The Girls at 17 Swann Street is a tragic, gripping look at the devastating havoc that eating disorders, namely anorexia here, wreak especially on a personal level as we get to know the girls that live in this unassuming rehabilitation house. Our main character, Anna, is a dancer who began spiraling into the often bottomless depths of severely restricted eating, dieting, and exercising before an injury that put her out of commission from doing what she loved. That topped with an international move to the States with her beloved husband, Matthias, was enough to cause Anna to cycle down into full-blown anorexia. Treatment at 17 Swann Street is Anna's chance to conquer and heal.

Anna's relationship with Matthias is a beautiful constant throughout, with loving flashbacks interwoven even in Anna's darkest moments, as a reminder of what she's fighting for. I also loved the glimpses into the lives of the other girls in the house—recurring but practiced anorexic Emm, deeply depressed Valerie, and manic bulimics Julia and Sarah—but not diving deeper into their stories too, as part of the titular "girls," is a disservice to the places this book could go with more well-rounded storytelling. Still, as women in a modern world are still constantly made to feel we're not good enough, not beautiful enough, never thin enough, this is a poignant subject that could stand a bigger spotlight. I'm glad Zgheib told this story.

Also, perhaps moot post-publication, but the ARC I received was so poorly formatted that it was frequently difficult to read where the breaks were, what was in real time and what was a flashback or inner thought. I hope this issue was corrected in the final version.

This book was really interesting & difficult to put down. I read it within 24 hours. It had my attention from the moment I began. I do not have anorexia, in fact I am very overweight. The chronicalling of this woman’s struggle & treatment was quite spellbinding—so much so that I pretty much read it in one sitting. It reminded me a little of the fellow who became famous after his supposed “autobiographical” mental illness landed him on a psych ward & he chronicled it into a story which landed him on Oprah's best of the month book club. He later was proven a liar. I was riveted into his story also. This was very good. I recommend it as a quick read.

Thank you St. Martin’s Press for granting me this ARC with nothing more than a few kind words in return.

This book guys. Wow. Such an intimate, heart-wrenching look into life with anorexia. I am no stranger to depression and anxiety, but I have never personally experienced anorexia or bulimia, so while I can sympathize with some of the thoughts and feelings, I had no idea the depth of this disease.

The Girls at 17 Swann Street is the story of Anna Roux, a young french girl with a seemingly beautiful life. She was a dancer at one time, but has now moved to the US with her husband for his job. Between the move, the distance she feels from her husband who is her best friend, and only friend in the US, and past tragedies, Anna begins to lose herself to anorexia. The book opens when Anna has checked into a residential facility that specializes in helping girls with eating disorders. She has reached rock bottom and knows that without help, she will likely not survive.

What follows is Anna’s struggle to rethink her relationship with food while surrounded by other girls who are just like her, and also completely different. The girls at 17 Swann Street form a bond that Anna is immediately welcomed into, no questions asked. This story is not a easy read. It’s hard. Anna’s struggles and pain come off the page and become a tangible thing. And while reading this is difficult at times, it is no less important for us to understand the struggles of others.

Please note the trigger warnings listed above and if you are struggling, there is help and you are not alone.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

I liked the premise of the book, but wanted more for the ending. I felt like the characters could have had more depth and the ending could have provided more detail about Anna's recovery and journey. It seemed to have skipped a huge part of her life. It was a good read for the most part and gave a lot of insight into eating disorders.

This was an awesome book. I did not know much about eating disorders before I read this book but the author brought the disorders to life. The author did a great job of making each character become a real person to me. It was like you were right with them each time they ate and you could feel their pain. I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to know how everyone was doing. I received this ebook from NetGalley for an honest review and I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed reading it.

Wow! So good! This is a debut novel and I really want to read more from this fantastic author.

I rarely get to read a book in one day any longer...but I could not put this one down.

The write up on this says : (and I can't add anything better)

"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." (Amazon blurb)

I loved Anna and my heart ached for her and her struggles. It is very hard to understand how this can happen to someone. The sensitivity given to her character and the other girls is very well done. You will root for her and husband all throughout the book. You will pray she makes it to the end.

"Every bite causes anxiety. Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street." (Amazon blurb).

