We all have that voice inside our heads. The one that speaks to us incessantly. That voice we trust to make the right decisions, to keep us on a positive path, even when others try to bring us down. But what happens when that voice changes? When it’s no longer a voice of reason, a voice of comfort giving us a pep talk when we need them? What happens when that inner voice turns into a bully? … voice turns into a bully?
You’re fat.
Don’t you dare eat that.
You’ll never be as pretty as her.
You’ll never be as good as them.
You’re lazy. You’re stupid.
You are disgusting.
You. Are. Nothing.
What happens when that inner voice makes your body take its side?
Binge.
Purge.
Binge
Purge.
And what happens when the bully starts to win?
If your name is Alina Cassidy, then you fight like hell.
Warning: May contain subject matter that some readers may find sensitive. But I promise a traditional HEA.
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Finally the wait is over. I’ve been hearing and waiting for this book forever and let me tell you it was well worth it.
A unique, emotional and very intimate story of a disorder we often don’t hear about for a lot of reasons. The author dared to write a compelling story with integrity and respect so that we experience Alina’s journey. In the midst of this journey a heartfelt romance developed between Alina and rock musician Slater which turned into something much deeper than love.
This is a story of said journey, the demons, the struggles and the hopes.
The writing was flawless and realistic. The characters intriguing, relatable and well developed.
Alina’s story is anyone of us. Her journey, her thoughts her fears, we’ve all had them. The words put on paper by this author were so fresh so smart and so eye opening!
The book was easy to follow but hard to get through as it’s so emotional and relatable!
An absolute gem of a story worthy of all the stars!!
4.5 Stars
With all the talk about this book before I received it, I knew that I was setting myself up for an emotional read. By the time I was reading chapter 2, I had that funny feeling in my stomach full of understanding, compassion and fear of where Ms Jones was taking us. An now I sit trying to figure out how to give the impact of this book the proper words to help it shine.
Alina is truly fighting the biggest fight of her life. Remembering the times in her early childhood when she felt like she would never be enough. Watching as she struggles daily with what she knows as right and what her eyes and mind tell her is right. The constant struggle and the little triggers that can bring on the panic in only seconds. That horrifying fear that someone will figure it out and call her on it, is just so draining. With the addition of “Her” always putting in her two cents, I am certain I would crumble.
But with the support of her one constant rock her big brother Lucky and the tribe of friends she has found in Happenstance she is fighting back. When the band is given the chance of a lifetime to travel and open for Sicken Union on tour, Alina decided to give it her all. Sure she is worried about being away from Lucky and her therapy, but she is also confident that she can do it, well mostly. She knew the girls would have her back, even if they truly didn’t know the extent of things. What she hadn’t expected along the way was Slater and the magnetic draw between them. Is she ready for that kind of friendship and maybe more? Only time will tell.
Slater was quite happy with life, killing it as the lead for Sicken Union. Sharing their fame with these new and upcoming bands, means something to him and his brothers. Loving the life and nowhere near ready to slow down or hand in his man card. When the raven haired beauty steps on the stage in front of him, she silently captivated him, holding all of his attention, even while trying so hard not to be noticed. Knowing he needed to get to know her but never ever expecting to find himself wanting to put himself out there. Being willing to wait for every little bit she willingly gave him. To standing beside her while helping fight the demons within.
Ms. Jones has completely outdone herself again. Even though this book is focused around Ali and her fight with this horrible decease, it is soo much more. Any person who has some sort of misguided conception of themselves can relate to Ali’s inner thoughts and fears. The secondary characters in this book truly help bring it all together. Reminding us that we have support, we just need to open up and ask for it. And will might be honestly surprised how others feel. Thank you Gillian for bring us another heartbreaking novel.
****I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK!****
I heard about this book from Brynne Asher—she made a post about this book, and I checked it out on Amazon. After reading the blurb and some of the reviews, I struggled with whether or not to read this story because the subject matter is very real to me. I was terrified of the emotions, the memories it would bring forth.
But, I decided to take a chance on this story, and once I made my decision, I got the book on my Kindle and read, regardless of where I was.
The first part was very heavy, I cried. I was at the airport waiting for my flight and later on the flight when I read this part, tears streamed down my cheeks and my nose was runny. Everything Ali did brought forth memories. Her struggle and her addiction to do what she did, goodness, how I understood.
