break your glass slippers

This may be my favorite collection from Amanda Lovelace because it hit me especially deep. The poems about toxic/abusive romantic relationship were so reminiscent of my college boyfriend and the excuses I’d make for him and the situation. I loved the second part too because it was wonderful seeing the breaking free from toxic cycles and gaining confidence and learning what you deserve. Really loved this collection and want to rip out pages to paste all over my walls because they mean so much to me.

"So often we are our own true love "
I think Break Your Glass Slippers is the best poetry collection by Lovelace thus far. There wasn't a single poem that didn't resonate with me. This whole collection was all about self love and self care. You could and you really should be your own princess and fairy godmother and prince.
Huge thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Break your glass slippers by Amanda Lovelace is a complete rewrite of the classic Cinderella story. However, in her version, Cinderella discovers the magic of self love and the wonderful life she can create with her own hands without worrying about validation from some prince. Not quite the poetry and prose fans are used to, but inspiring for women regardless of age.

I got the early review copy of this poetry retelling and cracked it open immediately, I had zero chill. It was a good call because this is my favourite read so far from Amanda Lovelace. It was definitely less sad than some of her previous work and it was incredibly empowering.

The poems are told in a way that depicts a retelling of Cinderella. There are various narrators such as fairy godmother, Cinders and Charming. Fairy godmother was my favourite, instilling sage words for any women to have affirmed to them. The prose was simple and yet beautiful, it touched me on an emotional level.

"her precious fairy tales showed her what would happen if she found her prince, but hey never prepared her for what she should do if her prince turned out to be her unhappily ever after –cinderella"

This book is so easy to read front to back, but I can definitely imagine myself rereading it but also dipping in and out of it. From what I can see from the electronic copy, the illustrations are beautiful and colourful but also simple. I can’t wait to see them in the flesh in a real book.

This is poetry that is suitable for young women and older alike. There are f-bombs that might make this unsuitable for younger girls however, the messages are powerful and empowering. I will be buying this for my daughter.

"you are the only set of keys to your castle.
the rest of them are nothing but bad copies."

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the early copy to devour.

once again I'm in love with Lovelace's work. I devoured this collection in hours and was left wanting more as always. I didn't know what to expect from this collection but I loved the way every poem felt like a modern day fairytale. She left me feeling empowered and wanting to hold this collection in my hands.

I've been desperate to read more poetry and have always been a fan of Amanda Lovelace's work so when I saw that her new book was up on NetGalley I just knew I had to have it.

This book was beyond perfect for me and the illustrations were absolutely stunning. This book really hit home for me and I found that there were a lot of poems that I could really relate to. I cannot wait to get a physical copy of this book so that I can just tab my favourites!!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

**I received an electronic ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**

This was the first book of poetry that I've read from Amanda Lovelace and I was definitely not disappointed. Lovelace brings a collection that is partially a Cinderella retelling and partially based in her personal experiences. There is an overarching theme of toxic relationships with family and lovers, and finding value in oneself.

I do not imagine myself a poetry aficionado, but I did enjoy this collection. I found it quotable and containing pieces that could easily be hung on a wall for reminders.

I look forward to Amanda Lovelace's future work and to exploring her backlist.

I love how this book delves into the journey of self worth and self love.
It takes us through life from the outside in and with amazing illustrations and memorable insights into love and owning our space.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC. I believe readers would relate to it easily as it draws inspiration from our highest need to love and be loved and is a spin on one of the most known fairytales, Cinderella.

Amanda Lovelace never ceases to devastate and mend with her words. I’ve been a fan for some time, but this one feels so personal. I see myself and my story in this poetry in a way I have never seen on a page before. It is beautiful and touching.

If you are a fan of her poetry, poetry that is hard hitting and tells a story, this is no different. I will forever be a lover of her work.

Amanda Lovelace's poetry and the way she presents them in this incredible collection is truly something. The poems themselves each have a lot of heart to them, both on their own and within the storyline the collection creates, and the other elements of the book (especially the beautiful illustrations between sections and accompanying many of the poems) frame them wonderfully.

“Break your Glass Slippers” is the beginning of a new poetry collection done by the poet Amanda Lovelace. Quoting from the first page of the introduction, I found these words say it best to describe the purpose of the new series; “You are Your Own Fairy Tale.”
“The message in this captivating book of poetry is clear: take this modern fairy tale, treasure it, and share it with someone you love. Let it teach you that magic you are looking for already rest inside you, waiting for a spark. Let it remind you of your spirit through mystical words that awaken the flames inside you.”
“Break your Glass Slippers” is a retelling of Cinderella and what makes it unique is that you are Cinderella, you are the Fairy Godmother, and you are the Prince. You become the whole story by interpreting parts that mean the most to you and it was done beautifully. I especially love the parts of the Fairy Godmother for those parts spoke the loudest to me. The artwork/illustrations made it feel even more like a fairy tale. This collection is my favorite from everything Amanda Lovelace has created. I am looking forward to more in this series.

I am in awe of her works and I was so happy that Netgalley kindly provided me with an ARC for this book. Whenever I do read a book of hers, it's always just what I need. I am so excited for everyone that is going to read it sooner or later, it's truly some other kind of magic.

[ I received an eARC on Netgalley in return for an honest review. ]

This was my first book by Amanda Lovelace, and I understand now why her books are always so highly recommended. She truly has a way with words!

I loved that the collection was a colloquial retelling of Cinderellla, and I thought that her added twists really helped to emphasise the difficult topics at hand.

I also liked that she included trigger warnings at the beginning of the collection.

Rating: 4/5

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for sending me this book to review!

~Fairy Godmother says:

you are limitless.

You can have the lipstick.

You can have the sword.~

I absolutely love Amanda Lovelace – I’ve enjoyed every single book she has written and I re-read them regularly. I already know that I will be buying a physical copy of this one to do the same thing!

This book is half Cinderella, half real life, which twist and shape into a gorgeous narrative where Cinderella finds her self-worth without her Prince. Her poetry is simple, but evokes deep emotions through the power of just a paragraph or a sentence. Not many people can do that and I love her even more for it!

Amanda has a beautiful way with words that really speaks to me, and I assume will with a lot of women (and possibly men!). Her poetry is raw and real, uncovering the toxicity of relationships both romantic and otherwise. This collection feels more uplifting than some of her other books, injecting positivity, the idea of self-love and self-worth between the narrative in the shape of the Fairy Godmother. She is the voice of reason when everyone around Cinderella is being awful, which is a lovely addition. I can see a lot of these poems being hung on walls and memorised!

She still touches on difficult subjects, hence the trigger warnings at the front of the book. I deeply appreciate that she does this for every single book that she has – this should definitely be a normality.

The illustrations in this book are simply wonderful and probably my favourite of her works so far. I think they tie in to the narrative especially well are give the book another dimension.

I understand that modern poetry isn’t for everyone, but Amanda’s poetry can read as single statements which put across an important message regardless. I’d recommend anyone who has ever felt worthless, sad, confused about someone, has/had body issues to read this as it will give you a boost you may not have known you needed.

I absolutely devoured this book (I finished it within an hour…it’s just that good!) and is easily within my top 3 of this year (I’ve already read quite a lot!). I haven’t connected to a collection of poetry this strongly for a very long time so I’m excited to see where this series goes. I can’t wait for general release so others can share my joy in reading this wonderful book! 5 stars and a huge recommendation from me!

I love that the author, Amanda Lovelace puts in a trigger warning page. Whenever I read collection of poems by Amanda Lovelace they give me motivation to write. I really enjoyed reading this, and can't wait to see what the author comes up with next.

I've read each and every one of Amanda's books and they keep getting better. A perfect modern retelling of the Cinderella story that doesn't leave out any of the gory bits from the original, and gives us self-care tips along the way.

This was a deeply powerful and very personal collection by Amanda. I am a huge fan of her work (and have read every single one of her collections), and with each one, I feel like I learn so much more about her. I love how vulnerable she allows herself to be in her writing. It is something I truly admire.

I read this entire book in a matter of a couple of hours because I wanted to keep reading. I did not want to put it down because it was so good. She is a very talented poet, and I will continue to support her with every work she puts out.

I highly encourage everyone to give poetry a try- any of her collections are a good place to start!

Break Your Glass Slippers in the latest feminist poetry collection from Amanda Lovelace. It artfully takes Cinderella and spins it on its’ head. I love the poem and rebuttal from the Fairy Godmother in section one and found myself relating so hard to it—often hearing what I needed to hear from the Fairy Godmother.

This is my favorite collection from
Lovelace since Princess and I loved all the Cinderella takes her own crown references. I loved this collection, and the artwork is gorgeous!

A copy of Break Your Glass Slippers was provided from a NetGalley in exchange for an honest and fair review.

Dear prince,

If you tried to find me now,
you wouldn't be able to.
You see, when I finally learned
how to love myself, everything
about me changed.

Love,
the princess.

Oh my, I finished these poems way too quick, I wanted this collection to contain more of them! Yes, they are that good. I am definately going to re-read this, and I've already looked up if it will be sold in the Netherlands - since I definately want to buy it too.

My loving this collection of poems probably has to do with a couple of things. I mean, yes, of course they are good, and I could write a whole lot about how the words are arranged, about the beautiful simplicity etc. But let's be honest, poetry is all about emotions, and to capture emotions in good poetry is not all about techniques. Me loving these poems probably has as much origin in them brushing my own experiences, them helping me find words for what I feel.

trigger warning (as written in the book)
<spoiler> child abuse, toxic friendships, toxic romantic relationships, sexual harrassment, eating disorders, fatphobia, suicide, trauma</spoiler>

This was my first collection of poetry by Amanda Lovelace, and while a friend told me those come with trigger warnings, I'd forgotten it till I saw it myself - and it's so wonderful! I feel seen.

Same goes for the content of her poetry, in this case a loose retelling of Cinderella/ Aschenputtel made entirely out of poetry. It's set in our world, the magic is being yourself and staying strong through hardship and the fairy godmother may be yourself.

I liked this a lot and will look if I can get my hands on more of her works.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read several of Amanda’s poetry books in the past and always enjoyed them but this is by far my favorite. I really connected with these poems and I feel like Amanda’s books keep getting better and better. I’ll always be excited for her releases and I can’t wait to pick up a physical copy of this book to add to my poetry shelf.

This poetry collection has a lot of powerful poems inside. Amanda Lovelace told an amazing story about body positivism and self love through poems. I really loved the first part of this book and artworks were really gorgeous as always.

Fairy Godmother says:
you are limitless.
You can have the lipstick.
You can have the sword.

I read it in one sitting and I liked it so much. This is the kind of book that I insanely need right now. Overall, this book talked about self-love which one thing that I'm currently working at this point. There were some parts of the book that encouraged me a lot to let me love myself. highly recommended!!

I know a lot of people criticize this type of "Instagram poetry" as being shallow and artistically lazy, while others commend it for being accessible and emotional in a way that more complex poetry often is not. I find myself on the side of those for it. Just as with books, poetry is varied. There's absolutely nothing wrong with enjoying more approachable poetry over the effort that is required for a lot of what is considered traditional poetry, just as there's nothing wrong with preferring YA over Adult books for its ease.

In this way, I thought that break your glass slippers succeeded. It is a feminist manifesto in the same ways that many of these collections are, covering self-love, body positivity, toxic relationships, and insecurity (among many, many more). These topics are treated with short poems that read more like affirmations, but there's power in that. Even if it's something you've heard before, sometimes what you need is to read that one phrase. It was only a seven-line poem, but one of them was really what I needed to read tonight.

Honestly, if this book can provide that in just one of its poems for all of the people who pick it up, it has succeeded fully. I look forward to exploring more of Lovelace's books in the future.

Amanda Lovelace does it again with this poetry retelling of Cinderella! This collection of poems is empowering and puts forward ideas and mottos that women need to hear but don't hear often enough! While this poetry collection did still have some triggers to beware of it was so well done! I loved the illustrations as well and can't wait for the rest of the collection to be released!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me an arc for an honest review!

I love Lovelace’s works. I always have and I think I always will. There’s something special about her poetry – she tells a story (her own) in a cohesive way through poetry. Each poem leads to the next, they aren’t isolated nodes.

In this novel, we follow a retelling of Cinderella, except it’s a darker, more empowering version. This resonated with me in so many ways, Lovelace always finds a way to write something that I will relate to in a deep level.

If you’re like me and often don’t find the words to explain how you feel, read this. If you want to read lovely poetry, read this. If you want to read a story about growing to love yourself, read this. Honestly, read it even if the options above don’t apply to you. I know you’ll love it.

Rating: 5 stars – I can’t wait to tell my friends all about this book
(review is scheduled to be posted March 17th)

The idea of rewriting famous and problematic fairy tales so they're more empowering and contemporary through feminist lenses is absolutely my cup of tea. Lovelace's poetry collection does just that; the model of Cinderella she builds is an unapologetically self-governed human.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced copy to read and review.

