When I finished this book, I kept asking myself whether I actually *liked* it or not. And I've read reviews from people who say they didn't *like* it. But I think reading this book -- and Melissa Broder's work as a whole -- isn't about whether you like it or not...it's about what it makes you feel, and how it changes you after you've read it. I felt changed after I read Broder's "The Pisces," and I felt changed after "Milk Fed," too. She's one of the most fascinating, talented modern writers and I can't wait to read more from her.

(Important to note that this book could be triggering to those with a history of disordered eating)

Milk Fed is a hilarious and raw account of Rachel's relationship to food, to her Jewish faith, her mother, and a woman she meets at a frozen yogurt shop near her job in Los Angeles. None of these relationships are especially healthy ones- food consumes her rather than the other way around, being a lapsed Jew causes her guilt, and her therapist recommends a cold-turkey detox from her mother.

And then there's Miriam. Rachel is pulled toward her for so many reasons, but none may ultimately be the right ones.

Still, getting a glimpse inside Rachel's mind as she tries to find her footing is insightful and hilarious. Broder nails the dark comedy and manages to give us a book that's highly sexual, yet not especially erotic; intimate while still retaining a level of detachment.

It's an interesting read filled with imagery that will make you feel unsettled in the best of ways.

Many thanks to Scribner and NetGalley for the advance copy.

I'll start by saying this isn't really my type of book, and I'm definitely not the target audience. That being said, it is very well written and the story did keep my interest overall. It is a bit outrageous at times, but there are fairly universal themes at the heart of this novel. I definitely enjoyed it as much as I could for story that I had nothing in common with on its face.

In "Milk Fed," our 24yo protagonist, Rachel, is obsessed with her constant mathematical calculations of calories. She tiptoes daily around the edge of hunger. Tracking every piece of food gives her some illusion of control. And no thanks to her mother for part of her eating disorder and she's constantly reminding her that "thin is beautiful."

Rachel reveals that she "entered therapy hoping to alleviate the suffering related to both my food issues and my mother, but without having to make any actual changes in either area." Turns out, she was able to tackle both issues.

Thanks to her therapist, she goes a 90-day emotional detox from her overbearing, not-so-Jewish mother. This works for a while. And then Rachel meets--and falls for--Meriam, a very voluptuous Orthodox Jewish 20-something who's comfortable with her size. But not her sexuality. So the girls have this interesting transformation of sorts. One learns to love her body and the other learns to love women.

For about the first half of the book, I cried my eyes out with tears. Rachel is hilarious (and a one-night-a-week standup comic). There were several time I laughed out loud and I highlighted page after page of witty quips. Then things got soooooooper steamy, sexually speaking, and there was just too much detail about gorging on food. So I skimmed over a few sections in the second half. Warning: Food sensitivity triggers abound!

All in all, I love the writing, the short chapters and Rachel's wit. I'd give Milk Fed 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

Special thanks to Scribner for a digital copy of the book!

An interesting book they deftly handles female relationships and deals beautifully with Orthodox Judaism.

As other reviewers mentioned: this book will be triggering for you if you've dealt with disordered eating in the past. Proceed with caution.

UM, so I was very excited about this book. The cover looked neat and I was into the story concept. I didn't really find it "scathingly funny" or "wildly erotic," though it was definitely "relentlessly bitter" and "reliably gross." The sex scenes were frankly cringe-inducing and the main character Rachel was unpleasant to read. Her objectification of Miriam's body felt icky. [ The way she magically got over all her issues with food over the course of the book felt unearned, like that's all disordered eating is? Being afraid of ice cream until you meet ONE person who forces you to eat??? (hide spoiler)] I also hated the way Miriam pushed food on her like this person would give me an anxiety attack.

Anyways, I'm still giving this book three stars because there were some beautiful heartfelt moments I genuinely enjoyed and I really wanted to like it and I read it in one day. I also loved Jace. I just think it needed something more.

It’s still early in the year, but this is already a favorite of 2021! I thought the premise of the book was very unique and engaging. I enjoyed Broder’s sharp writing and weird sense of humor. This book is great for fans of My Year of Rest and Relaxation.

