As a result of my various committee appointments and commitments I am unable to disclose my personal thoughts on this title at this time. Please see my star rating for a general overview of how I felt about this title. Additionally, you may check my GoodReads for additional information on what thoughts I’m able to share publicly. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read this and any other titles you are in charge of.

I really, really didn't like this book. The storyline made absolutely no sense and I had a hard time keeping up with the story. The message is good, but I'm sure the author could have told it in a million different ways. The translation was also not my favorite (it often felt like it had been done by an amateur or by Google Translate). The art style was okay, but it wouldn't have made me pick the book up in a store.

My Body in Pieces is an emotional memoir of a young woman’s ongoing struggle with body image, self esteem, and self love. First off, I want to thank the author for sharing everything in her memoir with the world. You are beautiful and courageous, and your story is alike to so many that will find themselves within your pages.

This story addresses self hate, bullying, emotional eating, societal expectations placed on young women, and parental influences of body shame passed down generation to generation with the message that pretending to look perfect was more important than to just love yourself the way you were.

The illustrations were beautifully detailed in graphite. There were a few images that were more blurry and my only critique on the art would be to add more detail to a few of the more blurry images. Most of them are absolutely stunning though! A truly talented artist!

I didn’t find much of an encouraging message from the author/illustrator to leave with the readers going through the same feelings of body image though. This memoir reveals the author has identified the influences shaping her own feelings around her self image and is making steps in her healing process, but I think this memoir’s purpose is to be cathartic for the author and relatable to the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley and Anansi Press / Groundwood Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 stars

Gorgeous & real, this reads like a love letter from the author to herself; unflinching & bold & daring to love.

[What I liked:]

•Magnificent art! Sometimes it’s almost photo realistic, but with this blurry softness to it.

•There is mainly one theme: body image & self esteem. It’s explored from several angles: childhood memories, family influences, pop culture messaging, etc. I appreciate the nuance & depth. It’s not an easy topic to be so honest about & go so deep into.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•I would have liked a bit more about her process of recovery, learning to love herself, etc. That part is so beautiful, and it’s the part I want to stick most in my mind.

•Sometimes the text is very small, a bit hard to read. I realize this is a stylistic choice, though.

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

My Body in Pieces is a memoir of Marie's journey to adulthood. This graphic novel shows her struggle with her body image, self hate and self esteem. It shows how much people's words can really tear you down when you already feel so low. It encases a beautiful friendship of a woman named Matilda, who helps Marie find the therapy she needs. The writing was well done and the book itself was a quick read.

3.5/5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley and House of Anansi Press Inc. / Groundwood Books for allowing me to read and review this book!

The graphics really spoke to me and I found myself relating to more and more of them as the story went on. The emphasis on the artwork really left a lot of the images up to interpretation which, im my opinion, makes it even stronger. I appreciated the story that was being told about body image and think a lot of people can relate. The author hit on a lot of specific things that I've struggled with growing up, so the thoughts of the main character really resonated with me. However, I think it would have been cool if at the end of the book, the MC started to love herself more and the images slowly turned to color, as if seeing herself from a different perspective for the first time.

A fragmented graphic novel done entirely in pencil illustrations. Some of the illustrations hit the uncanny valley for me. I liked the up-close ones of faces, but the full-body shots of people moving were a little off. I did like the story of learning to accept your body as it is. However, the narrative was too jarring for me to fully connect, and I felt that some of the emotional resonance was lost in translation. Would like to read the original French to see if I connect with it more that way.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

The art is gorgeous and so full of emotion. The story is relatable for so many people, but would have benefited from being drawn out more. The art makes the reader/viewer connect to the pain of the protagonist but we see very little of the work she does to free herself of so many of the negative thoughts tearing her down.

3.5 stars. The art style of this book was absolutely beautiful. There were some beautiful lines and as a girl who has struggle with weight/appearance my whole life, I really resinated with them. One of my favorites was where she talked about how she was invisible and how she doesn't have time to keep up with experiences because she has to be keeping up the tasks she needs to do to keep weight off. But, I did feel like the writing was a little all over the place and didn't convey any sort of storyline, which I could see how that could've been intentional, but it makes it a little complicated to understand the narrative. I did really enjoy it though and I'd love to pick up a hard copy to see the beautiful art on a page.

Thank you for providing this to me early.

