I'm not sure what to make of this book. Maybe that's because I saw myself, described through the persona of Rachel, in clear, unvarnished prose doing frequently-unappetizing things, Milk Fed is a portrait of a floundering, aching young woman who is caught between her desire and the "rules"--many of her own making. The tension between those two things is almost unbearable at times, Although Rachel frequently veers deeply into self-loathing and seems hell-bent on blowing herself up, it's hard not to like her and impossible not to root for her. As she becomes more sure of what she wants, the small kernel of selfhood grows and blossoms and so does our respect for her. Is there a happy ending? No, not really...but it's not sad either. It's real. This is a story about love, lust, and ultimately--becoming.

A weird, wonderful queer book with great character development. It is really sensual and sexual and involves a lot of visions of food and women and Judaism and mothers. But it is also about a lapsed Jewish woman figuring herself out and becoming more comfortable in her body while falling for a fat Orthodox Jewish woman. With short chapters and wild imagery, it felt like a fever dream in the best possible way and I couldn't stop reading it.
It opens up important discussions of body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and how ideas about food & our bodies are passed down and internalized. There is also lots of interesting commentary about belonging in a family & a faith. I loved that our MC was an anti-Zionist Jew. The conversations about Israel were some of my favorite parts of the book.
This book somehow managed to be both disconcerting and really comforting. I know this book won't be for everyone, but I think it'll get a ton of love from the right audience. If you like Carmen Maria Machado's fiction, then put this on your radar.

TW: eating disorders, calorie counting, body dysmorphia

tysm to Scribner and NetGalley for the early e-copy. This comes out in February 2021 and the pre-order bonuses are amazing, so check out Melissa Broder's website and pre-order it from a participating indie like I'll be doing!!!

TW: Eating disorders.

I enjoyed this book, another weird-in-a-good-way novel by Melissa Broder. This book shared many of the characteristics that I really enjoyed about The Pisces - a troubled young woman narrator trying to find her correct place in the world and exploring that through sex and relationships with a twist. This book uses food and attitudes towards eating and indulging (in food, in sex, in life) as the central mechanism rather than a merman, and for this reason, I think that this will be a bit more accessible to certain readers who feel weird about a lil sci fi in their books.

With that said, I loved Broder's commitment to exploring the relationship between these two characters, between women and their bodies, between food and life.

thanks @netgalley and @scribnerbooks for my review copy of Milk Fed. I LOVED THIS GOSH DANG BOOK. This is one of my favorite books I have read this year. I almost DNF'd in the beginning because it had major ED triggers (more TW for body dysmorphia, fat phobia, sex) but I stuck with it and I am so so glad I did. Bookstagrammers @dclazygirl and. @suzyreadsbooks turned me onto this book and made me bump it up on my tbr list. I read Broder's essay collection a few years ago and loved it, but remember it made me uncomfy (in a good way) so I knew I had to be prepared for this one going in. I found it at the perfect time. The chapters are short and choppy and makes you want to keep reading, reading, no sleep, read some more, grab a bottle of wine, eat a shit load of snacks, read, read, read. Broder's prose is like word vomit in the absolute best way. She truly knows how to make your skin crawl in both utmost desire and complete resentment. Melissa Broder's descriptors make you crave your favorite foods and take your food triggers head on. She makes you straight up addicted to peeking deeper and deeper into Rachel, the narrator's head. She bothers you because she is you, but you also want to cuddle her. and lay your head on her soft, supple belly.

This book was so wonderful for me because the main focus of the entire book is a fat woman. I am a fat woman. And the fat woman in the story never ONCE brings up her own fatness. It is fucking great. But, her fatness is not glazed over, ignored, or loved "in spite of" by the narrator. She sees it, notices it, and loves it wholeheartedly. It reminded me that I am a fat goddess.

