A Little Daylight Left feels like sitting quietly with someone who tells the truth gently, even when it hurts. Sarah Kay’s poems are tender, honest, and full of hard-won wisdom—perfect for anyone figuring out how to live with both the ache and the awe of being human.

Thank you for this beautiful poetry book. I loved that poems are longer! I enjoyed reading a few day. What a beautiful poetry book!

I've taught Sarah Kay's poetry in some capacity since I started teaching almost a decade ago, so this was an easy five star read for me. This anthology has such a continuity to it that I could see teaching this in its entirety in addition to the more traditional excerpted pieces. Her poetry is readable and relatable (but maybe it's the millennial of it all that gets me). There were many moments where I wondered "did we grow up together"? Or is it that just all millennial girls have vivid memories of playing outfield tee ball and toting around metaphorical report cards in my 30s just in case. As always the beauty of Kay's writing will captivate readers and with the structure, there's something for everyone in this new book of poetry.

In A Little Daylight Left, Sarah Kay returns with a decade’s worth of growth, grace, and poetic vulnerability that invites readers into a quiet, luminous exploration of what it means to live fully, even in the most uncertain moments.

This second full-length collection feels like an intimate conversation with a trusted friend, one unafraid to name both beauty and pain. Kay’s signature blend of curiosity, humor, and lyricism shines as she addresses transitions and emotional pivots, heartbreak, loss, fear, hope, without ever flinching. Her words echo long after reading, as in the haunting line: “What if you aren’t as bad as you suspect you are?”

The collection reads like a soft lamp in the dark, illuminating not just the path forward but the importance of pausing to feel. Kay’s poems don’t offer tidy answers but rather honest companionship, which feels far more valuable.

Though some moments lean heavily into sentiment, occasionally risking repetition, the overall emotional resonance and clarity of voice carry the collection with strength. For those craving poetry that doesn’t look away from life’s fractures—and instead finds the light in them, this book is a balm.

Sarah Kay reminds us that while the world can feel like a hallway of locked doors, there is always, somewhere, a little daylight left.

I am a fan of Sarah Kay's poetry and spoken word and have been looking forward to her new collection for a long time and it didn't disappoint. wonderful

Sarah Kay’s newest poetry collection, “A Little Daylight Left: Poems” (The Dial Press, 2025), glistens with hopeful curiosity amid ongoing news of our vulnerable, often chaotic world.

For example, Kay’s poem “The Minister of Loneliness” creatively explores the emotional terrain of Japan’s decision to appoint a Minister of Loneliness in October of 2020. Imbued with wonder and artistic play, Kay almost makes Covid-19 under her Minister sound appealing with tin can “phones,” story hour, and grieving encouraged.

One of Kay’s greatest gifts is her ability to marry commonplace experiences with tenderness, humor, and empathy. Lost and potential love (“Allow Me Just This One,” “On the Dating App I Select from the Dropdown Menu to Indicate I Too Like Beaches”)? Her relationship to her beloved parents (“Sonnet for Pop,” “Sharpshooters,” “Jello”)? Her poetic life (“Each of Us Here,” “Unreliable,” “The Poet Wakes in a Cold Sweat”)? Thanks to her years of spoken word performance, teaching, and educational workshops through Project Voice (of which she is the founder and co-director), Kay welcomes her audience into each poem with shared emotional language and rhythmic pacing.

Readers of Fanny Choi, Hanif Abdurraqib, Clint Smith, Maggie Smith, Saeed Jones, Elizabeth Acevedo, and Maggie Smith might also enjoy Sarah Kay’ “A Little Daylight Left: Poems.”

Thank you to Sarah Kay, The Dial Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC.

I loved the poems in the "A Little Daylight Left" collection. The poems were easy to understand yet had deep and insightful themes.

I thought this book was very well written and enjoyable, but just not for me. There were several times I was left having to re-read things to make sure I fully understood them. There are beautiful phrases in the lines and I took time to highlight several of them as they spoke to me, but overall, it just wasn't the poetry that I was craving. Not a bad thing, but it made it take a little longer to get through than I would have thought.

