I really want to like Amanda Lovelace's poetry. I've always loved her concept -- the title alone of "The Princess Saves Herself in this One" drew me in. But I consistently dislike her poetry.

I'm a fan of free form poetry but Lovelace's books, "to drink coffee with a ghost" included, seem more notes-you-scratch-on-a-napkin and less poetry. It feels like half of the poems in "to drink coffee with a ghost" are just sentences that are rearranged to take up more space.

This book has a beautiful concept but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

3.5 stars

I find that I enjoy Amanda Lovelace's writing more and more I read her works. I'm not usually a big fan of fiction centered around family, but I'm actually rather fond of it in poetry, especially when it has to do with mother-daughter relationships. This series has been a favorite of mine, as I love poetry about love, trauma, doing what's best for you and overall self-improvement and self-love. Highly recommend!

Again I am really please to read a new collection from her. Really nice to see new work in this duology ( from what I saw it is). But I have enjoyed reading the new work. Gets you.

To Drink Coffee with a Ghost is my second read from Amanda Lovelace, and I see her becoming a favorite of mine despite the fact that I’ve never been a poetry reader. I read this volume in one short sitting because I just couldn’t stop. One thing I love about Lovelace’s writing is that it is easy to read while still being emotionally impactful and at times very dark. Lovelace’s poetic style is very approachable and relatable in that she writes about herself and her experiences in a very vulnerable way. This volume deals with Lovelace’s rocky relationship with her mother and her unresolved feelings after her death, but also covers unhealthy self image issues and toxic romantic relationships. Lovelace does so many interesting things with the style of every poem and really mixes up the formatting. The illustrations were truly beautiful and brought the collection to life. I can’t wait to pick up another volume of Lovelace’s work.

I loved this collection! The description of a toxic mother - daughter relationship was heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. There were many poems named after specific tarot cards which I thought added a special touch. She talked about her mom buying her first tarot deck, teaching her about crystals, and magick. As a metaphysical aficionado this really spoke to me. *ARC provided by NetGalley for review.

I am not a poetry reader. I was drawn to this book because of the cover and the title. If I had seen this in a bookstore I would have picked it up and probably put it straight down when I realized it was poetry. Not just poetry but that new genre which is sometimes referred to as "instapoetry," because of its prevalence on Instagram. However, because I got this book as a free review copy, I decided to read it. I like how the poems are progressive and tell a story. Some of the poems were good I think. I would rate a poem as good if it makes me reflect or makes me feel something. Many of the poems seemed a bit forced, if that's the right word. You feel a slight something but it is overblown. The words seemed overused and it seems like you've seen this before. I used to write poetry like this on scraps of paper and in between notes while in class a schoolgirl. It seems a weird format to now be taken over by grown women, but such is life. I feel I was a bit tricked by the cover. I was hoping for something Halloween related. Pumpkin Spice poetry. I am not surprised to see this book is part of a monster themed poem series. It wasn't really for me.

I thank NetGalley for a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

3.5/5

To Drink Coffee with a Ghost is the 2nd book in Things that Haunt by Amanda Lovelace. This poetry collection reveals pain and loss, but also acceptance and love. Mostly, Lovelace writes about a toxic mother-daughter relationship. She discusses the grief of losing a parent and the emotions that come from trying to overcome it.

Personally, I thought this book fell a little short in truly painting a picture. While I do think Lovelace poured her emotions into this collection, but there was something missing that didn't allow me to truly truly connect with her work.

I received a copy from Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Although short and intense, an enjoyable as well, this book had too many feelings changing one after the other all of a sudden. When rage was reigning, the author shifted to depression, plain and simple if such a condition could be defined as such.
The grieving process is more complex than the author demonstrates in this book, although the feelings she expresses are as strong and derailed. A dose of reality doesn't come badly from time to time, but I consider that either the poems are not well organized or there were stages that the author omitted when writing.

I Loved this book! Amanda Lovelace has done it again! I can't wait to reccomend this at work. I'm so inspired by the author's courage and capacity for forgiveness.

Review to be posted in September on my blog and Goodreads.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange of an honest review.

I just had to request this one after I liked/loved her other books. This time she talks about her deceased mother and the relationship they had. A very tumultuous it seems. Abuse, bad parenting, depression, suicide tries, and more. It was quite shocking to read, but I continued on reading as I want to expand my horizons even further, but wow, that poor woman to have to go through all this. And not just her, but also her sister. :(

We see how the mom eventually gets cancer, and how she died. :( And so the book shifts to mourning and dealing with the loss. But we also see love and her trying to find someone to love and who loves her back.

The poems and verses and others vary from long to just a couple of words. There are also a few illustrations here and there and I did like that they were added.

Sure, I noticed that at times I tuned out a bit. Nothing against the material, I am just not the kind of girl who normally reads poetry/verses, I even tend to avoid those, but I couldn't resist this one due to the topic.

But all in all, this was a good read. I am glad I had the chance to read it. It will definitely haunt me for a while.

The most important revelation that will come to you in life is the understanding that our parents are human like us. Once you remove them from a pedestal, you might find yourself able to accept the parts of them that let you down. And from there, maybe, just maybe you can heal and find new ways to let love in.

To Drink Coffee with a Ghost perfectly weaves the loss of a parent in with open wounds lingering from childhood trauma. A healing read for anyone carrying guilt after the death of a parent or struggling to put the past behind them.

“I walk the thin line between nostalgia & trauma, never fully knowing the difference.”