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT!!
Amanda Lovelace never lets me down and has become my favourite poet since her first book. For some reason, her books speak to me on a level I can completely relate to and gives such great messages. This book is no exception. The way she turned her poems into a story is amazing. Every word I read, felt like it was directed at me and it was what I needed to hear/read right now.

I can't wait for the next installment.

5 Stars!!

Amanda Lovelace did an incredible job with this book for a few reasons. First of all, it really flowed. Sometimes books of poetry can feel random as you flip the page, but with this one, I never felt like the next poem was unexpected or out of place. Second, I feel like any reader would connect with a number of the poems because while they all seemed to go together, they were varied enough that everyone could connect with some of them. Since I read this as an e-book, I actually bookmarked the poems that I related to and it looks like that came to about 22 of the pages. It also wasn't just that I related to those poems - it was more that although I could never personally find the words to write them, if someone told me that Lovelace has used my soul as an inspiration to write a few of them, I would have thought, "oh, that explains it". She just perfectly captured emotions that I have personally felt, which in my limited experience with poetry isn't something I often have felt.

Overall, I loved reading this and I'm hoping to get my hands on a hard copy some day to add to my collection because it's one that I want to read again and recommend to many people.

This book left me a bit speechless and somewhat breathless. I felt like the author had looked into my life and there it was on paper. It was an eye-opener for me and just the kick in the butt I needed. I will be purchasing this book when it comes out in March and also reading more books by Amanda Lovelace.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book for review.

TW: child abuse, toxic friendships, toxic romantic relationship, sexual harassment, eating disorders, fat phobia, suicide, trauma

“When they tell me I’ve changed,like it’s some personal act of betrayal on my part, I tell them, “I know. I’ve never been more proud of myself. I went from a single wildflower to a whole fucking meadow” - break your glass slippers

I’ve read every Amanda Lovelace’s poetry collections she has ever brought out and wow she never ceases to amaze me. This poetry collection was just a masterpiece and for me needs to be read by everyone!!!

Every page the poems were just breathtaking and I’ve marked and saved so many of them. I just love the empowerment of Amanda’s collections of self love, being your own self and also never letting anyone try and knock you off your throne or steal your crown you deserve!!!

This poetry collection for me is my favourite from Amanda and I could just read her collections all day, like I need quote from her collections around the house :)

One final thing that I love when delving into Amanda’s poetry is that she always puts the trigger warnings of what’s to come when you delve into the collection.

Just amazing and a 5/5 star read (my first 5 star of the year)

As a big fan of Amanda's poems, I'm always eagerly anticipating whatever she's coming up with next. And this collection was wonderful. It's start of her new series and reimagines the story of Cinderella, with personal insights from author's life. In a similar manner to her previous works, this too touches upon topics of toxic dynamics, abuse, and how to regain self-confidence.

I loved the way Amanda balanced darker poems with positive ones fillied with encouragement and empowerment. She's able to say so much with so little words, and her writing always manages to touch me and resonate with me. This was a great opening collection and I'm extremely excited to see where this series goes.

she wants nothing more
than to be the kind of girl
worthy of standing
next to him.

- she doesn't always want what's best for her.

Thanks to the Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for an early copy of break your glass slippers.

This was my first time reading Lovelace but it will not be my last. In this poetry collection, Lovelace retells the story of Cinderella through short poems that discuss toxic relationships, female friend and personal empowerment. The art style is beautiful and fits very well with each poem (most especially the blue tones).

Break your glass slippers is one of those collections where the only time you pause reading it is to share a quote with someone who needs to hear it.

4/5 stars.

I’m not normally a huge fan of poetry, but I thoroughly enjoyed these! Totally spins the traditional fairytales stories we’ve heard all of our lives; timely and relevant. I loved it.

Amanda Lovelace is known for baring her soul in her work, and her newest poetry collection is no exception. Each page is filled with heartbreak, empowerment, learning to love oneself, and moving on from things and those that have caused you pain. She has such a magical way of taking thoughts that each of us have had at some point and making them real to help you heal. This might be my favorite collection of hers this far. I found myself highlighting quiet a lot of passages that felt really relatable, and I also really liked the artwork throughout. I definitely recommend checking this out if you're a fan.

I've been reading a lot of long novels in 2020 so far, so I was excited to take a quick break with the latest poetry collection by Amanda Lovelace: Break Your Glass Slippers. Billed as the start of a new series and a play on the Cinderella story, it's got the usual heart of a Lovelace collection and her signature style,but definitely feels a little self-helpy at times. 

I'm the first to admit I hated my poetry classes in college. I never really felt like I fit in there, I struggled to 'get' things sometimes, and the adherence to form stressed even my Type A butt out a lot. But I do truly like Amanda Lovelace's style. She writes like we think, captures ideas and lets them stand on their own. Her poems can be heavy and dark but they don't overwhelm you with drawn out metaphors or obsessive rhyme schemes. Rather, you get to exist in the poems. And I've loved all of her collections so far--this one was good too. 

The collection started by saying it was a kind of focus on Cinderella, and I got that in a few places, but not cohesively throughout. Some segments were much longer than others in the collection, so much that I was surprised when it in. Similarly, much of it felt "self-help"-y rather than genuinely reflective, and while I did enjoy it, it's not my new favorite.

I love Amanda Lovelace's poetry. It's accessible and has a great message. This collections takes on the story of Cinderella and brings it into a contemporary setting. I think Amanda does a great job marketing poetry to young people and making it enjoyable. She is also very inclusive and positive.

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

"Break your Glass Slippers" is a feminist Cinderella retelling in poems, which deal with fatshaming, sexual abuse/exploitation, standing up for oneself, self acceptance, healing, guilty feminism, and coming to terms with one's body. The poems are very short, yet poignant. The poems from the Fairy Godmother try to tell you that you are worthy despite what everybody else (or the mirror) tells you:

"fairy godmother says

you are limitless.

you can have the lipstick.
you can have the sword." (p. 27)

I loved the poems, but most of all I loved the message of self-acceptance, self-care and body positivity. Fairy tales and the message they send are also deconstructed: "her precious fairy tales showed her what would / happen if she found her prince, but they / never prepared her for what she should do if / her prince turned out to be her unhappily ever after. --- cinderella." (p. 68)

5 Stars

*3.5 stars. Firstly, I'd like to thank NetGalley for giving me an ARC for an honest review!

"It has never been within your duty to be pretty"

Having read all of Amanda Lovelace's books, I was excited to read this one. Being such a huge fan of fairytales I was looking forward to seeing how Amanda used this in her writing. I have to say Nikita Gill's forward is brilliantly written and also the artwork is a beautiful addition as always to the writing!

"We don't win till we're all winning"

I still find it hard consider Amanda's writing poetry. I would say it is more like inspirational quotes and pieces of prose which I still enjoyed. I found the 'fairy godmother says' a little irritating after a while and was glad when I got to the next sections where it stopped.

"My value doesn't go down when my weight goes up"

I love the girl power vibes throughout this book and how much Amanda supports women. Having put on 2 and 1/2 stone in two years (shock horror) the quote above really helped me to try and see myself in a better light. I can see how a lot of people will be able to relate to this book and how it can really help people. I liked the concept that we can be our own fairy godmother and our own prince. We are strong enough to do it for ourselves!

"I went from a single wildflower to a whole fucking meadow"

I was glad to see some pieces that celebrated men rather than slating them throughout which shows Amanda's growth. In truth there is always somebody out there that isn't going to fuck us over.

"Withholding forgiveness can be a form of self-care"

Another quote that will be forever in my mind. Sometimes you just need someone else to say it for you to truly believe it! Another good book from Amanda and I hope to read many more.

“she never needed anyone else’s help to have the fairy tale she always wanted. at long last, she’s realized one of the greatest truths a person can learn during the course of a life: she is her own goddamn fairy tale.”

As always, I loved the new collection of poems from Amanda Lovelace. Her poems always hit me right in the gut and right in the heart and I adore it every time. Break Your Glass Slippers takes the story of Cinderella and turns it on its head to create a story that tells women they don’t need to impress their prince, tells women to practice self-care and, just as importantly, to practice self-love.

I really liked the set-up of poems about the princess followed by the fairy godmother advice poems. It fit so well with the Cinderella aspect, it was something I appreciated. The illustrations in this book are GORGEOUS and I absolutely cannot wait to see them in person.

This is one you should definitely read if you have ever faced a toxic relationship, feelings of self-doubt and worthlessness, and need a few reminders that you are enough and you can do anything through hard work and determination.

Amanda Lovelace's first book in her new You are your own fairy tale series is a poetic retelling or reimagining of the classic fairy tale Cinderella. Instead of the fairy godmother (FG) fashioning a gown, a coach, and fancy slippers, (in the first of three parts of the book) the FG offers the girl powerful affirmations of self-worth, strength, and the power to find the beauty that is within. The second part of the book focuses on self-care and knowing your own worth, while the third part is short and sweet--"be your own...fairy tale." This is isn't book lamenting on finding your prince or hoping for a fairy godmother, this book is about facing difficult situations and finding the magic and power within yourself to be seen, to be heard, and to shape your own destiny.
Often Lovelace's works are hit and miss for me, but the majority of this one resonated because doubt, feelings of selfishness when I practice self-care, and feeling stuck are all things I still struggle with and this book offers little gems of hope that can help to push away from those negative naggers in the brain.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for the eARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Amanda Lovelace does it again. Her writing grows stronger every new book, and I can see the transformation before my eyes. I absolutely enjoyed Break Your Glass Slipper. One could say it shattered expectations.

Whatever Fairy Godmother says, you should listen. Those were my favorite segments in the entire book. “you don’t need to look a certain way to deserve someone’s heart. No matter your shape - no matter your size - be proud of all the space your body dares to take up”.

The illustrations in this book were by far my favorite that Lovelace has had before. The checklist, the shattered slipper, both really stood out.

Lovelace has captured different topics ranging from privilege, to comparing ones self worth to others, to heartbreak. I am thankful she puts her disclaimer at the beginning of each book. I felt like there was nod to “Women are some kind of magic” saying, “some kinds of magic just don’t call to each other”, and that truly brought a smile to my face to see it all tie in.
Overall, this has been such a great read and I’m excited to see what is next for Amanda Lovelace. 5 stars, hands down.

I enjoyed this poetry collection very much. I really liked how Amanda Lovelace took some of the original Cinderella tropes and changed them to put them into her own poems. I especially liked how the fairy godmother was presented as the supporter we all need in life and also how we can all be our own fairy godmothers.
The poems in this book are empowering and promote self-love. Also, the illustrations are gorgeous, especially the ones of the painted sky.
I really recommend this one!

Another great poetry collection by Amanda Lovelace! I loved her poems about self-care and so many of them resonated with me. It was a beautiful read and I would highly recommend it!

Another collection from Amanda Lovelace that encourages self-love, positive body image and feminism to its young readers. There is also dreamy art scattered throughout making the experience even more enjoyable.

What I love most about Amanda Lovelace's writing that it always leaves me wanting more while simultaneously giving me this huge boost of confidence - finishing one of her collections always ends up with me wanting to burn down the patriarchy and wanting to empower and encourage every single woman I've ever crossed paths with. break your glass slippers was no different. With her utter honesty and absolute confidence in telling the story as is, Lovelace just burrows herself into our hearts. I for one hope she never stops writing stories that empower women everywhere and tell them what we should know all along: we are enough, exactly the way we are.

This is a volume of very, very short poems that are essentially a modern and empowering retelling of Cinderella. Really beautiful, heartbreaking, and hopeful.

I absolutely loved this. I don’t usually like poetry, but based on the synopsis, I wanted to read it. What she’s saying is so important! I think this book will help others see their self worth. It’s wonderful. 💜

" her precious fairy tales showed her what would happen if she found her prince, but they never prepared her for what she should do if her prince turned out to be her unhappily ever after. "

I loved the book. There were so many beautiful lines in that poem that I cannot appreciate enough and I would say it's a beautiful way to spread the message of "self care" and "self love". I loved how it said "skinny" and "fat" are just sizes and are neither compliment nor comment. There were many other sensitive issues that were covered in this book and kudos to the poet for being able to portray it with such ease.
Moreover, the book had beautiful aesthetics as well. The book was in a peculiar format - poem for what's going on in Cinderella's life and then Fairy Godmother's advice to her. Best part was : It promoted the message that no matter what if you have fallen down you can definitely rise again and it's all in your hands.
There are some trigger warnings at the beginning of the book so check that out before proceeding.

Too easy to read, can be completed in less than an hour. The title of the book can make you feel that this book is a poetic wonder which it is not. Quite straightforward with no hidden meanings as such, what the poet wanted to convey is kept is presented in simple English and there is no "I feel she wanted to convey this emotion here".

A beautiful first book in the "You are Your Own Fairytale" series. Like her other books, Break Your Glass Slippers is a collection of empowering poetry, that my feminist heart is here for! Part III sums up the book perfectly - you are your own goddamn fairytale!

Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this poetry. I enjoy Lovelace immensely and have read all of her work to date. I really enjoyed the idea that "The Cinderella in this book is a survivor in every way." I liked the format of this one because it was different than her others, but it was still very enjoyable and readable. Definitely recommend.

