This is the second book I have read from this author. I did not really care for the first book, yet came into this one with an open mind. The book starts out as a diatribe about the main character's eating disorder and her momma drama. She is trying to work through her issues with a therapist, however finds that her best therapy is yet to come at the yogurt shop. She begins to let go of her food issues as she turns to a young woman she has met there. I think there definitely a lot of comedy, yet also a lot of grotesque erotic imagery that was a bit disturbing to be honest. I got the imagery with this one, however I felt that a lot of it was gratuitous and written for shock value. This one was a bit better than the first one. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley.

A strange book. Plenty of great moments, and Broder can really write. It just didn’t quite click for me in the way I’d hoped. I recently got the author’s latest book, though, and am looking forward to reading it.

In "Milk Fed," Melissa Broder guides readers through the tumultuous life of 24-year-old Rachel, obsessed with calorie counting and order. The first-person perspective immerses readers into Rachel's intricate mind, blending the erotic and nonerotic.

The novel transforms from an eating disorder-inspired fever dream into a dramatic love story, interwoven with religious exploration. Broder's writing is captivating and unique style, making it an engaging read.

However, the ending falls flat, lacking resolution in Rachel's growth and leaving you yearning for closure. Despite this, I still would recommend this book. It is a unique reading experience evoking many emotions.

Beautifully written and very insightful highlighting a lot of issues faced by women today. Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

Thank you, Scribner, for the advanced copy of Milk Fed. I purchased a copy following its release and am woefully behind in submitting feedback here.
The world needs more honest and fearless tails of women’s struggles with food, body image and eating disorders. Thank you for your courage in publishing this novel.

I really liked this book - I'm a fan of LGBTQ+ fiction, and this was right up my alley. I appreciated the way Broder depicted Rachel's changing relationship with her body, and how Miriam shone a light on exploring this. This novel explored, disordered eating, pleasure, love, religion, queerness. The first person POV definitely was done well - it felt like being in Rachel's head, hearing her thoughts, feelings, and fears.

There's so much growth that happens in the book, but I wasn't sure about how the ending fit in, but that was my only issue. Otherwise, a fantastic read, and I devoured it.

The Pisces was my top book of 2018, so I had high expectations for Broder’s sophomore novel. While I didn’t love this quite as much, I still devoured it. While The Pisces felt like a deep exploration of depression to me, Milk Fed is an exploration of disordered eating. Rachel, the narrator, is a Jewish woman who was raised by an overly critical mother and who uses food restriction as a religion, spending all her time thinking about eating.

I found the portrayal of binge eating in this incredibly spot-on, and thought Rachel’s changing relationship with her body — and Miriam’s — was interesting. I think there are going to be some varying views on the fat representation here and I’m not positive where I fall. Miriam never felt like a fully-formed character to me, but I think that was part of the point: Rachel coveted her in an unhealthy way, obsessing over Miriam’s body the way she obsessed over her own.

Much like The Pisces, I’m not sure who I would recommend this to. It certainly won’t please everyone, but if you’re able to let go and trust Broder I think you’re in for a good ride.

This wasn't the book for me, but I do think it would be very good for someone. Thank you for letting me read this book.

I really loved Miriam and her family. I was happy to see fat representation in the love interest, bisexual representation, and Jewish representation in this book!

There some truly weird parts of this book. I don't really know what I think about it. I often am left feeling not satisfied by stream of consciousness books.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book!

TW: Disordered Eating

Milk Fed follows Rachel, 24 years old and obsessed with counting calories and keeping her life consistent and orderly. When Rachel meets Miriam, seemingly the antithesis of Rachel's comfort zone, the balance she has so carefully curated is suddenly thrown off.

I received this ARC before knowing Melissa Broder would become one of my favorite authors. I read another novel of hers, The Pisces, and was so pleased to immediately have more of her writing to read.

The writing style of this book is not for everyone, but it is definitely for me. Milk Fed is told from the first person perspective, and truly I felt like I was living in Rachel's brain. It was simultaneously erotic and nonerotic, but I liked the contrast between the two. It's a niche book, but it was a really great read for me and I look forward to reading even more of Melissa Broder's work in the future.

Big thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advanced reader copy. This review will be published on Goodreads as well as Instagram under the handle @literary.erica

Melissa Broder's novel "Milk Fed" showcases an honest, explicit, and non-sugarcoated glimpse into a complex character's view of love, self and religion. The main character grapples with an eating disorder while falling in love with a woman whose love is food. Though imperfect at times, I really enjoyed this book. Broder is known for imperfect characters and her writing style is dirty, relatable, and a hoot and a half.

This book starts out as an eating disorder inspired fever dream and veers off into a dramatic, intense, and swift love story wrapped in a cocoon of religious exploration. It was infinitely readable and Broder will have you devouring her words. The journey was intriguing but I found the ending to fall flat. There's a distinct lack of resolution. Our protagonist seemingly experiences some level of growth but it's not clear. It's the kind of book that just ends. So I would recommend it as something that will suck you in but fair warning that it will likely leave you wanting.

Milk Fed by Melissa Broder broke my heart and put it back together again… sorta. Broder doesn’t hold back at all. Her descriptions of eating disorders, abusive mother-daughter relationships, homophobia, and Zionism are so real that it physically hurts. I finished this in less than a day and I miss it already.

Wow, what an unusual, disturbing and memorable book. I would more like this from this author. A talent to keep an eye on.

Broder is one of the best author I've ever read. She writes in such an unapologetic, raunchy way and I am always amazing at how appalled yet captivated I am with her books. MILK FED was much different than I expected, but very good. It's definitely not for the faint of heart.

Broder's particular brand of quirk and eccentrics just isn't my cup of tea. I understand why everyone enjoyed this book so much but for me it was just too odd.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read. The characters were all flawed in their own unique ways. I felt it was an interesting commentary on religion, womanhood, motherhood, and lesbian relationships.

The obsessive calorie counting and food monitoring was just too much for me. I couldn't get into this book or make myself care about the main character and all her issues. I was really excited about this book and wanted to like it but I think I'm just not the right audience for it.

I’m judging the L.A. Times 2020 and 2021 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

Milkfed is hilarious and sad. “But Ofer was always trying to haze me into eating more.
‘Who wants the last slider? Rachel, I know youuuu’re thinking about it,’ he taunted before breaking into chant. ‘Do it! Do it! Do it!’”
Fuck Ofer.

I cannot tell you how excited I was to get an early copy of this book to review. I loved the synopsis and was thrilled to dive in. I thought the characters were amazing and so well-developed, funny but raw!