Eating Bull

by Carrie Rubin

A fight against the food industry turns deadly.

Jeremy, a lonely and obese teenager, shoots into the limelight when a headstrong public health nurse persuades him to sue the food industry. Tossed into a storm of media buzz and bullying, the teen draws the attention of a serial killer who’s targeting the obese. Soon the boy, the nurse, and their loved ones take center stage in a delusional man’s drama.

Through fiction, Eating Bull explores the real-life issues of bullying, fat-shaming, food addiction, and the food industry’s role in obesity.

“A solid thriller that manages to infuse one boy’s coming-of-age with a whole lot of murder.”—Kirkus Reviews

**Content Advisory: This book contains some profanity and brief scenes of graphic violence.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Mystery

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 12, 2015

About the author

Carrie Rubin is a physician-turned-novelist who writes thrillers. She enjoys exploring other genres as well, and has a cozy mystery published under the pen name Morgan Mayer and a novel of magical realism under the pen name Dannie Boyd.

To learn about new releases or promotions, follow Carrie on BookBub. Or, to receive a free ebook copy of Fatal Rounds or Fractured Oak, you're invited to sign up for the author's new-release alerts.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie Rubin is giving away copies of EATING BULL! Suspense!

Click on Banner to enter - Ends April 4 @ 11:59PM INTL & US

Get ready to experience every emotion you have as a twisted and delusional killer collides headlong with a bullied and depressed obese teen, his mother and a warrior nurse on a mission.

Eating Bull by Carrie Rubin is powerful fiction that tackles obesity and punctuates its horrors with a crazed serial killer on a rampage to stomp out the disease one victim at a time. Settle back and watch as the tentacles of this tale stretch both as separate stories and as extensions of each other as three points of view are exposed with sometimes heart-wrenching results.
Jeremy is grossly obese in a world that ridicules him, punishes him, stares at him and berates him for his size. He is part of a growing number of teens lost in a world where beauty and perfection rule, while being different turns a child into a pariah and an emotional punching bag. His strongest advocate, a health nurse takes on the restaurant/food service industry in an indictment of their responsibility for Jeremy’s condition. His story catches the interest of Darwin, a brutal and sadistic killer, will Jeremy, a boy seeking only friendship and a normal life become the victim of a man whose hatred for obesity knows no bounds?

Carrie Rubin has presented her case, told her story and done it well. The personalities of her characters are alive, their emotions are real and the story of Jeremy and Darwin are far more paralleled than one could believe. Is Darwin the future Jeremy?

Yes the story is well-told, but not entirely a comfortable one. Follow along; see your school days pass before you. Oh, you didn’t bully or make fun of the fat kid? Did you step in to show friendship or stop the bullying or did you cower away or heaven forbid, laugh? If Carrie Rubin cannot o the error of your ways, then your heart may be missing. Jeremy’s pain is real, he is in crisis and it isn’t his entire fault. He becomes a hero of sorts when he goes public to make the world aware of big business’ power of seduction, but the price he pays may be with his life. What drove Darwin to become obsessed with fitness? What made him kill “fat” over and over? You’ll find the answers in Eating Bull as well as an entirely new insight into bully, obesity and the difficulty of breaking the chain of ignorance.

This is a MUST read, should be in libraries and on classroom discussion calendars, because it is okay to be disturbed or uncomfortable with reading this powerful, so long as the message comes out.

I received this copy from Carrie Rubin in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: ScienceThrillers Media
Publication Date: November 12, 2015
ISBN-13: 9781940419107
Genre: Thriller | Coming of Age
Print Length: 311 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Britt Skrabanek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every book should have a purpose, and Carrie Rubin's latest thriller most certainly does. Once again the author dazzles and terrifies us with her writing agility, blending her medical background with "hanging on the edge of your seat" fiction.

In Eating Bull, the point of view switches often—told through the eyes of Sue (the badass nurse/activist), Jeremy (the obese teenager/unlikely hero) and Darwin (the damn creepy serial killer). I must admit that every time I turned the page and I had to face a Darwin chapter, I cringed, took a deep breath, and plowed through it. Of course, that just means Carrie did her job brilliantly.