#poetrymatters "Let it teach you that the magic you are looking for already rests inside you, waiting for a spark."

Amanda Lovelaces new poetry collection is just as beautiful and empowering as all her other works. I've read everyone of her books and got super excited when I seen i could read this on Netgalley. This collection is about breaking toxic cycles and letting females know they are worth so much more. She always counters the negative with a positive and self love note. I really liked that Amanda Lovelace made the fairy godmother seem like she is in all of us when we need her the most and that we really need to believe in ourselves. The way she mixed classic fairy tales with her own experience was really creative. I always feel like everyone can relate to her poems. I cant wait for her next collection to come out. I also want to talk about the illustrations and they're absolutely stunning especially the night sky drawings.

Another great collection from amanda lovelace. I have read all of her poetry books, and have never once been disappointed. Her writing is real, heartbreaking, and empowering all at once. I will always look to her for good poetry.

“Dear prince, if you tried to find me now, you wouldn’t be able to. You see, when I finally learned how to love myself, everything about me changed. Love, the princess”

Break your Glass Slippers is a poetry collection about overcoming those who don’t see your worth, even if that person is sometimes yourself. When I saw this book available on NetGalley I immediately started to read it. I am a huge fan of Amanda Lovelace´s work. Like most of Amanda Lovelance´s work I adored this poetry collection. The author is starting to become one of my favorites. The poetry isn’t groundbreaking or a masterpiece but it makes me feel things no other poetry has ever been able to do. It makes me reflect and appreciate everything that surrounds me, including myself.

Every time I read Lovelace´s work I feel good and this was no exception. This poetry collection makes me feel like I matter and even though this is Lovelance´s story I feel seen and represented. These are words you need to hear no matter at what point in your life you are. I can see why some people see this as a Twitter/ Tumblr post, and maybe it is, but even a Twitter / Tumblr post can be beautiful and inspiring.

What made this collection extra special for me was that every negative thought was followed by a positive one, it felt hopeful. The poetry is empowering and promotes self-love above all. I truly recommend you read it. Overall it was an amazing poetry collection, the poems are raw and promote self-love which I think is crucial. I highly recommend it if you are looking for a short, powerful poetry book that is easy to read and will definitely make you love yourself a little bit more.

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

I've always been a girl of fanciful dreams and a lover of fairytales, always imagining my own Prince Charming in shining armour and a handsome face. Amanda Lovelace's poetry books have been talked about as masterpieces, and this is my first experience with one. If they are all this deep and soul-hitting, then I'm about to add more books to my collection.

break your glass slippers is a poetry masterpiece, and a story that many girls should read. I kept a notebook page with the page numbers of every thing that hit close to home and, let me just say, it encompassed at LEAST half the book. From the first heartbreak of feeling like family doesn't love you, to the villains being those you cared about, and the importance of self love. I can't even begin to describe how familiar these things were. It also helped me to realise that my own Prince is everything he should be. My only request is that somebody writes one of these books for the men in the world. I think we spend so much time empowering women that we don't spend enough time teaching men that they are important too.

This is a definite 4.5/5 for me for the message and the style. Thanks to NetGalley for the arc read.

<i>arc provided by the publisher and netgalley in exchange for an honest review</i>

This poetry collection has some beautiful messages and poems in here.

Some of them really spoke to me and the overall story the author was portraying was stunning and brought me to tears a couple of times.

I definitely recommend this one if you’re into poetry— or even if you’re not, the writing and the poetry flow beautifully and I think there’s something in it for everyone.

4/5 ⭐️

* thank you to Netgalley and Andrew McNeal publisher for giving me an E-arc
of "Break Your Glass Slipper" in exchange for an honest reveiew. *
Another winner from Amanda! Love all of her poetry, but this is my favorite! I like how she's continuing her theme of "shattering the fairytale" with Break Your Glass Slipper. "

WOW. Every page is impactful and my new mission statement. I just couldn’t stop flipping the pages. Many of the quotes have me a Lizzo vibe while building me up, making me understand my purpose and not weighing it against the values and thoughts of others. Highly highly recommend this poetry book written as the journey of Cinderella.

This book was amazing. It’s so powerful and wonderful. I cried. The author has an amazing talent for telling reality in a captivating and moving way. This story has such an important message. I enjoyed every page, every word and littler detail. One of my favorites of 2020

This book of poetry is less a collection of individual poems and more a narrative poem that lasts the entire book. The first half of the book goes back and forth between the narrator's experiences and the fairy godmother giving advise. It reminded me a lot of the 'letter to my younger self' type thing, which I didn't mind too much. The last part of the book is the narrator realizing the fairy godmother was in her the whole time and that she is enough and that her ex is a douche. I am not at a place in my life where I need an epic breakup/recovery poem but I could once upon a time (haha that wasn't even on purpose). There are definitely poems that can apply to other aspects of life besides finding prince charming as well-self love & self care, body image, surrounding yourself with people who care about you, caring about yourself...

*received a free digital ARC from netgalley.

I've been reading her work since it first came out and the evolution is tremendous!
Highly recommend it.

break your glass slippers by Amanda Lovelace is an effective reimagining of the classic Cinderella story that is both uplifting and powerful. I had not read the poetry of Ms Lovelace previously, but if this compilation is indicative of her body of work, I will certainly count myself as a new devotee. This is a beautiful, lyrical collection that speaks to, and promotes, self-worth, body positivity, and becoming the heroine of your own story. I would definitely recommend this lovely book, particularly to a YA audience.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC.

I have never been much of a poetry reader but I have found Amanda Lovelace to be very accessible for readers like me and she has gotten me to branch out and try more poetry. She hits the nail on the head again (for me) with this one. So much of what she writes resonates for me and she has become a poet I’ll always look forward to (can’t believe I’m saying that!) I think the mark of a great artist is being able to get someone outside their comfort zone and she has succeeded in that with me.

"repeat after me: there can never be too many sky. there can never be too many dreams. there can never be too much coffee. there can never be too many stars. there can never be too much me."

Am I going to love everything Amanda Lovelace writes? Probably.
But this book felt particularly special to me.
I love a good fairytale retelling, and there is something so universal about cinderella. Who hasn't felt like her sometimes? locked in a place she didn't belong to, wishing for a fairy godmother to come and give her everything she ever wished for?
This is exactly the kind of book I needed right now. It's much lighter and easier to read than her last book series and can be read almost as an advice book, from the fairy godmother to the reader. In her poems, Amanda guides us through the journey of being a young woman in today's world. She holds her reader's hand and teaches her all about self-love and self-care and how to recognize the right (and the wrong) kind of relationships. Encouraging her to let go of self-doubts and take her fate into her own hands. I love everything about this book from the beautiful poems to the empowering message to the stunning illustrations. I believe every woman can find a little piece of herself in it.

Author of The Princess Saves Herself in This One, The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One, and The Mermaid's Voice Returns in This One, comes another real life account of love, heartbreak, and picking yourself up again.
The Princess Saves Herself in This One was my first introduction to Amanda Lovelace's writing (at the recommendation of The Lexington Bookie!), and I immediately fell in love with her style of writing. The realness, and rawness with which she delivers blow after blow to break through all the lies we tell ourselves to make ourselves feel better forced me to take a good look at myself and how I've interacted in relationships, and it hurt, but in the best way possible.
Break Your Glass Slippers isn't a fairytale, it's not a feel-good collection of poetry about love and how it conquers all. It is an in-your-face reality check that we cannot depend on our fairy godmothers to save us when the ugliness of the world comes to call. We are our own fairy godmothers, and while we may not always like it, Prince Charming might just be a loser in tinfoil, and we can be our own knight in beat up armor.
Lovelace's writing is sometimes harsh, but it gets the point across that we are stronger than we sometimes think, and it really reminded me that, for every sucky relationship I previously had, or every lie I fell for, I'm not alone in that. And that's ok, it's part of being human, it's part of growing and living and life.
Break Your Glass Slippers is a rallying cry to women, a reminder that we don't fit in a box, that we can (and should) smash glass ceilings. Who are we to be held back by those around us? To sacrifice what we want to preserve fragile egos? To use the cliche, I am woman, hear me roar.
In today's society of the #MeToo movement, and women's empowerment, Lovelace's writing is so important in reminding us to be strong, to grow and heal, and that sometimes it's ok to not be ok. She reminds us that it's alright to cut poisonous people out of our lives, even if they're family, or lovers, or friends. That we need to look out for ourselves, because it is our time to save ourselves. We are our own greatest champions, and we can smash our glass slippers and not get cut on the pieces.

(ARC REVIEW) as a long time fan of amanda’s work, i was more than happy to read and provide feedback for this most recent title. the author has shown us so many facets of their life through clever fairytale metaphors. they never fail to capture your attention with their effortless storytelling. break your glass slippers feels like a grown up “princess saves herself in this one.” long time readers of this author will adore this collection.

This is probably my favorite of Amanda Lovelace's collections that I have read. There are powerful themes of toxic relationships, finding your way out of them and self empowerment, but there are also a ton of trigger warnings that go along with it. If you have been in a toxic relationship I would definitely go into this carefully, I've been in them and this spoke to me, but it may be completely triggering in a negative way to someone else. If you pick it up definitely check the trigger warning note at the front to evaluate if it's something you want to pick up.

As always Lovelace's imagery and the flow of her writing were beautiful. She is able to evoke such powerful messages in small little packages and I loved it. I'm definitely eager to see what else she comes out with in this new series as I completely loved this one.

Hard-hitting and highly relatable! This poetry collection focuses on overcoming toxic relationships and abuse, as well as promoting self-love and female empowerment.

Most of the poems resonated with me and I applaud Amanda Lovelace for encouraging self-love in the most relatable and direct way as possible. I loved that some of the poems related to the Cinderella fairy tale.
However, some poems did not stick to the theme but that did not take away the message the poem is trying to convey.
I also want to add that the illustrations are gorgeous, especially the pages with the night sky. Props to the illustrator!

Overall, I enjoyed this so much! Looking forward to more poetry collections by Lovelace.

Loved this collection and Lovelace's poetry as always. Not a huge poetry fan in general, but her work has always been thought-provoking and timely to current events.

Freaking beautiful!!!

I'm just such a big fan of everything I have ever read by Amanda Lovelace. DAMN, she has a way with words that makes me feel everything. Such beautiful poetry. I'm so excited to read more in this "You Are Your Own Fairy Tale" series. GIVE ME ALL OF THEM. NOW!!!!

Something that I just also need to mention is the fact that there are always trigger warnings in the very beginning of her poetry books, I appreciate that A LOT!!!

[3.5 Stars]
I'm always excited when I get to read a new collection by Amanda Lovelace and this time was no exception. "Break Your Glass Slippers" follows a similar mindset of the "Women Are Some Kind of Magic" series with its lyrical prose and fairytale metaphors. I'm reluctant to say that this is Lovelace's weakest work, because I still enjoyed my read and found it inspiring, but the first half of the book lacked the spark I found in her other works. The second half, however, really picked up and created that light and magical emotion that I'm always feeling reading her works. I find this comes when she writes in first person, I can feel the energy and emotion from her poems better that way.

Definitely a great YA poetry staple for any library and I'm sure that we'll be getting a copy for ours!

You all know how much I admire Amanda Lovelace's work, but I have never given her a 5-star rating before, until Break Your Glass Slippers. 

This collection, you guys! It finally feels like Lovelace has crawled into my brain and wrote down all the tiny little thoughts that I don't want anyone else to know I think about, put her replies to them on paper, and sent it to her publisher. That sounds dramatic, but what's really extra of me is I probably screen shot about half of her pages just so that when I finally get my hands on a physical copy, I can go back and flag all my favorite poems. 

Lovelace's introductory publication for her You Are Your Own Fairy Tale collection is broken down into three sections, simply titled i, ii, iii. She notes in her preface her customary trigger warning for the entire book, as well as shares that her inspiration comes from the fairy tale, Cinderella (if you couldn't guess by the title). I, like many little kids from the 1990s, loved watching Disney's Cinderella movie, so I was really excited to see how Lovelace would twist the poetry to fit the theme.

What she came up with, and what hit me with the most force, is that there are alternating poems titled "Fairy Godmother Says", followed by a poem that reads like words of advice from... well, a fairy godmother. Mixed with equal measure are poems traditional of Lovelace, in which she contemplates relationships, self worth, body image, family relationships, feminism, and a slew of other current topics that are simple but powerful. I know Lovelace gets slapped around by critics about her poetry, but clearly her readers and those like myself feel something when they read it- and that to me is what poetry is for: to feel some emotional connection to the words. I didn't cry, but I certainly commiserated with a fellow reader about the sucker-punches we each felt while reading the lines.

The conclusion: add this one to your list of auto-buys if you love modern poetry or Lovelace's work, because in my opinion, Break Your Glass Slippers is her best collection yet.

