Jake feels alone at school and alone at home. Some days it feels like the only people who understand him is the poet Emily Dickinson – and Jake's beloved grandma. But there is also the Voice inside him, louder than any other, who professes to know him best of all.

The one that says "You have me."

The Voice is loud enough to drown out everything else, even the hunger Jake feels, until his mom intervenes and sends him to Whispering Pines.

Here Jake will learn how to confront the loneliness inside him, and find out who he is and what he has to live for. That is, if he can quiet the Voice...

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for my review copy.

It has been a while since I’ve read a powerful, moving children’s novel and I knew that Louder Than Hunger would scratch that itch. I would say that it firmly straddles the line between middle-grade and YA, as the protagonist is a young teen but the main subject matter (anorexia) is dark and it doesn’t shy away from the graphic reality of that. It’s probably best suited to readers aged 13+ and every reader should proceed with caution.

Jake loves books, musical theatre and spending time with his grandma. He hates food, mirrors and feeling enormous. He is desperate to avoid attention, so he tries his best to be as small as he possibly can be and not eating seems to be the only way to do that. How long can he possibly keep it up before he disappears?

Jake is haunted by the malevolent voice of his eating disorder, which consistently interrupts his thoughts, seemingly whenever he is otherwise having a good time. It’s such an honest, accurate representation of how an eating disorder operates and makes for devastating reading that had me on edge the whole way.

Many readers will agree that there is nothing better than the smell of new books but Jake almost treats inhaling the scent as eating or consuming. This reversal of something that is so often considered to be harmless and calming was quite disturbing and just one of many examples of the damage within the mind of someone with an eating disorder.

I have never been diagnosed with an eating disorder but I definitely have an unhealthy relationship with food. I read every nutritional label, I count calories and I try my best to keep within my ‘allowance’. I don’t get physical symptoms when I fail to do these things but I think it does affect my mood. It’s exhausting and difficult, so I can only imagine how hard it must be when it consumes your whole life.

Jake’s description of how it feels when he eats and thinks about the food inside his body could only come from someone who has definitely had these thoughts before. It’s so graphic and it actually made me feel queasy. I will actually go as far as to say that it caused me to be disgusted by eggs and cereal and other foods that I loved, so I would again urge precaution before encouraging young readers with disordered eating to read this book.

I think the saddest part of the book was that Jake is a strong empath and he is well aware of the worry that he is causing his family. Despite this, it’s not enough for him to silence the voice, which is literally louder than his very natural hunger. He wants to eat but his mind simply won’t allow him to. I think one of the book’s strongest merits is the way it illustrates eating disorders as existing in the mind rather than the body. Many sufferers really want to eat and get better but their illness is just too fierce and controlling.

Louder Than Hunger is a thought-provoking, emotional read. I think I wanted Jake to build more on his friendships and for there to be a bit more of a plot. However, I have since learned that this is based on the author’s own experience, which makes sense because it does read like a memoir in places. I’m really glad I read it because it’s an important topic that young readers should be aware of and it’s an accurate portrayal. It’s authentic and hopeful but really quite raw, so take care of yourself while reading!

Theo is a teenager in the 1990s. He loves musicals, art and his grandma. He's also, however, in the grips of an eating disorder, personified by The Voice. Beautifully, lyrically told in verse Louder Than Hunger tells the story of his journey. This is not an emotionally easy read, but a necessary one. I have already bought a copy for my secondary school library.

I usually try to write a review as soon as I finish the book so I don't forget what I want to say. With Louder than Hunger, I don't know what I want to say. Moving, beautiful, inspirational - they don't feel big enough.

Jake has an eating disorder. He only truly feels like himself when he stays with his grandmother at the weekends. The rest of the time, Jake feels like he shouldn't be there, like he takes up too much space and doesn't deserve to eat, live and be well. This message is fully endorsed by many of Jake's peers and the Voice in his head, which regularly reminds him that he is not worth it.

Eventually, Jake is forced to accept help and he slowly begins to learn that he can question the Voice and that maybe it isn't right. With a cast of incredible characters that I hope are based on real life as much as Jake's experiences sadly are, Jake learns how much he means to other people and this gives him a reason to get better, until he can learn to do so for himself.

This is an incredible account of eating disorder recovery that expresses a person’s experiences in a way I’ve wanted to see for years. I’ve wondered what form it would have to take to work- and John Schu has cracked it: the verse novel is the perfect format for this story.

This book had to be written in verse. It reflects perfectly the emotional ups and downs, the brain fog, the silences and the screams of Jake’s recovery journey. Although the verse is obviously carefully crafted, it delivers a rawness which perfectly reflects Jake’s vulnerability and inner turmoil.

This book has the potential to help (young) people understand what people experience when they suffer from an eating disorder- language around mental health can be casually bandied about and misrepresentations are pervasive. This warts and all depiction helps show just how all-consuming and destructive an eating disorder is to all aspects of someone’s life. It has the power to be cathartic to sufferers to show there are people out there who absolutely understand. It could help sufferers to process and articulate their feelings. Most importantly, it shows there is hope; that things can and will get better.

Thank you to John Schu, to @WalkerBooksUK & NetGalley for the chance to read this incredible, moving book.