This book was difficult to read in the best way. As someone who has struggled with similar issues, I saw something real in the book, that reminded me of myself. It means that the book was incredibly well-written and raw and real, but made it difficult to enjoy at times.

This is the story of Anna Roux, a young woman, who married Matthias, who is the love of her life. She moved with him from Paris to the states, and life changed. When she was in Paris, she was a ballet dancer. In the states, Missouri to be exact, she could not find a dance company to join. So instead, she obtained a job at a supermarket. In Paris she has a sister and a father and friends. In Missouri she has Matthias. In Paris, she began to cut back on what she allowed herself to eat. As a dancer, she needed to be thinner and thinner, so that she could possibly get a solo dance in the show they were doing. She had to be thinner to please the director of the company, who she was having an affair with. In Missouri, she has no dancing, but she eats even less, and when she and Matthias went home for the holidays, her family was shocked and scared. As a result of this and more, Matthias takes her to 17 Swann Street, a residential treatment center for eating disorders. This is the story of Anna either regaining her life or losing it completely. You will have to read the book to know which way things go.

As an eating disorder expert, I am often quite critical of eating disorder fiction. My clients love to read books about eating disorders, and way too often these books give them excellent ideas on how to make themselves sicker. Sometimes these books teach them that they are not sick enough, as they do not measure up to the characters in the novel, and thus they may work harder at their eating disorders. The Girls at 17 Swann Street is not one of these novels. The book does mention weight and calories, which could be left out, except that it does help the reader to understand where Anna is, where she started, and where she is able to go. So, I can see why that information is in there. More importantly, the story shines through, about Anna the person and not just Anna a person with an eating disorder. It is a realistic story -- the way the eating disorder program is described is pretty realistic, although much smaller than the ones I have worked in and visited. The reader can get a sense of what treatment may look like, how challenging it is, and the kinds of stories a person might find among the clients who live there. This is a great book for people who are interested in what having an eating disorder looks like, and it is a great book for people who like to read about the story of other people's lives. What a great debut novel. I look forward to future books by Yara Zgheib.

Anna Roux is a 26 year old woman and former dancer who follows her love, Matthias, to Missouri from Paris. In Paris, Anna was a dancer who loved to cook homemade crepes for her husband and read outside of cafes. In Paris, Anna was Anna. After moving to Missouri to follow her husband to his new job, Anna experiences a lot of time alone while her husband works. This alone time brings all of Anna's imperfections to the surface until she beings suffering from depression and anorexia. The anorexia began slowly at first, and like many cases, secretive. Anna's loved ones noticed what was happening, but loved her too much to see the severity of the situation. Everything changes when Anna finds herself weighing 88 pounds and is checked into a facility at 17 Swann Street where she will attempt to get better. Does she want to get better? What's wrong with her to begin with? She could probably bare to lose some weight. Her husband is overreacting, she's fine. Only eating apples and popcorn is normal. She's not anorexic. She's fine. Everything's fine..

These are the coinciding thoughts going through Anna's brain. At 17 Swann Street, Anna meets a group of girls going through the same thing she is. With a group of girls surrounding her and her love Matthias patiently waiting and supporting her along the way, Anna begins a journey to defeat anorexia and get back to the Anna she really is - the Anna full of love, full of life.. the Anna who loves to cook, loves to eat, loves to dance. All she has to do is eat, right? But is it really that easy?

This book taught me about the mental side of this disease. For some, its an addiction.. a high. For others, they don't even realize whats happening. Their brain is saying one thing, telling them they don't like those foods, they're gluten free, they look fat, they don't need the calories, so on & so on. Anna lost herself to anorexia. There was Anna, and then there was Anna with anorexia. Anorexia completely took over her brain and altered the Anna she once was.

I never knew the realities surrounding this disease and just how severe it really can be. It's not just a matter of eating the bagel. It's going through counseling, therapy, group sessions, trials, errors, nutritional plans.. it's so easy to see this disease through shaded lenses, but reading this book made me so aware of how scary and horrible anorexia really is.

This was, at times, a hard, dark read. But it was so good. I literally could not stop reading. The characters were real and raw while still somehow light-hearted and entertaining. The girls at 17 Swann Street were amazing characters who I wanted to get to know in real life and go on morning walks with. I grew to love Anna and wanted to give her husband, Matthias, the best husband in the entire world award. He's great. You'll agree with me.

Definitely a book worth reading!!

While the overview talks about the character's battle with an eating disorder I thought there would be more to the book - more substance, more back story. The professional dancing part of her life, the move to the States, seems to be glossed over, hardly elaborated upon; you start the book and it seems like Anna's already at Swann Street. The reading was easy, things didn't get to heavy considering the topic, but this book didn't suck me in, didn't build a connection to the characters, it left me wanting more.

I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but was pleasantly surprised. I feel that even though this book is fiction, it is a realistic look at issues caused by, and the diseases themselves, of eating disorders. I really enjoyed this book and wish more authors would write about these issues as realistically as possible. I definitely recommend this book.

