933 reviews for:

You Better Be Lightning

Andrea Gibson

4.59 AVERAGE

kalidenheijer's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

jasberryshortcake's review against another edition

5.0

emotional reflective medium-paced

maddohbee's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

hiiamkye's review against another edition

5.0

emotional inspiring reflective fast-paced

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I want to take a bath in these words.

This collection is so emotionally raw. I’m in love. There are poems that are hard to read but the endings are beautiful. Dark and sad and haunting sometimes but always beautiful.

Queer poetry for queer people.

craftyscene's review against another edition

2.75

reflective medium-paced

daniholstrom's review against another edition

3.0

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I'm no poetry critic, just someone who knows what they like. The wordplay and Gibson's love of a double entendre make this collection of poems special. That and Gibson's untiring "failed attempts at writing a single thing more beautiful than love" (their paraphrased words, not mine). The titles could have used some work, and sometimes the poems veered too close to prose that any sense of cadence or rhythm was lost, but I appreciated Gibson's vulnerability and honesty.

Some lines I loved (for what they mean both in and out of context):
"If you are going to be anything in the world tonight, you better be lightning."
"I looked in the mirror and my tough relaxed."
"sew herself backward"
"karma is a hell of a feminist"
"...you will always be held down by what you held down."

3.5 stars

makennas_'s review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective fast-paced

tybabess's review against another edition

4.0

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oof. some of these really hit where I needed.

icromorganism's review against another edition

4.25

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

ellasimone2's review against another edition

5.0

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The kind of poetry that’s meant to be read aloud. Also the kind that feels like it’s stabbing me in a good way