A collection of poems that ranges from stark to musical.

As the cover suggests, this is every girl's book of poetry. The tone here is very straightforward, so for anyone intimidated by picking up a book of verse this is a great volume to dive into.

That said, I found the collection inconsistent. Some of the poems were were incredibly spare; they had a dry, moving beauty. Others were lilting, lyrical and much more familiar. And others still, were conversational, explanatory, almost stilted. None of the work was strictly formal, but for me, the pieces which really shone were the ones in which Lanuza stuck closest to her slant rhymes and metered verses.
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These poems are confessional in nature. Most talk about love and relationships. And even the ones on lost love seem hopeful in tone. The end of the book is a bit darker, with the speaker confronting some personal demons, but overall reading this was a lovely, uplifting way to start off the new year.
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I found some pieces in here I really liked, and I give this three and a half stars.

http://dotswordsandwhispers.wixsite.com/bookreviews/copy-2-of-new-page

I think this will be great for a lot of people, but this writing just isn't doing anything for me. The narrative voice feels very much like a "beginner" poetry voice to me, but this author definitely shows potential for the future.

This collection of poems is just okay. The themes this book deals with are current ones such as finding the right person and not settling if you don’t want to, even if society is urging you to do it. It also talks about our body image compared to society unrealistic standards and chronic pain.
There's also a section dedicated to lost/ended love.
Among all the poems not a lot of them stood out to me and that's why I'm giving this collection three stars.

I get that I'm a jaded kind of gal, but there was so much good here with feminist statements and chronic pain talk, but it focused way too much on the love of a man. *barf* I would definitely read more from this author, but sadly this collection wasn't for me.

Enjoyed this so much! Lovelier stories, stronger emotions, better version. There's breaking through and moving forward ad hoping and guiding light and aaahhh! Just wonderful things full of growth. And yes, I know the author and got this from Net Galley, but facts only here, guys. So GET EXCITED FOR THIS!

Lanuza is a talented writer and I enjoyed her ability to share her feelings in such an artistic and thoughtful way. She shared deeply powerful messages in poetry format and although there was a lot of sadness there was also a lot of self-love and hope. This book covered a wide array of issues including rocky past relationships, loss, body image and suicide ideations which may be triggering for some.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for giving me an opportunity to read this. All opinions are my own.

Thank you for your words once again, Dawn Lanuza.
You Are Here is a beautiful collection of poems about everything that comes from relationships. The love you share, heartbreak and loss that may come, the loneliness, and depression as well. Most importantly, the poems explore the relationship many of us grasp to truly have.. the one with ourselves. These were my favorite pieces.

"It is through this-the simple act of eating alone-that I am learning how to be my own."

Definitely recommend this one. <3

It's described as a collection about self-healing and giving ourselves second chances. Although I can definitely see the latter as a running theme throughout the poetry, I was really hoping for more about the self-healing aspect. That's not to say this wasn't a good collection - you can definitely see the raw emotion and experiences as an undercurrent to Lanuza's poetry, and it makes for many wonderful pieces which I did enjoy.

you were my first draft

You accused me of holding back

even when
you had
all of my
unedited
parts

This is my second book by Dawn Lanuza and I can say that I enjoyed this more than the The Last Time I’ll Write About You. While there are some I’m already familiar with, there are entries I related with and really loved!

You Are Here tells us things about love, relationships, heartbreaks, acceptance and etc. Some of the entries are empowering, some hurt and some will make you realize things. I love how these words tug at my heart and how these feelings relate to me.

This collection of poems only grew stronger the more I read it.  These are highly relatable poems about heartbreak and loss and healing and depression.  Many of these poems are empathetic, and some are extremely, extremely poignant.  Lanuza understands what it's like to sleep too much, to sleep not enough, to grasp for control and comfort and affection and not obtain it.  

My favorite poems from this collection include "Plans," "A Silent Prayer," "Honey Sweet," and my absolute favorite, "Off With Your Head."  She understands the need to write, the need to heal, the need to recuperate.  So much of this collection is based off of understanding (if you couldn't tell!), and that makes it all the more accessible.

Design-wise--look at that cover!  It's cute, fresh, and absolutely contemporary.

Allow this book to fall into your hands.  Allow yourself to read it and to love it and to heal.  You'll thank yourself for it.

Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this novel!


"I know I said I know all about wanting. But I don't know a thing about having." 

Themes: self-love, failed relationships, self-discovery, love, mental health and second chances.

Favourite poems: How to love in the dark, true nightmare, breaking waves, roller coaster, maps, citizen, doomsday prepper, stop over, projection, a plea,


First off, I want to say how stunning the cover is, it's what instantly drew me into this book and I loved the small illustrations throughout!

"No one knows how to love me when I'm sad, and I can't blame them for that."

While I did enjoy some of these poems, the majority I didn't really connect to. I was hoping this collection would focus more on the self, rather than failed relationships and second chance love. I don't really connect to that sort of poetry, so most of these poems fell a little flat for me personally.

"And isn't it sad, to be sad, and not able to say it."

Overall, I would still recommend giving this a go and seeing what you think if you are a lover of poetry.

Disclaimer: Quotes are taken from the ARC copy and are subject to change.
Review to be posted on my blog.