I find reviewing poetry more difficult than other novels, because it always feel even more personal than novels. I have absolutely loved Amanda Lovelace's previous works. The Witch Doesn't Burn in this One actually got me back into writing poetry after years of hiatus, and I loved the rest of the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series.

That being said, I didn't enjoy Ghost as much as I thought I would. I will preface this with the massive caveat that Ghost definitely felt focused on Lovelace's relationship with her mother, and with the loss of her mother. This made a significant portion of the book, while still moving, very difficult for me to relate to because I'm lucky enough to have always had a good relationship with my mum. So, I'm hesitant to focus any criticism on the book for this particular 'fault'.

The only thing I'm willing to actually say about this book as a broader criticism is that at points it felt very self-referential to Lovelace's previous works. If I hadn't religiously read all of her previous books, I might not have noticed, but I have, so there were times when it felt like I was reading whole poems that I'd read before.

So, I don't think this is the strongest of Lovelace's books, BUT, I fully believe that everyone should read her previous works, especially Women are Some Kind of Magic because they're a masterpiece, and I'm sure that this poetry collection will be the favourite of someone else who reads it from the perspective of their experiences.

What a great read! I could’ve read this in one sitting but I’ve been busy this week! But I finally finished it and really enjoyed the writing. This isn’t my favorite book I’ve ever read. But it was still good!😀 ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 stars

I think the style just isn't for me. The two-part poems probably could've each been written as one poem with multiple stanzas instead.

Overall, I think the poems did a good job of showing the themes that Lovelace set out to show. I think the format could've been used to better clarify who the "you" was in some of the poems since it doesn't seem to be the same person each time.

A beautiful collection focused on grief. The style is the same as her previous works. I appreciate that Lovelace's poems aren't wordy. Her power lies in the exact words she chooses to use, since there aren't many. As I've I said about Lovelace's previous poetry collection: To witness any form of art which is so obviously part of the creator's healing process is a gift. Any reader will likely find something in any of her books to aide in healing and foster a sense of belonging.

I received an eARC from Netgalley.

I don’t read a lot of poetry - it doesn’t seem to click with me. But there’s something about Amanda Lovelace’s collections that is too beautiful, sad, and honest not to read them. This one was no exception. I didn’t relate to this collection as much as her other ones, but I still loved the message and story behind each poem. And the illustrations are GORGEOUS.

After reading and enjoying the Woman Are Some Kind Of Magic poetry bundles in the past, I tried the first book of this duology earlier this year and found myself really enjoying that collection as well. Reading the second collection of this duology was an easy choice, and it is without doubt an excellent addition. Amanda Lovelace's poems are easy to recognize, and while it's true that the structure of the poems is quite simplistic and basically seems like hitting the space bar every few words, I personally don't mind. Why? I feel this simple style gives the words and message behind the poems even more power and focuses on what is said instead of just how. Once again, Amanda Lovelace writes without fear and is fully open about her experience with abusive and toxic relationships in the past; To Drink Coffee With A Ghost having a special focus on the relationship with her now deceased mother. And once again, I have to stress that these poems are really easy to relate to for anyone who has experienced a toxic relationship in general (or is still experiencing it) and will provide both comfort and an empowering message to let you know that you are worthy and can beat that monster. She uses words to not only express feelings, but also heal herself and try to free herself from her past and demons... It's not the style, but the words and the emotions behind those words that turn To Drink Coffee With A Ghost into such a success for me. And while it's true that her poetry might not be for everyone, those who can connect to her words will be able to treasure it. Another successful bundle and a worthy conclusion to this duology!

4,5


i haven't
forgotten;

there are
just some things

i choose
not to remember.

- welcome home.

Out of all modern poets, Amanda Lovelace may even be my favourite. I've read and always gladly look forward to anything she's published, so this was no exception. This is so far my favourite collection written by her.

What I appreciate about Amanda's poems is emotion and vulnerability she puts in her writtings and this one is probably her most honest work to date. The collection is divided in three parts and explores her complicated and deeply hurtful relationship with her dead mother, and consequences she faced while grieving her death. It also talks a bit about general toxic dynamics and path to heal the salted wounds.

The topics in this one easily managed to get to me. I'm always drawn to reading about exploration of relationships that bring more heartache than fulfilment. Amanda did a splendid job in accurately depicting how her mother's death haunted her, as well as brought relief at the same time.

If you enjoy poetry collections, I'd gladly recommend this one, among any other of Amanda's works.

sometimes-
sometimes,
it's the loss
of someone
that makes you
complete.

- life is funny like that.

Thanks to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've read Amanda Lovelace's work in the past, and what I've come to expect from her is raw, powerful and honest words. She continues the same with To Drink Coffee with a Ghost. Unfortunately, for me, this collection based on a toxic mother-daughter relationship was difficult to get through, and I couldn't relate. I'm sure they are others who will benefit from this collection more.

I've had polarizing experiences with lovelace's work, I've either absolutely fallen in love with it ('the princess saves herself in this one' & 'the witch doesn't burn in this one') or have had them fall flat ('the mermaid's voice returns in this one' & 'to make monsters out of girls').

Sadly, this one one falls in line with the last two. This book failed to paint a picture for me. While the theme and the illustrations were there, most pages flipped without a lasting impression. The most impactful parts were the "letters" where the author really delivered emotion.

While a couple of lines in a mostly blank page can be truly impactful, lovelace herself has shown herself capable of this is 'Princess' and 'Witch', I didn't get that feeling this time.
Also, spelling 'magic' as 'magick' felt way too contrived and failed to make me do anything other than cringe.

I do think this series was cathartic for the author, and you can't help but see the pain on these pages, however I couldn't truly feel it.