"Queer Jewish woman with disordered eating goes on communication detox from her over-controlling mother, walks into a frozen yogurt shop, sees fat Orthodox Jewish woman, falls in love" is not the kind of novel I expected to find myself devouring, but I consumed this in a fever dream and actually... really loved it? Rachel's desire for someone to mother her is painfully relatable. I don't remember a novel that delved into that desire quite so weirdly or wonderfully.

The sex scenes were a little too explicit for my (acespec) tastes, and I found myself wanting a more access to Miriam's character, but on the whole, I enjoyed this novel. Broder's writing is strong, and the short chapters propel
a narrative that could easily have gotten bogged down in a longer format. I've seen this book compared to Carmen Maria Machado's work, and I agree: if you liked In the Dream House or Her Body and Other Parties, you'll love this one. You also might enjoy it if you're a fan of Adrienne Rich, Kristen Arnett, or Audre Lorde.

Thanks to NetGalley and Scribner for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The story had a odd humor to it and was quite erotic. As a whole, I enjoyed parts of the book and some I did not.
I liked how Rachel was “finding herself” throughout the story in both her sexuality, body dysphoria and religious faith. I liked how she was also very outspoken of her views.
I did not like the ending. I thought it was very abrupt and there was no real connection to the rest of the story.

Another brilliantly polarizing novel from Melissa Broder! I saw down on my couch the afternoon I received this ARC and didn’t look up until I’d devoured the entire novel. The Goodreads page for this novel is exactly as I thought it would be- people complaining that it’s too graphic, that it objectifies fat bodies, that the protagonist is unlikeable. Broder seems to breed polarization with every book she writes. Luckily, I absolutely loved it, and while all of these people are entitled to their opinions, their opinions are wrong.

Rachel is a secular Jewish woman with an all-too-familiar eating disorder. Her only sense of structure is her obsessive calorie counting. She can’t have actual relationships with anyone, because that means she would have to eat in front of them, which she can’t bring herself to do. Much of this came from her mother, who raised her with a little voice questioning every food decision she made. Again, this is very familiar to me!

Enter Miriam, a fat, frum woman, comfortable in her own skin, who works at the frozen yogurt shop owned by her Orthodox family. Miriam provides Rachel with yogurt and a sense of appreciating the little things in life, or life at all, and Rachel falls head over heels.

This is where the book really starts to shine for me. Rachel joins Miriam at her family’s Shabbat dinner, marveling at the warm family life she never had. While she makes some serious missteps with Miriam and doesn’t quite understand or respect all the nuances of frum life or Miriam’s boundaries, the relationship between the two women develops and so does Rachel’s relationship with herself. I knew when reading the novel that there would be critiques of Miriam’s body and the way it’s described by Rachel, but I disagree that it was fetishizing or objectifying. Rachel has a messed up relationship with bodies, and she is infatuated with a woman with a different body than her own that she has come to appreciate, instead of be repulsed by, as she had been conditioned to her whole life. This novel is one of the rare gems that truly captures how complex the relationship women have with each other can be. Do I want to fuck you, or be you? Do I love your body, or hate my own? Am I filling a self-esteem or mother shaped hole with this relationship? If you’re a queer woman who has never had even one of these questions before, please send me the number of your therapist.

The Jewish mythology and spirituality in the novel is what really got me to fall for this book. The symbolic use of a golem will probably be heavy-handed for many readers, but I really enjoyed how the golem theme and Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel became tools for Rachel to come to love herself, and her Judaism. Eating is a mitzvah! Sex with a woman is a mitzvah! Eating food with a warm family on Shabbat is fulfilling in ways calorie counting can never be!

As others have said, somewhat negatively, we don’t get Miriam’s perspective on things, but that’s the point of the novel- it’s Rachel’s experience. A novel of a queer frum woman’s struggle with her identity is certainly a book I would read, but it’s not this book. It’s Rachel’s story, and her golem. Also, side note, how could I not love a book that features the protagonist hallucinating a dancing, human-sized loaf of challah?

And similar to what the rabbi tells Rachel in the novel, we are all our own golems, unfinished substances, doing the best with ourselves and the people we meet- sometimes less than they (or we) deserve.

Thank you to Scribner and NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The deal: Rachel is sort of aimlessly meandering around LA, praying at the altar of calorie counting and mommy issues when she meets Miriam, an Orthodox Jew who works at her preferred frozen yogurt place and is insistent upon feeding her. Wherever you imagine the sexual tension is from that description, crank it up at least 200 notches. (Sidenote: I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for this review.)

Is it worth it?: I think so? This was the weirdest thing I’ve read in a minute but I could not put it down. It’s horny and strange and I’m still not sure how I feel about it. Like when something is this flavor of alluring, is that a knock on Broder for perpetuating the problematic world of body issues/fatphobia/etc. with some heavy-handed Freudian 101 or a job well done for creating such a flawed and at times horrifyingly unlikable protagonist who serves as a mirror for our broken culture? IDK! I’m leaning toward the latter, but also not sure about how Miriam seems to mostly exist as a sex object for Rachel vs. a fully dynamic person. I think ultimately I don’t have the lived experience to have an opinion on a lot of this. A word of warning (in an area where I have plennnnnttttyyy of lived experience): there’s extensive detailing of disordered eating in here. Like EXTENSIVE. If you even have the tiniest feeling that this might be a deal-breaker for you, you should trust that instinct.