My favorite scene is probably when the Jewish narrator went on an anti-zionist rampage that mostly consisted of thought provoking questions tot he Jewish head of the household of the fat girl she is secretly loving. She didn't hold firm opposition because she doesn't have all the answers, which I thought was refreshing and reminded me to look more into the occupation of Palestine. The narrator held her ground as the head of the household tried to dominate the conversation and convince Jewish Rachel that she must hate herself if she didn't want Jews to be given their homeland. It was an amazing scene and it made me more than ever want this immediately in a tv series. PLEASE WRITE THIS INTO A TV SCREENPLAY. I am quite literally begging.

As a twenty-something woman raised by a mother who has her own body dysmorphia to grapple with, I never get sick of novels that take on mother/daughter dynamics. I didn't want this story to end. I am now a major Border super fan and am going to skyrocket her first novel up to my tbr list. This book is out in February and you all should preorder this crazy fever dream. LOOK AT THE COVER. Preorder. Preorder. Preorder. Give that designer a raise. "The world will hurt you again and again. You will hurt yourself again and again. And when it does, and when you do, you will remember me again and again. You will drop to your knees. You will hold yourself. You will be your own daughter again." <3

I really really really enjoyed this one. I had no idea what to expect and mostly chose it because of the bold cover. It kind of reminded me of Pizza Girl, both are about women trying to figure out what they want in love and in life. I've been "reading" mostly via audiobooks, but this was the first book book to hold my attention enough in over a month, mostly due to the short chapters which I sped through. Again, I really enjoyed this one and need to read more like it!

Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the early ebook. I was a huge fan of The Pisces and was very excited to receive this new one. Originally from New Jersey, Rachel is twenty four and living in Los Angeles. By day she works at a talent agency and at night she’s a fledgling stand up comic. And at all times she is thinking about food and the minimum amount of calories she can consume and still function. This comes from her mother, who she is trying to detox from by not talking to for the next ninety days. When Rachel meets Miriam, a young worker at a yogurt store, a world of foods and sensuality opens up for her. The book is written with such breezy fun, but always the true moments sneak up on you and make you examine your own life through all the laughter.

I just love the quirky and dirty mind of author, Melissa Broder. I absolutely loved her last novel, "The Pisces" and couldn't wait to read "Milk Fed".

I actually enjoyed this novel more. It's more accessible, relatable, and tugged at my heartstrings. This novel tackles some heavy subjects like eating disorders, body dysmorphia, religion, bisexuality, and emotional abuse. Rachel is a 24 year-old woman living in L.A. who struggles with her body/calorie counting/a shallow and controlling mother. With the advice of her therapist, Rachel stops all communication with her mother (a 90 day detox). Rachel eventually meets an overweight, Orthodox Jewish woman (Miriam) working at her favorite frozen yogurt shop. Rachel is sexually attractive to Miriam. She's envious of Miriam's body confidence. Miriam is determined to feed Rachel not just literally but metaphorically. There's some magical realism in this story. It wasn't overdone and it connects brilliantly to the overall theme/message of Rachel's insecurity when it comes to gaining weight and self-acceptance.

Broder is an expert when writing explicit sex scenes. Not for those are easily turned-off by lesbianism. But this book is more than steamy sex scenes. "Milk Fed" has so much emotional substance. I could feel empathy towards Rachel. All she wants is someone to mother her. She has never felt unconditional love in any capacity. The flashbacks to her unstable childhood were painful and yet so realistic. I don't think this book will be for everyone but Broder's writing is so fresh, witty, emotive, and full of personality. 5 stars all the way!

Thank you, Netgalley and Scribner for the digital ARC.

Release date: February 2, 2021

I was so excited to read Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed after having fallen in love with The Pisces. Milk Fed did not disappoint. This is a wonderfully unique and often humorous look at Rachel, a twenty-four-year-old aspiring stand-up comedian, who feels stuck in her life. She has been obsessed with counting every calorie and restrictive eating since childhood which her therapist attributes to her controlling and manipulative mother. Her therapist has recently suggested she cut off communication with her mom for a period. It’s during this time she meets Miriam, a zaftig Orthodox Jew who works at the frozen yogurt shop. Miriam begins to literally and metaphorically feed Rachel. Who will Rachel become when she is nourished from the inside out? How much power can a deep connection hold? Who will “mother” Rachel while her own mother is out of the picture? This is wonderfully rich novel about food, sex, friendship, lust and longing. Broder’s writing is sharp, tender, titillating and heartfelt. I loved it!