Sue is taking a stand against the food industry, with Jeremy as the face of the movement. Guaranteed, you will enthusiastically root for both of them, while they battle the forces against them and inside of them.

Rubin's excellent pacing and character development make the read a breeze, except for those jaw-dropping scenes that will make you think twice about your decision to eat dinner moments before.

Overall, a fantastic read in a genre I typically do not explore.

What I'd love to see from Carrie next? A non-fiction book with a message. Everything Carrie said in her Author's Note at the end of Eating Bull really moved me. And, I can't remember ever feeling so jazzed up about one before. But when someone says...

"I do believe in engaging people in dialogue to improve not only our nation's health, but that of our children, since they must shoulder the consequences of our actions."

...you can't help yourself. You're inspired to do something too.

Which is why I know Carrie is destined to do many great things to help others...probably more than she realizes.

Britt Skrabanek
http://brittskrabanek.com

[Rebecca (LirilAB) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started out alternating this book in with the other books I am currently reading, but somewhere close to the middle of the book, I started reading this book exclusively. It felt like a light read, but the characters had dimension and seemed very real to me, and the subject concerning health issues and problems we have with the food industry runs deep. The author encourages readers to think about these issues in different ways, but presents the story of the characters in a way that is page-turning but not preachy.

Because I am doing the reading challenge over on onlinebookclub.org and Eating Bull was one of their selections for book of the month, I read the description and wanted to read it, but hesitated because I had other books in my backlog and it wasn't a choice for the Kindle lending library. However, the Kindle price dropped to 99 cents as if something in the universe wasn't going to allow me to *not* read this book!

Good choice on my part!

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seems based on the Michael Moss nonfiction, Salt Sugar Fat, plus many statistics about public health and obesity. I admire the author for giving us a main character who is an obese teen, as this is under-represented and must be a challenge to write. Chafing thighs, groin boils, asthma and all. We are shown that the fatter you get, the harder it is to exercise, through the lad's experience, and his continual wish to escape awkward situations by wanting to go home and eat, further explains his isolation.

I don't like serial killer stories, and this is one, with a series of gory deaths of obese people padding out the book until the two stories collide. Readers who enjoy serial killer crime tales may like this book more than I did.

I support the wish to sue American food industries expressed in the book, along with the doctor's advice that what we eat and drink, and how we exercise, is our own responsibility. Some interesting facts are presented whether given as fact or opinion, and if I had liked characters more or the villain hadn't been a serial killer I'd probably give a better rating. I would have given a mention to hormones fed to meat animals in America, which are illegal in Europe. These hormones make the animals gain weight.

Due to levels of violence and death I class this as an adult read.

The author sent me an e-ARC. I chose to read and review. This is an unbiased review.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Rubin brilliantly takes on the food industry with this entertaining novel. Eating Bull will make readers think about the food choices we make every day and why we make those choices.

I fell in love with the main character, Jeremy, from the beginning. The overweight teenager is bullied at home and school. His only solace is found in video games and food. His mother works two part-time jobs and brings home take-out food when she doesn’t have time to cook meals for the family. Jeremy tries to lose weight, but it’s a battle he can’t fight alone.

Then Jeremy meets Sue, a nurse from a weight management clinic. She convinces him to sue the food industry for purposely putting products on the market that create a sugar-salt addiction in the same way that the cigarette industry addicts consumers with nicotine. I loved the interaction between Sue and Jeremy, especially when he begins to see her as a warrior woman from one of his video games.

The law suit attracts a killer who’s targeting overweight people. Readers will love the twists and turns and clues sprinkled throughout the novel before discovering the killer’s identity. The story kept me guessing until the end.

Eating Bull shows how difficult it is to lose weight when all the odds are against us – from the food industry’s promotion of addictive junk food to home and school life to the way an individual thinks about himself – and it does all that with an entertaining story. I loved getting to know Jeremy and kept cheering him on through the pages.

[Kourtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carrie Rubin crafts a fantastic medical thriller in Eating Bull. I loved how she created 3 very unique point-of-view characters to tell this tale. Jeremy was a very relatable 15-year-old boy. I could feel his food cravings and his reactions to fast food smells. Sue is a tough as nail health care worker who wants to help him and others like him--she's the brains behind suing the food industry. And then there is Darwin--a creepy, horrible killer with a twisted mind and soul. Rubin does an excellent job breathing life into each of these very different characters.

She also manages to shine a light on the growing obesity epidemic without every sounding preachy. I really appreciated how different characters held different beliefs. She presented a balanced view of this issue and made it a really cool part of the story development.

The plotting was terrific. Tightly wound and fast paced. I read this in a few days. The last 40% of the book I finished in day because I couldn't put it down. Definite page turner.

I wasn't sure who Darwin was until the end--thanks for keeping me on my toes Ms. Rubin.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I don't normally read thrillers but was excited when I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway as it was about such an interesting topic - the role of the food industry in obesity. When I started to read the novel, I began to see the characters take shape before my eyes, including Jeremy and Sue. I was caught up in the action and felt the characters - all of them - were real. I got shivers whenever the killer's viewpoint was given. It was great how each chapter was given in the perspective of one of three key people in the book. I recommend this book for anyone who likes thrillers and anyone who is interested in the issues of obesity and fat shaming.

[Luanne Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured (sorry for the pun) Carrie Rubin's Eating Bull very quickly, although I savored it as I read. Then I didn't write this review for many months. Perhaps because this book took me by surprise and just a tiny bit out of my comfort zone, writing about this book proved to be daunting. Eating Bull is a suspenseful thriller which showcases the dark world of the fast food industry and of fat shaming and bullying. It has a cast of characters I found very realistic--which means annoying and endearing at once. The protagonist, Jeremy, is a boy who deserves the sympathetic eye of Rubin's narrator on his life and dilemmas. His mother frustrated me. She clearly loves him very much, but I wanted to step in and advise her on ways she could help improve her son's life, but of course, I could not. Perhaps the most vivid character is Sue, the public health nurse, who teams up with Jeremy to fight fast food. Eating Bull is a very important book in the way it shines a spotlight on topics allowed to fester in our culture all the while the reader is obsessed with following the compelling story to a satisfying resolution.

[Phillip McCollum · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Carrie Rubin's new book, The Bone Curse, coming out shortly, I'm a little (a lot) behind the times with this review, but it's better late than never to spend time with such a gem.

Eating Bull is Carrie Rubin's sophomore effort, a thriller centering on overweight Jeremy Barton (unaffectionately known as "Eating Bull") and a serial killer with a real obesity hang-up. The prose is clean and stays out of the way of an absorbing plot while the characters draw you in. From the day-to-day struggles of Jeremy's mom, Connie, who's just trying to make ends meet and do the right thing for her son, to the public health advocate, Sue, who's determined to hold all responsible parties accountable for their role in enabling an overweight America, the reader is left with the sense that these are real people.

With its original premise, Eating Bull comes with a message, but like all good fiction, it's encapsulated in an electrifying story. This is a timeless novel because the same guilt and pressure that Jeremy faces attack each of us in different ways. Carrie's taken what could have been a run-of-the-mill thriller and put her own mark on it, which is what any good author does.

I was sad to see this one end, but I'm sincerely looking forward to strapping in for another Carrie Rubin thrill ride!

[Kate Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eating Bull is a thriller that is educational as well as entertaining. The story is about an obese teenage boy, Jeremy, who is persuaded by a public health nurse to sue the food industry, an act that draws a serial killer’s attention right to him.

The content is grisly, sad, inspiring, and thought-provoking. The author, Carrie Rubin, brings her medical background to the story, bringing awareness of the supreme obstacles overweight people face in this society.

Throughout the book, readers are reminded that while people make the ultimate choices regarding nutrition and exercise, the problem is compounded by a food industry who purposely makes food addictive and a society that doesn’t always offer safe or healthy options.

