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Stephanie Elliot

Sad Perfect: A Novel Hardcover – February 28, 2017

by Stephanie Elliot (Author)

176 ratings

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Not all picky eating is harmless. Not all eating disorders look the same.

Sixteen-year-old Pea knows there has always been something wrong with the way she eats--textures, smells, and even the sight of some foods are frightening. When she's finally diagnosed with a little-known eating disorder called Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), her "picky eating" starts to make sense. Pea has always felt alienated, anxious, and depressed, and with her diagnosis, she is hopeful that she'll get the treatment she needs to get better.

Thanks to therapy, her loving yet dysfunctional family, and the support of her sweet and caring new boyfriend, Ben, Pea finally feels like she's in control for the first time in her life. But when she decides to go off her antidepressants, things start to spiral out of control. It will take inner strength and the support from her loved ones to get the help she needs to begin to challenge her eating disorder.

Reading age

12 - 18 years
Print length

320 pages
Language

English
Grade level

7 - 9
Lexile measure

HL720L
Dimensions

5.92 x 1.11 x 8.38 inches
Publisher

Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Publication date

February 28, 2017
ISBN-10

0374303754
ISBN-13

978-0374303754
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up—When food is your enemy, life can be complicated. Sixteen-year-old Pea desperately wants to be an average teenager. Her aversion to food, however, makes that impossible. Diagnosed with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), Pea copes with an invisible monster within her, who she imagines rules every decision she makes. After she meets Ben—attractive, kind, and interested in her—she begins to experience more moments of happiness. As their relationship evolves, Pea's efforts to restrain her threatening internal force are hampered by the conflicting emotions that overwhelm her. Alienated from her parents and brother, she confides in her best friend, Jae, whose loyalty boosts her confidence and helps her navigate her daily struggles. Finally feeling like things are improving, Pea suffers an unexpected setback that drags her away from those close to her. Drawing readers in with a second-person perspective, Elliot delivers prose that is both engaging and appropriately unnerving. Delving into the minute details of Pea's eating disorder, the author does not sugarcoat the world of ARFID, highlighting its unique characteristics and giving teens a thorough look into Pea's challenges. VERDICT A well-written page-turner whose sensitive topic is covered with finesse and grace. This novel would be a worthy addition to a high school library collection.—Karin Greenberg, Queens College, NY

Review

Advance Praise for Sad Perfect

"Elliot's novel helps to fill a gap within teen narratives about disordered eating." Kirkus

"A well-written page-turner whose sensitive topic is covered with finesse and grace. This novel would be a worthy addition to a high school library collection." School Library Journal

"Diversity in young adult books is finally on the rise, and Sad Perfect fits the bill. It takes an honest look at an eating disorder and mental health issues faced by some teens. Sad Perfect is recommended for libraries serving middle school age and up, where it will appeal to fans of realistic fiction about difficult topics." Voya Magazine

"In this heartbreaking and deeply personal novel, Stephanie Elliot elevates the specific to the universal, and chronicles all of our struggles with the demons within. Sad Perfect is a book I couldn't put down and one that will long stay with me. I loved it." Julie Buxbaum, New York Times bestselling author of Tell Me Three Things

"Written in the second-person, Sad Perfect is the spare, hauntingly told story of a teenage girl and the eating disorder that threatens to consume her. You'll be riveted by her story, and by Elliot's careful observations of social media, the healthcare system, and parental neglect. Girls, and boys, will be reading this elegant and sad book for years to come." Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

"Sad Perfect is a brilliant and beautiful debut. Pea's story of her struggles with the eating disorder ARFID demands to be heard and understood. This book is raw and visceral, yet ringed with the sweet hope of first love and the support of family. I could not put it down." Marisa Reichardt, Underwater

"A raw and visceral exploration of a unique eating disorder. Told in the second person, Sad Perfect is a masterfully crafted novel about the struggle for self-love and the healing power of self-acceptance." Shannon M. Parker, The Girl Who Fell

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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) (February 28, 2017)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0374303754
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0374303754
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 12 - 18 years
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ HL720L
Grade level ‏ : ‎ 7 - 9
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.92 x 1.11 x 8.38 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #676,436 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #444 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Depression & Mental Illness (Books)
- #1,306 in Teen & Young Adult Fiction about Dating & Sex (Books)

Customer Reviews:
176 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		78%
4 star		12%
3 star		4%
2 star		1%
1 star		5%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Dusti

A wonderful debut

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

I'm generally not a big fan of YA romance. They all tend to be a bit samey to me. I mean, how many times can you read about the damaged but dreamy boy and the girl who falls in love with him and wants to save him? Yawn. Sad Perfect has a romance in it, but this story is different.

I'd never heard of ARFID before picking up this book, nor had I ever read a book in second person, so this was a lot of firsts for me. The author gives an honest look at the disorder, and I'm so glad because I don't think I could have understood it so well had I not read this book. Like a lot of others, I may have just assumed it was extreme picky eating, when it goes so far beyond that and is often accompanied by anxiety and depression.

The author did a fantastic job portraying Pea. She was such a realistic teenager to me. And Ben was just such a great guy and totally swoony, of course. Ben is a good example to girls of how a boy who truly cares about you should treat you.

This book definitely impacted me, and about halfway through I was positively enthralled. Beautifully written, honest, and real, Sad Perfect is a wonderful debut.

