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randi_jo's review against another edition
challenging
sad
medium-paced
5.0
I loved these poems so much. Confessional poetry will always be my favorite and Halsey's poems are dark, longing, personal, hurtful, hurting - I found them to be very powerful. I would recommend these poems to anyone who is in the right headspace to reflect upon their own difficult times.
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape
its_hay's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
If there's an audiobook of this, then I'm sorry I missed it. Sometimes it helps bring more to the words on the page, as I mentioned for Lana del Rey's poetry book.
I do have to mention that Halsey's poetry is NOT bad; she's close to good but needs a guiding hand. She paints intense imagery that can be beautiful and also terrifying. The strongest poem is "The Lighthouse" (which is entirely different from the song of the same name).
The issue is that she falls into treating poetry like a song with the very apparent rhyming and the rhythm/flow of it would be more impactful if heard aloud versus read. I've even found bits of lyrics from later albums in here. While rhyming in poetry is not a bad thing, her approach seems like these were songs she left unfinished/untouched. It felt like she handed those bits off to a publishing house and they didn't bother to guide her with editing.
This is far better than some of the other more mainstream poetry I've read just on the power of imagery alone. However, it also is an example of how just because you can write for one medium pretty well that it doesn't necessarily mean that skill will transfer to another at the same caliber.
I do have to mention that Halsey's poetry is NOT bad; she's close to good but needs a guiding hand. She paints intense imagery that can be beautiful and also terrifying. The strongest poem is "The Lighthouse" (which is entirely different from the song of the same name).
The issue is that she falls into treating poetry like a song with the very apparent rhyming and the rhythm/flow of it would be more impactful if heard aloud versus read. I've even found bits of lyrics from later albums in here. While rhyming in poetry is not a bad thing, her approach seems like these were songs she left unfinished/untouched. It felt like she handed those bits off to a publishing house and they didn't bother to guide her with editing.
This is far better than some of the other more mainstream poetry I've read just on the power of imagery alone. However, it also is an example of how just because you can write for one medium pretty well that it doesn't necessarily mean that skill will transfer to another at the same caliber.
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, and Abortion
kitkatlovebot's review against another edition
3.0
i may not be the most avid poetry reader but i have read my fair share and let me just say Y'ALL HATE ON THIS BOOK TOO MUCH. surely, it's not up there with the legends. of course not but it's very unique in it's own way and dare i say not BASIC. yes, it's not. i enjoyed the book very much. did i enjoy so much that i would give it a whopping five stars? no didn't. but did i enjoy it enough for me to give it a decent rating? yes. yes, i did.
first i would i like to start off by saying how much i adore the cover. i am an absolute sucker for poppy, colorful, eye catching covers and the fact that miss halsey painted it themself. *chef's kiss*. i will pick this any day, any time, any place over generic line drawings. we STAN a talented queen!
now, moving on to the actual book, I think the poems were actually quite nice. surely it isn't the best collection and could definitely have been better but it wasn't as bad as everybody painted it out to be. The book had a lot of wasted potential but it was quite decent. Halsey is an excellent songwriter, who's known for their excellent songwriting and immaculate metaphors and the same could be observed in the book as well. infact their metaphors are not cliche at all, they are very different and unique in their own way; very strange but sort of in an appealing manner.
So some of my faves poems include-:
1) EIGHT
2) TONGUE TWISTER
3) DRAMA QUEEN
4) HAVING
5) A STORY LIKE MINE
6) I WISH THAT I WERE MANIC ALL THE TIME
first i would i like to start off by saying how much i adore the cover. i am an absolute sucker for poppy, colorful, eye catching covers and the fact that miss halsey painted it themself. *chef's kiss*. i will pick this any day, any time, any place over generic line drawings. we STAN a talented queen!
now, moving on to the actual book, I think the poems were actually quite nice. surely it isn't the best collection and could definitely have been better but it wasn't as bad as everybody painted it out to be. The book had a lot of wasted potential but it was quite decent. Halsey is an excellent songwriter, who's known for their excellent songwriting and immaculate metaphors and the same could be observed in the book as well. infact their metaphors are not cliche at all, they are very different and unique in their own way; very strange but sort of in an appealing manner.
So some of my faves poems include-:
1) EIGHT
2) TONGUE TWISTER
3) DRAMA QUEEN
4) HAVING
5) A STORY LIKE MINE
6) I WISH THAT I WERE MANIC ALL THE TIME
stillwaterrotter's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
2.5
ohbabyitsalli's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
symrn's review against another edition
5.0
I hope you’ll stay.
But I would leave me too, if I could.
I have been a fan of her since Room 93 came out. I have always loved the way she weaves words together that send goosebumps down your whole body and make your world stop at the same time.
The poems were extremely personal to her. If you're someone who has followed her since her debut, you'd know the references she's making. They're heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, ugly crying, almost devastating, and it makes me so sad to say this, but also relatable to most women.
A Story Like Mine has to be my absolute favourite from her. She recited it at the 2018 Women's March. I have played that video excessive number of times. Her voice, her words, they just know where to hit me.
The year is 2018
and I’ve realized
that nobody is safe
as long as she is alive
and every friend that I know
has a story like mine.
Once you're done reading the book, I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook too. It's a heavenly experience.
To find the world not worthy of your words, and to find yourself unworthy of the world.
On days when I can't put my feelings into words, her songs somehow make it easy for me to comprehend my own emotional intricacies and now I have her book to hold and devour and make notes (no, literally, i made actual notes) and try and make sense of my mind and hers, but mostly mine.
I wish that I were manic all the time.
But I would leave me too, if I could.
I have been a fan of her since Room 93 came out. I have always loved the way she weaves words together that send goosebumps down your whole body and make your world stop at the same time.
The poems were extremely personal to her. If you're someone who has followed her since her debut, you'd know the references she's making. They're heartbreaking, gut-wrenching, ugly crying, almost devastating, and it makes me so sad to say this, but also relatable to most women.
A Story Like Mine has to be my absolute favourite from her. She recited it at the 2018 Women's March. I have played that video excessive number of times. Her voice, her words, they just know where to hit me.
The year is 2018
and I’ve realized
that nobody is safe
as long as she is alive
and every friend that I know
has a story like mine.
Once you're done reading the book, I would highly recommend listening to the audiobook too. It's a heavenly experience.
To find the world not worthy of your words, and to find yourself unworthy of the world.
On days when I can't put my feelings into words, her songs somehow make it easy for me to comprehend my own emotional intricacies and now I have her book to hold and devour and make notes (no, literally, i made actual notes) and try and make sense of my mind and hers, but mostly mine.
I wish that I were manic all the time.
feyredarling13's review against another edition
4.0
I adore Halsey, I’m really glad she gave us such an intimate look into her brain.
shaleereads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
krythstal's review against another edition
3.0
"I don’t hope that you’d die;
just live to 75
And you spend every waking moment
Wishing you felt alive."
damn. tiene un par de poemas interesantes pero llega un punto en el que se sienten repetitivos. no sé. se sienten como canciones que nunca sacó pero también como una autobiografía.
just live to 75
And you spend every waking moment
Wishing you felt alive."
damn. tiene un par de poemas interesantes pero llega un punto en el que se sienten repetitivos. no sé. se sienten como canciones que nunca sacó pero también como una autobiografía.