There were times I had to set the book aside and breathe. I had to regroup before diving back in.
I pushed forth to the end living Ali’s fight with her. When she hit her lowest, it tore me up. When Slater stayed, supported, and fought this fight with her, I fell in love.
I am so glad I took a chance on Fighting Weight because I ABSOLUTELY LOVED it.
It was heart-wrenching, heavy, inspiring, beautiful, and loving. I was on a roller coaster of emotions from the first page to the very last word.
I cried so much.
I smiled.
I got so angry, I wanted to hit something.
I cheered Ali on.
I cried some more.
And I fell in love.
This is one of those books that shows you the power of love. It doesn’t heal or make things better overnight, but it gives you strength and support. It gives you a reason to fight the addiction, a reason to live and get better. That’s what Ali needed in this fight for her life because this is a fight one does not fight alone.
**Please note that this book is not for everyone. Carefully read the blurb, even read some of the reviews if you’re on the fence.**
How do you put into words how profoundly moving this story is… 5 stars just isn’t enough! This book is truly not for the faint of heart… Gillian doesn’t hold back in this gritty, real, emotion filled story of Alina and her daily struggle to overcome the beast that is bulimia! The prologue gives us the first insight into how devastating peoples words can be to a person’s self esteem… that and the heartbreaking tragic loss of your only real support system and you have the recipe for disaster. The book is told in dual POV which I love as you get two very different sides to the story. Slater who is Alina’s love interest in the book and was instantly attracted to her from the moment he laid eyes on her. He saw the real her hiding in the shadows and made it his mission to bring her into the light where he knew she belonged. He was a very swoon worthy character, who had his flaws as everyone does but the love, compassion and strength he gave to Alina was what made his character so great! Alina and her brother Lucky had a truly horrible upbringing, and they both had their demons to battle. Lucky turned to alcohol… whereas due to her constant barrage of being told she was never good enough, that she was fat, ugly and a waste of space Alina turned to food and purging to take back control. The story follows Alina as she tries to navigates life, love and keeping her “bully” in check! I can’t recommend this book highly enough, I have learnt so much and now have a much greater respect and love for anyone that is fighting the constant ever present battle with bulimia.
This book Arrrggghhh!!! From the moment I turned the first page and started reading, I knew my heart would be in for one Hell of a battering, I wasn’t wrong Gillian Jones really knows how to deliver a story that packs a punch.
Ali and Slater will take you on a journey you’ll never forget.
This story is not only raw and real but it has the witty humour I love with Gillians books.
A slow burning Love story that may not be traditional but it’s beautiful none the less. I absolutely loved it.
I just adored Ali I thought she was incredibly brave and a lot stronger than she gave herself credit for.
This girl went through a horrific ordeal as a child. Not to mention the constant barrage of put downs no child should be subjected to.
These factors set in motion the downward spiral of one young girls life that almost destroyed her.
The moment her Bully sunk its claws into her and took over, it broke my fuxxing heart.
The only good thing in Ali’s early life was her Brother Lucky. I absolutely loved him, he too had his own Demons to tackle but he’s always been Ali’s rock.
Her love of music and playing in a band also helped her a lot. Giving her an outlet for her pain, writing songs.
When her Band gets the chance to audition to tour with Slater Jenkins…Rock God. Ali is nervous she tries to blend into the background not be seen, However Slater has noticed her and is determined to find out why this beautiful girl is hiding in the shadows.
Slater OMFG!!! He’s fantastic you can’t help but love him.
As with Tainted by Love this story tackles another difficult subject that not many like to talk openly about.
When you read a book like this one it’s emotionally draining, that’s the point. The struggles these characters go through are very real even if the story surrounding them takes the edge off the reality.
It helps raise awareness without being in your face about it.
Gillian is a remarkable woman and I love her for being brave enough to tackle this style of writing.
I’m sure a lot of us can relate in one way or another to the struggles Ali goes through, having our own form of Bully/Tormenter that sits on our shoulder taunting our insecurities, whatever they may be. I know I certainly have.
Thank you Gillian and Donna for being brave enough to face this journey together. You’re both amazing. xx
Now give me a book about Lucky. I need more of him in my life.
