Paperweight by Meg Haston | Audiobook Review

I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

This emotionally haunting and beautifully written young adult debut delves into the devastating impact of trauma and loss, in the vein of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Wintergirls.
Seventeen-year-old Stevie is trapped. In her life. In her body. And now in an eating-disorder treatment center on the dusty outskirts of the New Mexico desert.
Life in the center is regimented and intrusive, a nightmare come true. Nurses and therapists watch Stevie at meal time, accompany her to the bathroom, and challenge her to eat the foods she’s worked so hard to avoid.
Her dad has signed her up for sixty days of treatment. But what no one knows is that Stevie doesn’t plan to stay that long. There are only twenty-seven days until the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death—the death she caused. And if Stevie gets her way, there are only twenty-seven days until she, too, will end her life.
Paperweight follows seventeen-year-old Stevie’s journey as she struggles not only with a life-threatening eating disorder, but with the question of whether she can ever find absolution for the mistakes of her past…and whether she truly deserves to.

Why Did I Listen To Paperweight by Meg Haston?

Paperweight by Meg Haston has such a pretty cover. I am all about that light blue cover. So, upon seeing it on Hoopla and making the realization that I have seriously got to buck up and read the books on my shelves, I decided to give this book a whirl. Also? Paperweight is about a girl with an eating disorder and I just do not read or listen to very many books about girls with eating disorders. I find that my knowledge base in the topic is a bit lacking and so to improve that, I’m trying to read a few more books with the topic.

What’s The Story Here?

Meg Haston’s Paperweight focuses on narrator Stevie. Stevie definitely has an eating disorder. In fact, she’s currently in treatment in New Mexico at an isolated facility. Her dad has it in mind that she’s going to be there for sixty days and end up cured. However, Stevie has a different plan. You see, she plans to commit suicide on the anniversary of her brother Josh’s death. Stevie finds herself carrying a bit of the weight of his death. She feels like it is her fault. Much of the book is fixated on Stevie’s pain and plan, but also some of the girls she meets at the center. We also slowly unravel what happened to Josh and why Stevie blames herself.

What Did I Think Of Paperweight?

Honestly, it has been since December when I listened to Paperweight. As I write this from the vantage point of March, I don’t remember as much of the book as I thought I did. I will be truthful and say that not a whole lot of the book stuck with me. However, the topic is very important – not just eating disorders but suicidal ideation. Also, the use of inpatient treatment and therapy as a positive.

I also thought the book did a decent job with an unlikable narrator. Stevie is a difficult, prickly character going through some rough life situations. It would be easy to write her off, but as I said, Haston does a good job with making her character quite nuanced.

How’s The Narration?

The audiobook is narrated by Mandy Siegfried and is 8 hours and 13 minutes long, unabridged. It’s available via Hoopla. I do not have any complaints about Siegfried’s narration or about the production values. I think that if you like listening to contemporary young adult books, you will like this book too. Siegfried is an appropriate choice of narrator and this is definitely a perfectly decent audiobook.

Other reviews of Paperweight by Meg Haston:

• Heart Full Of Books – “I was constantly on the edge of my seat“
• Happy Indulgence – “packed a punch when it came to the feels“
• Readers In Wonderland – “very character-driven“

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

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