Thank you to Simon&Schuster for an early glimpse of one of my favorite author's newest hit!

Melissa Broder does it again with MILK FED, a deliciously complex and shocking hallucination, about the retrograde of human will under the duress of hunger (in the literal and metaphoric sense).

Similar to her gorgeous debut novel, THE PISCES, Broder writes with razor-edged brashness. She is uncompromising with detail and pushes her readers to the edge of comfort with boldness and style. It's as smutty as it is poetic; her command over the sights, smells and sounds of the human body (and beyond...in the case of THE PISCES) is otherworldly and deliriously raw. I love that she is so boldly unapologetic.

Rachel's untamed youth echoes Raven Leilani's Edie (from the fabulous 2020 debut LUSTER) in lack of impulse control or respect of boundary, with a lick of Tony Kushner's classic wry Judaic musing. Unsurprisingly, there is so much going on here, it weighs on you like an endless multi-course Kosher Chinese feast. I can't stop thinking about Rachel as our narrator. Is she trustworthy? Towards the beginning of the novel, she cuts the cord of so many of her known reliable structures, from her diet to therapy to communication with her mother. In an attempt to come of age, she abandons regiment to relinquish herself to a greater being in faith, love, and self acceptance. Throughout the novel, there's strong tension in her failure to let go, give in and trust. Sex, as a metaphor of power dynamic, is used brilliantly, particularly as it relates to Rachel's physical being v. gender expression.

I was absolutely thrilled by everything going on in MILK FED. It is deceptively baroque despite its straightforwardness. Its richness will sit with me for awhile, begging the question, "...did I get it?" and I am so beyond okay with that. Its art is in its familiarity, yet powerful, bizarre POV.

This is such an odd, yet compelling story. The main character, Rachel, has an office job in the entertainment industry by day and does stand up comedy by night. She obsessively monitors her caloric intake and exercises for hours for fear of growing fat, which would invite criticism from her Jewish mother. Apart from her jobs and eating disorder, Rachel doesn't seem to have much of anything for her. Her therapist suggests she take a communication detox from her mother, and this leads to some changes to her dietary habits. But even more so, it is Miriam, a fat Orthodox Jewish woman who starts working at Rachel's usual frozen yogurt spot, that causes these dramatic changes. Rachel is deeply attracted to her despite the fact (and perhaps precisely because) Miriam has a large body. Their relationship grows and morphs as Rachel's relationship with food does the same. Broder is graphic in describing both the sex and the food in this book, but there is so much more. There is a Jewish spiritual aspect that adds an interesting layer to what otherwise could have been a fluffy book. Likewise, the relationship between Rachel and her mother is alluded to, yet has so much influence and hold over Rachel's sexuality and eating. Broder explores all of these topics, each big on their own, without disturbing their interconnectedness. It's a strange story, and yet it works really well.

Milk Fed is an exciting story about a young woman brainwashed from an early age that she needs to be thin. Rachel lives in L.A. but is still tormented by her mother daily by text and phone. Rachel wants to be a stand-up comic and spends her day job at a talent agency, working with all the beautiful people who she only sees at young and skinny.

Rachel dreams about women but cannot accept that she could ever have a sexual relationship with a woman until she meets one who is kind and caring towards her. The added aspect of learning about Rachel's approach to Judaism is informative and reassuring, in the end.

Melissa Broder writes the most readable 21st-century story about eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and lesbian love. MB's skill at storytelling is timely and enjoyable.

Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. The book will be published in 2021.

