"...every one of us has demons, whatever the lipstick we wear." ~Yara Zgheib, The Girls at 17 Swann Street

First of all, I'd like to thank NetGalley for this ARC of The Girls at 17 Swann Street. When I first received the notification that this soon-to-be-published book was available as an ARC, I was immediately pulled in by the description. Not only was the book set in my relative hometown of Saint Louis, but the main character is a former dancer.

Now, I realize that there is a difference between taking ballet, jazz, and hip-hop classes through high school (that would be me) and being an accomplished, touring ballerina (that would be the main character, Anna), but our love of dance is a connection we share, albeit fictionally.

My second interest in reading this book is my personal connection to eating disorders. No, I never personally suffered more than a mild case of low body image, but I have had close friends who have been either bulimic (bingeing and purging), or anorexic (food restricting). As someone who does not have an eating disorder, I will never fully understand; but I'd like to think that books such as The Girls at 17 Swann Street are making leaps and bounds in helping people such as myself appreciate the struggles of those who do.

With a topic as serious and as societally prevalent as eating disorders, I expected to feel "heavy" by the end of this book, but quite the opposite occurred. Despite the seriousness of the issue, Zgheib's writing is light, her characters interesting, and the emotions she pens are touching. She writes in such an elegant manner, and I found myself growing attached to the girls at 17 Swann Street, just as Anna does.

Anna was born and raised in Paris, and as an adult moved to St. Louis with her husband, Matthias, for his new job. Anna is searching for a life in the Midwest—a job, friends, a piece of home. But she finds herself unable to connect to the world she's found herself in, and her loneliness feeds into her growing compulsions.

Too many restrictions and too little food find Anna on the bathroom floor, unresponsive to Matthias' call. At 88 pounds, Anna is admitted into a rehabilitation facility located at 17 Swann Street. Anna has anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that is characterized by an obsession about weight and food consumption, typically resulting in drastic weight loss.

This book is Anna's story about her struggle with anorexia and her journey within the confines of a Bedroom #5, a locked bathroom, and six meals a day with girls who share her same struggles. It takes time to adjust to Direct Care's rules, but she soon discovers that the vanishing girls of 17 Swann Street have rules of their own, and they may just make her time there bearable.

Emm, Julia, Valerie, Sarah, Chloe, and others become the cornerstones of her increasingly small world. They support one another through the ups and downs of their treatment plans, knowing that there is no one better than they to understand what each is feeling.

This is a story of renewal. This is the story of a woman's rediscovery of the person she was and continues to long to be. There is no cure for anorexia, but there is hope, ambition, and dreams...one only needs enough strength to fight for them.

I absolutely loved this book, and I'm giving it a 4 out of 5 for my review. Zgheib's novel is touching, instructive, empathetic, and honest. I feel Anna's hope for her future, her sadness when it rains, and her love for her family.

Keep an eye out for The Girls at 17 Swann Street, available February 5th, 2019.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive an ARC copy of this book and especially to Yara Zgheib for writing the truth about anorexia.
I fully understand that Anna is having issues with an eating disorder and I feel that it is all brought about the fact that she is extremely lonely. She moved away from her family to be with her husband. However, her husband works a lot leaving her by herself. She knows no one. It is obvious that she has low self esteem issues and depression already but apparently her husband forgot that.
So Anna stops eating (why do you name an anorexic Anna?) to get attention from her husband and now she is admitted into a facility.
You refer to someone as "Direct Care"
You use italics when it is someone else speaking and we have to try to figure out who is speaking.
I did not like how Anna reached Stage 3 and was able to go home to her husband at night. You showed us the first night in regards as to how it went but her transition was skipped over entirely.. The next thing I knew she was going on vacation.
We were able to walk with Anna through all of her other stages, I felt rejected. I deserved to see the steps. I have been there with her throughout the entire thing. I was rooting for Mathias.. I deserved more.

Incredible, real emotional read. I found myself relating to all the women of Swann St, and rooting for Anna. I want to know if she made it - was she one of the lucky ones?
Anyone in that situation, or fighting any mental disorder, will be able to relate.
Five stars - it was a heavy read, but so worth it!

Overall this was a quick and easy read. The characters definitely pulled me in and I finished the book in just two days. As another reviewer mentioned, I thought that the onset of Anna's eating disorder felt a bit rushed -- we don't really learn much about how her past experiences led to the development of her illness, which makes it hard for me to believe in her recovery. The epilogue also left me hanging with regards to what happens to the other girls living at 17 Swann Street.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street written by Yara Zgheib tells of a young French woman named Anna who used to dance ballet until she was injured. She moves from Paris to the U.S. with her husband, leaving the only life she’s ever known behind along with her father and sister. We first meet Anna shortly after she enters into a treatment facility after being diagnosed with anorexia.

