Full

A Novel

By: Julia Spiro

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley

To her followers, she advocates for an authentic and transparent life. In reality, she’s living a perfect lie.

Wellness influencer Ava Maloney’s enormous success is based on total transparency, extolling the well-documented virtues of her full, balanced life.

But the truth is, Ava’s social media platform is built on a lie. And her double life is beginning to take its toll.

Escaping Los Angeles for a luxury wellness retreat on Martha’s Vineyard, Ava believes she can get everything back on track. No fans will be the wiser to the real reason for her visit. With the help of the other guests, staff, and a supportive local, Ava begins regaining control of her body, her mind, and her life. Except someone is onto her, threatening to expose the secret she’s hidden for so long. Ava was prepared to face her demons, but not publicly. Not yet.

The fallout might also force Ava to finally reconcile who she’s been pretending to be with who she actually is - a woman discovering the real meaning of a full and balanced life.

©2022 Julia Spiro (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Raw and unflinching, this heartbreaking portrait of one glamorous social media influencer’s quest for physical perfection is insightful and moving, thanks to author Julia Spiro’s talent in proving the power of authenticity. The main character’s transformative journey to Island Wellness and Martha’s Vineyard delights with an insider tour of the sparkly New England island, a place where nature can heal the deepest wounds.”—Brooke Lea Foster, author of Summer Darlings

Didn't enjoy it.

Got through the first 6 or 7 chapters and couldn't finish it. It was like it was repeating everything, I just couldn't get into it, found it boring.

Can be triggering

I really think this is a triggering book. I have never been bulimic but have to be careful about my eating. It made me crave more food. Wasn’t worth it.

Good story, great narrator!!

The story interesting. Warning it deals with bulimia. Has a good ending. I enjoyed it!

Excellent book, unfortunate political mention

I loved the book and the narration.
Pleasantly surprised that Spiro went deeper than I expected and did it well.
A tiny political thingy at the end left a bad taste in my mouth. Holding up an organization as precious that embezzled millions from those they were supposed to help, was not a smart move

Good story with excellent narrator

I found this novel suspenseful and informative in its first person account of Ava battling an eating disorder while projecting herself online as someone who effortlessly lives the good life. Her struggle with her various demons was very believable. The story includes humor too, especially through the quirky characters at a wellness retreat on Martha’s Vineyard. A very satisfying story!

enjoyed this book!

great charachter build, interesting subject and location. fun to listen and easy to follow!

Excellent Narrator

The best part of this book was the narrator, who really made this book come alive. I could tell which character was speaking at all times just by her depiction. Trigger warning - if you currently have (or had in the past) a history of disordered eating, I would not recommend this book as it can be triggering with detailed accounts of bingeing and purging. This was an accurate account of the struggles with bulimia, body distortion image and societal expectations of appearance. I was glad there was an epilogue to wrap things up.

5 stars

I related to Full by Julia Spiro more than I thought I would. It's gritty, real, honest, sad, and lovely. In doing reviews, I always try to mention the good and the bad for balance and honesty, but I am having a hard time coming up with anything negative to say. Maybe I'm too close to the story. Regardless, it deserves my 5 star rating.

Brittany Pressley is in my top 3 list of favorite narrators, and she did not disappoint. I love how she seems to completely embody the main character of whatever book she is reading. It's enthralling, listening to her.

Delivers delight and insight

Great writing style, perfect narration and a story thats a delight. The ending was somewhat predictable but it delivered. Enjoyed!

Too much

Warning: don’t listen right before, during or right after you’ve eaten. Spoiler? There were entirely too many scenes describing Ava purging. I don’t feel like some were necessary.