The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
brookeisbusyreading's review against another edition
2.0
Oof, so many things to say about this book…
First, it was too long. No poetry book should be ober 200 pages in my opinion. Plus, by the time I got done reading the short essays at the end, I pretty much forgot I had been reading a poetry book.
Second, why did so many of the illustrations not go with the poems? They didn’t really add anything else to them either. There was also this random rat/mouse drawing with words in a bubble that kept showing up but why…? And there were 3 naked women illustrated yet the ‘poems’ before and after them didn’t seem to be about exposing herself spiritually, for example, or rediscovering her body, etc.
Third, nearly all of the poems rhymed, but they felt…lazy? I don’t like that word when it comes to rhyming poetry since rhyming poems can be wonderful, but this book makes me lean more toward the lazy side. I felt like the rhymes were forced in majority of the poems just for the sake of rhyming. (Readers can tell when it’s something writers force or when it comes naturally.)
Lastly, the poems were A) too simple, B) not poems at all (or even affirmations), and/or C) just opposites put together to create the illusion of poems. I don’t mind simplistic or short poetry when it’s done well - because it can hit HARD in the right ways - but this book completely missed the mark for me.
It seems like nearly every popular poetry book I read I end up disliking. Maybe I should just stick to indie authors. At least I don’t tend to get frustrated or bored halfway through.
First, it was too long. No poetry book should be ober 200 pages in my opinion. Plus, by the time I got done reading the short essays at the end, I pretty much forgot I had been reading a poetry book.
Second, why did so many of the illustrations not go with the poems? They didn’t really add anything else to them either. There was also this random rat/mouse drawing with words in a bubble that kept showing up but why…? And there were 3 naked women illustrated yet the ‘poems’ before and after them didn’t seem to be about exposing herself spiritually, for example, or rediscovering her body, etc.
Third, nearly all of the poems rhymed, but they felt…lazy? I don’t like that word when it comes to rhyming poetry since rhyming poems can be wonderful, but this book makes me lean more toward the lazy side. I felt like the rhymes were forced in majority of the poems just for the sake of rhyming. (Readers can tell when it’s something writers force or when it comes naturally.)
Lastly, the poems were A) too simple, B) not poems at all (or even affirmations), and/or C) just opposites put together to create the illusion of poems. I don’t mind simplistic or short poetry when it’s done well - because it can hit HARD in the right ways - but this book completely missed the mark for me.
It seems like nearly every popular poetry book I read I end up disliking. Maybe I should just stick to indie authors. At least I don’t tend to get frustrated or bored halfway through.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Eating disorder
Minor: Rape
Just don’t read itmybestfriendisabook's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
Some of the poems are awfully cringey and unoriginal like phrases randomly broken down into stanzas to call it a poem. Maybe I’m biased because it’s Gabbie Hanna. It reeked the cringey dramatic energy that she’s known for. The stories at the end were a surprise and they have heavy themes so check TW. The combo of these two made it kinda messy. Appreciate the vulnerability though. Â
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, and Physical abuse
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