Please note that this review is coming from someone who has continuously struggled with body image throughout her life but has been consciously working on it for the past year with the help of a registered dietitian and therapist. This story didn't fully align with all that I've learned on the subject thus far and could've gone further to help others who don't have access to the same resources I do.

With that being said, I clearly resonated with a majority of this graphic novel. I really appreciated the exploration into the roots of the main character's disordered eating and seeing boundaries being set with both friends and family.

However, I don't think this story managed to showcase the journey to loving yourself at a wide enough range. Mindy certainly took the first steps of this journey, but it was in large part due to a boy validating her appearance. She might immediately follow that validation by saying she wanted to break the cycle for herself, but she only arrived at that point from an outside source's approval.

How is Mindy going to break the cycle and work on her disordered eating? I have no idea because the story ended right there and didn't offer readers a valid solution. If this graphic novel was pitched as the first in a series, maybe I would've appreciated it more. The reality is that this appears to be a standalone which doesn't hold a strong enough message. Loving yourself and accepting the body you live in is a LONG journey and I would love to have a book that explores all of its ups and downs on a continuous basis.

Eat, and Love Yourself follows Mindy who is a 27 year old struggling with a eating disorder and body dysmorphia. One day, she buys a chocolate bar on a whim which turns out to be magical and it takes her back through her past every tie she takes a bite. 

I love the message this book is sending out into the world. It’s empowering to see Mindy witness her past and decide that she is strong enough to continue fighting. The ending however, felt a little rush because it ended pretty abruptly. But all in all, I really enjoyed it.

Important, poignant and emotional.

Eat, and Love Yourself looks at the relationship a person can have with themselves when they're struggling with an eating disorder. this story is told in such a beautiful and meaningful way, accompanied by stunning illustrations. I couldn't put it down. I am so grateful I was able to review this early and will be encouraging people to pick it up. 

If you are struggling, in any way, please reach out to someone.

The art in this is just beautiful. I follow the artist on instagram and it was really lovely seeing her make something like this with her incredible talent. This story is really nice. It's about an important topic and I think it shows her eating disorder in a really real way. I would've liked if it was a little longer so we could see more of her learning to love herself because without that at the end it felt a little negative. That being said it's obviously not a negative portrayal of the illness. Overall I think it's a really nice story.

In Eat, and Love Yourself by Sweeney Boo, main character Mindy travels back in time via magical chocolate, revisiting the moments in her past that have lead to her complicated relationships with food and her own body image.  I really appreciated this approach to eating disorders, body dysphoria, and self esteem: there are usually specific people and situations that have impacted our self-perception and sense of self-worth.  Looking at them again from above really provides context and ignites that feeling of outrage; nobody deserves to be treated that way, even our past selves.  Undoing generations of body shaming is a monumental job, and it starts with books like this one.  Empowering and heartfelt.

not sure if this graphic novel is own voices or not, but this is so similar to my own experience with an eating disorder: developed from and fueled by comments by my parents and peers. of course, eating disorders are not the same for everyone, but i think this novel did a great job at depicting what it is like to live with one, and i enjoyed the aspect of "time-travel vision chocolate" or however you would describe that lol 

this is also such a cute art style and i really enjoyed it! very quick read, too.

This graphic novel is one that I believe all young girls, well really all girls, should read. It touches on the critical subjects of body image, eating disorders, self-confidence, anxiety, and more. Having dealt with some of those things in my life, it really hit home. Happy that Sweeny Boo tackled this subject matter.

The art throughout is beautiful, and the color scheme sets the mood and tone of the main character Mindy. 

The way it ended, I felt that it could be continued. That we just saw the start of her journey.

Thank you, Netgalley for the ARC.

This is a beautifully drawn and emotionally engaging graphic novel. Mindy's relationship with her body and her experiences around food, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and self-worth are so, so important to portray. I wish the ending had been a little less abrupt, but overall this story shines light on eating disorders in a way that is honest yet hopeful.

This was a nice and balanced read. All the characters were well thought out and fit perfectly into the story. The actual story was very uplifting. It gave a very real and authentic look into the life of someone dealing with an eating distorter. The main characters' interactions with potential love interests where very tasteful and not shoved in there for the sake of needing romance.  Overall I enjoyed reading this novel and I'm looking forward to future installments.

Is 4:42 am. It took me only 40 min. to read it and it was an overwhealming experience. 
Loved the style, the color and the light game. The textures are well played and I think it's great that they were not placed just for estetics but for adding an extra meaning to the scenes. 
<<Sort of spoiler ahead>>
It shoocked me a bit the... dissapearence? of dialogue right passing the middle of the book. But at the same time it gladly surprised me by proving me once again that a story can be told without speaking and that a cómic without 'bubbles' it's still valid.
P.S.: I almost cried on the end.

I wasn't expecting to relate so much with the main character, Mindy, but I did. And although the subject matter of this beautifully illustrated comic is all too real for many, I'm glad stories like this exist. From showing how small comments, at times even coming from those we love most, can cause more damage over time, to illustrating how identifying bad habits and learning to love ourselves is incredibly important to leading a productive and positive life! 

Each page was as aesthetically pleasing as the last and the story was easy to follow AND engaging. Looking forward to reading more like it!