*This review will be posted on my blog on 3/17/2020 (Happy Publication Day!) on www.thelexingtonbookie.com*

I adore Amanda Lovelace's no holds barred, I'm going to share my grief and my perseverance, point of view in her poetry collections. What was different in this collection was a constant reminder to take the time to care for you, which was summed up in little poems from her very own fairy godmother. The fairy godmother was by far my favorite addition to this collection as she was a constant reminder of your self-worth. I will always gladly read @ladybookmad and would like to personally thank @netgalley for the ARC of this book.

Again I like the poetry she comes out with. Nice collection and theme of the book. Great section imagery and basic images for some poems..

A good dose of healthy female empowerment. Teaching women that we are worthy of so much more. Everyone should read her books at leather once!

I LOVED this book of poetry as much as I have loved every one of Amanda Lovelace’s books. The quirky, feminist, positive and empowering prose is unforgettable and I have bought so many of my friends her books. Do yourself a favour and read it! Thanks so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc.

I've been a fan of Amanda Lovelace's poetry ever since I came across the Women are some kind of Magic series. I love how her simple words weave such inspiring verses.

Break Your Glass Slippers touched on a lot of triggering issues and it also told the tale of a girl who realises that not every fairy tale has to end with a prince charming. That finally realising your own worth, realising that you don't NEED a prince charming can be just as beautiful.

I'm guessing that I finished the book in under 20 minutes, and I know for a fact that I'll be rereading it soon, especially the pieces I loved.

I was very excited to see the ARC on NetGalley; I don’t think I could have waited another month to read this. With that being said there were a lot of poems from this collection that really resonated with me; from start to finish. I loved the illustrations in this, the color scheme most definitely gave me Cinderella vibes. I did however feel that some of the poems were a bit repetitive. I felt like we’ve seen them in her “Women are some kind of magic” series, but were tweaked to fit the Cinderella theme. None the less I still really enjoyed it, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the series has to offer!

TW: There's a significant amount of trigger warnings that's listed at the beginning of this collection.

Amanda Lovelace is one of those "modern poetry" authors I automatically go to every time she publishes a new collection. It's usually hit or miss but out of every single author I've read, she is the one that I love the most. So I couldn't pass an opportunity to read her newest collection, Break Your Glass Slippers. And I am very excited to say I enjoyed this book very much.

The whole premise of this collection is inspiration by Cinderella's story. Amanda recreates classic fairytale into her own retelling, describing how to overcome those, who don't see your worth (including yourself). I was pleasantly surprised. Eventhough I am not a big fan of Cinderella, I really enjoyed story Amanda was trying to tell through her poems. Some were heartwarming, some were a little bit of depressing, but all of them tell one important message: You are the only one that can change everything and you are your own Cinderella, Godmother and Prince, all in once.

I could relate to most of the poems and I can say Break Your Glass Slippers definitely became one of Amanda's favorite collections.

Another fine entry from this author. Literary, full of voice and truth, and vital. I highly recommend Amanda Lovelace’s work.

I’ve read all of Lovelace’s collections and have become a big fan of her work. Break Your Glass Slippers is no exception. The poems tackle Lovelace’s typical themes of feminism and relationships. I like how each poem is structured like a fairy tale. About half of the poems are laid out like fairytale warnings and words of wisdom from a fairy godmother. The other half reflect on being abused or hurt by a lover. These two halves work well together to give a powerful message.

Special thanks to NetGalley, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'll start by saying I really appreciated the trigger warnings included at the beginning of this book as someone who wishes all too often more books included them. This is the first collection of work I've read by Amanda Lovelace, but it certainly will not be the last.

This collection of poems, broken into three parts, focuses on breaking free of toxic bonds, empowering oneself, and radical self love and acceptance among other things. Along with the beautiful prose is an aesthetic to match with illustrations placed throughout the poems. I wanted the poems following the "princess" character, but I *needed* those alternating "Fairy Godmother Says" poems in which the author gives the reader access to a third party, The Fairy Godmother, forever giving the princess grace and permission to put herself first. Reading those poems in particular felt like being wrapped in a warm hug and I appreciated them.

This book will, I'm confident, resonate with women of many different backgrounds. Most of the poems certainly resonated deeply with me. I am intrigued to see the parts of this series to follow as well as to read other works by this author.

What I love about poetry is that you can read it quickly. You can read it slowly. But regardless of how you read it, it continues to haunt you long after you've finished reading it.

fairy godmother says:

despite what you have heard, being alone is not
this great tragedy everyone makes it out to be.
if nothing else, see it as an opportunity to
reintroduce yourself to yourself. to relearn who
you are today. to dream up all the people you
would like to be for every tomorrow to come.
above all, find the value that lies in becoming
your own best friend.

Amanda's writing is haunting. Her wisdom is simple, and yet I can see where it can also be lifegiving to those who haven't yet learned these things for themselves. And in her retelling of the Cinderella story, she both takes from the fairy tale and gives back to it its power. Also, the art is simply lovely.

I enjoyed a free copy of this book from NetGalley and have reviewed it willingly.

Break Your Glass Slippers was a quick and wonderful poetry read. For all those women who have ever had a man tell them they weren't enough, this book is for you.

First of all, BIG SPECIAL THANK YOU to the Author, publisher and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read Amanda Lovelace’s previous poetry collections and while I knew there was hype, especially about “The Princess Saves Herself in This One” I admittedly didn’t love the content like I had thought I would.

When reading this book, I’d been intrigued by the whole fairy tale theme and I must admit that I did enjoy how she was able to thread the Cinderella story through these poems.

While I normally feel that today’s modern poetry is typically missing a sense of substance, I found that there were particular lines in this poem which I found endearing, deep, and to be quite honest much more well written than her previous collections.

This collection shows growth in both the authors character and writing style, I would recommend this read over her previous poetry collections for sure.

4.5/5 Stars.

Really enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected to. It was powerful and had some beautiful poems I could really resonate to and I imagine many others would too. Even bold to say that this is my favourite poetry book I have read so far. Looking forward to reading more from Amanda in the future.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

I love how many of the poems read like affirmations, like things you should tell yourself everyday, to remember how to take care of yourself. There's a lot of gentle (but also fierce) love from the author towards the reader, and that's a wonderful feeling to get from a poetry collection.

The poems about 'him' could all be read as very romantic, until you saw the title and then they mostly turned that feeling on its head, which was quite clever I thought, but it also made them seem slightly bitter sometimes. They reminded me a bit of Rupi Kaur (which is a very good thing in my book).

I felt the fairy godmother sections seemed a bit too much like they were trying to explain things? I quite like how they would come after a darker poem, to make sure the reader was alright, but sometimes it felt a bit too much like a self-help book. It's a fine line to walk between caring and self-help, but most of the time, this book manages it just fine

I have to say I loved the illustrations. They are so so beautiful and give you a bit of time to absorb the poems. It can be a very quick read, so it's good to take breaks and let the poems sink in.

Would definitely recommend this to fans of Amanda Lovelace, but for new readers I would recommend reading 'The Witch Doesn't Burn In This One' first.

Amanda Lovelace never Disappoints. She only exceeds my expectations.
With every book I read of hers, I not only feel connected to the author but I feel more connected with myself.
Her work always makes me realize; 1. I'm not Alone; 2. Yes. I am worth it; and 3. I should never feel sorry for being me
I highly recommend not only this book, but Amanda Lovelace's work in general.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Break your glass slippers is the best Amanda Lovelace collection I’ve read yet. I feel like I say this with each new collection but I honestly feel this one trumps my love of her other collections. I’ve loved everything she’s written so far, but none have spoken to me quite like this one. Break your glass slippers is about self love and overcoming those (even yourself) that don’t see what you’re worth. It’s a beautiful uplifting collection that offers advice and words of strength to bolster yourself when you forget that you’re worth more.
This book is also beautifully illustrated inside.

I truly enjoyed this poetry collection so much. It came right in a time I needed it. It thought me so much about self love and taking care of yourself. Most of the poems were so soothing to me. I absolutely love Lovelace’s writing style.

This is an amazing thought provoking collection of poetry once again these poems are so relevant in today's society bringing Cinderella's story into modern day poetry talking of love and heartbreak between family, friends and with ourselves as we can hate not love so much about our bodies most of the time as it's easier.



A fabulous new collection of poetry making the classic tale of Cinderella a modern time relevant story through the poems.



Many thanks to the publishers for allowing me to review this book for them!

I didn't think Amanda Lovelace would still be able to amaze me. But she did!
I've been following her since her first collection of poems "The Princess Saves Herself in this One" and I've always been impressed by her ability to express her emotions. Her writing goes directly to my heart and I felt this profound connection once again.
"Break Your Glass Slippers" is an empowering collection, advocating self-care and self-love over toxic relationships. This contains a lot of strong messages and encouragements.
Based on Cinderella's fairy tale, Amanda Lovelace takes the story and rewrites it to make it her own and share her wisdom with the readers.
I deeply loved this book and would recommend it to everyone around me.
I can't wait for the next one!

I received an ARC in exchange for honest review from NetGalley. This was a beautiful collection of empowering poetry. I could resonate with many of the thoughts Amanda communicated about insecurity and relationships - and thought how much I would have loved this book in my late teens. Her words are striking and hard to put down. Beautiful!

I have really liked all the poetry and writing by this author. I think this is the fourth or fifth book I have read that has continued to be good, engaging, and thoughtful.

For some reason I was automatically drawn to this book and I'm glad I gave it a shot. I've read Amanda Lovelace books before and until now I had a love/hate relationship with her poetry. Nevertheless, this book really made me change my mind about this author. Let's start with the fact that I love fairy tales (they're my weakness and guilty pleasure kinda), thus I had my hopes up for this book but I didn't expect it to love it as much I did. Cinderella has always been one of my favourite princesses so I've loved every inch of it. I'll definitely keep on reading the "be your own fairytale" series. I'm looking forward more life lessons shaped as books.

<i>all you can do is give them all the kindness you have, & if they don't return it, then they aren't worth your sugar</i>

This is a collection of poetry that is also a retelling of the fairytale 'Cinderella'. In this book, Amanda Lovelace promotes self-love and feminism. She also speaks about mental abuse from family and others, along with bullying. Due to some of the issues mentioned, I found it to be quite relatable.

There are some poems that are actually advice given to the main character from the Fairy Godmother, they were some pretty good advice and I'm definitely going to try and follow them.

For me, it was a pick me up and a motivator. therefore, this collection is perfect for those who are currently feeling down and has low self-esteem.

This is another powerful poetry collection from Amanda Lovelace. Focused mostly on female empowerment, she delivers Ann overall positive message about self care and personal development. I love how it follows the premise of Cinderella, with encouraging poems from the view of a Fairy Godmother alternating with the darker themes. I appreciate the recurring theme in nLovelace's work, that a woman does not need a prince or king to be a powerful princess or queen. She reiterates over and over that women have the power within them, which I think is a crucial message for young women (and all women) right now.

I highly recommend this collection for fans of Lovelace's other works, as well as readers of poetry and those looking for a strong female empowerment message.

I’ve been a long time fan of Lovelace’s writing and this was yet another amazing poetry collection. This covers themes of toxic relationships, fatphobia, mental illness and more. This collection is based on Cinderella and being your own Prince Charming. As always, each short poem packs an emotional punch. This is an empowering and all too relatable collection. I look forward to seeing the other fairy tales that will be tackled in this series. *ARC provided by NetGalley for review.

This maybe Amanda Lovelace’s best work. I loved it so much. It was subtle but so powerful at the same time. It was all about body positivity and loving yourself first before accepting the love of other people.

This is my favorite book Amanda Lovelace has published. It's not only beautiful and lyrical, turning the Cinderella story on it's head; but it is empowering and inspiring. Words have the power to change people, and Amanda's words can change the world. I connected to this collection of poems more than her other collections, and I think that's because everyone has pictured themself as a Cinderella at some point in their life. Amanda takes the traditional story of Cinderella, and gives Cinderella the power to be whoever she wants to be, not just be who a man wants her to be. Truly inspiring.

Break Your Glass Slippers is a poetry collection full of female empowerment and feminism. They’re what every girl and woman should hear everyday. It advocates for self-love and independence as well as letting you know that it’s okay to be selfish sometimes.

I liked how the poems were organized so that one poem is a woman’s inner thoughts of fear, doubt, failure, etc. and the next will be one from her fairy godmother sending messages of self-love and empowerment.

Amanda Lovelace has done it again. Her poetry is gorgeous and empowering. Every negative thought in this books is counteracted by positive self-talk and I love it for that.

This was really for the readers. So often modern poetry falls into a negative spiral of vengeance and rising above it. Instead, Lovelace turns to her readers and shows them how to navigate betrayals, loss and drama through a retelling of Cinderella - or at least of Cinderella as a character. I really liked it.

The majority of the poems are about finding strength and accepting that other people and their misjudgements or lack of appreciation for you is definitely a "them" problem and not a "you" problem. She does this cleverly, often using Cinderella, and branches away more often from romantic love to incorporate familial or friend love which can be exactly what you need when you hit the bottom, or exactly what you're entitled to avoid if it's unhealthy. It was legitimately empowering, and I think Lovelace struck the perfect balance.

