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bugsybugs's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
slow-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Bullying, Death, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Infidelity, Grief, and Rape
breanneporter's review
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Andrea Gibson is awesome. I fell for them and their partner Megan after hearing them on Glennon Doyle’s We Can Do Hard Things podcast and I’m so glad to have read more of their work in You Better Be Lightning. My favorite poems in the collection are:
Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps
Every Time I Ever Said I Want to Die
What Love Is
The Day Prince Died
My Gender is the Undoing of Gender
The Night Shift
Love Letter to the Tick that Got Me Sick
The Test of Time
See This Through
Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps
Every Time I Ever Said I Want to Die
What Love Is
The Day Prince Died
My Gender is the Undoing of Gender
The Night Shift
Love Letter to the Tick that Got Me Sick
The Test of Time
See This Through
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Chronic illness, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual assault and Child abuse
the_vegan_bookworm's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Another beautiful poetry collection from Andrea Gibson. As always, their work strikes a chord deep within me and pulls my feelings out into the open. Andrea is incredibly vulnerable and raw in the most moving way.
Some particular favourites include:
Some particular favourites include:
- Acceptance speech after setting the world record in goosebumps
- Time piece
- Queer youth are five times more likely to die by suicide
- No such thing as the innocent bystander
- To whom it definitely concerns
- Every time i ever said I want to die
- What can't be taken
- Wellness check
- What you wish you'd said to the high school guidance counselor
- What sucks about the afterlife
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Grief, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Transphobia, and Mental illness
Moderate: Child abuse and Pedophilia
serena_andherstories's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Death, Suicidal thoughts, and Child abuse
smallish_bird's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.75
"There is no escaping the magic now.
Beauty caught me and never let me go." - Acceptance Speech After Setting The World Record in Goosebumps by A. Gibson
A lovely collection of personal poetry/prose meant to inspire hope.
There is so much love, introspection, and beauty in this book; compassionate nuance is foundational to to Gibson's writing. I'm in awe of their metaphors, the creative ways they frame the complex and mundanity. Their work is concise and clearly communicated, and it's a joy to reflect upon.
Beauty caught me and never let me go." - Acceptance Speech After Setting The World Record in Goosebumps by A. Gibson
A lovely collection of personal poetry/prose meant to inspire hope.
There is so much love, introspection, and beauty in this book; compassionate nuance is foundational to to Gibson's writing. I'm in awe of their metaphors, the creative ways they frame the complex and mundanity. Their work is concise and clearly communicated, and it's a joy to reflect upon.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness
Moderate: Chronic illness, Death, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Sexual content, and Addiction
Minor: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, and Medical content
julestx's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
🖤⚡️🖤 Use caution if you listen to the audiobook while driving. I had to stop a few times to cry from how beautiful and touching these poems are.
Content Warnings
Minor: Mental illness, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual assault
alisonvh's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I always say I don’t like poetry, but then when I read it, I really enjoy it. The poems in this collection are so good I was sad to finish the book. I read a library copy, but I’m seriously considering buying a copy to add to my own collection.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, and Sexual assault
latitudea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.25
I received this e-book at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
The last book of poetry I read was ZigZag Girl by Brenna Twohy. Wait, actually, I lied; it was The Age of Discovery by Alan Michael Parker, but that was for school. The last time I listened to any of Andrea Gibson’s poetry was when I was in my senior year of high school, and also sometimes when it comes up on my Spotify, but that’s involuntary. My favorite poem is “Sorrow is Not My Name” by Ross Gay, and most of my poetry reading comes from either poetry I have to read in school or screenshots that my friend Noor sends me through Discord DMs, or tucked into the body of a letter.
Andrea Gibson was also probably the first person I heard talk about their gender in any way that felt meaningful to me, and it would take me another three years to find pronouns that fit me, even though the year I first heard them speak was the year I found my own name and told other people about it.
Some poems start off a little silly before they move into heartrending, like “The Museum of Broken Relationships”, some poems start off heartrending and stay that way, like “Time Piece”; all would be better read out loud to me in a little bookshop downtown while I hold a cup of overpriced coffee in my hands.
The following poems made me tear up:
QUEER YOUTH ARE FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE BY SUICIDE
EVERY TIME I EVER SAID I WANT TO DIE
WHAT LOVE IS
MY GENDER IS THE UNDOING OF GENDER
THE NIGHT SHIFT
QUEER YOUTH ARE FIVE TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DIE BY SUICIDE
EVERY TIME I EVER SAID I WANT TO DIE
WHAT LOVE IS
MY GENDER IS THE UNDOING OF GENDER
THE NIGHT SHIFT
If you’re looking for a queer book of poetry, you can’t go wrong with the hundred and twenty-eight pages that belong to YOU BETTER BE LIGHTNING. You can buy it here from Bookshop.org, or borrow it from your local library. (4.25 stars)
This review is copy+pasted from my blog at Latitude's Library: find it here geographreads.wordpress.com.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
sara_m_martins's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
I can always trust Button Poetry to publish incredible collections and this one is no different!
I knew Andrea Gibson's material, as I often watch their performances on Button Poetry's YouTube channel, but this collection is too great not to amaze.
A few went over my head or weren't for me, but I think every single one is incredibly good and for 99% of them I felt deeply moved.
While I think there's a particular soft spot that will hit queer people more squarely, this collection talks about all types of love and, thus, i think all people could benefit from it.
when I say god - I mean everyone
down here who understands why
when I get to heaven,
I will refuse to call it heaven
if the pople I love
(who put me through hell)
aren't there.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.
I knew Andrea Gibson's material, as I often watch their performances on Button Poetry's YouTube channel, but this collection is too great not to amaze.
A few went over my head or weren't for me, but I think every single one is incredibly good and for 99% of them I felt deeply moved.
While I think there's a particular soft spot that will hit queer people more squarely, this collection talks about all types of love and, thus, i think all people could benefit from it.
when I say god - I mean everyone
down here who understands why
when I get to heaven,
I will refuse to call it heaven
if the pople I love
(who put me through hell)
aren't there.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Self harm, Sexual assault, Chronic illness, Mental illness, Homophobia, Transphobia, and Child abuse
hbc72's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Child abuse
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