Love Looks Pretty on You

3.5 stars

This was not my first Lang Leav's book, I think I read all her previous poetry collections before this. Every time it's a nice surprise to find some of myself in her works. This book was no exception. There are poems that are empowering and others that are sweet and tender. But there are also poems about lost love.
If you enjoy poetry I highly recommend this collection.

This book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Lang Leav's book and I think I’m going to read all her previous work.

There are poems that are empowering and others that are sweet and tender. But there are also poems about lost love.

She can capture our minds and break our heart in just a few simple words.

★★★★★

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the ARC!

I love her poems so much. I've read her previous books too and I think this one just became my new favorite. She talks about love in such a beautiful way. Her words are not just about romantic love, but also about self-love, love for life, for our dreams and all things that matter to us. Very nice read, I totally recommend it.

3.5 stars
I really liked this poetry collection, it was tender and very touching. I adored the themes in this one, how falling in love was represented here.
It's probably my favorite book from Lang Leav after Love & Misadventures, it restored my faith in the author and her writing.

I received a copy of this novel via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I approached this collection cautiously, having previously read Lang Leav's 'Love and Misadventure' and being very disappointed. I am happy to say that 'Love Looks Pretty on You' was a completely different experience. Leav presents a collection of love, heartache and acceptance. Touching and comforting at the same time, a worthwhile read for all those lover's of poetry.

I received an advance copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I really liked this newest collection of poetry from Lang Leav. It had a lot of great poetry and prose and is another one I would recommend if you like this author.

This book had such beautiful, powerful and moving poetry. You couldn't help but relate to at least on of the poems in this book!

I’ll be honest that I had been avoiding reading any of Lang Leav’s books after reading a few poor reviews and snippets from her first two poetry collections. Since it has been a few years and I’ve been greatly enjoying poetry, I decided to give this author a chance once I spotted the ARC and I was actually pleasantly surprised. Love Looks Pretty on You is Leav’s seventh published work and it’s clear that she has grown as a writer.

The issue that I had previously seen in some of Leav’s old poems was that they were overly simple, full of silly rhymes and meaningless purple prose. In this new collection I was pleased to find a great deal of maturity in Leav’s words as a young woman that has grown up learning the joy of love, the pain of loss, the anger that comes with betrayal, and the subtle regret over missed opportunities. Many of her poems still contained rhymes, but they had an easy flow to them while still discussing some very grown up themes. I particularly enjoyed the longer more meditative pieces such as Letter to the Past. Many of them were insightful and were like snippets of the author’s life.

Now there is still patches of pesky purple prose that spend a good deal of time describing flowery scenes of nature or light and I really don’t care for these types of empty passages. I know that it’s trying to paint a picture for the reader, but I really find the overabundance of physical descriptors to be meaningless and boring, so I had to take a star off off of my rating for that. Relying too heavily on flowery descriptions to make a sentence more interesting seems to be a bad habit of many modern young poets.

Overall, it’s good to see Leav coming into her own and developing a style that is uniquely her. I enjoyed this collection and will be looking into more of her other work in the future.

This collection of poems was exactly what I expected it to be: a quick, easy read that filled my soul and calmed my brain.

What to call this book? Poetry, guide, reminiscence? Some poems were painfully adequate for me, others I could relate to with my past self (selves?). The poet actually does a lot of talking to her old self. What's more, there's even a poem she wrote when she was only 12! And it completely matched the book, too!

The poems are mostly written from a young woman's perspective, and they deal with things we all feel sometimes in our lives. They're so obvious things and sentiments, but it feels so good to see them plainly written down. It's nice to feel others go through the similar little (and not so little) experiences that you do!

The wording is very simple and easy to understand, and at first I thought it's... well, not very poetic - then I realized I'm only through like half of the collection, and I highlighted a crazy amount of lines! And that's right because it's so simple. It's beautiful in its simplicity.

The greatest personal experience I had with this collection was the universal feeling of not being alone. Some poems I could more relate to, there were also some I couldn't as much, but all in all that warmth was running through me that meant all people, all women has some experiences, feelings, phases in common. Reading these books I didn't feel like the poet tried to be cleverer than me, it was all about being simple and relatable.

This was my first collection by Lang Leav, and I am certainly going to read her other work.

I loved that this was a collection of both poetry and prose, and also that multiple types of poetry were represented, as it’s very common for poets to find a certain style and stick to it.

Lang Leav’s writing is very moving, and I bookmarked a good third of the book to go back and reread. I felt connected to the writing as soon as I read the first page. Every piece in this collection felt direct, yet delicate, and deeply honest.

This collection was so moving and beautiful and each and every poem was such a delight to read. I loved the different styles of poems and prose throughout and how well they worked together. This is only the second Lang Leav collection I've read, and I honestly loved it so much <3

I have come to relish every new release by Lang Leav and Love Looks Pretty on You definitely satisfies in a way that I've come to expect from Leav's poetry.

Love is a common topic on which Leav chooses to weave her poetic prowess. Here, in contrast with her more recent previous works The Universe of Us and <Sea of Strangers where I, respectively, had an overwhelming sense of omnipotent vastness with the former and a moodier sense of flowing with the latter in regards to the topic of love.

With Love Looks Pretty on You, there was this fierceness I felt in many of the poems. It's wasn't love making you weaker, it was love making you stronger, and if it's not making you stronger, then be done with it. There's still plenty of rumination on the loss of love, and what it feels when a love / relationship doesn't work out, but I didn't feel as much a pang of sadness as I felt in Sea of Strangers. While the poems reach out to the reader, I felt like they were more self-contained. I felt like the "voice" of the poems was more general than speaking directly, or connecting directly, with the reader.

Overall, I enjoyed this collection a lot, and as always my favorites are the brief one-liners that always pack an emotional punch.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"It is your right to define love on your own terms."

Lang Leav weaves emotion into every word of this collection. I felt on the verge of tears for a long, long time reading this book. This was exactly the kind of poetry I love so deeply, full of love and loss, and full of sweetness.