Another reviewer mentioned the reason she didn’t rate Eating Bull 5 stars was due to the crude language and fat-bashing; however, those are two of the reasons I rated this book 5 stars. There is no softening of the blows, and I think that is a smart choice. This isn’t a book purely to keep us entertained – this book is also meant to give readers a clear visual of what a day in the life of an obese person must be like. It ain’t pretty, and that’s Rubin’s point. Eating Bull is a real-world look at the obesity epidemic, calling on us all to think carefully about our food and exercise choices, and to even reach out to someone who could use help.

Another great choice made by Rubin is to let us into the heads of three characters: Jeremy; Sue, the public health nurse; and Darwin, the serial killer. While being in the head of a serial killer isn’t exactly a joyride, I was fascinated to follow the thought process of someone who is driven by demons. Fiery Sue is a perfect complement to complacent Jeremy, and I enjoyed watching them evolve in response to each other.

Well-written and suspenseful with complex characters, this book will be of interest to all types of readers. A true must-read.

I was given an advanced reader copy of Eating Bull, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a story in here that I wanted to read. Drop the fast talking, short tempered, and passionate public health administrator. Discard the germ phobic serial killer. Forget about the law suit. All those threads just clutter up a really good and important story.

Connie and Jeremy.

That's the story I wanted. A story about the lies we tell ourselves to keep moving on, the sort of lies to help us face circumstances and consequences. A story about sleepwalking into your future. A story about squandered days that constrict so tightly about your own children they cannot draw a steady breath.

I wanted a different book then what this one was, though, that does not factor into my rating. The problems I had were stilted and unrealistic sounding dialog, character motivations that were displayed large as a well lit billboard leaning far out over the highway (and communicated just as shallow), and meandering subplots that neither moved the story along nor added too terribly much to its trajectory. This also neglects the Hallmark Movie meets ABC After School Special quality ending to the story, seriously, not a single person required counseling after their brush with imprisonment, brutality, and subsequently death?

Again, I suppose I had wanted another book in the end.

[Heidi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The suspense-filled novel, Eating Bull by Carrie Rubin is about a lonely and self-conscious obese 15-year old Jeremy who finds himself in the limelight when out-spoken public health nurse, Sue, convinces him to sue the food industry. In the midst of this, a dangerous man who feels strongly against people who are obese, puts Jeremy and Sue in his line of target.

While reading there were some graphic scenes, which was a bit too much for me to read and enjoy at times. However, the rest of the book was still enjoyable. Therefore, I give this book a 3 out of 5 stars. I recommend Eating Bull to those who enjoy suspense, some violence, and a story about someone trying to overcome his/her own life struggles.

[Cindy Knoke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this compelling medical thriller! The plot is well paced and quite riveting and the characterization is psychologically realistic and well developed. The author is a physician so the medical information is factual and engrossing. As a side benefit, the education you receive from this book about the food industry is both disturbing and important. I stopped drinking my favorite grocery store lemonade after reading in this book about the sugar content in many commercial beverages and discovering that my several glasses of daily lemonade were adding a boatload of harmful sugar to my diet. So you learn some things as you become absorbed in this intense thriller!
Highly recommend.

[Ginger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! And enjoyed references to Cleveland!

[Susan Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewer - Susan Swanson

In Eating Bull the reader gets to intimately know teenager Jeremy who, because of obesity, suffers bullying at the hands of not only his mother's boyfriend and the kids at school, but his very own grandfather. A second character in the story, "Darwin" -- psychopath who hates fat people and has made it his goal to put an end to them by taking their lives in grisly murders -- sets his vicious sites on Jeremy, Jeremy's overweight mother, and a social worker/nurse named Sue. Sue is the outspoken do-gooder who has convinced Jeremy to sue the food industry for contributing to his obesity and Darwin sees this lawsuit as frivolous but advantageous in meeting his goal of convincing the public that the obese must be eliminated.

And then there's Jeremy's mother Connie, a kind woman, single and working two jobs, who has no time to prepare healthy meals, instead bringing home fast food that contributes to both her own and her son's weight problems. Though Jeremy attends a "fat clinic,' as he calls it, his struggle is unending, and the ups and downs of controlling his dietary urges plague him. Besides that, exercises prescribed for him are beyond the capacity of a morbidly obese person.

