I wanted to love this, I really did. I've been a fan of Haley Lu Richardson's acting work since Five Feet Apart. But unfortunately I didn't.

I found the writing very amateur throughout the vast majority of the book and it didn't feel like that much thought or effort was put into it. Like a lot of it felt like it was just stating the obvious. I wanted to feel like I got to learn something about Haley and get to know her a bit and I felt none of that. It felt incredibly surface level.

A couple poems I did enjoy however were 'grandma reincarnate' and 'if it's hysterical, it's historical'. Those felt a little more put together and like they actually had some meaning. Like with the former I liked the comparisons to her grandmother and the things that link them together.

edit: I've been informed that the copy of the book that I received had major formatting issues, impacting the quality of the book. I've since reread the book and my review isn't changing because what I commented on has nothing to do with the formatting and all to do with the text itself. I will add that I thought the photos in the book do a good job at adding some context.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC to review.

you know what i wanted this to be better but it really isn’t the worst poetry book i’ve ever read by an actor

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for the gifted ebook to read and review.

Unfortunately, I’m Sad and Horny by Haley Lu Richardson was not my favorite poetry book. I think the concept had a lot of potential but the writing style is under developed and at times incoherent. I did like that it navigated topics that are relatable for women in their twenties.

This was such a creative and fun read. As a longtime fan of Haley Lu Richardson, I was definitely excited to get to check this out before it came out. I was not disappointed! I found it quirky, but relatable (for the most part LOL). The title gives you an idea of who you may want to read this - obviously would not recommend to read it in a work book club. I definitely had my favorites, but really enjoyed every chapter.

I recommend this to any woman in the age range 21-30s (definitely more of a young woman, single girl feel). I loved the incorporation of the photographs, would definitely recommend picking this up in a print copy or reading on a Kindle/phone that can show colors.

a lot of the poems in this book felt fairly mediocre, but i do have to give it credit for some good turns of phrase. 3 stars. tysm for the arc.

I"m not sure what I was expecting. The title had me intrigued, and after reading the first poem, I couldn't connect.

In general, I don't love to rate poetry books because I do really think that, while all writing is personal, poetry is especially personal. BUT this did not feel like poetry. It felt like random, jumbled words put together with no thought about artistry or what poetry is meant to be. Maybe this just wasn't for me.

A heartfelt, often very cute, if somewhat surface-level collection of poetry and art by a young actress and artist coming into their own.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster, and Haley Lu Richardson for sending me this advanced review copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Unfortunately this writing style wasn't for me. It's chaotic and mostly feels like randomly throwing a handful of words at the page to see what sticks. It felt like it was written by a young teen. It's constantly bouncing from thing to thing like a ping pong ball thrown by child on a sugar high.

“I’m Sad and Horny” by Haley Lu Richardson just wasn’t for me.
I went in curious—expecting something raw, maybe vulnerable—but what I got felt more like a teenager’s diary than a finished collection.

The writing felt shallow and repetitive, and the emotional weight never really landed. I can appreciate the intention—to capture those messy, in-between feelings—but the execution was weak and lacked the depth I was hoping for.

It might resonate with a younger audience, but I left feeling underwhelmed.

Thank you NetGalley for letting me read an early access version of this book.

I was a bit disappointed reading through this book. A lot of the poems felt seemed to come straight out of a journal of a tween/teen girl. It didn't feel at all like it was about a woman in her 20's going through life. It didn't feel very relatable because of that. I went into thinking that it would be a bit more mature.

There were maybe 2 lines in the book that really stood out to me, but outside of that the whole book seemed to blend together. Especially with the repeating poems with small changes between them. It's not a book that I would recommend.

I was SO excited to read this poetry collection, but unfortunately it was quite the disappointment. Although the author definitely captures some totally relatable feelings, and some of the poems are good, most of them just aren't great? I will have to agree with a previous reviewer when I say I felt like I was reading a 14 yr old's diary here. The messages and themes were good, but the writing left a lot to be desired. The rhymes and euphemisms were overly cheesy. I feel very similarly about the art interlaced through the story as well. All to say, I think there are some good bones here, but it was executed poorly.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book. My first attraction to this book was the title and then of course the cover. When I read the description and found out it was a book of poetry. I hesitated. I write poetry, but I generally do not read books of poetry. But something in me said yes, so I requested it. What a delight. I think I’ve read each poem at least three times now I didn’t know who the author was so I looked her up and was delighted to see she was an actress from White Lotus, one of my favorite characters. Such an amazing array of emotions and storytelling in her poetry, which makes this a great find for people of any age.

The title grabbed me instantly, and I ended up reading this in one sitting. Haley Lu captures the chaos, humor, and ache of your twenties in a way that feels like texting a friend at 2 a.m. Her poems are raw, hilarious, and deeply relatable—she literally says the things I think but don’t say out loud. The added visuals and handwritten elements kept the pages turning. I’ve read a lot of poetry, and this collection felt refreshingly real.

Don't know what I was expecting from an actress's poetry book but my standards were a little bit higher than this. The types of poems you would find in any 14-16 year old girl's notebook (and many of them read more like diary jottings than poems), and will probably best be appreciated by preteens and teens. I'm not sure if Haley Lu wrote most of this at that age, it would make sense, but the last poem was the same as the others and was about turning 30, so who knows. I did like the line "I wanna be a different type of pig" and there's one good poem called "by the way."

These poems are good. This book is for people who are in their twenties or have lived in their twenties. It represents Haley Lu’s life and other things. Showing there are so many personal values. By means that it can be from a person’s perspective, relationships, and other things.