The illustrations are my favourite from her collections so far (admittedly because princesses, crowns, smashed glass slippers and bright colours are probably always a winner!). They add a unique dynamic to the poetry, rather than feeling decorative as so often happens.

Break Your Glass Slippers is the most impressive anthology of poems and encouragements I have seen so far from Lovelace; I look forward to the next one!

Thank you for the opportunity to review break your glass slippers!

WHAT I LIKED:
The first section of poems. The work in this movement read as very genuine, honest, and raw. The message that love is not a cure for internal struggles is so pertinent. I enjoyed the subtle nods to the Cinderella fairytale, and appreciated how the poems here incorporated subtle nods without being direct references. Lovelace struck a nice balance of fairytale and reality.

The strong sense of empowerment and the message that you can be your own hero. This concept is something that really stood out to me as an important and terribly relevant theme. These poems tell readers that love comes from within, and a partner should complement your life instead of completing your character. You are enough in your current state; you are always enough.

The illustrations. The images that accompany the poems are absolutely stunning, drawing on Cinderella's classic blue. They juxtapose fairytale whimsy with items and images we're accustomed to seeing every day, creating a sense of magic in the mundane.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:

The second and third sections. That's not to say that these sections were bad, but I wanted more imagery and imagination as I saw in the first section. Some of the poems bordered on being preachy rather than empowering, and I felt like we lost the sense of story. Maybe that was intentional though; the break from the Cinderella narrative could have something to do with empowerment and writing your own story.

I enjoyed Break Your Glass Slippers. Part 1 was my favorite. In the first section the Cinderella theme is strong & I the poems from The Fairy Godmother were a clever and lovely touch. The collection seem to lose it's Cinderella focus after part 1, but I still loved the theme of the book and the messages it conveys. I'll definitely be checking out new poetry from Lovelace in the future.

I need a fairy godmother in my life but Amanda Lovelace's new collection of fairy tale themed poetry will do just fine! This book, like Lovelace's other collections, is written beautifully and is so emotionally raw. She takes the reader on a journey to find self-confidence, body positivity and the understanding that it's okay to do what's right for your own mental health.

A completely novel approach to the Retelling genre.
For those of us who grew up loving fairy tales but always craved more.
This fits perfectly with Lovelace's Women Are Some Kind of Magic Series, which is high praise in itself.

I often say that we tend to be much kinder to the people we love than we are to ourselves.
We would never say half the stuff we tell ourselves in our worst moments to our loved one - and isn't that really telling?

This book is like a conversation with a loved one, it strips away the harshness we often inflict on ourselves and softens the edges, soothes the hurt.

I can't wait to see what's in store for the rest of this series.

Disclaimer: This review is not sponsored. This review is not sponsored. I was given an e-ARC of the book by the publisher, Andrews McMeel Publishing, via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Three words for this collection: Consistent, Amazing, Powerful

Consistent – I really admire how Amanda Lovelace keeps her writing style so consistent. If you’ve read her previous poetry collections, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. But for those of you who haven’t yet, she laces her words with emotions from different points of realities and experiences. For me, the important thing about a poetry books is relatability. When a poet connects to their readers through their words, we create magic. And Amanda Lovelace has been creating magic for a long while.

Amazing – Her books always showcases some of the most beautiful illustrations. These set the vibe for how she tells her story. This book had one of the BEST illustrations I’ve ever seen in a poetry collection.

Powerful – Empowering people, especially women, has always been an ongoing theme on her poetry. Yes, women hurt and bleed — but they’re stronger than what we think. When I think about Amanda Lovelace, I always think about power. Not just the power of words, but the power of knowing your weakness so you can make it your strength. This book holds a lot of power, and I really think you should read it!

I always thank NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for my monthly fix of poetry books. Through them, I discover new poets and keep on loving the poets that I’ve been rooting for since day one.

With a foreword by Nikita Gill, this book talks about the things we don’t always pay attention to. I ended up wanting more, and clearly, Amanda Lovelace has done it again!

Amanda Lovelace is back at it and blowing us all away again, this time with her new collection of poems Break Your Glass Slippers. Given away in the title, one can assume that this new collection of poetry is twisted and themed around the fairy tale Cinderella. Focusing on empowering women and enchanting us all with her words yet again, Lovelace succeeds in reminding us all that we are Cinderella, and that are Fairy Godmother might be closer than you realize.

Every time I pick up new work by Lovelace I keep thinking she's told me all I need to hear, that she can't possibly amaze me anymore than she already has... and every single time I am wrong. That being said, I would highly encourage everyone to take the trigger warnings at the front of this collection (and all of her others) very seriously. Lovelace always manages to bring me to tears and back again - always feeling stronger and more empowered than I was before.




**I received an ARC of this collection in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this opportunity**

Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace is a collection of poetry that re-imagines the fairy-tale of Cinderella with a very different twist. The collection itself is written in Lovelace's usual style. It has two sections that have different manners in which it is written. The first section contains regular poetry and then what the fairy godmother says in relation to the previous poem. That section is followed by poetry with no more fairy godmother says pieces. There's art included in the collection.
There's a powerful meaning to the collection, though some of the poems just didn't inspire much out of me. There were a few that had. Most of my favorite poems came from the fair godmother says section. Such as:

you don't need to look a certain way
to deserve someone's heart.

no matter your shape-
no matter your size-

be proud of all the space
your body dares to take up.

This poetry collection is beautiful is so many ways. First of all, the art is gorgeous!! But aside from the art, the poems themselves are just incredible. The author weaves Cinderella through the narrative of these poems so effectively.

That being said, please take the trigger warnings at the beginning of the book seriously. Some moments in this affected me a lot, and it was hard to read in one sitting despite how short it was.

Bottom line, I highly recommend if you can handle the content.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me an eArc of this in exchange for a honest review.

Absolutely enchanting and completely relatable! Another collection of poems by Amanda Lovelace that kept me engrossed, had me nodding my head in agreement, and left me wanting more of her beautiful poems.

This collection of poems is feminist AF, empowering, and simply plain amazing. I didn't read any info about this book before diving into it and honestly you don't need to - the title gives just enough away for you to know that it's based on Cinderella. And as you read the poems you come to realize that you are also Cinderella and every woman is Cinderella, but we can all be so much more than our past and our fears. I loved this collection so much and since I read it on my phone I kept screenshotting pages to save for later for when I need some positivity and reassurance.

One of favorites from the collection:
"fairy godmother says some people are simply committed to being unkind & it is not your job to convince them to change. all you can do is give them all the kindness you have, & if they don't return it, then they aren't worth your sugar."

I am so excited for Amanda Lovelace's newest poetry book. I was unable to read the pdf egalley so I'll wait until it releases. Thank you for the chance to read anyway.

Amanda Lovelace always produces such much needed poetry. Her poems about finding the ability to accept yourself and love yourself always find me whenever I particularly need them. In break your glass slippers, her poems that specifically focus on cutting off toxic family, family heartbreak, and doing things to protect mental health despite the protests of others really hit a spot for me. Yet again, she comes back with more words of inspiration to remind all of us that we need all the self-love we possibly have to give to each other. Always a recommend from me.

Thanks so much to the author, NetGalley, and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest thoughts. All opinions are entirely my own. All of my reviews can also be found on Instagram @Tackling_TBR and on my blog at tacklingtbr.home.blog { #partner }

TW : child abuse, toxic friendships, toxic romantic relationships, sexual harassment, eating disorders, fatphobia, suicide, trauma

I love all of Amanda Lovelace's work that I have read, which is most of it. Particularly her Women Are Some Kind of Magic series is very dear to my heart. I read the first in that series, The Princess Saves Herself In This One, when I was recently out of (and recovering from) a very toxic situation, and after entering into a relationship with the amazing man that I would marry. It was a perfect time to read it, and it taught me so much about myself, and helped me work through things emotionally that even then I was ignoring.

So when I heard that she was coming out with another collection of her feminist, therapeutic poetry, and this time themed around a classic fairy tale like Cinderella, I knew that I was going to read it the second that I got my hands on it. And I did, and I loved it just as much as I was sure that I would. She turns the fairy tale details on their head - my favorite being that the Fairy Godmother is a personification of the voice we all hope for in our lives that counteracts the harmful voice in our heads, with positive, healthy, and affirming self talk.

All of this being said, and as much as I love Lovelace's work, you definitely need to know exactly what you are getting into when you pick up one of these collections. As I noted earlier, these poetry collections deal with matters related to some very serious trigger warnings. So if this is something that would be harmful to you after reading, then please make note of that. And as she states at the beginning of each of her collections - "Remember to practice self care before, during, & after reading."

I normally avoid poetry like the plague, but this book may have just changed this. It’s rare that I want to buy a book for all my girlfriends, yet I can see this easily becoming my default gift for a long time. Fairy Godmother gives some damn good advice.

A powerful collection of poems promoting female empowerment. There are beautiful illustrations within the book that make it that much more enjoyable. Trigger warnings included before the poems. I think this is the poetry many of us have been needing in our lives.

Thank you to NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing and Amanda Lovelace for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a beautiful poetry collection!

What Ioved: The fact that it was telling story and an empowering one at that. This is a feminist take on taking care of yourself in and out of a relationship, knowing how to deal with toxic people and ultimately not putting yourself down and being defined by other people's words. Also, the illustrations were just as good as the text making me want to grab a physical copy when this gets published soon!

What I disliked: Some parts were the 'universe will guide you' type of rhetoric. It is not something I personally abide by and it makes me a bit tired to read and see everywhere. Thankfully, it did not take too much space in this poetry collection.

For the above reasons I give this a 4 star review.

I was kindly offered the ARC by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

oooof, amanda always kills me in the best way. she’s a master at bringing forth emotion that i didn’t know i had, encouraging me to deal with all the crap in my life i don’t want to deal with. i’ll always buy her stuff. she’s a rare gem.

Not to pun, but Break Your Glass Slippers is a CHARMING collection of poetry. It felt very thoughtful and empowering. I’ve always been a sucker for a fairytale, but I also strongly believe there are many types of happily ever afters. This is a road to happily ever after that I can get behind.

"You were my almost, but I'm my own forever."
I was given a copy of this poetry collection by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Amanda Lovelace has quickly become one of my favorite poets. I fell in love with her "women are some kind of magic" series, and I am thrilled to see her continue with a fresh story. This collection of poems is inspiring and empowering, reminding us that every fairytale has more to the story than meets the eye, and not everything is always as good as it seems. Every princess needs to love herself first, and trust her instincts. It was an important retelling of a classic fairytale and I'm looking forward to see what she does next!

I love all of Amanda Lovelace’s collections. They always hit a spot in my heart that rings true. Self love and saving yourself was a big theme in this collection. The fairy godmother was the voice so many of us desperately need to hear in our lowest times. I hope everyone devours this collection like I did.

I love all of Amanda Lovelace's poetry and break your glass slippers, her latest really spoke to me.

The book is filled with gorgeous illustrations and lovely, poignant poems in the forms of self-realizations, notes from the fairy godmother, as well as other voices that come together in this collection to tell a story of another princess who ultimately has all she needs within her the entire time.

Modern, feminist, and empowering, the follow up to the 'women are some kind magic' series is perfect and I'm looking forward to hearing what more the 'you are your own fairy tale' series has in store for us.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

Break Your Glass Slippers is what you might expect: poems that are at least semi-related to Cinderella, fairy godmothers and princes. But it's unlike what you might expect in the way Lovelace gathers the words together. The book is sectioned by a few characters: a Cinderella-esque girl falling for a boy, struggling with her self worth and who she is; a fairy godmother, who tells her the truth and gives advice, whether is hears it or not; the prince, who isn't what he seems. "Here", says the forward, "we all get to be Cinderella, our own Fairy Godmother, and best of all, our own Prince."

I read this book in one sitting, and it flowed beautifully between poems and themes and highs and lows. There were a few poems that I really loved and paused over for a moment or three, and there were others I wouldn't go back to. But on the whole, Break Your Glass Slippers was a really enjoyable short-form poetry collection.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me review this book before its publication. Loved loved loved this one. I’ve read several of Lovelace's poetry books in the past and always enjoyed them but this is by far my favorite! I think she really takes it to another level in this one. Her words throughout elicit a a sense of empowerment and strength and I think every girl should read this to know that there was, is, and will be many wolves in the future that come donned in sheep's clothing. It's the most I've identified with in a collection of poetry. A lot of the poetry I've read by Lovelace's peers seems a lot of time clingy and needy and always leaves me with an odd feeling. Lovelace here tells u that you don't need anyone for your life to have meaning. It tells you to stand up for yourself no matter who that someone you're standing up against is. It tells you that You complete yourself, and no one will do that for you. I really identified with a lot of her words here, and last but not least, loved the new approach she has taken on retellings.

Amanda Lovelace has a way of writing poetry that is relevant, deep and connects to my personal female experiences in the current social climate. The unique take on "retelling" fairytales to be empowering, feminist and strong provides a vast and refreshing collection of poems. I put digital bookmarks in at least 7 poems and am excited to purchase a physical copy to annotate and highlight.

