I enjoyed this collection, there were quite a few poems that I resonated with but one too many about poetry itself which in my opinion felt a bit meta. I used to read Leav’s poetry back on Tumblr when I was a teenager, and picked up her first collection when it came out. I haven’t read much of her work since though for whatever reason, but this definitely interested me.

⭐️ 4.75 / 5 ⭐️

Lang Leav takes your hand and guides you through a modern look at love, heartbreak, and self-empowerment in her newest collection of poems and prose.

I was knee-deep in the Poetry section on Netgalley when I found this book. I have been dipping more into the genre lately just because it’s quick, and it’s easy, and it makes you feel something (hopefully). I was so surprised when I found this beautiful little treasure! The forward by Lili Reinhart was a nice touch, but the real prize here is (shocker) THE POETRY. I loved everything about this collection of poems. It was raw, honest, and so freaking empowering.

I love a good inspirational quote. And luckily, this book is full of them. Also, "Give You" when I read it for the first time gave me such a visceral image, as well. It officially made it onto the list of my Favorite Poems ever. Yeah, there’s a list 😂 I would have included it in this review, but it’s a chunker. It’s just such a beautiful book overall. Read this if you want All the Feels!

Big thank you to Netgalley + Andrew McMeel Publishing for sending me a review copy of this book!

** A copy of September Love was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

I've read almost all of Leav's collections since I first discovered Memories in an airport bookshop. With September Love, Leav continues to write poignantly about love, poetry, grief and beauty.

i'll always be a fan of Lang Leav's poetry, she is so honest and open about what she thinks and feels, it feels like and old friend telling me what's on her mind at 3 am.

I think shelter is the ultimate show of love and I want to protect you from everything that hurts”

This poetry collection makes me want to be in love, I hope to one day relate to the kind shown in some of these poems. This was my first time reading Leav’s poetry and I was very pleasantly surprised. Her poetry is filled with love, tenderness and a raw intimacy. I definitely see myself reading more of her work.

<i>"You no longer recognize yourself, but sweet girl, that means you still know who you are."</i>

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the DRC!

Lang Leav started writing "September Love" in 2019, but only finished it in 2020, during the lockdown period. We can see that in some of her poems, since she reflects on the things that we always took for granted, how the world has changed, and how lonely we've all been feeling since the beginning of the pandemic. She makes us think about who we are, who we want to be, and how other people affect us... (And still affect us... even if they're not around anymore).

I really like her books. I think she talks about love in a beautiful, very honest and pure way. She's not ashamed of showing her weaknesses and sorrows. She's not ashamed of sounding cheesy when being romantic. Whenever I read her books, I spend most of the time writing down my favorite quotes.

I think "September Love" just became my new favorite poetry book.

ps: That poem to someone's shitty boyfriend? THE BEST.

September Love by Lang Leav is a beautifully composed collection, and my introduction to the much lauded Ms Leav. I was certainly swept away by the lovely, free-flowing verse, and many of the thoughtfully constructed stanzas resonated quite deeply and profoundly. What draws me to this type of artistic expression, I think, is the laying bare of emotions that are so universal and timeless, and Ms Leav delivers such heartfelt words of understanding and positivity. This is a book that I will purchase so that I may return to it time and again.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC.

It is my first time reading Leav's poetry. I loved the imagery, and how connected the pieces felt together. The poems felt fluid and were written in quite a similar style to the contemporary poetry of today. It was nor too complex, nor too simple. I wished for a bit more complexity to make me dream.
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3/5
#fridayinaprilbookreviews
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I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

lang leav returns with yet again another masterpiece, and continues to cast magic to bewitch the mind and soul— with the use of her eloquent words.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

September love is a beautiful collection of poetry that really resonated and connected with me and I loved every page. There were a few poems especially that felt that I could have been the person they were written about they were so in tune with a time in my past.

This is the first poetry collection I have read by Lang Leav but it won't be the last!

The languge was so easy that it took me just a couple of hours to finish this book. I really liked how the entire book was written and i even wrote a couple of poems in my reading journal so that i could re-read them. I think its an amazing poetry collection that every poetry lover should read atleast once.
I loved it

September Love is Lang Leav's newest collection of poetry, centering around themes of love, loss, relationships and life. This edition, to be published by Andrews McMeel in November 2020, features a moving foreword by Lili Reinhart who uses her platform to call the reader to consider why we read poetry.

Leav's collection is striking in its precision and cadence. I found myself reading a few poems before falling asleep or waking up to center my mind on a theme. Personally, I believe some of her most evocative poems were ones in which she left a twist or surprise in her last stanza. Specifically, her poem Seasons still holds strong in my mind.

If you love the poetry of Rupi Kaur, Nayyirah Waheed, r.h. Sin, Lili Reinhart, Nikita Gill and Amanda Lovelace - you should certainly enjoy September Love.

What a great poetry book! I have heard great things from Lang Leav and they were right. Her words transport to certain places and emotions. This book gets you to feel her emotions like how to love the arts, losing love, having love in your life, and how to love life. I love how it varies from prose and standard poetry. I loved it and has become one of my favorite poetry books for the year. Her use of words and how they are used in the poem really makes it interesting to read.

