BEFORE WE WERE BLUE: 2.5 rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two girls (Rowan and Shoshana) are in a treatment center for eating disorder and develop a co-dependent relationship. It’s hard to describe this style of writing. Rowan is almost a bully even though she is so very damaged. Her chapters are written as if they are letters to Shoshana. Alternatively, Shoshana’s chapters are more traditional first person narrative.

I like it but it took me a REALLY long time to read it.

NOTE: I was provided an arc in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Netgalley and Flux!

Such a touching, hard to read, realistic book. I say it is hard to read because it perfectly describes the reality and hell that is an eating disorder.

This book rang absolutely true and the two main characters are sometimes likeable and often not - pretty much the way real life is.

Written with respect of a difficult subject to tackle.

Before We Were Blue is a frank and honest account of two girls with eating disorders in a treatment facility.
While I found the pacing a little slow in the first half, as you learn about each of the girls from alternating points of view, the story eventually builds up to some raw and heartbreaking moments that left me thinking long after I turned the last page.
I loved that these girls had their own unique stories, not cookie-cutter ideas of what having an eating disorder is like, and the ending was unexpected.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Rowan and Shoshanna are both Gray girls at a rehab facility for eating disorders. They know how to get out of the facility...go from Gray to Blue, and then home. The girls are close, almost too close as they try to fight the inner demons that brought them to RR.

This book touches on several different things over the course of the story, and none of them are easy. Eating disorders, depression, anxiety, social media, fame, and sexual assault are just a few of those things. The subject matter is heavy and ever present, but it's presented in a way that isn't too heavy or hard to read.

Do yourself a favor and read this book! No matter how old are you, you need to tead this book. This story is brilliant, wonderful and amazing. I love each word, each letter on this book. And I don't exaggerate, believe me. This story is a jewel.
Here we have two pints of view, thanks to the author, because this way I could to understand the feelings and the thoughts of thwo main characters. It was a great experience, really.
The story takes place in the Rehabilitation center for girls with eating disorder. In one hand, we have Shoshana, the perfect, nice and lovely girl that is beloved by everyone. In the other hand, we have Rowan, the wild, incomphomist and a bit rude girl. These two girls they build a friendship between them. This relationship is supportive and very solid. I can't tell you more about them, only than we see how their relationship develops. The author lead us through their journey in the RR and how they change.
Seems pretty simple and even can be a bit boring, right? Nope! Far away from this. The book hooks you since the first page. If you start it, you won't put it down until the end. I loved how Rowan tells us about how the society works, how people try to being accepted by the others, how we get angry and how we can change and be better. I loved how the author tell us that have sex without saying NO directly, is a rape. (Thanks for that). I loved that concept of 'asexual' was included. And I loved a lot of things. I can't tell to all of you things I have enjoyed because it would be a huge spoiler. But I want you to read this book, because it's wonderful. It's amazingly beautiful written, it's well paced, it's very interesting and I'm in love with it.
You need to read it!

A realistic story with sime hard truths that make you thing about things in life. Being a teenager is never easy, trying to find your own way in life. Its hard to let go of the you, you know and become toe you,you really want to be. This story is about 2 wonderful and strong girls who havr been on the wrong path in live and are trying to find there own way. I really enjoyed this story because it feels so real. You feel so much with the characters because sometimes you went through the same thing.

This book left me super uncomfortable with the Jewish terms used that readers could possibly interpret as being anti-semitic so that right there is enough for me not to support or continue reading this story.

This one covers such important topics and does so in a well written way. I really liked Rowan's character and definitely recommend this one- but make sure to check the TWs

First, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows two young women, Shoshana and Rowan through their time at an eating disorder treatment facility. Shoshana, a member of a cheerleading reality TV show with an overbearing mother. Rowan, a victim of sexual assault and thrives on being rude and manipulative to others. During the story you watch the development of Shoshana and Rowan’s friendship unfold. You are brought through the ups and downs of Rowan’s treatment and her trauma from her past. Shoshana is tested by her mothers constant berating behavior of insisting she stay “thin” and to not listen to the guidance of the treatment facility, R&R.

I would like to start by saying I think that Schwartz did an amazing job with the depictions of eating disorders and struggles of getting better. As someone who has overcome an eating disorder in my younger years, I found it very relatable. While I have never been to a treatment facility, from research, I believe that she did a well written depiction of what they are like. I enjoyed the story that was consistently laid out on every page and the development especially throughout Rowan’s time. Watching Rowan grow stronger and open about her past was beautiful and traumatic all in one.

I will say there is one thing that I did not enjoy about the book, and that was the constant push downs on Shoshana about her being Jewish. While I understand that Schwartz herself is Jewish, so there were no ill intentions, it got to be uncomfortable with the terms of “Jew curls” and “Bagel and Lox.” This was the reason as to why I did not give the book a 5-star rating.

Before reading this book please note that there is a trigger warning for ED and suicide and if reading this book is something which might affect you negatively please avoid it or ask for support to those close to you.

The book is written from the point of view of the two main characters – Shoshana and Rowan who are both currently in at Recovery and Relief centre (RR) for treatment for their eating disorders. The book follows them through their recovery and how their different point of views affect them and each other without them knowing. The book takes us for a ride with their friendship were they find solace in each other and we see if they will stay sick or get better together.

Getting to know these characters and the other girls who are also in RR for treatment can be a bit heart-breaking seeing what they went through and all the difficulties they go through to start their recovery. It definitely made me realize how little knowledge there is about eating disorders in our society and how deep the issue really is.

For me the book is a 3.5 star read, I wish we got more detail rather then the final chapter being one year later from Rowan’s perspective. I would have loved to have a couple of chapters getting more information about what happened and how they ended up where they are now.

