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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I liked the breakup poems near the middle of the book best. Some were relatable and others I didn’t care for too much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Dysphoria
celebrationofbooks's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
4.25
Most celebrities are approached by publishers, not the other way around. While most poets work for years to hone a small volume of roughly 100 pages of high quality poems, Gabbie’s two books clock in at over 550 pages together. 550 pages of roughly one poem every other page (because of illustrations), there’s no way they would all be super high quality given the rate at which Adultolescence must have been written. Gabbie even admits this herself, that she was writing to fill pages at one point, and it showed.
However, in Dandelion, she took her time and it shows. Three years of honing her writing between Adultolescence and Dandelion is obvious – the quality is much higher and the content is far more personal and less pedantic. As a reviewer, too, my own knowledge of poetry and appreciation for it has changed. We hired a young man at the book store who is our resident poetry expert who has been teaching me to appreciate and not loathe poetry.
Gabbie’s new poems are thoughtful and confessional. They are deeply personal and resonate on a whole new level with readers than the surface commiseration of millennial life from Adultolescence. Gabbie also finishes the book with a series of essays going into greater depth with her family, childhood, and romantic life. The essays were, for me, what ultimately made the book cross from decent poetry to must-read book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse
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