Pairs well with: frozen yogurt with all the damn toppings, challah, some play-doh so you can make your own golem

B

This book is very well written. The way Rachel described the foods she splurged on made you feel as though you were also eating them. On a scale of 1-5 for steaminess with 5 being the highest I’d give it a 6. Who knew simply holding hands could be so intense?

It was interesting to learn so much about the Jewish religion and what was/wasn’t accepted by Miriam’s family.

The ending felt a little rushed and I hoped we’d have more details on Rachel’s relationship with food or other people.

What a joy this was to read--a thoughtful, smart and hilarious escape. Rachel is an incisive yet vulnerable narrator-- candid about her complicated relationship with her mother, eating disorder, skepticism about her therapist, (in part because she accepts Rachel’s insurance, LOL). The story unravels beautifully. Broder combines cultural/religious/food/nourishment-related themes making the journey incredibly rich. I loved watching Rachel INDULGE after denying herself actually good food for so long. The budding relationship with Miriam felt grounded but still exciting. I also appreciated how Rachel questioned elements of Judaism (namely, Israel). The ending gave me a feeling of closure and satisfaction. I will certainly reread. I think this is Broder’s best work yet.

Novel. 1st person POV. Woman protagonist.

A fun, fast paced story about sex, food, Judaism, and the body. Set in the backdrop of 21st century Los Angeles Hollywood agencies and comedy clubs, this coming of age 20-something novel combines the story of desire for the unattainable with the love of, and coming to terms with, the self. Not a truthful self per se--a work in progress. Also Melissa is a very funny storyteller.

This book is hypnotic--I found myself losing track of time and repeatedly saying "one more chapter", It comes with a major content warning for disordered eating and if someone is sensitive to this, I genuinely would not recommend it. Otherwise, I think this exploration of eating, generational guilt and shame, and Jewish culture is so uniquely involving.

As would be expected from the author of <i>The Pisces</>, this short book is imaginative, uncomfortable, and hilarious. At its heart is the relationship between a mother and her daughter (which is actually about how a woman forms her own identity), but there are also eating disorders, LGBTQ desire, and even Israeli-Palestinian politics. I wished the story continued because I wanted to learn more about the protagonist, who is immensely flawed but also likable. Recommended for all libraries.

I heard about this book on Alma and it seemed like it ticked so many boxes for me. I love Jewish lit, I love stories about women who love women and I hate diet culture. So all signs pointing me to loving this book.

I was pretty disappointed that in the spectrum of the American Jewish canon, this book was much more Philip Roth than Dara Horn. As in, if Philip Roth for some reason wrote a novel about queer neurodivergent women, this might be it. I kept trying to figure out why this book was making me so uncomfortable when I usually I'm all in for a little smut, and then I realized it's because it comes off like it was written by a man for men, even though it obviously wasn't.

Keeping with the tone of 1960s rhetoric with 2020 people, this book is obsessed with Freud to an unsettling degree. It kind of reads like a series of psychoanalysis sessions which mostly led me to the realization that the subconscious might be an interesting concept, but delving into that of the protagonist's is more boring than anything else. In other words, I don't care much for hearing about people's dreams IRL and I still don't care when it's a fictional character, symbolism be damned.

There were some redeeming factors: the romance is sweet, even though it subscribes to the old-fashioned and incorrect assumption that falling in love will "fix" your mental illnesses, as it does for Rachel. I love a good golem parallel. Also, there's a scene towards the end where Rachel (the protagonist) brings up the concept to Miriam's (the love interest) family that maybe their son serving in the IDF isn't without its issues and they basically gaslight her into believing she's a self-hating Jew, and that felt so real. Overall though, I'm disappointed, but maybe I was just hoping for too much. I wanted a queer Jewish Dietland and instead I just got a queer Portnoy's Complaint.

4 stars
This was a bit of a difficult read.
It was a personal delve into the life of Rachel. It was graphic (not in a bad way) about a lot of things. It doesn’t shy away from anything.
It’s raw, it’s true, its unapologetic, it’s human.
I thought it was a great read that doesn’t hold back.

Mommy issues!

This was a difficult read for me. I felt like the hyperfocus on bodies and the fetishization of MIriam's fat body in particular were difficult to read at times. The first half felt gratuitous and while the second half had some beautiful moments it just didn't come together for me.

Broder's writing is so, so good and I generally love weird books, but the graphic elements here actually worked against my ability to connect with the narrator and the story. It took something away from a story I think I would have typically loved.