18 people found this helpful

Helpful

Sal Gal

Disappointment

Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2019

Verified Purchase

This story takes place in Arizona and the author is from Arizona as well. The author experienced issues with her own teenage daughter. Being an Arizona resident and having a teenager with selective eating issues I was hopeful that after reading this book I could pass it along to my son to see that he is NOT alone. My son could have been the main character floating down the Salt River and not eating any of the food that was provided for lunch. There were too many issues involved in the story line. The author should have stuck with the one focus that being ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Intake Disorder). Too many other teenage issues were brought on board including an inpatient hospital stay, suicide, sibling squabbles, being deceitful to parents, sneaking out with a boyfriend, inappropriate sexual touching. Ugh! What a disappointment. The offensive language throughout the book was so not necessary. The only positives about the book was the front cover. I wish the author had of stuck with ARFID and left all of the others issues along with the language and the sexual stuff out. Instead of passing this book along to my son as a good read, something he could relate to I got rid of it. Truly a disappointment!

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Melissa Roske

In Stephanie Elliot's impressive YA debut, we meet Pea ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2017

Verified Purchase

In Stephanie Elliot's impressive YA debut, we meet Pea, a 16-year-old high school student who struggles with ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder), a complex and often confusing eating disorder. Pea is unable to tolerate the taste, feel, and smell of most foods, which makes eating a constant challenge. In fact, Pea feels as if there's a "monster" living inside her; a monster that controls her every thought and action. When Pea meets Ben, however, the cute friend of her BFF's cousin, Pea is hopeful that the monster will finally disappear. Unfortunately, it's not that simple. The monster is armed, and ready to do battle. What follows is Pea's heroic journey to understand, and ultimately overcome, her eating disorder once a for all. A brave, important debut.

11 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ann Marie

An excellent debut novel.

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2017

Verified Purchase

Sad Perfect made my heart race, the whirlwind of emotions and beautifully written yet complex characters kept me engrossed. Stephanie Elliot introduces the reading world to a disorder that isn’t well known, called AFRID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder).
Told in second person (which I have never seen successfully done, until now) puts you right into Pea’s shoes. AFRID has taken control of sixteen year old Pea’s life, impacting all aspects of her life. It is the monster that lives inside her making her relationship with foods and others less than stellar. Every day is a struggle. Imagine for one minute that you’re hungry in a visceral sort of away and you are presented with a plate of the very foods you hate the most and you can’t get yourself to eat it—that is life for Pea.

Elliot adds a host of other characters, each one contributing to the novel in it's own unique way, some might say this book is about an eating disorder but they would be wrong because it is about so much more. It's about deep seated love, the one you get from you parents, siblings, yourself and others in your circle of life. It's about finding your voice and learning to accept who you are in order to put yourself on the path to heal.

Elliot's debut novel isn't something you want to miss. I look forward to reading more of her work. She tackled a sensitive subject with sincerity and the voice of Pea is clearly that of a teen girl. The relationship between Pea and her mother is very typical of teen years but the love that lies between the angst is beautiful. This is one book you don't want to miss.

- But you knew it wasn't going to happen, and that was okay. Because you'd never get that first kiss back, and you knew it would be one of those first kisses that you were going to want to put in a box and take out every day of your entire l life to relive over and over again. - Sad Perfect - Stephanie Elliot

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

MD

An Important Book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 16, 2018

Verified Purchase

It’s been quite a while since I read this book, but I wanted to write a review now as I’m currently reading and reviewing a lot of books about eating disorders, and so far SAD PERFECT is the only one that looks at ARFID.

As someone who struggles with disordered and restricted eating, this book really struck a chord. I empathised so much with Pea, the MC, and felt the portrayal of this eating disorder was realistic and informative—it’s not just fussy eating, and this story showed this brilliantly. I especially appreciated how well it included the anxiety-part of ARFID and showed how it can extend beyond just the eating and into any situations that could involve food.

From what I understand, the author’s daughter has ARFID and completed an intensive program just like the MC of this book, so from that point of view, it’s clear the author knows what she’s talkibg about and it is important to her to spread the word about this lesser-known eating disorder and shed some light on it. Yet as I do have disordered eating (which in my case has been triggered by diagnosed of mast cell activation syndrome and coeliac disease, but doctors have referred to it as likely being ARFID) I do wonder how close the representation actually is as it isn’t own voices...and there were a couple of things I didn’t agree with (but whether that’s just individual differences or not is hard to say as everyone’s experiences of eating disorders is different). That’s not to say this is a bad book or anything, because it isn’t!

The imagery in this book is amazing. As is the writing. Some really lovely metaphors. Characterisation was good too, and the author has built the tension and pacing perfectly. The romance was also well done and thought out too.

So the couple things I didn’t agree with/found problematic: firstly, how it treats other eating disorders. The MC is quite scathing towards the girls with anorexia and bulimia who are also in her support group, and crucially she is not called out about this by the therapist (or the author). This was a little disappointing. The other thing I found (a little) problematic was the ending, but I don’t want to go into that in too much detail because of spoilers. I’ll just say it felt a little rushed, and I interpreted it as almost saying eating disorders like ARFID aren’t serious mental illnesses as they can apparently be treated by a simple changed mindset. Which I get is true on one level, but as the ending felt rushed it seemed the MC’s past struggle was essentially being presented as something the MC caused and chose to have and so it could, as it turned out, be easily fixed (despite the plot sayin otherwise).

Having said all that, I still rate this book very highly, and I read it in less than 24 hours. It’s THAT good.

For anyone who’s reading/studying the portrayal of eating disorders in YA fiction, this is an important read, and I highly recommend it as it’s rare to get a novel looking at the lesser-known eating disorders.

One person found this helpful

Eva G.

Amazing book. I have arfid and really loved it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 19, 2018

Verified Purchase

Amazing book. I have arfid and really loved it , however parts of this book are a trigger warning.

2 people found this helpful

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