Through Anna’s memories and thoughts and experiences at the house, we follow her journey through anorexia and recovery. It was undeniably eye-opening to follow Anna’s story. Mostly because I think everyone always assumes that those suffering from anorexia can simply choose to eat and all will be well. However, just like any mental illness, it is not so simple. Yara Zgheib lets us see that struggle, in all of it’s heart-wrenching, raw glory, through Anna. She breaks it down day-by-day, showing Anna’s good days and bad days. She shows how every single minute in the day is a battle and she shows how Anna chooses to fight.

In the end, Anna chooses her life over her disease. She chooses walks with her father and rebuilding her relationship with her sister and returning to the life she built with her husband. She learns so much about herself through her treatment and the friendships she builds with the other girls living at 17 Swann Street. I think perhaps it seemed like she only chose to get better for Matthias and not for any other reason. That isn’t the case but even if she had, why would that have mattered? As long as she found something to keep going for just a single day, that is all that matters in the end. Today it might be Matthias but once she gets stronger and grows and finds herself, it might end up being herself.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street was painful to read at times, especially uncomfortable, because of how difficult this disease can be to manage, the everyday battle to eat, the way that the patients viewed themselves and the food placed before them. Through Yara Zgheib’s lyrical writing, I was left with a better understanding of something that I have never experienced. I am so grateful to have been given the opportunity by NetGalley to read and review this novel.

Overall, I thought this was a very beautiful and touching book and gives people a detailed view of what eating disorders are like and how challenging they are to overcome. I cried a few times at the end, so clearly I felt connected to the characters and the story.

This is a very tactical view of treatment for eating disorders. I have no idea if it's an accurate view, but it FELT like it was (it sounds like the author did their due diligence in researching the topic). I think the book did a nice job of exploring the different paths that lead to eating disorders and well as the obstacles that stand in the way of overcoming them. We don't get much of a deep dive into the supporting characters, but they are richly drawn portraits, nonetheless. I would have liked the book to dive a bit deeper into the role of trauma in eating disorders.

I wasn't wild about the main character--like her being named "Anna" since that is the nickname for anorexia or her being a ballerina (which felt a little too on the nose). But I did think the she was relatable. I think not having goals in life, being misdirected by the voice in your head, being afraid to embrace and accept the icky dysfunctional parts of your life--those are all things that ANY person can relate to, not just those who've had an eating disorder.

The ending of this book felt a little rushed, but I was thankful it wasn't blindly optimistic. The reality is anorexia in particular is a bitch of a disease to shake. I appreciate the book being upfront with those facts, but also allowing us a glimmer of hope that maybe this young woman could beat the odds.

Thanks to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really wasn't sure what to expect out of this book, but wow. Such a strong, poignant look at an incredibly common but not often discussed issue. I have no idea how factual the story is, but I'm not sure that actually matters. The writing is almost lyrical in it's delivery, and Anna's journey through anorexia and treatment is heart-wrenching. It was incredibly eye-opening to read her story, and the author did a wonderful job of digging deep into Anna's psyche and drawing out her demons, one by one. I also appreciated Anna's growth - how she learned about herself and how to handle her own issues, but she went far beyond to see the others around her, grow close to them, learn from them and do what she could to help them. Overall, this was a pretty amazing book with a powerful message that I'm guessing strikes close to home for a lot of women. I would absolutely recommend this book!

This book is a must read. It brings the reader into the inside world of a person dealing with an eating disorder and her struggle to regain herself from the brink of death. Anorexia and bulimia are more than a physical issue; it involves the whole person: physical, mental, spiritual. In order to recover the sufferer needs to find a reason to recover and to live. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who love someone who is suffering with an eating disorder.
#The Girls at 17 Swan Street#NetGalley

I have always been interested in how Anorexia could take over someones life and I felt like this book really delved into the mind of Anna and her "friends" at 17 Swann Street. It definitely gave me a better understanding of how easily it could take over your life to the point of losing all control. Beautifully written and I loved the descriptions of Annas family and life prior to Anorexia taking over.

I don’t know what I expected when this book came to my inbox. It sounded interesting and a little different from what I normally read. I thought why not. I LOVED IT! What a riveting story! And how well written! Wanna is the definite heroine of this book and she has anorexia. She’s about 26-27 and weighs only 88 pounds. She is married to Matthias. Anna and Matthias have a crazy good kind of love but her dietary disorder is killing it. My husband and I left for a short 3day trip in our RV the day after I started reading this book. Her it is the third day and I’m finished with it. I could not put Anna’s story down- I wanted to know what happened next. I highly recommend this book to everyone. I learned so much and I enjoyed every minute of it. I will definitely read others from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest opinion.

This story is a must read for every mother, every woman who has battled an eating disorder or honestly just every woman who likes to read heartwrenchingly beautiful stories. The Girls ar 17 Swann Street are warm, cold, loving, caring, hurting women. Each & every one of them. They all have a story of some sort to share. Anna is admitted, voluntarily, hoping to find help with her battle of anorexia. She goes head to head with Direct Care, the physiologist, the nutritionist and even herself in her quest to find help and to find herself again. Her support comes in many forms, but especially her husband who comes to visit her each & every night of her stay at 17 Swann Street.

