Review: Letting Ana Go by Anonymous

Letting Ana Go by Anonymous

Link to buy Letting Ana Go

Story Rating: 4 out of 5

Blurb:

She was a good girl from a good family, with everything she could want or need. But below the surface, she felt like she could never be good enough. Like she could never live up to the expectations that surrounded her. Like she couldn’t do anything to make a change.

But there was one thing she could control completely: how much she ate. The less she ate, the better—stronger—she felt.

Review:

First off, this isn't a technically a New Adult book, but it was available to review so I took it. I am familiar with Go Ask Alice and Jay's Journal which I read easily over thirty years ago. So, going in a had an idea that this was not going to have a happily ever after ending.

Ana is a runner and constantly thinking about her weight. She keeps a food journal for her coach to track her calories. One of her best friends is a ballerina who is also obsessed with her weight and teaches Ana how to be even more compulsive by doing certain exercises and reducing her calorie intake even more.

During the story he father leaves her mother for a much thinner woman but not before making her mom feel horrible about her being a little overweight. It seems an obsession with food and looks surrounds Ana everywhere she looks. Throw in a hot boyfriend she wants to impress by being perfect and super skinny and this is a perfect recipe for disaster.

While reading this you know it's not going to end well and you really feel for Ana. Even though her mom tries to help her it's not ideal due to crappy insurance issues and peer pressure. The writing was solid and reminded me a lot of the other Anonymous books I've read. I do think this can be described as a somewhat realistic depiction of anorexia. It should be noted that this book is chock full of triggers so if you suffer(ed) from anorexia you might want to use caution when reading this.

Reviewed by Elizabeth