The Stone Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

The Stone Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel
Release Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Rating: Enjoyable

Sethie Weiss is hungry, a mean, angry kind of hunger that feels like a piece of glass in her belly. She’s managed to get down to 111 pounds and knows that with a little more hard work—a few more meals skipped, a few more snacks vomited away—she can force the number on the scale even lower. She will work on her body the same way she worked to get her perfect grades, to finish her college applications early, to get her first kiss from Shaw, the boy she loves, the boy who isn’t quite her boyfriend.

Sethie will not allow herself one slip, not one bad day, not one break in concentration. Her body is there for her to work on when everything and everyone else—her best friend, her schoolwork, and Shaw—are gone. - Goodreads

Honestly, I'm not sure what to think of this one. As someone who has never experienced an eating disorder, and has had no close friend or family member experience one either, it's hard for me to say if it's realistic or not.

I enjoyed getting into Sethie's head, as I think it gave a great portrayal on how someone's mind works when they have such huge insecurities. But again, I don't know the mindset of an anorexic person.

I liked Janey, Sethie's friend, and while I do think she was a bit of an idiot, she came around. I also liked the ending, and found it a little emotional. That said, I wish it hadn't been the ending, and that another couple of chapters had been added on. I also wish that certain characters had been more supportive of Sethie instead of shunning her.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read because I liked getting into Sethie's head, and I liked the portrayal of her character. But it's not something I would recommend to everyone, as there were some difficult moments and it was very uncomfortable.

ARC received from Netgalley