This was a great graphic novel. I liked the inside look at eating disorders and how things might affect you that people might not think is important enough to. As a child overhearing your parents discussing you could lead to hang ups as an adult. Flippant remarks from friends who mean no harm might hurt. Also in order to improve your self esteem you have to understand where your problems lay and face them head on and it was moving to see Mindy do just that. Plus the art was beautiful! I’ll be looking into other graphic novels by this author.

I loved the message of the importance of self-love portrayed in the story! The illustrations were also good!

I was provided an ARC by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Throughout her life, Mindy has struggled with body image and eating disorders. One night on a late-night grocery run, she finds a new line of chocolate bars called “Eat and Love Yourself.” To her surprise, each square of chocolate brings her back to a moment in her past and eventually, these trips teach her to love herself for who she is.

EaLY was a heartwarming story and quick read! I definitely related a lot with Mindy and there were moments i had to metaphorically put the book down and think. The book definitely made me re-evaluate some of my own life choices and how I view myself. It has definitely achieved its goal of trying to teach readers about self love and how to find it.

I would definitely recommend this book for people who want to get out of a book slump and/or can relate to the protagonist's struggles.

I finished this whole thing in one go. It was brilliant!

I saw a lot of myself in this with my anxiety and depression, although I don't have an eating disorder. But this was just... so good. It helped me understand a bit more. It was emotional. The art was perfect. Mindy is amazing. The trips into her past are just wonderfully raw - and a bit painful.

This really sheds some light onto eating disorders, although it only scratches the surface. Yet it is powerful and loud, without screaming at you. It felt honest and real. How many times have I wished there was a chocolate bar that would make me love myself entirely? I am telling you: a few too many times.

And I'd like to see another comic like this from Shaé's perspective. She seems to have some things buried in her past she should deal with as well.

All in all: Go read it! But be cautious, if it you have triggers that could appear in this story.

This is a story about a woman who have an unhealthy relationship to her body and to food - eating disorder and body dysmorphia. I think it was illustrated well, how it isn't a choice and how this was something that had been with her since childhood. Like, how even the smallest things, when said enough, can have catastrophic consequences. Both the description of her eating disorder, the way she handled it and how she couldn't for the life of her understand how someone would find her attractive were really well done.
Then there was the chocolate and the way it gave her flashbacks, and the luxury of hindsight, was a great way of showing how her life had developed and what had led her to her destructive ways.
The artwork was amazing, I loved it.

One thing I would have appreciated was a longer ending. Like, just a glimpse into her life after her journey of loving herself. Now we just know (hope) that she's going to try and nothing else.

Still, solid work!
Thanks Netgalley and Boom! Box for letting me read this beauty in exchange for an honest review.

4 of 5 chocolate squares

/ Denise

Eat, and Love Yourself has a 27-year old woman with an eating disorder who has been in an endless cycle of hating her body, and trying to fill the hole inside herself. Mindy has trouble with seeing her self-worth, even when others point it out to her, and her dissatisfaction with her body is affected both by her dysmorphia as well as the 'well-meaning' comments of the people around her. When she buys a new chocolate brand, she starts having these vivid visions of significant moments in her past that point to where her self-hate started - her parents' and relatives' comments on her body, the schoolgirls who made snide remarks, and other such events in her life. As she goes through her current life, and is remembering those moments, she starts noticing the obvious remarks and comments that have continued the attack on her self-worth, and has a better understanding of where it all started.

The artwork is vibrant and aesthetically pleasing, like most of Boom Box works, and with a clean lineart with a solid coloring style. The depiction of her dream states, as well as the storyboarding describing her eating disorder, and emotions therewith are done wonderfully. I only had an issue with the ending of the book - since this seems like a standalone, the ending feels abrupt. She has an understanding of what has lead her to this point, and makes a promise to be better to herself, but that is it. It doesn't even show the 'after', like, you know, at least even the attempts for 'love yourself' part. Just, even a few panels of her stopping the urge to weigh herself before eating, or her having a better relationship with food, would feel like it left it on a positive note, rather than the incomplete feel of the ending.

