I really enjoyed this one. Thank you, NetGalley for sharing this with me. I'll definitely be looking forward to reading more.

This is a nonfiction account of the author’s struggle with her desire for and lack of romantic love in her life. She closely associates herself with the lyrics of Joni Mitchell’s Blue album and measures her experience based on these songs.

While Amy writes beautifully, it was painful to watch the author struggle with this experience. However, within this pain, she finds her own power and an improved sense of self.

Readers who enjoy a deep, personal read of a single woman’s life in our current times will appreciate the depth the author brings to her experience.

Unfortunately, this was not the type of writing I enjoy, but the story should be commended for being both original and honest.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to an audio version of this book.

Amy Key’s memoir contains beautiful prose - she is a poet after all - and I appreciated her dedication to weaving Joni Mitchel’s Blue album throughout the book in her personal search for romantic love. Key explores what it means to be single and childless in her forties and although I thought this book would resonate with me more, it was a bit disjointed and repetitive. I also didn’t quite understand the hyper focus on the illness and death of her friend and mentor poet Roddy Lumsden; it seemed like a different storyline altogether. The audiobook is narrated by the author which gives a very personal and authentic touch to her unique musings. But overall this memoir was not for me.

I received an audiobook ARC from NetGalley and Dreamscape Media - all opinions are my own.

"Arrangements in Blue" by Amy Key is a tough one for me to review. On the one hand, I loved her idea of structuring a book around the songs from a beloved album, in this case Joni Mitchell's "Blue"--it felt innovative and richly personal, and I thought it worked really well as a unifying theme for this memoir. Key's language is lyrical and poetic (no surprise since she is a poet) and she seems to be unflinchingly honest in committing the most private and personal details of her life and her emotions to the page. It was this almost unremitting rumination, however, that was a bit problematic for me--this type of laser-focused inner gaze often felt a little self-indulgent, particularly in the sections where Key reveals stunningly intimate details about her poetry mentor's struggle with (and ultimate death from) cirrhosis of the liver in order to reflect on her own emotions during that time. She assures us that he did not hesitate to include identifiable friends and acquaintances in his own poetry, and in her acknowledgments at the end of the book suggests that she had his family's full support, but it still made me feel deeply uncomfortable, like a sightseer at the scene of a tragedy. For that reason, this book was probably a 3 for me, but I am rating it a 4 because I think people who relate more closely to Key in age and circumstances will appreciate it more than I did. One further note: I listened to to the audiobook of this title, and I think Key's own narration heightened the emotional impact of her book.

Thank you to NetGalley and to Dreamscape Media for providing me with an audio ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

There is a lot of really beautiful writing in this first memoir by poet Amy Key, but it wasn't so much for me in the end. Maybe it's my own personal baggage here, but the thing that I keep thinking about it Key's discussion of the squalor her friend Roddy lived in...and that's very much not the point of the book.

As an audiobook, this is lovely. I always enjoy listening to authors narrate their own stories they way they hear it, and this was an excellent performance.

Delicate, tender, vulnerable and utterly gorgeous. I have so much respect and appreciation to the way Amy Key allowed the reader to get such a large piece of her heart and mind in this memoir. I thought this was such a refreshing take on longing, loneliness, and negotiating your own version of adulthood between what you desire, what you should desire, and the idea of the nuclear family and romantic companionship.
I also loved the way all these conversations were centered around this one album that defined so much of Key's life, and found that to be such a clever way of approaching both her life experience and these broader themes.
The audio format really helped form that connection that made this feel like a conversation with a friend

Arrangements in Blue is the first published non-fiction written by Amy Key. When I came across Amy's memoir, I knew I had to read it. Not only the perspective of exploring love, a subject that is so familiar yet that seems so out of reach for me, was attractive, but also the fact that this theme was combined with Joni Mitchell's album BLUE sounded riveting. I already adore Joni's Blue in the sense that Joni is so honest in the feelings she pours in every song; I also found this in Amy's memoir. I thought it was extremely brave to broach some topics, such as indecisiveness toward getting a partner or not, having children or not, and Amy's relation to her sexuality. This in-betweenness was very relatable for me because it depicted quite nicely my own paradoxical feelings about wanting everything to stay the same (nurturing the comfort I spent so long to create and find) and wishing new things to mould you into a better version of yourself. It seemed particularly relevant when Amy writes about her home, about spending a long time sharing flats with people and about contemplating the moment she would be able to get her own space and do whatever she wants with it. I really related to this; it's a feeling that I thought a lot about recently. I was also very moved by her close connection with Roddy Lumsden.

All in all, I would strongly recommend this memoir to my readers. I believe that is a book that can be read by women of all ages, but as a young person I especially related to it and it brought back many discussions some of my friends and I had on (romantic) relationships nowadays. I think I'll particularly encourage people to listen to the audiobook because I feel that listening to Amy reading her own words brings something very special to the experience of reading her memoir.

Amy Key's memoir is a exploration of love, loss, and the complexities of living without romantic love at life’s center. As a fan of Amy’s lush and evocative poetry, I eagerly anticipated her book, and it was nothing short of astonishing.

Key weaves her personal journey with her deep connection to the songs on Joni Mitchell's “Blue” album. She reflects on her teenage years, when the album became “her” soundtrack. As time passed and romantic love eluded her, Amy reflected deeply on Mitchell’s lyrics, finding a kindred spirit.

What makes “Arrangements in Blue” so powerful is Key's vulnerability and candidness. She explores themes of loneliness, desire, jealousy, regret, friendship, and self-realization with rare integrity and courage.

Throughout the memoir, Key celebrates the many forms of intimacy that often go unnoticed, offering a tender and philosophical perspective on living life on one's own terms. She encourages readers to find ways to romanticize their own lives, whether through small gestures like buying fresh flowers or taking solo trips, ultimately emphasizing the importance of self-discovery and self-friendship.

This does not alleviate her yearning for romantic love and being part of a couple, but her contemplations also reveal the abundance in her life, particularly her family of cats and friends, and the joy she finds in her home. Particularly poignant are Key’s musings about her close and complicated friendship with British poet and mentor, Roddy Lumsden, who passed away in 2020.

Key's memoir captivates from beginning to end. I listened to the audiobook with great admiration. “Arrangements in Blue” is a must-read/listen for anyone seeking a broader emotional palette beyond the confines of traditional romance. Amy Key is an extraordinary writer and I believe her memoir will become a classic for future generations.

Thank you you to @dreamscape_media 🎧 and @netgalley for the opportunity to listen to “Arrangements in Blue”. All opinions are my own.

So wholly beautiful, vulnerable, and moving. What a privilege to listen to every word in the voice of Amy Key herself, a surprisingly fantastic narrator. Key delivered her deepest, most human, and violent truths using the most peaceful and poetic of phrases. She has clearly wrestled with each topic she discusses for a long time and each time she chooses again to face herself and the world with transparency, boldness, and humanity. I was left changed!

Format Read: Audiobook from NetGalley
Review: This was a deep and emotional memoir. Amy’s focus is on romantic love, the good, the bad, and the can we live without it. These thoughts are very complete, and she intertwines her love of Joni Mitchell into the entire book.
Recommended For: This was very engaging even though it’s about a woman I don’t know. If you want that type of a memoir, check it out.

I’m 24 and decided to be relationshipfree, childfree, and marriagefree. I use to be like the girl in this book. Wanting someone to save them basically. I connected to that. But self love won. I love this book because even though I don’t 100% have the same experiences or desires I understood. Also the mention of the Swiftie fandom? As a Swiftie I approve.