I'm seriously becoming a huge fan of Laurie Halse Anderson. Her last book that I read I flew through in one sitting, and the same was true about this book. As soon as I started reading Wintergirls one Sunday morning, I could not put it down until I had finished the entire thing. I rated this book 5 out of 5 stars, and I would recommend this to teens and young adults who are interested in novels about teens in real life struggling with real life issues.

Trigger Warning: This book deals with eating disorders in a first person manner. The thoughts and actions of the main character may be triggering to those struggling with eating disorders.

Information

Title: Wintergirls

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson

Summary: ""Dead girl walking”, the boys say in the halls.
"Tell us your secret”, the girls whisper, one toilet to another.
I am that girl.
I am the space between my thighs, daylight shining through.
I am the bones they want, wired on a porcelain frame.

Lia and Cassie are best friends, wintergirls frozen in matchstick bodies, competitors in a deadly contest to see who can be the skinniest. But what comes after size zero and size double-zero? When Cassie succumbs to the demons within, Lia feels she is being haunted by her friend’s restless spirit.

Laurie Halse Anderson explores Lia’s descent into the powerful vortex of anorexia, and her painful path toward recovery." (Goodreads)

Spoiler-free Review

Please note the trigger warning above before diving into this book. I really enjoyed this novel, and I think others will too, but I want to ensure that those who are reading this book are aware that there can be some very triggering material written in this book.

This book has been nominated for numerous awards, and I can see why. I love the way that Anderson writes, and I think that all of her books are easy to understand and quick to read. The thing that I loved most about this book though was the first person perspective into the life of someone truly experiencing a hard time in their life. I believe that Anderson did a phenomenal job portraying the struggles and thoughts of someone who is suffering from an eating disorder, a teen going through normal teen stuff, someone who lost a really close friend, and someone who is still trying to figure out life.

I flew through this book in one sitting. The description of each character, event, and setting within this novel was described at a level that was easy to quickly visualize and then move on to the real meat of the book quickly (unlike the last book that I read). However, if you are reading multiple reviews on this book you might see that there are a few people who complain about the depth of the book. I think that those people aren't realizing that this is written in the eyes of a teen--someone who might not have the capability to think in the depth-ful manner that those are wanting and someone who has a lot going on in their life that they barely have time to process their own feelings.

I would recommend this book to those interested in reading about eating disorders in a first person manner. It gives a detailed and thought provoking account of what it is like to be suffering with the negative thoughts associated with eating disorders. The writing style of Anderson lends itself well to young adult readers. I rated this book 5 stars because I fell in love with the characters and couldn't put the book down.