On the whole, it is a well-rendered graphic novel about the things we hurt ourselves with, as well as how the people around us can feed into that, despite their self-professed 'well-meaning' comments.

*Special thanks to Boom! Box for letting me read an advanced copy of Eat, and Love Yourself in exchange for an honest review.
**Content warning for discussion of eating disorders, body hatred, and fat phobia.

Eat, and Love Yourself by Sweeney Boo is a 164 page graphic novel published by Boom! Box and funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. The graphic novel follows the life of the protagonist, Mindy, who struggles with her self-esteem due to her weight and eating habits.

Personally, as someone who struggles with her own body image, I really enjoyed reading this book and the message it ultimately portrayed. I felt like it dealt with heavy topics such as eating disorders and self-esteem issues in a respectful and beautiful way. The book begins with a spread of candy wrappers each titled with affirmations such as “You Matter”, “You are Worthy of Love”, “You are Amazing”, and a dedication to “everyone who struggles to love themselves.” I think that Sweeney Boo, and all the creative team involved in this book, did an awesome job and I applaud them for bringing this book to life. Eat, and Love Yourself is available now on Amazon and I would recommend this graphic novel to anyone interested in reading a journey towards self-love and re-parenting of the child self.

My Rating: 5/5

Eat, and Love Yourself is a lovely body positivity graphic novel.

Mindy doesn't see herself in a positive light. She sees herself as her weight, and takes offense when other people point out it. She tracks it constantly yet over eats a lot of chocolate bars. A lot of her food issues seem to stem from her childhood and various issues she's had over the years. Chocolate bars have become her fix to help reduce her anxiety.

This story shows how Mindy developed over the years and how she learned to cope and and break the cycle. Body dysphoria can be really debilitating for people, and Mindy is learning all about it.

I found that this book hits home from the get go and talks some real truths. Mindy is super relatable and cool to boot.

Other Notes:
1. The cat's name is Jabba. I truly hope it's after Jabba the Hut, just saying.
2. TURQUOISE/TEAL HAIR FOR THE WIN!

I think this is the perfect channel for communicating this message. A graphic novel not only shows the story, but it also shows the emotions of the characters when it's painted on their face.

The colour scheme of purple and yellow is absolutely gorgeous. It stands out and the tones work really well together. Add in the cartoon-y illustrations and you make for one really pretty and well illustrated story. Honestly, the style really vibes with me. I'm impressed!

Overall, this book was a great resource to show the that body dysphoria is is common. I wish it would have dove into how Mindy learned to break the cycle to really hit the message home. I think that would have been a great way to show that there is positivity on the other side, because the story mostly showed her constantly eating the chocolate and only deciding that she would change. There wasn't much action.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for supplying me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Wow this was a great graphic novel! It does have things that might be triggers for some with dealing with eating disorders and body image. But I think it is also really great and that a lot of people can relate to the talk of body image and learning to love our bodies as they are.

** Thank you NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for this ARC in exchange for an honest review**

Despite being a really short read, Eat and Love Yourself evokes so much sentiment and emotion even after the story ends. The story follows Mindy who struggles with an eating disorder and body dysmorphia, which are impacting her mental health and relationship with others. When she stumbles upon a chocolate bar that brings her back to a memory of her past, she learns to confront her younger self and ultimately learns to love herself.

The graphic novel does a beautiful job at showing Mindy’s character development, portraying her inner monologue and tumultuous thoughts as she struggles with her self-perception. Through each bite back into her past, she gains more self-awareness and understanding.

Full of emotion and heartbreak, the graphic novel brings to light a lot of issues around body image and eating disorders, but ultimately ends on an inspirational note.

Sweeney Boo’s illustrations are on point; the color palette and character design are amazing.

This will definitely join as one of my favorite graphic novels. I definitely would recommend a read. It’s a short read, but heart-felt and inspiring.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boom! Box Paperbacks for providing me an e-arc of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

We follow Mindy, who suffers from bulimia and body dysmorphia. One night on a trip to the convenience store, Mindy discovers a chocolate bar where with every bite, she is taken back to a point in her life as part of her journey to loving herself.

