Good Enough - by Jen Petro-Roy (Paperback)

About the Book

"In the hospital where she is receiving treatment for anorexia, twelve-year-old Riley records her days in her journal--going to therapy, rediscovering her love of art, dealing with her rule-breaking roommate, and worrying about relapse once she returns home." --

Book Synopsis

A young girl with an eating disorder must find the strength to recover in this moving middle-grade novel from Jen Petro-Roy

Before she had an eating disorder, twelve-year-old Riley was many things: an aspiring artist, a runner, a sister, and a friend.

But now, from inside the inpatient treatment center where she's receiving treatment for anorexia, it's easy to forget all of that. Especially since under the influence of her eating disorder, Riley alienated her friends, abandoned her art, turned running into something harmful, and destroyed her family's trust.

If Riley wants her life back, she has to recover. Part of her wants to get better. As she goes to therapy, makes friends in the hospital, and starts to draw again, things begin to look up.

But when her roommate starts to break the rules, triggering Riley's old behaviors and blackmailing her into silence, Riley realizes that recovery will be even harder than she thought. She starts to think that even if she does "recover," there's no way she'll stay recovered once she leaves the hospital and is faced with her dieting mom, the school bully, and her gymnastics-star sister.

Written by an eating disorder survivor and activist, Good Enough is a realistic depiction of inpatient eating disorder treatment, and a moving story about a girl who has to fight herself to survive.

Review Quotes

"Every library needs Good Enough on its shelves. Lyrical, funny, honest and brave, this is a book that will save lives." --Katherine Applegate, New York Times-bestselling author of Wishtree and Crenshaw

"Petro-Roy (P.S. I Miss You), an eating disorder survivor, offers an intimate and realistic portrayal of Riley's destructive thinking patterns as well as her victories and setbacks. A powerful, well-told, and authentic story." --Publishers Weekly

"[A] supportive, honest, and empowering novel about mental health." --Booklist

"Raw and heartfelt. Good Enough navigates the labyrinth of emotions attached to anorexia nervosa. Written in journal form and based on the author's personal experience, this story will tug on your heartstrings as you root for Riley to find her courage and realize she is the superhero in her own story." --Elly Swartz, author of Give and Take and Finding Perfect

"In Riley, Jen Petro-Roy has created a character so real that when she hurts, we hurt. Luckily, when she heals, we heal, as well." --Jordan Sonnenblick, author of Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

"Good Enough is a story that had me highlighting line after line so I could go back and read them again. Not just because they were beautifully written and gave me tremendous insight into the mind of a girl fighting anorexia, but because they made me laugh, and they made me cry, and they filled my heart with empathy for anyone fighting this disease. This is an important book I want to shove into the hands of every child who thinks they're not skinny enough, not talented enough, not brave enough, not good enough." --Dusti Bowling, author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and 24 Hours in Nowhere

About the Author

Jen Petro-Roy is a former teen librarian, an obsessive reader, and a trivia fanatic. She lives with her husband and two young daughters in Massachusetts. She is the author of P.S. I Miss You, Good Enough, and You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery. Jen is an eating disorder survivor and an advocate for recovery.