Such a real but also heartbreaking story of toxic parenting when it comes to disordered eating. There are no completely happy endings which makes this book all the more real. I think this is a great addition to both a young adult and adult graphic novel collection. I think both teens and parents can learn a lot from this story.

Accessed this on NetGalley via the PYR Fall 2022 Educator and Librarian Preview.

This was too real. I knew what the content would be going into it of course, but with certain stuff there's just no preparing yourself... this was well done. I was not anticipating so much Mom Stuff, particularly Extremely Toxic Mom stuff, but it makes sense that it might show up in a story about disordered eating. Some of the friendship tropes are laid on a bit thick, but for a YA novel it worked, and in a story about such intense and emotional subject matter it was kind of nice to have the benchmarks to fall back on.

The color palette was pretty and soothing, and all of the characters were really expressive, which I loved. The panels were also laid out really nicely, with great use of space and effective "silent" panels. Really well balanced, I actually went back to admire all the visuals and layout again once I finished reading.

Trigger warnings galore - anxiety, body image, death, disordered eating, fatphobia, toxic parenting.

A gorgeously illustrated and emotionally told story, in every sense of the words. Hungry Ghost handles a difficult subject matter with care, clarity and consideration.

This story was beautiful, and I think unfortunately all too real, especially considering the author's connection to the subject. As someone who hasn't dealt with disordered eating, it really felt like I was in Valerie's experience, which is invaluable for understanding other people better. I think the story alone is worth the 5 stars, but the art and color palette were beautifully done as well.

This graphic novel is an honest and sad story about a girl's eating disorder and how it impacts her life. Valerie has been pressured since she was young to be perfect, and that includes being thin. Her mother constantly harps on her eating habits so much that Valerie develops an eating disorder, binging and purging so that she can meet her mother's expectations. This warps Valerie's mental health and personality, a lot of her dialog and actions are about being consumed with thinking about food and when she needs to purge to ensure she doesn't get fat. Her whole life revolves around this unhealthy self-image, eventually leading to strife with her friends and family. I liked that the focus was on Valerie and her perception of her illness, particularly near the end when she starts seeking help and begins the conversation with saying she's sick, or that her mental health is bad. There's also a B plot surrounding Valerie's dad and her school trip to Paris, but the majority of the book is about her eating disorder. I also great appreciated the end where it shows Valerie taking steps to heal, but doesn't give her a miraculous i'm all better now ending. Because breaking the habit and heling from mental illness is hard, difficult work that takes time, and it felt realistic to have her end positively, and show that she's eventually going to be ok. This was a good read, it handled the topic well, and we definitely need more well-done books like this one about these topics that still have a huge stigma attached to them.

Victoria Ying’s Hungry Ghost combines beautiful artwork with a powerful story of disordered eating and ways to find support in overcoming that even in the face of tragedy. The protagonist experiences disordered eating in part caused by her surroundings, particularly her mother and grandmother who are obsessed with the idea of her not getting fat.

This story is a good way to slowly ease someone with disordered eating out of the trauma they are facing with their own illness, with a character they can relate to and some important lessons on how everyone is really doing the best they can, even if sometimes the best they can do is truly harmful to the person they care about.

I would recommend this book to any person, young or old, who suffers from disordered eating, or knows someone who is struggling with food issues. The story is engaging, the artwork is gorgeous, and the friendships at the core of the story really make it sing.

Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for this eArc of Hungry Ghost. All opinions are my own!

This book is equal parts beautiful and heartbreaking and deals with its topic in such an eloquent way that I am simply blown away.

This is quite a serious topic, yet everything about the way this book handles it is perfect. From its short length to its soft coloring to its beautiful spreads inserted, Ying and the illustrator create an amazing balance that invites the reader to learn rather than push them away.

No doubt this will be a great resource for teens, and even adults, who are struggling with disordered eating. While this does not delve into how Val recovers, it shows the types of behaviors that can cause EDs, and how they manifest and ends with the beginning of treatment for Val.

This is a heartfelt story about a Taiwanese-American girl who is struggling with an eating disorder, I was hoping for more background on how weight is viewed in Taiwanese culture, but it still delivered the feels. Val is a straight-A High School student with a very oppressive mother hounding her about her weight. The story is relatable and the artwork is top-notch (Ying is a successful illustrator/animator for Disney). Great to find a Los Ángeles-based author and artist.

As someone who has suffered with an ED for years, I was equally hesitant and intrigued when I saw this title. It did not disappoint my expectations. Ying does a beautiful job of portraying the horrors and sadness associated with eating disorders. The artwork that accompanies this tragic and inspiring story provide a tone and theme of compassion and hope. Readers will be reminded why loving yourself is more important than loving the expectations of beauty.

