Sixteen-year-old Clara, daughter of a famous ballerina, is totally normal. Or so she thinks. But her mom’s unhealthy obsession with food—and never eating anything “unhealthy”, including carbs—has taken over Clara’s life as well, to the point where it’s all she thinks about. After a social media disaster, Clara decides to spend the summer in Paris, with her estranged father and her six-year-old brother, Alastair, who is on the autism spectrum.

Alastair and Clara explore Paris, and Clara starts to wonder about her obsession with food. A young French baker teaches her about love—both of food and the “first love” variety, but Clara still struggles with the idea. Will it take another disaster to get Clara to admit she has a problem?

On the Spectrum is a spot-on portrayal of the affect today’s social media obsession can have on people, from the Instagram-worthy pictures of thigh gaps, to staged food photos touting healthy lifestyles. Clara struggles with learning that her way of life is not healthy, and admitting she has a problem. (That’s the first step in recovery, right?) her mental battles are portrayed vividly and believable, until the reader wants to cast suspicious looks at a croissant right along with her. Clara grows so much in the book, and her struggles are truly heart-wrenching.
Jennifer Gold is both a lawyer and teacher, and has studied at York, McGill, and Harvard. On the Spectrum is her newest novel.(Galley provided by Second Story Press via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

Paris!!! One of my favourite cities so that was a highlight. I also loved Clara and Alistair especially, he seemed to be really well researched and written which I always appreciate. I'd recommend this for a quick read and for anyone who loves reading about Paris of course!

RATING: 2.5 STARS

I have to say that I had a complicated relationship with this book. My feelings while reading it went between me wanting to throw my phone into the wall, and crying like a baby.

This was my first book by Jennifer Gold, and while I liked her writing, I didn’t love it. I’m still not sure about the verbal tense that this book was written on, and while some descriptions were amazingly beautiful, the sentiments behind them were not, and that didn’t allow me to look at it with any positive feelings.

I know that was the goal, but still…

One of the main issues I had was with the main character, Clara. Full disclosure here, I never had an eating disorder, I never had any contact with one, so I have no clue if the representation of orthorexia is well done in this book. I thought Clara’s relationship with food was represented as complex, and even though it disturbed me, I understood how she wouldn’t be able to deal that well with some food. With that said, the several mentions to the “thigh gap” made me rage. And it was painful for me to actually read Clara’s reactions to food, and it kept me from enjoying some parts of the book.

My favorite part of this book was Alastair and his relationship with Clara. Again, I wouldn’t be able to tell you if the representation of Alastair is correct, but I’ve read a few reviews that say it is, and it somehow felt true to me. I loved the little boy, I loved his honesty and innocence. To me it seemed like Alastair has asperger syndrome, but that is never mention, and it’s only said that he’s on the autism spectrum, so I’m not sure. I loved how his relationship with Clara developed, and I wish the book had focused a lot more time on that part, because these 2 together were amazing.

That’s another issue I had here, the pacing was off. The first third of the book is spent in NY, with Clara, her mom, her issues, and OMG, I hated that. I understand the importance of outlining how unhealthy her relationship with her mom is at that point, but there was so much unnecessary drama. And the event that propels her to go to Paris? That was ridiculous!

Something else I wasn’t on board with? The romance… So, while in Paris, Clara gets to know Michel, and they develop a relationship, and he tries to “help” her with her issue. Michel is a baker, so he has a strong relationship with food, and I thought his idea of “helping” Clara was all wrong, but that’s just my take. What I definitly could not get was the age difference… Clara is supposed to be 16. Michel is 20! Just explain to me how that is okay? Four years difference is not that much in general, but it is at that age, the difference is maturity is enormous. I didn’t like it at all.

Also, what’s up with the stereotypical ideas of Europe? Guys, I’ve been living in Europe all my live, I’ve been to Paris a few times, and I always had showers. Yeah, we also have bathtubs, but with showerheards.

Moving on. Some things just felt unnecessary in this book. I felt like the romance had no place, I would have rather see Clara finding a true friend, opening up to someone else, developing a healthier relationship with food, than see her being propelled into it by a guy who even though he likes her, judges her all the same.

