I would like to disclaim that I have suffered from an eating disorder and have since recovered. My perspective of this is written as an Own Voices reviewer for eating disorders.
This book was one of the most beautiful contemporaries I have read in quite some time. Schwartz does a fantastic job as not sugar coating the mental illness. Additionally, it has good sapphic representation, not just alludes to it. The asexual representation surprised me, and the way it was described felt well thought out.
There is subtle anti-Semitic phrases in this book. The author is Jewish, and I am not, so I don’t feel it’s my place to say anything one way or the other about this. I do want to say that neither character is the most likeable, and that is entirely at the fault of their respective mental illnesses. Eating disorders tend to lean towards being manipulative as a form of self-protection.
The ways both girls went through the recovery system and their journeys was well written. Not all stories will end in recovery, and not all recovery stories are linear.
This book is not for everyone, as Eating Disorders are hard to read about. The people who experience them may frustrate you.
My full review will be posted on September 9th, 2021.

Before We Were Blue is a startling relatable story about two girls who meet in a eating disorder recovery unit. Shoshona is an all star cheerleader who believes her career is ruined, and Rowan is a snarky girl with a dark past.
The first thing in this book, before the story starts, is a content warning. I really appreciated this as it covers lots of dark topics, and most others wouldnt bother to include this.
The moment the first chapter began, I was invested. It’s written from the point of view of the two girls, and I loved seeing how they viewed things compared to each other. I did find Rowan’s POV a bit confusing at first because it’s letters to Shoshona that she’s writing, but after a bit I figured it out.
Shoshona made me feel seen. I found myself constantly thinking, “Wow, she put how I feel into words”. It was the first time I’d ever felt truly seen, and it was painfully real.
Throughout the first good bit of the story, Rowan is quite manipulative towards Shoshona. While I completely understand why this was included, and it was later explained, I almost felt invalidated at times because of things Rowan would say.
What makes the characters so relatable is that they’re far from perfect. You see all of their flaws, and it makes you realize that it’s okay to be flawed.
I went into this book with low expectations, thinking it would be another one of those generic stories about mental health. I finished it with a new outlook on life, and a feeling of validity that’s stuck with me sense. I can’t recommend this book enough, it’s everything you could want and more.
Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3958533214

💫 Book Review 💫 ⁣
𝐁𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝗪𝐞 𝗪𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐁𝐥𝐮𝐞 by 𝘌.𝘑 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘻⁣
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Was looking through my NG and decided to sneak in a future release as I’m (𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵) on top of my TBR. I wanted another debut author book to share and I found it in “blue”.⁣
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𝘉𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬, 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳 ⚠️ 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬, 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘹 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘪𝘯.⁣
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This book may begin as triggering as you expect, as you follow Shoshana and Rowan’s dual POV while in a clinic for an eating disorder. Shoshana comes from a Jewish close-knit family who found reality tv fame for cheerleader but buckled under the pressure of other people’ expectations. Rowan is there with her own dark secrets. Pain & trauma as a young girl with very little support from her mother. ⁣
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The two girls couldn’t be more different. But beneath their stories is a magnetic pull to each other that helps unravel their true voices. ⁣
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I cannot believe that this is a debut book. The complexity of both girls’ personalities was thoughtful and raw without being cliché. ⁣
Personal growth within the pages with the clear goal but it was done is such a realistic way that a reader could sympathize with both young girls. ⁣
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I highly recommend this one. You can preorder it now but it’s due to come out September 14, 2021. I’m positive you’re going to see it all over Bookstagram this summer. ⁣
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𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘪𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘎𝘪𝘳𝘭, 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘢 𝘑𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘰𝘯𝘢 𝘙𝘺𝘥𝘦𝘳. 𝘑𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 @𝘦𝘫𝘴𝘤𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘻 𝘢𝘯𝘥 @𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘹𝘱𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸 ⁣

Before We Were Blue is a novel about two girls struggling through eating-disorder discovery. And initially, I thought this was all the book was going to be about, and that would have been fine. But the author made the book so much better by including other problems in the lives of the two girls and not giving them an easy, clear-cut solution to pretty much anything. It made the characters and the story feel much more real. I get that some people might find that a little bit unsatisfying, but in my opinion, it just makes the book so much better.
I also loved to see the way the characters change over the course of the book and over the course of their recovery and how their relationship changes while they are trying to get better.
Overall, the book was beautifully written and did make me quite sad in some parts. It’s definitely worth reading because it deals with the topic of eating disorders and what can cause them in a manner sensitive manner while not sugar-coating anything
(On that note, I also really appreciated that there was content and trigger warning at the beginning of the book.)

Before We Were Blue is the story of Rowan and Shoshana's friendship during their stay in a treatment for eating disorders, While they dream of escaping, we slowly learn about the pressures and trauma Rowan and Shoshana live with, and how it has affected their daily decisions. This book was hard to put down, and you will find yourself rooting for the girls to not only recover, but to discover who they really are. I hope to have this novel on my classroom shelf in the future.