This was such an empowering and necessary story. We live in the time of social media where we're constantly comparing the way we look to what we see online. A lot of people experience body insecurities, which is why I am grateful for Mindy's story and appreciate the ending. Sweeney describes Mindy's feelings and episodes so well and the art does a great job portraying her emotions.

Although I enjoyed the story overall, I did wish it was a bit longer to fully explore all of Mindy's feelings, especially with the relationship with her parents. It was obvious her parents were the cause of a lot of her bad feelings about herself, but it wasn't fully addressed. There was a scene where the issues were brought up, but I was hoping for a little more.

Please pick up this graphic novel on April, 21st for a powerful, heart wrenching story!

TW: Eating disorders
This is a fantastic graphic novel. The artwork is so well done and the colors are absolutely gorgeous. This graphic novel is about Mindy who is living with an eating disorder. She gets a chocolate bar called "Eat and Love Yourself" which allows her to see moments in her past as a observer. She sees some of the most difficult moments in her life that have shaped her into who she is. This is a great work of magical realism that tackles a tough topic.

Good things: the artwork is super cute, the protagonist is a curvy dreamboat, and the message embodied by the title is one I can certainly get behind. Bad things: the story isn't as compelling as I hoped, and the protagonist doesn't go on much of a journey. I was hoping to see a big transformation: how she starts in a place of hating her body, goes through various experiences, then comes out accepting herself (as the title suggests). But for 3/4 of the book, she's stagnating – eating, puking, eating, puking, over and over without changing at all. It got quite samey and I don't know what I was meant to be getting from it. It was nice to see her accepting herself at the end, but it felt pretty sudden and unearned.

This was a comic with some heavy topics which were handled very truthfully and with respect. I think the artwork was absolutely stunning and I'm so glad I had the chance to read it in advance.

The comic follows a story of Mindy, our main character, with bautiful blue hair, cute glasses and curvy figure. The story also features her sidekick, adorable cat. It tells a difficult story of how Mindy sees herself, how she treats herself and her body and what lead to the current situation and how she can battle it.

I definitely think that it was written in a respectful way and it shows that probably the author had some experiences with eating disorder or she did her research very well. It shows the ugly parts of this mental illness and what off handed comments can do to one's mental state.

Despite the fact that I enjoyed the comic very much and in some cases in hit deep thanks to my own struggles in life, I can't say it was perfect for me. I loved the role of her best friend in the story and I thought it very important but I'd love to see a deeper conversation between Mindy and her BFF. Especially later when she comments on Mindy's eating pattern and Mindy stops talking to her and after a while she decides to somewhat explain it, I thought it could have been done in a deeper way. I thought it important to show how we can explain these emotions to our friends and also the other of things, because there are people who don't struggle with it and don't know maybe how to act around their friends who might have these problems. I thought there was a great opportunity to show how to help them, how to be there for them in those moments.

I felt some similar feelings towards the moment with her parents, where Mindy finally reveals her feelings. In my opinions it gave the author another perfect opportunity to show the conversation on a deeper level and in this case it was dealt with very quickly.

Same goes with the climax of the story and the main theme behind all of it, I felt like it was very rushed and sudden. There are pages where we can see the magical chocolate and after each flashback, we can see one piece missing. There are three more I think and suddenly, the climax is there and it caught me unprepared and suddenly it was over. It also felt like it was lacking emotions. Just get it over with - that's what it felt like which was quite underwhelming.

Another thing I didn't understand was the role of the mailman Matt in the story. I felt like he was redundant and could be omitted, perhaps he was in the story just to introduce us to Elliott in one scene in which case I like it even less. Unless, it is supposed to have a sequel in which Matt will have more space.

