Thank you so much NetGalley and First Second Books for access to this touching arc!

4.5/5 stars

This story is so important and so so touching. Valerie is a teenager and struggling with an eating disorder, as thinness is the primary way her mother shows she cares about her. Tragedy strikes, and Valerie has to make a decision - does she want to continue living the half life she has with her eating disorder, or will she try and reclaim her life?

I definitely weeped for the second half of this book. It was just so good and such an important thing to talk about. I felt the end was a little rushed, and that's why I gave it 4.5 instead of 5 stars. I wanted to know more about Valerie and her relationships with her family and friends!

Valerie Chu hits every mark when it comes to being the perfect daughter but for how long. Valerie is crumbling from the inside due to all the pressure and needs a way to control some aspect of her life. One way is by limiting her food intake. Hungry Ghost examines how pressures and stereotypes harm the youth of today. Being held to impossible standards with no way to escape and take a breath. Ying does an exceptional storytelling of a mother and daughter tug of war as well as internal biases we all hold. While the topic is heavy the story feels light and a little bit shallow due to the face paced plot. Some of the secondary characters are not fleshed out and more time could have been spent on the mother daughter relationship.

A story of the sensitive relationship of a family. How one conversation can change a life and its path. This is one of tragedy and a girl's struggle to finding her path.

Thank you #NetGalley and First Second Books for giving me the opportunity to read this!

This graphic novel was surprisingly way more emotional than I anticipated and somewhat hard to read but still keeps you interested. The art style was beautiful and the overall story was intriguing. This story deals with a teenage girl who deals with an eating disorder and constant body shamming especially from her mother. This story does a great job of showing what happens in dynamics like this, dealing with things like self hate and harm as well as abusive parenting and putting societal and cultural standards on people. This book also had an unhealthy dose of fat phobia that was pretty painful to read as a fat person myself. Overall the story was compelling and had great representation for situations and live that deal with this pain. 4/5 ⭐️

Valerie Chu tries to be the perfect daughter. She's studious and quiet; she's an obedient daughter. Her mother's obsession with food and being thin starts early, when she tells Valerie "don't eat, just taste" a piece of her own birthday cake; she constantly monitors what Valerie eats. Val's disordered eating mirrors most cases we hear and read about: she's focused on being perfect, giving no one any reason to find a flaw. Val's best friend, Jordan, has no such compulsion: curvy and confident, Jordan enjoys food and she enjoys life, earning Valerie's mother's quiet disdain. The two head off on a school trip to Paris where Valerie enjoys the taste of freedom, only to be called home for a family tragedy. As Valerie grieves, she has no time for perfection and her eating disorder is pushed to the side and gains her mother's notice. Valerie must come to terms with her mother's toxic ideas on beauty in order to move forward. Brilliantly written and illustrated with a haunting, ethereal beauty, Hungry Ghost is a heartbreaking look at the beginnings of body dysmorphia and how our families can create monsters within us. Back matter includes an author's note and resources for eating disorders and recovery.

Hungry Ghost received a starred review from Kirkus.

This graphic novel is beautifully written from the perspective of a young adult who suffers from an eating disorder throughout her life, primarily though high school. Navigating the journey of adolescents and coming of age in Hungry Ghost is absolutely beautiful. I highly recommend this read

This was a tough read for me personally because I have a mother just like this. She OBSESSES over every single thing I eat or don't eat and is completely focused on my weight and has been since I was like 8. She can't understand how a "fat girl" can actually love herself. I guess I'm lucky that I had enough self-esteem without her to not develop an eating disorder like our MC does.
Moms are just hard all over, in every culture. They can do the most harm, and we need to figure out a way to cut those ties and decide for ourselves whether we love them and ourselves enough to.

When I requested HUNGRY GHOST off of NetGalley, I did so with quite a bit of hesitation. I knew what the subject matter was and how heavy of a topic it was, but I also appreciated that the graphic novel tackled such an important topic.

HUNGRY GHOST tells the story of a high school student named Valerie who suffers from an eating disorder. She suffers in silence, desperately trying to please her mother who constantly reminds her of what will happen should she ever become fat, while also trying to live life as a normal teenager. Val hates having to live a lie and wants nothing more than to be happy like her best friend, Jordan, who is overweight but doesn't let it stop her from being happy. It all comes to a head when a tragedy occurs in Val's life that forces her to take another look at everything -- including herself. It's a very, very hard read, however, Victoria Ying does a great job of tackling such an important topic with both her words and artwork.

What many people don't know about me is that, when I was in high school, I was like Val. Eating disorders are so common and yet not talked about nearly enough. There are so many others like Val that need to read a story like this to know they are not alone. And Ying tells this story, one she herself has lived, with such care. It doesn't shy away from the harsh realities those suffering face. I doesn't shy away from the pain or the toll such a disorder can take on one's mental health.

It's a hard read. It's a sad read. And yet, it's such an important read.

As an adult who would've benefited from multiple depictions of eating disorders that didn't look like dramatized after school specials, I picked up Hungry Ghost with the aspiration of reading a well-illustrated conversation of having a better relationship with our bodies despite societal pressures. While a decent amount of this story does just that, I was disappointed by the way that the main character's chubby friend is depicted as a measuring stick for her self-esteem throughout the story, without any interrogation or comment.