This was my first Lang Leav book but it will not be my last.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
****
This is not my first time reading Lang Leav’s work, at this point I think the only thing I haven’t read is her first novel.

Love Looks Pretty on You is a collection of love in all its forms. Love of family, friends, partners, healthy love, broken love, lost love, etc. One of my favorite things about her prose is that despite how short her poems are, they’re not lacking at all in emotion. You get equal gut punch or soft ‘oh’ of wonder no matter the poem. My favorite of Leav’s collections is Lullabies, also the first one I read, coincidence?, but this comes in a close second. Highly recommend.

Friends, I am pleased to announce that poetry is making a comeback! In recent years there has been a distinct upsurge in the interest of poetry by both readers and publishers. Lang Leav, international bestselling novelist and poet, is one of the voices of this movement.

Previously, it was an accepted fact that poetry simply didn’t sell. In modern times, people prefer novels and other works of prose. I have heard it lamented by my friends and other literary critics that poetry has fallen by the wayside. They bemoan the fact that “no one reads poetry anymore.”

Leav’s groundbreaking success, as well as the success of other contemporary poets such as Elizabeth Avecedo, Amanda Lovelace, and Rupi Kaur, have proven that this simply is not the case.

The face of poetry has changed. Poetry is no longer the sole playground of men dominated by misogynists like T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound. Instead, poetry is now young, vibrant, and undeniably female.

Even more than that, I am overjoyed to see that poetry has once more become an act of rebellion. Female poets such as Leav are using their words to loudly proclaim that the lives and experiences of women and girls matter.

According to her website, Leav “was born in a Thai refugee camp when her family were fleeing the Khmer Rouge Regime. She spent her formative years in Sydney, Australia, in the predominantly migrant town of Cabramatta.”

Literary critics continue to look down their noses at poets such as Leav, despite her numerous awards and literary achievements (Leav has been featured in both The Guardian and The New York Times). Ironically, novels were once also disparaged as being only fit for the “fairer” and “simpler” sex.

A common criticism of Leav and her fellow contemporary poets is that their poems are “not poems at all.” Leav directly confronts such criticism in In her latest collection, Love Looks Pretty on You, which is due to be released January 29th. She grapples directly with her many critics and offers words of encouragement to other writers, especially young female writers.

Leav’s words are revolutionary in a world that would prefer women and girls to be objects of ornamentation instead of fully self actualized human beings. Furthermore, she proves in her collection that she is capable at both traditional forms of poetry as well as contemporary prose poems. She even includes a piece of her juvenalia (a poem written when she was twelve) in order to illustrate her development as both a writer and poet.

This was my first encounter with Leav. I was very pleased to discover her and I’m surprised that I have not encountered her work sooner, especially when one considers her massive following over 2 million fans on social media.

This collection was beautifully written and explored important themes that need to be discussed, such as healing from an abusive relationship and finding one’s voice in world full of brokenness.

I purposely seek out female poets of color because I long to see myself represented in one of my favorite art forms.

Poetry is not dead. It has simply transformed. I am grateful that Leav has helped to inspire people all over the world to once more lend an ear to the music of poetry.

This was my first experience with Leav’s work and I can’t wait to read her earlier poems, as well as her novel Sad Girls.

I highly recommend Love Looks Pretty on You for anyone who is a lover of words, especially if you are a female writer who loves poetry.

Note: I received a free digital advanced reader copy of this book through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The novelist struggles.
The poet suffers.
[pg. 105]


Love Looks Pretty on You tilts back and forth between themes of self-reflection and confessions and declarations with the above poem as the fulcrum of this beautifully balanced collection of notes to the author’s younger selves. “Too Young” on page 61 was written when Lang Leav was twelve years old, but the majority of the text ruminates on the whirlwind of experiences during young adulthood.

The introduction proclaims Love Looks Pretty on You as a celebration of the female spirit, which is more directly linked to the authorship of self on page 5 with, “All this time, I thought I was writing for the lovers, when I’ve been writing for the writers.” This seemingly unexpected realization connects the recurring themes of voice, personal back story, past loves, loss, and flowers with the feminine power of creation, regeneration, and resurgence. Ideas about actual and imagined selves or identities wrestle in the past, present, and future.

Lang Leav taps into a generational spectrum of the musical zeitgeist and transposes it into present-day chords with deep emotional reverberations that also incorporate religious and secular imagery. Love Looks Pretty on You, title and overarching themes about romantic relationships, harkens back to the wistful regrets in “You Look So Good in Love” by George Strait. “At Last” on page 6 evokes the yearning ache of the Etta James version of the tune by Harry Warren and Mack Gordon. “The Long Way” echoes the sense of bewilderment in 1979’s “Take the Long Way Home” by Supertramp. There’s a little of Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” on page 77, and essential truths shared with “You Say” by Lauren Daigle, Hailee Steinfeld’s “Most Girls” and Roxette’s “It Must Have Been Love” scattered throughout these intimate reveries.

Some pieces are titled and some are not. All of them capture a facet of being young and searching for one’s strongest, most authentic self.

Now that you have it all, do you ever wish you could go back to when you had it simple? [pg. 95]

Lang Leav throws down the gauntlet above and with “This Year: on page 19. It’s a challenge worth accepting.

The index is arranged alphabetically by title or by the first word for untitled pieces.

I read my first Lang Leav book, Love and Misadventure a few years ago and fell so in love with her writing and thoughts.  I have no idea why it has taken me years to pick her work back up!  I was offered this book through NetGalley to read, so thank you so much to them and also to Andrews McMeel Publishing; you have both rekindled a spark for Lang Leav's poetry in me! 

Love Looks Pretty on You is a collection of poetry and prose, as the subtitle says, that deals with a plethora of topics.  It most certainly has the feel of earlier collections of Leav's work.  I think the most pertinent tidbit about Leav's work is that it always tends to capture some of the rawest, most fleeting, and intense emotions of life and all the stuff that comes with love, longing, and heartbreak.  Her books are always very strong and this newest collection keeps up with that while adding a little more life and hope.  Specifically, this collection of work really celebrates women and current day problems that we face.  Leav does so in a poetic voice; she is able to weave beautiful pieces of writing that pack so much meaning.

