Winter girls by Laurie Halse Anderson book review (World Eating Disorder Action Day post)

I just re-read Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson, because it just makes me think about so many things every time I read it. And June 2nd was World Eating Disorders Action Day, so I thought why not post this review. This  is a story about two girls, who are having eating disorders. One of them has anorexia and the other has bulimia. This book might be triggering at some points, but it really shows, what it's like to live with an eating disorder. At the same time it is about friendship, family, love and overcoming mental-illness as well as eating disorder. It is about the time, when you are not dead yet, but not alive either.

The story is told from Lia's point of view, she is the girl with anorexia and her best friend Cassie, the girl with bulimia just died in a motel room and Lia wasn't answering the phone, when Cassie called her. So Lia has to deal with the fact that her best friend died, but it is still not a wake-up call for her. It is perfectly clear that she is hungry, but she doesn't want to eat. Eating is something she can control and as she says in the book "empty is good, empty is pure". Everyone around her thinks that she is finally getting better, but in reality she is just really good in pretending. She is seeing Cassie's "ghost" and she wants her to join. Throughout the book we get to read about Lia's and Cassie's friendship and honestly it was a toxic friendship. Cassie started to throw up and then Lia kind of "followed" her into it, except she just started not eating. They promised each other they will be the skinniest girls in school, they kind of started to compete with each other.
I read this book a million times and I read it from two perspectives: the first couple of times I read it, when I couldn't imagine not eating for a day or two and I couldn't imagine, how could I not eat, when I am hungry. Recently I read it and now I fully understand this book and Lia's character. Some of those thing Lia feels, I feel too.  That is what makes this so realistic.
At the end I think this book is mainly about Lia, finally getting a wake-up call and finally being able to stand up. And it really shows that even though she wants to get help, she wasn't ready or wasn't strong enough to get better until this time. And that is what matters at the end.
This story is so captivating, because it shows a world which not a lot of people know, although it would be important to talk about these types of problems. Some people don't go and get help, because they feel ashamed and at the end that may lead to tragedies. If you're fighting with any kind of eating disorder stay strong and know that you're not alone and take one step at a time.
I hope you liked this post and if you have read this book, tell me in the comment if you have liked it or not and please write some book recommendations for my summer TBR, because I have no idea, what to read.
Until next time,
 Bianka