Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - I Would Leave Me If I Could: A Collection of Poetry

Halsey's first poetry book is written in free-verse touching on a variety of topics and a style similar to her music rather than more classic/lyrical poetry. I liked some of these poems more than others, but most of thems I personally felt like they could have used more work before publication or were starting ideas rather than whole poems (one was even a portion of a song of hers).

It travels from her childhood through adulthood touching between romanti relationships, family dynamics, traumatic experiences, drug abuse from friends and partners, and the impacts of fame to sum up some of the overarching subjects. Please check the triggers before deciding to read this book if you struggle with any heavy topics.

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cassiecraycray's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.0

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pand_books's review against another edition

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dark sad tense medium-paced

2.0

mini review:
- while Halsey does bring up important topics that are personal to her, - feminism, abortion, abusive relationships, etc. - the execution of these topics is not the best.
- the ideas for these poems are great...
- ... but they could do with stronger imagery, more self-reflection, fewer fluff/cutting of lines, more thoughtful line breaks, and more unique use of diction.
- these poems, unfortunately, read like first drafts. I know that's a harsh critique (and my apologies to the poet) but I see the potential there. With some more editing, I could see these poems being stronger and getting their point across in a more impactful way.
- the poet tells us directly in lines and even in the title what the poem is "about" as if we may not get the message. instead of showing us what the poem is "about," letting the reader piece it together with the elements used throughout the poem, the poet jumps the gun and tells the reader outright - perhaps there isn't enough imagery or poetic devices for the reader to see the message.
- lots of use of cliche metaphors and similies.
- cannot get over the lines: "But my head down / on a mattress / famous actress / and she skrrrt'n me" (American Woman, 64).

While I gave this two stars, which I rarely do, there are a few select poems worth reading from this collection. The two stars are because so much was lacking from the collection as a whole.

Poems worth reading from this collection:
- The Professional
- Lullabye
- The Painter
- Fun Girl
- The Cave

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