One thing that I specifically loved about this book was the variance between poetry and prose.  Even within each category or writing, the forms varied within.  Some prose was a letter format, some was a sentence.  Some poems were a page long, some rhymed, some very open free verse just lines long.  I adore how it goes back and forth between these different forms.  Leav really has a knack for feeling what she is writing and putting those words into the perfect form.  There are a ton of the smaller prose pieces that just stick with you because they are so short but potent.  I think reading these different forms mixed together keeps me as more of an active reader, especially when it comes to poetry and does make the emotions and feelings that saturate the works weigh me down.  I will say that I read this in several settings over a longer period just because I like to take my time and let things sink in and go back to what I really loved.

For me, the varied forms made this entire collection so much more personal.  I feel like Leav is writing these poems and letters, and small snippets about life and love wisdom to herself to read later.  This feels like the book that I wanted to read when I was younger because it feels like a protective caring nurturer giving you advice and helping you through some tough stuff.  It is almost like a personal manifesto or a very open collection of wisdom.  Almost everything in this book is things that we all need to hear at some point in our lives.  The versatility and almost agelessness of this book make it a strong piece to read, as you can connect with it on so many levels through time.  There were pieces in here that I had wished I was able to read years ago and pieces that I am glad I read.  The piece titled "What He's Lost," hit on some big issues for me from the past year and just reading those words gave me immediate comfort and hope.  It was the note that I needed to find.

Technically speaking, the index at the end is fantastic.  I usually don't review pieces of books like that, however; the index is very well done and not only lists poem titles but also major subjects and topics.  Readers can flip through to look for possible triggers, but also if you know you need something to read that relates to something she has written about, it is easy to get there.  The look and feel of this book are exceptionally aesthetically pleasing.  It uses a lot of white open space and blank pages.  Nothing feels cramped to rushed or busy.  It feels like each page is its own piece and the clean design and blank pages between enhances that, giving the reader time to contemplate before they are rushed off to the next.  

On Goodreads, I gave this book 5 stars because I have no reason not to.  There is nothing that I disliked, nothing that gave me problems, and no complaints about the pieces in general.  This is one of the best collections of work I have read this year and one that I will buy for the young women in my family for when they need it.  This book is due to published on January 29, 2019.

This came to me at an important time in my life.

Everything is a mess, and my mind is so loud that it's hard to breath. Lang's collection matched all my thoughts and emotions. Love and longing, loss and emptiness.

"A Long Time Ago

Everything feels sentimental these days, every song feels loaded, feels somehow directed at me. Every emotion is heightened tenfold, your fingertips leaving burn marks on my skin.

I think it only feels this way for me when things are beginning or when they're ending.

And my love, we started this a long time ago."

*I thank Lang Leav, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with an E-ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

4 stars
This is the 3rd poetry collection by Lang Leav that I've read. And she's never disappointed me. I do prefer her poetry to her prose, but I just find that her poetry flows better. Every piece is good on it's own as well as in it's collection.
As with lots of poetry collections, some pieces affect you more than others. But it is a collection that you can pick up at any time of your life, and each time you will connect with a different piece.

As always, beautifully done!

I’m a huge fan of Leav, after having reviewed a few other titles. I read screeds of poetry and prefer modern, contemporary poetry the best. It’s most relevant to my life and the times we live in. I loved every piece in this collection. There’s a good mix here of different lengths. Some of the poems are several stanzas more and other’s just a few lines. I loved the prose pieces as well, some only two of three lines. Every piece spoke to me. Leav examines universal themes; love, relationships, loss, hope and the ups and downs of being a woman. Every word, every line is relatable. My favourite pieces are Abusive Relationships, House of Stone, My Heart and Time, Obsession, The Novelist Struggles and This Was the Year.

I definitely consider Lang to be one of my favorite authors now. I think with each poetry collection I love her work a little bit more. It’s hard to do reviews on poetry because it’s such a highly individual thing. Every person can interpret it differently. I really loved this one, I think the different topics it touched on were good and it had really nice flow. Really enjoyed it and excited for her next one.

Thank you so much, NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read this poetry collection!


"And I can already picture ten years from now, living our lives like parallel lines. Looking across at each other from time to time."

Lang Leav's poetry collections have been on my TBR for a while now and I have been wanting to read something buy her for ages! So when I saw "Love Looks Pretty on You" on NetGalley, I was very excited.

This collection definitely didn't disappoint.

Themes: Love, failed relationships, mental health, self-discovery, women empowerment
Favourite poems: Someone Else, Vultures, Regrets, Loyalty, Too Young, Friendship Bond, Slut Shaming and Anxiety.

"Here's the story of my life. Hoping they would care about me or wishing they wouldn't care so much."

This collection was very thought-provoking. The author's words resonated with me and I connected to the majority of poems in this collection.

Overall, I am very glad I had the opportunity to read this and I would definitely recommend it to any poetry lover! I will be picking up more by Lang Leav very soon.

"And it suddenly occurred to me, what I held in my heart for her was hope, when it should have been expectation."


A review will be posted on my blog soon.
Disclaimer: all quotes taken from an ARC copy, these are subject to change

There is something about Lang Leave, the way she weaves the words into phrases, and stories. I can't get over them.
There are so many phrases that I want to quote from this one.

Thanks author & publishers for sharing e-arc .

My first (and definitely not my last) of Lang Leav’s poetry- this was a breath of fresh air and just what I needed today!

Light yet emotionally deep, I loved this collection and cannot wait to order my next Leav poetry collection.

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Andrew McMeel Publishing, and Lang Leav for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I was pleasantly blown away by Lang Leav's book of poetry and prose. It was a fast read, but the words stayed with me and will continue to stay with me. Full of feminism, this book is a lovely component to the conversations that so many women are having today about what we want and truly deserve in this world. Some of the poems are still fresh in my mind and it's fascinating to think that so many topics could be covered in one book. I highly recommend Love Looks Pretty on You for those interested in women's studies and feminism, or just for someone who wants to read something they can relate to!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful addition to the rapidly expanding poetry of Leav. It's so interesting and such as gift to see her progress.

