This collection of poems might be one of my favorites so I’ve read.
They read so easy, and I absolutely loved how they moved from childhood into adulthood. I feel like those transitions make it easy for anyone to relate to some of these poems.
The cover is gorgeous and I will totally read more by Sarah Kay in the future.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC!

Beautiful and heartbreaking and hopeful, as always. I'll never forget watching Sarah and Phil performing "When Love Arrives" during a high school english class (~10 years ago) and I will never skip a Sarah Kay poem because of it.

A lovely, thought-provoking, and accessible collection of poetry. I enjoyed Table Games and To Whoever Broke Into The Rental Car, and The Minister of Loneliness.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

I really enjoyed this book. When reading it, it felt more like an essay or short story versus poetry to me. Although this is my first time, reading a book by this author, so that’s probably just their method.

I loved that each poem seemed to capsulate a moment in time perfectly. I felt like I was sitting next to them living out this moment with each new poem. it was such a raw and beautiful read.

There are poems about grief, relationships, faith, and religion, family, the individual experience, etc. If you are looking to feel moved, I really think this is one to pick up.

I always hate when a poetry collection doesn't work for me. Poetry seems very personal, so I feel like people who write it pour more of themselves into it. This just wasn't for me.

Maybe I just don't have whatever knowledge it takes to appreciate poetry beyond feeling. Cause when I don't connect to it or can't relate to it, I can't sit with it.

Overall, these poems seem well-written to me, I just wasn't getting anything out of them, but I don't doubt there's people who will, and I hope this book finds its audience.

These were powerful and interesting poems. They read quickly and I wanted to know more. The poems start when she is a child and then move through her life. I felt such emotion and experiences as I read each one. It was almost like reading a fast moving book but with very powerful imagery. I have not read a lot of poetry in my life but these will stick with me. I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to Random House Publishing/The Dial Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

“What is a girl if not a pulsing thing learning what the world will take from her?”

Omg Sarah Kay is a wizard of words. I was so transfixed by her swiftly evolving storytelling through her poems. We see her discover the meaning of animals and emotions at a very young age and even notice her uptick in awareness as she ages and overcomes battles and trials that arise.

I could have gotten completely lost in her writing. Bravo

“A Little Daylight Left” embodies beautifully immersive poetry. This is my first experience with Kay’s writing. I was immediately drawn into her reminiscent, hopeful poems. They were an encouragement and source of light to come to after a long day.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Sarah Kay delivers in her newest poetry collection A Little Daylight Left. As always, her poetry is accessible, finding avenues of love and loss to connect with her audience. Perhaps more poignant is the connection as a writer of poetry, you will feel drawn to the sections about the pull of writing a poem and creating in times of happiness, sadness and uncertainty. I wish we could bottle the genius of this kind of poetry- it is a breath of fresh air during a time when so much uncertainty exists.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this advanced copy!

I feel alive and aware after reading Kay's poetry collection. Each page had a poem that left me wondering about the decisions I make or don't make. I felt less fearful about the world around me and was full of hope for my place in it. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

What a stunning collection!

I flew thru this in 1 sitting. Most of the poetry I relate to is lalmlst exclusively relational in hindsight. Thank you, Sarah, for writing poetry that has that same sense of urgency but addresses the phase of life I'm currently in.

I highly recommend this one. It lives up to its cover, which says a lot bc look how gorgeous that is.

{Thank you bunches to Sarah Kay, RH Publishing Group, The Dial Press and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}

4.5 stars rounded up

I've liked Sarah Kay's poetry since I read No Matter the Wreckage several years ago. I liked this collection even more because it was emotional and resonant. This is a short collection, but very impactful. It reckons with the memories of traumatic world events, confronting the realities of life and coexisting with the natural world.

Many of the poems played with space which I found effective, but the constant use of the ampersand was a little bit distracting.

The poems that I enjoyed the most were Raccoon, Orange, and Each of Us Here. Any fan of poetry and any fan of Sarah Kay will not be disappointed here. A Little Daylight Left is scheduled to be published in April of 2025.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with an early review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This frickin collection....is in such perfect conversation with No Matter the Wreckage. As a born and raised city-kid, the collection spoke to me in a way I didn't really even know poetry could do. I've always been such a fan of Sarah Kay's, but this was a monumental read for me.

5/5 ⭐️

Thank you NetGalley, Random House, and Sarah Kay for an ARC of A Little Daylight Left in exchange for my honest review.

What in absolutely incredible collection of poems. I’m actually so upset that this doesn’t come out until April because I really want a physical copy of this book! It’s so good! Very honest and vulnerable without feeling like a singular existence. Describing the common human experience. Very relatable feelings are being described, so even if you haven’t experienced the exact experience it’s very likely you or someone you know someone has experienced those emotions. I really enjoyed the language used and the tone. Very funny at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC!

