I’ll be honest that I had been avoiding reading any of Lang Leav’s books after reading a few poor reviews and snippets from her first two poetry collections. Since it has been a few years and I’ve been greatly enjoying poetry, I decided to give this author a chance once I spotted the ARC and I was actually pleasantly surprised. Love Looks Pretty on You is Leav’s seventh published work and it’s clear that she has grown as a writer.

The issue that I had previously seen in some of Leav’s old poems was that they were overly simple, full of silly rhymes and meaningless purple prose. In this new collection I was pleased to find a great deal of maturity in Leav’s words as a young woman that has grown up learning the joy of love, the pain of loss, the anger that comes with betrayal, and the subtle regret over missed opportunities. Many of her poems still contained rhymes, but they had an easy flow to them while still discussing some very grown up themes. I particularly enjoyed the longer more meditative pieces such as Letter to the Past. Many of them were insightful and were like snippets of the author’s life.

Now there is still patches of pesky purple prose that spend a good deal of time describing flowery scenes of nature or light and I really don’t care for these types of empty passages. I know that it’s trying to paint a picture for the reader, but I really find the overabundance of physical descriptors to be meaningless and boring, so I had to take a star off off of my rating for that. Relying too heavily on flowery descriptions to make a sentence more interesting seems to be a bad habit of many modern young poets.

Overall, it’s good to see Leav coming into her own and developing a style that is uniquely her. I enjoyed this collection and will be looking into more of her other work in the future.

Just any Lang Leav book, her books will touch your hearts, will make you ache, and will make you fall in love. There are parts of the book that I can see myself into, that I have told myself that, "yeah, that's totally me" or "I have been there." There are also parts of the book that I haven't connected with but it didn't make me love this book less.

This book is more than just romance and giggles - it features sensitive topics such as abuse, and words that empower women as well woven in amazing prose and poetry.

Lang has way with words that will make you read the book from cover to cover in one sitting. It's beautiful, it has all the feels, and a few words tell a whole lot of stories.

Another must-read from Lang!

This book had such beautiful, powerful and moving poetry. You couldn't help but relate to at least on of the poems in this book!

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this newest collection of poetry from Lang Leav. It had a lot of great poetry and prose and is another one I would recommend if you like this author.

Another amazing book of poetry by Lang Leav. Heartbreaking and beautiful. I don't know how she writes as beautiful as she does.

I've already read all the works of Lang Leav, from her poetry books to her very first novel. In her last published book, Sea of Strangers, I mentioned that it is the best anthology she has written but with this new release, I think it might have surpassed the aforementioned because I think 80% of the content of this book is quite fabulous. I like that there is a lot of the poetry and prose in this collection that empowers readers, especially the women.

Some of the poems and prose about love in the first several published books of the author, notably the ones she released from 2014 to 2016, made me cringe because I found them saccharine and too repetitive. But I reckon that Lang Leav learned a lot over time because she has improved a lot in her writing, which is quite noticeable in this anthology. I will purchase a physical copy of this once it is released because it is definitely a good book to add to my library.

I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I approached this collection cautiously, having previously read Lang Leav's 'Love and Misadventure' and being very disappointed. I am happy to say that 'Love Looks Pretty on You' was a completely different experience. Leav presents a collection of love, heartache and acceptance. Touching and comforting at the same time, a worthwhile read for all those lover's of poetry.

3.5 stars
I really liked this poetry collection, it was tender and very touching. I adored the themes in this one, how falling in love was represented here.
It's probably my favorite book from Lang Leav after Love & Misadventures, it restored my faith in the author and her writing.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC!

I love her poems so much. I've read her previous books too and I think this one just became my new favorite. She talks about love in such a beautiful way. Her words are not just about romantic love, but also about self-love, love for life, for our dreams and all things that matter to us. Very nice read, I totally recommend it.

This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Lang Leav's book and I think I’m going to read all her previous work.

There are poems that are empowering and others that are sweet and tender. But there are also poems about lost love.

She can capture our minds and break our heart in just a few simple words.

★★★★★

<i>The e-ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. </i>

This isn't my first rodeo with Lang Leav. I've read her Memories and gave it one star. I didn't bother to read the rest of her books because it just didn't resonate with me. So imagine my suprise when I read Love Looks Pretty on You and found some gems inside.

Love Looks Pretty on You caught me by its title. It is truly pretty and everyone who's in the first stage of falling in love can vouch for that.

Her writings are, tbh, not really moving imo. It's there and barely there, not so much carrying something deeper.

But of course, I have to share few favourites, such as:
<i>The novelist strusrtuggles.
The poet suffers.</i>

alsoo this part from This was The Year
<i>Told the moon I was sorry, but this is now my time in the sun.</i>

All in all, the book restore my appreciation to Lang Leav. And perhaps, after some time, I'd be able to read more from her.

3.5 stars

This was not my first Lang Leav's book, I think I read all her previous poetry collections before this. Every time it's a nice surprise to find some of myself in her works. This book was no exception. There are poems that are empowering and others that are sweet and tender. But there are also poems about lost love.
If you enjoy poetry I highly recommend this collection.

As a note, a copy of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

Lang Leav does it again! I don't know why people get so bent out of shape for the various degrees of poetic self-expression, but once more I'm baffled by the dim quality people approach prose and how quick they are to cry, "This is not poetry!" to something that is merely not their cup of tea. It's such an odd quality to possess, but we're not here to talk about that, are we?

Love Looks Pretty on You is another beautiful and simply told release to add to Leav's ever-growing collection. As always, her prose is light and fast to the point, without lacking any weight of emotion. I cannot help but to always marvel at the quality and impact that so few words could ever possess, and Lang Leav is certainly one of the leaders of her generation of poets. This isn't "Tumblr Poetry" (I will forever scoff at such a term--who are you guys kidding?!), it is one woman raising her voice and expressing herself through prose and I really and truly respect Leav for it.

While not every release by Leav has been my cup of tea--I wasn't hugely impressed by her full length novel, a while back--I still find myself continuously intrigued by how she expresses her thoughts. I'm in awe at how full of grace she is while baring her soul to readers. That's such an odd way to put it, I think, but it's really all I can come up with.

There were quite a few standouts in this collection but because of its short length, and the fact that it is poetry, I won't list them. Only because it takes away the experience of Love Looks Pretty on You and, if we're being honest, I'd end up listing 90% of the collection which would defeat the purpose of my highlights.

As always, Lang Leav's prose is deeply moving and upfront; a quick read that gives readers a glimpse at what has shaped her life. She is the type of poet who demands your attention and admiration; like all good poets, reading her work is not unlike listening to a friend's confessional. Love Looks Pretty on You connects with readers just the same as her prose always had--effortlessly and honestly.