ALA Booklist (Wed Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2017)

Barrel-racer Raesha keeps her life and her loves small: she has best friend Asia, boyfriend Cody, her dog, and her horse. Home is just Rae and her dad and the memory of her mother, who died a few years back. But there's a new girl in town, Kierra, and both Cody and Asia are growing close with her. Rae focuses on the one thing she can control: herself. Nationals are approaching, and if Rae can make herself just a little lighter, a little leaner, she won't be as heavy in the saddle, and her horse will move faster. "Minus five" becomes her mantra as she strives to succeed at the sport her mother loved. The novel in verse approach isn't always the most effective here; the spare format works best when the focus is on the worsening of Rae's anorexia. Though there are many teen books about anorexia, few focus on equestrian sports, despite the fact that eating disorders in the equestrian world are common, and this debut provides an intriguing and valuable perspective.

Voice of Youth Advocates

Rae has a lot of great things in her life. She loves working on her dad’s ranch with her best friend, Asia, and her devoted boyfriend, Cody, and she is excited about the upcoming rodeo in which she is competing. Everything great is tinged with sadness, though, since her mother recently passed away from cancer. Rae wants to honor her mom by using her saddle in her race. The saddle is a little small, but she is certain that as long as she is disciplined, she can lose enough weight before the competition. Before long, Rae finds herself obsessively counting calories, eating only a few carrot sticks for lunch, and trying to pick the cheese off a slice of pizza without anyone noticing. She starts to disappear at meal times to avoid her friends’ concerned questions. When new girl Kierra joins the equestrian club, Rae views her as a rival for both the blue ribbon and Cody’s affection. She is more determined than ever to lose the weight and win the race, but at what cost? Alene has crafted a beautifully written novel about a teen dealing with grief and struggling with an eating disorder. The eating disorder develops slowly, showing how it can take hold of someone one excuse and one carrot stick at a time. The fact that it is written in verse enhances both the setting and the characters. Readers will be immediately drawn to Rae and root for her on her path to recovery.—Kirsten Pickel.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A competitive barrel racer, Raesha knows that a single pound can translate into seconds lost or gained. Determined to win Nationals, like her mother did before dying from cancer, Rae fixates on her weight, sure that losing five pounds will make all the difference. The arrival of Kierra-a new rider who throws a wrench in Rae-s relationships with her boyfriend, Cody, and best friend, Asia-leaves Rae feeling alone, jealous, and frenzied. As her eating disorder develops, Rae becomes less strong and less focused, yet those elusive five pounds remains just out of reach, no matter what the scale says: -Lighter/ Leaner/ Faster, My goal/ Is always/ There.- Writing in free verse, debut author Alene vividly conveys Rae-s spiral into anorexia; as she weakens, the poems fragment and become less fluid, mirroring Rae-s physical deterioration. Alene-s characterization of secondary characters, particularly Rae-s friends, is less successful; Cody-s shallow comments about Rae-s looks are particularly damaging, but this issue is never acknowledged. Even so, Alene presents an illuminating account of a girl struggling for control of her life and body. Ages 14-up. Agent: Sara Sciuto, Fuse Literary. (Feb.)