Jeremy is one-sixteenth Creek Indian, and that figures in the high impact end to the story, when Jeremy, Sue, and Connie meet up with Darwin in a chilling confrontation brought on by a coincidental overheard remark. Another strand to the story is Sue's daughter Kayla, who seems to have anorexia. And that's not all -- the tale is peopled with troubled beings: a bully whose problems are likely exacerbated by a bullying father and a skinny little black with vitiligo whose parents overprotect him. Not to mention a grandfather with agoraphobia and a simpering, weak mother.

Though I see a need for this novel's message -- food addiction and the food industry's role in obesity -- I had problems with the book in many ways. For one, the dialogue was unrealistic. "It's a high-capacity scale, goes up to five hundred pounds" and "Here. I'm not sure this will fit but it's the only one that will come close" are examples of improbable comments from medical personnel who surely have been trained in the handling of patients. The grandfather's tirades are equally implausible.

But there's more that troubles this reader. Character descriptions and motivations are described and then reiterated over and over as though the reader is a first grader with no capacity for nuance. And then there are the problems with punctuation, particularly in the case of commas that don't properly delineate clauses and phrases. A good editor may have helped in this regard, and helped also with such words as "Yeeees" when the word should have been "Yessss." As well, an editor may have eliminated some characters and narrative that go nowhere or are simply excessive.

This is not my kind of book for all the above reasons. But more than anything, it is the excessive cruelty and gore that turned me off. If you love that kind of stuff, enjoy!

I give Eating Bull 3 out of 5 stars.

[Laurie Ramone · Rating 1 out of 5]

i hate this book. i truly hate it and i don't know why it has such a high rating because?? it's bad. i got a bit of the way through it and started thinking that i was reading a different version from everyone else because my perception of it was so different from what the reviews said but i think it's just me.

the premise is utterly ridiculous. i honestly laughed out loud when sue said they were going to sue the food industry -- honey what?? biology literally exists and people crave sugar/fat/salt because of it. so you want to sue the human digestive system next? cool. also none, and i mean absolutely none, of the characters were remotely likeable. connie lied to her kid about his dad for however long it was and then he finds out because he overhears a convo through a hotel door (i hate that trope sm; anyway) and he's mad for a little bit and then everything is okay?? and she never really has to face up to any consequences for lying to her kid? also sue was a terrible mother, a terrible wife, and a terrible person overall. i hated how she worked in social services but still couldn't find the time of day to actually help her clients. never felt any empathy towards her. she just put herself in danger and ignored her husband's concerns.

also the writing was so bad. too many epithets to the point where it confused me. you don't have to say "tinkerbell" you can just say the nurse's name especially once we (the audience) have learned it. none of the dialogue felt like real people talking; the metaphors were overused and clunky. i wavered between thinking it was written by a college freshman in a creative writing seminar, and a high school senior in a creative writing seminar. just that overbloated, overdramatic grandiose style of absolute terrible pacing, sentence structure, unrealistic human interactions.

and the darwin sections. oh boy the darwin sections. so i'm not usually super grossed-out by gore or horror but this was too much. after like, the fifth straight sentence of him talking about fat i was done. i had to skim pretty much all of his chapters; it was too much, and i'm pretty sure no real person, even a sociopath, actually thinks like that. not to mention the stupidity of everyone. darwin kills like five obese people and everyone's like "oh it's just a coincidence" is it though?? and when it was revealed who darwin was i thought it was such a cop-out, tbh. so you're telling me this dude has crippling OCD and loathes fat ppl to the point where he can barely look at them and thinks of them all as various large animals but he dated this overweight woman with an obese teenage son for months and she never noticed that he was compulsively doing things or looking at her or her kid in a weird way? or worse, that somehow his OCD just totally vanished when he was with her? babe listen i have OCD and i can assure you it doesn't work that way.

anyway overall i really truly wish i hadn't read this book and would not recommend it to anyone, ever.

