What a beautiful collection. Sarah Kay delves into life’s vulnerable transitions and her poems invite readers to confront challenges such as heartbreak, caring for an ailing loved one, and the uncertainties of new beginnings. But also, she reminds us that there is still beauty in the complexity of life, even when the times feel dark.

Thank you Netgalley and Dial Press for my eArc in exchange for an honest review.

Sarah Kay’s A Little Daylight Left is nothing short of breathtaking. With her signature blend of stunning imagery, profound emotion, and deeply relatable reflections, Kay once again proves why she is one of the most exceptional poets of our time. Every poem is filled with language so precise and evocative that it lingers long after the final page; I feel so connected to the words she writes and I felt that same way with this collection as I have with her past work. I was beyond excited to get early access to this collection, and it exceeded every expectation I had. She captures love, loss, hope, and the beauty of everyday life with a clarity that I wish I had. Her writing is so powerful because it perfectly encapsulates everything I wish to be able to express. Her words don’t just resonate—they make you feel understood in ways you didn’t even realize you needed. Whether she is exploring the complexities of human connection or the small, fleeting moments that shape us, Kay’s poetry is a gift, and A Little Daylight Left is one of her finest offerings yet. I truly adore everything she writes, and this collection is no exception.

5 stars

I really appreciate Sarah Kay's work for two reasons: (1) personal enjoyment and (2) absolute accessibility for my students. They love her, too, and she is a great entry point into poetry for my second-year college audience. This collection will get a lot of traction on future syllabi.

Incoming fans of Kay's and folks with all levels of experience reading poetry - beginners included - will find motifs, descriptions, and snapshots of the human condition to which they can relate (or minimally appreciate).

I recommend this collection to interested readers and will definitely share it with my students.

Sarah Kay’s A Little Daylight Left seems to promise ruminations on moments of peaceful and quaint effervescence: poems that accord with the gently rising building and the puffy clouds against the blue sky on the cover of this collection. There are moments of this kind: the thrillingly fleeting wonders of sunset, of love, of friends, family, of memory, and of unencumbered childhood encounters with nature, but A Little Daylight Left is always cognizant that the waning daylight can provide rhapsodic moments of illumination as well as moments that reveal searing and difficult truths.

In her portraits of loving partnerships and family connections, Kay presents a rapturous daylight that is so radiant, the unflinching honesty overwhelms. Indeed “Dreaming Boy” is so forthright in presenting the shyly hopeful trepidation present in a partnership exploring unsettled questions of gender, sexual orientation, preference, and roles –everything open, nothing hidden,– that I had a powerfully immediate cry.

With a similarly moving and gentle candor, “Tsubu “explores a kind of generational daylight, family vocabulary. and tradition against the backdrop of Sarah Kay’s aging mother The poem reveals the delicate contingency of life, and family, the precious nature of all shared time and accumulated language. But even this acknowledged mortality, the depleting daylight from which we can’t escape, does not negate the moments of wonder and brightness to be had.

Terrorism and violence, inescapable and pervasive in contemporary life, are perhaps the most challenging and confounding forces with which to contend in the little daylight we all have left. Kay reminds us that even the clear daylight blue skies can become terrorism can be harbingers – as they were during the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York or in Jakarta in 2019. Similarly, glorious post-party slivers of daylight can quickly become spotlights of existential and real terror, if an attacker catches sight of the unprotected and unsuspecting. Still, jokes, poetry, dating, relationships, art, and the onward march of human life continue, not out of a defiant perseverance, but because all the facets of human existence can occur in the little daylight left.

Some readers might find the way in which Sarah Kay represents these convergences to be challenging. Exaggerated font size and stylistic differences often announce the arrival of interrupted memory, of trauma, and other lasting and traumatic experiences. Sometimes very wry asides appear in passages otherwise contending with serious subjects. And sometimes the unflinchingly and carefully articulated details of isolated longing –in a fertility clinic, for a lost love, for a life not subject to routine unwelcome intrusions– are so memorably illuminated that that starkness is unforgettable. Still others might find the portrayal of New York City cosmopolitan life to be a little cliché in its revelry and self-aware finitude. Taken as a whole, however, I think the depth and breadth of the emotional honesty of this collection, the ways in which Sarah Kay insists on witnessing A Little Daylight Left pack a tremendous wallop.

