I had to stop reading at the 75% mark. The structure wasn’t for me, nor were the characters. I felt the eating disorders were believable, but there was nothing to like about the characters. If I can’t root for someone, then I’m simply not invested.

My intention was to just read the first page of this book to get a feel for it and by the next day had read the entire book.. I was pulled into the story of Lilly and Rose within the first paragraph where Rose is describing anorexia as a dinosaur with admirable qualities. And then I read and waited, waited and read expecting for that description to turn to disgust somewhere within the story. And then waited some more.
Any woman, even one who has found acceptance or better yet, appreciation of her body would be hard pressed to not identify with Rose at some point in this story. Whether it is trying to measure up in middle school, trying fad diets as a teen group activity, learning the control that comes with counting calories and/or depriving oneself of calories or the lack of control with overeating or the discovery that all of it matters more than any of us want it to matter when it shouldn't matter at all. But the true gift of this story is that it's not really a story about eating disorders as much as it a story about the complexity of being a woman and relationships told through disordered eating. Food or lack of is only a distraction from what lies underneath. Lilly's relationships, Rose's sexuality, the loss of both parents (to both physical and emotional abandonment) and the complexity of their relationship with each other as twins who are so enmeshed that the only way they can seemingly find their own identity is through self-abuse. Both twins seem to share a real fear of being more amazing than the other and choose to dull the vividness of sobriety through addictive behaviors that stop them from fully engaging in their own lives; their codependency not allowing either to be free out fear that the opposite of enmeshment is disengagement and neither willing to take the first step to disprove it.
"She pinched until she bled, until she cried out,
until she wept; she hurt herself just to let me taste—"
This story was heart-breaking and raw. It was agonizing to be a witness to Rose's willingness to hide and protect that part of her that is so very different from Lilly; her sexuality. And the abuse that Lilly endures to protect Rose from her own trials is not pretty. It's as though they both made a choice to spend their late teens one-upping each other on who is hurting the most until eventually the intensity can't be maintained and each comes to their own conclusion that "there is nothing redeeming about playing the victim" Gah, I freaking loved this book. Kudos to the author for an amazing story and beautiful writing. Thank you for taking care to thread in pieces of Rose by wrapping up the emotional rides by ending chapters with a nice little related fact. Thank you for a powerful piece of work that I suspect will be too raw and too poignant for some but only because in ways it is everyone's story and not everyone will be ready for it.

I majored in psychology and really appreciated this meditation on body image and food deprivation. I have always been fascinated with the psychology of eating disorders and this book explores two twins struggling with anorexia. We are given a deep, intense look into the mind's of two twin girls suffering from this horrific disease. It was a very interesting read. I am always on the lookout for books that will stretch both my knowledge and insight. This book achieved both objectives while also being engaging and engrossing. Highly recommended for those interested in psychology.

A strong debut told in the voices of two sisters.Covers many emotional moments eating difficulties sexual identity.Hearing their intimate thoughts their life difficulties makes this a compelling read and this is an author to follow. #netgalley#harpercollins

Thin Girls was an interesting read. I like the plot and the two different sisters. Diana Clarke did a great job at capturing the voices of both characters.

Diana Clarke's "Thin Girls" explores a complex relationship between twin sisters as well as the communities they find to support their disordered eating.

Rose, our narrator, gives us glimpses into the twins' past, showing us how their connection evolved (as well as how Rose's anorexia developed) throughout their young lives.

This book is heartbreaking and, eventually, hopeful. It's a compelling story made even better by beautiful writing and deeply developed relationships. This is much more than a book about eating disorders, it explores women and the communities we seek (supportive and otherwise) and how society supports and ignores us.

I look forward to reading more from this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. Not only do we have the story of Lily and Rose, twins, but we also have Rose’s thoughts and tangents. There’s so much going on that I couldn’t put it down! The ending was a little abrupt, but otherwise the story was perfect.