ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a little backlogged with my ARC’s but working diligently to get caught up. I really enjoyed this short book of poetry! It felt extremely relevant and relatable to the majority of people in today’s time. The poems are clever and witty, very well constructed and thought out. I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys poetry they can really see themselves in!

Love this poems! So many good ones - give this to all the women in your life! A true collectible item.

I adore Lyndsay's poetry. I've been following her instagram for years. My sister and I even have matching tattoos that say "a bit much". Every poem in this collection was beautiful. Equal parts funny and poignant, I just can't recommend it enough.

The modern chicken soup for the soul, but make it tinned fish for the millennial woman’s soul.

Fun quick read. Bought a copy to have as a gift to a girlfriend when needed.

A BIT MUCH by Lyndsay Rush is that chortling exuberance that comes when you are fully alive to an experience and write down the ricochet between your DoorDash order and a time before your parents divorce in lyrical prose. I'd never read poetry that feels more like a late night revelation from a dear friend over the kitchen table when you are chatting about nothing and therefore covering everything that matters. Her work is light, breezy, glorious feints and sudden drops into revelation, memorable and vivid and as visceral as any works I've ever read. My only problem was stopping once I started reading the poems, wanting to hear that voice, appreciate the wisdom that comes from being a person who is too much, has always been too much, and shares what comes with being so hyperaware and articulate about her experience. I recommend this book to everyone, especially those who think they don't like poetry. I received a copy of this book and these are my own, unbiased thoughts.

A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush seems like it would be most appealing to millennials. If anyone enjoys her social media posts as @maryoliversdrunkcousin, I think they would really like this book. Not every poem was a hit for me, but there were enough to make it worth reading.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the gifted copies.

There’s so much to love about this debut poetry collection:
- it’s sectioned off by highly specific moods
- the physical book is all single-sided which makes for such an enjoyable reading experience
- an overarching theme of self-worth, self-love, being unapologetically you, and celebrating the small joys

So much of the time, we strive to have the next best thing and to be a better version of ourselves without assigning value to the space we currently take up, or taking the time to appreciate the now.
Rush's collection provides those gentle reminders that are equally relatable and have you feeling seen.

"Starting something new
is like a one-man show
for a one-man audience:
the only applause worth seeking
is your own
Don’t rob yourself of that
while you wait for approval
from somewhere else
Sometimes winning yourself over
is the greatest show on earth"

I just recently started reading poetry, within the last year or so, and this book is amazing. Great moments that were enjoyable, and frequently relatable on a deep level. I look forward to reading this book many more times in the future.

3.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I had never heard of this author so it was a pleasant experience to read her poetry which felt like a stream of consciousness hangout with your best girlfriend talking about all things in life - love and partners, feelings and emotions, disappointments and truths and how one sees the world. The author uses a slash for separation of sentences and phrases in many of the poems which over the course felt like they were just unfinished ideas. Yet, the feel of the entire book is one of joy and laying bare the truths of a moment of time in a life.

I really enjoyed a lot of the poems in the beginning & at the end. Most were very relatable but eloquently put. Like she took the things I’ve thought about but wrote them in such a beautiful & inspiring way. Some of the poems in the middle got too political for me & I ended up skipping quite a few. For that reason I won’t be posting a review of this one on my public profiles.

Loved the book! Was very relatable. I felt the words come out of her heart. I think the collection was well written.

The book reads like Shel Silverstein for adults. Philosophical truths of the modern world wrapped up in sarcastic lyrical stanzas. It brings tears to the eyes, from laughing or from facing the truth depending on which page you turn to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A Bit Much was a fun, poetry book about love, friendship, how 2020 changed our lives (which was relatable!) life and living it.
There were so many quotes I liked/highlighted.
It’s okay to be “a bit much”

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Today I learned that pecans fall from trees when they’re ripe and the best way to crack them open is to take two and squeeze them together in your hand—the pressure of the closeness exposing the good stuff Is that a nice metaphor for relationships?”

“If cauliflower can be pasta you can be whatever you want.“

One of my favorite poem was “Caretaking Notes”
Even at 39, we still need to be taken care of as if we’re a kid, because that inner child is still there regardless and I loved that message!

As a follower of Lindsay Rush (@maryoliversdrunkcousin) on instagram for years I was so excited to hear her book was being released! I’ve read many of the poems in this collection previously but there are many that were new to me. Using humor and absurd headlines to make deep connections between the lives we all live, these are poems to feel renewed joy for life and the small moments within. I laughed, I cried, and I highlighted and re-read lines and pages. I plan to purchase a physical copy of this collection so I can read it again!

If you're a human, put A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush on your TBR!

This book of poetry is broken down into four different parts, separated into current or desired mood, allowing you to either boost your feel-good vibes or settle in and really feel those feels (but like in an "I got your back kinda way")!

I felt seen! I felt understood! I felt represented!

I was shocked that I wasn't the only one ever feeling these things!

My favourite poems?
-Share Plates (how I want to live my best life!)
-Like A Duck Eating Lunch (bottoms up!)
-Reassurances To Save For A Rainy Day (OMG I may print this poem out to funnel into my brain daily!)

Bonus points for the remixes!!!

(Clearly, I was vibing most with Part IV When Someone Telling You To Relax Actually Works!)

The audiobook? Rush read her own poetry, and it was pure magic!

This book made me smile, laugh, and nod my head along with it. What can I say? Read it!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, St. Martin's Griffin and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

In terms of enjoyment, I could rate this lower, but I think this can be a good intro to people trying to get into poetry. The writing here is accessible and flows nicely, although it's also incredibly millennial. That's not a crime though, just not my particular taste. I think if you enjoy millennial humor and phrases, you might actually really enjoy this! It's a good place to get started.

Wowowow. Genuinely, I immediately bought a copy for myself. I want to annotate so bad. So many different things spoke to me. Everything from amusing, to realistic views on myself, to how I view the world. It was incredible to see such a "hot take" that mirrored myself so closely. I have never really understood poetry, but now I truly believe I just wasn't reading what resonated with me. 10/10 would recommend to my friends and family.

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy!

While mostly full of idiom puns as titles (e.g. “Let Go and Let Goddess”) and the kind of contemporary witticisms you’d find printed on an apron or mug in a novelty store (e.g. “be a platter of sizzling fajitas”), there are some shining moments of genuine humor (e.g. “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 existential depth that do well to represent the author’s dynamic writing style.

In a world where we see the quirky, modern reclamation of tired phrases plastered on Pinterest and IG FYPs every day, it feels less unique to read this type of writing in book form - however, Rush does a decent job of making the journey interesting and unpredictable.

As a fan of Rush's Instagram account, I was really excited about this collection and it did not disappoint! Sweet, hilarious, thoughtful poems that will be appreciated by many, especially those that thought they weren't poetry fans.

Poetry for the millennial era covering topics ranging from 2000s purity culture to our modern culture wars, and all the feelings of grief, arrested development, and insecurity (with some joy!) in between, the callbacks are nostalgic and plentiful and the feelings heart achingly familiar, though unlikely as a whole to withstand the test of time. Regardless, this was a delight to read and relate to.

Pub Date: 9/17/24
Review Published: 9/15/24
eARC received from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.