Milk seemed to be the theme this month as the second Belletrist book of this month also had milk in the title. The Pisces is on my Want to Read list and now I may be moving it up because I really enjoyed this next book by Melissa Broder.

This book follows a young woman who is struggling with obsessive calorie counting and her relationship with her mother. She starts to break free of these harmful patterns after meeting a woman at her favorite frozen yogurt store named Miriam.

There were so many layers to this book that made it so captivating. First, our narrator Rachel is a Reform Jew and Miriam is an Orthodox Jew. I really took delight in learning more about Jewish culture and traditions. I wish there would have been a little more expansion and explanation on some things though. Luckily I read this on my Kindle so I was able to easily look up a word I didn’t know, but I would have appreciated some more detail from the author as someone who is very unfamiliar with Jewish customs. I was grateful for the frank conversation about the conflict with Israel and Palestine, a topic I know exists but don’t know much about.

Another layer was Rachel’s intense mommy issues. They bleed into many facets of her life: her sexual fantasies, her self worth and need for validation, and her eating habits are of course all related to her complicated relationship with her mother. I loved how aware Rachel was of her issues. She reminded me of the narrator in My Year of Rest and Relaxation except I found Rachel much more likable. She knows she has issues, but she’s ok with continuing her bad habits since she’s not ready to fix them. I found her so hilarious in this way. She knows she needs to work on herself and therefore starts going to therapy, but isn’t actually desperate enough for it to work. Even when it came to her feelings for Miriam, I felt like she knew her infatuation was related to her own fears of her body image but kept that knowledge juuuuust under the surface.

I was a little surprised with how erotic it got, but it all made so much sense at the same time. Unlike some romance novels that just revolve around the detailed sex scenes, in this story they were not just for show and revealed so much about the character and her psyche. There were so many themes in this book it could have rivaled an AP Lit Great Gatsby lesson but they folded in so pleasantly that I didn’t find it over the top.

It’s not often I finish a book in a day but I just couldn’t put this one down. It read so easily and I was so invested in what was going to happen to Rachel I just had to keep reading. I definitely recommend this if you’re looking for a deep yet humorous book!

Milk Fed has been making the rounds in the weeks since it was published, and I can see why. This book is ~a lot~, but Melissa Broder is one of those talented writers who seems to have x-ray vision into the deepest parts of people, and a unique skill in bringing those things out with words.

Rachel’s life is defined by her eating disorder and body dysmorphia. But she’s hungry in more ways than one — she’s also got an intense and free sexual appetite, and her perspectives on food, freedom, and desire twist and turn around each other. Then she meets Miriam, a closeted Orthodox Jewish woman whose family and affection centers food — essentially, the reverse of Rachel’s cage and freedom. And Rachel’s sense of self begins to slowly, but not comfortably, change.

A word of warning: If you have food-related triggers or sensitivity to these topics, tread carefully or skip this one — Rachel talks about her disordered eating habits in detail and with reverence. The sexual content is also explicit and very descriptive. But as you can imagine, for those who are prepared for that kind of content, the two entwine to create the kind of writing that really, really does something beyond words.

I have not read Broder’s first novel, and I hear that one is even more intense. I’m not sure that one will be for me, but can see, here, exactly why and how she makes an impact.

Control, woman who lives by it and one who defies it. Rachel thinks she has her life under control. Her calories her intake, her emotions. Miriam lives her life in the light, curious, giving, unapologetic. Miriam needs to nourish and Rachel is in need of nourishment of the heart and soul. It’s a lively testament to a spirit reborn in a life deserving of renewal.

Trigger warning, not a content warning, but a huge trigger warning for disordered eating. If you have a history with disordered eating I strongly suggest you reflect on your strengths and supports before you read this book. Please consider this when recommending this title.

Rachel is a woman driven by her cravings, in a desperate attempt to fill the voids in her life. These cravings are so primal that it makes sense we don't get a deeper than superficial look at her life. Her infatuation with food leads her to pick "reward" foods like treats instead of nourishment. Her relationships are shallow, focusing on sex, and the rewards of the physical instead of emotional. I thought we were getting somewhere with god. I would have loved a George Carlin-esque god and Rachel conversation.