Sarah Kay’s wonderful "A Little Daylight Left" covers a lot of ground for such a tiny book—it’s a group of poems culled from the decade following the poet’s previous collection, and the intervening years offer a rich selection of themes, precise language, and memorable imagery.

It’s unfortunate that these pre-release reviews aren’t supposed to include quotes because Kay’s writing is defined by the kind of off-the-cuff depth that punctuates a great conversation with friends. You know the ones—where you’re all rambling about nothing in particular until someone absentmindedly stumbles into a bit of wisdom that will stick with you forever.

"A Little Daylight Left" is filled to the brim with that kind of emotionally focused insight.

There’s a humility at play here, both personally and poetically. Kay opens with “A Bird Made of Birds,” a piece that celebrates her own limitations and argues that poems can’t compare to real life. These poems are designed to be approachable, and they speak to the poet’s background in spoken word—if a poem doesn’t bring people together, then what’s the point?

As much as I love the book, it certainly has a few of the quirks one might associate with spoken word poetry, and readers will likely have mixed feelings. For example, a recurrent device is to open lines with ampersands, and while that "yes, and" energy lends momentum and a welcome cadence to performed poetry, it does the opposite in print here—disrupting and deflating Kay’s rich language and imagery. Similarly, the spoken word influence also means that most of the poems have a very similar build to a mic drop-style turn, which distracts a little bit from the strength of the language itself. Finally, while the time between collections guarantees that each individual poem is carefully crafted and memorable, it makes the book as a whole feel a little unfocused. Think of it more like a playlist than an album.

Despite these minor critiques, "A Little Daylight Left 'is so winsome in its earnestness that they feel almost irrelevant. In “Worth Celebrating,” we read about the way snow has broken otherwise fatal falls, with the speaker noting that nature’s destructive power can also be generative. “Table Games” is another remarkable piece—a pun-laden recollection of a breakup at Whole Foods. It’s sweet-spirited and achingly specific, and like every other poem in the book, it will either invite readers in with its simplicity or frustrate them with its bluntness.

"A Little Daylight Left" might resonate most with Sarah Kay's spoken word audience, but I think most people will find something to appreciate here, so I recommend checking it out, even if you don't consider yourself "a poetry person."

While the poems and art included in A Little Daylight Left by Sarah Kay were well constructed and well thought out, it struggled to keep my attention.

i’ve waited years for new sarah kay poetry, and this book blew me away. its tender and joyful and heartbreaking and so, so beautifully written. it captures the same playful spirit as NO MATTER THE WRECKAGE but feels more mature. her first book inspired me to write, and A LITTLE DAYLIGHT LEFT inspired me to keep writing. can’t recommend this enough.

A Little Daylight Left is Kay's second poetry collection and it hits the same beautiful, lyrical notes as her first. These poems touch on topics of love and loneliness, growing up and growing old. They are sometimes serious and sad, discussing our mortality and what it means to be a person, and other times happy and hopeful, reflecting on childhood joy, friendship, and love. You definitely don't need to read any of Kay's other work to enjoy this collection, but it always a pleasure to see her performances so readers should definitely check those out. There's a flow to her writing that is really beautiful, especially when read aloud. This poetry collection would be great for people who enjoy lyrical writing, poetry that feels conversational or confessional, or really anyone looking into getting into poetry.

Sarah Kay never fails to impress, and A Little Daylight Left continues in that vein. A tender, sweet, and oft emotional collection that takes you on a journey through what feels like Kay's life.

A vulnerable poetry collection that looks at the bittersweet realities around facing ourselves when our future is here.

Sarah Kay and I are the same age, and I first found her spoken poetry when she released "If I should have a Daughter" 13 years ago. I bought and cherished her book, "No Matter the Wreckage", which was very much about self-discovery and the future. I felt so personally connected to that book and like the poems were mirroring my experiences with the world. A Little Daylight Left has me feeling the same way.

A Little Daylight feels like a life-update or a response to the call in that previous book. Like Sarah-now is speaking to Sarah-then and updating her on what has happened. Reflecting on her feelings from over a decade ago, and measuring herself against that version of herself that she had imagined.

Sarah brings the same cleverness in her writing that makes it hard to pull just one line out. Each poem is speaking to itself and building off itself. She weaves words together so tightly that you don't notice the full beauty of the poem until you get to the end and step back. I often would finish a poem, just to go back and read it again.

I highlighted so much in this book. I even just highlighted the title of the poem, "My great grandchildren finally get skeptical", because it was easier than highlighting the whole poem.

A few of my favourite quotes
- Nice poem you got there. Would be a shame if death was inevitable & you couldn't fit your arms around it.
- I am not an optimist but I play one in the group chat
- Where is my prize for most unreliable narrator? I would never lie to you, but I lie to me all the time.
- I am just three anxieties in a trench coat - always the old timey detective, never the femme fatale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for providing this ARC.

This book is best read after going through your high school yearbook and trying to find where you left yourself.