Oh this book. It's not an easy book to read, at times, and for some the main theme, that of a family coping to deal with the youngest child facing a seemingly unwinnable battle with an eating disorder, may be a very distressing subject to face. But Amanda Prowse knows what she is doing with this book, showing you both sides of the battle - that of the illnesses victim and of the impact that it has on those around them - and handling the subject with the care, and compassion that it deserves. It is one of those books that will draw you in, that makes you invested in the fate of the characters, and forces you to feel a whole gamut of emotions as you navigate those harsh and unforgiving waters with the Braithwaites, not knowing what will face you at the end of the journey.

I don't often step out of my comfort zone of crime fiction, but I am so very glad I made an exception for this book. A little sad perhaps that I didn't do it sooner. The author has done such a brilliant job with such a very difficult, and often painful subject, highlighting the complexity of the physical and emotional toll that eating disorders have on both the victim and their family. Whilst this is a form of mental illness, it is not one easily defined, and for Freya and Lockie Braithwaite, it is not easily understood either. We first meet the family when their youngest daughter, Lexi, is only a small child - fearless and so full of life and adventure - that meeting her again at the age of fifteen is such a stark contrast that it is hard to see how they are the same person. And this is the start of the realisation that this is exactly as it must be for Freya and Lockie. That resistance to accepting that their beautiful and vibrant child, is gradually being worn away to a husk of her former self.

The book does not try to simplify the illness, or provide a clear cut explanation of why Lexi feels the way she does about her body. There is an exploration of Lexi's emotions, of her attitude towards food, and sometimes of her desire to give up, but no trying to pin her emotions on one defining event, so often the way with this kind of illness. There are self recriminations from Freya especially, whose fears that her job, writing articles on food, diets and health and the like for magazines, as well as as subtle digs about her own weight, and eating etc may have contributed to Lexi's illness, or from Lockie who is clearly struggling with Lexi's decline. But as their older daughter Charlotte, always the more cautious of the two, is still so full of life and hope, it is clear that the cause lies far beyond the family home. Nothing is that simple - not the cause and not the recovery - something Amanda Prowse makes so painfully clear in her narrative.

Now I am not one prone to displays of emotion - although hormones in later age are slowly changing that situation - but I don't mind admitting that the latter of the chapters of this book did draw forth those oh so dreaded tears. You can really feel the sense of tragedy and sadness from this family, the way in which each and every one of them is being slowly diminished in the wake of Lexi's determination not to eat, to get better. It is a roller coaster of emotions that will guide you through this book, a few moments of joy, some precious memories shared by Freya, whos narrative guides us from start to finish, that will only increase the way in which this story hits home. The bullying that is thrown at Lexi from her alleged friends, and the love and support that comes from the most unlikely of sources. It all comes together to produce a story which is so thoughtfully conveyed and that will truly make you think about how quick we are to judge those around us, never really understanding the story behind the person we see before us. Definitely recommended.

I was asked by NetGalley to review this book

Working in an Adademy as a Learning Advisor I found this quite harrowing but at the same time the author has written this well and the characters are real. The author has tackled quite a difficult subject well and sympathetically. I found that looking at this from a mothers point of view was really original.

I will seek this author out and read more of her work.

Although this was a well written book by Amanda Prowse, it was a difficult read and could be quite triggering for some people. It is such a heartbreaking story. It stayed with me for a long time afterwards.

"Food is her sickness and food is her cure."
This is a harrowing, brutal picture of how anorexia takes over a person's life, as well as that of their family and friends. The author doesn't skimp on the details and shows us the physical, mental and emotional toll that this disease takes on everyone involved. That is what my 3 stars are for. In addition to this, we have an emotional and relatively ineffective mother who enabled her daughter's illness by continuing to think that if she just had a little more time, she could cajole her daughter into eating and all would be well. That drove me crazy - the kid was clearly on her way to death, and the mother thought that by getting her to eat a piece of toast everything would be fine. I also didn't really like the jump to the epilogue. I don't feel that it was worthy or reasonable based on the story, as well as not giving us any information about how we arrived there.

Domestic drama of a family rocked by teen daughters bulimia. The parents have convicting views on how their daughters illness should be handled. Daughter uses her mothers devotion to manipulate the situation whilst the father feels it’s time to remove his daughter from the home to get the medical help she so badly needs. Meanwhile the other daughter feels invisible as so much focus is on her sisters condition. This book is full of mental torment on all sides.
Whilst well written it’s not really my kind of book and the only authors I have experience of that I can compare it to are the likes of Jodi Picoult.

i absolutely loved this book from beginning to end. i much prefer amanda's emotional stories rather than the lovestories. this made me cry at the end. i would rate it 100 stars if i could.

Unfortunately, I just couldn't get on with Amanda Prowse's writing and was unable to finish the book. I've rated as 2 star as it seemed unfair to give a 1 star rating when I hadn't finished it.

Another stunning book by Amanda Prowse. This story gets at the very heart of this devastating disease and the heartbreaking, mind-numbing effect an eating disorder has on a whole family as well as the person.

Reading this story it was filled with heartbreak and raw emotion of living everyday with this illness. It was about the Braithwaite family and the characters stay with you even when you are not reading about them. Amanda Prowse has this style of writing that you feel you are living with them and their emotions and you share in their tears, laughter and struggles.

After reading this I feel so much more informed of this dreadful disease.

Strongly recommend

I love all Amanda booklove her writting style she pull me into the plot the characters I can relate too they soon become my friends a great plot fun characters I recommend to you all lovedit

Sorry for late review - just catching up after a busy 12 months. Loved this book a lot - Amanda never fails to deliver a great story with great characters and really well written. No wonder it's recommended so much by so many different people. Will definitely read more by this author.

The Food of Love was certainly a much enjoyable way to spend an evening!
Many thanks to Netgalley and publisher

Any book written by Amanda Prowse is guaranteed to tug on your heartstrings and bring a lump to your throat and The Food of Love is no exception.

What a heartbreaking and compelling read! I absolutely LOVED this book to bits. Talk about great writing and great characters - what a terrific story!!

I never could've imagined the raw emotion and struggle that this novel demonstrated. In theory, we all know and hear how hard it is to have an eating disorder, how much it affects people and their families, but no one can really be prepared to live it.

Reading this story, I felt like I was living with the Braithwaite's and it was heartbreaking. It truly gave me a new perspective on this disease. Amanda Prowse did an incredible job of portraying its reality without glorifying it.

A beautifully written story that pulls at your heartstrings at times. A story of how one family deals with the fallout from an eating disorder. This isn't my usual type of novel but I really enjoyed it and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Another great novel by Amanda Prowse. A must read
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Another great moving read from Amanda.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Freya is happily married with two beautiful daughters to fill her life. Until Lexi starts to struggle with her weight and everything Freya holds dear starts to crumble.

I'm a huge fan of Amanda's books and this was no exception. Tugs on all the emotions.

Fascinating insight into life with an eating disorder. I had read one of Ms Prowse's books before and didn't come away thrilled so actually put off reading this for a while but needn't have, was a very gripping read, thoughtfully told.

I really enjoyed this book. It shows how anorexia can have impact on the whole family.