This was a great poetry book. I always absolutely enjoy her work and I can't wait to read more in the near future. I highly recommend it.

You Are Here was my first book by Dawn Lanuza and well it was good. This collection deals with love and vulnerability. It talks about accepting who you are and getting used to the whole idea of adulting.

Majority of the poems are written are well and are heartfelt. But i wasn't able to relate every one of them. There are people who would enjoy this collection more than I did. Nevertheless it was a good collection to about self-reflection.

I couldn't really get into this when I was trying to read it. The poems just didn't appeal to me personally.

3.75 Stars (I received an e-arc from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review)

I really enjoyed the collection, this was my first time reading this author's work. Coming of age, beautiful yet simple writing style and kept my attention. Also the cover is perfect, one of my favourites, poetry collection cover can be hit or miss but I would love to have this on my bookshelf.

You Are Here is a well structured, artfully woven, heartfelt poetry collection that is melancholic and relatable. The majority of the poems presented in this collection are about relationships, vulnerability, love, and self-reflection.

The prose and poems in this collection were beautiful, and I found myself relating to several of them. I felt as if some of them were written specifically for me, as I easily related to them.

There are a lot of notable poems in this collection, and I feel that many readers will be able to find words and passages in this book that will mean something to them, and that they will take to heart, just as I have.

This book is like the expanded version of This is How It Starts since some of the poems there appeared in this book. I loved reading this!

I loved this book. this collection had cute and short and sweet poems. I love Lanuza's work and this was no disappointment

This was a great read. It was very inspiring and I am thankful for the advanced copy via NetGalley. I recommend this book. I look forward to more reads like this.

I dnfed this, I tried reading it but I couldn't get into You Are Here by Dawn Lanuza. I think if I would have kept reading I would have been put into a reading slump.

This is a gorgeous collection of poetry and your idea of self. I love how this poetry is almost like a love letter or invitation to yourself and to learn who you are and your worth in the place that you are now. I highly recommend this collection to everyone!

** An ARC is generously provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

1.5 Stars

Disclaimer: The biggest reason for me not liking this book, was personal preference. This is the second book I've read from this author and I unfortunately haven't liked either of them.

The book is advertised as a book that will leave you feeling empowered, something it did not deliver on for me. In the back of the book, the author says it's about giving oneself a second chance for a second love. I definitely feel like this book focuses on relationships. If the book had been marketed as a relationship type book, which I feel is more appropriate, I would not have picked it up.

The first issue I had was that it felt very unorganised. There would be a poem that made me sad, then one that made me happy, then another sad one. It felt very "all over the place", and it made it hard to get that emotional immersion into the book. I think it would have been better to have it separated by parts.

The poems in general felt like something I had read before. It didn't bring anything new to the table.

I didn't care for the writing. It felt like the focus was on how everyone else is thinking and changing them, not so much about changing your own ways. I got the impression that some of the poems had the "love fixes everything" view. In one of the poems, the author writes: "Oh, how my life lacked color until you came with cans of paint and splashed it all over". I don't have anything against that sentence itself, but when the book is supposed to make you feel empowered, this just doesn't do that. She also writes in another poem "I require able hands". I might be misinterpreting, but I feel like it indicates needing other people, which again, doesn't have that empowerment feel to it.

I will end my review on a happy note and mentioned the things I did like about this book. I really enjoyed the poems Stop Over and The Art of Eating Alone. I interpreted Stop Over as if it was about depression and that was something I could relate to. The Art of Eating Alone focused on learning to enjoy your own company by starting with little things.

I do think that if you have liked this authors other work, you might enjoy this as well. If you have been through a break up and is starting to allow yourself to fall in love again, you might enjoy this book.

I was pleasantly surprised by this collection of poems. This book did a great job of talking about difficult topics like heartbreak. I think this book would be perfect for someone who is going through a rough time, it gives a good perspective to look towards the future. Reminding the reader that they can make their future and their life whatever they want it to be. Their lives belong to themselves, not to anyone else.

I would like to thank the publisher for giving me a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed reading this!

You’ll find a poem collection featuring a variety of feelings and subjects including love, joy, loss, uncertainty, relationships, fear, hope and much more. The focus is on the words. It is well written, but I would say many, or at least some, of the poems might be for older individuals. Why? There are some difficult subject matters brought forth such as mental health items. These poems were obviously from the heart, thought provoking and to some may be helpful to read. Yet, I wanted to mention content elements so readers are not surprised. I would say this is a message book helping inspire as well as healing for some. Perhaps, whatever the reader is feeling they may benefit in some way from what they read as I feel that’s some sort of the goal of this book — relating and helping others.

Dawn Lanuza does it again! I really enjoyed reading this beautiful collection of perfectly written anecdotes! Though I do prefer her previous work, the poem titled “the museum of unfinished things” made me pause. And I read that page again. And again. And again.

Thank you Dawn Lanuza, and thank you Netgalley for this eARC.

I thought the poems were beautifully written. I could relate to a lot of the poems. I really enjoyed this poetry book.

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Poetry is something so often overlooked in my library. I try to promote other than just National Poetry Month and this title makes it easy. It's wonderfully written and so poignant in the feelings it evokes. We have all been there in one way or another and I will enjoy sharing this title with my patrons.

I really liked this collection and found that I could resonate with a lot of them. It's well written and heartfelt.

“Isn’t it sad, to be sad, and not able to say it”

You Are Here addresses themes like depression, chronic pain, healing, second love and second chances. A lot of these themes resonated with me and a lot of what the author was trying to say is important, but the execution took away from the message behind the poems. The writing style isn’t strong enough, is too simple and it doesn’t allow the poems to feel as powerful and touching as they could have been.

“No one knows how to love me when I’m sad

And I can’t blame them for that

I don’t even know how to love me

When the voices come at night

I hate and hate and hate

Even when I fight”

Nonetheless, I feel like this collection could help a lot of people dealing with depression (or mental illness in general) to feel seen and understood. There’s this poem that talks about Lanuza’s struggles to decide when it’s the appropriate time to tell a new romantic partner that she has depression, and I think that poem in particular will resonate with a lot of people, even if the writing isn’t the best. That’s one of the many poems that talk about mental health in this collection, which to me, represent the best of Lanuza’s work.

Overall, I would say that even if this is not the best written poetry collection, it deals with some important subjects in a relatable way and I would still recommend it.

Rating: 3,4 stars