Raw and real. It feels almost intrusive as Lainey Oslin exposes her soul to you on these pages. This extensive work of poetry has a journaling feel to it making it seem as though you broke into your friend’s diary. She explores many themes of weather/nature, addiction, coping with trauma, and the importance of self-exploration and self-discovery, especially through movement.

I had to take this in pieces as the weight of it was so palpable. A couple of my favorites are “pct” and “mind games”, both of which had my jaw dropping at her ability to capture those emotions. A lovely and heartbreaking piece of art.

Dieser Gedichtband handelt von dem Gefühl, verlassen zu werden und danach alles in Frage zu stellen, das man sein Leben nannte; aber auch von der Liebe zu seinen Kindern, was Elternsein bedeutet, vom weitermachen und wieder aufstehen, nachdem man am Boden war, vom Überwinden einer Suchterkrankung und davon, zu sich selbst zu finden. Die Autorin hat ihre Gedichte in sechs Abschnitte geteilt und widmet sich in diesen jeweils einem anderen Fokus.
Insgesamt hat mir dieser Gedichtband gut gefallen. Emotional hat er mich über lange Zeit leider nicht erreicht, dennoch habe ich immer wieder schöne Zeilen und Passagen gefunden, die mich berührt haben. Es hat sich für mich stellenweise nach zu viel vom gleichen angefühlt, auch wenn insgesamt eine Entwicklung im Verlauf der Gedichte erkennbar war.
Meinen Geschmack hat dieser Gedichtband nicht ganz getroffen, dennoch bin ich mir sicher, dass er andere berühren kann und empfehle daher, sich selbst einen Eindruck zu verschaffen.

In English:

This book of poems is about the feeling of being abandoned and then questioning everything you called your life; but also about the love for your children, what being a parent means, about carrying on and getting up again after you've been down, about overcoming addiction and finding yourself. The author has divided her poems into six sections, each with a different focus.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book of poems. Unfortunately, it didn't reach me emotionally for a long time, but I still found beautiful lines and passages that touched me. It felt like too much of the same for me at times, even though overall there was a noticeable development over the course of the poems.
This volume of poetry didn't quite suit my taste, but I'm sure it can touch others and I therefore recommend getting an impression for yourself.

A truly beautiful and vulnerable collection of poetry. I found myself stopping and reflecting many times throughout.
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Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this book.

The book as a meal: A comforting meal that my mom made, and while eating she tells me about her life
The book left me: Curious and hopeful of my aging and future experiences in life

Why did this call out to me?
I really liked the design of the cover, and the synopsis sounded like something I needed at the time

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
Pick-up-able, really enjoyed reading this and reflecting on my own womanhood

Progression?
There is absolutely an underlying story here. It felt like we went a bit back and forth from a dark place, a good place, and back to a dark place again.

Issues:
Arrangement of the contents can be a little messy and hard to keep up with
Not organized chronologically

Good things:
Relatable topics, either to myself or people in my family
Feels hopeful even in the darkest of times
Beautifully told lifestory in the shape of poems

How did it feel to read?
I am having a conversation with either my mom or grandma about my life, and she in turn talks about her life and experiences. We are having a vulnerable moment, and that is beautiful.

What mood would I read this in?
Migth come back to this again if I become a mother in the future to see if I connect even more with the poems. Otherwise, if I need some motherly words and none of the women in my life is available, this will bring some of that same comfort

Where does this fall in my tier list ranking?
A tier. Beautiful collection, and resonated deep within me

Favorite poems:
im not the same again today
origin story
recovering
moving day
ransom demands
messes
my valentine
what god does | part 5

Growth is not linear, and reading I'm Not the Same Again Today allowed me to reflect on my own journey. I haven't been married, or divorced, or given children, but I have been alive and anyone who has been alive knows the feeling of letting dreams die. The value of a poem hinges on its ability to impact and benefit its reader, and how it helps the reader connect to the world in turn. You like myself, may not have the same life experiences of the author, but we all know disappointment, regret, hurt and the process of changing, I think in poetry simplicity of language is often confused with simplicity of thought, but in I'm Not the Same Again Today I was reminded of moments from my own life and found the words to describe the feelings - some of which still haunt me, or some that I still explain to people as an important starter guide to understand me. I think this book is best read slowly or with intention, to give yourself time to reflect and meet the author with your own emotions and you may be surprised what you find within yourself and in I'm Not the Same Again Today.

I was unfortunately unable to connect with this poetry book and it didn't flow the way I typically like to read my poetry. With the right reader though, this will be a beautiful collection of poems.

I really wanted to love this as I felt the idea of a memoir as poetry had so much potential, but unfortunately a lot of the poems fell flat for me. I couldn’t feel the raw emotion through Lainey’s writing as it felt like she was more focused on telling a story.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book.

While I loved that the authors poems centre on motherhood and hiking, I just couldn't connect with this collection.

