Good Grief by Brianna Pastor is a collection of poetry about grief, trauma, anxiety, and depression. I thoroughly enjoyed this poetry collection, and I highlighted so many passages. Here's one: "I spend a generous amount of time/ trying to convince myself that/ I am worthy of taking up space/ in a world that I find myself/ constantly needing space from." And this one: "See. Think. Think again. Love." There are so many heartfelt, thoughtful pieces here. Brianna Pastor is also a great follow on Instagram. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

I think this collection would be great for someone who is new to poetry and wants themes they can relate to and language that is easy to understand. For me, this collection felt very surface level, repetitive and said a lot of things that are cliche concepts. I think it could have been majorly edited down. With all of that said, I did enjoy and handful of poems - 16, 28, 36, 44, 51 and 83.

A collection of poems and short stories about grief, loving yourself, and living in the moment. It was a nice short read.

This is a really, really good book of poems. They don’t go in any particular order, but the themes throughout are very consistent. The poems deal with some sensitive topics such as grief, abuse, trauma, and mental health. Even with heavier topics, some of the poems remain light and hopeful and the balance of the book works really well. Overall, I really liked this book of poems and some of them will stick with me for a while.

I had never heard of Brianna Pastor until a few weeks ago when I saw one of her poems shared on Instagram. I am not usually one for pithy memes or inspirational poems on social media, but those few lines convinced me I had to learn more. I was excited to discover Good Grief was just about to come out. I read the poems like I was racing to get to the end because they were so good, and also because Pastor doesn’t waste words, writing short, powerful poems. Even as I practically sped read through most, some poems demanded abrupt stops and multiple readings. One poem in particular struck me because it resonated with how my sister used to describe her experience of living with bipolar disorder. I am grateful Pastor wrote these poems for herself and also for all of us. I am grateful what was a small project became much bigger so Pastor’s poetry will reach more people who need it. Her poetry is for anyone who is struggling, who has struggled, or knows people who struggle; it is poetry for all of us, if we are honest.

Thank you to HarperOne and NetGalley for the privilege of reading a DRC of this book. All opinions are my own.

I haven't been reading much outside of my favorite genres lately, but this was such a great change of pace. Do I think I was emotionally ready for this? No. Did I enjoy it anyway? Absolutely.
#netgalley #GoodGrief

Good Grief by @briannapastor was a lovely poetry book full of raw emotion.
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One thing I love about poetry is how it makes the reader reflect. I related to a lot of what the author was saying, so the poetry made me think more about my past experiences in a very therapeutic way. The themes in this book were dark, yet also hopeful- which is exactly what I look for in poetry.
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I would definitely recommend Good Grief to anybody who is interested in reading some reflective poetry! There are content warnings available at the beginning of the book and online.
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Thank you @netgalley and @harpercollins for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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#bookrecommendations #poetry #bookreviews #arcreviewer #netgalley #newbooks #lgbtbooks #poetrybooks

It’s not very often that I enjoy and appreciate every poem in a book; Brianna Pastor gave me one where I did. The way she writes of pain and gently guides us through it is nothing short of spectacular. If you enjoy poets, such as Atticus or Rupi Kaur, you will love the fresh voice of Brianna Pastor. This book was a five star book for me and I cannot wait to have it on my shelf to re-read over the years.

A quick, thoughtful read full of unnamed poems. Most of the work was short and sweet, but so unexpectedly relatable. I lost count of the number of passages I highlighted to save for later.

(Thank you, HarperOne and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

This encapsulated so much of my feelings through this time period of my life. Truthfully, I feel absolutely seen— and generally books have never made me feel that way like this. These poems and prose were emotionally raw and I believe that more of the world should read them to help themselves come to terms and accept these feelings.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & NetGalley for access to the e-ARC.

Brianna Pastor turns decidedly inward and invites the audience to share in their pain. The author’s writing style is not overwrought which trends toward underdeveloped, but lends itself to a certain rawness that complements their reflections on grief and despair. About 70% of the way through, a lightness emerges and the reader senses that hope and self-forgiveness are possible. Perfect read for someone who is on a healing journey and feels alone on that path. Gave me some topics to bring to my own therapy session this week! Thank you to Brianna Pastor, the publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

Wow. This was brilliant and powerful. I don’t usually read poetry but the title of this work really drew me in and I’m glad for it.

I could relate to so much and it made me emotional, proud, sad, angry and many many other things.

I will definitely be purchasing a copy of this to refer to in times of need.

I like this one, it was enjoyed when I went at a slow pace reading it. It has a lot of emotions. This was a great collection.

Good Grief is a poetry book by Brianna Pastor

Grief indeed. Some of these poems are very emotional for me to read, and others I do not connect with at all, but there is a heaviness in this series. I see my own grief reflected in someone else’s words, and those are the books that make you feel seen and less alone.

“I sat in place and silently mourned. Not only did I find the answer to why I kept ending up in this coffee shop alone, but I also felt empathy for a world that is sad in so many different languages.”

and

“Love flows easier when there is no grip on it.”

Some of my favorite quotes throughout the book. I took my time reading this book over several weeks, while I myself am dealing with a large amount of grief. It was definitely worth a read, and I would recommend it to a friend.

This is one of those books that reminds me we all have our own unique experiences, but we all have the same feelings and emotions, we tend to go through the same phases in life, and we’re all human. This was a great book.

I absolutely love this collection so much. I am not normally a poetry gal, but this one hit me hard and now I wanna be a poetry gal. I love love love this and would read anything Brianna Pastor writes. It hits on so many beautiful and sad things. It made me think about my life and what I feel. So gritty in the best way.

This digital ARC was obtainable via NetGalley for an honest review!

"Good Grief" is like being inside the mind of a hurting person. Often times, I found myself relating to Pastor's words. Other times, I was a bit frustrated about their mindset. However, poetry is like reading someone's diary. You cannot expect everyone's healing to be fast and you can't expect them to heal like you heal. However, I hope the grief has eased a bit for the author.

Good Grief by Brianna Pastor

The poets know. This book of poems handles loss, grief, sadness, trauma, and other difficult emotions with softness and kindness. treasured. I have so many highlights from the book. My favorites are
1 and 112 bookended the poetry so well!
4
14, this one is my favorite
41
43
54
68
76, another favorite
77
84
87
100

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really wanted to like this poetry collection, but each poem felt like a tweet, an Instagram caption, or a half baked thought. There were a few lines here and there that spoke to me, and while I can sympathize with the author's story, I don't think this was the medium to publically share it. I found the poems at the same time to be both incredibly vague and hyper-specific to their story which made it feel unmoored.

good Grief was a great collection of poems. I appreciated the author's vulnerability to talk about love and how it isn't always two-sided, or enjoyable. the writing was easy to read/approachable but still being emotional.

summary: so this is a poetry collection, and features poems ranging in topic from motherhood, to womanhood, to trauma, grief, loss, joy and other things

footnotes: this book was not a "hard" read, but it definitely brought up some emotions in me that were uncomfortable to sit with, especially if you have any mother issues, or womanhood troubles this may be a book to come back to later.

thoughts: i really enjoyed reading this, i loved how honest and candid brianna got while still keeping it elegant. i felt like i was having wine with a close friend, however candid the poems get, they never lose thier elegance or poise, the word choice lets you know what's happening, but is still cryptic enough that it doesn't ruin the feeling of reading it. truly, this was something i recommend to anyone grappling with questions about mothers, or womanhood, or where you fit in.