The story is very believable, and well written. You can’t help but hope that each woman finds her happiness in this book.

Disclaimer: I was given a free advance copy from NetGalley in return for my honest review

At first, I thought to myself "These girls have no real problems, they have nothing else to worry about except themselves, they are young, used to be pretty, can afford to quit a job or have someone pay for them to be here, their friends and families are frantically worried about them. Why don't they just snap out of it and think of something other than themselves?" Then as I read further, I realized that they are their own worst enemies.

This is a quote that I think sums up what the protagonist's internal voice is telling her to do:
"...Now, what do I do in real life? I cannot remember, is the honest answer. I have not had a real life in years. This one I have is spent mostly just stopping myself from eating. It takes up a lot of my time. And energy, and concentration. My brain is slow and rarely looks beyond anticipating the next hunger pangs. Or back past the guilt of the last bite. By nighttime, it is exhausted. I sleep. In real life I starve and I sleep".
What a heartbreaking story.
I enjoyed the way this author's poetic writing flowed - the book was over 300 pages, but it was a quick read for me.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a heartbreaking novel by Yara Zgheib about the struggles of eating disorders. The story is told by Anna, a French ballerina who moved to the St. Louis area with her husband Mattias, and ends up at 17 Swann Street after being diagnosed with anorexia. Zgheib breaks down her battle to recovery day by day, with up days and down days. Through Anna, we are also introduced to other occupants of the home: Valerie, a quiet introvert who becomes Anna’s pen pal; Julia, the binger with an outgoing personality; Emm, who has been there for four years. I cannot even begin to relate to the struggles these women face, the food they struggle to eat written in exquisite detail. But this book brings this battle to life and creates an understanding for me of something I really can’t understand. My only challenge sometimes was telling in the ARC digital galley when Anna was reflecting on healthier times with her husband, and when she was under care – otherwise, beautifully done!

While I overall enjoyed reading Anna's story, the format of the book left a little to be desired. The constant flipping back and forth between past and present was at times extremely confusing thus making the book hard to read. I also could have lived without the lengthy Direct Care reports all throughout the book.
That all being said, Anna's story speaks to anyone who has ever had an eating disorder or even an addiction. Her story goes to show that while yes, the task of recovery appears impossible at the start, it can be done with hard work and dedication to becoming better. It definitely paints a realistic picture of what goes through the minds of individuals struggling with eating disorders. At one point she nearly gives up, turns recluse in the house for a few days. That is real life.
Very difficult to write about subject matter but well done.

Well written book from the perspective of what it is like for the person with anorexia as well, to some extent, of what it is like for loved ones. In patient treatment is not a picnic by any means and this book points out how difficult it is to fight what your brain is telling you to do.

If you want to know what anorexia is like, how to try to beat it and how many choose not to beat it, either that or are not capable of beating it, then read this book. Well done.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was an very good read on anorexia and eating disorders. It was a disturbing story, because issues like this are difficult to read about. But it was realistic and did a good job helping the reader feel the struggles of the girls. I found the writing style difficult, but found the book to be a good read.

*I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own."

This book reminded me quite a bit of "Girl, Interrupted." I found myself really pulling for the main character, Anna, though at times I wanted to smack her. Overall, this book helps you to see a bit of the eating disorder from tje oerson suffering. Not just the caretakers.

Things that bothered me:
Main character's name is Anna in a story about anorexia...
The format and structure. Then and Now, talking/thinking italics. It was a tedious read because of the authors writing style. I had to put in more effort to figure out if the character was actually talking or thinking.
Never got a whole background on the brother/mother thing. Just fragments that we have to piece together.
How everyone comes to support Anna and root for her, Emm, Valerie, Julia, Direct Care, EVEN THE PIZZA RESTAURANT WAITRESS..

This was a decent read. Not a standout for me. The strawberry scene was my favorite as it had great structure and vivid descriptions.

4 stars. I fell in love with The girls of 17 Swann Street. Quite literally. I found the story raw, yet endearing. A glimpse into the life of a person with an eating disorder was unnerving, yet fascinating. It was thought provoking to learn how the disease impacts not only the person dealing with it, but family and friends alike. This was a real story, dealing with real emotions and it tugged on your hear stings, in a real way. A highly emotional and satisfying read.

See my review on goodreads.com

I'm at a loss for words. The Girls at 17 Swann Street left me speechless. What I can muster up is this. This novel is a solid 5 for me. The author Yara Zgheib didn't try to make anorexia something it is not. This disease is real and rarely ever just goes away with time. It needs hard work. The chance of relapse is high. This book is filled with tons of other hard, cold facts amongst these. holy sh*t. This review doesn't give this novel justice. It's so real and to anyone who's ever dealt with an eating disorder, or loved someone who has suffered from such, it can be very triggering. TW