In 2009, the novel received the Kirkus Reviews best YA book. Wintergirls was a New York Times bestseller and ALA best book for young adults. Because Lia's weight is so low, she ends up waking up in the hospital, finally realizing that she actually wants to live.

In an act of desperation, Lia goes to the motel room where Cassie died and swallows a handful of sleeping pills in an attempt to block out her voice and get some rest. As Lia's self-harm becomes increasingly worse, Cassie's haunting becomes more aggressive. Lia believes that if she had picked up the telephone, Cassie would still be alive. This makes Lia feel guilty for not picking up the phone that night and not being there for Cassie when she needed it most. Soon, Cassie's ghost starts haunting Lia. Lia finds it difficult to get close to her father and step-mother because they previously brought her to a hospital to recover. Lia has been struggling with eating disorders for quite some time and none of the help she received has made much of a difference. But Jennifer's nine-year-old daughter and Lia's step-sister, Emma, is one of the only things that keep her feeling happy. Lia's relationship with her step-mother, Jennifer, is also complicated. To hide her illness from her family, Lia's obsessive and destructive behavior worsens and recovery seems impossible. Lia, who has a history of anorexia, falls into a downward spiral of self-harm and calorie counting. Cassie was found in a hotel room, killed by her illness, bulimia.

Cassie had called Lia 33 times the night of her death. Lia Overbrook, an 18-year-old girl, just found out that her ex-best friend Cassie has died. This complicates Lia's life even more and forces her to confront her own illness. Some months after a fall out with her best friend Cassie, Lia receives the news that she has died from bulimia. Lia struggles to cope with her mental illness while balancing everything else going on in her life. The story focuses on a girl, Lia Overbrook, who suffers from anorexia and self harm. The novel was published in 2009 by Viking. Wintergirls (2009) is a realistic fiction novel by the American author Laurie Halse Anderson.

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