Lainey Oslin is a poet and lyrical storyteller from Washington State. 'I'm Not the Same Again Today' is her debut poetry collection. Part self-help and part memoir, her collection wrestles with addiction, divorce, betrayal, and grief while celebrating love, renewal, creativity, and family.

Oslin's poetry is vulnerable and straight-forward. The journey through her healing process forms the backbone of the collection, with verses chronicling her experiences on the trails serving as a testament to nature's ability to both ground and alleviate our pain. We watch hope seep through the text. The narrator's confidence grows as she learns to be unapologetically herself. This is a poetry collection about coming out on the other side.

This collection presents complicated situations through uncomplicated poetry. It's easy to consume. Quick to get through. If you've experienced divorce, you will feel seen in the first half of the collection. This is an inspiring read if you want to connect to poetry that knows what you've been through. 

Stylistically, the poetry follows a simple narrative structure. Honestly, too simple for my taste, but I recognize that this style might be what gives it mass appeal.

'I'm Not the Same Again Today' will be released on June 18, 2024. I received early access through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"If you're lucky and life is long, you'll get the privilege of grieving a great deal"

Incredibly thought inducing collection, that I think will resonate with a lot of readers. Beautiful writing, very lyrical and interesting - my favourite was Doorways, Lightning and Mind Games. Not a collection for bulk reading - I think of it more as an encyclopedia of emotions and moments.

Also loved the Acknowledgements - which is a rare thing to enjoy in a book I feel heh.

This poetry book was very lyrical and pretty. It was nicely written that gave me a lot to think about. I think a lot of people can relate to this collection of poems in some way. Overall, a very good read!

Beautifully vulnerable and dynamic poems that demonstrate resilience and bravery of being human. Each section shows her journey to find healing and growth through her genuine honesty for real life experiences. I was moved deeply - incredible work!

This collection will resonate with many readers. Highlighting the depths of anxiety, depression, addiction and grief. This chronicles the journey of a woman trying to cope with the burdens she faces each day. The portrayal is raw and lyrical. An essential collection that will resonate with many.

The main focus of this book is author Lainey's life lessons and representation, which are conveyed through quotes, short stories, poetry, and lines. She described her life's events, putting all of herself into the words to reach us. It all started during the divorce phase, when she needed to be her most difficult self to survive. She explains the darkest period of her life, which ultimately caused her to concentrate on windows for light, by using this as the primary subject of the book. This section shows us betrayal, heartache, kids caught up in the middle of a conflict, and the monologue of the person who is right—a reflection of reality as it exists in the world. She gradually made the decision to get better, recovery started, new goals were created, and new adjustments were made.In addition, we saw her go through the process of healing, learn new self-care strategies, celebrate her children's accomplishments, accept reality, and establish a new routine for herself that puts her needs first. Even though she had periods of vulnerability, her divorce—a significant breakdown in her life—did not prevent her from discovering who she was. It tells the story of her journey, showing how she overcame adversity to find her own light once more.
 
I gave it a three-star rating. I enjoyed how the author told her experience in order to convey the idea that "there's always a light after darkness." The narrative style and content arrangement in the book were the most challenging to me and seriously weakened my reading experience. The easy reading experience is not enhanced by the pieces' disorganized arrangement, the fact that some of them have no connections to one another, or the abrupt change in concepts or chronology. Certain topics require twice as much reading time due to their inconsistent substance. The content wasn't arranged chronologically; at random, subjects like falling and home regulations would pop up, leaving me perplexed as to why they would be there. What's the objective? Apart from this, the book's cover page is appealing and well-suited to the plot; there were no significant grammatical mistakes. The essays have good, thorough writing on some of them, and the quotes used are compelling. Recovery, Mind Games, Doorways, Solo, and Endurance are some of my favorite pieces.

Wow, this book was beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time. It was unique in its structure, and an interesting way to write a memoir, but it worked. I was rooting for everything to turn out okay for the author in the end. This is a story I will never forget. I sincerely hope the author writes more in the future.

The style wasn't for me. Some ideas were interesting,ñ, but the execution took me out of thenreading time and time again.

I'm Not the Same Again Today reflects the inspiring journey of a woman broken by addiction and divorce who finds a path out of the darkness. With her poetry. Oslin generously shares her story so that perhaps it will light the way for others. I have no doubt that it will.

This is a book about a woman grinding and loving herself in her 2nd half of life.

It was honest and I loved that. I loved her bond with nature and all its helped her to get through.

Thank you to Lainey Oslin, Empowered Press Publishing and Net Galley for this beauty of an ARC. Publish date is 6/17/24!!

This book was a beautifully woven piece of all parts: poetry, love letter, self-help guide, part memoir and so much more.

Snapshots of vulnerability in life’s moments, recovery, grief, divorce, being a mother, talks with God; it was different and lovely in every way.

The poems within this book caused for so much reflection. Many times I had to stop and think about how I connected to the words written and admire how perfectly these thoughts were expressed.