I wish that I would have had this book years ago when I was in college. Lanuza’s direct and lovely lines speak right to the heart. Her words remind me of the lyrics to a song and many of these poems would work well as song lyrics.
I signed up to receive a free advanced reader copy of this book from Net Galley because I am particularly interested in the work of female poets, especially if they are of minority descent. This was my first time reading any of Lanuza’s work and I will say that I was not disappointed.
You Are Here takes the reader on a hopeful journey from heartbreak to healing. Lanuza’s straightforward writing includes many clever turns of phrase to delight the reader. I found this book to be a quick and enjoyable read.
Lanuza’s work is deeply heartfelt. She manages ot capture in verse huge and complex emotions. Her words transported me back to my college years- a tumultuous time in my life when emotions were larger than life and everything seemed to have such lasting importance.
The second part of this collection, “How it Bends,” really captures the depths of sorrow one can feel when love is lost. Although it has been many years, I can still remember the pain of losing my first love.
Lanuza’s poems explore the complexity of womanhood. She grapples with important issues that impact many girls and women, such as: appearance, body size, skin color, and what it means to grow into adulthood. Thoughts on the complexity of womanhood
One of my favorite aspects of this book was the recurring theme of the beauty of words. I can very much empathize with Lanuza’s longing for a bookish love.
My favorite piece in this collection was the poem in which the author wrestles with the question of when would be the appropriate time to tell her new significant other that she struggles with depression. Although my situation is different, I experienced a similar internal struggle when I needed to decide when it would be the appropriate time to reveal my own complex medical history and my inability to have children to my fiancé.
Although the collection ends with a feeling of hopefulness, Lanuza refuses to end her book with a trite “happily ever.” She explains in a letter to the reader that some of these poems were taken from her chapbook, This is How It Starts. She tells the reader that although her chapbook had a happy ending, she realizes that life is far more complex than that. “You define what happily ever after means. It might change as you go about your way, and that’s okay.”
It was refreshing to remember just how big and life changing it can feel to fall in love. I would recommend this book to fans of Young Adult and New Adult Literature. I know that Lanuza has written some YA romance novels as well and I am interested to read them.
Note: I received a free digital advanced reader copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for anhonest review.
(Trigger warning: depression, suicidal ideations, disordered eating

I don't know why but this book had very little impact on me. This is quite surprising since I am a sad broken-hearted girl... I can relate to almost all of the poetry in here. But I guess, relating to a book does not equate to liking it. There were several that I liked but most were a miss for me.

First, I'd like to thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this gorgeous poetry collection.

This is the second poetry collection written by Dawn Lanuza. And I have to say that some of them resonated with my so much.
Growth and change were the main subjects in this collection. And this was exactly what I needed right now.

Now, there was a thing that I didn't quite understood. There was a blank page after every poetry, but despite the fact they each had a title, there were some who didn't. And I didn't understood if they weren't complete yet or maybe that was the point.

But beside that, this book was gorgeous in its own way, and I want to show you some paragraphs:

No one knows how to love me when I'm sad
and I can't blame them for that
I don't even know how to love me
when the voices come at night
I hate and hate and hate
even when I fight.

(This one is from "how to love in the dark")

You don't feel safe in yourself anymore
terrified of doing something
uttering a single thing
you can't recover from
{...}
You're the darkness,
desperately seeking moonlight

(from "true nightmare")

Being strapped in a roller coaster of your emotions
and you just want to get out
but your seat belt's tucked tight
and the ride just won't stop.

(from "roller coaster")

If you found yourself lost
and can't seem to turn back
consider that -
you're not supposed to turn around.

(from "maps")

And there are many more that I bookmarked and loved.
This collection comes out on 12 February 2019. So, if you like these paragraphs and are curious of the other poetry, make sure to buy this.

Honest, sad, true, and kind. This poetry collection is accessible and completely relatable.

This collection reminds you that you are not the only one - that we've all been through some version of this, but we've all made it though just fine.

You Are Here was a good read.

My partner and I recently broke up and some of the poems were definitely relatable. It was really heartbreaking, sad, but at the same time, it reminds me of how much I love him despite what happened.

I loved that this collection promotes self-love/self-care cause that's what I'm doing now, focusing on my self -- healing.

One of my favorites is "staying is your choice".

I have read a few poetry books this year that I didn't enjoy. And I can say that this book is one of my great reads this 2018. What makes it great is that it captured my emotions on what went through and is currently what I'm going through. It talks about relationships, heartbreaks, self-healing, self-love, self-discovery, etc. It is quite empowering in some ways, and I really felt that. Her poems are all easy to read and understand, and not at all trying-hard.

You Are Here is a great book that I really liked and would recommend to fellow readers.

I received a free copy of this book through NetGalley. Thank you!

Wow, goodness. I knew this would be good after I read and loved The Last Time I'll Write About You. This book doesn't have a content warning, but I'll list some of the things that I noticed in any case:

Mental health issues
Eating disorder references
Suicidal ideation
Rocky past relationships

These themes are common enough in contemporary feminist poetry, and specifically common to Dawn's body of work, but I think there is a clear development of skill in writing craft between this and the last thing I read of hers. Also, I want to note how clever I thought it was that Dawn seemed to self reference the title of her last collection in this one with a poem that read simply,

I still
write about
you
sometimes

There was not a slow point within these poems. Individual lines were punchy but also worked well within the larger poems they were set within.

I very much felt the flowing of hope and change that life throws at everyone, even though I don't feel as though there was a solid scope of actual time given within this collection. The tone of the words did all of that without the need for it.

One thing I particularly liked was how Dawn's words made it clear how important another person's autonomy is, even if you disagree with them choosing to leave your life. This is true all the way through, but a particular poem titled, "it is not mine," really rammed this point home for me.

This is my second Dawn Lanuza collection, and I loved it just as much as the first one I read! I loved the essence of healing and loving yourself that exists throughout this collection. The poems are all really lovely and wonderful <3

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC!

This is my second book by Dawn Lanuza. I love her writing style!

Her poems are so beautiful. I can definitely relate to these feelings.
Some poems were so sad, but others gave me peace and hope.
It made me feel less alone in this crazy world. Thank you.