I hated the way that Clara treated both her parents. First she hardly knows her dad, and it’s mostly because she never gave him the time of day. And then she freezes her mother out. Again, I know the girl has issues, but I think some things should have been addressed.

Overall, it’s an important book because it deals with 2 very important themes: neurodiversity and eating disorders. I just felt like one half of that equation wasn’t dealt with in the best way possible. But again, I’m not the best person to judge representations here. I’m chubby, but I always had a very healthy relationship with food, so…

HAVE YOU GUYS READ THIS BOOK? WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON IT?

If I'm being honest.. I'm not sure if I'm the right person to properly review this book. It was quite ambitious by tackling so many issues such as (but not limited to these two), an eating disorder and people on the spectrum. I almost felt confused at times while reading?.. I wasn't sure if things were offensive or not? The one thing that I did enjoy in the story was the sibling relationship and how well that was developed. That was my favorite aspect of the book. I'd recommend doing more research than my review if you're interested in picking this one up! <3

This was such a pleasant, culturally diverse YA contemporary, really liked it! Paris as a backdrop for the story was perfect and was used wonderfully to enhance it. The characters were well-developed and written, diverse in terms of having mental health issues - I had never heard of orthorexia before this!

Also Alastair cutieee!!! The autism representation felt natural, Alastair was an adorable main character, fully fleshed out and really likeable. I appreciated his way of thinking, it made complete sense - no lies, no fakeness, just the blunt truth. Clara's eating disorder was also sensibly handled in my opinion and although admittedly the plot was a little cliché, but I believe that if written and executed well, even banal concepts can become likable, which is what happened in this case. Moreover, I loved the brother-sister relationship, it was beautifully portrayed and felt realistic.

My only issue with this book was the fact that it didn't seem polished enough, like it could still use some editing and re-writes. Also Clara's romance with Michel, although cute at times, got tiresome because of his commanding "I will help you" and constant attempts of forcing food at her. But at the same time, that made sense as well because of his character - as someone who cooks and what he saw his mother doing, he has a completely different relationship with food, thus, his actions weren't completely illogical. I'm conflicted.

Overall, this was definitely a light-hearted, charming read, which managed to plaster a smile on my face!

This book is delightful. Every character has realistic flaws, but they are dealt with and accepted and understood. Nothing is ignored in this book and I really appreciated that. I also enjoyed that it discussed some of the difficulties of having a child who is on the spectrum. There were a few moments where Clara observed that it must be hard to be a mom or dad of a child like Alastair, and I loved those little moments. If you enjoy books about self-discovery, you should pick up this book. While it deals with serious topics, it does it in such a light way that you just enjoy and learn from the whole experience. I look forward to reading more by Gold, and I really hope this isn’t the last we see of Clara and Alastair.

I went on holiday in August and given that On the Spectrum is set in Paris it made perfect sense to make this my first read. Clara has recently been diagnosed with orthorexia (not that she believes it) and following an incident on Twitter her parents suggest that it would be a good idea for her to spend the summer in Paris with her dad and his new family. Having to get used to looking after her half-brother Alastair who is on the autistic spectrum is one thing – surviving in a city renowned for its cuisine whilst developing a relationship with a baker is altogether a much harder predicament for someone with an unhealthy obsession with food. Reading the book whilst in the same city was lovely, although some of the location descriptions weren’t totally accurate. Alastair is a delight, although equally his portrayal of being a six-year old on the spectrum seemed a little off as well. All in all a pleasant enough summer read. Please be warned though if you have/are recovering from an eating disorder as this book could quite easily be triggering.

This book was so much more than I expected! Clara has an eating disorder. She eats very healthy, but very little, and exercises excessively. This is supported by her obsessive ballerina mother. After the school calls social services out of concern for Clara's health, she ends up being sent to spend the summer with her father and his new family in Paris. Not only does she not know her stepmother, but she also doesn't know her stepbrother, Alastair, who is on the autism spectrum. Alastair steals the book! His frankness and intelligence bring to the forefront Clara's condition. At one point he tells someone "she is on the eating disorder spectrum." Another time he tells her she isn't normal: "Normal people eat bread." Further emphasizing the problem is that she is in Paris and falling for a guy who makes pastries for a living. Through the book the reader follows Clara as she tries to determine her place in the world and questions her relationship with food an the people around her. This is a wonderful young adult book that reminds us that we are all human.