I've always wanted to read a book of Lang Leav's poetry. This was a strong collection and enjoyable to read for me - someone that isn't a big fan of sporty. I am excited to read her other books now too and will definitely recommend this to readers!

This collection is heavy with the tenderness of love and depth of loss. I appreciated the relatability I found for different times of my life in different places in this book. I adore Lang and words. Although not my favorite of her works I did thoroughly enjoy it.

Lang Leav was my first contemporary poetry love, and no matter how many collections she releases, I genuinely don't believe I'll ever stop adoring them. She always seems to know exactly the right things to say, and when I pick up one of her books, always, it feels like coming home.

Love Looks Pretty on You stands apart from her previous collections in its unapologetic, bold feminist theme, and that made it my favorite yet. Lang takes the time to break down what misogyny has done to women, and how it has encouraged us to tear one another down for our sexuality or even our mere, most human mistakes.

There are endless references circling back to abuse and the things women in m/f relationships have come to not only fear, but to expect, and while it's a tough read at points—or it was for me, as a survivor—it also feels like a tight hug, a fellow warrior saying, "I understand you," and I didn't know how much I needed that right now until reading these poems and Lang's quick flashes of righteous anger and sorrow.

Finally, some of the most heartache-inducing moments in the collection are the references to Lang's mother, which made me take a moment to think of how grateful and blessed I am to never have lived through the struggles of being a refugee. In these moments, it's easy to see that Lang Leav got her bravery honestly.

I could easily fill page upon page with quotes and my own gushing over this collection, but I'll stop here and say only that, if you enjoy poignant, powerful, relevant poems from a writer whose work I genuinely believe will go down in history for generations to come, read this.

"Let her be herself. Or she will be somebody else"

Lang Leav brings us with this Love Looks Pretty on You beautiful and touching poems about love and relationship of all kinds.

Let's start with that I'm not a big on the poem scene, it's been years since I even picked up a book with a colletion of it, ever since school time. I still don't even know what pushed me to ask for the ARC of this book, but I'm glad whatever made me ask for it. It's pretty, is soulfull, at times sweet and at times hard. Soft.

"Don't stay where you are neeed. Go where you are loved."

It's totally a book I see myself re-reading time and time again when I feel the fells, and also gifting friends.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read this book in exchange of a honest review

I really liked this poetry collection, it was tender and very touching. I adored the themes in this one, how falling in love was represented here.
It's probably my favorite book her. I really enjoyed this collection! I had my eyes on Lang Leav collections for a while, but never picked them up because modern poetry are hit or miss for me.

Love Looks Pretty On You is yet another collection of Lang Leav's poetry that enlightens and speaks to me.
Although it features light poems that explore the effervescence of love, it also features a few deeply impactful pieces that explore abuse, regret, betrayal, and other heavier emotions.

Love Looks Pretty On You tugs at the heartstrings without weighing you down. As with her most recent, previous collection, it's a quick and easy read, but as I mentioned, it doesn't strip away any of the emotion or meaning from the poems. If anything, I'd say her poetry IS minimal, simple, but that each word is considered. Her poems always manage to speak to me and are left open in a way that allows them to resonate with pretty much anyone.
As someone else mentioned on here, it really is as if Leav is a dear friend imparting wisdow or sharing her life with you. Everything feels incredibly intimate, lovely, and raw.

There were times I felt emotional just reading and other times, I smiled like a school girl whispering with my bff.
LOVE this collection <3

**It’s more 4,5-4,75 out of 5 stars
*Thanks netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
TW: mentions of anxiety and non explicitly of rape/rape culture

«Love looks pretty on you, and you should wear it with pride»

Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav is a refreshing and inspiring collection of both prose and poetry.
It was the first time I ever read something written by this author and I have to admit I was fairly impressed.

The style made it very accessible, an issue that can sometimes arise when reading poetry, but this was not the case.
It was so interesting, both in the form and themes this book dealt with.
It mainly focused on the woman as a person capable of love for others but most importantly for herself; Leav dedicated many of her thoughts and poems to her past and future self, recognising her own mistakes and fears and wishing herself to get over them. She even included a poem she wrote when she was 12, to better compare her thoughts as a young teenager and as a complete woman, which is something I found really fascinating.

Although this is supposed to be a feminist anthem, dedicated to women, there were many poems which explored various other topics, such as revenge, hurt, loss and social issues.
Many of these poems were in prose or modern poetry form, which is something I really appreciated as these are serious issues and require maybe a less romanticising form than rhyming poetry; the directness of the prose better delivered the message it was meant to convey.

I really enjoyed reading this poetry collection and I found it surprisingly thought-provoking.
Overall I was positively impressed by this book and the author’s writing.
I will definitely pick up more of Lang Leav’s books in the future.

* I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange of my honest review*

I was so excited to read this book because Lang leav is one of my favourite poets . And I really loved it ! Most of the poems spoke to me in a very weird way ; I will be very be able to forget them ! The thing is , this book didn't contain only poetry but mostly proses which really bothered me .... I don't say it's bad or something just ... It was different from her other works so I think that's why . I will probably reread it in the future so I could have a more strong opinions .... But I will recommend to everyone because it's Lang leav and because of her peculiar writing style !

"The most beautiful thing is not when you learn to live without soemthing; it's the moment you realize you never needed it in the first place." - Lang Leav

Lang Leav has once again written a compelling collection of poetry. I adored the poems and illustrations in Love & Misadventures and Lullabies. This new collection is just as bold and beautiful. With the main theme of love, it’s the perfect start to the year and just in time for Valentine’s day.

Love Looks Pretty on You is like a box of cookies. Once you’ve had one it’s hard to stop. Each poem has its own unique element and message. They all come together and complement each other in an exquisite way. Leav has a way of making the reader feel in love – whether they are or not. She uses a few words to craft meaningful and relatable poems.

