I liked it! I could relate with Mindy's character but the story was all in all kinda underwhelming for me.

I would highly recommend this graphic novel! It was a really emotional story about a girl who eats as a coping mechanism and is bulimic as well. It was really heartbreaking to read at times and to see her struggling. She buys a chocolate bar where every time she eats a square of chocolate she experiences a significant moment from her past. I thought this was very inspiring because as she eats more squares she slowly gains the strength and courage to beat her eating disorder and mental struggles and starts to heal. I thought the ending was a really inspiring and pivotal moment for her (you'll get it when you read the ending no spoilers here). Overall a really great read!

Wow this was beautiful!
To be honest, I think I never read a book or a graphic novel about body dysmorphia. I don't know if it's because of the lack of books or because of the lack of awareness for eating disorders. Because of this, for me relatively new topic, the novel was brilliant and I loved every page! The idea of it is so innovative and cool and I'm just impressed!
I loved the artwork, too and overall I really can recommend this! Everyone will enjoy the novel!

I wanted to love this graphic novel, but ultimately, I did not. It wasn't bad, it was just okay. The artwork wasn't a style that I enjoyed and while the message was ultimately good, the delivery of it ultimately fell flat for me.

Eat, and Love Yourself really hit my emotions. As a young woman, living in today’s society, I could connect with this story so much. Self love is one of the hardest things to achieve and I found this book inspiring.

*thank you Netgally and the author for the free review copy, all thoughts are completely my own*

TW: bulimia, body dysmorphia, binge eating, bullying, depression

This comic is much more than it seems. I didn't expect it to be so deep! A lot of topics are covered including bulimia, bullying, depression, binge eating and body dysmorphia.

The main heroine eats a candy bar that causes some bizarre flashbacks. A lot of the scenes are heartbreaking but everything was covered respectfully and tastefully. I would highly recommend this one.

*it's a quick impactful read*

4.5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, this was such an impactful and thought provoking story about a young women with an eating disorder. The illustrations were amazing and the discussions and character development in this was just.. amazing. I truly enjoyed to see Mindy's character evolve to be able to stand up for herself and that it is okay to be you. I was so moved by the story and even tho I can't connect to Mindy, I do think that the representation is about right (by have reading some other reviews). I felt connected to her from the first page and she felt so real. It is so important to be true to yourself, but it is also of most importance that you have people around you that accepted you for who you are, and not your looks.

Part of this is my fault because I wasn't really paying attention and didn't realize this was a graphic novel until I opened it.

I appreciate the attempt to address eating disorders, but I feel like the book focused more on the negative aspects and didn't really address body dysmorphia in a helpful way. I do think the story suffered a bit because of the format. I do not pretend to be artistic at all, so props to Boo for making this. I'm guessing, though, that the art is what took the most time in making this book. As a result, the actual story felt rushed and a bit disjointed at times. It was hard to connect emotionally and felt like it was lacking some depth. Because of the book's length, I don't think its subject really got the time and space it needed to address some of the complexities of eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

Mindy's relationships with her parents and best friend feel almost toxic. Because these complicated relationships aren't fully fleshed out, the attempts to "resolve" the conflict seem out of place and are at odds with what's been presented for most of the book. The romance thrown in at the end seems kind of out-of-place. There was no real character development or growth which made the relatively open ending especially weak

4.25 Stars
(I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for a review)

*Trigger Warning for body dysmorphia*
This story is extremely important for young women and at the same time very heart breaking yet relevant to a lot of people. Mindy is such a cute and lovely young woman who has been struggling with her weight and body image. She tends to avoid eating in public but then will binge eat to the point of vomiting. When buying snacks she sees a chocolate bar with body positive phrases and she is curious enough to pick up one. Eating a piece of the bar throws her back into flashbacks regarding her struggle with being a fat girl (essentially relieving her past trauma). The ending of the story is sweet and also inspiring, I wonder if there is going to be more in this story line in future graphic novels. Finally, the art style is one my favourites that I have seen in a contemporary themed graphic novel with purple, pink and blue highlights. It was a little bit bubbly and has some elements of a manga style of illustrations.

I don't even know how to put into words just how much this graphic novel meant to me. A story about eating disorders and body dysmorphia, two things I can relate far too well to, written so thoughtfully by someone who has lived it and understands it — all of that, combined with an absolutely beautiful art style and color palette, and a sweet, hopeful storyline — I can't say enough how much I adored this. I was an absolute sobbing wreck by the end because I felt so damn seen and I didn't know how much I needed this soft little reminder to love myself.