DNF at 30%

I was really excited to read this book because characters with mental disabilities is a topic rarely seen in YA. This is a topic that is close to home for me, and I found the main character to be very insensitive in regards to the way she spoke to her disabled brother. This was offensive to me and has affected my enjoyment of the novel. Unfortunately, this book is not for me.

The story starts with a memory of Clara at Halloween, when her mum (a famous ballerina) tells her she can only choose one sweet because otherwise she'll get fat, and then in the present day she is diagnosed with orthoxia. Estranged from her father who lives in Paris with a new family, her parents (and therapist) agree it would be a good idea if she spent her summer in Paris, and after a social media disaster - she agrees! She is very hesitant to spend so much time with her step-brother who is on the autistic spectrum, but after a summer of exploring Paris with Alistair, who can blame her for falling in love with the city, her brother, and perhaps a French garçon 😉

Clara is 16 has been conditioned into thinking that if she doesn't eat her healthy lunches of quinoa and kale, and stick to her exercise regime, she will fall into the pits of obesity. Unbeknownst to her, this is a type of eating disorder, called orthoxia. I don't usually like reading books about eating disorders and have to admit, I was a bit disappointed that this one slipped through the cracks; I assumed that "on the spectrum" referred solely to autism, when it refers to Clara's eating disorder as well. Although I haven't suffered with an eating disorder myself, so my opinion isn't really valuable, there was no romanticism of eating disorders in this book, there is no detail of her sewing weights into her dressing gown before being weighed or comparing herself to other women (apart from her mother, perhaps). Clara decides that she wants to be helped relatively early on, not in the beginning of the book by any stretch, but many books finish at a point where the mc decides they want help and this book went a little past that point, which was nice. Also! Clara has "Jewish roots" - wether she identifies as Jewish or not, I'm not sure. There's not much in terms of rep but they do visit a Jewish museum, which doesn't count at all I just thought I'd throw it in there.

I'm not exactly sure if I loved the book, or if it was Alastair I loved. 6 year old and on the autistic spectrum, he absolutely stole my heart. Although she was used to living on the opposite side of the world and had only met him once before, Clara grew into the big sister everyone deserves, most of all sweet, sweet Alastair. Intelligent and observant and with a love for baking, he just brightens up my day just at the thought of him! Once again, I'm not autistic or identify as being "on the spectrum," so I can't comment on the quality of the rep. He relies on his sense of smell to judge how he likes things, and has coping mechanisms such as weighted blankets and vests and ear phones to help him cope. He also, just can't fathom why Clara won't eat the croissant or drink the hot chocolate - his favourite. Also, he doesn't have many friends at school and is in fact bullied - but Clara helps him feel "cooler."

Michel! Being a Michelle myself, it was quite funny when Clara got the shock of her life expecting to meet a female baker named Michelle and instead meets an attractive male baker named Michel and he GOT TO ME - Michel's father is from Algeria, and I'm not sure about his mother, but he calls himself a black man, although his skin is lighter than his father and he is referred to as mixed-race. Curly haired, French accented, and in a white apron... what more could you want, really? He treats Clara like a prince out of a fairy tale, (thankfully, for my poor heart) is very foregoing with his feelings for her and takes her on a date to a fancy restaurant (always a plus). However, Michel is 20 and I genuinely can't decide - is this too big of an age difference? 4 years doesn't sound like a lot but something inside of my SCREAMS at a fully grown man with a 16 year old... 16 is so so young.

Voila - that sums it up really! Perhaps it's because I have my own love affair with the city of Paris, but having Clara and Alastair explore (sometimes with Michel in tow,) bake French goods with Michel, and it be relatable? Fantastique.

// Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this in exchange for an honest review //

"Did you just use ‘artisanal’ to refer to nachos?"