3.5 stars rounded up

Introspective, fresh, and tender. Sarah Kay has a way with words. Her poetry tends to lean on the verbose and prosey side, which isn't always my thing, but I definitely had a good time reading this collection. Her poetry is better when it's spoken aloud as she is a slam poet at heart. This collection covers motherhood, grief, longing, and creativity. Returning fans will see growth in her form and new readers will enjoy her down to earth style.

My favorite poems are: "Ars Poetica" and "Praise My Tiny Kitchen."

A Little Daylight Left had me floored from the very first poem.

Kay crafts such beautiful imagery for us with her words, snapshots of experience, connection, love, sex. There are life altering, heartbreaking moments. Thought spirals that seem circular, but we're going somewhere. I promise. She makes even the most mundane of moments shine with hidden light. From dreams, to cooking, to family road trips, there is magic in these acts.

While reading the poem Sharpshooters, I recall thinking that her parents' love for photography must have helped to shape her ability to paint such beautiful pictures with words. Then in the very next poem she says herself, "I learned to write the way my parents photograph—looking for light."

Sarah
I am reading to myself unaccompanied
in silence
I have no special accent
just your voice in my head as I read

Thank you for reminding me that I still need to take that road trip with my dad up the coast to hunt for beautiful, dilapidated barns to photograph.

I wish I could remember my introduction to Sarah Kay, but I can't pinpoint it. My best guess is it was from a spoken word with Phil Kaye, maybe "When Love Arrives" or "An Origin Story". I'd be willing to bet the AP Lit Facebook groups were where my love for her was planted.

A Little Daylight Left is a collection in three parts with a poem and an epigraph to set the stage. Part I features 11 poems that center around a theme of fear being learned rather than innate, sometimes borne of experience or crafted to protect oneself. Part II features 19 poems and highlights the bravery it takes to maintain a sense of softness and vulnerability with those we love, have loved, and hope to love one day. Part III contains 14 poems if I can count that highlight human resiliency that can only continue really through community and a willingness to continue trying despite it all.

There were several poems that stood out to me, but if I had to pick one from each section it would be: "Across the Room", "Orange", and "The Minister of Loneliness". There were many more that I could name, but suffice it to say, I believe this collection offers something for everyone and I cannot wait to put this on my shelf at home and in the classroom for students to explore.

NetGalley Book Review: A Little Daylight Left by Sarah Kay

Are you familiar with the poet Sarah Kay?

If you’re thinking no, then the only right answer going forward is: not anymore.

I am proud to say I have always used Sarah’s live reading of her poem, “Brother,” in my Introduction to Creative Writing course at the end of my poetry unit. It’s a spectacular piece for my students to discuss, in performance and in mechanics. Her level of sentiment has always stuck with me, so when I recognized her name as an option for a NetGalley review, I jumped on applying for an ARC.

Sarah’s second full-length poetry collection, A Little Daylight Left, arrives a full decade after her acclaimed debut, No Matter the Wreckage. Over these ten years, Sarah notes on her Instagram that her poems have evolved as she has navigated life's transitions in early adulthood. The result is a powerful, introspective book. Her work in this collection captures human vulnerability, growth, and the courageous act of facing the uncertain spaces of our lives with tenderness and humor.

In over forty poems - across three carefully curated parts - A Little Daylight Left invites us to explore the fragility and strength that exist in each of us.


Her Chosen Themes & Their Emotional Impact

Sarah beautifully tackles the most human themes: nostalgia, family, loss, love, and self-discovery. She frequently captures the bittersweet feeling of holding tightly onto fleeting moments of joy, despite - or perhaps because of - their transitory nature. Poems such as "Allow Me Just This One" resonated deeply for me because of its vulnerability.

As I continued to read, it was clear that Sarah has a gift for articulating complex feelings with simplicity and grace. It reminded me that we are never alone in our uncertainties or joys.


