This week was a long one. Thank goodness it's over and time for Book Club Friday!!
*bangs drum*
For today's review...
*points*
I have mixed feelings about this one. From the cover quotes
and blurb, I was expecting a laugh-out-loud read. While there were a few
occasions where I smiled, at no point did it make me giggle. In fact, it took
me longer than usual to finish this one because it made me feel anxious.
Anxious and self-conscious.
Not the best start.
Rachel is a self-help guru whose first book about
quitting smoking becomes a best seller. With the help of her long-time shrink,
Dr. Ness, she manages to ban all bad lifestyle choices. No drinking, no sugar,
no carbs. After being with Dr. Ness for a while, she whittles down from 160lbs
to 128lbs. This is where we started to fight. Mostly because Rachel became a
mega-cranky character.
You know why?
Because she was HUNGRY!
I’m all for shedding a few unwanted pounds but chewing ice
at your best friend's wedding reception while staring at what everyone else is eating/drinking is
just plain ridiculous. I mean, at one point, Dr. Ness tells her to simply “feel her
hunger.”
Yeah, I feel hunger too…and then I EAT SOMETHING!
Being a counselor myself, I was appalled with the dialogue
between Rachel and Dr. Ness. Talk about a co-dependent and toxic relationship.
They’re both so consumed with being thin that it completely monopolizes both of
their lives. The back blurb of Speed Shrinking suggests that Rachel spends a
lot of time speed-dating shrinks to replace Dr. Ness when he moves out of the
city but that’s not what happens at all! It all takes place in one chapter and
was over almost as quickly as it started.
Boo.
Reading about how paranoid Rachel is in her size 12 jeans
wasn’t enough to keep me engaged. She’s a seriously neurotic character and
although I kind of wanted her to get over herself, I wasn’t super invested. I
mean, at one point she goes to an institute for over eaters. An INSTITUTE!
She’s not even overweight! Her height is mentioned in the beginning and even at
her “grossly fat” 160lbs, she’s still considered healthy according to the BMI.
The worst part, though, was Rachel’s reason for freaking out
about her weight gain: she’s set to have a new book published about overcoming
food addiction. I think the author thought this would be enough tension to keep
the pace up but it fell flat for me. As in real life, I hate inauthentic people
and unfortunately, Rachel falls into this category.
Being an average-sized woman, I couldn’t relate to Rachel’s
plight. Her constant reliance on external validation left me thinking she was 22
instead of 38. So, I have to say that I can’t really recommend this one. Bummer
because I liked the premise but Rachel and I just didn’t see eye-to-eye.
Thank goodness I got this one on clearance. It's listed for $23.99 on Amazon right now.
Not.A.Chance.