The charcoal art was stunning and is one of my favorite styles of illustrations.

It’s always hard to rate a memoir, but I feel I must be honest. The writing seemed a bit all over the place, I didn’t feel as though it flowed well, story wise. There was some beautiful lines, however I was looking for something a bit deeper. I just felt like I was lacking something, and this is coming from a girl who struggled with weigh, was bullied, and still struggles with self-love. I was hoping to feel that connection and just didn’t get there.

This graphic memoir was too short to really build a story. I just felt like it was lacking substance. Although I did enjoy the drawing style of the illustrations. The story just didn't hold my interest even for such a short memoir.

Thank you to NetGalley and Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Groundwood Books for the Ebook ARC.
The book was emotional and a very real story that many people have gone through. The imagery and art were stunning and moving and were spoke louder than the words on the page. Great book.

Really beautifully drawn and quietly, thoughtfully told. This reminds me of a more adult version of Jane, the Fox and Me, which is a great thing. The story will be relatable to a lot of people, but it's the illustrations that make this book even more special.

This short graphic novel was definitely created with a lot of emotion and heart, but I felt it lacked the punch I needed to give it a higher rating. It could be because of the length that I never felt fully invested in the story. As someone who has dealt with the struggles present in this book, I found myself relating to many of the things Hébert wrote. However, I thought they were a little too surface level. I would have liked it if the graphic novel delves even further into the complicated mindsets of those of us who have had eating disorders/body dysmorphia. The art style also wasn’t my cup of tea. Overall, I don’t think this is a bad book, just didn’t do enough for me.

My Body in Pieces is an autobiographical graphic novel about the author's relationship with food and her body image. It is pretty intense from the start. In the first scene, Marie-Noelle Hebert is beating herself up for eating an entire bag of chips ("Fat! Fat! Fat!"), and later, a scene implies self harm (while the character says "I HATE ME I HATE ME I HATE ME"). In the short space (~100 pages) Hebert explores the factors that have shaped her self image. She was bullied at school and at home for her appearance, told she should lose weight, pluck her eyebrows, and wear different clothing. She was socially rewarded for losing weight--even if unhealthily doing so. From all around her, she was getting the message FAT=BAD. Hebert goes through therapy and talks about these issues with her friends and family, and ultimately, the book ends on a message of self-acceptance.

The illustrator perfectly captures the tone of the novel in the realistic, grey toned charcoal/pencil drawings. The book is worth checking out for the talent of the artist alone.

*I received an electronic ARC from Net Galley to review.*

This was such a unique and beautiful way of expressing an eating disorder and/or a distorted body image both looks and feels like. The images were so beautifully done that although the text wasn't distracting or bad by any means, I truly felt the message could have been conveyed through the artwork alone. I've honestly never read a graphic novel before, but I'm happy to report I thoroughly enjoyed my first one here. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this beautiful novel.

this short graphic memoir follows the artist's struggles with negative body image, disordered eating, and self hatred. it's only about 100 pages, and the story does feel a bit too brief, but it's candid and emotionally-charged. particularly interesting are hebert's examinations of her relationships and the origins of her body issues.

i love the charcoal art style. hebert's realistic and evocative facial expressions is especially impressive! so much emotion in the images.

Thank you to NetGalley and Groundwood Books / House of Anansi Press for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of My Body in Pieces in exchange for an honest review.

My Body in Pieces is more of a collection of snapshots than a story. We follow Marie-Noelle through beautiful narration as she develops and attempts to cope with severe self image issues. The art work is hyper realistic and absolutely stunning. I think this was very well done, but parts of it felt a bit disjointed or out of place because of the presentation style.

My Body in Pieces is a visually stunning graphic memoir about the author’s struggle with disordered eating and body image. The author discusses her development of a negative body image as a child, her relationship with food and exercise, the way those things affected relationships with friends and family, and her process of getting help and recovery. The artwork is amazing and the story felt honest and emotionally charged.

This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is a super quick read. At only 100 pages, it tells the author's struggle with body issues due to being an overweight child, teen and adult. These issues are all too real and ones that countless people have to deal with at, often times, very early ages. The negative consequences that can come out of low self-esteem and body shaming can be incredibly damaging, but the author provides some "light at the end of the tunnel" and some lessons that she learned through her experiences.

The issue is complex, but the book offers something to think about for everyone-no matter the size.