Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC copy of Amanda Lovelace's newest collection! First, I loved the vibes and theme of this collection, the colors, the moths, and the artwork were all beautiful. I found myself really relating to the first half of the collection, and it lost me a little in the second half, however, I still enjoyed the poems overall. Really excited to see Amanda back with a new collection! She is one of my favorite poets. Can't wait to see the finished copy in person and pick up my own! Overall, I gave this collection 3.75 stars.

she followed the moon back to herself is the most recent poetry collection by Amanda Lovelace.
 
I also really enjoy this author‘s poetry and the poems always feel very honest and relatable and that was the case here as well. This poetry collection follows a woman going through life and a lot of experiences like heartbreak. It was done in a way that you as the reader feel seen while simultaneously being uplifting and I really liked that. Some of my favorite poems include she’s been her own sanctuary all along, luna and that’s enough for her. I also really loved the formatting and illustrations that fitted the poems perfectly.
 
she who followed the moon back to herself is a poetry collection infused with life, hope and a sprinkle of magic and I really enjoyed it. 4 stars.
 
(ARC kindly provided in exchange for a review.)

I liked this poetry collection, I didn't connect to any of the poems in it, unfortunately. However, I think it is well written and will still recommend it to people.
I have loved this author's things before so I will continue to read her stuff.

Thank you Netgally, Andrews McMeel publishing, and the author Amanda Lovelace for providing this ARC.

Amanda Lovelace’s latest poetry collection is a beautifully raw and heartfelt journey of self-discovery and healing. In She Followed the Moon Back to Herself, Lovelace explores themes of love, loss, and finding your way back after life’s challenges. Her words are simple yet powerful, resonating with anyone who’s ever felt lost or broken.

While some poems may feel familiar to longtime readers of Lovelace, this collection still shines with its honest reflection of personal growth. The accompanying artwork adds another layer of emotion, making it an uplifting read that many will return to for comfort and inspiration. Fans of her previous work and new readers alike will find something to connect with in this book.

Amanda Lovelace’s latest poetry collection, She Followed the Moon Back to Herself, is an incredibly beautiful and raw portrayal of the modern woman’s experience in 2024. Known for her powerful and evocative writing, Lovelace once again delivers a masterful work that explores themes of heartbreak, healing, and the journey toward self-love.

This collection dives deep into the everyday struggles faced by women today—whether it’s societal pressures, emotional turmoil, or the process of reclaiming one's identity. Lovelace’s words resonate with readers, making each poem feel personal yet universally relatable. She captures the emotional spectrum of a woman's life with such honesty that it's impossible not to find pieces of yourself in her work.

What sets this book apart is its unique blend of lyricism and storytelling. Lovelace’s poems flow effortlessly, inviting the reader into her world of vulnerability and strength. The way she uses simple yet profound language creates a rhythm that makes the book hard to put down.

Equally captivating is the striking artwork that accompanies the poetry. The illustrations are not merely decorative but integral to the overall experience of the book, enhancing the emotional impact of the words. Each piece of art seems to mirror the emotions in the poetry, making the book not just a reading experience but a visual journey as well.

She Followed the Moon Back to Herself is both a celebration and a meditation on the complexity of womanhood. It's a book that encourages reflection and invites readers to embrace their own personal struggles with grace and self-compassion. A delight from start to finish, this collection is a testament to Lovelace’s talent and a must-read for anyone who enjoys poetry that is heartfelt, raw, and deeply empowering.

Simply put, I couldn’t put it down.

Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. And equally as heartbreaking.

This little book of poetry feels like we are given a little window into Amada's soul and I feel like we can all relate to at least a handful of her words. It truly felt like this book was placed in front of me right when the universe needed me to hear some of these poems and if that was the point - to provide a companion and validation for our inner thoughts and feelings - then Amanda Lovelace hit the nail on the head!
The artwork in this book is absolutely stunning as well, I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this to display and tab my favorite pieces that really resonated with me.

All in all, this book give divine feminine energy and I have already reached for it multiple times as a comfort read and I can guarantee I'll be recommending it absolutely everyone!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amanda Lovelace for the ARC in return for my honest thoughts.

I used to love Amanda Lovelace. In 2017 when I was going through some incredibly tough times, Amanda's poetry brought me solace and made me feel less alone. I read volume after volume, always preferring it over the more "mainstream" Rupi Kaur. So when I saw Amanda Lovelace had a new collection coming out and it was available to request on Netgalley, I was thrilled.

I hadn't read any of Amanda's work for a few years and I was hoping to experience more of the same fondness and comfort in her words. What I failed to take into account I guess is the passage of time and how my own tastes have matured. It's been seven years since Amanda's debut work and yet 'she followed the moon back to herself' follows the exact same formulas and shows a rather alarming lack of sophistication and development on Lovelace's part.

I was unfortunately taken aback by the immature and frankly, juvenile style of writing. For a poet now in her thirties, I had hoped to see some semblance of evolution from her early days but this collection read like some angsty teenage Tumblr post circa 2007. Half the book was a wallpaper-style repeat graphic so the actual collection took me about 15 minutes to read. It was shallow and lazy and I sadly believe that it's work like this that gives poetry a bad name and is why many poets struggle to be taken seriously.