Graphic novels can give readers a view into many things, but I never expected to read Eat, And Love Yourself and feel so seen. Within the pages of the latest book from BOOM! Box, the readers meet a young woman named Mindy. Fighting through her day-to-day life, doing her best to have a good work/life balance, while also dealing with an eating order that not many know about.

After a night out with friends, Mindy stops at the store to pick up some groceries upon finding her fridge empty. During her visit, Mindy sees a chocolate bar with its label emblazoned boldy with the phrase, ‘Eat and Love Yourself’. Upon hearing that the chocolate was from a local business, Mindy is quick to support, adding the bar to the small pile of other items atop the checkout counter. Upon returning home and getting herself a bunch of snacks to eat, including the chocolate. However, what Mindy doesn’t know is that with every piece of chocolate, she’d be transported to her past where she relives the past – including moments that defined her.

During these moments, we see just when Mindy’s eating disorder and body dysmorphia came into being and how it played its part is defining her and various relationships with her family, friends and love interests over her formative years. Dealing with the ups and downs of the past, coupled with dealing with her current issues in the present, is a lot for anyone to handle – and Mindy is no different. Mindy takes time away from her best friend after an argument, when she is close to making new friends, she pushes them away, she isn’t herself at work and she struggles to get things back on track. So, with both the past and present interconnecting in this strange way, Mindy knows she may have to do something drastic to put all the pieces back together.

Ultimately, all of these happenings set off a chain of events that bring Mindy on a journey to loving herself again and while there are moments throughout the graphic novel that will likely leave the reader teary eyed, there are also many moments of levity so that you’re not left as a blubbering mess for the entire read. Author and artist Sweeney Boo (Marvel Action: Captain Marvel) tackles the topic of an eating disorder with a care and delicacy that was truly a treat to read. The way in which Boo made sure to show that Mindy gained a new mindset with each new time travel into the past was amazing. There was a progression that was heartening to watch and as a reader, I was certainly rooting for Mindy from the first page.

Eat, And Love Yourself was a graphic novel that worked on so many levels. While there was a sadness and vulnerability that could be felt throughout which was utterly relatable, it is also a book that made me feel hopeful. A touching story that deals with harsh realities, Eat, And Love Yourself is worthy of a read for its message of loving oneself and finding the true power behind self-acceptance.

Eat, And Love Yourself is set to be released on April 21!

I was received an advanced copy of Eat, and Love Yourself from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review!

Mindy is having a hard time loving herself, so when she stumbles across an “Eat, and Love Yourself” chocolate bar with the ability to show formative moments from her past, she is naturally a bit disturbed. She’s been living with an eating disorder from a young age, and has constantly struggle with changing her habits and accepting who she is. When the chocolate bar takes her back through time, however, she begins to realize that her eating disorder has its roots in the way she was treated as a child. With the help of a little reflection on her past, Mindy just might learn the power of eating and loving herself at the same time.

You can get your copy of Eat, and Love Yourself on April 21st from BOOM! Box!

Sweeney Boo and Lilian Klepakowsky have created a heartfelt graphic novel that I will not soon forget in Eat, and Love Yourself. This book has a poignant and empathetic way of looking at eating disorders. It truly speaks to the idea that each person is made of the events of their past, and that we should love ourselves no matter what we’ve been through. I was also a big fan of the artistic style of the novel, especially the fashion choices made for the characters!

My Recommendation-
If you’ve been going through a tough time recently, and are needing a story about self-love and self-discovery, Eat, and Love Yourself would be a good pick for your next read! Also, if you are a fan of magical realism, this book has a time traveling chocolate bar, which is one of the most creative things I’ve read in a long time!

I thought that this book had a very interesting concept, but it didn't really connect with me in the way that it might for others. Our main character of Mindy is seen many times with what I would consider symptoms of an eating disorder. Trigger warning for bulimia and anorexia portrayals here.
In this book, Mindy purchases a chocolate bar that allows her to see memories from her past and see where her insecurities about her weight come from.
I am what I would consider a larger woman, but, thank the Maker, I have never experienced the issues that Mindy has. I liked this book well enough, but to me there was something missing. I do feel that others might connect to her more.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Let me start of saying I absolutely adored the art style of this! I'm not a huge reader of graphic novels but I do tend to enjoy them. I haven't read one with this subject matter before and it was really good. This is about Mindy who struggles with a eating disorder, mental illness and not knowing her self worth. It was very relatable for me on a personal level. I really felt for Mindy, she was very real to me and I really appreciated her journey in this story. The flashbacks were great at showing key moments in her life that shaped the person she became. I know it might sound redundant but the ending was very real as well and I really just wished I could reach in and hug Mindy! I would recommend this to anyone who wouldn't have issue with the content.

I loved the message, and the illustrations were amazing.

