First off, I would like to thank Netgalley, the publishers, and amanda lovelace for gifting me a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

unlock your storybook heart is the third and final book in her feminist poetry series "you are your own fairy tale." This collection of poems is about being so lost in the idea of being perfect that you miss out on life and forget to find your true self.

This is only my second book I've read by this author. I don't typically read poetry, but I really enjoy that about this book. Poetry is a very personal style of writing, and unlock your storybook heart almost reads like a self-help manual by throwing in the author's thoughts and experiences. I didn't personally agree with all the insights/lessons that were being talked about, but I was able to connect with some of it. The art work is absolutely beautiful, simplistic, and fits with what is happening throughout the book. Overall, I thought the book was okay. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either.

❗Check the trigger warnings

A beautiful, moving and inspiring collection of poems that truly connected with me in a way few other writers can. I've said it before but it really does feel like Lovelace is writing just for me. I'm so grateful to have discovered a poet who i've found such a connection to.

Amanda Lovelace was probably one of the first poets I really liked. While I haven't read the other books in this particular collection, The Princess Saves Herself in This One (and the other two books in the Women Are Some Kind of Magic series) had a huge part of getting me interested in the genre.
unlock your storybook heart is slightly different from what I remember of Lovelace's earlier writing, and it took me a bit to get into the more prose-ish sections, but I did enjoy it.
As always, there are so many poems that are relatable, that almost feel like they're written about me, and I absolutely love the discussion of f/f relationships and the heteronormative society we live in.
Seriously, with amazing comparisons like: in this version of the age-old tale, the beast is not a boy, it is heteronormativity, how could I not love this?

I've been a fan of Amanda's since her very first publication. Seeing the things I have struggled with myself expressed in beautiful poetry gave me a comfort I didn't know I was searching for.

I loved the first two books in this trilogy. But, this one just didn't do it for me. Maybe I didn't really connect to this one as much as the others. I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. It wasn't the worst poetry I've ever read, but it also wasn't the best. It didn't make me feel nothing, but I also wasn't overcome with emotion.

All that being said, it's a 3 star read. I would recommend it to friends I know would be able to relate to the storylines of loss and relationships. This wasn't THE poetry book for me, but I know that someone out there will find strength and hope in the words Amanda shares in this one.

I absolutely love this authors poetry. I think its rather emotional. It really evokes emotions that you probably normally don't use a whole lot. Will definitely be picking up more books from this author.

“Disenchanted is she by the idea of living her life the way she thought it had to be”-unlock your storybook heart

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing to granting me an advanced copy of Lovelace’s book. I have read each collection of poetry of theirs, and I love each and every one. This collection focuses on unlocking your own heart with self love before you give your love to someone else. The main message that you can be your own knight in shining armor shows how empowering lovelace’s words can be.

Amanda Lovelace delivers another superb collection of poetry, appealing to a variety of tastes. A number of entries reach into the reader's soul and lead to a moment of reflection.

I've read a few Amanda Lovelace poetry collections previously but this one might be the one that impacted me the most since I was able to connect to a lot of the poems on a personal level.
Unlock Your Storybook Heart is half a Beauty and the Beast retelling, half personal experiences with a very sapphic vibe. It is also illustrated throughout and I loved seeing the body diversity in the art. This is the perfect book for Lovelace fans, poetry lovers or people that are simply looking for an accessible introduction to poetry or even a quick read that will leave them feeling happier and less alone than when they started it.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for this DRC.

The first poems of Amanda Lovelace I read where quite alright, but somehow they didn't spoke to me as much as I hoped they would. Maybe it was not the right time for me to read them, or they just weren't for me. But that didn't keep me from reading more.
Now I came across 'unlock your storybook heart' and only the title insinuated that this might be the one for me. And from the moment I started, I couldn't put it down. I read some of these poems multiple times, others just once, but I'm sure of one thing. Amanda Lovelace really knew how to affect me with her words.
All the links to anything that has to do with stories and books are so carefully and precisely written down. Everything makes sense and some things even feel wonderous. Others came at me hard and made me feel all kinds of things. Lovelace doesn't back down to discuss some heavy or difficult topics but somehow creates a beautiful story or image with it at the same time.
It makes you understand others, yourself and the world better somehow and it feels wonderful. I can't wait to read more by this author!

I love Amanda Lovelace’s poetry and this book is no exception. It is the perfect conclusion to the trilogy and has many hopeful pieces in addition to some heartbreaking ones in her classic style. I always enjoy her books and look forward to the next one. I received a free copy of this ebook from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

This one is the third and final installment of Lovelace’s “you are your own fairy tale” series, and I wish I’d known before I started. I haven’t read the other two. No worries, though, you won’t miss anything if you haven’t. I enjoyed it immensely, and now I want to go back and read the first two.