Her Craft & Poetic Techniques

The collection showcases a rich variety of poetic forms, including free verse, sonnets, prose poems, and even ars poetica. As a reader and writer who appreciates variety, this approach was right up my creative alley. I found myself not only reflecting on her chosen themes, but also pausing to appreciate her experimentation. Sarah often playfully bends and breaks rules to enhance the emotional impact of her poems. Her experimentation with form and white space, evident in pieces like "The Poet's Father Wakes in a Cold Sweat," makes them hit that much harder.

​I’m sure that reading digitally slightly altered my experience, as the physical format probably enhances Sarah’s thoughtful choices around white space, italics, indentations, and refrains. I’d recommend purchasing the physical copy to fully experience the sensory and emotional intentions of Sarah’s clearly meticulous formatting decisions.


The Collection’s Standout Poems & Lines

Each section had its treasures. Part 1 opens strikingly with "Ode to the Two Girls in the Outfield of the Tee Ball Game" - a true and immediate immersion in nostalgia. "I Am Seventeen & Everyone" captured my attention through the intentional offset stanza, which broke the poem open in a new way, creating a lasting visual and emotional impact.
​
In Part 2, the poem "Table Games" stood out for its rhythmic dialogue and poignant questions, while "To Whoever Broke into the Rental Car & Stole My Vibrator" unexpectedly delivered one of my favorite lines from the entire collection: "Sometimes I envy your ability to take" - the spacing true to the line itself (I told you, she experiments with white space!). For me, this closing line captures Sarah’s strength as a poet: her remarkable ability to bring us into the stories of her life while distilling complex emotions into concise, compelling statements.

​For me, Part 3 deepens in introspection and emotional revelation, beginning with "Unreliable." I was hooked by the first line, since the poem cleverly invokes the concept of unreliable narrators. As both a reader and writer, the idea of this alone made me curious and inspired. Nevertheless, I continued on. Throughout this section as a whole, Sarah continues to bravely lay bare elements of her life, relationships, and internal dialogues.
​
Part 1 to Part 3 is an emotional evolution, indeed.


Final Thoughts

Sarah’s voice feels authentic, warm, and engagingly conversational. As a reader, I felt close to her, almost like a companion. I think readers familiar with her will recognize her signature blend of tenderness, wisdom, and humor. Even as she delves into heavier topics, her voice maintains a comforting, approachable quality, making each poem feel personal and genuinely heartfelt.

Overall, A Little Daylight Left is a deeply compassionate collection, and one I recommend for anyone who finds beauty in reflecting on their own life journeys. Readers who enjoy poetry that invites contemplation, celebrates vulnerability, and finds wonder in everyday moments will find much to treasure. Those who often find themselves revisiting memories, seeking connections, or examining their evolving identity will particularly resonate with Sarah’s heartfelt explorations.

She’s just that good. Truly.

As someone who frequently looks to poetry to process and reminisce, I found myself wanting even more of Sarah Kay’s creative and emotional depth—beyond what she's already so generously provided here. It’s a poetry collection worth savoring, sharing, and revisiting. I’m excited to have my own physical copy since it publishes on April 1!

This was such a fantastic collection of poems. They were full of emotions and many of them felt relatable. Not to mention the writing itself was beautiful and readable. Sometimes poetry can be difficult for me but this was a great collection.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sarah Kay for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Little Daylight Left coming out April 1, 2025. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I received this directly from NetGalley. I’m not familiar with her work. I enjoy poetry, but I’m not obsessed with it. I’m more into the classic poetry. But I’ll read modern poetry if it’s available. I really enjoyed some of the poems more than others. I wasn’t a fan of some of the topics. I think it’s a great collection though. It was definitely a fast read.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems and couldn't put it down until I finished it in one reading session. The writing was powerful and vulnerable, with hints of nostalgia, sorrow, and anger. I found quite a few poems very relatable, and were able to capture feelings I too had, but was not able to put into words. I felt seen. Kay's ability to take topics that seem unrelated to one another, but entwine them in the end was really enjoyable to read. This was my introduction to Sarah Kay and I look forward to reading more of her poetry in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love getting lost in a book of poetry. Sarah Kay has a beautiful way of looking at the world but I’m afraid her style just isn’t for me. I have no experience with her prior work but I hear that her spoken word may be more impactful to an audience member like me who doesn’t love poetry written in long run on sentences/thoughts. I can’t connect with a lot of poems about fertility or children so those topics definitely disconnected me from the work on occasion. Overall a few great poems with a couple of phrases I enjoyed but the book overall just didn’t hit me in a memorable way.