Fantastic! Beautiful art and a meaningful story!

Docked a star because it felt like it ended pretty abruptly. Other than that it’s one of my new favorites!

Valerie Chu knows what she wants - good grades, the affection of her male friend, a fun trip to Paris with her French class and BFF Jordan, and to be thin enough for her mother. The obsession with thinness has been with her always - embedded through the projections from her mother. The comments about food and clothes and what makes a person worthy.

In this serious slice of life graphic novel, Val struggles to start down her own path. As someone who grew up with similar constant remarks about food and weight, the pressure and pain felt so familiar to me. I especially appreciated the nuanced discussion about what to do when your loved ones can't respect your boundaries due to their own pain and hurt. Overall, a compassionate graphic novel worth reading.

Hungry Ghost is a comic about eating disorder, friendship and family.
The comic is beautifully illustrated.
In the hands of the right teen this book will be valuable.

I feel like this is a comic that'll help a particular group of people. I think it should have address culture as well as addressing a mental health issue. There was some unnecessary parts as well...

I really picked this up based on the cover, without having any idea what the book was about. I've not come across a whole lot of titles that have such a strong focus on disordered eating. The ones that I have come across have felt more, I don't know, harsh than this. This had a nice hopefulness sprinkled throughout the story, but it was so very real and vulnerable at the same time. I think many young women are exposed to disordered eating really early and I'm glad to have a title that I could point folks to. The art was also fantastic.

This was a wonderful and honest look at what it is like to live with an eating disorder. It was easy to connect with the main character and feel for her as she struggles with food due to pressure from her mom. I loved the aunt for helping her to stand up for herself. The dynamic of the "fat friend" was handled incredibly well as well. Added bonus points for the dealing with the loss of a parent. All around amazing graphic novel!

(4.75/5)

I forgot to read the description so I thought I was in for a spooky time, alas that was not the case. Instead I was met with a reflection of myself in high school, an Asian in a mostly white environment dealing with body dysmorphia that vomited most meals. Arguably it was much scarier to be confronted by this than a ghost story. The voice and writing style was very true to my own experience growing up, though the critique on my body from my mom was not as harsh as our protagonist's. The art style is beautiful, and I love the simplified color scheme of pinks, greens, and black. My only wish was for the recovery part to be more fleshed out, as progress does not happen as quickly as portrayed (usually). Also be careful of CW as it does contain a spoiler for the plot.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Ying tells a heartbreaking but ultimately healing tale of a girl struggling with an eating disorder. This story is important. It is real and raw and powerful. The art is incredibly beautiful. There is a lot of pain, and our main character, Val, manages to hide her eating disorder from family and friends. Finally, with the help of a dear friend and an understanding aunt, she is able to speak up and then get help. This is a story that needs to be told. Highly recommended for teen and adult collections.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this comic.

This is a raw, sad and brutally real comic about mental health and eating disorders.

It's contemporary, and we follow a young girl through life where her family pays above normal attention to what she eats, as they want her to be healthy. It gives us a real insight in how even with the best intentions we can hurt the people around us, and they suffer in silence.

The comic is beautifully illustrated, and it was very painful to read, but it's such an important story to tell and to read.

TW: EATING DISORDER & parent loss

This is a raw masterpiece! I loved this so much!
I felt utterly activated & compelled by the art style and artwork, as well as the emotions in the story. It handles a very tough subject in a way that cares but is realistic to ones who suffer and are affected by a disorder and the wrong way a parent tries to help, plus a tragic loss.

Holy moly, as someone who has both experienced an eating disorder and also has issues with their mother, this graphic novel was... wow it hit different. This is the semi-autobiographical story of Val, whose mother is constantly reminding her not to eat too much or she'll get fat, to the point where now her entire existance revolves around food. Eating it, not eating it, uneating it, feeling guilty about eating it.
If you've never experienced an eating disorder, let me tell you, this graphic novel portrays it pretty well. If anything, it's toned down, but it does touch on the shame and self loathing aspects of eating disorders that people don't realize are part of it. It's not always about just how you look. It's about your self worth. It's about not feeling like you deserve anything else.
This graphic novel isn't easy to read. In fact despite being short and mostly pictures, it took me a while. Because it's hard. The scene where Val is talking to her aunt is the entire recovery process distilled into a few simple text boxes and images, and for that reason alone a book like this is so, so valuable, especially in the hands of the right teen. I will always read and promote books like this. 5 stars.