This book was made available by the author on NetGalley for an honest review.

Years ago I read Amanda Lovelace's debut poetry collection. I liked some of the concepts, but it didn't truly resonate with me. Still, it's been a long time and nine other poetry books since then, so I decided to give it another go and see if we can find common ground. Unfortunately, the answer is no.

Poetry is hard to review because it's even more subjective than prose. I also recognize that this book of poems was personal and probably cathartic for the author to write, and that comes across pretty obviously. The overall message/theme is that of self-love, confidence, and not caring what others think of you. And also killing your enemies with kindness. And also being happy in your fat body (those were actually some of my favorite poems).

But I didn't vibe with it. I'm definitely not a purist who says that "true" poetry must rhyme or have a fixed structure, but I do expect some kind of rhythm or musicality. Often these poems felt to me like simple, a bit clichéd sentences with line breaks. I couldn't truly feel either the poetry or the originality, and after this book I think it's better for both of us if I accept that Amanda Lovelace doesn't write poetry I personally resonate with.

I liked the illustrations at the beginning and end of the book, though.