Sad Perfect

Sixteen-year-old Pea looks normal, but she has a secret: she has Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, which means she can't eat very much because nutritious foods frighten her. Having ARFID is like having a monster inside of her, one that dictates what she can eat, what she does and who she socializes with. This monster is growing and controlling more than just her food issues - it's causing anxiety, depression and thoughts that she doesn't want to have. When she falls crazy-mad in love with Ben, she hides her disorder from him, pretending that she's fine. At first, everything really does feel like it's getting better with him around, so she stops taking her anxiety and depression medication. And that's when the monster really takes over her life. Just as everything seems lost and hopeless, Pea finds in her family, best friend, and Ben the support and strength that she needs to learn that her eating disorder doesn't have to control her. SAD PERFECT is a heart-wrenching debut from Stephanie Elliot.

A Margaret Ferguson Book


Genre: Young Adult Fiction

"Sad Perfect is a book I couldn't put down and one that will long stay with me. I loved it." - Julie Buxbaum

"Girls, and boys, will be reading this elegant and sad book for years to come." - Kathleen Glasgow

"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." - S M Parker

"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