The first thing I noticed about this book was the bright pink, rather girly looking cover, with a plate at it’s centre, with a rather generous size piece of cake/cookie/bun. I also discovered it was categorised as a HiLo book, and I wanted to publicise some of these books on my blog. If you are not familiar with the term “Hi Lo Book” it is a book that offer highly interesting subject matter at a low reading level, therefore it encourages older children/adults into reading about a subject they may be interested in but perhaps they aren’t so good at reading. I say anything that encourages more people into reading is great. Usually the fact that the book has the “poetry” genre label would usually put me off, but, this year I decided to read more books that weren’t necessarily in my normal comfort zone of reading.

The main characters in this book are June, Toby and June’s sister Mae. June considers herself to be overweight, everyone thinks June is on some fad style diet, only she isn’t. June has an eating disorder where she will eat nothing at all, then perhaps see a tray of buns her older sister Mae has baked and she will sneak around and when no one is watching June will eat them all. After eating so much in such a short time June will then run to the bathroom or outside behind a certain hedge to be sick, therefore ridding herself of what she has just binged on. There is no in between with June, she is either eating nothing at all, or really bingeing until the point at which she is sick and ridding herself of what she has just eaten. It is during one of her trips down the garden to her favourite bush to be sick behind that she meets Toby. June is mortified this boy she doesn’t recognise has seen her being sick, he knows her secret. June settles her worrying by thinking she hasn’t seen this boy before so maybe he was just a visitor, what is the likelihood of her seeing hm again. Unfortunately for June, this boy, Toby has just moved in with his grandmother, Junes next door neighbour and will be attending the same school. June is really scared she’s convinced that Toby will say something so when he doesn’t, she is shocked.

I loved the characters of June and Mae, that they have each other’s back no matter what, even though they may not put it into words every day. The book unfolds a little bit like a diary or as if June is actually talking to the reader. June describes herself as a liar, but she only ever tells one lie and that’s when she says “I’m not hungry”. It’s sad that June feels like she has no one to confide in, or rather she feels like she hasn’t got anyone. When all the time her sister Mae is insecure about her weight and curves too. Though as the older sister has a tad more confidence and dresses very well for her individual body shape. When the two girls finally trust each other to open up to one another , they discover they are a formidable team.

I aren’t totally sure what I think of the character called Toby. Sure, he hasn’t had the easiest childhood but now he is living with his grandmother things are better. Though he knows about June’s issue with food and doesn’t call her out on it or ridicule her at school, I feel, in my opinion that he plays with her emotions and the fact she isn’t very confident.
Toby has two separate identities, the one he is when he is at home with his grandmother and wants to go on walks and hold June’s hand. Then there’s the Toby at school who is part of the popular gang, that girls crush over and he doesn’t even acknowledge June’s existence.

I was really annoyed with June & Mae’s mother when June admits to not eating her mother’s reaction is not to encourage her to eat but to almost pat her on the back and say she wished she had June’s will power to not eat anything!

The character I loved to hate was Erick. By the way, I seriously laughed out loud at the parts where he is referred to as Er..”ick” it really suited him! I despised the way he treats both his girlfriend Mae and her younger sister June. The cheek of him getting angry when Mae makes different cookies to the usual chocolate ones that he has been selling to his friends!! I found the homecoming dance scene amusing when for a change he is on the receiving end of the sarcasm rather than being the one dishing it out.

I won’t go into detail but there is a scene where June has to make a choice and I have to say I am so happy with the choice she made. A few days or weeks earlier she wouldn’t have been confident enough in herself to make the choice she did.

So, to sum up I found the way June’s eating disorder was described and talked about to be in a simple, realistic but very honest way. I think this book would make a great conversation starter within the right setting, giving a safe environment for females or males to start a discussion on their own eating habits.

I don't love books written in verse, and didn't realize that's what this was when I requested it. The story was good, it just felt like a missed opportunity to really explore it fully.

This book tells the story of what it is like to be overweight/obese. Yes, the story itself is fictional, but it's how thousands of people feel every day.
It is very easy to slip into an eating disorder; it takes hold of you before you even know what's going on, and when you finally realise, it's too late.
If you're anorexic, it's usually portrayed as glamorous and something to aspire to be; if you're bulimic or binge eat, you're gross, so you have to hide it. This book tells the story of just that.

The book is written in free verse. I would have liked it more had it been written as a novel, as the verse doesn't really flow. It is also difficult to get the writing right on kindle as I was never sure if my font was the wrong size or the paragraph/passage was supposed to end where it did.
It's a quick read, and as such it's an okay one. I would recommend this book to very young teens who are not familiar with the topics yet.

