Thank you for the opportunity to review this book of poems. Poetry usually isn’t my cup of tea but I thought I’d take a chance and step outside of my comfort zone. And I’m so glad I did!! It was filled with a lot of humor and some heartfelt ones too. A perfect mix!

Awh this was such a delightful book of poems to find in the depths of post partum. Although, any woman can find pieces of joy in the words on these pages. One I will return to often.

The description "a book of poems for people who didn't know they liked poetry' describes this book perfectly! I had such a fun time reading it and can't wait for more from the author.

Included in a roundup on my newsletter, Crooked Reads:

The genius behind Mary Oliver's Drunk Substack (@MaryOliversDrunkCousin) delivers a witty and moving collection about big feelings and being a millennial woman, meant for people who don’t know yet that they even like poetry. Rush is so smart and her writing is snappy—I cackled my way through more than one poem about the patriarchy / being child-free / eating Doritos. But A Bit Much is also full of heart, and separated into different sections based on mood, which is a really beautiful concept.

https://crookedreads.substack.com/p/poetry-audiobooks

10/10 - I love this book and will be reading it again and again, buying for my SIL and suggesting to every woman in my life!

I do not typically gravitate towards poetry but have enjoyed Lyndsay Rush’s content on Instagram, so I couldn’t resist this when it was Read Now on NetGalley. I cannot speak to the technical merit of her poems, but I can attest to her ability to articulate emotion in a way that often resonated with me. Whether it was eliciting a laugh or tapping into something softer, I bookmarked several poems that I could see myself returning to in the future.

Overall, it’s a lovely collection of poems for many different moods. I thought grouping the poems that way was very clever! It makes it easy for readers to dip in and out of the book as needed, though I ended up reading it straight through from beginning to end. The one downside to that, for me, was that it highlighted the repetitive nature of some of these poems/topics. Or perhaps the collection just felt too long? I’m glad I read it but realized that I prefer to consume the poems as occasional posts on Instagram. Regardless, fans of Rush’s work will likely be pleased to find more of what they’ve come to love from her here.

I am truly honored to get to read this book of poems. I'm admittedly not literary enough to be somebody who reads poems quite often. This book, however, captivated me. As a die hard millennial, I felt seen and heard by so many of these poems. It feels like the Rush truly reached into my brain and pulled out some of the best parts of me and put them on a page. It was special to read something that you relate too so much. I laughed, I cried more than once, and I certainly recommend this collection. I recommend that you commune this book a little bit at a time, because there are some truly profound nuggets in there that the reader should ruminate on. Simply put, I loved it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced readers copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.

A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush (aka maryoliversdrunkcousin) is my new all time favorite book of poetry. It was company yesterday during the waiting and anticipating. And company today through the tears and pain. And company many days in the future when I return to the many poems I’ve marked that I will need again. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to the publisher for the free ebook to review. I also bought my own physical copy.

As a 30-something woman who has constantly been told she is "a bit much" throughout the many stages of life--I deeply appreciated this collection of poems.


Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy to review.

I'm not much of a poetry person, but I've been following Lyndsay's Instagram and podcast for years so I decided to try this out and I'm so glad I did! What a moving collection of thoughts, her work is so beautiful. I love the almost conversational style, like hearing from a particularly eloquent friend. I love it, thank you Lyndsay and net galley

“A Bit Much: Poems” by Lyndsay Rush is everything I’d hoped for and more! As a longtime follower of hers on social media, I was eagerly anticipating this collection, and it absolutely delivered. Rush’s unique voice—honest, witty, and deeply relatable—shines in every poem. She tackles life’s messy, beautiful moments with both humor and vulnerability. This book made me laugh, reflect, and even tear up at times. It’s a must-read for anyone who loves poetry that feels personal and refreshingly real. Highly recommend!

I love the playfulness and creativity with which Rush writes. Her poetry is inventive and offers smart critiques of misogyny. She uplifts female experiences with accessible poetry that could convert non-poetry readers to enjoying the art form.

Thank you to the author Lyndsay Rush, publishers St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of A BIT MUCH. All views are mine.