This poetry collection is perfect for:
- people in love
- people who love the idea of love
- people who want to start reading poetry
- people who want to start reading modern poetry
- people with old souls
- people who like cookies and other sweet treats
- people who see the truth in the lies
- people with broken hearts
- people who likes tiny marsmellows in their coffee
- people who love poetry

I think someone who is currently in love will definitely appreciate this book the most. It has that soft fluffy loveliness that one feels when in love. Ahough I did adore this collection, I didn't love it as much as Love & Misadventures and Lullabies. But I still recommend it to everyone!

This is the first work of Lang Leav I've read, and I'm 100% certain that I'll be reading more of her poetry books in the future.

I feel like Love Looks Pretty on You discusses topics which would probably interest a wide variety of people, and I think that everyone should at least give it a chance. Relationships, family bonds, mental health and inner peace are a big part of this book, and it's very interesting experiencing someone else's life through the lens of poetry.

One thing I realized that I really enjoy reading about other girls' relationships with their mothers, which is weird because I don't typically enjoy family based books. But there's just something about this topic that just hits the spot. Like, looking back on all the things your mother did for you, and the sacrifices she had to make in order for you to live the way you do, and how the whole situation affects future generations of women is truly fascinating.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have followed Lang on Instagram for awhile now, but never read any of her books. I’m so glad I finally did. She has a beautiful way with words and I loved the themes throughout this book. I highly recommend for anyone who has been wanting to read poetry, but doesn’t know where to start.

This isn't my first book by Lang Leav. I usually enjoy her books quite a lot. This one was a new collection and there were some that really stood out for me. Always a pleasure reading her poetry!

Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav is an easy yet powerful read. The mix of poems made the time fly by while reading. For me, the poets writing style and her way she strings together ways produced so beautiful lines. The book is filled with the encouragement of moving on and being yourself, and with that, the right people will come to you. A few of my favorite poems from this book is Anxiety, Woman's Anthem, Saltwater and more but Write for Yourself is my favorite, I'm going to print that off and hang it up. It's a delight, with significant meanings!

"Be patient. Your voice will find its way into the world, not in one loud instance but a steady trickle that turns into a deluge."

This book is a gift so I'm glad I waited until I was in the right mood to receive it. I found a kindred spirit in the words and was left with a feeling of hope and validation. The title, Love Looks Pretty on You, captures the essence of the book. It was distinctly feminine without any of the negative connotations I associate with modern feminists. My two favorite quotes are "Don't stay where you are needed. Go where you are loved." and "The less you speak, the more weight your words will carry when you do." The one poem I related to most is titled "Something Else". In it, the poet talks about the impossibility of feeling only one emotion at a time. Anyone who knows me would agree that this applies to me as well. I simply loved it!

This is my first Lang Leav's and perhaps it wont be the last. I adore the poetry in here even though as usual, not all poems I can relate to. Her writing style is soooo awesome, and I enjoy every second of I'm reading this book :)

this book will make you cry. a lot. don’t say i didn’t warn you.

as soon as i saw this available on netgalley i of course immediately downloaded it and then devoured it in one sitting. i am a huge fan of lang leav, & have been for years. i have read all of her work & each and every one of her books holds a special place in my heart so it is definitely difficult to say which one of them is my favorite, but love looks pretty on you is definitely in my top three. it may even have made it to the number one spot on my list, just because of how of much it means to me and how much it has helped me through an extremely difficult period in my life. this book came to me at a very important time in my life; at a time when i needed it the most. it’s as if this book was written specifically for me. its almost as if lang leav knew my innermost thoughts and feelings while penning these poems and took everything i was thinking and put them onto the pages of this book. This has been an extremely difficult year for me, and i can’t express how much this book helped me. reading this truly was a cathartic experience, and i can’t thank lang enough for helping me on my journey to healing. I would highly recommend this poetry collection to anyone who is currently dealing with with heartbreak or any kind of loss and is having trouble finding their way back and is in need of some guidance. lang leav is incredibly gifted at saying just the right thing, and you may just find the hope that you have been in need of in her words like i did.

thank you lang, for yet another heartbreakingly beautiful poetry book.

I was granted an e-ARC of this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

She did it again! Lang Leav continues to write her heart out in her 6th poetry book, Love Looks Pretty On You. It's a collection that celebrates women -- how powerful they are and how the world should see them.

It tells a narrative that women should be celebrated. That they are powerful and vulnerable at the same time -- that they are a force to be reckoned with. She also tackled societal problems that women are facing today, which unfortunately became norms at this point of time. That's why this book is so important.

I always have a major affinity with the power of words, and this book holds a lot of it.

I couldn't recommend this book enough, and I hope you pick this up once it's released on January 29th.

This review was also posted on Goodreads, and another post will be added to my blog soon.

Love Looks Pretty on You by Lang Leav

4.75 stars

“She felt a surge of joy that warmed her so unexpectedly, so completely—it was as though it had been waiting for her all this time. Waiting among the flowers.”

Lang Leav is a famous name that is synonymous with modern poetry. Her works have taken the publishing industry by storm and influenced a lot of poets in the process. This is my first time picking up one of her works and this is the most cohesive of the poetry collections I’ve come across. I want to say that I loved this collection. There are poems that I adore, liked, and then there are poems that I hated. So, it is a mixed bag, but my love for the poems outweighed my distaste for a handful of them. I can’t remember a time when I’ve come across a collection that has so severely touched me. Leav tackles feminism, abuse, consent, love, what is to be a woman, and the main theme of this is a love letter to women. A celebration of a woman’s psyche and her desire to be loved and the hurt that sometimes come from being loved. It’s a beautiful collection. I will preface this by saying it is poetry and prose. There are a lot of pages with just a sentence or two and that was a little off-putting to me at first, but as the collection went on, I became so immersed that I cared more about the words themselves than the blank space on the page.

“My mother, my safe passage
into this world, fought a war
to show me wars can be won.”

