My first poetry collection by Lan Leav and I'm not disappointed.

Will publish the full review on 29th January 2019.

In order to give a better and fairer judgment, I decided to go on a readathon of Lang Leav's previous works during the past few days before I started to read this one. I read Love & Misadventure, Lullabies, Memories and The Universe of Us. I haven't got a chance to read Sad Girls and Sea of Strangers, but I'll catch up on these two later. Her four previous works didn't wow me, that's for sure. But since I started reading from her very first book, I got to witness her writing improvement. I'm not a poet, but it doesn't mean that I can't notice a good poem. Her old works don't spark any emotion to me. Maybe one or two notable pieces. And that's all. But Love Looks Pretty on You is certainly her best one yet.

In her previous books, Lang Leav put such a strong definition of love as relying upon someone else. Which... not completely wrong, but definitely not true either. It honestly made me mad sometimes. But on her new book, the definition of love is far more meaningful rather than just an obsession of being with someone. It got pieces of self-love, friendship, mother and daughter relationship, and self-appreciation. Still, I'm not saying this entire book moves me. But there are a lot of notable pieces that deserve recognition.

Very self empowering. A collection about love loss and relationships. A lot of girls need to remember that all they need is themselves.

Lang Leav's newest collection of modern poetry and prose is based on the theme of love. It was well written, though fell short compared to her previous collections.

This was lovely.
Some of the collection reads like short quotations, some prose, some more traditional rhyming poems.
This is my first contemporary single author poetry collection and I really enjoyed it. The style is simple, I didn't have the impression there were a ton of layers and double meanings I was missing out on but it was beautiful and impactful nonetheless.
I think some of those who aren't enjoying Lang Leav are much more experienced poetry readers and maybe when you're used to a lot of complexity, this type of collection feels lacking? I don't know but I enjoyed it.

This was my first poetry collection by Lang Leav. I’ve heard good things about her previous works, I just never had a chance to read them myself so I am grateful for this opportunity.

I found this collection interesting because hers words felt both light & fluffy as well as raw & emotional.

I felt the theme of love and heartbreak to be very relatable, and they parts you cannot relate to, Lang paints the picture with her words creating the reader to empathize.

I enjoyed this collection and will be looking into her past collections.

This was my first Lang Leav book! And I really enjoyed it. Most of the words and poems hit me like a punch to the gut and I loved the quick, powerful stanzas and one line pages.

I'm not as well-versed in poetry to know if I'm correct in this feeling but some of the poems felt a bit hollow to me. Not all of them, but some of them. Maybe because I was reading so quickly (the nature of the book almost wants you to hurry though it) but I wish there were more imagery in some of the poetry or the word choice was better. The flow of a few poems felt off--maybe they're better spoken out loud? I don't know. But overall, I really admire the message and talent that Lang Leav possesses. I can see why she's popular and why her books have resonated with so many. There are definitely lines that I want to write down and remember because they so perfectly echoed my feelings and thoughts on some many creative and relationship issues.

I definitely have to check out her other works--I'm sure I will be left just as breathless as I was with this collection. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this.

STRONG.

That's exactly how I would describe the tone of the book from the start until the finish and even the description as to why the latest book from Lang Leav was named as it is is strong. I found myself feeling more empowered with each poem, some I like better than others, but it's still a vast improvement from the other books, in my opinion. This book is rich in storytelling through minimal usage of words, and it speaks of more than just platonic love, romantic love and all the pain in between.

I believe the wait for this book was definitely worth it and it's probably my favorite Lang Leav book to date! I would definitely recommend this to people, especially to the women who are still learning and growing. This is a reminder that there's no other who deserves more love than your own self, and also a reminder that the love we give should be done so carefully.

Lang's latest accomplishment portrayed the fear and audacity of love and all its volume so eloquently and vastly and this was a very good read.

This is a beautifully written book. The poems are instantly relatable and easy for the reader to connect too. Leav does a wonderful job of taking big topics that she breaks down into simple poems.

Another great contemporary poetry collection. So glad I discovered Lang Leav's works. This one was not as emotionally powerful as Sea of Strangers but some of the poems got really deep in my heart. What I love the most about her poetry is that I feel understood. I feel like I am not the only one that has suffered or has had certain situation happening in her life. Is comforting is some many levels to read through her poems and see some of myself there and not feel alone.

