I haven't read much of her work before and I quite liked thsi collection, it was both digestable and deep

*She Followed the Moon Back to Herself* is a heartfelt and poetic journey of healing and self-discovery. The writing is tender and reflective, using vivid imagery and nature-inspired metaphors to convey its message of empowerment and self-love.

While some parts feel repetitive or a bit abstract, the overall tone is comforting and uplifting, making it a great read for anyone on their own path to growth. It’s an inspiring book that encourages reflection and connection with yourself. A lovely and rewarding read for quiet moments.

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free poetry book*

I should have enjoyed "She Followed the Moon Back to Herself" more given the fact that I'm a fat, queer person and this long poem is about us. But I found the narrative conventional, tiresome... It did not really touch me? I applaud the sentiment and there are some beautiful parts but overall I felt underwhelmed. It also annoyed me that every second page was the butterflies on a pink background cover design. But that might've been the ebook.

3 stars because I didn't dislike it either? I just thought it would be cool and it was...ok. that's it. Hmm.

Publishing date: 29.10.2024
Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

A poetry collection that radiates feminine energy. Embracing yourself for you and no one else. Enjoying life. Not settling for impossible beauty standards. These are all themes I picked up on and can resonate well with.

The collection has very simple language that anyone can appreciate, and most of the poems are very down to earth and direct in the messaging. This ended up being a single-sitting quick read for me.

I didn't connect with every poem, and that's fine. The author is older than me, has had more experience, and is clearly more comfortable in her own skin than I am. But I found her poems to be soothing, pushing me to be a little more accepting of who I am and what I look like. Rather than conforming to impossible and downright depressing beauty standards.

Only thing that kinda bothered me, this is a nitpick and will not affect the score ... Is the fact that for every poem there was at least one page afterwards with sparkles or moths. Every single poem. So half the book was poems, the rest was illustrated colorful pages with sparkles and moths.

Final ranking and star rating?
4 stars, A tier. This is a very feminine and uplifting collection. I had a great time, and left it feeling more empowered than ever. I can see why so many girlies crowd and praise her work. Will be recommending this to my fellow girlies.

This was a good collection of poems by Amanda Lovelace, but there were none of them that seemed to truly resonate with me. I enjoyed this collection, and would read more by this author.

she Followed the moon was an excellent poetry collection. I was able to interpret the themes and loved the writing.

I loved this book so much. The authors voice is just so good. A lot of these poems really resonated with me as a woman. Also visually pleasing.

So, I really struggled with this collection. There were certain poems that I loved and felt really spoke to me, but at times I felt like the poet didn't believe the reader could figure out what she was saying on their own so she was summing each poem up with a line at the end telling us what life lesson we should get out of it. I started feeling like each poem was a meme with an inspirational quote that has been taken from something longer and more meaningful. That said, I do know that some of her other collections are very popular and I'm sure fans of her work will eagerly take in her words and be very satisfied. I would recommend that readers purchase a physical copy of the book as it does have illustrations.

I loved this volume. I had not actually read any of Amanda Lovelace's poetry before, so this was my first introduction to her work. Lovelace's language is simple and straightforward, but packs a punch. I enjoyed the feminist themes and the idea of "becoming," of transformation and figuring out not only who you are but who you want to be. Well worth reading.

Beautiful and profound poetry, an exqusite collection of poems I fell in love with. Truly understandable why this author is so loved!

Beautiful and lyrical - a wonderful poetry collection that every woman should read! This was my first Amanda Lovelace poetry book, and I would recommend anyone struggling to take a couple minutes of peace to read and rediscover yourself bit by bit.

This is a poetry collection that shines a light on the feelings and emotions of a woman who feels lost and through hard work, finds her way back to the light. Some of these poems are relatable, some empowering, and many are both. The simplicity of the poems belies the power that they hold, because sometimes, all you need is for someone to tell you this in an easy language and not pepper them with heavy words. Which is a reason why this collection works. Although I do also feel like I would have loved more - both in number and length of the poems.

But it is a lovely read overall.

What a beautiful book of poetry, so uplifting and empowering. I felt every single poem from different aspects and stages of my life

This was a beautiful poetry collection. I can tell how much of the author's heart and soul went into this. All the poems truly touched my heart Amanda Lovelace is definitely a poet I would recommend to anyone wanting to get into poetry. Her poems are accessible and beautiful and a wonderful launching off point for more poetry reading.

she followed the moon back to herself by Amanda Lovelace is like taking a gentle, late-night walk through someone’s heartache, healing, and everything in between. Each poem feels like a little piece of moonlight, guiding you through loss, resilience, and rediscovery. Lovelace has this magical way of turning the messy parts of life into something that glows. It’s honest, hopeful, and totally inspiring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an advanced copy of she followed the moon back to herself by Amanda Lovelace. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Amanda Lovelace is a great poet and always look forward to reading there work. Many of these poems are super on the nose and really nice to see written out and know that someone else has those thoughts/feelings. I really look forward to whatever work they release next.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers to provide an arc for an honest review.

Lovelace is also one of my to go/must buy everything they write authors. I love poetry and these poems always speak to my soul. I loved the illustrations in this one. The papers between poems almost felt like wallpaper and I loved it.

Two poems really resonated with me:
1. Being done with toxic people who resist their own butterfly transformations
2. The Maiden, Mother, Crone poem

I loved each of these for different reasons, but if you pick up this poetry collection just for those 2 poems, I promise you that it will be a worthwhile investment.

If you need some powerful, mindful poetry -> this is for you!

What I love most about poetry: being able to read it in bite-sized chunks. A poem a day feeds the soul.

Rating: 4.25

A hopeful, beautiful collection full of light and love. I felt hopeful and less alone reading each piece and bookmarked so many pages as new favourites.
Unlike some of Lovelace’s other collections, this one seemed more hopeful. The light at the end of a dark and powerful tunnel.
I think this is a great collection to pick up when you are struggling and need a pick-me-up. Something to remind you, you are strong and worthy.
It’s beautiful to see the growth between Amanda Lovelace’s first collections to this most recent publication.

Amanda Lovelace's tenth poetry collection, She Followed the Moon Back to Herself, felt much like the majority of her previous collections, with only a few poems standing out. It's not up for debate that Lovelace writes in a modern poetic style; however, it lacks the sharp and blunt language that comes with the contemporary style. For a reader unfamiliar with poetry outside of what they read in high school, I could see this collection as an easy way to enter the world of poetry; however, for those who are avid readers of the genre, I would recommend skipping this one.

She followed the moon back to herself is the first collection of poetry I’ve read by Amanda Lovelace. I found it clever how each poem’s title is the last line of each poem, and each poem flows on from the previous. While I enjoyed this collection, and I can see how it could be very personal, I would have liked for the poems to go a bit deeper considering all the heavy topics.