Let’s tackle the poems I had issues with. There are some poems in here that are aggressive to the point of me feeling uncertain if the poet means ill will toward someone or if they are making a statement. I like statement poetry, I can get behind that. I can’t, however, get behind the niggling against a human being for the actions and decisions that they make. Whether those decisions or actions are right is besides the point, they deserve grace and implying that if they so much as think about you will bring your wrath upon them is dramatic and unnecessary. This collection focuses heavily on consent, but there is one poem that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable and slightly under the impression that consent is being thrown into the wind. I don’t believe this is Leav’s intention, but to a young impressionable teen who may not be able to read into the subtext it could potentially encourage a decision that is questionable. I will leave the poem in a spoiler tag in case you are curious about the content:
“He only wants you
when he can’t have you.
So why don’t you give him
what he wants.
The one poem I can’t stand though is Obsession. It made me think of Hypodermic Sally from Hotel when she sews herself to that boy and girl because she was so in love with them and then they died on her. Ew. I just can’t get behind the weird obsessive tattoo your name on my face and bind myself to you forever. NOPE. I also wasn’t a fan of Unforgiven, but I don’t want to keep focusing on the things I didn’t like because look at all that I loved.

Poems/Prose I Recommend:
Making History
More or Less
Vultures
Pandora’s Box*
Letter to the Past*
Idols*
Before*
Refugees
Slut Shaming*
First Steps*
Flowers*
One day a moment will come to you.
Saltwater
Woman’s Anthem
Abusive Relationships*
True Love
The Gift of Everything
Rebirth
This Was the Year*
From My Heart
What He’s Lost
Reflection
A Meeting of Selves*
The Present*
Youth
These Years
Elements
House of Straw*
Write for Yourself
Love and Loss
Springtime
A Long Time Ago



I adored this collection. There are some fantastic poems in here. They truly hit me in an unexpected and beautiful way. Poetry is hit or miss with me and it’s usually more miss with me because I prefer spoken word poetry. Here is a poem that I loved:
“When my best friend told me
she was in love
my first thought was,
I hope he is good to her.

And it suddenly occurred to me,
what I held in my heart for her
was hope, when it should
have been expectation.”
Please check out this collection. I’m serious. It’s worth reading. Despite the few poems that I found to be unsatisfying and the good overweighs the bad by far. This collection is eloquent, gripping, and emotional profound. Its an intimate look at women through the lens of a poet celebrating womanhood.

“Chased away the cobwebs that I had let linger for far too long. Told the moon I was sorry, but this is now my time in the sun."

Whimsical Writing Scale: 4.5

Plotastic Scale: 5

Cover Thoughts: I am obsessed with this cover and the colors. The two colors are just so striking and I love everything about it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another great contemporary poetry collection. So glad I discovered Lang Leav's works. This one was not as emotionally powerful as Sea of Strangers but some of the poems got really deep in my heart. What I love the most about her poetry is that I feel understood. I feel like I am not the only one that has suffered or has had certain situation happening in her life. Is comforting is some many levels to read through her poems and see some of myself there and not feel alone.

Really looking forward to read more of her works.

This is a beautifully written book. The poems are instantly relatable and easy for the reader to connect too. Leav does a wonderful job of taking big topics that she breaks down into simple poems.

STRONG.

That's exactly how I would describe the tone of the book from the start until the finish and even the description as to why the latest book from Lang Leav was named as it is is strong. I found myself feeling more empowered with each poem, some I like better than others, but it's still a vast improvement from the other books, in my opinion. This book is rich in storytelling through minimal usage of words, and it speaks of more than just platonic love, romantic love and all the pain in between.

I believe the wait for this book was definitely worth it and it's probably my favorite Lang Leav book to date! I would definitely recommend this to people, especially to the women who are still learning and growing. This is a reminder that there's no other who deserves more love than your own self, and also a reminder that the love we give should be done so carefully.

Lang's latest accomplishment portrayed the fear and audacity of love and all its volume so eloquently and vastly and this was a very good read.

This was my first Lang Leav book! And I really enjoyed it. Most of the words and poems hit me like a punch to the gut and I loved the quick, powerful stanzas and one line pages.

I'm not as well-versed in poetry to know if I'm correct in this feeling but some of the poems felt a bit hollow to me. Not all of them, but some of them. Maybe because I was reading so quickly (the nature of the book almost wants you to hurry though it) but I wish there were more imagery in some of the poetry or the word choice was better. The flow of a few poems felt off--maybe they're better spoken out loud? I don't know. But overall, I really admire the message and talent that Lang Leav possesses. I can see why she's popular and why her books have resonated with so many. There are definitely lines that I want to write down and remember because they so perfectly echoed my feelings and thoughts on some many creative and relationship issues.

I definitely have to check out her other works--I'm sure I will be left just as breathless as I was with this collection. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this.

This was my first poetry collection by Lang Leav. I’ve heard good things about her previous works, I just never had a chance to read them myself so I am grateful for this opportunity.

I found this collection interesting because hers words felt both light & fluffy as well as raw & emotional.

I felt the theme of love and heartbreak to be very relatable, and they parts you cannot relate to, Lang paints the picture with her words creating the reader to empathize.

I enjoyed this collection and will be looking into her past collections.

This was lovely.
Some of the collection reads like short quotations, some prose, some more traditional rhyming poems.
This is my first contemporary single author poetry collection and I really enjoyed it. The style is simple, I didn't have the impression there were a ton of layers and double meanings I was missing out on but it was beautiful and impactful nonetheless.
I think some of those who aren't enjoying Lang Leav are much more experienced poetry readers and maybe when you're used to a lot of complexity, this type of collection feels lacking? I don't know but I enjoyed it.

Very self empowering. A collection about love loss and relationships. A lot of girls need to remember that all they need is themselves.

My first poetry collection by Lan Leav and I'm not disappointed.

Will publish the full review on 29th January 2019.

I’m not super into poetry (Milk & Honey is about as far as I get), though I did enjoy this book. Lear is sweet and describes love and relationships simply. The best parts, for me, were when she spoke about her relationship with her immigrant mother; I relate heavily to many of her sentiments. Given that the majority of the subject matter is positive, this collection is easy to digest and often left me feeling happy and thoughtful. I definitely enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Lang Leav’s work.