Fighting Weight is beautifully written, and so emotional story. You can tell that the author put her heart and soul into this book, with the way her words pour of the pages. It was hard at times to read, as I had tears streaming down my face. The characters were genuine, and I felt everything they went through. This is a must read for 2018!!!
Let me just start by saying this was my first Gillian Jones read and I honestly didn’t know what to expect. There were mixed reviews about this book and a disclaimer about the hard to handle topic it covers. So, I dove into the pages of Fighting Weight a little leery and slightly skeptical. This book is heavy, don’t get me wrong. But it is, without a shadow of a doubt, incredible.
Story Line: Let me preface this quickly and say this book talks quite a bit about bulimia and how it affects those who have it, as well as those around the people who have the disease. And this book makes it very, very real. Our main characters are Ali and Slater. Ali has a past that I can relate to to a certain extent. I grew up with a mother who constantly told me I needed to lose weight. I never felt like I was enough, much like sweet Ali. However, I was able to fight off any urges I had to purge or abstain from eating. Ali was not as lucky. The first 1/3 of the book is spent learning about Ali and her disease. This topic is not handled lightly. I had to take 2 breaks from reading the first part of this book because everything was extremely real and I had to remind myself that I was not Ali and I was not fighting her demons. This book is THAT beautifully written. I felt like I was in the story going through the same struggles as our main characters. It was absolutely incredible.
Back to the story line, Ali and Slater meet through a band tour. Slater is drawn to her and extremely patient. He tells her they are best friends, when he truly wishes for more. Fun little side note, before my dear husband would commit to me while we were “messing around”, he would tell everyone that I was his best friend and it pissed me the eff off. So, I loved that I could relate to the characters even more. Anyways, Slater and Ali have a long road ahead of them, literally since they are on tour together, and not so literally with their budding relationship and the many obstacles they must overcome. There are times I cried for and with Ali. And there are times that I wanted to legit punch Slater in the face. But in the end, it was one of my favorite happily ever afters.
Interaction: Slater is a bad ass rock star who has the heart of a teddy bear. Ali is emotionally fragile and in recovery. So it’s no wonder these two mesh when they first meet. There are sparks that they both feel, but neither will admit. But what they do admit, is that friendship is inevitable. They talk like they’ve known each other their whole lives. It’s amazing and made me yearn for that kind of connection too. Love my hubby, but he’s not that much of a talker
Laundry: I read a review that said she was 35% into the book and they hadn’t had laundry yet and that’s why she couldn’t keep reading. I sort of want to smack said person upside the head. Because if she had finished the book, she would have be immeasurably satisfied. Because our girl Gillian can write some dirty, dirty laundry.
Depth: I think it goes without saying that this book has some major depth to it. Gillian writes about this horrific disease in such a meaningful way. It was a tough topic to tackle and I honestly am walking away from this book feeling like I understand the disease just a little bit better. And my heart truly goes out to anyone who suffers or has suffered from it. I’m a big girl. I have very little self esteem. But to know someone who weighs just 130 pounds feels even worse about themselves than I do? My heart breaks for them.
Thank you Gillian for writing a wonderfully broken love story. A story I will not soon forget. I finished this book with warmth in my heart and an open mind. And for that, I will always be grateful.
Pick up this amazing book TODAY!
Bravo to this amazing author who took a difficult subject matter and wrote it beautifully. This story is proof that there is beauty in the darkness. It shows strength and courage exist even when at our darkest. A definite must read that will pull at all your heart strings. This author continues to wow me with each book she publishes.
I knew going in this was going to be a hard read that was expect but the feeling Alina had of being unworthy hit me hard. Her addiction is not pretty, there’s shame, regret and tears.
My fave part is her great support system her brother what a great bond they have, he was always there for her even when he was fighting his own demons. The girl in the band, wow sisters for life. Slater Jenkins what can I say about this guy. The amazing support he willingly gave Alina. He didn’t understand the addiction but gave her support and understanding, the light to her dark.
As I’m reading Ali and Slater together I couldn’t help but think fuck these two belong to together, what great chemistry. Gillian is great at putting couples together like they have always been together. This is a beautiful story of resilience, love, support, and courage. I loved Alina’s triumph moment when she finally feels she is worthy and she is enough.