Extraordinary insight into the real life challenge of anorexia by a gifted writer who clearly had fought an existential battle with this disease. One comes away with the feeling that even with a program run by gifted professionals that very few individuals could achieve a sustainable success. If you really let yourself into this book it is a rocky and emotional ride, one clearly taken by the author herself.

By describing the various members of her “group,” the author introduces the reader to a spectrum of manifestations of eating disorders, a spectrum of lives put on hold, and, ultimately, a spectrum of outcomes. I, personally, knew a survivor of such a program but now I have a deeper insight into what transpired inside her treatment facility. I received an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review. This is a challenging, difficult book but well worth the effort.

SYNOPSIS: Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.
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WHY YOU SHOULD CHECK IT OUT: Zgheib, who herself developed anorexia nervous in her early twenties, wanted to write a book that presented “...both the disease and the experience of it to the average person...I wanted to tell the story both through Anna’s eyes and through those of an outsider [and] showcase how different two experiences of the same events can be. Most importantly, I wanted the reader to be able to step inside the mind of someone with an eating disorder and experience their thoughts and emotions.”

The writer brings forth an eloquent story regarding an eating disorder, anorexia. I think everyone knows someone who struggles/has struggled with this and this book opens your eyes to what they go through.

I didn’t expect the emotions I discovered while reading this book. I honestly didn’t realize what the book was about when I started reading it - and I was pleasantly surprised. I don’t know much about anorexia, but the author of this book did a great job of writing about the struggles and trials of this delicate topic. While reading about the girls at 17 Swann Street, I found myself really feeling all the feels for them. The experience of reading this was truly like I was walking through life with these girls.

I have a special interest in mental health and it's one area of our health I am most sensitive to. Anorexia nervosa is a psychological disorder that I haven't explored that much of or understand that well. I thought Yara Zgheib did such a great job taking us into the mind of our main character Anna as she reclaims her life in the life-threating stage of anorexia.

I was deeply moved by this haunting, raw and honestly written story. I feared and rooted for Anna and the girls. I started to see how Anna viewed food and I could feel Anna's anxiety and terror towards food.

The treatment at times seemed harsh and I became angry at their approach, then reminded myself just how terrifying anorexia is as it affects physical health as well, making it even more life-threatening. I felt a lot of the focus was more on the physical side of their health and would of like to see more into the psychological side of the disorder. It did get me thinking more about just how terrifying it is, though.

The girls at 17 Swan Street deeply moved me with the support and courage they had while supporting each other when faced with the anxiety and terror of eating those 6 meals a day. Yara Zgheib highlights this through her compassionate writing and complex characters and it warmed my heart. We also see the support and understanding of Anna's husband, as well. I loved how I could see that yet still see just how terrified he was at losing the love of his life.

After reading this one, Yara Zgheib gave me so much to think about and left me wanting to learn more about this disorder. As heartbreaking this subject is, the story is also heartwarming and full of hope. I highly recommend it, especially if you have an interest in mental health.

I found this to be a poignant, considerate novel about a young woman suffering from anorexia. Anna has left her life in Paris to relocate to the US with her husband Matthias. The book shifts back and forth between a third-person narrative of the couple’s early days (and, yes, enjoyment of food) and Anna’s first-person perspective after she has joined a group of other young women with eating disorders at a treatment center. The novel addresses the issues of eating disorders with care and sensitivity and the struggles of the young women feel real from across the page.

I enjoyed the juxtaposition between Anna’s relationship with her very supportive husband and that with the girls she undertakes her journey with. The author does a fine work of showing Matthias’ increasing inability to reach his wife and the more she bonds with the other women, the harder it seems for him to understand her. It isn’t easy for one to understand the sheer weight (no pun intended) of eating disorders unless one has gone through the experience. The exhaustion, lack of interest in life and activities that were once fun, and the vulnerability of the main character all feel authentic and I found myself rooting for the girls’ recovery, aching for their failures, and cheering their successes!

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the DRC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press who provided an advance reader copy via NetGalley. This is a powerful debut Novel by Yara Zgheib and it's a story that really stirred up some emotions in me. I read this book in one day. This is a powerful debut for Yara Zgheib. The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a poignant and devastating look at eating disorders and how they affect one's life and their loved ones lives as well. The book is gut-wrenching, Sad,. Compassionate, Hopeful. and Important.
I could not put it down, in spite of the fact that it’s an emotionally difficult book to read. I was taken to a place I have no understanding of, not just at 17 Swann Street, but I don’t know what it’s like to be anorexic and I’ve never personally known anyone who was. I know it's a terrible disease too live with. Reading this book really opened my eyes. I would recommend to anyone to read it

Such an emotional, heart breaking/warming view of the true battle people with body dysmorphia/anorexia go through. This story makes you feel for these girls.