I received a Netgalley for "Love looks pretty on me" in exchange of an honest review.


Lang Leav never fails to surprise me.
And her sixth title was another five star read for me. I was impressed how she placed all the pieces together. The best thing about the book was there were no sections, you can feel your emotions oozing out in one page and desperately try to control your tears with the next page you flip.

It is always wonderful to see how, Leav connects with her readers. It feels as if I am the one who is penning down my raw Vulnerable emotions in my personal diary. #lovelooksprettyonyou #netgalley #langleav

The other thing that I loved about Leav's poetry was that they are not pretentious. It is alright to feel vindictive after a heartbreak, to feel pity at times for people who hurt you and that is what finds place in her book.
Just true naked emotions in the form of beautiful poetry.

It’s the third poetry collection of Lang Leav that I’m reading and as usual I’m loving it. This one deals more with the subject of self-empowerment and women than any of her other poetry. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone even those who don’t particularly enjoy reading poetry.

Requested & received this from NetGalley.

This is much more impactful (to me, anyway) than her first three poetry collections, which are the only others I've read of hers. I read the first two, and eagerly anticipated the third (and bought it on release day). Since her being my main introduction to modern poetry, I've figured out what works for me and what doesn't, and I do find her stuff a bit hit and miss for me. However, this? This really worked for me. It feels...intimate. And personal. It's great!

Very interesting title. I downloaded the book as the title and author seemed interesting and worthy of reading time but unfortunately couldn't read the book as it was a protected file. I'm a huge Lang Leav fan! So I'm assuming it must be great as usual.

Love Looks Pretty on You is the first of Lang Leav’s creations that I’ve read. In 2018, I enjoyed more contemporary poetry than in any year before. With the focus on so many admirable poetry collections, I just couldn’t resist Love Looks Pretty on You, especially not with its fine cover.

Lang Leav’s writing style was somewhat different to what I had imagined it to be, with the poems being much more raw than I had anticipated. Most of the poems I loved, only very few didn’t quite touch me.

With me being such a hopeless romantic, excessively appreciating love, over-the-top annoyingly sentimental at times, I felt so understood in some poems, and one or two even made me shed a tear. Overall my adoration was clearly to be expected, as this collection also presented itself with subtle, yet unapologetically feminist themes. I felt inspired, a little broken and yet full of love.

This was is my first Lang Leav book. It’s something to remember, with it’s powerful stanzas and sometimes one line pages. I’m not a poetry addict but I wish there had been some imagery put into a few of the poems. Maybe this is only my interpretation of what good poetry is. When it’s all matters of the heart and mind. Though you can’t miss why she’s so popular and her words speak to people. There are certain ones that I want to write and remember, they resonate on a deeper level than some others. Her portrayal of fear and audacity of love in a time where a lot of people don’t believe in love. It spoke volumes, her voice is so eloquently and vast and this was a very good read.

I received the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher.

This is another contemporary modern poetry collection. Some of the poems are a little long and feel like they drag slightly. However, overall this was a really enjoyable poetry collection.

Thank you so much to netgalley and the publisher for granting me and ARC of this book.

Another well-written poetry book of unraveling as a woman. The process of learning to move on from disappointments and letting yourself evolve holistically, again. This is an empowering piece that as always, everyone can relate to. Though some are only a sentence long, her words always hit the core of my emotions.

Also, I love the cover - it matches the covers of her previous works Sea of Strangers and Sad Girls.

I love poetry and am a poet myself that's why Lang's new book of how powerful I can become as a woman, a poet and a human being was a blessing.

Be whole again, grab a copy of Love Looks Pretty On You. Already out in all the bookstores worldwide.

It was nice collection of poetry and prose, very thought provoking and sometimes confrontational writing. Some really made me feel a pinch at heart. Enjoyed. Beautiful cover btw.

I was so excited when I got approved for this beautiful book! Lang Leav is one of my favorite poetry authors, and her newest book, "Love Looks Pretty on You", was really amazing.

The title is wonderful and well chosen. I like that the poem have different lenghts, from one sentence to almost two pages. Lang Leav talks about very important topics like heartbreak, self love, feminism mental health and more. All of her poems are really emotional and touching. My favorite poems from this book were "Anxiety" and "Wolves".

I've never been let down by anything that Lang Leav has ever written, and the same can be said with this book too. I just love the way she says things that evoke such feeling.

These poems centering around love, hearbreak, and self-love were beautiful and emotional. After the first two poems, I really got into it and very much enjoyed it.

I do not say this lightly when I say that I LOVE Lang Leav. I have read all of her poetry collections and when I think she can't be more talented, each collection is better than the last. Love Looks Pretty on You is no exception. My fiance and I read this collection out-loud to each other, passing our copy back and forth after every poem. It really added to the experience because poetry is meant to be heard. Told in beautiful prose with heartbreaking language, Love Looks Pretty on You is a must read.

Another Lang Leav book I couldn’t put down. An array of poems for everyone. Seemed to not have one common theme but I loved them each individually.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for an honest review:

It is no secret that Lang Leav's works touches my heart in a way no other poet/author can. I absolutely love all her poetry collections and her debut novel; SAD GIRLS is a book that will stay with me forever.

This collection of poetry/prose was a delight to read, touching my soul with every title that my eyes land upon. The beginning of this collection is my favourite part; most especially The Long Way and

History will look back on critics
as one collective voice,
tainted with bitterness,
coloured by their ignorance
and failure to find
the pulse of their generation.

As for the poets,
history will look back
and know us by name.

Refugee has a special place in my heart.

Thank you, Lang Leav for pouring your soul into pages that reach out and hold mine.

This poetry collection made me feel good. About myself, about love and life. After I finished, I just felt calm and happy. There were some really strong pieces which made my heart either skip a beat or beating with so much love. I found myself in some of them.

It felt more as a classic poetry than just some instagram posts. I am looking forward to read other Lang Leav's books.