The ARC of this book was received from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After not loving the mermaid’s voice returns in this one, I was a little cautious to pick up break your glass slippers by Amanda Lovelace, but it turns out this collection of poetry was a lovely little book I greatly enjoyed. While nothing is going to outdo Anne Sexton’s fairy tales, this collection does an excellent job turning Cinderella into a series of a poems about falling in love with yourself. I also really liked the little illustrations throughout–I got a digital copy for review but I bet the print edition is quite lovely. The messages from the fairy godmother were all good reminders, and I felt the connecting theme of the book really helped strengthen the collection. I also think it’s a good balance between dark and uplifting moments. It’s definitely a brief read, but there are some lovely poems in there. Overall, I’d say that break your glass slippers is probably my favourite collection by Lovelace so far and has given me motivation to continue to pick up her works in the future.

Wow this was fabulous! I love how Amanda made the Cinderella story her own and turned it into a story of self love and empowerment. Fans of Amanda Lovelace will love her newest work!

I cannot wait to read the rest of the books in this series and anything else Amanda writes.

The illustrations are gorgeous too.

I'm not one to read poetry often, but recently I have enjoyed a few poetry anthologies. break your glass slippers is now on that list. It is a good compilation of poems that contrast the expectations of fairytales with the realities that women face. Lovelace has a beautiful way with words and the simple illustrations make a nice visual experience.


I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adore Amanda Lovelace's poetry, and her newest collection is no exception. break your glass slippers is a book that reminds individuals about the power of self-love and acceptance. This is a great collection to read with daughters (and sons).

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

“there is a girl who / dances only when / every curtain is closed. / like most girls, / she’s been learning / the trait of invisibility / since birth.”

4/5 stars

I don’t often review poetry, probably because I don’t too often read poetry. Of course, I love it and I used to write it. Even got a pair published at one point. But as the saying goes “more people write poetry than read it”. Regardless, you know a book of poetry is special to me if I read it and write a review about it. In truth, I’ve been a fan of Amanda Lovelace for a while, following her on Twitter and that whole thing- so when I got the chance to read this I jumped.

break your glass slippers is a Cinderella story with twists of self-worth and sprinkles of sisterhood. It’s a collection of poems that serve to show us what’s most valuable to us: ourselves. It’s not just about putting ourselves first when it’s easy, but also when it is hard. And it’s even about the things we tell ourselves to keep us going through cycles of what’s familiar. What happens when we are our own fairy-godmothers? What can we accomplish? break your glass slippers and find out.

I’m really glad that Lovelace includes an author’s note about what fairy-tales mean to her. I have loved fairy-tales all my life. Genuinely, I have been obsessed and it hasn’t worn off with age. I still absolutely love them in every form. However, this is really the first time I’ve read a book re-told like this. It was different and fun to see the way each individual poem was, on it’s own, stunning and gorgeous, and then, when you put them all together, they slowly form the story you know.

While I liked every poem well enough, only a few really stood out to me. Mostly, I think the poems are just things that are really nice to hear and remind yourself of everyday. I think this is the kind of book to be consumed slowly, daily, and over a cup of coffee, tea, or in my case, hot chocolate. This is the kind of book to keep on the table to glance at whenever you pass it. It has good energy and is also pretty, just saying.

There’s also a lot of drawings in the book and full page art. I thought they were gorgeous and loved them. They just fit into aesthetics I love and they paired well with the arc of the story. The poems tend to be very bite-size so there’s a lot of space left on the page without them. I don’t know it is about blank pages that give me anxiety, maybe they remind me of essays not completed, but I love that the spaces could be filled with such beauty.

I don’t want to give the impression that this book is only lighthearted and positive. This book definitely touches on tough subjects, but gives an excellent trigger warning at the beginning of the book. Make sure to read it, if you think this book may affect you. While it does get heavy, I actually really liked the way that the poems talk about them and the way the focus is always on the individual.

I also really just loved how empowering the poem were. They weren’t so big like “you could conquer the world” . I mean- you can. But the focus of the book, to me, felt like- “you could conquer this day”. Sometimes it just takes me an immense amount of motivation to get my laundry do or to go to the store. I’m trying. But these poem really meet you where you are. No matter what it is you’re facing, they remind you of your own worth, capability, and strength.

TL;DR: I love this book for it’s positive reminders and it’s gorgeous re-telling of Cinderella. I recommend this as a casual read that you spend time thinking about. Keep it around, keep it close by. It’s full of wisdom and good energy, enjoy.

When I opened the book and saw from the first page all the serious trigger warnings, I was a bit put off. I didn’t want to read something like that at the moment. I went for it though, and was pleasantly surprised.
Yes, some themes could be triggering, but it wasn’t as bad I thought it would be.
I enjoyed this very feminist poetry book

3.5 rating

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Break Your Glass Slippers is a modern retelling of Cinderella with a dark and realistic twist. While some of the material is too mature for (and would be triggering to) my students, I'm planning to pull a couple of these poems to use as mentor texts with some of my high school classes.

4.5 stars

I absolutely adore this collection. Amanda Lovelace has always been one of my go-tos for reassurance and emotional comfort, a reminder that I'm doing just fine and I am enough.

I've never read anything quite like it, the mix of Cinderella retelling with self-discovery and relationship building, all in thoughtful free verse; I would've liked to see the Cinderella motif extended through part ii, but that's a minor critique — I do like the themes and topics that are included.

If the rest of this series is consistent, I'm sure I'm going to love it just as much as Amanda's other works.

Break Your Glass Slippers is the latest in Amanda Lovelace’s feminist poetry collection and I adore it just as I have the rest of them. A poetic retelling of Cinderella until it’s not. It’s done so beautifully in a way only Amanda can do. She wants us to stop believing in fairy tales and to write our own life story. I loved the message Amanda artfully composes. With each book Amanda releases it quickly becomes my new favorite. I mean self love and feminism what’s not to love?!? Can’t wait For the next installment.

This is by far my favorite collection from Amanda Lovelace. I highly recommend this one. If you love a book to get you all in your feels and give you a sense of empowerment then this is most definitely the book for you. Be prepared to feel empowered and inspired. And to be amazed at Amanda’s growth as an author.
Also, the artwork in this one is stunningly beautiful.

Thank you in advance to the publisher and to Netgalley for an advance copy for my honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy.

Another stellar body of work from Amanda Lovelace. A beautiful poetic retelling of Cinderella with a feminist kick to it. I both relate to and appreciate so many of the pages in this collection. As usual, I love Amanda's work and the emotion and passion I feel when I read it.

There's been a lot of Fairy-Tale revisiting over the last few years, particularly where the princesses are concerned. Taking a look at how women are viewed and what their roles are within the tales. Many are trying to put their own spin on these stories. Changing the narrative to greater empower those who were originally told they had to follow instead of lead.

Break Your Glass Slippers is Amanda Lovelace's contribution to this wonderful movement. Broken up into a before and after type of scenario, Glass Slippers deals with, mainly, a romantic relationship that was maybe not so much the fairy-tale after all, that maybe we need only look inside ourselves for affirmation of our worth.

The "before" voice is starting an exciting new relationship with someone who make them feel special. But slowly, and through various asides, we find out that all is not happily ever after. Luckily in these moments we're graced with the wisdom of the Fairy Godmother who reinforces the idea that you don't need to rely on someone else to feel special. I enjoyed seeing the progression from this "before" to the "after" which features a stronger voice finally able to see their self-worth and take it for themselves.

The story is also sprinkled throughout with various sketches and drawings which I found lovely.

Overall, it's a good collection. I think a bit more uplifting and lighter than some of Lovelace's previous works, but still with an empowering message.

Amanda Lovelace has done it again. The first book in his new "poetic trilogy", You are your own fairy tale, presents us with a set of poems structured around the classic Cinderella story. And it’s a brilliant book.
We are going to find different poems that will make us reflect upon fairy tales and will ask us to put aside all those mostly harmful lessons we learned from classic fairy tales. There are poems written from the point of view of our own fairy godmother, and these are certainly useful advice about relationships and about self-care that one would like to receive. On the other hand, we have the poems in which Amanda herself reflects on her experiences, on what she did wrong because she gave importance to the wrong things, and her techniques and her thoughts to overcome this situation and start looking for the kind of life and love she really deserves.

Regarding the target audience, I get the feeling that there is a certain belief that these poems are only aimed at a female audience, and there are some of them that speak specifically of experiences that are more associated with women. However, there are also a lot of poems that focus on self-esteem, on accepting our bodies, on not settle for relationships that are not worth it, etc. Therefore, they are poems that anyone can identify with, no matter their gender.

Overall it looks a lot like his previous collections of poems, she repeats the same message a bit but from a new and interesting perspective, fairy tales, so I didn't have the feeling that I was reading the same book over again. On the other hand, it is a very necessary message, so I agree on repeating it as many times as necessary. Because in the end, as they say in The perks of being a wallflower, we accept the love we think we deserve, so we must believe that we deserve the best kind of love.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I actually really liked this collection of Amanda Lovelace's work. I was not a big fan of her "Women are Some Kind of Magic" poetry series, but the start of this collection has begun a lot stronger. The poems are more complex and tackle a lot of more intricate topics.

I have a feeling that these books by Amanda Lovelace should be marketed under self-improvement (I mean like self-help for women with low self-esteem...or simply just women, everywhere in the world). Her topics are important, the message is clear, but not over-emphasized, the structure is logical, the illustrations lightly support the whole idea.

It's a great book.

My ever-resurfacing problem is simply that these aren't poems that I in my heart consider real poems. I mean, they are real, good writings. It's somehow in my head more prose than poetry. That stands for most of modern poetry, though. I'm just not okay with forgetting rhymes and overall rules. I'm not a very strict, rule-following person, but there have to be rules to know what to break at least, right...? As I said, it's not about this book entirely, really, I have a problem with what way we're heading in modern poetry. Anyway, if this is what modern poetry is, then it's only my personal taste, and this is poetry in its best form.

Just like I said, the book itself is well-built, and worths way more than what I think of the poetry itself. As the other books written by Amanda, it should be read by every girl one time.

I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I appreciate how the author wove together themes from the Cinderella fairytale with themes of feminism and female empowerment. I would definitely recommend this! The illustrations throughout the book were beautiful, as well.

probably one of my favourite poetry collections I've read by Amanda Lovelace! I loved how this one was so body positive, but also talks about what it means to truly be a feminist, what it means to live in a world with so much misogyny. I loved the poems about the godmother, it shows such a healthy motherly relationship. truly a beautiful collection!

Amanda Lovelace shows us a side of her we knew it existed through her poems, but we never saw with such intensity. This poetry collection is such a feministic anthem; she let us know that it’s okay to put ourselves first in sake of our mental health, and that we are princesses who don’t need a prince. This is a really great book and I’m fascinated by her writing skills. I’m looking forward to this new trilogy, since I loved the last one (women are some kind of magic).

This is my favorite one by Amanda Lovelace so far! Despite my best efforts to read eclectically, I still don’t find myself drawn to much poetry, but I find these really resonate with me. Definitely an auto-read poet for me.

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

[trigger warnings at end of review]
as her other poetry retellings of different fairytales and concepts have fared, amanda lovelace does quite the same with this new Cinderella retelling in Break Your Glass Slippers. her advice is straight to the point, imagery is vivid and concise.

her details show the experiences she had gone through herself with misogyny, sexual harassment, trauma, etc., and the aesthetic to the whole book was gorgeously put together.

trigger warnings: sexual assault, child abuse, eating disorders, mentions of sexual harassment, trauma, mental health issues, suicidal ideation, fatphobia, misogyny, internalized misogyny, and toxic relationships (romantic and platonic).

Break Your Glass Slippers is a poetry collection by Amanda Lovelace. It is also the first book within a bigger collection named You Are Your Own Fairy Tale. I have read the previous Amanda Lovelace’s collection and loved them very much – especially The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One and The Princess Saves Herself in this One. So, it is not surprising to say that I was excited when I got the opportunity to read this book.

„so often we are our own true love.“

„withholding forgiveness
can be a form of self-care“



The book is divided into three parts which are unnamed and solely marked by numbers. The first part deals with self-esteem, confidence and growth. It gives of a feeling like you are reading a diary of a very sad and poetic teenage girl. That is in no way a bad thing. It actually makes understanding the emotions and boding with the author easier.

„there are time when she sees another girl
the train or in a magazine & she can’t be sure
what she wants to do:

become her
be her best friend
kiss her
– kaleidoscope.“

„fairy godmother says

he may have a pretty face
but that doesn’t mean he isn’t dangerous.“

In the second part of the book we are confronted with an established woman who has realized that sometimes she herself is enough. Through the poems she shows her new-found strength.

„i hereby grant myself
the permission
to not be strong
all of the time.

i also grant myself
the permission
to not be soft
all of the time.

i’m allowed to
just simply be.

