REVIEW: The Girls At 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib

BOOK INFORMATION

Genre: Women's Fiction

Hardcover: 384 pages

• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February 5, 2019)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250202442
• ISBN-13: 978-1250202444

Synopsis: Yara Zgheib’s poetic and poignant debut novel is a haunting portrait of a young woman’s struggle with anorexia on an intimate journey to reclaim her life.  

The chocolate went first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran for one more mile, lost just one more pound.

Anna Roux was a professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure, loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight their diseases and face six meals a day.

Every bite causes anxiety.  Every flavor induces guilt. And every step Anna takes toward recovery will require strength, endurance, and the support of the girls at 17 Swann Street.

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Review: This book nearly broke my heart on more than one occasion. It begins with Anna being brought to 17 Swann Street, a recovery facility for girls with eating disorders. The author gives us an amazing insight into the lives and mindsets of all the girls, but especially Anna. We experience her ups and downs as she struggles with the idea of having to gain weight back that she has worked so hard to lose. We get flashback glimpses into Anna's life before her illness, as well as present-day narration of the day to day events in the house and occasional clinical notes from her medical team. 
Each of the girls she meets in the house has a story to tell and a different demon to fight. Not every story has a happy ending. Even Anna's story realistically remind us that eating disorders can be a lifetime battle. 

Rating: Four stars

About the author

Yara Zgheib is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in International Affairs in Diplomacy from Centre D'études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris. She is fluent in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Yara is a writer for several US and European magazines, including The Huffington Post, The Four Seasons Magazine, A Woman’s Paris, The Idea List, and Holiday Magazine. She writes on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her blog, "Aristotle at Afternoon Tea" (http://www.aristotleatafternoontea.com/).

BLOG TOUR: The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen

Book Information

Genre: Thriller

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press (January 9, 2018)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250130921
• ISBN-13: 978-1250130921

Synopsis: "A jaw-dropping psychological thriller." —Publishers Weekly, starred review 

"Fiendishly clever...in the vein of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. This one will keep you guessing." –Anita Shreve, New York Times bestselling author of The Stars are Fire

When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous ex-wife.
You will assume she is obsessed with her replacement – a beautiful, younger woman who is about to marry the man they both love. 
You will assume you know the anatomy of this tangled love triangle.
Assume nothing.

Twisted and deliciously chilling, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen's The Wife Between Us exposes the secret complexities of an enviable marriage - and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.

Read between the lies.

Review: This story has more surprises than Christmas morning! Every time you think you know what's happening, and why, the entire story gets turned upside down. 

When the story begins, it appears to be about the perfect couple with the perfect marriage, until issues begin to surface and the husband leaves for someone else, whom he plans to make his third wife. The further you go into the story, however, the darker it becomes, with twists and turns continuing all the way to the very last page.

Since finishing this book, I have read that it has been optioned for a movie, which is one that will definitely go on my must-watch list. 

It's difficult to say too much about this one without giving away the story, but I will say that I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspense-filled thrillers.

Rating: Four stars

About the authors

Greer Hendricks spent over two decades as an editor. Her writing has been published in The New York Times and Publishers Weekly. The Wife Between Us is her first novel.


 Sarah is the mother of three young boys, which explains why she writes part of her novels at Chuck E. Cheese. Sarah penned her first book, Miscellaneous Tales and Poems, at the age of 10. When publishers failed to jump upon this literary masterpiece (hey, all the poems rhymed!) Sarah followed up by sending them a sternly-worded letter on Raggedy Ann stationery. Sarah still has that letter and carries it to New York every time she has meetings with her publisher, as a reminder that dreams do come true. 

Her website is www.sarahpekkanen.com and please find her on Facebook Instagram and Twitter @sarahpekkanen!

Find purchase links, more teaser trailers, and more information about the authors here.