While the writing was good, the book was very sexually graphic and I felt like it took away from the story line. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

As expected, I was absolutely blown away by Melissa Broder's ability to write a perfect novel. After adoring THE PISCES a few years ago, I have been itching to read more from her, and MILK FED 100% did not disappoint. This book is a sexually explicit and tender lesbian romance that is also completely wild and hard to put into words. Rachel, the main character, is a young stand up comic in LA who is battling a lifelong eating disorder which started via her mother has a child. As her world begins to open up on her own, and falling in love is coupled with learning how to love food again, the quiet story blossoms into a novel about desire, hunger, and motherhood in beautifully unexpected ways.

Broder is clearly one of my favorite authors now, and this book is not to be missed when it comes out in February 2021. Her writing is so easy to digest, but also nuanced and complicated; surreal and other-worldly. Her characters are heartbreakingly sad and, at the same time, heroic in their own small lives. This book also has an interesting through-line about Judaism which I found super compelling and unique. I can't wait for more and more from Broder, just like her characters crave more and more from life.

I love the story about relationships and all things dairy. It’s truly a unique love story that I would recommend to anyone.

What a delightful novel! I really enjoyed this book. The voice is infectious and the pacing is nice and crisp. I think it handled queerness well, and I was intrigued by the ways religion and mother-daughter dynamics played a role as well. The wry humor is great. I would definitely recommend this book.

I'm completely blown away. Erotic, sensual, shocking, brutal in its rawness.

This novel is about Rachel, a nonreligious Jewish woman with an eating disorder, so many body image issues, and a very toxic relationship with her mother. She gains weight and has an affair with Miriam, an Orthodox Jewish plus size shop attendant at a fro-yo store. The two are polar opposites in many ways, most strikingly the fact that Rachel obsessively counts calories while Miriam eats anything she wants and a lot of it.

I loved how sexually explicit this book was, both in act and fantasies. I adore books which do this for the purpose of literary exploration. This makes "Milk Fed" daring, raw and very real, which helped me relate to it so closely. While my upbringing is totally different from Rachel's, I could see so many similarities between us. I ended up falling in love with her character - and constantly thinking of this book whenever I had to put it down.

I highly, highly recommend this novel which was an instant favorite for me,

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Uneven, explicit, sometimes very funny story of an agnostic but culturally Jewish talent manager/part-time comedian with an eating disorder and mommy issues who gains weight and redemption through an intense same-sex affair with the plump, Orthodox attendant in her favorite frozen yogurt shop.

If that summary was hard to absorb, this may not be the right book for you.

On the other hand, maybe you read that summary and thought: "Terrific! The more, the merrier! Could the author add an explicitly described fling with a hunky TV star? What about vapid and back-stabbing coworkers? How about pages of psychobabble, not all from a psychologist? Hebrew? A literal and figurative golem? Faux political correctness? Debates about the Gaza strip? Detailed and loving descriptions of everything and everyone the main character ate? Could the author add that, too?"

If you had the second reaction, then you are in luck. This book offers all of that and more.

I had the first reaction - just too much going on for effective development - which was unfortunate because there is much to like about this book. It is very funny in spots, the portrayal of the main character's eating disorder is painful and realistic, and her estrangement from her mother is wrenching.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rachel is a twentysomething assistant in the entertainment industry in LA, while also moonlighting as a stand-up comic. She has a toxic relationship with her overbearing, emotionally abusive mother who has obsessed about and humilated Rachel's eating and weight for her entire life. Rachel has internalized that self-hate and it has manifested as a raging eating disorder which pervades her entire life. She obsessively counts calories, exercises, compares herself to other women, and is never thin enough. It's a self-destructive perpetual cycle and each day is a struggle to eat or not eat and wish she was even thinner.

In a yogurt shop, she meets an employee Miriam, a Rubenesque Orthodox Jewish woman who delights in serving Rachel enormous quantities of food, and consuming them herself. Rachel quickly becomes infatuated with Miriam, abandons her decades-long restrictive habits, and ingratiates herself with Miriam's close-knit family. Miriam is hesitant to engage in a full-on relationship with Rachel, because of her Orthodox traditions.