✨Book Review✨
Before We Were Blue is a fantastic YA novel that explores eating disorders, sexuality, depression, and suicide. Side note... There are a slew of triggers in this one.
🧡
The story is told from two perspectives, Shoshana and Rowan, two girls in a rehabilitation centre for eating disorders. Their shared experience creates an unbreakable bond between the girls, even though they both have their secrets.
🖤
Even though this novel is dark, there is a great message within, so I think it's an important book to read. I would like to thank the author for writing about something so real. And thank you @netgalley for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Before We Were Blue in exchange for an honest review.

Before getting into this review, I think it's important to mention a few things about where I approach this book from. First off, Before We Were Blue is set primarily in an eating disorder facility and a lot of both of our protagonist's journeys are heavily reliant on their EDs. I've never had an ED so I can't speak to any of the accuracy there, but I have put a lot of research into how non-competitive EDs can be written and as far as I'm aware, this book abides by a lot of the precautions a lot of therapists recommend in ED media (i.e. the characters are frequently weighted but no weight is expressed, little to know weight-loss specifics are described in detail, ect.). One of our protagonists, Shoshana, is also Jewish and a few of the other characters make some jokes about that but as a non-Jewish person, I'm a lot less equipped to talk about whether that veers into the offensive than a Jewish reviewer would be (I'm fairly sure this is OwnVoice in that regard though).

Moving on to actually talking about the book, sic-fics are not my jam. I've just never really been a fan of 'teens suffer and fall in love with each other's suffering' books but I still cried at the end of this one because it's exceptionally well written. Shoshana is an easy to root for protagonist with a solid moral compass and a really empathetic situation, but for me the highlight actually ended up being Rowan's chapters even though I hated her at the beginning (which I think is kind of the point). Rowan's chapters are written in 2nd person and addressed to Shoshanna which I think was a really smart way of showing the unbalanced way the girls' dynamic starts out. I can't really talk about why I ended up loving this where I've hated other sic-fics without talking about the ending, but it subverted my expectations in a way I really appreciated.

Book Review for Before We Were Blue by E.J. Schwartz
Full review for this title can be found at: @fyebooks on Instagram!

This was an important and intense book. By reading this I felt like I really was inside the mind of someone with an eating disorder and it really taught me alot.
This book was very heartfelt and emotional and really the kind of book you'd have to be in the right mindset when reading.
I'm really glad I read this book but it was quite heavy in places.
Very happy to see the trigger warnings at the front of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read Before We Were Blue for my honest review!
Rowan and Shoshana are girls that are in RR, a rehab for those with eating disorders. The girls are widely different from each other. Shoshana being the supposedly perfect, naive cheerleader and Rowan being tough and having no hope or trust in the world. While they're different they become connected and this book goes through their lives inside and outside of RR.
I gave this book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the premise and getting to see inside the world of eating disorders. I don't know personally how it's like, but with the classes I have taken in the past and documentaries I've seen E.J. Schwartz seemed to convey it well.
Rowan was a difficult protagonist to like at first. She was rude, mean, and manipulative of Shoshana and everyone around her. Thankfully, she had a well formed character arc and by the end of the book I was happy for her.
I really liked the cheerleading portions as well and seeing how toxic they can be especially when fame is involved.
Overall, I probably wouldn't reread this book, but I'll definitely recommend it to people. It was enjoyable, just nothing super spectacular.
Go read Before We Were Blue by E.J. Schwartz September 14th, 2021!

Before we were blue

There is many triggers in this book which are true to life. It is a well written and thought out book. I actually enjoyed this book. It deals with the real side of what some people go through when in harder circumstances. Rowan I connected to the characters

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a complimentary eARC of Before We Were Blue by E J Schwartz in exchange for my honest review.

Before We Were Blue is told from the POV's of Shoshana and Rowan - two girls who are at a residential treatment center for eating disorders - R&R. I have never had an ED so I am unable to speak to the accuracy of the portrayal of the ED treatment and the experiences that both girls go through.

Rowan is not a particularly likeable protagonist - she is guarded, can be very cruel, manipulative, and in the beginning is not actually ready to get "well." She has been through so much in her young life and her traumatic experiences are brought up throughout the book, and finally she processes them in the end & makes the decision to recover. Shoshana is a competitive cheerleader and struggles with her figure due to being in the spotlight in a reality TV show that centers around the cheerleading squad she is on. Her cheerleading coach expects perfection, and Shoshana struggles with comparing herself to others (understandably) and the pressures of looking a certain type of way on camera.

Rowan & Shoshana develop a sort of friendship/"relationship" but it is hard to get behind. Throughout the book, there is a heavy emphasis on the fact that Shoshana is Jewish. It is frequently brought up - through nicknames "Bagels & Lox", jokes at her expense, and it got honestly annoying to keep reading about it. I saw in another review that the author is in fact Jewish - so no intention of sounding or coming off as anti-Semitic - but it felt off.

Overall, this is a vulnerable journey of two girls struggling with their eating disorders together and separately. I found the book very well written, but it took me a long time to get through and it fell flat to me.

TW: eating disorders, talk of suicide, self harm

This book dives deep into the minds of teenagers as they navigate their eating disorders and how that affects their lives. Such an intense and interesting read!

This book was incredibly heartfelt even if at points it was a bit triggering for me. I think the premise was so important.

This book tells the story of 2 teenage girls who are in a treatment facility for an eating disorder. I connected with both characters and was instantly invested in their stories. The girls come from very different backgrounds and situations. One was raped and has a mother with an eating disorder and the other is famous competitive cheerleader. They are strongly connected and fall in love with each other. The story centers around their struggles, their recovery and what landed them both in a place where they have an eating disorder. The book gives an honest look at what it is like to have an eating disorder without making it look glamorous. Without spoiling the story, the ending really surprised me in a good way.