I forgot quite how much Lang Leav's poetry means to me (having not read any of her work in years), and luckily I've rediscovered her poetry towards the end of a year which has not been kind - the perfect time to take in Leav's words of wisdom and introspection, in my opinion. I'd recommend every one of Leav's collections, and September Love is no exception. Do yourself a favour: run a hot bath, light a candle, and read September Love.

This is my first poetry collection by Lang Leav and I honestly enjoyed it.

Some of the poems really hit home for me and I could relate to them at a deep level. The rest, though not as impactful as others to me, were very real. I appreciate Lang Leav sharing her life like an open book to the world and accepting the healing process that goes along with writing poetry.

I see her bravery in sharing her innermost thoughts so openly and it blesses my heart that many others can find comfort in those words, especially during this pandemic season.

Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me a copy of this book through NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you Andrews McMeel and Netgalley for giving me a copy to read and review.

First off I want to talk about Lilie Reinharts introduction note and I loved everything she said in it. She spoke about all kinds of things that could not be more true. I'm really excited to read her debut collection in the future.

Ever since I've found Lang Leav I've loved her poetry and this one was no different. These poems had a lot of self exploration in it but they are still really relatable. She explores the struggles of being a woman that wants to be independent, finally hitting your 30s, self love and so much more. This new collection of poetry feels a void and makes you feel stuff that you havent felt in a long time. They had a warmth to them. They always seemed to be the perfect length. I had so many favorites in this collection and I cant wait to read it again in the future

The ARC of this book was provided by
@andrewsmcmeel via @netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve always loved @langleav. She was one of the first poets I discovered. This collection had a lot of self exploration within it, but very relatable.

Leav details the struggles of being an independent woman & not waiting for a man, the feeling of being in her 30’s, it dabbles into self love, being happy...& so much more.

This is the kind of poetry that fills a void inside of you. I will definitely be reading again.

I won’t say too much because you need to read it.

Grief

Grief is like a flower
the way it blooms
and blooms. It is
a heart-shaped wound

that never closes
A mouth, always wanting
More love is found in grief
than in love itself

Like a diamond
that can only be cut
with another diamond
grief is the only thing
that cuts through love.

This is the kind of poetry that fills a void in you and just make you feel.
I liked the warmth of the language, the length of the poems, the author's voice, the themes themselves…
I found myself strangely drawn to the poems that gave us an insight into how being a famous author, a famous poetess makes her and others that interact with her either in person or online feel about her chosen career and craft.
Most of the poems are about the self, thoughts, and feelings and my favorite image from this book is poetry being presented not only as a way to show love but love itself.
I'm only sorry this is the first book of her's I ever came across because I was sometimes melancholic that I started reading her work in the middle of her journey, mainly when she writes about past poems and criticism received for them.
My favorite poem was "God". That poem was feral. That poem made me tremble and tear up as I breathed it in. I loved it.
I devoured this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for this DRC

Meep. I am sad.

For the most part, I enjoy Lang Leav's poetry. But after reading this collection, it just left me feeling meh.

The poems felt like they were sucking life out of me, giving some back, then sucking it out again. I was left feeling drained and irritated. Like that feeling after you've just done 5 loads of laundry and the machine ruined your favourite shirt in the last load. Look, LL is SUCH a talented poet, but this collection felt very average compared to her other work.

This collection was a combination of stimulating poems and unnecessary Facebook-like drama:

Exhibit A (Facebook dramalama):

To the Guy Who Claims My Poetry Was the Cause of His Break-Up

"It is astonishing to think that my words have the power to
make someone fall out of love with you. That I have somehow
been conspiring against you, even though up until this
moment, I was blissfully unaware of our existence. Maybe
you should ask yourself why she has found her self-worth in
the words of others and not yours. Could it be, perhaps, that
I'm not some grand puppet master like you believe, that my
words are not a cold hard slap, but merely, a soft tap on the
shoulder and the truth is--you're just a shitty boyfriend"

(Tbh, this^ "poem" or whatever the heck that was, was weird. Who cares what some random DUDE claims you caused. I mean, is he some random? As an outsider, I have no context, no idea if you know him or if he's a stranger. So, he's shitty for blaming you and you're just as bad - if you don't know him - to say overall he's a shitty BF, especially if you don't know what happened in their relationship. Also, if "he" were a "she", would you have published that they're a shitty girlfriend? I felt an ulterior motive with this poem, and I just didn't care for it. )

Exhibit B (probably my fav from this collection):

A Woman

"The day you become a woman, they hand you a grenade.
And you must choose between hurling or holding. Between
want and expectations. Excise your desire, while you are
hungry for everything. Give up your life for a version of you
that isn't you at all.

Do not think twice about the imposition when they tell you,
there is nothing worse than a fallen woman. Nothing worse than a
woman who doesn't know her place. You will learn otherwise
when you trade your truth for an ideal that no amount of
good you do will ever be enough anyway.

So, make up your own rules. Don't be afraid to hurl, to fall,
to get dirt on your face. Sweetheart, let this be your one
glorious mess because in the end the only person you should
answer to is yourself.

After all, you are a woman,

And long before they punish you for what you've done, they
will punish you for what you are.

Thanks a million to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC. Quotes are subject to change upon publication.

September Love comes out in Canada on 3 November 2020.

I had a hard time relating to this one. Maybe I just haven't had my heart broken enough. Some of them were really lovely. Some of them were a sentence or a paragraph just...masquerading as poem? Not my favorite