Actual rating 3.5

This was a beauty. Not only did it take place in Paris, but it handled heavy topics like autism and eating disorders. Add in some family drama, and this book is set to become a YA classic.

There were so many strong points of this story. I love how it explored Clara’s relationship with her ballerina mother and whether her mother’s own unhealthy eating choices are what led to Clara’s struggle with orthorexia or if Clara would have developed the problems on her own. It was a refreshing perspective.

I loved the relationship between Alistair, Clara’s autistic younger brother, and Clara. While everyone enjoys a good romance, I’ve always loved getting to read about platonic relationships in YA. There seems to never be enough of them. I was glad that at the end of the day that this book put more of a focus on Clara and Alistair’s relationship than on Clara and Michel’s (Clara’s adorable French love interest.)

Now don’t get me wrong; I adored getting that cutesy romance in there. Michel was precious, and getting a look at the very real racism problem in Europe was enlightening. Racism isn’t a problem that affects a single country, but a global issue. It was nice to have a European love interest who wasn’t blond and blue-eyed.

All in all, this was a solid read with a few segments that felt under-edited, but overall promising. This was a heartwarming novel, perfect for fans of contemporary YA with deep topics and a little international flare.

I was really excited to get my hands on “On the Spectrum”! I love the idea of a book that is dealing with both eating disorders and the autism spectrum. It’s great to bring awareness to these topics and open the dialogue in households and schools.

Having a personal experience with eating disorders, I was definitely disappointed with the way the main character's eating disorder is approached in this novel. With the understanding that this book with for youth, I still found the eating disorder issue was over simplified.

For example, the counsellor at Clara’s high school brought her into the office and asked her to eat a piece of chocolate. Because Clara refused, Clara’s mother was phoned and the counsellor labelled her an orthorexic. This will never occur in a school, not to mention a school counsellor would not have the credentials to deal or diagnose this. The constant conversation and obsession between the characters and Clara’s unwillingness to eat anything "unhealthy" is very repetitive and frustrating.

On the other hand, I really like the portrayal of the autism spectrum. Alastair is just six and has many quarks about him – from the clothes that he wears and the rituals her performs. He is completely loveable and the best part of this book. Both Clara’s developing relationship and Michel’s mentorlike relationship are heartwarming and endearing. Alastair is the true hero of this book!

I think this book is a good example to youth on being a role model, tolerant, compassionate and caring. It also touches on diversity, family, bullying and social media.

That being said, this book moved at a snail’s pace. Though I enjoyed the spectrum portion, I did not enjoy the orthorexia portion (to my surprise). Jennifer Gold had the right idea, I just don’t think that it was executed well. I’m disappointed to say I wouldn’t recommend this book to my family or friends, though I do hope we see more books on this vein pop up on the shelves.

There's one thing this book definitely is, highly readable. It was a very quick read for me and while not everything is perfect in it; some plot points are a bit contrived to set-up scenarios, I can't deny that I ate it up in two sittings without any thoughts of wanting to put it down. This is unusual for me with a contemporary teen book. Kudos to a Jennifer Gold and her writing style!

I loved our 'on the spectrum but not autistic' little guy Alastair. He said things I've heard from a little guy I used to babysit, who is autistic in real life. The perfect example was his comment about not having 'cold feet' when he was afraid to ride the Ferris Wheel at the last minute. Autism kids don't understand much that isn't literal. By far Alastair was the star of the book for me.

Our mail gal, Clara, has an eating disorder I'd not heard of before. And for this reason if nothing else this book deserves a spot on library shelves! Orthorexia, a disease where you're obsessed with counting calories, exercising and how 'healthy' food is. Very interesting. One criticism I have is is liked to better understand the difference between anorexia and orthorexia.

There are many moments in this book that many readers may connect with. For me it's when when Alastair says:
<I>"I'm on the autism spectrum, but I'm not autistic. You're on the eating disorder spectrum."</I>
This really struck me personally in regards to my own mental health. If you're not willing to accept you have a disease, in my case anxiety, that's okay but at least start to accept that you are 'on the spectrum'. A clever way to perhaps speak to those who don't quite see their predicament in a hard hitting way or can't accept any part of what is being said about them.