The Dial Press eARC
This was a beautiful collection of poetry that showed such a range of human emotions as the author wrote about her life experiences. I loved the insight and rawness she brought to these poems. There are some that I will be thinking about long term. I think what made this collection work so well for me was not that I could relate to every single thing, but that she wasn't afraid to put her entire self on the page. I enjoyed the growth and reflections here. I enjoyed the wondering and just sitting in emotions. It was well done and I look forward to reading more from this poet.

Wow, I wanted to read this slowly, but it's so difficult to put down! Each poem is deeply impactful and showcases a completely different complex emotion and relatable experience. It's dark, yearnful, hopeful, nostalgic, and yet, at some parts, light and airy. Unlike many poetry books that have a consistent theme that can sometimes become too heavy to read for a long period of time, this ebbs and flows beautifully from one concept to the next.

This book will be released April 1st, 2025, and I'm sad I can't include any quotes in the review until then. There are so many worth sharing, remembering, and holding on to. I plan to reread this time and time again. This book is for anyone who enjoys beautiful words and shared experiences.

Thank you, NetGalley and Random House Publishing, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

I enjoyed the poems in A Little Daylight Left, they are well written, readable and moving. Some are light and humorous and some touch on the disturbing.
They read like poem/prose and I liked that.

I stopped reading this collection because of disturbing content. I would like for there to be content trigger warnings so I knew what to skip.

Beautiful book of poetry about love, grief and living. Moving from childhood to adulthood in poems made this a quick read but very moving!

I’m still fairly new to reading poetry, but I really enjoyed this collection. I’ve never read anything by Sarah Kay before, now I am eager to see what other works they have available.

Some of these poems didn’t fully resonate with me, which is to be expected. Others were a punch to the gut. Giving me that heavy feeing in my stomach, full of grief or sorrow. I could FEEL them.

This is definitely a collection I would recommend to poetry loving friends. I will also be rereading the poems that I really enjoyed.

This is the feeling I will chase each time I pick up a new collection. It was full of cheeky, sad, happy, and relatable poems that were so vivid in my mind. The second section is where I really fell in love with Sarah’s writing and knew she would be a new favorite. I really enjoyed and related to many of the themes present in this collection (love, loss, friendship, creativity, grief), and loved her descriptive word choice combined with the purposeful layout/rhythm. I don’t think I’ll ever stop thinking about this one.

Some favorite quotes:

“& if your old friend ever picked up the phone again
you would say wherever
you've been
was where you
needed to be
& whoever you
are now
welcome
back, beloved.”

“I could learn to be patient if
I knew
there would always be a you to love”

My favorite poems were:
- RACCOON
- WORH CELEBRATING
- BEGINNING IS A SEASON
- ON THE DAYING APP I SELECT FROM THE DROPDOWN MENU TO INDICATE I TOO LIKE BEACHES
- PRAISE MY TINY KITCHEN
- DREAMING BOY
- TABLE GAMES
- ORANGE
- SONNET FOR POP
- SHARPSHOOTERS
- ALLOW ME JUST THIS ONE
- EACH IF US HERE
- WHOEVER BROKE INTO THE RENTAL CAR AND STOLE MY VIBRATOR
- NATURE VS NURTURE
- TSUBU
- JELLO
- DEVOTED
- EPITHALAMION
- MILES FROM SNY SHORELINE

This type of poetry is not for me. The specificity read too flowery and young, like a college student attending her first English workshop and wanting to prove how smart she is.