– temperance“

The third part of the book is very short and it contains only the „introduction“. I like the message this sends. I could of course be wrong. My interpretation is that after in a way freeing herself in the second part of the book, there isn’t anything more to be said. It is all on you. It pushes you to think and change thing for yourself.
What do you think? What is your interpretation?

I adore the artwork in this book. The simplicity of it fits the poetry perfectly.

As usual, Lovelace’s poems are strong, they carry emotional power that isn’t often found in modern poetry. They are beautiful and utterly enjoyable.



I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this collection very much. As always, most of the poems are uplifting and empowering as it's the style of Amanda Lovelace. But I feel like Lovelace has grown throughout the years and has mastered her skill.

I don't like modern poetry, I really don't. But I was curious and now here I am saying that I actually liked Amanda Lovelace's book, especially the first part. The second half didn't really become my favourite but at the beginning, I found many great ideas, I liked how simply the author stated truths about human nature and relationships. The illustrations are very nice, and I applaud that the structure refers to the Cinderella story for I am a great fan of all types intertextuality.

Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace was my first real venture into the poetry genre, but it will absolutely not be my last. This collection is a fresh take on the fairytales we grew up hearing. Only in this version, the girl doesn't wait around for a man to save her.

It is split into two sections. The first surrounds the initial stirrings of a girl shifting her focus inward instead of on outside relationships she thinks will make her whole. In part two, she is learning to move on from social constructs and love herself just as she is. She understands her worth comes from within, and not from outside approval.

Lovelace touches on several topics, including self-care, inner power, toxic relationships, and the importance of friendships. Many of the poems are written from fairy godmother, but Lovelace makes a point to say we don't have to wait on a magical solution from someone else. We are all our own fairy godmother, and this magic comes from within.

The succinct poems pack such a punch that oftentimes I found myself rereading the same one over and over again, just to let it truly sink in. The beautiful thoughts combined with dreamy illustrations make this a beautiful collection that any woman can relate to.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I gave this collection 5 out of 5 stars, and feel it was a wonderful introduction to this genre. I will definitely be reading more poetry in the future, and picking up Amanda Lovelace's previous publications.

gods some of that poetry REALLY hurts but like in a good kind of way? yes it hits us hard but it shows us we are NOT alone feeling like this, we are together and we can be so much stronger and i may have tear up at some of the poems but who can blame me? i needed to read that, it felt good, especially the bits from the fairy godmother. more self love thank you very much.

I’m never certain how I feel about this kind of confessional writing, when an author lays themselves bare in an upfront and clear fashion. It would be a lie to say I’ve never drawn on personal experience in writing my own books, but the memory or emotion that I use is hidden beneath layers of worldbuilding and plotline so that it is almost unrecognisable (often, even to myself). Lovelace says in the author’s note of Break Your Glass Slippers—a series of poems that form a story of self-acceptance and self-love—that the drew on her own experiences in crafting this work. And as one traverses the delicate phrasing of each poem, it feels increasingly like trespassing into a private diary.

With that in mind, there is something incredibly brave about being so honest in putting to paper the thoughts that traverse the mind and the, at-times, very ugly relationship one can have with oneself. In recent years, this has become increasingly common, especially for writers of so-called ‘instapoetry’. I would argue that Lovelace’s work is a cut above the strings of words that can be found under the one of the many relevant hashtags on Instagram (I’m won’t list any here because I don’t want to subject you to them). For one, Lovelace takes her personal experience and broadens it into a universalised narrative about women undervaluing themselves and navigating a fraught path to remedying this. Additionally, Break Your Glass Slippers does indeed follow a narrative thread, with each poem offering a piece of this story. That alone made it an enjoyable, easy read, as the poems built upon what came before, interplaying in theme and idea, making this more than a mere collection but a genuine story.

Perhaps one of the things which remains a sticking point for me is the claim that this is a Cinderella retelling. While there are elements that draw upon the essential story elements of the Perrault/Brothers Grimm Cinderella that we know (largely thanks to the Disney adaptations), because I knew this was a derivation, I kept making mental comparisons to the original. This drew me out of the experience of reading through the poems as though they were a piece of work in their own right. While Lovelace’s schtick is retelling and reinterpreting classic fairytales, this one seems to deviate quite far from the very established events of the Cinderella story which was a bit jarring. Nevertheless, there were some pleasing engagements and inversions of aspects which are present in the original fairytale. For one, the idea of a toxic family relationship is interestingly portrayed. Further, the portrayal of ‘Prince Charming’ intersects with relatively recent discussion and critique of the idea that the magic solution to a woman’s disempowerment is the attention of a man. This was one of the fresher depictions I’ve seen thanks in large part to the form and the delicate word choices of Lovelace. The thoughtful deconstruction of the sense of being ‘saved’ from being unnoticed, alone, and unloved by a man seemingly sensitive enough to see what others don’t is done masterfully, pulling tropes that are uncomfortably familiar to too many people in servicing a broader point – that the only person who really needs to see your value is you.

Complimenting the poem-story is a series of beautiful illustrations that force pause and allow the reader to contemplate the words. They’re a lovely touch, and the full page pictures complete the experience of the story.

Ultimately, Break Your Glass Slippers is a thought provoking collection of poems that cohesively tell a story asking us to see our own value and beauty beneath whatever dirt others may have put there. Having read a lot of mediocre poetry within the course of my work, this is definitely not it, and it is a fitting addition to the other work for which Lovelace has been so rightfully praised.

This is the fourth book of poetry I’ve read by Amanda Lovelace and I can say without a doubt that this one was my favourite. I love that it was a collection of poetry based on Cinderella. The poetry in this book was set up so well and I related to so many of the poems. The fairy godmother poems after each poem provided a healthy perspective for each negative one. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Name: Break Those Glass slippers
Author: Amanda Lovelace
Genre: Poetry
Ratings: 4.5/5
Review: The begins with beautiful illustrations in the beginning and throughout the book.. I really liked how the poet signed the introduction "laced with love". Starting with a sad story of the girl who learnt to sing within the walls of her room and even a sadder story of the girl who learnt to dance behind curtains. The poetess has gracefully presented the story of a new Cinderella in verses. Poems are sequenced alternatively with contrasting Cinderella's story and what her fairy Godmother says. It has a true feminist and empowering feels. Amanda Lovelace returns some elements from her previous series "Women are some kind of magic". Amanda's poetry always makes me feel like it's just me, which makes me realize that we are all bonded together with this thread of commonness. After reading four books by Amanda, I have realised that there is no need to be embarrassed of being a believer of fairy tales, of princesses, of magic, of ourselves. The poet often writes about social prejudices against women, she helps us to realize our worth and makes us feel empowered. She fills us with courage and power to take the world on our own. This book deals with many issues like sexual harassment, self abuse as well as topics like self love, women empowerment, self care, healing, moving on, etc. Overall this book is your own form of self healing and a must read for all the women out there..

As always, pure perfection. I love Amanda Lovelace's words. Her poetry burrows into your heart and all you can do is feel as you consume every last drop of beauty. Beautifully done.

I discovered Amanda Lovelace completely by accident. My best friend and I were poking around a bookstore on my birthday trip to London and she turned around with two books, and we decided to pick them up. That was 'the princess saves herself in this one' and 'the witch doesn't burn in this one'. We marathon read them both, and totally loved them. It drove me into my love affair with contemporary poetry, and 'witch' is one of my favourite poetry books. It felt like every single poem made me feel seen. The second series, Things that Haunt, didn't connect with me as fully as the first, but that didn't put me off from immediately requesting and devouring 'break your glass slippers'. glass slippers is a poetic Cinderella retelling, where we're all a little bit Cinderella. I absolutely loved it.

This poetry collection is empowering and strongly feminist. It's a very personal thing to read poetry like this, as it's a kind of catharsis. There are some poems I didn't connect with, love poems, but that's to be expected. I haven't experienced the same things as Amanda Lovelace, so I won't see everything the same way. Still, there were some that I connected with very deeply and I loved the body-positive poetry as well as the messages of falling in love with yourself first. It felt like this was very original Lovelace again, where I felt like Things That Haunt was intent on mimicking her earlier success, the retelling aspect of this collection made the content feel fresh and new, and gave a whole new lens to look at the poetry from. I hope that the rest of this series is equally as beautiful and motivating, and I can't wait to see what other fairy tale retellings she tackles next.

3.5 stars

maybe I was never given a fairy godmother who
turned a pumpkin into an enchanted carriage
that took me straight to my happily ever after.
but I no longer make excuses, I drink pumpkin
spice lattes, & I check things off my to-do list.
I handle things that I never, ever could have
handled before.

—if that’s not a true transformation, what is?


Another beautiful collection by the wonderful Amanda Lovelace. I enjoyed the twist on Cinderella, with words of wisdom from a fairy godmother and the transformation of needing a prince to be happy. The emphasis on friendships and loving herself for who you are. The discussion of body image and fatphobia and toxic romantic relationships.

I do feel like she has poems that are so similar to previous ones that it feels recycled with a different magical twist to it, but overall her poems are sweet and the ones I highlight throughout are kept in a back pocket, ready to be reread whenever I need them.


Thank you so much to Netgalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for providing me with an e-ARC of this poetry collection. All opinions are my own.

I absolutely adore Amanda Lovelace's poetry, and I'm happy to say that this book is as good as all her others. Absolutely amazing!

Just about every page in this book could or should be a mantra for any woman who lacks confidence, self-esteem or has uncertainty dealing with a partner. As an example, she says Fat is not an insult and skinny is not a compliment, they are just sizes. The book is a lot of explaining that you are perfect just the way you are! Read this book! You will be glad you did.

“when you spend
all your time
imagining yourself
in other people's shoes,

your own story
goes unwritten,

& there is nothing
more painful
than that.”

I love how Amanda Lovelace is putting a spin on the traditional fairytale of Cinderella and introducing new elements of feminism and banishing toxic masculinity and other social ideas prevalent in society. It's easy to read and yet impactful. The only reason for my 3.5-star rating would be that I've enjoyed Amanda's other works a bit more than this one. I'm literally comparing her work to her past work.

But anyway, I'm super excited to read the other books in this seeries!

Growing up, I never thought that I would be this much into poetry. But thanks to the likes of Amanda Lovelace and Rupi Kaur I'm really starting to enjoy reading more in this genre.

I liked a couple of things about this book:
- The fact that this is a thrilling new way of retelling the Cinderella story
- The poems are an easy read and very accessible
- The poems lingered in my mind and made me think
- The whole story feels empowering
- A lot of things are relatable
- The artwork throughout the book is just lovely

I can't wait to read more and more from Amanda Lovelace.

Lovelace never fails to amaze me. This collection of poems was probably her best yet; the back-and-forth with the fairy godmother was what every girl should have heard growing up. In my mid twenties, a lot of it was still what I needed to hear. The body shame and the self-love issues were painfully relatable, but finishing this felt like a therapy session I didn't realize I needed.

Such a beautiful poetry book, really stuck to the theme of fairy tales and was lovely to read! I will definitely recommend this to customers in my store.

I absorbed all the fairy tales and Disney movies as a child, dreaming of balls and elaborate dresses and princely rescues and happily-ever-afters in ornate castles.

Then I began to return to these same stories as an adult, and then as a mother, and I found them wanting. We are meeting these women who are beautiful and kind and accomplished, and we are watching them fixate on a hero to save them from their circumstances. They are not enough in themselves. There is little depth to these meetings, but the love-at-first-sight and the destiny of it all is never questioned, albeit their interactions are shallow and cursory at best. Why do we hold them up as virtuous and to be emulated? Why don't we find better examples of true friendship and partnership and aspire to such a life?

break your glass slippers is a book of poetry to address this head-on. Amanda Lovelace frames the first section of the book of our modern-day Cinderella as an Everywoman character. Poems alternate from Cinderella's perspective and the Fairy Godmother. The Cinderella character is fixated on her prince, on his attention, on pleasing him, while the Fairy Godmother speaks truth and affirms Cinderella, to counter the judgments and criticisms from the prince. Her adages are a balm to Cinderella, as she comes to her senses to the reality of her relationship.

The rest of the book is Cinderella gaining confidence, discovering her inner strength and her self-worth, whatever the scale may say or whatever society may deem as success. This story is not a literal Cinderella with the magical coach, but it was a useful analogy to navigating worthiness and importance, and the Fairy Godmother being an inner voice speaking truth was a logical step.

I read this in one sitting when looking for some poetry; there are some swears in the book, if you are sensitive to such things, but I thought they didn't detract and worked at emphasizing pivotal changes taking place.

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

After reading Break Your Glass Slippers by Amanda Lovelace I struggled to write the review. Simply because I cannot begin to put into words the beauty in this book and the power in its minimalist format. This was my first book by Ms. Lovelace and surely not my last. I have not read poetry in what seems like decades, but this collection quickly transformed me into a poetry fan.

Throughout the story, the fairy godmother succinctly and beautifully prescribes adages that I found myself revisiting before even finishing the novel. The themes within this poetry collection of: feminism, self-care, and self-preservation are so timely and necessary in today’s divided society. For this reason and many others, when my daughter is old enough I will add this book to her collection. Thank you to Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to purchasing a hard copy for my collection on publication day.