*I was sent a free ARC of this book by Scribner in exchange for an honest review*

Quick witted and tenacious, Melissa Broder’s Milk Fed follows Rachel, a young Jewish woman working at a talent agency in LA. Rachel is ruled by food rituals and the tumultuous relationship with her mother, until she meets Miriam - an Orthodox Jew who works at the local yogurt shop that Rachel frequents. As their relationship develops, Rachel finds herself having to confront the way she was living and the way she wants to continue on.

This was a very fun read. Smart, sexy, and unexpectedly tender, Broder explores the depths of motherhood and sexuality wrapped in a story that is both deeply queer and uniquely Jewish. While sometimes sour and unlikeable, protagonist Rachel’s story is brought into clear focus by the intimacy of her inner monologue, which often probes the depths of topics that are taboo and uncomfortable. This grounds her in a sympathetic place and makes the result of her journey all the more meaningful. While not exactly the novel I was expecting from Broder, Milk Fed was a joy to read.

Melissa Broder is back with another book that will certainly shock some and delight others. A story of identity, control, and pain, MILK FED follows Rachel as she navigates the world of food, pleasure, and show business. This book was nearly impossible to put down as it is so easy to get wrapped up in the spiral that is Rachel's life and her complicated relationship with Miriam. Altogether unpredictable and fresh, I would recommend giving MILK FED a try next Spring.

TW: eating disorders

I am truly on the fence about Milk Fed. One the one hand, I loved the story of the main character, Rachel, coming to terms with her toxic relationship with her mom, grappling her eating disorder, and coming into her own. What did not sit right with me was the borderline fetishization of the fat woman who is Rachel's love interest = Miriam. I'm still not sure where I stand on the combination of sexual pleasure and milk, but it's weird and I kind of dig it.

Overall, this book was quite odd. I love a good, quirky book, so this was a good read for me. Like I said above, I am unsure where I sit on the fetishization or just infatuation with Miriam. I do LOVE how Rachel, who identifies as bisexual, grapples with relationships, intimacy, and emotions. Overall - 3.5/5 stars.

I am torn about how to review this book. On the one hand, the story pulled me in immediately, and the main character was beautifully drawn. By the end, I was totally rooting for Rachel to find happiness, peace, and self acceptance. I like to think that in the end she does. My problem, is with the explicit sexual descriptions that permeate the story. I'm no prude, but there was just too much of it for me, and it ultimately spoiled my enjoyment of the book. Because this is an issue for me as a reader, and not a shortcoming of the work, I would encourage those who have no problem with such scenes to read it.

Thanks to Scribner and Netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Rachel is a woman obsessed with calorie counting and exercising. She loves getting the exact same frozen yogurt each day from the same staff person. When she sees a new staff working at the shop, she becomes a bit obsessed with them.

This book was kind of amusing at first but turned into basically an erotica with not much of a plot. I didn't really want to just read graphic sex scenes with not much else going on, but here we are.

The book started out interesting and I would have enjoyed it more if it hadn't just turned into erotica.

Really enjoyed this and will publish a positive review closer to publication as specified.
One thing to note is that the name “Jace Evans” is the name of an 11 yr old kid on mtv’s Teen Mom 2 franchise. That felt off to me.
Thanks for the ARC!

It's a fairly simple and straightforward queer love story, but I found it really charming and enjoyable. Rachel, the protagonist, is an LA stand-up comic and agency assistant with an eating disorder and lots of mommy issues. When we meet her, she meticulously counts her calorie intake and goes to outrageous lengths to eat as little as possible while still trying to fit in some enjoyment. Then a new employee shows up at her regular low-cal fro-yo spot and starts pushing extra toppings and extra fro-yo on her. She's flustered but finds she can't refuse. She starts falling for this woman, Miriam, who she learns is an Orthodox Jew (Rachel is culturally Jewish but agnostic). Miriam takes her out to a Chinese restaurant and teaches her the pleasures of ordering the pupu platter for 6 and eating it as 2. By being accepted as someone who eats like that and seeing a model of beauty in someone who's not LA-skinny, Rachel begins to loosen her rigid eating restrictions. There is a running image of Miriam being a golem created by Rachel to help herself get better, but this magical, mythical element is faint. Rachel's romance with Miriam also becomes an exploration of various forms of Judaism, both the comfort of its traditions and community and the complications of Zionism. It doesn't stray too much from the structure of a classic rom-com (girl with problems overcomes her problems by falling in love with someone exactly opposite from her), but it's not dumbed-down either. Broder has a softly poetic style that fits in great images and observations along the way. It moves along really quickly, with very short chapters that make it easy to read in stops and starts. I found myself appreciating a light story where problems aren't avoided but they're also not overwhelmingly apocalyptic or heavy. That's the escapism I need.

I picked up this book for two reasons: A- because a friend had raved over The Pisces, and B- I generally enjoy all queer/lesbian storylines. For the first 3/4 of the book I really disliked Rebecca. I found her very crass even while sympathizing with her traumatic relationship with her mother and eating disorder. However, in the final 1/4 of the book, I became even more sympathetic for her and found myself liking her more. I would say that I really liked the story going on in Milk Fed, but the amount of explicit sex in the book bordered along the lines of erotica and seemed a bit unnecessary at times.