A few quotes I high-lighted :
“ this must be someone’s idea of a joke. I see no humor in it. I had not wanted to be difficult last night, when yogurt had been served at dinner, but my file clearly states that I am a vegan. Something must be said. There must be a mistake. I do not eat dairy.”
“ You will eat whatever the nutritionist has set. “

“ Number one know yourself. I know that salad seems the safer choice, but if you aren’t willing to down a gallon of mayonnaise it eat every bit of cheese, then stick to the french fries. I hesitate. And circle the fries.”

UGH! What a very difficult situation. This is an important book. It brings to light the plight of these young women and also how they are treated.
The author uses great compassion and understanding in such a painful situation. I am very thankful to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martins Press for a digital copy to read for review. I highly recommend this!

Anna was a professional dancer in Paris. She meets the man of her dreams, Matthias and moves to Missouri. Anna suffers from anorexia and depression and finds herself only weighing 88 lbs.
Matthias finds her unconscious on the bathroom floor one day and decides to put her in a treatment facility for eating disorders. The name of the facility is 17 Swnn Street. Anna faces many demons while she is there and does not open up to anyone. This book helps you to see the daily struggle of eating disorders. It is very sad as to what these girls go through! I would recommend this book to all.

Thanks to Net Galley and St Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.
Once you start reading this book you are hooked and it’s hard to put down.
Anna a professional ballerina has anorexia nervosa. She has been married for 3 years to her great love Matthias. It’s an emotional story of Anna’s battle with her illness., and how it has overtaken her life both mentally and physically. She checks herself into 17 Swann Street, a residential home for woman with eating disorders, every meal is monitored, calorie loaded and most be eaten, it’s torture putting each small bite of food in her mouth and it’s with the support of the other girls that mealtimes are survived. The regime of each day is repetitive but Anna has the support of her husband Matthias as he arrives each evening at 7.30 for their shared time of 90 minutes.
This story is so many things, it’s sad, girls have died, it’s a battle of the mind, there is the strong love between Anna and her husband and there is hope.
This book took me totally by surprise - a very compelling read. 5 stars

Rather than gently lead you through Anna’s descent into anorexia and eventual treatment, the book immediately thrusts the reader into the result of it: the drastic weight loss has already happened, and Anna is a resident of 17 Swann Street. Frequently given, oftentimes non-linear, flashbacks help the reader discover how she came to be there. Sometimes the lack of consistent chronology annoys me, but it worked well in this book, however. I appreciated the way it caused Anna’s backstory to slowly reveal itself, and how those revelations often changed my perception of Anna.

This is, without a doubt, the most heart-wrenching book I have read (so far) this year. Anna broke my heart over and over again. Seeing her fears about food, the way she rationalized eating one thing versus another (or not eating something at all), gave me just the teeny-tiniest bit of understanding of how devastating this eating disorder can be for someone who has it.

This novel continuously made me feel as if I were reading about an actual person, rather than a fictional character. I know this was a novel, and yet… I can’t let go of Anna. It’s not unusual for me to become attached to characters, but I worried over her for so long that I’m finding it difficult to stop doing so just because I’ve finished reading the book. Is she okay? Did she relapse? What about the other women at 17 Swann Street? Fictional characters or not, my heart wants them all to be okay.

Do give this beautiful novel a try… and I think you’ll easily understand why I’m finding it so hard to let go of Anna Roux.

I received an advance reading copy of this book courtesy of St. Martin’s Press via Netgalley.

I knew going into reading “ The Girls at 17 Swann Street” that I was headed for an emotional read but I didn’t know just how much I would be affected. This is from the 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.”
Sigh. Words cannot do it justice. This book was sad, beautiful, encouraging, fill in the blank______. Once I got started, it was hard to put down. While I have never struggled with anorexia, this is a story that needed to be told and people needed to hear. It was super emotional and beautifully written. Words just cannot!

* I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I really wanted to like this book, it sounded haunting but, alas it wasn't what I was expecting so I wasn't really able to get into it as I had hoped. Anna has a tragic illness that is destroying things around her and the story is compelling, in the end it just wasn't for me.