There is much explicit sex and sexual fantasies throughout the book, and the characters besides Rachel and Miriam seem incidental to the plot; none are fleshed-out enough (pun intended) to be more than bit players in the story.

However, Rachel's eating disorder rings very true to life, and Broder surely knows the subtleties and convoluted emotional details associated with a chronic and debilitating eating disorder.

Ok. I’m the first person to review this for GR. Must do the book justice. First thing first, checking the official description, just so I know what can and cannot be discussed without giving away any of the plot, but the official description is surprisingly bare bones. So I can pretty much talk about whatever I want here beyond the basic food, Jews and lesbians. Alrighty then. So meet the protagonist…a 24 year old East Coast transplant to LA, working in the business management end of the entertainment industry and obsessively counting calories. In fact, Rachel’s entire existence is strictly governed by her relationship with food which stems from her relationship with her mother. Both relationships are terrible. Actually, there are layers of terribleness to Rachel’s mother, from overbearing to controlling to image distorting to guilt riding to emotional manipulation. It’s no surprise that Rachel’s therapist is determined to get Rachel to take some time off, a sort of mother detox. So that now it’s just work, calorie counting and exhaustive daily gym sessions all to maintain a sort of self image Rachel has created for herself. And while I’m a huge fan of self control the way she does it is all wrong. She exercises too much, her diet is terrible, primarily nicotine supplements, power bars and froyo and muffin tops. But then again it’s much more than just a control thing with Rachel, it’s a serious mental problem and it’s consuming her life. The things she can’t consume consume her. And so when he meets Miriam, a young woman who has apparently never said no to a meal and takes great joy in feeding herself and others, it’s a temptation impossible to resist. Seriously, it goes like this…Rachel walks into her favorite froyo shop, there’s a new server, a very heavy positively doughy blonde who insists on overpouring and sprinkles and Rachel’s all like…girl, you got that yummy yum…and no, ok, no, it doesn’t get all cute and romantic. It’s challenging. But Rachel rediscovers food and that’s pretty glorious, she starts binging of junk, gaining weight and confidence and getting more and more drawn to Miriam and her pretty Orthodox family. And yes, religion comes into this in a huge way. Because Rachel is a lapsed Jew and Miriam a practicing one and…well, It’s always so striking how a historically oppressed minority can be so comfortable with dismissing other minorities. Which is to say, Miriam’s family is exciting and welcoming and warm exactly until they think Rachel is exactly like them, albeit a less enthusiastic practitioner. And they have pretty strict opinions on how their daughter should live her life too. And why didn’t anyone watch or read Disobedience? Don’t you know how these things work? Rachel you’d think would have at least checked out the movie. Not Miriam, Miriam lives in a dreamworld of classic cinema. But anyway, the two young women do tentatively engage in something like a love affair, excitingly clandestine and heavily punctuated by food. In a way, Miriam is more like a plot device to help Rachel grow as a person (and not just in dress size. buhdum dum…sorry). And I suppose there is a world where Rachel would have met a nice available lady with a moderate diet and good exercise regimen who might have offered her some third person perspective on her lunatic of a mother, but then again…where would be the drama in that. This way there’s plenty of drama. And sex. So much sex. I read a diverse selection of at least a book a day and can’t remember last time I read a novel featuring so much graphic sex. It works and it does drive the plot, but because the book goes for a very realistic tone, it isn’t the sexiest of sexes either, plus one of the people is obese and the adoration of sweaty fat folds…well, it isn’t for everyone. But having said all that, this was a good read. Compelling, interesting, very hip, very contemporary, very well written. Your level of engagement with the characters may vary depending on so many factors, but you will engage with the narrative itself. It read very quickly. It makes you think…about social and familial pressures, female presentation, etc. There was something about the disenchanted theatre artist who goes to the corporate side of artist management and has a weight obsessed lunatic of a mother rang some bells. Though thank goodness none of it is anywhere near the novel’s proportions. Oh fiction, how close to life you skate. At any rate, this review is much too long as it is and I can only hope it intrigues the readers and invites the to check out the book for themselves. It’s worth a read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.