Really looking forward to read more of her works.

Of course I've seen Lang Leav's work here and there on social media over the years, but I have never sat down to read a full collection. Now I know why.

The poems in this collection have a calming and gentle aural quality, but lack depth, imagery and — in many cases — substance. As I read this collection, I found myself wondering what the common thread was, besides the ubiquitous "love."

I would not recommend this collection to an avid poetry reader. That said, I could see myself recommending this title to my teenage sisters or my mom as a beach read. Neither of them are very interested in poetry, but I could see this collection being a nice, easy gateway into the genre for them.

Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav

4.75 stars

“She felt a surge of joy that warmed her so unexpectedly, so completely—it was as though it had been waiting for her all this time. Waiting among the flowers.”

Lang Leav is a famous name that is synonymous with modern poetry. Her works have taken the publishing industry by storm and influenced a lot of poets in the process. This is my first time picking up one of her works and this is the most cohesive of the poetry collections I’ve come across. I want to say that I loved this collection. There are poems that I adore, liked, and then there are poems that I hated. So, it is a mixed bag, but my love for the poems outweighed my distaste for a handful of them. I can’t remember a time when I’ve come across a collection that has so severely touched me. Leav tackles feminism, abuse, consent, love, what is to be a woman, and the main theme of this is a love letter to women. A celebration of a woman’s psyche and her desire to be loved and the hurt that sometimes come from being loved. It’s a beautiful collection. I will preface this by saying it is poetry and prose. There are a lot of pages with just a sentence or two and that was a little off-putting to me at first, but as the collection went on, I became so immersed that I cared more about the words themselves than the blank space on the page.

“My mother, my safe passage
into this world, fought a war
to show me wars can be won.”

Let’s tackle the poems I had issues with. There are some poems in here that are aggressive to the point of me feeling uncertain if the poet means ill will toward someone or if they are making a statement. I like statement poetry, I can get behind that. I can’t, however, get behind the niggling against a human being for the actions and decisions that they make. Whether those decisions or actions are right is besides the point, they deserve grace and implying that if they so much as think about you will bring your wrath upon them is dramatic and unnecessary. This collection focuses heavily on consent, but there is one poem that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable and slightly under the impression that consent is being thrown into the wind. I don’t believe this is Leav’s intention, but to a young impressionable teen who may not be able to read into the subtext it could potentially encourage a decision that is questionable. I will leave the poem in a spoiler tag in case you are curious about the content:
“He only wants you
when he can’t have you.
So why don’t you give him
what he wants.
The one poem I can’t stand though is Obsession. It made me think of Hypodermic Sally from Hotel when she sews herself to that boy and girl because she was so in love with them and then they died on her. Ew. I just can’t get behind the weird obsessive tattoo your name on my face and bind myself to you forever. NOPE. I also wasn’t a fan of Unforgiven, but I don’t want to keep focusing on the things I didn’t like because look at all that I loved.

Poems/Prose I Recommend:
Making History
More or Less
Vultures
Pandora’s Box*
Letter to the Past*
Idols*
Before*
Refugees
Slut Shaming*
First Steps*
Flowers*
One day a moment will come to you.
Saltwater
Woman’s Anthem
Abusive Relationships*
True Love
The Gift of Everything
Rebirth
This Was the Year*
From My Heart
What He’s Lost
Reflection
A Meeting of Selves*
The Present*
Youth
These Years
Elements
House of Straw*
Write for Yourself
Love and Loss
Springtime
A Long Time Ago



I adored this collection. There are some fantastic poems in here. They truly hit me in an unexpected and beautiful way. Poetry is hit or miss with me and it’s usually more miss with me because I prefer spoken word poetry. Here is a poem that I loved:
“When my best friend told me
she was in love
my first thought was,
I hope he is good to her.

And it suddenly occurred to me,
what I held in my heart for her
was hope, when it should
have been expectation.”
Please check out this collection. I’m serious. It’s worth reading. Despite the few poems that I found to be unsatisfying and the good overweighs the bad by far. This collection is eloquent, gripping, and emotional profound. Its an intimate look at women through the lens of a poet celebrating womanhood.

“Chased away the cobwebs that I had let linger for far too long. Told the moon I was sorry, but this is now my time in the sun."

