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A review by inkdrinkers
you are your own fairy tale by Amanda Lovelace
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
I've been a fan of Amanda Lovelace for years, their poetry has always found me at the right time when I've read it. So when I heard there would be a collection release for the You Are Your Own Fairy Tale trilogy (which I already own all three books from their first printing) I was excited to see what the collection would bring to the table!
I think it's fair for me to say that Lovelace is a poet I really enjoy. They continue to have lines and poems that resonate even during rereads, and because the original trilogy is one of my favorites, I can safely say that the poems in this collection are good. But... I'm a little disappointed. I feel like my expectations for a bound copy of all three collections were let down a hair. The hardcover is stunning, as is the binding and cover detail featuring the original illustrations. The interior page designs and illustrations are pulled from the original collections and make this book feel like a collection of fairy-tales, but there's nothing new.
I feel like to call this a collector's piece is wrong. I expected the end papers to at least have some illustrations (they're brown, a nice brown, but still just brown) and the detail of the ribbon in the interior is nice, but there's nothing new to draw old fans back into this collection. I also, genuinely, expected for more content to be included in this. I'm not sure why some of the Target exclusive poems weren't included (if they were, I completely missed them, though I did cross-reference my other editions). It feels like a beautiful book to gift a potential new fan of Lovelace's, not a collector's edition for old fans who might want a shelf piece.
Though pretty, I can't give this five stars. I really expected just a bit more from this, especially after the release date was delayed multiple times. And though I do love the poems and the content inside, I think at the end of the day this can just qualify as a reprint with no incentive for old fans to pick up. (Unless you want them all bound in one edition, which is a nice touch!) I'm sure this will live on my shelf for a while because it's gorgeous, but I'll be picking up my first editions so I can reread some of my favorites that aren't included in this set.
Disclaimer, I received a free physical copy of this book via Andrews McMeel's influencer program.
Content Warning: many of Lovelace's poems include content such as; child abuse, toxic friendships/past relationships, sexual harassment, sexual assault, eating disorders, fatphobia, suicide, trauma, mental illness, self-harm, sexism, queerphobia/homophobia/biphobia, death, & grief. These triggers were all pulled directly from the warning pages in book!
I think it's fair for me to say that Lovelace is a poet I really enjoy. They continue to have lines and poems that resonate even during rereads, and because the original trilogy is one of my favorites, I can safely say that the poems in this collection are good. But... I'm a little disappointed. I feel like my expectations for a bound copy of all three collections were let down a hair. The hardcover is stunning, as is the binding and cover detail featuring the original illustrations. The interior page designs and illustrations are pulled from the original collections and make this book feel like a collection of fairy-tales, but there's nothing new.
I feel like to call this a collector's piece is wrong. I expected the end papers to at least have some illustrations (they're brown, a nice brown, but still just brown) and the detail of the ribbon in the interior is nice, but there's nothing new to draw old fans back into this collection. I also, genuinely, expected for more content to be included in this. I'm not sure why some of the Target exclusive poems weren't included (if they were, I completely missed them, though I did cross-reference my other editions). It feels like a beautiful book to gift a potential new fan of Lovelace's, not a collector's edition for old fans who might want a shelf piece.
Though pretty, I can't give this five stars. I really expected just a bit more from this, especially after the release date was delayed multiple times. And though I do love the poems and the content inside, I think at the end of the day this can just qualify as a reprint with no incentive for old fans to pick up. (Unless you want them all bound in one edition, which is a nice touch!) I'm sure this will live on my shelf for a while because it's gorgeous, but I'll be picking up my first editions so I can reread some of my favorites that aren't included in this set.
Disclaimer, I received a free physical copy of this book via Andrews McMeel's influencer program.
Content Warning: many of Lovelace's poems include content such as; child abuse, toxic friendships/past relationships, sexual harassment, sexual assault, eating disorders, fatphobia, suicide, trauma, mental illness, self-harm, sexism, queerphobia/homophobia/biphobia, death, & grief. These triggers were all pulled directly from the warning pages in book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, and Sexual harassment