Thank you to #NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #BeforeWeWereBlue

All i knew going in was this was gonna be about teens and eating disorders. I wasn't expecting to actually like it more than i thought i did. I was expecting something okay vut this book thre a punch and i was overwhelmed my grief. I definitely would recomment this to all teenagers who are having a hard time.

This book is super hard for me to rate. I wouldn't say that I enjoyed it, because it isn't something I'd reread for fun. Instead, it really made me think. I feel like it was exceptionally well written, and did what it set out to do in a sensitive manner.

I've seen it discussed in most of the other reviews, so I'll add onto it here. Rowan isnt a likeable protagonist. She's manipulative, unwilling to heal, and cruel. This is what made me appreciate her as a character though. Her arc was done extremely well, and I grew to enjoy her chapters more than Shoshona's by the end.

Out of the two, Shoshona was definitely the more likeable. I looked forward to her chapters for the first 80% but by the end, I was looking forward to Rowan's. Her characters was also written well, and she felt completely different from Rowan.

I also loved how the girls' healing journey was written. Neither one of them went through a magical awakening where they were just better. They each had to decide for themselves whether they wanted to make the choice to get better. This was something you don't see often, and I loved it for that. I also loved that their relationship wasn't the focal point of the story. They placed their own healing above their friendship, which I appreciated so much.

This is a very unique book, and a challenging read. It dealt with very difficult topics, and although they were written well, it was still hard to read at times. I don't see myself rereading this, but it'll definitely stick in my head.

Thanks to E.J. Schwartz and Netgalley for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

I REALLY liked the portrayal of eating disorders in this book. It wasn't romanticized/idealized at all, as authors often do, and it was handled in a really realistic, respectful way. The main characters were super unlikable to me, which brought the quality of the book down. I love to hate on main characters, but this book just didn't make it fun for me to hate them.

Overall, the quality of the book was good, and I thought the writing style was super great for the story being told. But the quality of the main characters unfortunately did bring it down for me.

I actually really struggled with this book, I found both of the characters really unlikeable to the point that I was rolling my eyes every few minutes.
However, I think the journey that they go through as the story plays out was well written and the subtle changes were done well, so that’s redeemed it up to 3 stars!
At first I found myself wanting to know more about the other characters, but really I think that it reflects well how they didn’t really matter to Rowan or Shoshana.

I struggled a little with this one, I don’t think it’s because of the book itself it’s because I didn’t really care for either of the main characters. I do think the author was trying to portray was an important one though, and they did a good job of not glamorising the eating disorders within the book.
T.W - eating disorders, sexual assault, suicide

Reading about eating disorder treatments was interesting. I loved how the characters developed throughout the book. The ending shocked me for sure. I enjoyed this book. I liked the fact that I could relate to the characters.

Shoshana and Rowan meet at a treatment center for eating disorders. Told in both of their voices, this novel explores the deep core at the root of all types of eating disorders. I have read other fictional works about eating disorders and treatment programs and Before We Were Blue is by far the best. Shoshana is striving for perfection as an athlete and Rowan is following the example set for her. Both girls have powerful moments of insight into their disease and powerful moments of deep depression in conjunction with their disease. The ultimate question for both girls is what is more important: the relationship with the other girl or their recovery. I look forward to reading any book by E. J. Schwartz.

Trigger warnings: eating disorders and mention of suicide and sexual assault

This book felt so real. The issues mentioned in the book weren’t romanticised like they so often are in novels of this nature.

The character development of both main characters was so well written and I feel like that was such an integral part to the story.

Book is out on the 14th September

I received a copy of the e-book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

There is no glamour to eating disorders in this book. Just straight hard points to what occurs to someone who is living with an eating disorder. Shows two different perspectives, of two completely different girls and how what they have gone through, brought them together at RR. Don't go into this book lightly, it is hard hitting and will open your eyes to something you may not know much about.

6,50 on CAWPILE

Tw / eating disorder, sexual abuse

The publisher kindly provided me with an arc through netgalley.

I find this hard to rate because I did enjoy it but also not. I liked the writing style it was very straightforward and I enjoyed that. I didn't like the characters but I also think that was the point of this story. I did like the development Rowan went through in this story, that was good to see and by the end of the book I was rooting for her. All in all a good debut novel and I will tune in for the future books of this author.

Hello and welcome to That Introvert Reader! About a week ago, I was lucky enough to receive a free electronic ARC of Before We Were Blue by E. J. Schwartz (I just got another one approved, I think I'm going to have to start posting more frequently to get through these).



I absolutely loved this book and wow I wanted to cry at points.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read and review this.

Before we begin, this review and this book contains mention of eating disorders, suicidal thoughts, and sexual assault. Please keep this in mind as I don't wish to trigger anyone.

Before We Were Blue promises you this:

Get healthy on their own—or stay sick together?

At Recovery and Relief, a treatment center for girls with eating disorders, the first thing Shoshana Winnick does is attach herself to vibrant but troubled Rowan Parish. Shoshana—a cheerleader on a hit reality TV show—was admitted for starving herself to ensure her growth spurt didn’t ruin her infamous tumbling skills. Rowan, on the other hand, has known anorexia her entire life, thanks to her mother’s “chew and spit” guidance. Through the drudgery and drama of treatment life, Shoshana and Rowan develop a fierce intimacy—and for Rowan, a budding infatuation, that neither girl expects.