If you’re looking for my eggs, though, / they’re usually all in one basket (I prefer / full-ass to half, thank you) "An Idiom-Proof Life" p92

I’m here to grab life by the clown nose and squeeze "Peace, Not Quiet" p99

It’s as though she’s / feeling her way through a / thinking world... "She's So Sensitive" p113

If cauliflower can be pasta you can be whatever you want. "Reassurance to Save for a Rainy Day" p

Three (or more) things I loved:

1. I love this poet! She Writes about growing up in the same era I grew up in. The 90s were so hard on girls, especially ones from small towns in the Midwest. This setting haunts much of her poems, but check out "What a Catch," "I'm Giving Up for Lent," and "Boo!"

2. I like to hear the perspectives of people who grew up in the Evangelical church, and left. I think these we perspectives are really important right now. From "Boo!": The spookiest haunted house / I’ve ever been to / is an evangelical church:... /...Wouldn’t you also be scared / if you were taught that / you are powerless / to save yourself? p61

3. A gorgeous statement about it never being too late, and how we feel about ourselves as we age. do have to own your becoming / You do have to have the courage to begin again / and again / and again / You do have to accept that defying the odds is not just for triathletes and Nobel Peace Prize winners / it’s for people like you / and people like me / people like World War II veteran Patricia Davies who began hormone therapy at the age of 90, so that she could spend every second she had left making herself proud. p83

4. I love the way she executes founds poem form! She even does her own, finding poems within her poems, like with "It’s Called Maximalism, Babe: The Remix" p94

5. Wonderful metapoetry! FYI if you ever see me make a typo / it’s just because I’m a method actress / trying to understand what it feels / like to be average and relatable "And The Oscar Goes To" p96

6. I adore this appreciative, positive tone that shines through in all Rush's poetry. Like these lines from "Strong Female Lead" on page 116: I'm too busy / romanticizing / this one, juicy little life I / have on this tiny, / spinning rock / to worry about the optics....

Three (or less) things I didn't love:

This section isn't only for criticisms. It's merely for items that I felt something for other than "love" or some interpretation thereof.

1. Poetry collections tend to be on the shorter side, 100 pages or less. That's because readers of poetry often only read a few at a time. 304 pages of poetry is...a bit much!

2. Poems take many forms in this book, and I love the variety. But I don't enjoy the form when the poet strings together a pile of idioms that may or may not group around a theme. They're hard to follow, since there are no narratives.

Rating: 🎉✨️🎊💖 /5 sparkley outlooks
Recommend? Yes!
Finished: Oct 15 '24
Format: Digital arc, Kindle, NetGalley
Read this book if you like:
❤️‍🩹 self help / self-help poetry
🪶 contemporary poetry
👭🏽 women's fiction and memoir
🌞 positivity and optimism
💝 radical self-love

My Favorite Poems:

1. What a Catch p27
2. These Are the Days p40
3. I'm Giving Up for Lent p51
4. Wet n Wild Geese p56
5. Boo! p61
6. Heck Yes, I Have an MFA: Major Freakin' Attitude p75
7. Bragadocious with the Mostess p97
8. Drinking Iced Coffee in January p100
9. Strong Female Lead p116
10. Reassurance to Save for a Rainy Day p128

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It was so wonderful!

Love love loved this! I don't usually read poetry, but this drew me in and kept me reading. I teared up and smiled at so many poems. It's enjoyable and engaging to read and I loved each page!

Thank you NetGalley and Lyndsay Rush!

A Bit Much is a refreshing take on life. A triumph in every way. It got me into poetry, which isn’t a genre I read much of. I would highly recommend to absolutely anyone.

I laughed, I cried, I felt deeply seen. I’ve been a fan of Lyndsay’s for a while and was not let down by this book.

This was definitely "a bit much" in the best way possible. I loved every bit of this collection of poetry. Her words resonated with me and I finished reading this feeling very seen. I have a new poet to add to my list of favorites.

thank you netgalley for the e-arc. i loved this just as much as i thought i would when it was first announced. poetry is usually boring or too flowery or not enough over all. lyndsay rush is perfection. she writes as if she's writing for me and my friends and the women in my life. i think i need this on kindle to save passages to re-read.

I really enjoyed the poetry found in this book. It's not something I typically read; however, I felt inspired and moved by the words on the page. I felt like I could be present with what that author was feeling.