A huge fan of Lovelace’s “women are some kind of magic,” I saw this book was available and pounced immediately. This book examines our fascination with the storybook life, with being so involved in getting it perfect that we miss actually living our own stories. They aren’t perfect. They are messy, and they aren’t always the heteronormative dream portrayed by all the companies who run the world trying to sell us “the dream.”

Sure, there can be some great things, romantic or otherwise, but we save ourselves. We carve our own lives and we can tell our own stories, messy bits and all. The thing I enjoyed most about this collection was how relatable it is. I nodded along through most of the entries and many times I felt as if Lovelace read my diary, or perhaps was telling my own story, because we have more in common than not, and it’s nice to be reminded of that sometimes.

This one’s out in March, and if you’re a Lovelace fan, you’re going to love it. If you’ve never read previous works, then you have a month to get caught up!

I'd like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book. Opinions stated below are entirely my own.

This is more of a 3.5 for me, but rounded up.

I usually love Amanda's poetry collections, and I think I have read almost all of them. They're healing in a way, like a deep snuggle with a thick blanket. But, I do feel that many of the books are delivering the same message with some differences between volumes. This one did have the story of a princess and her knight (also female), outlining a tale of loving support and self-love, interspersed with thoughts about grief.

I do feel that this volume is coming from the voice of someone who is more confident and who is able to reflect on the pain that they have felt in the past. It seems a fitting ending to this collection, and as a whole, I enjoyed reading it.

The illustrations are gorgeous and really compliment the book.

"her books say if you avoid all the stormy chapters, how will you ever find meaning in the rainbow-filled ones?" -From unlock your storybook heart

5 stars

This is the third and final installment in this poetry series (though you don't need to read the others to understand this one), and for me it hit the strongest. I felt more connected to these poems. Lovelace examines grief, impowering yourself, new beginnings, and love with her direct feminist fueled prose. Double page illustrations along with simpler sketches pair well with the written words and elevate it to a new level.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

I've very much enjoyed Amanda Lovelace's previous work, but this one was a little disappointing in comparison. It read more like a self-help book than a poetry collection. That's not to say that the writing isn't lovely. It simply felt repetitive and a bit cliché.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I'm disheartened to say the final book in Amanda Lovelaces "You Are Your Own Fairy Tale" series was. . .disappointingly banal. I say disheartened because, years ago when I first read the "Things That H(a)unt" duology I thought to myself that this was an very unique and inspiring author. Lovelace excels when she gets into the nitty gritty of emotions and trauma, but her more recent works come off as shallow comparatively. I could pick up any of her last five books without looking, open a page, and not be able to figure out which book it is from because it all sounds the same.

I have a hard time even categorizing this as poetry. It's more. . .tidbit/self-help/instagram prose? There are many poets who shine with short form poetry (see: Rupi Kaur, Nayyirah Waheed, and Trista Mateer) but Lovelace doesn't give the same gut pulling emotion as them. Only two poems out of a 130 page collection were enjoyable, and I can't even really list them because they were both titled "her books say" as were many others.

Being fully honest, this is truly the first collection of poems of hers I fully disliked. If I had to recommend any of her work I'd tell people to read the "Things That H(a)unt" duology or the "Women Are Some Kind of Magic" series.

I really, really loved this book. It was both extremely relatable and whimsical, relevant and poetic. I loved the loose retelling aspects just as much as I love the author's words and the way they expressed such difficult themes in a comforting and beautiful way. I will definitely purchase a physical copy of this book the second it comes out in stores.

"Unlock your storybook heart" is the third & final book in Amanda Lovelace's feminist poetry series, “You are your own fairy tale." This is such a magnificent way of ending the series. Lovelace never disappoints, she pours so much love and truth into her poems. This book is so reassuring -- she tells us that things will eventually get better and that you should give yourself a break. It's as if she knows me and is speakly directly at me. As always, rating: 5/5 stars.

I gave this a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed the illustrations in this. I usually always enjoy the authors works. I have read most of what they have published. I love seeing what they release. It makes me feel so many things. The poets poems inspires me to write more.

This is a story about love and how we can turn it inside & out.

I will read anything Amanda Lovelace ever writes. This one was particularly beautiful, and the reflections on grief and loss were particularly impactful after a couple years of being a human during these strange times. As always I’m going to buy this once it’s released and read it over, and over,

Thank you so much NetGalley & Andrews McMeel Publishing for the eARC.

A beautiful book of poetry. This book validated and walked me through how to get though it. Highly recommend. Especially loved the reflection to true life to humanize my feelings and relate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.