Janie doesn't think she has an eating problem, but after disgracing herself at her sister's wedding she finds herself at Golden Slopes, a mental institution for teenage 'barfers and starvers'. Janie is a purger and this is her story told in the first person with each chapter beginning with entries from a journal given to her in her therapy group. The reader becomes drawn into the world of the bulimic by reading Janie's private thoughts and following her journey from denial through to her understanding of the issues she has with food.

Despite the seriousness of the topic, the book is peppered with humour thanks to the dialogue between the patients and Janie's own dry wit. One thing I did like about this book is that there were young teenage boys at Golden Slopes, battling their own food issues. Even though the reader doesn't find out how the other patients fare with their own struggles, the book stresses the seriousness of eating disorders and the life-threatening effects they can have on their patients. ( )

This was a well done book about eating disorders. The story was engaging and easy to read. It was heartwarming and thought-provoking.

Janie’s issues climax after Janie Ryman ruins her half sister’s wedding with a big barfing scene in the men's bathroom. After this (and publically admitting that she has been binging and purging for a while) Janie is placed into Golden Slopes a facility that deals with teens with eating disorders. Here Janie must navigate the politics of the Barfers and Starvers and deal with the psychiatrist who wants to fish out all of her deep dark secrets. Janie is desperate to get out of the ward, but will she escape it before divulging the dark secret that led to her ultimate meltdown?

I liked that this dealt with multiple types of eating disorders and also dealt with eating disorders in both men and women. It was interesting to see which issues in the characters pasts led to their eating disorders.

The book alternates between Janie’s journal entries and her everyday activities. Janie was a very engaging heroine; she is smart, hard-working, and likable...she just obsesses over food.

The other characters who surround her are just as interesting. This book goes beyond just classic bulimia and anorexia. There is also a guy that gets brought to Golden Slopes for alternatively starving and binging himself for his Wrestling career.

There is some humor in there and the dialogue between characters is witty and engaging. This was a quick read that was a bit heart-wrenching but still hopeful. As a parent and a woman it made me think a lot about how my actions affect my child and how the actions of society affect the young women who live in it. People’s relationship with food is a complicated one whether they are struggling with obesity or self inflicted starvation.

The only other fictional book I've read about eating disorders was Wintergirls and I actually liked that book a bit more than this one, it was just more intense and impossible to put down.

Overall a well done book about growing up and eating disorders. The story was well written and engaging and I enjoyed all of the characters. I would definitely recommend for to anyone looking for a fictional books about eating disorders. I would also recommend reading Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson. ( )

I'd recommend this book if you're into vivd detail and a book that you can imagine exactly what they're doing. 4Q3P The cover art is okay and I'd recommend this book to middle and high school students. I chose to read this book because it looked interesting and a friend had suggested it to me. NeelyA

Excellent portrait of a girl in rehab for an eating disorder. ( )

Janie Ryman hates throwing up. So how come she's in the eating disorder unit of the Golden Slopes rehab hospital for being bulimic? Janie doesn't want to talk about her feelings, her family's expectations, or why her self-destructive behavior seems to be the only thing that makes her feel better. But that's what it's going to take to change her life. Secrets have a way of getting out of control, just like the ways people try to hide them... and that includes both the Barfers and the Starvers in the eating disorder unit. Janie needs to deal with her secrets and find new ways to manage her anger and wretched self-image, but sometimes people don't always accept the help they need. Eating disorders can be fatal... so will Janie choose life and recovery, or keep spiraling out of control? 8th grade and up, realistic descriptions and mature language. We've paired this with Wintergirls in our 8th grade Health classes for best books on eating disorders, and the response from our students has been tremendous. ( )