Whimsical Writing Scale: 4.5

Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: I am obsessed with this cover and the colors. The two colors are just so striking and I love everything about it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 stars for another Lang Leav collection! I'm not sure why but Leav's poetry and me just don't click. I've read her previous works and none of them was able to compel me to love her words. And I'm saying it's just me because I know everybody else loves her books.

I was granted an e-ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

She did it again! Lang Leav continues to write her heart out in her 6th poetry book, Love Looks Pretty On You. It's a collection that celebrates women -- how powerful they are and how the world should see them.

It tells a narrative that women should be celebrated. That they are powerful and vulnerable at the same time -- that they are a force to be reckoned with. She also tackled societal problems that women are facing today, which unfortunately became norms at this point of time. That's why this book is so important.

I always have a major affinity with the power of words, and this book holds a lot of it.

I couldn't recommend this book enough, and I hope you pick this up once it's released on January 29th.

This review was also posted on Goodreads, and another post will be added to my blog soon.

"I struggle with things that are as easy to others as breathing."

I have never read any book from Lang Leav. Most people love and rave about her that's why I finally tried reading her works and I must say I'm disappointed.

Some of the collection on this book was just like random thoughts put together and I don't call it poetry. I did like some entry but it lacked an emotional impact.

this book will make you cry. a lot. don’t say i didn’t warn you.

as soon as i saw this available on netgalley i of course immediately downloaded it and then devoured it in one sitting. i am a huge fan of lang leav, & have been for years. i have read all of her work & each and every one of her books holds a special place in my heart so it is definitely difficult to say which one of them is my favorite, but love looks pretty on you is definitely in my top three. it may even have made it to the number one spot on my list, just because of how of much it means to me and how much it has helped me through an extremely difficult period in my life. this book came to me at a very important time in my life; at a time when i needed it the most. it’s as if this book was written specifically for me. its almost as if lang leav knew my innermost thoughts and feelings while penning these poems and took everything i was thinking and put them onto the pages of this book. This has been an extremely difficult year for me, and i can’t express how much this book helped me. reading this truly was a cathartic experience, and i can’t thank lang enough for helping me on my journey to healing. I would highly recommend this poetry collection to anyone who is currently dealing with with heartbreak or any kind of loss and is having trouble finding their way back and is in need of some guidance. lang leav is incredibly gifted at saying just the right thing, and you may just find the hope that you have been in need of in her words like i did.

thank you lang, for yet another heartbreakingly beautiful poetry book.

This is my first Lang Leav's and perhaps it wont be the last. I adore the poetry in here even though as usual, not all poems I can relate to. Her writing style is soooo awesome, and I enjoy every second of I'm reading this book :)

This book is a gift so I'm glad I waited until I was in the right mood to receive it. I found a kindred spirit in the words and was left with a feeling of hope and validation. The title, Love Looks Pretty on You, captures the essence of the book. It was distinctly feminine without any of the negative connotations I associate with modern feminists. My two favorite quotes are "Don't stay where you are needed. Go where you are loved." and "The less you speak, the more weight your words will carry when you do." The one poem I related to most is titled "Something Else". In it, the poet talks about the impossibility of feeling only one emotion at a time. Anyone who knows me would agree that this applies to me as well. I simply loved it!

I was provided this ARC review copy by the wonderful website that is NetGalley. I recently found Lang Leav’s poetry at the recommendation of a friend and I’m so glad I did.
When I read poetry collections, I like to read a few poems each time I sit down with it. I can’t just read the whole thing in one sitting. I just feel like I don’t get the full effect of the words being shared.
With that being said, I read this in three sittings. I just enjoyed the poems so much that I had to force myself to put it down each time I was reading.
They were uniquely written, with ample use of prose. I just felt some of them right in my soul. Some were relatable while others spoke to me on a level I didn’t know I needed.
I definitely recommend this collection to anyone that is a lover of poetry. This collection is full of growth and love and just all of the emotions, done wonderfully.

The latest book of poetry by Lang Leav is every bit as wonderful as her previous books. I am a fan of Leav’s for her ability to make poetry accessible. She once again explores past love with this collection of poems, but she also delves into self-love through poems written to herself. I was able to relate to many of her passages. I have recommended her poetry books in the past, and I wholeheartedly recommend Love Looks Pretty on You.