NetGalley and publishers have kindly provided me with an ARC. My views and opinions are my own.

3.75 stars.

"my dream isn't to be
anorexic.
but for people
like Lacey
to think i could be"

as someone who had an eating disorder in high school, i really appreciate this. through verse, June's story feels even more raw and painful to me. it's not a pretty read, but i think it's worth it.

It's very rare to read a book about eating disorders in fat girls and I totally dig it. I wish I could have read this book when I was a teen, fat, low self-esteem and struggling with an eating disorder that even know as an adult isn't taken seriously. It's so important to see yourself represented in a book.

I love how we see Junes progression from self-hatred for herself but love for her sister, and seeing June begin to accept her problems and understand that she doesn't need to be ashamed of who she is!

And written in verse?! even better.

I thoroughly enjoyed this title. It was a quick read, and I thought Quinn did an excellent job tackling the difficult topic of eating disorders, body image/perception, and abusive relationships.

Although some people may complain about this aspect, I really enjoyed the fact that there's a character who you completely loathe and then get to enjoy when they get what's coming to them. The ending is quite satisfying, and it leaves you with hope for the main character.

Some of the verse sections where June discusses her eating disorder are beautifully written and a great example of verse fiction. I'd definitely recommend this title to our teen patrons!

2.5 stars - As someone who has been ridiculed for their weight and suffered from a binge-eating disorder, I can attest to how real this story feels. It can be especially difficult to work through these disorders when the adults in your life are celebrating your unhealthy habits while telling you that your accomplishments aren't good enough. With that being said, I think that having this story written in verse really helps to showcase the uncontrollable and sporadic thoughts that come along with any mental illness.

Its always nice to see a part of yourself represented within a story. However the bullying that took place towards the end seemed a bit unrealistic and the same conclusion could've been achieved through confrontations with other prominent characters.

What really brought down my rating though was the lack of any resolution. If you're going to offer a story to young adults about eating disorders, you also need to include how to get help and demonstrate the recovery process. Sorry but dancing and saying you'll get help just doesn't cut it.

A pretty standard story about a girl who thinks she's fat and harbors a secret eating disorder from friends and family. There's a boy, who's a douchebag, and a sister, who's the only person our protagonist is close to, and more shitty people who act like total tools. I really love when stories are told in verse, so I appreciated that aspect - I read the book in less than a day. It didn't really delve into the depths of eating disorders or anything; this was a very surface look into young girls and eating disorders. Nothing particularly noteworthy, and not nearly long enough to develop sub-plots. I wish our protagonist had been less of a pushover because I really can't stand pushovers in my books, but overall the story was okay.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of “Not Hungry” by Kate Karyus Quinn.

Not Hungry is a book about a girl named June who struggles with an eating disorder. It’s not a happy book. There are multiple us and downs. It shows a love interest, but at the same time shows how the only thing June is worried about is eating. She is constantly worrying about how much she eats. Her life is over taken by this disorder in a way. Nobody really sees how much she’s struggling until a boy named Toby sees it. They become close friends and he’s the only one who truly knows. I enjoyed reading about June’s character growth and seeing how confident her and her sister, Mae, grew throughout the book. The only thing I didn’t like is how we didn’t get much of a backstory on June’s best friend Lacey or really much about Toby. There were details that made up the story but not as much as I liked. In all, it was a really good book and it showed that everyone has struggles and how June over came it!

Thank you to NetGalley and West 44 Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Not Hungry is a book written in verse about a girl called June who has an eating disorder. However, people haven’t realised this because June is considered to be ‘overweight’. This book is hard hitting, emotional and was not what I expected at all. This book tells a story, it shows how eating disorders can control your life and it is never too late to get help.

I think I would have much preferred to read this story as a novel rather then in verse as it was such a quick read. Mental illnesses are complex, and I honestly feel that writing about in verse doesn’t give you the whole picture of living with them, it feels rushed and not as informative as it needs to be.

I would be hesitant recommending this book because I feel like there is no information on how to get help, instead its main focus was the fat-shaming June suffered. However I am glad that more authors are broaching these subjects which at one time were considered considerably taboo.

This is one of a wave of several books coming out throughout this and next year told in verse.
The entire book is really short and can be read in under an hour but I would have read a full-fledged novel and been just as happy because this story was an absolute pleasure.
What stroke me the most while reading it was how honest each poem felt because June is not dealing with anything supernatural or amazing. She is fat and that is something that influences her every day of her life, just as it does for most of the readers.
The book deals with a lot of heavy themes such as eating disorder, body image, toxic masculinity, broken families, high school hierarchy, abusive relationships but my favorite concerned the female relationships.
Although June sees herself as undesirable because of her weight she considers her sister one of the best, most beautiful people in the world. It is through that and the support of her best friend that June is able to recognize that she needs to get better. It is through the women in her life and the support they lend her and she lends them that June is able not only to make a difference in their lives but be happier as well.
Netflix? I want an adaptation of this right now!
Thank you to NetGalley and West 44 Books for this ARC.