Overall, an interesting, but cringy read.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Milk Fed: thanks to NetGalley, I read this a couple of weeks ago.

A bisexual main character with an eating disorder who breaks away from her emotionally abusive mother who perpetuates, nay influences said disorder, and experiences liberation in her own self-awareness. This is what I was looking forward to at the beginning of the book.

As I experienced this book, Melissa Broder’s writing is so precise and gives Rachel this biting and obsessive quality, it’s a very immersive experience. As someone who has not experienced Jewish culture up close, I appreciated those themes and as a future physician, experiencing the inner workings of the mind of someone who living with an eating disorder. The sacrilege of breaking from eating habits and the following consequences internally and externally.

However, I struggled with fat fetishization. That somehow by being with someone whose body is constantly objectified and lusted after due to her stark contrast to our main character, somehow our main character is cured? I would say it sparks yet another set of unhealthy behaviors, dependency and binging - another form of eating disorder.

I’d recommend this read for someone who 1. can handle (or wants to test the limits of) your own insecurities being tickled 2. Wants to experience the inner monologue of someone with an eating disorder 3. Wants to see how liberating it can be when we realize parents can’t control their children.

This was a breath of fresh air. The author's unique writing style made this a book that I read in one sitting. There are parts of the mother-daughter dynamic that are relatable. Overall, this is a great read!

Despite the heavy topics covered in the book, I found the dialogue fresh and laugh-out-out funny at times. The main character, Rachel, is deeply flawed but extremely witty and I really enjoyed experiencing her journey - the good, the bad, and the compulsive.

I didn't love this but I didn't hate it. Not safe for audio listening at work or with little ones around. #netgallery

Rachel is a 24-year-old lapsed Jew who fills every second of her day with obsessive calorie counting. The story starts as she begins a therapist-recommended detox from her overbearing mother who fuels her disordered eating. Rachel frequently treats herself to a precise portion of forzen yogurt (sans toppings!!!); Miriam is a practicing Orthodox Jew who works in the froyo shop.

Miriam, a foil to Rachel, is fat but has a far healthier relationship with food and a more joyful life in general. The women develop a friendship (and more) that opens Rachel up to the vulnerability she's been so artfully avoiding - Miriam introduces her to a supportive world where food, faith and family provide sustenance and strength. But still, Rachel doesn't quite fit in.

Milk Fed is a story about rejection and self-acceptance, the journey from self-loathing to finding peace. It's messy at times, but always very honest and very real. This book will be hard to read if you struggle or have struggled with disordered eating/diet culture/body dysmorphia. I know I have, and reading Rachel's toxic internal monologue shook me in a way I'm not quite able to put into words. For me, eye opening in a good way.
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This book also touches on queer love and practicing Judaism in present day Los Angeles. Homophobia rears its ugly head in Milk Fed, and this is probably the most sexually explicit book I've ever rated 5 stars on Goodreads.

This was one that I keep going back and forth on. I enjoyed Broder's style of writing a lot but I was unsure how I felt about the story itself. The main character Rachel isn't particularly likable but you do feel for her in terms of rejection, depression, etc. I thought the story was interesting regarding her relationship with her mom and Miriam but I did struggle with so much of it centering on what felt like a not wholly necessary explanation of her eating disorder.

I absolutely loved this book!! One of the funniest, weirdest, most interesting books I have read recently.

This was an anticipated read of 2021 that I was truly looking forward to. It however didn’t disappoint but didn’t hit the expectations I had for the book. I was really intrigued by the storyline but didn’t fully enjoy the book. The cringe, and second hand embarrassment was definitely there while reading but it showed how real and raw the characters felt while reading. I feel like this is either a really big hit for some or is just an interesting and good read for others.

The characters might be unlikeable at times but that did not stop me from devouring and loving this book! I would recommend widely with the preface of LOTS of trigger warnings. This is a read in one sitting book that I loved very very much!