It seems these find me when I Need them most. Just like Flower Crowns and Fearsome Things - this collection really resonated with me. It's nice to pull myself from the dark and know I'm not alone. Hopeful not hopeless.

ARC was given by NetGalley & Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Talk of body image, mentions of eating disorders, misogyny, self-harm, talk of loss of loved ones, trauma

Author Content/Trigger Warnings: Body image issues, eating disorders, self-injury, alcoholism, misogyny, religion, suicide, death, trauma, & possibly more.


I was really hesitant to pick up another Lovelace book, but between the cover and the title, I was roped in and decided to give it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book and it felt like I was reading Lovelace's work for the first time again. I thought this collection was powerful, there was a lot of stuff that I really connected to and got emotional over, and just enjoyed my time reading this book. I do think I read this at a really important perfect time for myself, as well. Overall, I don't think this book will be for everyone, but I do recommend this book if you still appreciate Lovelace's work.


All thoughts, feelings, experiences, and opinions are honest and my own.

This is the first time I've read Amanda Lovelace, although she is already an author who has been publishing quite famous compilations for several years.

I like how easy it is to understand and how common situations are presented. There are several poems that are very relatable, but that's the end of my experience. I didn't feel anything else. It touches on various themes such as relationships, empowerment, lack of confidence, believing in yourself again, and the illustrations are beautiful. I automatically wanted to take photos of some and publish them, however I don't feel that they are going to be stay forever in my memory. That's probably something personal, i'm not that used to reading poetry.

I am still interested in reading the other poetry collections that Amanda has published ♡

Thanks to Netgalley for the bow.

I had trouble with this review because the content of this little book comes from the heart of this author and her challenges with mental health and body image. It feels uncomfortable to assign a star rating to this because of that, but these poems just aren't good.

Since Rupi Kaur's "Milk and Honey", the rise of "Instagram poetry" has encouraged poets and authors to put short poems in a beautifully bound book to be posted for people to caption "in my self-acceptance era"! (legit the title of one of the poems)

These poems lack any sort of depth. And although the issues that the author writes about in these poems are almost universal experiences for her readers and followers, they feel so surface level which is the opposite of what poetry NEEDS to be. Cutesy metaphors and quippy titles are not enough to make this book any more than a 1 star read for me.

I was hesitant to review this poetry collection for a few days bc I just didn’t connect with any of them. I know why some really love this style of poetry and I think that it usually works, but these felt like Twitter posts or IG post captions and none were all that memorable. However, with self-empowerment, self-love and self-reflection galore, you can tell this was important to the author.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the opportunity to review this e-ARC.

3.5 stars

This one didn't resonate with me quite as much as some of their previous works, which of course is a completely subjective, personal experience. A handful of standout poems made me feel seen and validated, but generally this collection felt very, well, general - a lot of poems seemed to be about the same few topics/perspectives, and it felt like there were more platitudes ("life will work out, even if not in the ways you expected" type sentiments) than specifics. But because poetry in particular is so reflective of the reader's headspace as much as the author's, my emotional disconnect could absolutely be caused entirely from my end.

I've been a fan of Amanda Lovelace's work since the beginning. She Followed the Moon Back to Herself is written in a similar style and cadence to her other worse, even if it's autobiographical. Overwhelmingly, the development of this collection is Lovelace falling in love with herself and having self-confidence to navigate life on her own terms. It's beautiful and empowering.

I’ve loved Amanda Lovelace since her first poetry book. Reading her poems always lift me up and make me feel good. Reading this is like getting a hug when you didn’t realize you needed one.

Amanda Lovelace has created a classic masterpiece once again, fit to inherit the cosmos. Lovelace is an incredible poet, who's words always astound me. Definitely worth a reread.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book officially publishes on 10/29/24!

This poetry book is a quick but extremely important read. I am a fan of this author from her past books, and this one is something special. Equal parts endearing and empowering, it is the perfect picture of a self-love journey. I can absolutely see myself re-reading this one, and would recommend it to anyone needing a bit of empowerment in their lives. Even though I have received this as an electronic ARC, I will likely be purchasing a copy for my shelves for any re-reads. If you do decide to pick this one up, please check the relevant trigger warnings before doing so.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this poetry collection. I have been a fan of Amanda Lovelace for several years now and will read anything she puts out.

I received an e-ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Amanda Lovelace's poetry. I relate a lot with her subject matter and reading her works gives me strength to get through my own situation. I will say that it does touch on sensitive subjects for those who may want to read it. I would give it 6 stars if I could. I also love the artwork on the cover and in this book.

she followed the moon back to herself is a poetry book about the author's personal life. In my opinion it could also be considered as one big poem, since they were all connected. If you're reading this poetry collection i advise you to read it all in one sitting. To me it wasn't anything memorable, i honestly think that i would have appreciate it more if it was only one. I'm not judging her story, because from what i understood is really intriguing and i would love to hear more about it, but the poems felt too simple. I literally cannot tell you anything about any of them. this is only my opinion and you might really connect with it as i hope you would, this just wasn't for me.

thank you netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this arc.

Really lovely connection. Her poetry is very accessible and easy to approach and connect with. I think readers will appreciate the representation and connection.

I LOVED this !!!!

When I tell you I am running to the store the second this comes out to buy it, I mean it. I NEED to own it as soon as possible.

This was my first collection by Amanda Lovelace, though I've always seen her around and wanted to read her poetry and let me just say, after reading one collection, this collection, I am ready to call her my favorite poet. Truly, I loved this collection so much It was beautiful, enjoyable and relatable and I just cant wait for others to experience it!!!

I am so HONORED that I was picked to read this before its publication, truly an honor.

She followed the moon back to herself was a good collection of poems but none of them really stood out for me.

In her latest poetry collection, 'she followed the moon back to herself', Lovelace offers a captivating narrative of personal growth, self-discovery, and resilience.

If you enjoy Instagram poetry, this is likely right up your alley. That being said, Lovelace provides the following warnings about sensitive material in her preface: body image issues, eating disorders, self-injury, alcoholism, misogyny, religion, suicide, death, trauma (and possibly more). If any of these upset you, please tread carefully.

Lovelace's dedication sums up the book's themes nicely: "to the woman going through the darkest night of her soul — don’t give up yet. it gets better. it always gets better."

arc read! :)

I used to be a huge fan of Amanda when she made her debut in 2017, so I was extremely excited to see her new collection come out on NetGalley! I even used a quote from her first book as my high school graduation senior quote—I loved it that much. This book had a lot of self-reflection and self-love poetry that I gravitated towards. I especially enjoyed the poems on body positivity. No poem exactly stood out to me, however, which is reflected in the 3-star rating.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amanda, for this arc copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to receive an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own

she followed the moon back to herself by Amanda Lovelace is filled with self love, personal growth, and acceptance. I have always been a big fan of her work and this is no exception! Thank you so much for sharing this part of yourself with us!

2.75 stars

It is so hard for me to rate and review poetry, because I feel like as a reader it either hits you or it doesn't. There was nothing structurally wrong with the prose, or the content, but it just wasn't meant for me at this time in my life, and that's okay.

I did find it a bit... lacking? Which is only why I dropped it slightly under 3 stars *for me*. It felt like it was just scratching the surface of some thoughts/feelings/topics that I could have related to, but didn't actually get into anything deep enough to grap my spirit.

With that said, there were a few poems that I bookmarked because I felt them, and if they were posted on Instagram I would absolutely share to story. But will I remember this in a few months or a year? Probably not. And again, that's okay.

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