As “Gray Girls,” patients in the center’s Gray plan, Shoshana and Rowan are constantly under the nurses’ watchful eyes. They dream of being Blue, when they will enjoy more freedom and the knowledge that their days at the center are numbered. But going home means separating and returning to all the challenges they left behind. The closer Shoshana and Rowan become, the more they cling to each other—and their destructive patterns. Ultimately, the girls will have to choose: their recovery or their relationship.

Yes, I can hear the Raven Cycle fans screaming at the name Rowan Parish from here. Please be quiet, I've got a sore throat and a headache.

As the synopsis above mentions, Rowan and Shoshana are both struggling with recovering from eating disorders at Recover and Relief. On the Gray (I'm sorry but why the American spelling it's k i l l i n g me) treatment plan, they are constantly watched by nurses. Rowan and Shoshana blossom into a friendship, which soon grows into something deeper, and potentially more romantic.

But staying together would mean staying together, in Recovery and Relief. Not leaving Recovery and Relief. Recovery would mean leaving this life- and each other.

Exploring their pasts, and what it means for them in the present, Rowen and Shoshana must work out what getting better means for them and their relationship.

This book also contained Jewish and grey-ace rep.

BEFORE WE WERE BLUE GOT FIVE STARS AND I LOVED IT SO SO MUCH! IT'S GOING TO BE OUT ON SEPTEMBER 14TH 2021 FOR ANYONE WHO IS INTERESTED IN PURCHASING IT!

Thank you for reading this blog post! I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope you will too.

https://thatintrovertreader.blogspot.com/2021/03/before-we-were-blue-spoiler-free-review.html

Actual rating 3.5 stars

This is by no means an easy read. Told as a dual narrative by Shoshana and Rowan, two teenagers in a treatment center for girls with eating disorders, this emotional and gripping story focuses on what it means to live with an eating disorder in modern times.

Shoshana is a star cheerleader who is a part of a reality show. A breakdown lead her to the facility, but her issues are much more wide-reaching than that. From a borderline abusive coach to social isolation to a dysfunctional family, it is impossible not to feel for her. A lot of the scenes made me angry and feel secondhand anxiety. Rowan on the other hand also has a dysfunctional family and was raped a year before the story begins. She is an abrasive and challenging personality, so much so that it made it difficult for me to empathize with her. Her and Shoshana’s relationship was a mix of genuine and honesty toxic. Their co-dependency went beyond anything healthy for about half of the book. I most appreciated the insight into the day-to-day life at the center, the side characters, and the complexity of the issues depicted. The cheerleading details and some interpersonal relationships weren’t really for me. However, having a queer and an asexual main character was amazing!

A review will be published on April 1, 2021 on http://congressionalreport.news.blog

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this complimentary book for me to review.
Told in two points of view we have Rowan and Shoshana.
Shoshana, cast member of a reality cheerleading competition and Rowan both meet in a facility for people with eating disorders where they must choose to recover. Shoshana has an overbearing mother and Rowan seems to be the complete opposite, as they say opposites attract and these girls end up creating some sort of twisted teenage companionship.

This book took me a while to get into. I also don't want to say I enjoyed it, because it was dark, with a dysfunctional friendship, eating disorders, suicide, and other triggers. Yet it was compelling, and I found myself rooting for the girls and wanting to know what happened next., At the same time, I just wanted to shake them and say " Really - you think this is a good idea?"

I thought the author gave valuable insight into eating disorders, and what can cause them, and what someone feels who is going through it.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review. This story has stayed with me for days after I read it.

Before We Were Blue by E.J. Schwartz is the story of the powerful and at times dysfunctional friendship between two girls at a recovery centre for teens with an eating disorder. Rowan and Shoshana are very different but both are struggling with anorexia and have come to rely on each other , something than threatens to sabotage both their chances of recovery. Shoshana developed her disorder in an attempt to stunt a growth spurt that she is worried might cost her her place on an elite cheer team , and the reality show that features them. Rowan seems to have inherited her body image issues from her mother, who taught her the "chew and spit" technique before she even hit puberty, and she has been in and out of treatment facilities for years.
This is not an easy book to read, it tackles numerous difficult and sensitive subjects, as well as the obvious eating disorders, the author also includes sexual assault and suicide. I appreciated the inclusion of trigger warnings for these at the start of the book. I thought the description of living with an eating disorder was very well handled, and was impressed with how carefully the author avoided including specific weights etc so as not to provide information or inspiration for readers who might be struggling with a similar issue.
While the character of Shoshana felt quite relatable and easy to empathize with , I struggled much more with Rowan. However I thought having her point of view chapters written like a letter to Shoshanna was very effective in terms of giving an insight into her thought process and I really did warm to her more as the book went on. I also thought the ending was very apt for the book as a whole.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.