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Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Paperweight in Books

Jun 24, 2019

Paperweight

Meg Haston | 2015 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)

8.0

(2 Ratings)

Book Rating

https://bookmarkedreading.wordpress.com/2015/10/23/book-review-paperweight/

This. Book. Is. Amazing.

There aren't enough books about such serious and common topics like this. I'm not going to lie, I found this rather hard to read due to how it brought back so many personal memories for me. I should warn any potential readers that this book includes a log of negative language about body image, mentions of self-harm and suicide, and a lot about eating disorders and behaviours.

Stevie, a 17-year-old girl who's mother left and brother died, has her self-destruction plans halted when her father sends her to an eating disorder treatment centre. This book follows her through a twenty-seven day period of pain and conflicting thoughts and emotions.

Throughout Stevie's time at the treatment centre, the reader is told about her life through little snippets here and there. We learn about her behaviours and thoughts as her eating disorder developed, about the day her mother left, and the time around her brother's death.

Stevie is carrying so much guilt and pain, and all she wants is to disappear on the anniversary of the accident. But her shrink, Anna, is desperate to help her live her life.

This book is so accurately written. The things Stevie thinks and does often reflect myself and people I've known while really struggling with eating disorders. The daunting prospect of recovery looms over her, making her unsure of what her goal really is. She was so sure she wanted to die... But now she's met Ashley, and Anna, and rethought her plan. What once seemed so simple and obvious, Stevie is no longer sure she wants.

Paperweight is so emotional, accurately telling the story of Stevie's personal experiences with an eating disorder as well as her struggles after her mother moved away and her brother was killed. It combats so many topics that I've rarely seen in other books, and is just so greatly written... I love it. 5 stars!

Kudos

Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated Second Time Around in Books

Sep 10, 2019

Genre: Contemporary, LGBTQ

Word Count: 8,140

Average Goodreads Rating: 2.67/5 stars

My Rating: 3/5 stars

Second Time Around is a story about mistaken identities. Jamie meets the man of his dreams, Matthew, at a party celebrating the opening of his new bakery. Better yet, Matthew seems to be into him. There’s just one problem: there’s a good chance Matthew is heterosexual and thinks Jamie is a girl.

You can read this book for free on Smashwords

Misunderstanding and mistaken identities can make for good stories. And Second Time Around isn’t an exception. The plot kept me intrigued throughout the whole story.

Jamie and his roommate John are both fantastic characters. I love John’s open-mindedness and his loyalty to his friend, and I love how Jamie is able to open up his own bakery and be himself instead of conforming to society’s rules.

I really wish I saw more of Matthew.

Unfortunately, I can’t get a read on his character because he’s barely in the story. You don’t actually see Matthew meeting Jamie at the party, it’s just talked about later.

Don’t get me wrong, Matthew seems all right. Aside from waiting two freaking weeks to talk to Jamie about the incident at the bakery. What the hell, dude? Yeah, you might have just met Jamie, and you need to talk to your brother about some things, but two weeks to check on somebody after that is excessive.

But that’s my only complaint about Matthew.

I really wish this story was longer and we got to see more of everyone, especially what happens to Matthew and Jamie, and what happens when Jamie meets Matthew’s brother. If it was longer, I might have gotten more attached to the characters and felt more about them. However, as is, it’s not a bad read, especially if you need a mood booster. So I only took off two stars for the length of the book and Matthew’s dick move.