This was a very interesting read about a girl coping with anorexia. It was a comfortable paced read though the writing style was a little too simplistic for my tastes.

Thanks to Net Galley for providing me a copy in exchange of an honest review.

Not Hungry isn’t a pretty book. It isn’t a happy book. It’s a book filled with pain and struggles, about eating disorders and judgy people.

This novel is entirely written in verse, something I enjoyed a lot. It was very easy to read and I liked the authors choice of wording.

Trigger warning for eating disorders,as it gets pretty graphic.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of NOT HUNGRY by Kate Karyus Quinn in exchange for my honest review.***

1.5 STARS

Nobody realizes June has an eating disorder because she’s overweight.

Told in verse, June describes her experiences as a fat girl dieting and purging. NOT HUNGRY focused nearly entirely on the eating and body aspects of eating disorders and while some bullying and other underlying issues are shown, no connection is made to the disorder. I’m not sure if Quinn did research on eating disorders or if a complex story about mental illness doesn’t work well in verse, but either way I can’t see a reason to recommend to young readers.

I liked Quinn’s word building and would be interested in checking her out again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well-written and insightful look into what it’s like living with an eating disorder. I really felt for the main character and was satisfied watching her develop throughout the story. If anything, I wish the story would have been a little bit longer to give some more dimension to the side characters.

This was interesting and I loved it. It’s a poetry book, but with a story. It’s a quick read with a sad story. June feels fat and has a eating disorder and it’s about her feelings and trying to find herself and what she will and won’t tolerate.

4.5 stars.

This gorgeous little book is unlike anything I have ever read. I was very surprised when I realised it was poetry, though. It was so different from what I was expecting, but at the same time, I was pleasantly surprised. "Not Hungry" by Kate Kayrus Quinn holds so much impact; I felt like I had been punched in the gut with each verse. This book sheds light on the tragedy of June's eating disorder, but also so much more than that, too. Trigger warnings for eating disorders, fat shaming, manipulation and emotional abuse.

In a very short amount of words and pages, I was able to feel every single emotion I would have felt if this book weren't poetry, and perhaps a classic Y/A contemporary novel. It's powerful, brutal, brief, and gets to the point faster than you expect. I loved the characters that I was meant to love and despised the others.

Thank you to West 44 Books for providing an ARC via NetGallery, in exchange for an honest review.

Lie #1 - “I’m not hungry.”

June is hungry. All the time. When she’s not starving herself she’s bingeing and purging, but because she’s overweight no one realises she has an eating disorder. All they see is a fat girl on a diet.

“”The purging place,”
I call it.

Where I bury my shame.”

Lie #2 - “I’m fine.”

June isn’t fine. Neither is her sister, Mae, whose boyfriend treats her like garbage. Neither is Toby, who lives next door and has secrets of his own.

“Everyone has secrets.”

Lie #3 - “It’ll be okay.”

“Like most
lies,
it’s the
thing
we most wish
was true.”

This is a short book written in verse that introduces a variety of issues that many teens deal with, including eating disorders and fat shaming. The story flows well and it was easy to follow along with who everyone was and their relationships to one another.

The ending felt a bit rushed and too neat for me, but I still managed to get all of the answers I wanted. I didn’t become emotionally involved with any of the characters, but I thought the author did well to include all of the details they did with a limited word count. Even though I didn’t get attached to any specific character I could have quite happily strangled Mae’s boyfriend for her and I was certainly not a fan of Toby.

Content warnings include eating disorders, body shaming, dating violence and mentions of family violence and drug addiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and West 44 Books, an imprint of Enslow Publishing, for the opportunity to read this book. I love hi-lo books! Hi-Lo are high-interest, low-readability books and I love that I live in a world where these books exist. On their website, West 44 Books advises their young adult books are Reading Level: 3-4, Interest Level: 9-12.

4.5 stars
I was unsure how to rate this. On the one hand, I didn’t know that this was a poetry book before reading it, and I’m not a huge fan of that genre. But on the other hand, I think it was incredibly...good? Painful, but real. I also haven’t seen many books about eating disorders out there and it’s so important to talk about that topic.
Overall, I think people should read this book.

- ARC generously provided in exchange for an honest review. -

Wow! I flew through this book. I connected so much with June, even though I've never had an eating disorder. The way this is written, the realistic, beautiful poetry...it's all outstanding. I adored this book so much.