[Carol Balawyder · Rating 5 out of 5]

How much should the fast food industry be responsible for propagating obesity? Through the vehicle of a well scripted thriller Carrie Rubin raises awareness not only about the fast food industry’s role in obesity but also tackles how bullying contributes to this problem.
The characters are well drawn and I particularly liked Sue (a tongue in cheek name), a no-nonsense bossy nurse for the public health department who takes it upon herself to sue the fast food industry and engages Jeremy a sweet obese teenager as the poster child for her case.
My one criticism about this novel is the detailed violence at the beginning of the book. Violence which is also repeated in a subsequent chapter. Once stated, I got the extent of the violence and didn’t need to have to have it repeated. But the author did tone down the violence toward the end which didn’t take anything away from the reader’s knowledge of how sick this individual was. Kudos to her for doing that and not hitting the reader over and over with violent details.
Because violence is not the point of this novel. In fact, one of the things which the author did (and I much appreciated) was drop hints to explain this violent behavior. Not that she condoned or excused the perpetrator but, like obesity, she points out that violence does not grow in a vacuum but is fed by factors other than an individual’s innate personality or genetic make-up.
There’s mastery of craft in this novel for sure. Rubin excels in vocabulary choice “choking glob in her throat.” There’s also terrific dialogue. One example that comes to mind is the scene between Sue and Sunny, the lawyer. LOL.
As eerie as the serial killer’s murders, is Rubin’s description of the Dallas Holocaust Museum where she describes the horror she sees with utmost respect for the victims. It was a scene which I felt was sacred in tone.
For many reasons I found that this novel was more than a thriller. Although obesity is at the heart of the novel the author also juxtaposes it with the other end of the spectrum: anorexia. Eating Bull offers a lot more than the nail-biting suspense of a thriller. Though it certainly does offer that

[Marinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy a book that it's written with a reason behind it and this one definitely fits that description. What happens when an obese teenager decides to sue the food industry for making him obese? This awesome story.
Jeremy Barton lives with his mother and grandfather. At 15 years old he's five foot nine and 310 pounds and obese. He has all the physical and mental problems to go along with being obese at a young age. He's harassed at school and even at home by his grandfather who came up with the nick name Eating Bull. When he goes to a public health Weight Loss Clinic his nurse Sue approaches him with the plan of suing the fast food industry for making him obese.
Serial killer in the making "Darwin" hears "The Voice" telling him to kill a obese people. "The Voice" picks out the people to kill and he obeys and each killing becomes easier. When "The Voice" tells "Darwin" that Jeremy is the next target after seeing the lawsuit on the news things start to get really interesting.
Will Jeremy survive? Who is "Darwin" and why is he killing obese people?
This book takes a realistic look at the causes and problems of obesity in America. I really enjoyed it and throwing in a serial killer and the suspense just put it over the top. Wish I could give it more than 5 it definitely deserves it.
Independent reviewer for Romance Authors That Rock.

[Doreen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eating Bull by Carrie Rubin is a fictional thriller that highlights the obesity issue in America. Told from multiple perspectives, the story unleashes the obesity issue in the form of fat-shaming, the difficult plight of being overweight through bullying and emotional eating as well as the role of the food industry within this issue.
The varying perspectives that Rubin showcases in the story Eating Bull are Jeremy, the overweight teen; Sue, the overzealous public official focused on the fight for justice; and Darwin, the germ-phobic, fat-hating serial killer.It is easy to discern each character’s agenda as their development is well done by Rubin. The emotional impact comes through the writing. Although the perspectives work well together to tell the tale, overall they are predictable and slightly exaggerated. Jeremy’s plight can be felt, especially the overeating in response to stress, lack of situational control, and the constant bullying. However, the bullying he receives from every direction, every day seems excessive. The character of Darwin also seems to become repetitive. Within his perspective, it is the same mutterings over and over with no real information other than his kills.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a social worker/nurse employed at a health clinic decides to take on the food industry and makes a poster boy of one of her overweight clients, she finds there are more facets to making a statement of right over wrong than anticipated. Jeremy, the overweight client, is bullied at school, in public, and by all but his mother, at home. Passive and self-loathing, he makes strides, physically and emotionally, to change the lifestyle he has hid in for 15 years. His mother, a single working mom, enables without intent until she also falls into those strides. But just as they start to see results, an obesity-loathing psycho decides it is his mission to rid the world of "fatness" in the most gruesome of fashion. As the battles against restaurants and such increase, so do the horrific murders. And then they knock on the door. In a twist I never saw coming, the crescendo plays out at the filming of a talk show, where Jeremy, his mother, and the caseworker were set to make a case. A well-driven plot with intense characters. This being the 2nd of Rubin's books I have read, I honestly say that I anxiously await more.