I first learned about Sarah Kay through a TED Talk she did many years ago where she captivated the audience with her spoken word poetry. I’ve been a fan since then and truly enjoyed this poetry collection. Many of the poems were warm and positive while others were a bit tragic. I highly recommend this collection!

This is the newest collection of poetry from Sarah Kay. I have been a fan of hers for a long time and will read anything she decides to release! Highly recommend!!! FIVE STARS

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I have been trying to pick up and read more poetry lately as I always enjoy it - I just don't pick it up as often as I should! That being said - I am so excited that I picked this beautiful book up. Right from the beginning, I was entranced by Sarah's words and writing. The style, the theme of moving from childhood to adulthood was really a beautiful one to go on. The imagery was incredibly powerful and rich, and I just truly loved every single word and can't wait to buy a physical copy to have in my collection.

ahhhhh Sarah Kay! What a lovely book of poetry. I was especially entranced by the first few poems. I will definitely be recommending this to my loved ones.

I was excited to hear Sarah Kay was releasing a new collection of poetry. This is a beautiful collection and I recommend the audiobook version.

A strong poetic voice that has a lot to say. I enjoyed how Kay plays with verse in order to layer and interweave levels of meaning into her poems.

Kay’s lived experience extrapolated with the background of New York felt especially impactful. Overall, I found this collection to be artful and profound.

Absolutely beautiful. I was a fan of Sarah Kay’s spoken word poetry years ago, so I was delighted to be sent a widget for this book and it was stunning. Her writing is still so fresh and digestible, but it’s so cleverly put together. A few of the poems in this collection will stick with me for a long time. Definitely recommend if you’re looking for an accessible poetry collection full of heart.

ARC provided by Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press via NetGalley.

Delayed review!

I occasionally read poetry, so when I can across this collection of poems by Sarah Kay, I thought I'd give it a try. I have not read any other work by Sarah, so this was my first experience with her writing. The collection of poems read really nicely and overall, it was really enjoyable to read.

If you like poetry, I would highly recommend checking out " A Little Daylight Left" by Sarah Kay, available now!

**Thank you NetGalley and Random House | The Dial Press for the opportunity to read an e-ARC of this book!

This is a beautiful collection of poetry. I really enjoyed her use of metaphors to discuss the heavy topics people tend to have a hard time addressing. I particularly enjoyed Parts I and II. I found myself relating to more than I was prepared to while I was consuming the text. The imagery was so vivid and the moments shared came across so raw and honest they almost teetered on the edge of uncomfortable. I highlighted so many lines that I want to hold onto. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this collection.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Random House | The Dial Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this poetry book and read it in one sitting. I will definitely be looking for more by this author. I would recommend this book.

A Little Daylight Left: Poems by Sarah Kay is a lovely collection of poems about being human and being compassionate with ourselves. Here's some of the poem 'Unreliable': "I am just trying to place enough words between now & The End/ to trick The End into coming later./ I slip single doses of myself into the pockets of everyone I love,/ worried about serving sizes, hoping they do not sour once I'm gone." "I am the center of my own dramatic universe & it appalls me./ In my dream, from somewhere down a hallway of locked doors, a voice asks,/ 'What if you aren't as bad as you suspect you are?/ What if you'll never be as good as you ache?'/ & then, softer, in the kind of whisper that wouldn't even fog the glass,/ 'What if what you are is boring/ & alive, what are you going to do then?'" These poems are so thoughtful and vulnerable, and I really enjoyed this collection. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

An introspective and hopeful poetry collection with long, thoughtful, prose-adjacent poems that feel like the author is speaking directly to you. I highlighted so many quotes that it was difficult to choose just one to include in this review. A LITTLE DAYLIGHT LEFT made me feel less alone in what sometimes feels like a useless quest to find beauty in an often bleak world, as well as navigating said world with depression and anxiety. It's a collection I will add to my poetry shelf and revisit in the future. And it's funny, too.

"I am not saying let Certainty be your only god.
I have seen the haircuts he demands in his honor.
I am saying if you know, when you know,
you have to honor it. You have to follow it."
-from "Knowing"

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.