I'm disappointed to have to give such a harsh review but I honestly hoped for much much more than this.

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Amanda Lovelace’s She Followed The Moon Back To Herself offers another beautifully crafted collection of poetry, showcasing her signature style of raw emotion and authenticity. This collection leans more into themes of healing and empowerment, with an uplifting tone that stands apart from some of her previous, more somber works.

However, while the poems are undeniably well-written and thoughtful, I found myself struggling to connect with them in the same way I have with Lovelace’s earlier collections. Her poetry still carries that familiar sense of vulnerability and strength, but for me, it lacked the deeper resonance that her past works have often invoked.

Despite this, Lovelace’s gift for weaving words remains apparent, and I’m sure this collection will deeply resonate with many readers, especially those seeking hope and self-discovery. While it may not be my favorite of her works, it still embodies the qualities that make Lovelace’s poetry so beloved.

I will always pick up a book written by Amanda Lovelace. I loved that we can see her identity growth; even if you haven't experienced the same things, the writing is easily digested and relatable. I did like their fairytale trilogy more, but I loved the self-accepting light this book was written with.

The poetry in this book was soooo good! I have a few of her other books and absolutely loved them! Amanda Lovelace is an auto buy for me! Thank you Netgalley!

I've been a HUGE fan of Amanda Lovelace from her very first collection of poetry and it's been wonderful following her on her journey of self-acceptance and love in this tenth book of deeply personal poems. Some resonated more than others for me but all are beautiful and heartfelt and contain nuggets of truth any reader should be able to ingest and celebrate in their own lives. The illustrations in the book are fabulous and I was sad to see this book end. Another must buy for me that I will go back to again and again over the years. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy and the author for sharing her most vulnerable truths with her readers yet again. HIGHLY recommended, especially for fans of poets like Rupi Kaur.

Truly feels like she pour her soul into this book. I devoured it and will be rereading it over and over again. So beautiful and personal.

I adore Amanda Lovelace's tarot/oracle decks and decided to give her poetry another try after hating her first collection. This was so good! Maybe because of the subject matter but I really connected with it. Focusing on self love and accepting all facets of yourself, it really resonated with me (a woman coming to terms with her queerness in her late 30s after being married to a man for the last decade).

thank you to author, amanda lovelace, netgalley and andrews mcmeel publishing for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 ⭐️an uplifting set of simple poems. i wouldn’t call this amanda lovelace’s strongest poetry book but it is very “flow of consciousness” and has a unique spirit compared to her other books that build a bit on top of each other. the art is absolutely beautiful and i found myself in a better mood simply by taking in the words and art.

This book is for the girls and she is the moment. It is so uplifting and encouraging. I can't wait to recommend this to all my girlfriends as it will be the perfect gift to give regardless if they are a consistent or a one book a year reader. The cover is adorable as well as the art pages. I can't wait to get my own copy !

4. So glad to hear from this poet again. Her poems always make me think, consider, nod my head. Rich images with words that each stretch towards big ideas. Someone needs to be writing about the journey of being a woman today, and of course it would be a poet who does it best. You could read this collection all in one gulp, as I did. Or you could savor a couple each night under the ever present moon. Definitely excellent.

It is not often I just stop everything in the world to sit down to read a book cover to cover, especially with how scatter brained I am but when that does happen it is usually because of Amanda Lovelace. First off, the full colour transition pages are STUNNING! I found they gave my brain a chance to reflect after flipping each page. As always, I fell back in love with poetry reading Lovelace's words, they write in such a way that it just hits you right in the feels.

I have mixed feelings. At times, I found myself re-reading a verse because I was really touched and moved reading about something ordinary worded in a way I've never heard before. At times, this felt like Shoshanna from Girls, now in her 30s, poeticizing about her 20s. Overall, I found this to be pretty meh and a story that's being told over and over again right now, though there were a few tidbits peppered in that I found lovely.

Thank you NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC.

I really appreciate the honesty that she writes with. And the themes she writes about, that can be heavy or intense. I think this is my least favorite of her collections so far, not because its bad, i just had a harder time connecting to it. There were some poems that really moved me and impacted hard. Overall i think is a good collection, just not for me personally which is fine, im still a fan of her work.

This was alright. In general, the poems were nice, but only a few really stood out, and overall they seem like the typical Lovelace poems we've been getting in every poetry collection, with the sometimes cliche sentence at the end. There was a lot of telling and talking about development. but not much showing or exploring of that. I found her first few poetry collections to be much more impactful and relatable, whereas this one was more general and less specific, and the specific ones were a little cliche as well. The cover and illustrations at the beginning and end were nice, but for an e-book, the starry graphics on every other page were a choice...I think it will work nicely for the printed physical book and I wouldn't have minded it in that format, but not so much when half the e-book is the exact same illustration. It might've been better if some of the poems just had that illustration as a faded background image.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!