I had to struggle to come up with a star rating for this book. It's the story of an anorexic told in the first person. What a struggle it was-it was so painful to read and yet beautiful and compelling. I couldn't put it down.
This is Anna's story-a Parisian ex-ballerina who has moved to the US for her husband's career and then somehow loses herself. The only thing that she can control is her eating-I never realized before how tied to anxiety and depression anorexia is. I won't say that I could see myself with a similar problem but I really felt like I could understand it better.
Wonderful debut by Zgheib. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC in return for my honest review.

An amazing book that I could not put down. The story follows Anna through the treatment of anorexia in the treatment center at 17 Swann Street. It deals with the emotional and physical challenges that these women are going through. It just broke my heart.

This is a debut author that told a beautiful story of Anna rediscovering her life. I believe this book should be read by every teenage girl. I highly recommend this book!!

Anna has relocated to the U.S. from Paris with her husband, unable to find work dancing and isolated, she finds refuge exercising and limiting her food intake. Eventually, her extreme dieting manifests as anorexia and Anna lands in a treatment facility with few choices except to participate or face forced IV feeding. Author Yara Zgheib writes a moving account of the personal battles faced by young women in treatment for anorexia. Switching between Anna’s viewpoint and that of her caregivers, the book is impossible to put down as readers grasp the pain and frustration of the search for control that underlies so much of this disease. This is a moving and memorable tale of one woman’s struggle with anorexia. I received my copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a wonderful and powerful debut novel from Yara Zgheib. For me it started off slow and I kept putting it off. But when I finally sat down with the book for real, it hooks you in until the end. It is a poignant story about eating disorders and the devastating affects it can have on the person who suffers as well as those around them.

How this book and Zgheib weaves the story from different points of view gives you a unique look at how eating disorders can destroy people. We first see the point of view of our main character, Anna Roux, and how she comes to 17 Swann Street, a treatment center. We then toggle back and forth between the present day and her past, looking at how she came to arrive there. We also then toggle with her assessment forms from the clinic. All these flow in and out of each other to give you a bigger picture on how can eating disorders people's lives.

I felt so many emotions while reading this book. I felt the pain of the diseases and the struggles not just for Anna but for all the girls at 17 Swann Street. I felt the empathy of those who are trying to help these women and both their breakthroughs and losses. And you felt the anger that the perpetuation of skinny mentality of our society. Thin is in...and so forth. And you felt the heartbreak of each of the people, both sufferers and family/friends alike.

Such a great first novel out for Zgheib. I look forward to seeing what else she puts out.

Thanks to the publisher for including me in the blog tour for The Girls at 17 Swann Street. This book was brutally honest look into the life of someone with a serious eating disorder. Uncomfortable and depressing at times, this book does not shy away from the truth about anorexia, and the toll it takes both physically and emotionally. This story was beautifully written, but not for the faint of heart.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib is a story about Anna Roux, who is struggling with anorexia. Anna was a ballerina while living in Paris. She, then, moved to Missouri with her husband because of a job offer he had accepted there. As husband and wife, they were very supportive of each other. Anna is lucky because she has a husband who loves her and who will support her through this hard time.
Because of her struggle with anorexia, she was admitted into a rehab facility at 17 Swann Street.

This very insightful books details the struggles and lives of the girls in this rehab and, believe me, the struggles are very difficult and very real. Not only are they physically struggling but the mental struggling is so very overwhelming; however, the girls are all very supporting of each other. It was very interesting to learn how the girls have to cope with their issues in their own way, as rehab is different for every individual.

I totally recommend this well written and insightful book. Thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy of this book.

This was a very touching and emotional story of Anna, a woman who is 88 pounds when she enters a residential treatment house for eating disorders. She has moved to the US from France, where she was once a ballet dancer. This novel gives a glimpse into what recovery with an eating disorder may look like. As someone who has not dealt with this particular issue, it was informative and educational. At the heart of the story is love. Love between Anna and her husband as well as Anna and her father. I was particularly touched by the moments Anna shared with her father. I did think, going into this reading, that the book was going to be more about how ballet and dancing created an atmosphere where she started to restrict her eating but that was not really the main storyline - it is mostly about her time in recovery.

I think everyone should read Anna's story , once you start reading you will not want to put the book down as you are with Anna on her journey to recovery , open and honest portrayal of what's its like for someone fighting for their life and coping with the everyday knowledge of what this Illness does to ones body , heart , mind and soul.., as well as what it does to family and friends , heart wrenching , soul searching , must read !

l really liked this book. It was hard to read sometimes - anorexia and bulemia are not pretty subjects. It was well-written; it draws you in right away and makes it so you want to keep reading to find out what happens. I really liked the end (It is really hard writing about this book without giving away spoilers!!). All in all well done, would definitely read more by this author.