Lastly I'd like to give a copy of this book to all overprotective, my kid is special, parents. Our author, Jennifer Gold, really drives home the very real reality that you need to set your kids up for success. Don't baby them, don't buy them dumb looking shoes unless they absolutely medically need them. Superman backpacks and glow-in-the-dark running shoes are definitely going to make your child a less likely bullying target. If you want to help your kids with bullying situations a the first step can be to change the things that are easily changed. Ie: shoes, clothes, haircuts, etc. While we don't want to teach kids vanity and to try too hard to fit in; there is a balance here that is crucial for parents to find between 'my kid is picked on because he's uncool' and 'my kid is picked on because his clothes are uncool'. I have often wondered if I'd have a bit of an easier time in elementary school if I'd have had more than hand-me-downs for clothes.

Overall I think this book is well written as it's engaging, cute, funny at times and clever. But it's not five stars because of two major reasons:
1) Guidance Counsellors rarely call social services over eating disorders. Generally this action is reserved for physical abuse;
2) Real life can often seem to rain down awful events; but three major happenings in a 12 hour period seemed like a bit much. However I cannot deny that it made for a quick read that was concise and to the point. For me this trumps the plot probability issue.

I definitely look forward to more from Gold in the future.

I really liked this! My only issue with this book was the fact that it didn't seem polished enough, if you know what I mean. I did get an ARC of it, so maybe the official copies won't be like that, but I feel like an ARC shouldn't be like that either. The story is still fantastic and I loved the fact that it's about someone who has orthorexia and someone who is on the spectrum.

Powerful and engaging, this realistic YA deserves a place on your shelf! Authentic discussions on understanding what it means to be "on the spectrum" of any diagnosis. Readers will fall in love and empathize with the entire cast of characters.

I was sent an excerpt of this novel by the publisher, and I was hooked from the get-go! With a famous ballerina mother, Clara starts to exhibit symptoms of orthorexia. The writing style is really gripping, and I know this would be very popular in my library's YA section. Beautiful cover. Can't wait to read more!

As a mum to an Aspie I was totally biased when I selected this book to review about a teenage girl and her autistic brother. Imagine my surprise then, when the first few chapters are totally devoted to Clara and her famous ballerina mother and their respective eating disorders (orthorexia and anorexia) and Alasdair and his autism is barely mentioned!
Turns out the brother lives in Paris with Clara's father and his new wife, and it is only when Clara flees to France to escape a twitter scandal over the Summer break, does the book finally go where it promised.
There are a number of issues handled deftly by Gold in this book - bullying or social ostracism & pressure to conform to society's norm being the main themes running through it.
I didn't give this book 5 out of 5 because I felt Clara was just a teeny bit too perfect in her answers to her younger brother, in her arguments with her father's wife and with her mother's gay friend. I know some teenagers are that quick witted but she contradicted her words with her actions....not saying things to shield people's feelings (i.e. tact) and then she launches a full scale verbal attack on the adults around her.
Nevertheless, the story is great, moves very well and will engage teenage girls immediately. Clara is clever, vulnerable and funny and very like-able and her half brother is a perfect representation of a well loved and curious Aspie who wants to make sense of the world around him.
The bit characters are wonderful too, Clara's Mum and Dad and Mag the wife have flaws but genuinely think they are doing the right thing, Michele the boyfriend is great as all-knowing at some things and hopelessly naive at others ( the mistakes he makes on the date night at the fancy restaurant are excruciating to read) and the descriptions of Clara's school mates and teachers and all their foibles read exactly like your typical high school.
Highly recommended and don't forget your tissues for the end.👍👍👍

This was an interesting and intriguing young adult book that was both well written and utterly engaging.

Thank you very much for allowing me to read this title; I am trying to read as widely as possible ahead of the Carnegie/Greenaway nominations and awards for 2018 and your help is much appreciated.
As a Carnegie/Greenaway judge, I'm not allowed to comment about my opinions on specific titles so I can't offer an individual review on any title as I stated on my profile.