*****5 Stars!

“She never needed a weapon to be powerful.”


First I would like to thank Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book. I am honored to have been given the chance to read it and give an honest review.

This was such a beautiful read and I enjoyed every moment of it. Every single poem in this book was so powerful and absolutely inspiring; I can’t stop thinking about it. I have loved everything Amanda Lovelace has published, but I would have to say this one was by far one of my favorites. It’s such a wonderful experience to read her work and walk away feeling so strong and empowered by it. I love pieces that make the reader think and this has most definitely given me some thoughts and there are some verses that will forever stay with me afterwards and for that I thank her. I honestly can’t wait to read her next book, I’m sure it will be just as amazing as the last!

This is the second book I've read by Amanda Lovelace and although I didn't enjoy the first I thought I'd give Lovelace another chance as everyone else seems to love her.

I can't help but think that I'm missing something that everyone else is seeing. I just can't connect with the poems, they come across more as inspirational quotes or statement that don't have any depth.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

I think I would have liked this as a young teen figuring myself out and learning about feminism, but as an adult, I didn't get much from this. It's all just common sense dressed up as short poetry and that would have been fine had it been said in an original way, but none of it really was. The illustrations were beautiful, but I don't know if it makes sense to fill half the book with the same two images. It just feels like padding, and this was already lacking in substance.

Amanda Lovelace never fails to write an enjoyable book. I’ve read and loved them an this one was no different!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Amanda Lovelace once again does not disappoint. This collection resonates is just as beautiful and powerful as her previous works. The alternating artwork is lovely and enhances each piece.

Beautiful poems! Love Amanda Lovelaces work and I’m always excited when I see her coming out with more published poems
Hope to read everything she writes!

Another gorgeous selection of poems from Amanda Lovelace. I really enjoyed reading these ones and the artwork included was beautiful. The poems were easy to read and the flow was great. The theme of the poems and book just really appealed to me. Definitely recommend for anyone who has read her work before and loved it!

*Thanks Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

I have always loved this author since I accidentally came up on her books and the bookstore not something that I would normally read. But it is absolutely perfect in every way I love her writing and her feminist writing.

I feel like you know what you're getting with Amanda Lovelace's poems (in a good way). There's always one poem (or more) that appeals to you, depending on what you need at the time, and often feels like a pep talk from a friend.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love Amanda Lovelace’s poetry collections. And this was really good but i didn’t love it as much as i did the others.

Amanda Lovelace is back with another beautiful, feminist poetry collection, and I was so delighted to read it! This one was loosely based on the myth of Persephone, and I loved all of the imagery that evoked! As always, her poetry was feminist and inspiring, but I do sometimes wish that it was a little meatier. Some of the poems and the formatting reminded me of the poetry people would write on xanga, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. As for the formatting, I do wonder if the print book will also have the artwork of flowers on every other page? It turned this 150 page book into a collection of just 70 short poems, but other than that, I truly did love this collection.

This book of poems was everything I needed at this time in my life. Poetically putting into words things I have been feeling and dealing with. Making me smile and just bask in the strength and awesomeness that womxn are. I really needed this book and it's totally going in the permanent collection.

Thank you @ladybookmad @netgalley and @andrewsmcmeel for the advance copy of this book - it’s one of fall releases that I am most looking forward to!

To begin with, this books is aesthetically stunning, with a gorgeous cover, stunning full-colour art between the poems and a beautiful typeface and layout. In general I find books from Andrews McMeel are beautiful but this one is especially so.

The poems are a loose reimagining of a modern-day Persephone’s thoughts and perspectives on her experience, but really I feel they are fairly representative of the experiences of many. The poems themselves are short and deceptively simple, giving a lot to unpack beneath what appears to be an easy-read surface.

I’ll definitely be picking up a print copy when the book comes out so I can revisit these poems many times over.

CW: intimate partner abuse, sexual assault, cheating, child abuse, trauma, death, violence, misogyny, body image, eating disorders, alcohol, fire

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! I saw this collection online yesterday and knew I wanted it immediately, especially after just having reread some of her first book hours before seeing this on NetGalley.

In this poetry collection, the author warns you from the start about potential triggers. Then, she dives right in. The poetry is strong and relatable, and though I've seen lots of people hesitate to consume any sort of literature that even mentions the pandemic, this one touches on it in such a stunning way that I think anyone could appreciate it. The poems pack punches and I was taking screenshots on my tablet so I could reference back to my favorites often. This is definitely one that you should be sure to pick up!

Amanda Lovelace's poetry is raw, real, heartbreaking, honest, and lovely. Reading her poetry gives me all of the emotions, and it's kind of a cathartic experience. The illustrations in this book were BEAUTIFUL too! This book did not disappoint, and I loved the theme of women being strong for their own sake and not for anyone else. I look forward to reading more from her. I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Amanda Lovelace is the gift that keeps on giving. This is not my first poetry collection of hers, but it is my favourite. I really liked the dual perspective… we get to see the flowers and the fire and most importantly we are reminded that we can BE both.

Poems I adored:
- commit to putting out more fires than you start.
- she never needed a weapon to be powerful.
- will i get to do all of the things i want to do?
- happiness is the revenge, after all.

I definitely recommend this collection of poems and will be buying a copy of the finished book when it is published in October.

With thanks to Amanda Lovelace and NetGalley for providing this advance copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read all of Amanda’s books, but I feel that this one fell short. Her words intended to inspire self love and female empowerment. This collection just didn’t seem as deep as her other works.

I see what Amanda Lovelace was trying to do with this collection, but I feel as if it fell short. I have enjoyed most of Lovelace's work, but this one just felt like this was an entire collection of forced poetry. I think there was only a few poems that actually spoke to me but the rest of them felt very dry and boring. This is a short collection and yet I kept checking to see how many pages I had left.

This was such a great read. It’s like a pep talk in poetry form- if you want to feel like a bad bi*ch, READ THIS RIGHT NOW.

The trigger warnings at the beginning was incredibly thoughtful and so important, and I appreciate Amanda Lovelace including that.

The artwork and cover art are spectacular, beautiful yet simple. Matched the theme of the poetry perfectly.

Lastly, this is my first Amanda Lovelace book and I WILL be reading her work again. It’s like she took the words and thoughts out of my head and wrote them so beautifully and heartbreakingly. I thoroughly enjoyed these poems.

"you are not the god of her"

'She' is the goddess. She loves and she has to be loved. You may be the king but you can't own her.

Amanda has expressed how woman has to be let free and live her life. She doesn't say woman are simple, good. She says real things about woman. She says woman to be complex and that needs to be showcased, be respected.

Each page has powerful verses. I enjoyed this book and have documented few pages to keep reading them. I will read those pages again to sow the thought that a woman should not be caged and be let free.

Beautiful book with emotions. These verses can give freshness to the souls which are hurt, broken, crushed, damaged.

Well written. I recommend this poetry book. Pretty paintings throughout makes the read refreshing.