An emotional and intriguing story about a woman living with anorexia, The Girls at 17 Swann Street centers on a rehabilitation center for eating disorders and the women that are getting treatment. Anna used to be a ballet dancer in Paris, but when she and her husband move to the US for his work, she gets pulled even further into her disease. I read this story in 24 hours, it was hard to put it down. My only complaint is the lack of quotation marks with dialogue. Italics are used for dialogue, thoughts, and memories, which makes it a little difficult at times to follow.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for my review. This was our book club selection for this month and everyone loved it! I must confess that I was not excited to read a book about anorexia, but this book was really good, and took an in-depth look at eating disorders for a woman that wasn’t a teenager, but a married ballet dancer that just slowly needed more control over what she ate. Her control issues landed her at 17 Swann Street a residential last stop for people with eating disorders. I thought the author portrayed the absolute agony of eating your way back to health while in the grips of this disease. She also painted a very intricate picture of how difficult an eating disorder is on a spouse and the family. This was just really a fascinating look at this very complex issue and a perfect read for book clubs.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is the emotional story of Yara Zgheib's recovery from anorexia. I loved reading every word of this very well written memoir. I applaud her on her very brave resolve to get well. I can also say, having read numerous other memoirs, that this book was written in a very compelling style. I didn't want to put it down, and read it in record time.

My only negative concern, and it's small, is that there were times when I was a little confused when the writing went from plain text to italicized text and then back to plain text.

I would recommend this book to women readers, especially those who struggle with certain emotional demons, and those of us who applaud their journeys into recovery.

I was quite touched reading this characterization of a young woman with anorexia nervosa. Anna, 28 years old and married for three years, has left her home in Paris to follow her husband’s career. Landing in the US, isolated and disconnected from her former identity as a dancer, she struggles with depression and an eating disorder. The story starts with Anna checking in at a residential treatment centre at 17 Swann Street at a mere 88 pounds.

The story is raw and unapologetic as it delves into flashbacks of.events that played a role in Anna’s disease and about the health impacts of eating disorders. The reader is invited an insider glimpse of the girls at Swann Street as they go about their daily routine and battle mental and emotional challenges. At the heart of Anna’s story is the love of her husband and father.

This book hijacked my mind from the start and I read it in one day. I was blown away but it’s authenticity and humanistic qualities. People are fragile. Life is fragile. The question is how badly does one want to live?

A gracious thank you to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for an advanced copy of this ebook!

This story was heavy. Early on, I was tempted to put it down but I kept going. It was truly fascinating to hear Anna’s story, her stream of conscious while she fought her disease. I also appreciated the overall message of perseverance and hope. That’s a message everyone could use, regardless of obstacles they may face throughout their life.

We are often saying how we need to read more books that are hard, make us feel uncomfortable, and touch on subjects like mental health. This book does exactly that in such a beautiful lyrical prose. Eating disorders are not often the mental health issues discussed in books and the author found a way to completely captive her readers on such a hard subject. From the very first paragraph I was hooked. It was easy to feel apart of the girl’s lives who resided at Swann Street. I can’t imagine the pain and suffering that is experienced with eating disorders and trying to over come them in any way possible. This book is important to help put you inside the mind of someone who maybe suffering from an eating disorder. To show you how it is not as simple as just eating a meal. How absolutely grueling it is for someone to take a bite of food and how it affects family members too. This book is gut wrenching in all the right ways.
I am so glad I was asked to be part of the blog tour for this book. This was hands down a 5 star read for me.

This story follows a former dancer and her struggle to overcome an eating disorder. The writing style was not for me. The story is a powerful one, and maybe someone with a closer connection to the disorder may enjoy the book more, but I just wasn't a huge fan of reading this recreationally.

What an absolutely stunning, heartbreaking, beautiful book. I had no idea what this was about, no expectations, and was blown away, ugly crying by the end. 17 Swann Street is a home for those suffering from eating disorders, a place for them to get help and get better. Not all of them do, not all of them recover enough to leave the home. The novel focuses on Anna Roux, a dancer from Paris who moved to the US with her husband Matthias when he took a job in St. Louis. As a dancer she was constantly forced to focus on her weight, and as she could not find work as a ballerina in St. Louis, anorexia took hold and she was down to 88 lbs. at her worst state. After collapsing in their bathroom and still being in denial about her disorder, Matthias got her help at 17 Swann Street. She agreed to go, still struggling to accept how bad things had become.

I do not have direct experience with anorexia, but I was married to someone with bi-polar disorder for 18 years and understand the power that mental illness can have on someone. Matthias and Anna were in love, married for three years, and friends knew you did not have Matthias without Anna and vice versa. Then the disease reared its head and slowly began to change the person that Matthias thought he married. Anna could not help it, but she also could not see it. That was exactly how my relationship was, but unfortunately after multiple tries, he was not as successful in getting better and staying on a treatment plan as Anna was, and I could not stay. I would not wish mental illness on anyone, it is so tough, and I think the author did such a beautiful job at capturing the struggles that people go through, whether it is anorexia, bulimia, depression, or any other type of disorder. She also perfectly captured the struggles and frustrations that loved ones go through as well.