Lyrically written, much like a ballet itself, The Girls at 17 Swann Street is, at times, difficult to read. It's a painful subject, dealing with young women suffering from EDs. The protagonist, Anna, at first glance, seems as though life, somehow, got away with her. As a ballet dancer from Paris, who traveled the world, and then became injured, her life was truly on hold, as she followed her husband to the US to make a new start. Many books have been written on the subject, but this one takes a truly unique and honest look at the painful existence of life with anorexia nervosa. It's not pretty - and, yes, there are triggers to be aware of, but it is a valuable read for anyone who wishes to learn more about the mind and life of someone with an ED.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Matin's Press for the ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

I had a hard time diving into this one, but I gave it a second chance and got hooked on Anna’s story. I don’t struggle with an eating disorder, and I read this to help me understand what a dear friend is fighting. I appreciate how the author showed the other side, the inner side, of anorexia and how it can take over thoughts, actions, a life.

This book made me think of the documentary by Lauren Greenfield "Thin." I had met the author when she spoke at my university and many of the experiences within this book and Greenfield's coincided. Granted, Anna has an easier time than most ED patients I've ever read about it previously, even with the fight she puts up and I think that's where I sort of lose it? I wanted to learn more about Anna and I was intrigued by her story but it felt too easy for her and it rarely is that way for addictions.

I can’t remember the last time I sat down with a 400 page novel and didn’t get up for 4 hours until I reached the last page. Yara Zgheib has written a striking book that juxtaposes between Anna’s time at an eating disorder treatment center and the poetically written life that led her there. Told with engrossing and earnest honesty that draws the reader into the room, heart and mind of this groundbreaking novel.

This was a very moving book with an important topic. It was a truly captivating ride that left me slightly drained (in the best possible way)

A heart wrenching story of one woman’s struggle to recover from anorexia. Anna, a former ballerina, has a fairytale marriage with her love, Matthias. Can she overcome her fears and obsessions with food to heal and go home.

This book surprised me. I actually wasn't sure what it was about until I started reading it, but it sucked me in right away. The author did a good job of setting the scene, and I found myself putting other things off so that I could finish it. I will warn you that it will make you hungry! All the talk of food, especially ice cream, had me running out to grab snacks!

This is a heart wrenching realistic look into the life of a young woman with anorexia nervosa.
Anna is a young married woman that has recently moved to America with her husband Matthias , leaving her father and sister and everything she has ever known in Paris. Just having recovered from an injury, the former ballerina is having trouble coming to terms with no longer dancing, her inability to find a job that she qualifies for, and the loneliness that comes from Matthias long work hours. She has quietly suffered from anorexia and has lost weight and her will to eat or do anything that she loved to do in the past. Her psyche convinces her that she cannot eat the foods she loves and that she needs to loose weight, even to the detriment of her self and others. After her third episode of fainting in the bathroom she is taken to an in treatment center for women. There is where the real story takes place, Anna and her companions, each in a different stage of their own illness, whether anorexia or bulimia. There are treacherous steps each must complete on their search to get well. Some may win, others will not and some’s journey ends with death.
Anna works incredibly hard fighting herself and the team of professionals trying to help her. She has set backs but continues to fight and learn more each day. She begins to decide what she wants and sets goals slowly, steadily she begins to reach her goals. This journey will never end, even when/if she can transition back into normal life, set backs in the first nine months are typical.
Anna and the other characters in this story are so very interesting and complex. The challenges that they go through keep you reading more and more.
Yara Zgheib has written a very personal and well thought out story. Well done.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of The Girls at 17 Swann.

I have to admit that it has taken me quite some time between finishing this book and writing my review. I thoroughly enjoyed The Girls at 17 Swann, so it was not that, I think it may be because this book works on diferent levels.

On one level there is the story itself of Anna Roux who is an injured ballet dancer who follows her husband, Matthias, from Paris to the U.S. as he takes on a new job. We meet Anna as she enters room 5 of 17 Swann St. for the first time. It is here that we will journey with her through her effort to combat anorexia nervosa. We meet her housemates who are in various stages of recovery themselves. We get to know the routines and restrictions put upon the residents - no going to the bathroom alone if you are bulemic, a time limit in which meals must be fully consumed. Through flashbacks we learn of her life in Paris, dancing, eating pastries and drinking hot chocolate and champagne.

Anna’s story is told through quick conversational bites. Small bites. Paragraphs on the printed page appear as thin as the girls long to be. It is written beautifully and with realism.

On another level, it is peeling apart the layers of this disease. Anna states:

“I do not suffer from anorexia. I have anorexia. The two states are not the same. I know my anorexia, I understand it better than the world around me.

. . . The world is overcrowded but lonely. My anorexia keeps me company, comforts me. I can control it, so I choose it.”

The pain and terror of each meal is indelible. The daily weigh - ins are self judging. The fear of losing your connection to the outside world, of losing those you love is heart stopping. But it is the same feeling that those on the “outside” are feeling about your recovery.

