summer read no. 3: Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson

Justinne Horteza
Apr 16, 2020
3 min read

Updated: Nov 2, 2020

started: March 27, 2020

finished: March 30, 2020

I have two favorite booktubers. one is A Clockwork Reader and the other is paperbackdreams. they’re my all-time faves and whenever I find books at my local bookstores that they recommend or read, I’d always want to get them [the books], that’s why, last summer of 2019 at National Book Store’s Book Binge Bazaar, I was ecstatic to see that a copy of Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson was sitting at the bottom part of this random shelf I passed by.

it’s actually one of Hannah’s (A Clockwork Reader) favorite books that’s why I didn’t think twice of getting it even if it wasn’t the prettiest copy because 1.) again, it’s Hannah’s fave book, 2.) it was sold for only Php175.00 and 3.) I’d never get this opportunity again. a New York Times Bestseller for that cheap? so I mean, come on, right?

I actually tried reading this book back then but just couldn’t get through even 3 pages because there’s just something about me and books with large fonts. I just don’t vibe with them and I have no idea why, too. but, as we know, the world is in a very odd and strange (and scary and uncertain) situation right now and we can’t get out of our houses. that’s why I finally decided to pick it up again.

and now I see why Hannah loves it. also, I firmly believe that I was meant to read it the time that I actually did instead of a few months back because now that I have this blog, I get to tell you guys how amazing this book is and most importantly how IMPORTANT it is.

this book is a story about Lia who just lost Cassie—her ex best friend, who she grew up with. now, it doesn’t only tackle Cassie's death and Lia's grief, but also of what Lia is personally going through. Lia actually has an eating disorder, just like Cassie (that’s not why she died btw. kind of). Lia is anorexic while Cassie was bulimic.

talking about these kinds of topics is honestly scary because they’re very sensitive and might be triggering to some people. so I won’t say much about what is in the book, instead I’ll say that this book is written in such a beautiful way but is in no way trying to romanticize EDs. although, as always, that’s just my opinion. I’ve read/watched a couple of other reviews about this book and some said that it triggered them in different ways and I understand where they’re getting it from. But, in my case, I truly adore this book.

as what Hannah said in her video, the book was written in a way that’s almost magical and I cannot stress enough how I agree with her statement. but of course, there's no magic in the book, just the atmosphere that it gives off because of the author's style of writing it.

it is funny, but also scary. it is sarcastic at times, and can also be very twisted and dark.

this book is one of those that you need enough courage to go through. it’s definitely not any of those easy reads because of its theme and I do wanna put out content warnings for EDs, death, and self-harm.

I stand by saying that this book is important because of the message it's sending out to its readers and the conversation it has on not just EDs but also on death, other mental health issues, family, self-harm, and many more. but, I personally wouldn’t recommend it to everyone. it is a book that [I’d say] is a risk you’d have take getting into. you’ll need all the courage, heart, and mind to read it. i'm not exaggerating at all, it’s ultimately not for the faint-hearted and not for the close minded.

above that, this book is definitely a 4 out of 5 stars for me. it has become one of my favorites and I truly love it. and because I decided not to talk much about what happened in the book, I’ll leave here a few of my favorite parts! enjoy!