Note: I have ARFID, have self-harmed, and have been locked up in a mental ward against my will. 
 Trigger warnings for this book (review is safe): anorexia, bulimia, vomiting, self-harm, suicide, mental hospitals 
 Man, I am so disappointed. When I first heard that there was going to be a book about ARFID, I was so excited. Not just so I could finally see this side of myself in a book, but also because other people would learn about ARFID. Maybe I was naive, but I was hoping for some good representation. 
 And what I got was a nightmare of a book that does not only wrongly represent people with ARFID, but is also extremely damaging to anyone with any eating disorder or mental health problem. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because it's not only problematic but also just shit, but I definitely wouldn't recommend it to people with mental health problems. 
 It is badly researched, full of judgement and shaming (and no character development), and implies that a boyfriend will help you better than antidepressants. It missed so many opportunities in explaining the different ways that ARFID can affect one's life, and explaining more about the disorder. All it focused on was this bullshit high school relationship (they'd been dating for like... a few months?) and this stupid 'monster' inside of her. Sorry, but ARFID is not that poetic. I'd almost say it romanticizes it. 
 This is what ARFID is to me: it is part eating disorder, part anxiety disorder. I live on kids' menus, and that's fine with me, but I am always cold (which makes me accidentally burn my stomach with hot water bottles), and I have a lot of stomachaches and feel sick very easily. It makes eating with people very hard and unpleasant, but most people I care about take it into account when planning something. It's not a monster. 
 Also, it's written in second person POV, which can work when done well, but it was not done well in this book. It feels like a gimmick that was added because they realized the plot and characters on their own were too weak. 
 This review explains everything that is wrong with Sad Perfect, if you're curious: http://justinaireland.com/dammit-this... 
 Couldn't have worded it better myself. 
 I'd also recommend reading my status updates: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...