Yara Agheib’s writing gave me a real understanding of how eating disorders can affect a person’s thought processes. I am sure there are stories more harrowing than this in the real world of eating disorders, but reading this book was wonderful way to open the door to this world.

Haunting. This luminous story of women in their moments of illness due to eating disorders is heart wrenching. It doesn’t just affect them but the people who love them. The author has outdone herself with the depth and sensitivity she uses with her characters. Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I received an ARC from my good friends at NetGalley. First and foremost, THIS BOOK CONTAINS TRIGGERS AND IF YOUVE EVER BEEN A DISORDERED EATER PLEASE TAKE CARE OF YOUR MENTAL SPACE WHILE READING.

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this book, and there were times when I wasn’t sure I would finish. This book....it’s a book where you can’t stop reading, can’t look away, and if you’ve ever been down that road it’s so incredibly easy to relate.

I think this story was so well written- eating disorders are hard to write about without romanticism or the “scared straight” approach and I feel like this one was a perfect balance. I was happy for Anna in the end, but it wasn’t a story that was wrapped up nicely with a bow either.

The author took care (and in my opinion, really committed) to Anna’s thought process during recovery. The drive to please but not wanting to talk, the internal struggle with eating and the perception of her family. I don’t think I can recommend this book without knowing my audience really well- like I said, this book contains triggers. Even five years removed I found myself having to put the book down, walk away, clear my head and remember that this was fiction.

We need more books like this.

This was a gripping story from the point of view of the person struggling with anorexia. It was sad and at times, hopeless. I had to put it down twice before finishing because of the dark thoughts in her mind. I found a it a little hard to read because of the italics blurring between memories and her voice answering current questions, but aside from that, a very moving book.

3.5 Losing Self/Fighting to Reclaim It Stars
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
This book first caught my eye because the main character was a ballet dancer. At first, with the cover, it looked like it might be about a ballet company and all of the challenges. Then I read more of the blurb and realized it was about anorexia. Last year I read a book about Karen and Richard Carpenter. It covered their career and also Karen's involvement with this disorder. Understanding this was told by someone in the throes of this disease, it gave me the correct mindset to take it all in.

Ana was a ballet dancer in Paris, France and loved the hard work and dedication it required.She was doing well with the company and also found love. Matthias was taken with her mind, her zest for life; he fell in love and they married. Living in Paris was everything for the both of them. They had a simple life of enjoying all of the little cafes, tasting the croissants, having wonderful picnics and being there for each other. They didn't have much but what they had was real.

Then life threw a curveball. Ana damaged her knee causing a break in her career. Matthias received a huge employment opportunity and it was in America. With all of these elements, the move to middle America seemed the right thing to do.

The move was a challenge for Ana. She was physically able to dance once again but could not find any company openings. She was left without focus and with Matthias at work. Alone, Ana slowly seemed to lose herself...She lost her desire for all the things she had loved...real vanilla ice cream, pizza, meat, cheese...things which had such happy memories from when she first was courted by Matthias. She then became Vegan...apples being a mainstay.

Eventually, Ana finds herself entering 17 Swann Street, a rehab/treatment center for those suffering from eating disorders. She had shrunk to 88 lbs. and had been confronted with the reality of how extremely severe her situation was.

This is where we start this book. Ana is entering the center. She is there because of her husband, her family, and her idea that she will be able to get through this as she has a handle on it. But deep down inside, she knows there is something which will not allow her to be who she once was... that person seems to have disappeared.

We are there when she is first confronted by the staff and also receives specific guidance from another "client" who gives her a list of insider rules... a way to survive. Ana does have a secret weapon, though... The undying love of Matthias.

This is a very complicated journey and story. The idea of living through this and having someone who is afflicted with this horrible disease give tremendous insight into the mindset and inability to overcome the games the mind plays. Having the very nourishment we need to survive become the very poison to avoid shows how dangerous this can be. I cannot say whether the representation of how these rehabs work with insurance companies is accurate, however, one would hope the patients would be able to receive all of the treatment they need to overcome this.

This type of situation does not affect only the person suffering; it works its way into all of the relationships they have. It tears at the core of their love and tests the strength of everyone. It is heartbreaking.

This book had all of the elements needed to understand what kind of fight this undertaking is. We all need knowledge and empathy for those who are fighting these kinds of disorders. It is not like a switch can be turned off and everything will be ok.
It is like a cancer of the mind where it finds a spot then feeds on itself and grows to the point where the person is taken over and has to fight for their lives.

A journey on a difficult rode.

A gifted copy was provided by St. Martin's Press for an honest review.

I tried really hard to get into this book but just couldn't It felt like it could be a trigger for those with eating disorders or other self harm issues.

I expected this to be about a teen girl's battle with anorexia but was surprised to find out the woman was in her 20s. It was told in an almost lyrical narrative and turned out to be a combo of love story and her journey to recovery.

This would be a great recommendation for older teens who don't necessarily want a book considered "young adult" or "teen," and for anyone who has known anyone with this kind of disease.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.