Book Review: Skinny by Laura L. Smith

A little over a month ago, I signed up with a couple of publishers to provide reviews for their books, in exchange for a free copy of each book I review. I got to pick the book I wanted to review, from the list of their books available. I received my books within just a couple days of signing up, and have finally read and written my review for the first book. Hopefully I can read and review the second book shortly.

The first book I reviewed is Skinny by Laura L. Smith, from NavPress, a Christian book publisher. Click here for more information on their book review program.


Here is my review:

Skinny was a fast and enjoyable read. Melissa is a normal teenage girl, with dance team practice, sleepovers with friends, homework, tests, and boy drama. She is struggling to hold it all together and get control of her life. Melissa works to lose weight because she thinks it will help in her quest to be picked for dance team captain, but in the process she becomes obsessive about what she eats (and everything else in her life). She tries to hide it from her friends and family, but eventually her juggling balls start dropping and she is forced to confess her problems. Only then can those closest to her start helping and show her a way back to a more normal life. Melissa’s faith is also a big part of her life, and she uses scripture and prayer in her recovery.

When most people think about eating disorders, they can’t understand how people could do that to themselves. This book helps the reader understand how those people transition from normal lives to stressing over every calorie. It shows how all of the little stresses in someone’s life can add up to such a huge problem; one that they struggle to keep hidden from those closest to them.

The author could have gone into more detail about the character’s recovery process, but all in all this was a good book and one I’d recommend to any teenage girl or her parents.