Elements

I am contrary, like the weather,
I change my mind,
from moment to moment.
Something I once believed in,
I no longer do.
But when I did,
I felt it with all my sincerity.

I am made of the elements,
ever changing.

A forest fire to a candle flame.
A breeze to a hurricane.
A handful of dirt
to a mountaintop.
An ocean to raindrop.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a earc.

I gave this a four out of five stars. This was my first poetry collection I’ve read by the author but I did really enjoy it. I plan on reading more of her works, o have been wanting to read some of her stuff for a while now. I plan on purchasing for myself in the future and recommend you do the same.

Some lines I enjoyed:

“Don’t go upstairs with him. You’re going to regret it. He’ll never change.”

“In the glow of my eternal youth, when I had yet to learn my truth; in sun-soaked days I saw no end— I should have left you then.”

“You pitcher on a pedestal. Love her, adore her, crown her as your queen.”

“If you find yourself worrying when you have done nothing wrong, you are not free.”

“Women are fierce. They are powerful. No matter what language they speak, how they dress, or the work they choose to do.”

“The truth is, I hope to God you suffer every heartache you put me through. I hope when the darkness comes for you, it will hit you twice as hard as it hit me.”

This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley!

"Don’t stay where you are needed. Go where you are loved."

Love Looks Pretty on You is a poetry collection about love, heartbreak, relationship and empowerment.

"I have been quiet lately, I know. Not because I don’t know anything to say, but because I have too much."

I wasn’t sure whether I was going to like Love Looks Pretty on You because I read one of Lang Leav’s other poetry collections and I wasn’t the biggest fan of it, but Love Looks Pretty on You was such a beautiful collection. I could relate to so many poems and they were just beautifully written! I cannot wait to discover Lang Leav’s other poetry collections!

"The most beautiful thing is not when you learn to live without something; it’s the moment you realize you never needed it in the first place."

Favourite poems:

Making History
Endless Cycle
Someone Else
Vultures
Regrets
Letter to the Past
Loyalty
Idols
Your Right to Love
The Friendship Bond
Slut Shaming
First Steps
Abusive Relationships
True Love
Youth
Why You Fell in Love

Just the dedication page alone showing this book is about all types of love, not just romantic love really got to my emotions.

This book is full of poems that celebrate love - the big sweeping romantic relationships, the strong female friendships, self-love. I connected with so many of them and just had to sit with and savor them. That made this book a slow read for me, but not in a bad way. Its the kind of book where you’ll want to pick it up and read a few poems, but not sit and read the entire thing at once.

This is my first experience with Lang Leav so I don’t know how it compares to her previous works, but I’d definitely pick up more of them after this.

https://inthelastsentence.wordpress.com/2019/03/30/love-looks-pretty-on-you-by-lang-leav/

"The poet stands
before the ocean
like an offering
takes of her clothes,
peels off her skin.
Keeps stripping herself back,
until she is only heart and pulse;
blood and saltwater."

I thought I never heard of Lang Leav before, after looking for other books by her I found one I bought not long ago. Let’s just say, it won’t be long left unread.

There are poems about love, good and bad relationships (may be a trigger for some), about her mother and feelings. There are so many topics but everything is fitting together very well.
The author doesn’t stick to a specific style of poetry. They are short and long, they rhyme and don’t, some feel very modern and some a bit old.

After reading just a few pages I fell head over heals for it. It spoke to me on so many levels. It is raw and empowering and beautiful with a lot of positivity.
I wanted to savor every page. I started reading on a family diner, I never really read much when people I know are around me, it distracts me. This book though had me completely.
After a bit over half of it, I got a bit lost. Or more I couldn’t feel it as before. I took a break because I didn’t want it to be over so soon but it never had me again like it did in the first half. It felt a bit too rushed, I missed all the feelings I had before. I can’t really tell why but I felt like that.

But overall I really liked the book and I’m definitely reading more by Leav. She writes beautiful and I cannot wait to see how she does that in a novel.


"The half-moon yawned when we waved goodbye to another moment, lost to memory.
The walls learned our secrets like how you like your coffee black and I like mine with cream and sugar."

Really enjoyed this poetry book, this was my first read of Lang Leav's poetry! I will definitely be seeking out Lang Leav's previous work and look out for new releases.

Good lord, Lang Leav has a way with words.

I first fell in love with her work when I read came across some poems on Pinterest that were from her Memories collection. UH-MAZING.

Her poetry is relatable, passionate, stimulating and thought-provoking. It just doesn't disappoint.

Shut Out

<i>I felt it every day, that feeling of exclusion. Like a gradual
drop in temperature. A slow freezing out of a world I once
belonged to. I was nudged ever so slowly toward the exit, I
didn't even see the door. I only realized it was too late when
I found myself standing outside.

I really loved it. I feel like it is one of her best books after Love & Misadventures. Totally intense and relatable. Strongly recommend it.

Fantastic read from a talented author. Thank you to the author and publisher for a chance to read and review.

I am sure Lang Leav is no stranger to any of us. And in her sixth book she has brought her magic back. I kept underlining her and highlighting so many of her lines, especially the ones about abuse in relationships and being a strong woman.

When my best friend told me

she was in love

my first thought was,

‘I hope he is good to her.’

And it suddenly occurred to me,

what I held in my heart for her

was hope, when it should

have been expectation.

I love that her prose/poetry has always been easy to read and relate. I have felt in her earlier works she talks a little too much about heartbreak and being in love for my taste, and there is nothing wrong about that and it is just me, not her. But she has proved herself as a matured writer in this one.

Final thought: Though monotonous at times, the author moved past from the heartbreaks to more mature subjects.

Recommended to: If you liked her previous works, this should be on your list as well

Lang Leav continues to be one of the best poetry and prose writers for confessional poetry/prose in the business and this newest publication of hers is the next big step in that. She continues to capture the experiences of millions with such clarity and depth of feeling. I saw dozens of things I've been through, terrible and beautiful in her words in this volume, and I already must have copies, for myself and to give to friends.