This was an hard to swallow emotional and gut wrenching book, but it still sucked me in right away and shook me to my core. I was entranced by the pages and could not put it down until I got to the last page. It’s explores the pain and emotional damage of anorexia and how it effects a young women. It shows us the healing process and how hard it is to come to terms with actually loving yourself and letting go of the anxieties that control your mind while in the disease. This is a very relative topic and I love it that this book takes a deep look inside and behind the scenes of the difficulties involved both in the disease and in recovery. I will definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a good fast paced page turner. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martins Press for allowing me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I really liked this book! Reminded me a little of the movie "To the Bone" on Netflix a year or so back. Very beautiful and haunting look at the ripple effect anorexia can have, spreading further outward than you might ever realize. Will be keeping an eye out for more books from this author!

This book isn't just a satisfying read, it's an experience. Zgheib melds the free flow of stream of consciousness with a grounded story structure. With a story centered on a woman being treated for anorexia, the combination of these seemingly opposing approaches makes sense. Anorexia is nothing if not controlled structure, yet the disease itself lets loose in the patient's psyche. Zgheib takes us into main character Anna's mind as she battles, succumbs, and dreams under the haze of food deprivation and an eating disorder clinic's attempts to heal her. Written in short bursts, in and out of Anna's mind, this is a swift read, fully engaging.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This was quite possibly one of the most stunning debuts I've read in a while. It's raw, it's emotional, and it's a tough read at times, yet it's also hopeful.

This book takes a hard look at mental illness, focusing on eating disorders. As is so clearly depicted in this book, it's not always a choice someone makes - to have an eating disorder is not always a conscious decision. This book will bring you up close and personal to this and make you appreciate the struggles that those dealing with any type of eating disorder go through.

I think what makes this book stand out so much is the writing. It is brutal and honest about the topic at hand, yet delivered in such a lyrical way. You cannot help but be pulled into this book. I loved how the story was structured - going back and forth in time, where in the present we see Anna at 17 Swann Street and then in the past, where we learn what happened to lead up to her having to be sent there. There are also clinic intake forms, treatment plans and meals plans interspersed throughout the book and this really hits home after you get into the story a bit at just how severe this issue is.

This is the type of book that you know you will think about long after you finish it. It's an emotionally heartbreaking story, yet it is also one that is heartwarming and filled with hope. It's hard not to get choked up a time or two, but there is some lightheartedness there, too. I am so excited for this writer - as a debut novel, this one is just brilliant and I definitely look forward to seeing what comes next from her.

The Girls At 17 Swann Street has tears running down my face by page four. The struggle is real and this book will hit home for women with eating disorders. It’s an honest peek into a world that many don’t even know exist. It broke my heart and put it back together all at once.

A solid emotional read of one woman’s journey- and the people she meets along the way. I enjoyed this book - it was an emotional slap in the face as the subject to many is taboo. Eye opener for sure.

Sad but a must read - and so relevant!

This book needs to be one everyone's reading list - it has excellent insight into life-threatening eating disorders; the causes, the consequences and the help that is out there. Sometimes one has to try many different programs to achieve success,all the while knowing that success can be fleeting. One really has to work hard to overcome an eating disorder. A wonderful, thought provoking read. . Well-done Yara Zgheib!.

The Girls at 17 Swan Street is an amazing read and should be read by everyone, those going through similar situations with eating disorders so that they can finally see themselves in a story and feel seen, and those who don't suffer from eating disorders. I think the story would be especially helpful to the family members of eating disorder sufferers so that they can actually see what it's like to feel like you have to force yourself to eat every bite to make others happy and to look in the mirror everyday and no matter how thin you are still feel fat. 

Yara did a fantastic job telling this story. It had me thoroughly invested from the moment I began to read up until the final page. I loved the different emotions that the story invokes by showing you different parts of the women's lives. I rooted for everyone in this story and would love to read a follow up to find out if any of the women beat the disorders and to see what their lives would be like after treatment and returning home. 

I reviewed this story on my blog Authentically Adrien.

was a gripping thriller that took you to every aspect of trying to figure out what was really going on and what was going to happen next! This was such an amazing book and I can’t wait to see what else is released from this author!

A disturbingly relatable story of one woman's struggle with anorexia and the fellow sufferers she meets at a recovery facility. Anna is a complex character, flawed but likable and her struggles with self-control paint the best picture of anorexia I've ever encountered. Somehow, Yara Zgheib writes about food in a way that makes even the most enthusiastic of eaters (that would be me) come close to an understanding of how it might feel to see food as a threat.