This book perfectly captures what it's like living with an eating disorder. It is rare to see something revolving around someone with an eating disorder like bulimia and to not see puking used as a punch line. This story shows also how loved ones might mean well, but sometimes their words are too harsh and are taken at face value and how this can have a negative effect on personal relationships. The artwork is beautiful and the story is really well done, i'd recommend this book to anyone with and ED, self image issues, or with loved ones who have gone through this to better understand them. Even to someone without an eating disorder, this book is a great example to think before we say something because our words can be really hurtful even unintentionally to the ones we care about..

First of all, I'd like to commend Sweeney Boo for tackling such a difficult subject matter. Everyone experiences insecurities about body image, but for people with body dysmorphia and eating disorders, those insecurities can feel all-consuming. Mindy's story is told with sensitivity and I personally did not feel unsettled reading it, but I would recommend that readers who are triggered by depictions of disordered eating read this title with care or put it aside until they're in a less vulnerable mental state. 

Sweeney's art perfectly captures Mindy's emotional state. Even in panels without words, her detailed expressions make Mindy's emotions clear. Her layouts are dynamic and easily captured my interest, which seems challenging to accomplish in a story told mainly through restrained conversations and depictions of difficult moments. Sweeney's use of color is also crucial to the story and effectively provides separation between Mindy's past and present.

I did find that my own experiences with body image issues were echoed in this narrative. Mindy's reflections on low points in her life felt authentic. The small yet biting comments she recalls about her weight are dispensed too often to children by those who don't realize the trauma those words can inflict. I felt that the vicious cycles Mindy fell victim to were also displayed accurately. Those are incredibly difficult patterns to break, even if the person is aware they're experiencing them. Mindy's less-than-helpful experience with therapy also ties into a central theme in the narrative that self-love problems must be solved by the self, and outside help can only supplement the growth we are ready to work towards. 

This book does not end with Mindy healed from her body dysmorphia or eating disorder, but she is in recovery. As a child, Mindy could not heal because she could not bare to accept herself as she was. Now twenty-seven, Mindy has the wisdom and opportunity she needs to become a person who loves herself, and when we leave her, she's finally convinced she's strong enough to begin the journey.

3,5/5.

TW : depression, eating disorders, body dysmorphia.

I really enjoyed reading that book and yet I felt a bit strange because some parts of it reminded me of my own life. One of the first sentence is : "there's always a moment when you become aware of who you are and it hurts. Really bad." These words hited me the most because they couldn't be more true. Every one probably felt that once in their life for different reasons.

In this story, it's about Mindy having a problem with her body that she doesn't want to accept. She faces the sight of others, but also hers which is very hard. Then comes that chocolate bar that will give her the opportunity to see another side of herself - and therefore to start accepting who she is/love herself, by seeing old memories from her life. It was really realistic and felt authentic although very sad and heartbreaking. 

I loved the style of the drawings but also the colors, surprisingly very warm colors when the subject would be more colder tones to me. Loved that parallel either it was on purpose or not.

As a woman who sometimes still struggles with weight and body image, Eat, and Love Yourself hit home. This would have impacted a younger me tremendously, but even now I found the story compelling to me personally, although I don't suffer from an eating disorder like the main character. Watching Mindy relive her old agonies and embarrassments, face her hurt and the people who hurt her, was such a cathartic experience. The art was bubbly and vibrant (not going to lie, that cover alone sold me), and the panels weren't jumbled and flowed together well. I would have liked to see more of Mindy's life after she finally began to love herself though, and the changes her new attitude brought about.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for access to an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Wow. Just wow. This comic is a snapshot into Mindy’s world where she sees herself as a failure. Not skinny enough, not successful enough, not happy. Until she eats a mysterious bar of chocolate that allows her to see herself and why she feels that way. With an eating disorder and body dysmorphia she cannot see herself for who she is, but starts to one piece of chocolate at a time. This story is so beautifully written and illustrated, it pulls the reader straight into Mindy’s world and doesn’t let go until the story is over.

I really enjoyed the illustrations of the book and the idea of it. I just wish it would have been fleshed out a bit more. I feel it was a bit abrupt towards the end.  It would have been nice to see more of how she developed mentally to get to the point she was at by the end of the book. Overall I enjoyed it just wish there was a bit more.

This ARC was provided by Boom! Studios.

I read the description of this graphic novel and really wanted to like it. I love promoting body acceptance and body positivity. However, I thought the book would promote fat acceptance and I don't think it did. The book was more focused on Mindy's binge eating. I find this problematic because I think it feeds into the idea that fat women are 1) tragic and 2) fat because they overeat. I wish there were more portrayals of fat women who are, for lack of a better term, normal people living their lives in a fatphobic world. Mindy is so sad for most of the book and even when she has her epiphany, she still seems tragic. I also hated the idea of the candy bar helping Mindy overcome her eating disorder. It felt trite. The art was lovely but I felt the story could have been fleshed out more.

Eat and love yourself is a real outlook on how girls that are a little thicker feel growing up. Powerful illustrations bring to life this point. Beautifully sad and inspiring.

CW: depression, eating disorders, body dysmorphia

This was a fantastic read. I relate a lot with the main character Mindy and some of her depression and body dysmorphia are things I’ve had to combat first hand. I really enjoyed the magical realism and the lessons this story is teaching. I hope this graphic novel reaches anyone who is struggling because this story is ultimately about self love and combatting negative ideas about yourself in a healthy way rather than through unhealthy means.