All in all I do think it's a lovely comic book to spend your afternoon with. It deals with very important topics, it has beautiful art and the coloring is so in sync with the overall mood of each scene.

before i started this i knew it would get too close for comfort, but somehow that didn't turn out to be a bad thing. even though mindy's entire life is not universal, i'm sure everyone can relate to her to some extent, because she felt as real as you and me

i finished this book 30 minutes after picking it up, bawling my eyes out like there was no tomorrow. it started and ended the exact way i wished it would, i wouldn't change a thing (except maybe the diversity in there, but i'll let this one go because i liked it so much).

TW: Depression, Bulimia, Body Dysmorphia, Eating Disorders

This was a powerful and realistic story about a girl who deals with her depression and self-hatred by turning to a disordered eating pattern. It is a rather raw story and I in particular related to her body dysmorphia and her depression. I often feel the same as she did in the story like she has no particular purpose and like she is a disappointment to her family. I liked the premise of her eating a candy bar that helps her confront her issues, importantly the issues with her family, which were pretty toxic.
I did not like the ending of the book, however, which is why I feel I can't give this graphic novel the full 5 stars. First, I felt the ending wrapped up much too neatly and quickly for it to be realistic. While Mindy did start to realize that she needed help with her thought patterns and disordered eating towards the end of the story, she had a very convenient reemergence of Elliott into her life and seemed to be "cured" when he validated her body and said that he liked her.

I feel like this is an unhealthy way to end this book, especially for readers who may be struggling with similar issues. I feel like readers need to understand that validation by people is not a cure. Often times, eating disorders and mental illness requires that people get treatment, medicine, and therapy. And that is okay. We didn't see Mindy get any sort of therapy or treatment at the end of the story. We only saw her being "cured" because a man said he likes her body. I don't think that in itself would help her love herself fully, and so the ending left me kind of unconvinced.

In addition, we never see what happens with Mindy's other relationships, especially with her parents, who were very toxic but "only want the best", and with Shae, who could also be toxic at times.

5/5⭐️ for Eat, and Love Yourself by Sweeney Boo

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Boom! Studios for giving me early access to a digital copy of this graphic novel!

**Trigger Warning: eating disorder (specifically, bulimia) ~ explicit depiction of bingeing and purging of food**

Holy Crap! I freaking loved this graphic novel! I’m already calling it my #1 for 2020, and easily top 5 of all time! It is set in Canada (likely Montreal), and follows Mindy. Mindy has always been on the larger side, never has had a great relationship with food, and has to deal constantly with negative comments re: her body & eating habits. One day, she discovers a chocolate bar that takes her back to specific moments in her life. These moments have formed who she is, but reflecting on these moments and choices may give her the strength to change her life for the better and start healing.

Art Style: 10/10 - colour palette and character design were ON POINT!

Characterization: I loved the emotional journey our MC Mindy takes through this book, and how she grows from beginning to end. Side characters, especially BFF Shae help bring the story to life and convey the message of the story.

*Potentially Spoiler-y*
There is a scene where Mindy does see a psychiatrist to help with her eating disorder, but I think it would have been great to see her also confide in someone else who is a part of her daily life such as a close friend or co-worker. I do not personally suffer from an eating disorder, but some people I talked to say that it can be immensely helpful to have extra people in your corner supporting you. This may be because Mindy is not at a place where she’s ready to do that, but that’s probably the only thing I would add to this book.

Again, thank you so much to Sweeney Boo for creating this beautiful and important graphic novel and I hope this helps a lot of people ❤️

Great character design and movement through the panels. The colours give it a young and vibrant feel.

I read this in one sitting and it had me in my feelings, wow! Let start with complimenting the art style. It was so colorful and so pretty, definitely kept my attention through out the whole book. I will say that this book has trigger warnings for fat shaming, body dysmorphia, and eating disorders so tread cautiously. As a plus size young adultit brings me nothing but joy being able to relate to a character on a personal level. I’m definitely going to be purchasing this for my myself and I highly recommend.

Amazing! I loved this book about body dysmorphia, binging/purging, bulimia, and body/food issues told by Mindy. Seeing her journey and character growth was so inspiring and honest. The flashbacks really helped show who she was and how she got there. I’d love a sequel to see how she’s doing and if she finally chose to love herself and take a chance on love too. Very hopeful book. Thanks Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.