[Andrea Stephenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eating Bull is book with an important message, but the message isn't the reason you'll keep reading. The novel is a thrilling page-turner that will make you think while keeping you guessing about what will happen next and the identity of the serial killer that targets obese individuals. I immediately warmed to Jeremy, the teenage boy struggling with his weight, who will have such a pivotal role in the story. Through his struggles, the author shows what it is really like to be obese in a world in which fat-shaming is one of the last acceptable prejudices. And she shows that there are more factors to being overweight than individual responsibility. First and foremost though, this is a thriller, with a particularly creepy murderer intent on his own twisted agenda. Once I began reading, I wanted to keep going until I'd followed the story to its conclusion. The author does a great job of getting her message across while delivering a very entertaining read.

[Michael Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

The measure of a man

This was a book with many different plots that turned into one plot. The main character Jeremy is an overweight teenager who is always picked on at school and other places. The plot revolves around over eating and how many people are shamed for doing that well most people don’t know the real reasons. Jeremy and his mother Mitsu and then decide to file a lawsuit how about the The way food corporations make us addicts of the food. I found the second part of the plot also interesting where a man becomes in saying and that’s trying to kill obese people. He has his own manifesto and he is trying to change the world his way. I found the book very interesting and The way the characters are all involved in the plot made it very interesting. A trigger warning there is graphic violence in this book. I would recommend this book to those readers who do not mind graphic violence and like a well written plot.

[Angie Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book that tells the story of a teenager boy that is overweight and knows that he should lose weight but just can't seem to do it. He lives in a dysfunctional home, he doesn't have any friends, and is taunted by other kids at school because of his size. He is then approached by a woman who is considering bringing a lawsuit against food companies and fast food retailers for making food that is unhealthy at advertising it specifically to younger consumers, therefore, making being obtuse not the child's fault, but society's problem. The woman wants to make the young boy the face of the lawsuit. Add in a serial killer who targets the larger size person and you have a really good story.

[Eina Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, thoughtful, engaging

This book was a great read. It kept me engaged while highlighting an issue and showing factors that occur behind the scenes. Her characters are very relatable with prefect pauses between points of view. The authors ability to move through the complexities behind obesity and society's role with the issue makes for an enjoyable story.

[Medra Pattillo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

I enjoyed the book. The story was not what I expected. The writing was good and the story moved at a good pace. The characters were interesting. The writer did a good job of connecting the characters so that you really cared about what happened with each character and how they interacted with each other.

[Yasmin-marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad read, found the character development and plot was a bit rushed and clunky at times, It’s definitely a plot theme that I haven’t come across in another book, thought the overall theme reminded me along the same vein as ‘Super size me’. Overall found it unique, the triller element is there but I feel the character/story element could’ve done a bit differently.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unique take on the issues of obesity and the food industry. Jeremy's a sweet protagonist though my heart ached for him. The story was entertaining and at the same time informative. Would recommend, but take note there is some strong violence and language.

[Barbknowles · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book by a fabulous author. Engrossing thriller that opens up your eyes to the food industry, bullying, family issues, eating disorders and the general angst of being a teenager.

[Jonathan Hagar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The multiple story lines had me on the edge of my seat. Surprise twists and turns abound.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I enjoyed how the chapters would alternate perspectives between three different people. The story was very intriguing and kept my attention the whole time. However, I thought the ending was missing something, in a way it seemed rushed or incomplete.