It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell

I've followed Andie Mitchell’s well-beloved Can You Stay for Dinner? blog for quite some time. I always found her realistic posts about food and weight to be uplifting when so many other “success stories” had a ring of falsehood or exclusivity. Not everything Andie eats is healthy. She lives in a world of moderation. She walks instead of runs. She misses eating the entire cake. She know what it means to really want pizza (and by “pizza,” I mean the whole pie). As someone who can relate to her relationship with food, I was intrigued to learn more about her life and what brought her into being who she is now.

It turns out Andie’s book quickly fulfilled the requisite for “a book that makes you cry,” because this girl has lived a very hefty slice of life and come out the other side self-aware and ready for action. I know many reviewers have stated they disliked Andie’s memoir or felt it was not the book they thought it would be going into their purchase. They wanted a diet book or an exercise guideline, but that isn’t what a memoir is when laid out bare. It's meant to be a recount of a life in detail, and that is certainly what was received.

I pre-ordered this book via Kindle as soon as it was available for such a thing, and then, honestly, forgot it until it showed up in early January. I waited a moment before starting (having already begun my first book in a trilogy) and listed it promptly as either my "memoir" or “book published this year” on my 2015 challenge – not anticipating it would jump categories. It went down quickly, and I enjoyed every morsel. It may be the case that I post a book talk soon to further discuss the details. 

Andie’s writing style is true and honest. Her descriptions of food come from a place of reverence – as anyone who genuinely adores a meal can boast – and they were often my favorite parts of the book. However, her reflections on her relationships and on her abusive past with food and overeating were quite poignant to me, staying with me long after I finished the last chapter. I found myself feeling convicted for my decisions in regards to “wanting” to lose weight and considering that gym membership I dutifully pay for without use month after month.

In the end, I think Andie succeeded in what she set out to do: give you a sumptuous, toothsome bite of what it means to be big in a world obsessed with small, a reminder to love yourself and chase what matters to you.  I would recommend it. Thanks for sharing, Andie.