doesn't believe she's sick and certainly doesn't believe she has an eating disorder, but as she gets to know these kids she realizes they aren't so different than she is.
I give Changing Ways Five out of Five Stars!
Happy Reading!
June 4, 2020
While reading Changing Ways, you will undoubtedly find yourself evaporating into the well-written and meaningful dialogue that flows so flawlessly. Julia Tannenbaum gives her readers a real-life glimpse into what it is like to endure the trauma behind teenage eating disorders and mental health conditions. You will find yourself rooting for the main character throughout the book hoping she finds the courage, strength and strategies to overcome her deepest challenges. Julia is a talented, young writer who is already helping to reduce the stigma associated with mental health thanks to the wise words she shares on these pages. Every teenager and parent should read this book to expand their knowledge and understanding of life and its sometimes unpredictable situations!
May 31, 2019
Julia's story of Grace and others with eating disorders is so well told. It is fiction, but Julia knows first-hand about anorexia and depression. I attended her presentation recently where one of her mothers and her psychotherapist- dietitian also presented.
Grace's feelings and actions are real. Eating disorders affect girls and boys as the story tells. The book ends, not with resolution, but with expectation.
Julia, I hope you will keep writing. Your knowledge of this subject is undoubtedly the reason your true feelings come through. I plan to share your book so others can learn.
Ann Andrews
Registered Dietitian, Retired
Grace's feelings and actions are real. Eating disorders affect girls and boys as the story tells. The book ends, not with resolution, but with expectation.
Julia, I hope you will keep writing. Your knowledge of this subject is undoubtedly the reason your true feelings come through. I plan to share your book so others can learn.
Ann Andrews
Registered Dietitian, Retired
May 20, 2019
I kept this book in my purse and read it every chance I got!
I loved that this story was not a complete happy ending, that the main character Grace had challenges as well as triumphs. The character development of Grace made me love her and want to know what would happen next in her world.
I loved this book and I celebrated with Grace when she flourished and I cried with her when she failed. Loved it!
I loved that this story was not a complete happy ending, that the main character Grace had challenges as well as triumphs. The character development of Grace made me love her and want to know what would happen next in her world.
I loved this book and I celebrated with Grace when she flourished and I cried with her when she failed. Loved it!
June 13, 2020
This was an interesting read. There are some typos that the editors should have caught which interrupted the flow of the narrative, but overall the book was well written. The author delves into what it is like to have anxiety, self-harming behaviors, and an eating disorder with sensitivity. I didn't always like the narrator, but I was engrossed in the story.
May 18, 2019
This is a fictional Young Adult story by a local CT author; she based many aspects of CHANGING WAYS on her own experiences, which provides an authentic teen voice and POV. At times you love and you hate Grace, she is your average high school girl dealing with stress from sports, school, her family, and just life...but what happens when the pressure gets too much and the small voices in her head succeed in convincing her to self harm. When she's discovered harming herself, she quickly finds herself like a twisted Alice in Wonderland in the whole new world of the psych ward. This is where Grace's story truly begins and takes the reader with her as she explores her new reality. No spoilers, but the reader feels for Grace, she isn't perfect, but what teen is? But you feel for Grace.
Heard that there might even be a much needed sequel in the works....
Heard that there might even be a much needed sequel in the works....
July 5, 2020
I won this book in a giveaway contest. It was a good and engaging read, and I liked the casual writing. Very teen-friendly. But I think adults should also read this book, too, because it's a good insight into how kids my age think.
September 30, 2018
Trigger warnings: self-harm, restrictive eating, psychiatric hospital stays
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