The art of this book is really stunning. This graphic novel tackles really tough topics such as disordered eating, purging, and certain cultural norms being set as toxic beauty standards. It was really painful at times reading this book as I'm sure it should be. When it comes to who I am in the story, I am definitely Val's fat best friend Jordan. I love how Jordan shows so much confidence in loving herself. Val's mom uses Jordan as a "horror story" for Val's future if she doesn't watch what she eats. Which is an extremley difficult position to put Val in, she loves her best friend and knows her moms standards are not healthy and her words are hurtful and mean. However she cannot help but interanlize the super strict thought patterns her mother has set up for her her whole life. She uses Jordan as a scape goat (as a defense mechanism) to avoid her mothers harsh words being used on her. I loved Val's auntie she was dropping some real gems like "Love yourself the way you wished your mother loved you" I feel like we can all learn from that because its hard for parents to love us exactly the way we need and oftentimes as children and even adults we dont even know how to vocalize those needs.

SPOILERS

- I definitely knew the boy Val liked was gonna like Jordan and Val was gonna flip a table. Because her mother has been telling her her entire life that boys do not like fat girls and Jordan is confident and fat.
- also after Val's father passes and her mom is like lets have yogurt for dinner, I had to stop reading for a minute. Like the headspace you have to be in to tell your grieving daughter she needs to watch her weight is like very intense
- Lastly when she finally tells her mom that she has been purging and her mom is just like "you dont gotta do all that just eat less" my heart truly broke for Val, it was such a huge turning point for her to be able to say it out loud to her #2 critic (after herself) and for it to be dismissed so hurtfully. This book was really relaistic in how everything was handled and im sure it will speak to a lot of people dealing with similar familial conflicts

3.5 rounded up to 4 because the art is lovely. Hungry Ghost tackles many important issues in an honest way that I wish I liked it more. I really liked the friendship between Valerie and Jordan; it felt authentic and genuine. I kind of wish the relationship with the mom had been addressed a little differently, though.

Val strives to embody the ideal daughter, diligently following her parents' every command. She obsesses over maintaining a flawless image, excelling academically, and fulfilling her role as a devoted daughter. Concealing her hidden struggle with an eating disorder, Val fears revealing any sign of weakness. Caught between societal expectations and her true self, she grapples with an impossible balancing act.
This deeply personal graphic novel serves as an autobiographical account, allowing readers to experience Val's journey firsthand. Through her eyes, we witness her relentless battle against inner demons and her quest to assert her identity. Val's portrayal is refreshingly imperfect; she acknowledges her flaws and doesn't paint herself as a faultless victim.
In stark contrast to the book's raw content, the illustrations are delicately beautiful, offering a striking visual counterpoint. The most captivating aspect of this work lies in its refusal to provide tidy closure or a conclusive ending, mirroring the unpredictability of people.

A beautiful, touching, and tough book. I haven’t seen many depictions of eating disorders in graphic novels so this is a necessary addition to teen collections. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5

Thsi graphic novel was very good and also tried to cover MANY MANY issues ,all of which are important. I think it would be good for high school and beyond.

This book is so beautiful. I think it is a must-read for all teens, especially those who feel alone and those who also struggle with disordered eating. It was reassuring to see a book that gives not only hope, but teaches forgiveness, and encourages seeking therapy.

I’m ambivalent about this book. It is entertaining, engrossing, beautifully illustrated, and intriguing. The book follows a main character who is thin but constantly being harassed by her mom to be even thinner. She has a fat friend who her mom thinks is a bad influence, and thin girl secretly resents her supposed liberation from body image concerns (we never really learn how far girl feels, though). The part I couldn’t really process was the ending, where thin daughter realizes mom means well with her constant body shaming. Sure, everyone is doing their best, and maybe mom will never understand, but should she be let off the hook for her abuse? I’m not so sure.

This is an important topic, because most teens and young adults are obsessed with appearances. In order to be thin and considered pretty, too many people develop eating disorders which are difficult to overcome. I recommend this easy-to-read graphic memoir to anyone wanting to know more about eating disorders.

The art of this graphic novel is very beautiful, and I really love the colors. I was able to relate to the story and felt deeply for the characters. It was a very emotional story that delved into mental health, eating disorders, and how families can be complex.

The thing that is most important to Val Chu is being good. She works hard in school, supports her friends, respects her elders, and keeps herself thin.

Staying thin isn't as easy as it seems. Val must be constantly vigilant about what she eats and doesn't eat, who she eats or doesn't eat in front of, and how soon she purges what she eats. Bolstered by the expectations of her family, namely her mother, Val continues her unhealthy habits until a tragic accident. Can Val change her mindset and her life? Can she come to love and accept herself as she truly is?

This is a beautiful and touching story of struggle and triumph over unrealistic and unnecessary expectations. The story is told with care and the illustrations are beautiful. I recommend this book for YA collections and readers who feel strongly about body positivity and acceptance.

Wow. This was fantastic. I loved the characters, the art style, and the overall story. It handles a tricky topic so well and sends a great message: being thin ≠ being happy or being loved.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.