Thank you for the ARC. I did love the surface level of poetry of this book and I can tell the author is capable of so much more with a little bit of life experience.. I wanted every poem to be more indepth; I wanted the story. I still want the story, I hope she keeps writing.

Sometimes I pick books for their covers. I'm shallow; it's a character flaw.*

"Between These Bones is a collection of short poetry focused on relationships and trauma. I wasn't sure quite what form of poetry to expect when I picked it up, but to me it's best described as Instagram poetry—I'm not sure if Sharp is on IG, but the poems here are short and pithy, with a few longer poems worked throughout. Let's talk about form, and let's talk about content.

Form: The poems that work best for me here are the mid-length ones, more than three or four lines but under a page. I struggle—and this is not specific to Sharp's poetry—with poems that are just a few lines, because often they feel to me as though the writer has found a metaphor or image they want to share but not gone any further with it. (There are some exceptions; one poem in here reminds me of that brilliant Atwood poem about hooks and eyes: "you still linger / in my mouth / like the aftertaste / of burnt toast" (loc. 259)) The longer poems have a bit more room to get creative.

Content: The material here gets very dark very quickly, and it stays dark for most of the book. Eventually there's a shift to more positive things, but that's mostly about a new and happy relationship—which is fine, and will sit well with people who like a bit of romance; I guess I just prefer a bit more of the princess saving herself.

Overall, Instagram poetry is never really going to be my thing—I like to work a bit harder for the meaning in poetry—but one for readers who are looking for more along the lines of Rupi Kaur and so on.

*One of many

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

Definitly loved it. That was violent. That was strong. That was honest. I'd recognize myself in those lines so much.

Beautiful. Stunning. Vulnerable.
Gosh I these words were so powerful. Congrats to the poet! I can only imagine the inspiration and healing this book is going to offer its readers.

This is a quick and easy-to-read collection of poetry that works perfect as a palate cleanser in between books! I would personally recommend this book if you enjoy modern poetry and quick, easy-to-digest poems.

It is clear that the author put her heart into these poems, unfortunately however, some fell rather flat to me. I did really enjoy some of the poems, such as “it costs nothing to pay attention” and “we all scream for ice cream”

Overall I’m happy that I read this:)


Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review!

I enjoyed reading this a lot actully, it was fast paced and vey well written. Some poems did have me shed a tear a little and some were relatable also.

This poetry book touched my heart in a special way. The poems explore some heavy themes that are clearly close to the author's heart. While some poems were powerful and evocative, others felt somewhat flat and didn't leave a lasting impression on me. It's a quick read, perfect for those looking for a quick read, or a nice palate cleanser in between heavier reads.

I would recommend this book to modern poetry lovers. It's quite a good book overall, but it didn't stand out as exceptional for me.

(Thank you so much NetGalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review)

I love poetry so much and Freya Sharp is so good on what she writes. So so good. I recommend everyone to read this amazing book. 5 star read from me. Between these bones is so good.

Beautiful and meaningful - I enjoyed Sharp's words. They were full of emotion, and I felt them as I read each page. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

It’s tough to assign a value to someone’s poetry. Some of these felt deeply personal for the author, and some of them felt very elementary. Like the kind of thing some girl you went to high school with cryptically posts on facebook to show her “depth”

All I can say is that poetry is personal and I hope this was cathartic for the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC!

A quick book of poems that makes for a good palate cleanser!

While I appreciate the work and emotions that went into this collection, some of the poems felt a little… flat. But there was one line that I really enjoyed:

“aren’t you exhausted? i can see the lies packed in the bags under your eyes”

(Thank you, Harbor Lane Books and NetGalley, for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.)

While I thoroughly enjoyed the collection of poetry I would have liked to have a content warning for domestic abuse at the beginning of the book. The domestic abuse portion of the poetry really slaps you in the face so to speak and as a survivor it caught me off guard. Otherwise, the poetry was beautiful. I would definitely like to continue reading this poets work.

I wish I could have liked this more. While I sympathize with the author, the poetry was not very good initially and then got cheesy. There is probably an audience for this; I am just not part of that, it seems.

Thank you, NetGalley and Harbor Lane Books, LLC., for the chance to read and review this!

I enjoyed reading this collection. It is a heartbreaking story of abuse and finding happiness. The collection was very consistent in its voice; I felt like I knew the author. I did find some of the poems a bit redundant with similar language, and the themes that might have made it feel cohesive felt a bit overdone. Overall, a quick and enjoyable read.