Not my usual story and I didn't know what to expect. I loved how the chapters told the story from different perspectives. As well as dealing with the struggles of anorexia on the individual sufferer, it also focuses on the different impacts it has on those around them too.

This is a lot like Jane Shemilt's books and I liked it for that, I liked Freya as a main character and thought she was really flawed in parts, in the best way. I didn't like Charlotte but felt for Lexi. Pretty good book.

A detailed and observant tale of the way food can be abused within a family and distort every relationship within that family. Each member comes alive at Amanda Prowse's expert hands.

I found the privileged lifestyle of the family and the fact their livelihood already relied heavily on their focus upon cooking and eating rather held me at arms length. Maybe that was a mercy as the story was harrowing enough.

I'm sorry, but I won't be reviewing this book after all. I've lost interest in reading it. Thank you for the opportunity.

When Freya receives a call from her daughter Lexi's teacher, she can't believe what she's hearing but it is the shocking discovery under the teenagers bed that is the beginning of a nightmare that she can't awake from and will test her love for her daughters and her husband. Will Freya's need to nurture and protect allow her to make the right decision to save Lexi.

Amanda Prowse once again introduces us to a family that we care about and fall in love with before laying their terrible secrets bare. This is the harrowing story of anorexia and the effect it has on the victim, her family and friends.

Amanda Prowse has a real talent for writing human stories about genuine people in real life situations, and once again, in 'The Food of Love,' she doesn't disappoint. Freya Braithwaite has, she feels, her perfect life. She has a husband she loves and two gorgeous daughters, Charlotte and Lexi; but when a teacher calls Freya in for a chat, she doesn't expect to be advised of the school's concern for her daughter's welfare, in particular her weight loss and eating habits. Freya initially responds with anger at what she sees as a personal attack on her ability to look after her daughter.
However, the seed of doubt is planted, and gradually, as Freya begins to observe her beloved teenage daughter more closely she realises that her daughter has a serious problem; a problem that is gathering pace and which will wreak havoc and even destroy the happy family and loving environment she has accepted as the norm!
Due to the emotive, and for some people, potentially triggering subject matter, this is not a story to be read lightly. Lexi's self-destructive battle with food rips through this close-knit family, dividing them with its anger, guilt, compassion, love and a myriad of emotions that finally threatens to break the family permanently.
With its strong female leads and powerful subject matter, Amanda Prowse grips her reads and doesn't let go until the end. An easy 5 stars.


NB - also published on Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com

Anything by Amanda Prowse is brilliant, this book included. Go read it.

It is as always beautifully written and gets you right in the feels. A pleasure to read

This book was difficult to read. I found I was pushing myself through it. The family's, particularly the mother's, reaction to the daughter's abnormal eating behaviour actually irritated me, and I found I didn't like the way the book depicted eating disorders and how to deal with them. In the end, I cannot say I enjoyed reading this book as it simply did not flow well and seemed like it was written in a "bumpy" manner without much cohesion to bind it all together.

Did not read as not my interest. Thanks for sending though!

Gosh, this was a more intense read than I thought it would be. I felt it gave a good insight into the devastating effects that an illness like this can have even on the strongest of family units. I found the characters to be likeable and was interested in how they dealt with things as Lexis illness progressed. It was truly heartbreaking in places.

4 stars.

Amanda Prowse certainly knows how to pull at the heartstrings with another excellent novel. She is becoming one of my favourite authors, despite only reading one other novel (The Idea of You).

Thank goodness anorexia has never been an issue within my family and after reading this novel, I hope it never will. This novel has been well researched and although a powerful story, it is so beautifully written. I can highly recommend to all.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers. This is my honest review.

My review can be seen on Goodreads and Netgalley.

Gripping read from the start. Real page turner! Highly recommended

Another story from Amanda Prowse that touched my heart and will stay with me.
This story focuses on Anorexia and the effects it has.
A very well written and researched book.

The Food Of Love by Amanda Prowse is a contemporary story of love. The love of a family. It is an absolutely heartbreaking read that I could not put down. Tears will flow as you journey through the novel.
The book tells of the struggle of a family to survive one of the worst journeys ever. Despite their love for each other, there are harsh words, recriminations and guilt. As the family tries to survive, the reader 'feels' a mother's anguish, a father left out in the cold, a daughter who feels neglected and a daughter who is lost. I was completely torn apart with the story. My emotions swung wildly as I empathised with each character in turn.
The novel has a countdown as the action alternates between sometime in the past and present day. It was cleverly done as I had no idea what we were counting down to.
The reader is educated about the topic covered. My eyes were opened to the lengths sufferers will go to - the lies, the tears, the shadow that falls on all family members.
The Food Of Love was a gut wrenching read. It was a powerful read. The topic is not an easy one but it was sensitively covered by Amanda Prowse.
Thank you Amanda Prowse for your heart wrenching tale of a family in crisis. I 'felt' the love. I 'felt' the pain. And I 'felt' the overwhelming love. I can highly recommend The Food Of Love but you will need tissues.
I received this book for free. A favourable review was not required and all views expressed are my own.