EAT, AND LOVE YOURSELF follows Mindy, who suffers from body dysmorphic disorder and who has been binging and purging since childhood to deal with life and the words of those who mean well but never get it right. She finds a chocolate bar called "Eat, and Love Yourself" at a corner store one night, and as she eats each square, she is transported back to past events in her life that have contributed to the way she feels about herself. What she sees allows her to face the conflicts she has never admitted to herself were conflicts...with her parents...with her best friend...

This book is about a girl who needs to break out of the devilish circle she trapped in. She buys a chocolate bar one night and then the travel begins.

I chose this book because of the cover but turns out the inside of it is just as beautiful! The art is amazing and I loved the story and the little fantasy element as well. The organisation of the panels were sometimes hard to read, I didn't always know which one is next. It was not a funny story, but it made me think about a lot of things and I felt sorry for Mindy. She hadn't got the support she deserved.

I truly loved this book and think it's an incredibly powerful and influential text for young women dealing with body dysmorphia and eating disorders. I particularly liked how it didn't tie all the loose ends together but presented a lovely, realistic ending.

This graphic novel had a good idea but it wasn't initiated very well. I found the art okay and the main character not very rounded. I did enjoy the content and the series topic of body dysmorphia but the execution was very poor. There just wasn't a lot to go from and I was kind of disappointed. Also the main character, Mindy, has bright blue hair when her parents have brown hair and it definitely took me out of the experience. It was just an okay graphic novel and I'm a bit disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boom! Box Paperbacks for providing me an e-arc of this graphic novel in exchange for an honest review.

The publish date is April, 21, 2020. I highly recommend picking this up based upon the artwork alone, as it is absolutely gorgeous.

Our main character, Mindy, in my opinion is 100% adorable from her long and thick blue hair to her oversized glasses and curvaceous figure. But, as we all know it isn’t often that we see our own true beauty as others see us. We are our own worst critic. “Because you’re not always the person you imagined you were . Sometimes you’re pretty far off the mark.”

After babysitting her 25 year old bestie that drank too much, they return home to find that her cat has run out of food. Mindy decides to go to the local convenience store and on her way out, the cashier talks her into an impulse buy of a bar of “Eat and Love Yourself” milk chocolate. But, what she soon finds out is that this is no ordinary candy. Every time that she takes a little bite of this sweet, she is thrown back into her tumultuous past, allowing her to see where these feelings of insecurity all began. Don’t worry—I won’t spoil the flashbacks for you, but I can warn you that they will hit close to home for most readers.

“ ...Sometimes you don’t feel like yourself. No matter where you are, no matter what you’re doing, no matter what clothes you have on, or what perfume you wear.” I have been a victim of thoughts such as these, and have always had my own struggle with food. For me, the two parts that hit me the hardest was “ Enough!” and the bathtub scene with the water just pounding down on Mindy. These are not spoilers—- you won’t know what I mean unless you’re the writer or have already read this title.

I also really appreciated that the scale never had a number on it, that is so important. Every person’s body is different and that number could set a reader’s mind into overdrive. The positive affirmations on the chocolate wrappers were also a great addition.

I gave this book 4 stars rather than 5 for a few reasons:

1) I wish that the portrayal of “ bingeing” was a bit stronger. The reader frequently sees the “ purge” part of an eating disorder with Mindy throwing up a multitude of times. However, as far as overindulging in food, we see Mindy eating some chips, chocolate or donuts here and there — but from my own experience and in writing many research papers for college on eating disorders — I would’ve liked to see a pile of multiple different foods all at once. A true binge, if you will, of most everything in your pantry all at once.

2) I don’t understand the need for the mailman to be in this story other than to add another character to the mix. Mindy never pursued him despite numerous advances. Unless this is going to be a series where he is featured more, I would recommend eliminating him. I just wasn’t too sure what part he really played in Mindy’s struggle. Maybe, the thought was just to show that guys were interested in her regardless of how negatively she felt about herself?

3) I wanted this to be longer.

I truly look forward to more from author, Sweeney Boo, in the future. I too have a love for cheese, crime and freelance writing. She is the epitome of everything I could want in an author ( or a friend for that matter, ha) and I will pick any and all of her work up.

*** Note: ( this will not be included in my shared review) my e-arc contained 7 blank black pages )- 54, 56, 74, 104, 130, 142, & 144.) I read this on Adobe Digital Editions if that helps.

Eat, and Love Yourself is about just that, learning to love your body when all the world tells us as girls and women is that our worth is equal to how skinny we are. Its the little things that we hear as children even from the people we love that can really cause issues later in life. I really loved the artstyle and colors involved in making this! I'll definitely be picking up a copy when this is released!