"There is no tragedy to suffering. It is, just as happiness is. To be present for both, that is life, I think."

More books like these are needed, and I cannot recommend this one enough. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the electronic ARC to review. All above opinions are my own. Release date is 2/5/19.

Out February 5th!

4.5 stars. I am so incredibly happy that I requested this book from NetGalley. I have such a long list of ARCs to read that I was contemplating taking one more right now, and I do not regret it. This is a book that will stick with me for a while.

I'll share this from the publisher because I think it speaks volumes about the book:

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Take a deep dive into the life of Anna Roux, an aspiring dancer diagnosed with anorexia nervosa, as she journeys through treatment for her disorder. If you have ever wanted to understand the mindset of a person with an eating disorder, this book speaks volumes, and is sure to give you insight.

I have never read anything by Yara Zgheib but she has made a new fan. Along with being incredibly touching, raw, and real, it was an extremely easy read. The dialogue was simple and eloquent. I felt Anna's struggle throughout the entire story from start to finish. I very much enjoyed the juxtaposition of Anna's personal experience in treatment with the clinical notes of her medical team's treatment plans. It gave the story two very different, but equally important, perspectives.

This is such a minor point because the book was fabulous, but I would have liked to have had more plot line devoted to Anna's interactions with her fellow roommates at the treatment facility. At times I felt like I got a surface level look at the relationships (some were more pronounced than others). Based on the prose, they played a large role/had a large influence on her, but sometimes I wish I would have felt that more from the dialogue.

Overall, this is such an important book. Not enough people talk about mental illness and eating disorders. It tends to be a somewhat taboo subject but this is an intimate look into what over 30 million Americans struggle with every day.

-I was gifted a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Yara Zgheib, and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to review.-

So many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press, and Yara Zgheib for this amazing 5 star debut novel - this one comes out on Tuesday - do not miss it! A must-read look into the world of anorexia.

Since we live in a country where a vast majority of the people are overweight, it stands to reason that food issues are a big thing. We are confronted daily with social media, tv and movies telling us that we aren't thin enough. Even though body shaming is now a thing. if others don't do it, we do it to ourselves. Unlike other addictions where you can at least avoid bars or friends that could lead you astray, how do you avoid food forever?

This is the amazing story of Anna, who grew up in Paris, was a ballet dancer, married the man of her dreams. She followed him to St Louis for his job and found herself lonely and depressed. At first, it's easy to ignore but when Anna is a mere 88 pounds and fainting, her last best hope is an in-patient residential treatment center. There she must learn to live and eat again.

The story of these girls, the way they looked after each other, and the way they are trying to deal with their demons will stay with me. An amazing work that took bravery and courage to write - bravo to all involved!

You will find many heart wrenching, glowing reviews on Goodreads for The Girls at 17 Swann Street. This is not be one of them. As great as the story itself was, it did not resonate as it should have with me. Let me explain….

For those who are unaware, this book is about a home for women and teens with eating disorders, primarily anorexia and bulimia and the women who live there. We are privy to their thoughts and feelings about food, about their private lives, what might have brought them to this point. There are those who will survive and, heartbreakingly, there are those who do not.

I am child who came of age in the 70s. Karen Carpenter was the biggest thing in our lives and we all grieved when she died in the most horrific manner possible: heart failure from starvation. In a world full of success and love and music and plenty, here was a woman who had, literally, starved herself to death. When my first husband left me because I wasn’t pretty enough, thin enough, fashionable enough, I did what any other woman would do: I lost weight. And then I lost more…. and more…. and more…. until I, too, ended up in the hospital. Luckily, I had a great daughter and a wonderful doctor and I got past that point, sort of. When my son was part of the US Diving Team, I watched in horror as young girls retched in the bathrooms, took laxatives after meals, ate and purged, all to please their coaches and to fit into suits that looked great for their fans and to meet the too-high expectations of their parents. This lifestyle, these expectations are so egregious that they cannot be expressed adequately. It is difficult for any author to try to do so and I applaud Yara Zgheib for attempting to do so. It is a subject that must be talked about, discussed, brought into the light for us all to see how utterly common it is in our society.

However – the writing style that Zgheib employed throughout the book was so incredibly distracting that I barely made it to the end of the book. This trend of not using appropriate punctuation is annoying as hell! She is a journalist, holds a PhD and she knows better. This was done as a gimmick and, for me, it did not work. Not only did it not work, it made me incredibly angry – with her, with the book, with every person who allowed this nonsense to go through especially, and because, this book dealt with such an important topic. I love grammar and I love reading. I do not appreciate those who erroneously feel that proper grammar or punctuation is optional. Unless you are e e cummings, you do not get to play with punctuation and even he drove me nuts.

There are plenty of other marvelously written books on this topic. I suggest that you read one of those instead. Or, take the advice of other reviewers who are not as picky as me. Perhaps opprobrious lack of punctuation will not bother you.

I was given a copy of this book by #Netgalley for review.