A new poetry collection to love!
Cinderella was my favorite princess as a child. The idea of turning the original fairytale into poetry about self love was so well executed. The illustrations throughout the book were a lovely addition.
This was my first book by the author but I will soon check out the rest of her works.

I can imagine that fans of this author will also enjoy her newest collection. But for readers who are new to poetry this is a great start. It is easy to understand and the fairytale well known. The topic of self love and not losing oneself within a relationship can be relatable to all genders and most age groups. I highly recommend this especially if you need a little pep talk about self love in form of a book. Within these pages you will find a fairy-godmother and let me tell you this book feels truly like one.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @andrewsmcmeel for this advanced reading copy. This the first of lovelace’s new series called you are your own fairytale. It focuses on female empowerment, self-worth and self-care. It uses the trope of the “fairy godmother” as a woman’s conscience who knows that she is not treating herself as she should by being in a toxic relationship and being taken advantage of by other people in her life such as family and friends.

I enjoy poetry that focuses on self-worth and female empowerment. I hadn’t read lovelace before but I did like her work. My all time favourite is Rupi Kaur and she still remains on top. I liked the messages behind lovelace’s poetry, but I found she could have used some more figurative language/imagery. I leave you with one of my favourite snippets from her anthology:

“some days,
your body will feel like a cage.

on those days,
Lace flowers through the bars.”

This book carries a beautiful and very important message:

she is her own goddamn fairy tale

All of what is the author saying is so important and should be taped on the walls everywhere, so we would finally start to take care of and love ourselves. The book is divided into two main parts, in the first part, we can see the story of a girl and the advices from her fairy godmother. The second part talks about what happens when the girl breaks her slippers and starts to love herself as she is.

There were some pieces I really loved, as:

"you are limitless.

you can have the lipstick.
you can have the sword."

or

"there is nothing
unfeminist
about the girl
who chooses
the ball gown
& the prince.

there is everything
unfeminist
about those
who try to
shame her for
her choices".

I absolutely loved the message of this book and find it so important.

But what I didn't love was the execution. The poems sometimes didn't feel like the poems at all, just like the inspirational slogans you can find everywhere on the internet inserted in pretty and deep mystical pictures.

Like:

"so often we are our own true love"

or

"being called fat is not an insult.
being called skinny is not a compliment".

or

"my value doesn't go down when my weight goes up.
- they are just sizes."

I am not saying they are not wise words that everybody needs to hear, just... I expected a bit more from the book of poetry. More depth, more metaphors, more of beautiful writing that makes me feel a lot? And this book did not deliver that.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy. Opinions stated are completely my own.

Firstly, I would like to thank Amanda Lovelace, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book.

“My value doesn’t go down when my weight goes up.”

“Withholding forgiveness can be a form of self-care.”

Amanda Lovelace is one of those authors who knows how to dig a spot deep in your soul, settle there, and nourish you. I believe this book should be made a required reading for all women; teens to grown ass women. I’m currently at year 24, and every single page of this beauty resonated with me. I was so sad when I finished it.

I cannot express how important this book is. The illustrations were such a gorgeous surprise! They brought the fairytale to life even more so than just having unadorned pages.

This is a masterpiece that will teach you that it’s okay to want the ballgown and the boy, and it’s okay to want to be left alone. You are the author of your own fairytale, and your own destiny. Nobody else. Practice self-care and always put yourself first. There is nothing wrong with that.

This is most definitely getting 5/5 stars. I’d give it 100/5 if I could. It will definitely be a book I pick up again and again when I forget the wisdom that was imparted in its pages.

Thank you to the publisher for giving me an ARC

I have loved all of Amanda Lovelace's poetry books. This one is no different. Most of her books have a running metaphor throughout the collection that ties everything together. This one focused on Cinderella. The metaphor is a lot more obvious in this collection than her other ones. This one contained such beautiful illustrations. I can't wait to see a finished copy. My ebook probably didn't do the artwork justice. I loved this and can't wait for the next installments in this series.

“you are limitless
you can have the lipstick
you can have the sword”
(pg. 27)

I find it very strange to give a rating to poetry. You either connect with it or it leaves you cold. It either speaks to your soul or it is hollow. Judging by the popularity of Lovelace I think she has tapped into the common female experience in a way that many women can relate to. It certainly resonated strongly with me. As a 40 year old woman I have learned some of these lessons the hard way and I wish that someone had put this book in my hands as a teen. It would be a kindness to get this to every girl in your life and discuss it with them. Fairy Godmothers don’t exist so it’s our duty as women to share our knowledge and words of wisdom with the young. We are the fairy godmothers. So tell the princesses in your life that they are valuable and perfect just how they are and that they don’t need anyone to be their prince. As the author says be your “own goddamn fairy tale.”

I have to note that this book is beautifully illustrated with line drawings and the most gorgeous starry blue sky and moon. It really is a lovely presentation. I’m impressed and I’m reading an e-arc so I can only imagine that the final version will be incredible, especially in print. It’s such a meaningful book which deserves to be as visually beautiful as its message.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing an Electronic Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley for review.

This book is amazing. It’s written in the simple poetic style of Amanda’s previous books. Not only is it well written, but there are trigger warnings in the beginning are so helpful. That’s honestly why I continue to read Amanda Lovelace’s work. She also talks about self care before and after which is important for such dense topics. Amanda finds a way to talk about such hard dense topics, and make them less tabo. She finds away to help reads to connect to hard topics, but also know and understand that they are strong and can get over them. The book is a fairy quick read but reading slowing and taking breaks when it gets tough is recommended. I can’t wait for the second installment of this series.

Thank you to the publishers for the gifted review copy!

I really enjoyed this collection of poems. I could relate to some of them and some really stuck with me. As always Amanda Lovelace writes empowering pieces and this one is definitely my favorite of the author!

This was so beautiful, and Amanda Lovelace's best work yet! Her writing is enchanting, and I could not put this down. I love her feminist take on Cinderella's story and her message on loving yourself first, and how that's enough. This is definitely a book of poetry that I would recommend to anyone with its uplifting message. It sparked joy in my life and I can't wait to be able to buy a physical copy of this!

An absolutely incredible collection that will resonate with so many people especially now. It makes you think about yourself and those around you, especially how they treat you and your own worth. Every single poem in this collection is beautiful and thought provoking. I loved it.

"fairy godmother says:
you are not a thing
that can ever be
claimed, conquered,
or irreparably ruined
by someone else's hands
he may like to think
he wields that much power,
but he doesn't."

200,000 years since modern humans evolved and I live in the same time as Amanda Lovelace adapting fairytales to explore their moralistic essence through poetry!

Retold through poems, Lovelace explores the well-known fairytale that every girl grew up with: Cinderella. As the first instalment to 'you are your own fairytale', 'break your glass slippers' is about overcoming those who don’t see our worth, even if that person is sometimes ourself. She adapts the fairytale to address: in the epic tale of one's life, we are the most important character while everyone is but a forgotten footnote. Even the prince.

One can already imagine how epic of a collection this would be! Narrated through various characters like Ella of Cinders, Prince Charming and Fairy Godmother, each narrator speaks through the rightful tone that connects with readers on an emotional level! It is so important for women who grew up listening to fairytales that suppress women into the stereotype of 'damsels in distress' waiting for their princes and knights to come and rescue them from whims of those who are evil.
She talks about realising our self-worth and loving ourselves so we can gather our courage to move on by our own to explore the right kind of love with the same magical touch the fairytales hold, even though they do not talk about half of what Lovelace does. This is an ethereal collection meant to resonate with one's soul in the right way possible!

I loved all the poems and all of them made sure to caress my heart; the illustrations accompanying them felt so nostalgic and made my reading experience so profound! I cannot wait for the future collections in this series and I hold a tiny ember of hope that it will explore all the traditionally known 12 fairytales! I will not be surprised if this turns out to be her best work!

Recommended: This is an important collection for young girls and older women alike. Anyone wanting to explore a new type of collection can pick this one, as long as you love poetry and fairytales...!

"I am my own God damn fairy tale."

"Break Your Glass Slippers" is a collection of powerful poetry on womanhood intertwined with the classical Cinderella story. Don't be deceived by Amanda Lovelace's choice of simple words, they express something so painful and powerful that I am sure every woman can relate to them at some level.

"There is a girl who
dances only when
every curtain
is closed.
like most girls,
she's been learning
the trait of invisibility
since birth."

The existential suffering of our gender is equal in all cultures, all around the world. We consider it like an isolated issue, that our culture and society is the worst of all but women suffer more or less equally in every part of the world. You encounter abuse, violence, toxic behavior, body-shaming, sexual harassment and trauma everywhere regardless of geography. Lovelace touches those buttons with balanced pressure. I really liked the short poetry and her manner of expression. The fact I selected this book for Women's Day created the expected effect.
At times, I felt as if she was a little too angry or felt too much resentment and the poems are the channels she poured her melted heart out, and I hear her, loud and clear.

Not much I can say about Amanda Lovelace that fans of her don't already know. She's an extremely talented author. Break Your Glass Slippers quickly became a favorite of mine. It is a female-empowering book with a message of self-help and a trigger-warning in the beginning, which I appreciated. It is a reminder to women that they are enough and how important self-love and self-preservation really is. Her Cinderella-themed words made this book extra special for the young princess in all of us. Reminding us that we don't need a prince to save us, we already possess all the necessary tools to save ourselves. "No wand necessary."

Amanda does it again! A beautiful collection of poems that are not only relatable but empowering. She has this special way of creating poems that hit the hard truths but also show the power of overcoming challenges.

Absolutely a must read - Amanda Lovelace does not disappoint, and I look forward to as many books as she cares to gift us with.

I have been staying away from this collection for almost a month after getting the book because I was trying so hard to calm myself down...and not wanting to lose my sanity while reading it. Because I knew I would freaking love it!!!
And yes, how can I be wrong when it comes to Amanda Lovelace's books!
And....

I absolutely love it!
Her books get me. Too real. Too deep. Too raw. Too freaking liberating. Too damn lively. Too damn empowering as always!

What I totally didn't expect was the amazing colourful illustrations! Bonus point alert!

This collection talks on themes of body shaming, women being rivals of women, what defines a family, love and relationships, acceptance, feeling invisible and unworthy, being alone versus loneliness, standing up for oneself, mixed feelings and overall, as always, it's about hope and getting stronger, more independent as a person and most importantly, being kind to oneself.
And about the illustrations? Oh, it gave me all the magic feels; the fairy tale feels and how I used to see everything during my childhood days and how different the real world actually is from the fairy tale world.
What I do not understand:
It's the trigger warnings given at the beginning of the book (like with all her books!). And there's a whole lot of it there!
I do not see the point of giving such trigger warnings as I do not get to read any of such in any of the lines in the contents.
I feel it is rather unnecessary and it might put some readers from reading this amazing book.

Thank you #NetGalley for the copy of #BreakYourGlassSlippers

Amanda Lovelace is one of my favourite poets of all time, and this collection is definitely the best I’ve seen from her yet. The twist on a classic fairytale for those of us who grew up with them and still chase those happy endings was incredibly executed. The pacing is lovely, the messages poignant, and I cheered at the end. Mandatory reading for anyone who feels a little “less than”.

Much like Lovelace’s other books, this collection of poetry speaks heavily to the female experience. I really valued the comments on fat phobia and loving your body. For fans of her work, this new collection of lovely.

I fell in love with Amanda Lovelace’s poetry last year when I read the witch doesn’t burn in this one and the princess saves herself in this one. So when I saw that Lovelace was not only coming out with a new collection but that it was available on Netgalley...let’s just say I hit that ‘request’ button faster than Cinderella fled the castle at midnight. 

This collection is similar to the women are some kind of magic series and carries similar themes, but mostly focuses on relationships, as they begin and end and all the messy bits between. 

Unlike Lovelace’s other series, however, these verses are accompanied by gorgeous monochromatic illustrations. Like...tattoo-these-on-my-body-right-now beautiful.

I can’t say I didn’t have high hopes for this collection after loving the other books I’ve read by Lovelace so much.

But I also can’t say that they were all met…

"Break Your Glass Slippers" still had a lot of the elements that I loved so much about Lovelace’s earlier work: her ability to tell a full story from start to finish through verse, her creative use of the different pieces of a poem, and her feminist themes and inspiring moments. 

But it was missing the amount of literary allusion that I thought it would have, especially for a collection that focuses solely on one very well known fairytale that had, in my opinion, presented plenty of opportunities. 

And, more so, I couldn’t help feeling while I read that many poems felt too familiar. Not that they were carbon copies of other parts of Lovelace's work, but they were too similar to feel as fresh and meaningful as I wanted them to, especially considering that this is the start of a whole new series. 

I rated "Break Your Glass Slippers" 3.5 out of 5 stars and would still recommend to fans of Lovelace's other works.

Thank you to Netgalley and Andrew McMeels Publishing for the opportunity to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review.