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Summary
Summary
A story about Mindy, a woman living with an eating disorder who has to learn how to love herself again.
In pursuit of the perfect body, Mindy buys the low-fat diet products and the glossy magazines which promise the secret to losing weight. One night, while perusing the aisles of the neighborhood convenience store for a midnight snack, she finds a new product. A chocolate bar called "Eat and Love Yourself". On a whim, Mindy buys the curious candy, not knowing that with every piece of chocolate she eats, she will be brought back to a specific moment of her past -- helping her to look at herself honestly, learn to love her body the way it is, and accepting love. Perhaps, she will even realize that her long lost high school best friend, Elliot, was more than just a friend...
Sweeney Boo (Love Is Love) and Lylian Klepakowsky present an honest and uncompromising look at how we form our self-image, the eating disorders that haunt our most private moments and what it takes to learn to love ourselves again.
Author Notes
Sweeney is a comic artist and illustrator living in Montreal, Canada. She grew up in the southwest of France, where she studied graphic design and listened to really loud rock music. She started working as a comic letterer and colorist for french publishers right after graduation, while pursuing her dream of being a comic artist. In 2015 she made the decision to move to Montreal, Canada. One short year after the big jump across the ocean she started working at a mobile game company as a 2D Artist. She never lost sight of her true dream though, so she continued to draw comics during the nights and weekends. Her comic debut happened during the summer 2016 when she created a cover and a short story for Rat Queens (Image Comics). Later on, in December 2016 she launched a Kickstarter campaign for her first graphic novel called "Eat, and Love Yourself", a 150-page story about eating disorders, depression, body dysmorphia, and ultimately self-love; a subject really important to her. The book was financed and picked up by Boom! Studios in 2019, for publication in 2020. In 2017, she had the chance to work on the costume designs of America Chavez, Inferno, and Patriot for the show "Marvel Rising", combining two of her favorite things, fashion and superheroes. Today Sweeney lives a happy, full time freelance life of drawing all day, watching a lot of Game of Thrones and eating a lot of nice cheeses. All the while being kept company by her feline assistant Loki, who doesn't do much except sit pretty while being a fluff. Sweeney loves drawings edgy fashion ladies, especially if they are witches. She works now for various publishers such as Boom! Studios, Archie Comics, IDW, Marvel, and Image comics.
Reviews (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
Mindy begins to see herself clearly after a bar of chocolate, called "Eat, and Love Yourself," transports her to past moments that contributed to her body dysmorphia, negative self-image, and binging and purging. Boo uses a moody, saturated color palette to depict the young woman's churning pessimism and self-loathing, further communicated through introspective, confessional musings: "There's always a moment when you become aware of who you are, and it hurts.... Because you aren't the person you imagined you were." As Mindy travels to times in which others--students, her father, a friend--color her perception of herself and her relationship with food, readers experience the isolating effect of these occurrences next to Mindy's own damaging self-talk and destructive isolation. Also clear is that Mindy is a far cry from the hideous, unlovable girl she sees herself as. Originally created via Kickstarter, Boo's story about breaking the cycle of self-harm, acknowledging formative experiences, and embracing one's indelible worth is meaningfully communicated. Ages 12--up. Agent: Britt Siess, Martin Literary. (Apr.)
Kirkus Review
Can self-love be packaged in a chocolate bar? Mindy is a young woman with body dysmorphia who finds emotional comfort in eating. Lately she has been feeling depressed--unhappy with her body and unsure about her life and future. One day, at her neighborhood corner store, Mindy purchases on impulse a chocolate bar with a label reading "Eat and Love Yourself." She discovers that each bite transports her to a time in her past. Readers, along with Mindy, get to watch pivotal moments in her younger years when she endured derisive comments and bullying around weight and food that led to her struggles with low self-esteem and disordered eating. Throughout the story, readers observe Mindy coping with the negative feelings resulting from these interactions--some, painfully, with loved ones--and they witness her present-day journey to self-acceptance, self-advocacy, and openness to love. The illustrations are vivid yet subdued, with a jewel-toned palette that manages to evoke warmth in a story that deals with sharp, uncomfortable realities. The writing and artwork complement each other and serve to make the reading experience more immersive. Boo's graphic novel reads as realistic despite involving time travel, and readers will find themselves rooting for Mindy as she relives deeply hurtful experiences. Mindy and her family are light-skinned and racially ambiguous, and there is ethnic diversity in secondary characters. A sad but ultimately hopeful story of learning to love oneself. (Graphic fiction. 12-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