This book was a great in-depth look at eating disorders. It was honest and sometimes harsh, but it made you understand the anguish and torment inside of the characters. It was a good and easy read..

A difficult topic that probably is not addressed often enough. As someone who once struggled with self-esteem and food issues, I found it hard to read this honest and gripping cautionary tale. However, I do think it should be required reading for young adults, especially those dealing with similar issues. The author does a respectful and moving job of covering these difficulties that claim so many young girls’ contentment and sometimes their lives. Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for the ARC. of #TheGirlsAt17SwannStreet

This book was very eye opening to the thought processes of people with eating disorders. It also showed the feelings of the people that love the people with the disease and how it affects their lives. Overall very easy read, would recommend to anyone that wants an education on eating disorders while also wanting to not be bored by the content.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with this ARC of The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib.

Anna has arrived at her new life on 17 Swann Street. She packed her nice clothes, makeup, perfume, and kissed her husband goodbye with high hopes. Anna is ready to overcome anorexia.

Having been a dancer in her former life, Anna goes from first to third person talking about who she was, to who she slowly become. The foods she slowly eliminated from her diet, how she ventured into veganism, and then after time reduced her diet to mainly apples and popcorn.

But even with the highest hopes, Anna has found a new hell on 17 Swann Street. She is shocked to find that her veganism isn't respected after sitting down to a bagel and cream cheese. And horrified and disgusted to hear that eventually her diet will be increased to 3,000 calories a day. But Anna also weighs 88 pounds and her ability to stick to the program may mean life or death.

I cannot relate to what it would be like to suffer from an eating disorder, but I do understand having a weird relationship with food. I could really empathize with the pain and despair the patients in the story dealt with, and I thought the author did a great job bringing such a serious issue to the forefronts.

St. Martin's Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Girls at 17 Swann Street. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street follows Anna as she navigates the road to recovery after a severe eating disorder. Placed in a recovery center after it became painfully clear that she needed outside help, Anna must learn to adopt healthy eating habits and choose to live before it is too late. As Anna explores how she ended up in such a fragile state, readers are taken through her past and given an insider view into the young woman's mental health. Will Anna allow the other residents, the professionals dedicated to helping her survive, and her husband guide her to recovery, or has she traveled too far down the path?

The format of the book made it slow to start, so I warmed up to Anna and the rest of the characters quite gradually. I did not think that the flashbacks were particularly effective, as they did not allow the reader to really become invested in Anna and her fragile emotional state. The author did a good job of explaining the detriments to health that eating disorders cause, as there was enough information without being too preachy. Anna's path to an eating disorder seemed fairly common, but her road to recovery seemed too quick. Overall, The Girls at 17 Swann Street was a good read, as it was both heartfelt and compelling at times.

Beautiful novel that offers a look into a phenomenon not often explored in adult fiction: eating disorders.

This book was an iffy choice for me, as I've suffered disordered eating for a good portion of my life and I thought this might be a major trigger. A lot of the interactions with staff and the other patients made me both irritated and uncomfortable, which to me meant that the book was working the way it was supposed to. This was an amazing book and I don't regret picking it up. Anna's story is supposed to be sad and disturbing and disrupt the way you normally react to the thought of an eating disorder, and I'm glad it has gotten so many positive reviews. I'll be recommending it to people I think can handle the content.

This book was raw and honest, though it has many triggers for eating disorders. Anna was a deeply relatable character. While I don’t have an eating disorder, I related to Anna’s struggle to lover her body, to feel like she was enough just as she was. The writing is good, propelling the reader through difficult content. A fast, important, book.

I enjoyed the book. Anna is at 17 Swann House because she has anorexia and she weighs 88lbs at 5'4" and is 20+ years old. This book speaks of her time at 17 Swann House and her trials and tribulations of not wanting to eat and her feelings. I don't think that being able to go home after a month (about) is realistic without a major relapse. The struggles Anna went through felt very real. I wouldn't recommend for anyone with an eating disorder.

An interesting book with a deep subject matter. The life of a ballet dancer, a tale of anorexia, something that is common but not commonly talked about. A book with depth but one that I read through quickly.

Anna has everything to live for. Her husband Matthias and her family love her. She has one problem that no one can understand. All she has to do is eat.
When she ends up at 17 Swann Street she is desperate to get better but at what cost.
Her journey is very sad and hopeful.

This isn’t the type of book I’d normally read but I’m glad I did. I don’t really know anyone with an eating disorder but am guilty of judging strangers whom I suspected had problems in that area. It’s easy to judge something you don’t understand. This book puts you in the shoes of characters battling anorexia with such detail to their inner struggle, that you are compelled to empathize. Good story that everyone, especially young girls should read!