I am a relative newbie to Amanda Prowse and her work, but wow, wow, wow! This woman sure knows how to write a powerful book about hard hitting subjects that affect many people every day. The theme of The Food of Love the still much misunderstood and hidden taboo of anorexia.

What did I love most about this book? The way that the author has bought to life an illness that for many families is all too real, and something they live with everyday. She has done it in a way that is sensitive, moving and for me very educational and thought provoking. I don’t mind saying that this book gripped me in a way that not many others have. I found it very very hard to walk away from and really didn’t know right up until the very last chapter how it would end.

Being a voyeur I gained an insight into eating disorders in a way that I hadn’t really considered in the past. The helplessness and despair that the family felt jumped off the page and I could also feel those emotions manifesting in me.

I loved (it feels wrong to say love, but you know what I mean hopefully) the way that as a reader we can see not only how it affects the person with the problem, but also the impact on the family, particularly Freya, Lexi’s Mum. That sense of frustration, despair, helplessness and anger were all encompassing for me. So wonderfully put on to paper but bought to life, more than just words on a page.

I have been fortunate that I have never really known a person who has an eating disorder, and whilst thinking I could have some understanding it was only after reading this book that I encountered someone with a severe eating disorder. I was sitting in a coffee shop the other day and there was someone sitting opposite me who was incredibly anxious, and very obviously very underweight. To sit there watching them obsessed with watching others eat and drink whilst constantly checking that their own stomach was perfectly concave bought me back to this book and bought tears to my eyes. To eventually see the person stand up and be able to proudly pull their stomach in to almost meet their spine was chilling.

The book is a story of family, love and I am sure it will be one that as a reader you will be absorbed in and deeply moved by. It is certainly a book that will always stay with me.

Amanda writes books that are beautiful and I cannot recommend them enough. Her writing is down to earth, realistic, and her ability to develop characters that touch your heart, and have you reaching for tissues. Her books will definitely have you riding an emotional rollercaster. I am off to purchase all her back catalogue!

Amanda Prowse has done it yet again. 'The Food of Love' is a brilliant and moving book that will resonate with so many people. With spot on characterisation and true to life situations, Amanda has written a story that will stay with me for a long time to come. Outstanding.

A moving, sometimes difficult to read (because of the subject matter) 5 stars. Highly recommended.

Good story, sensitive subject covered well but I found it a bit tedious and repetitive.

I couldn't put this book down, it really makes you think about mental health and eating disorders. I would highly recommend to everyone!

Just when I think I have read the best Amanda Prowse book ever, I pick up another and send the jury back out. Amanda Prowse has an unparalleled understanding of a multitude of potential personal situations and really gets to grips with human emotions. I didn't read any of the blurb before reading The Food of Love, and I guess I should have guessed by the title, but before picking it up I had no idea what this book was about. What I could guarantee was that I would be in for an emotional read, so with tissues at the ready I turned the first page.

Freya and Lockie seem to have it all. A longstanding marriage and two beautiful confident girls...or so it would appear on the outside. So when Freya is called to school about her youngest daughter, Lexi, she is astounded to be confronted by a concern about Lexi's weight. Her daughter is happy and healthy, how rude of the teachers to insinuate such a thing! The seed, however, has been sown and as Freya notices more about Lexi she sees what others can see...her daughter is dangerously thin. So the battle begins...

Amanda Prowse has done it again! Aside from the fact that she made me cry, which I have to say is pretty much a given, she has gone straight to the heart of the matter, ripped the heart out and laid it bare for all to see. I really don't know how she does it, to choose a challenge in someone's life and lay it out so explicitly and emotionally. Although it felt like the Sword of Damocles, and I almost dreaded the end of each chapter, I loved the way that each chapter ended with a countdown, and I didn't know what it was counting down to but whatever it was I was powerless to resist hurtling towards it at the speed of light.

The emotion and feelings in this book are oozing out of every page and at times I felt like my heart was fit to burst. I think for me, one of the most powerful messages in The Food of Love is that we often don't see what is right in front of our eyes, especially when it relates to our loved ones. I do believe that we actually see into each other's souls when we love someone so we don't see them fading before our eyes. It shocks me now to look at photos of my loved ones in the last months of their lives, as I really didn't see them looking as poorly as they do in the photos.

I urge you to read this book; if you love someone open your eyes and look at them outside as well as inside. I wish I could give more than 5 stars to give some idea of how amazing The Food of Love is but don't just take my word for it, read it for yourself (with a pack of tissues handy, of course).

I don't usually quote passages from a book, but one beautiful sentence stood out so much for me that I just had to share it here as a closing thought:

Beauty is on the inside, beauty is goodness and it is nothing to do with a number or a dress size or a shape.

Well said, Mrs. Prowse, well said indeed!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thoughtful/ emotional......loved it and recommended it to a friend struggling to understand her niece with an eating disorder.