Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.72 AVERAGE
3.72 AVERAGE
i started reading this out of ~irony~ and ended up liking it a lot. yeah, some of it was really corny and cringy (like the poem about killing rich people including her lmao) but what can i say? i too am a bisexual enby who spent too much time on tumblr on my teens to cope with depression n sexual assault and was a blue-haired, mentally ill one direction fan, how the fuck could i NOT identify with every word halsey says?
I’m gonna be real and say I gave this 3 stars bc it’s Halsey.
emotional
inspiring
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
I’ve been a Halsey fan since their Room 93 EP, so I knew some day I’d get around to reading her poetry collection - despite the fact that I don’t typically enjoy reading poetry (I don’t give myself time to dissect & reflect on poems, which I’m trying to get better at).
Like all of Halsey’s work, this poetry collection is deeply personal - a deep look into Halsey’s mind, past, struggles, and more. It covers a range of topics we’ve seen them cover in their other work - her relationship to sex & sexuality (both positive & negative experiences), struggles with her mental & physical health, the hard parts of womanhood, her childhood & growing up poor, her work as an artist & how it impacts her life. I truly commend Halsey for being willing to bare it all in this incredibly intimate & honest way. They truly put so much of themselves into their work - even the parts that aren’t so perfect, the parts that one necessarily may not want the whole world to see. I think it also makes for some interesting reflection, and there were a lot of poems that truly stuck with me because of that. It was also cool to see those bits and pieces from these poems Halsey eventually used in her songs for Manic & even IICHLIHP!
I will say, however, that some poems were definitely stronger than others in this collection - and I personally thought there were fewer strong ones than there were weak ones, which is disappointing to see in a poetry collection. Although I had some poems that I really loved, I feel like there weren’t enough of them for this book to get a 4+ star rating from me - as harsh as it may sound. I think this poetry collection is great in its own way and I genuinely hope that Halsey writes one again in the future, but I feel like there are ways it falls short. It’s missing that oomph that we see in her songwriting.
I would definitely give this poetry collection a read once some time has passed! I’m still trying to understand how to read poetry so I think maybe there were things I could have missed during my first read-through that I’ll understand better next time.
Like all of Halsey’s work, this poetry collection is deeply personal - a deep look into Halsey’s mind, past, struggles, and more. It covers a range of topics we’ve seen them cover in their other work - her relationship to sex & sexuality (both positive & negative experiences), struggles with her mental & physical health, the hard parts of womanhood, her childhood & growing up poor, her work as an artist & how it impacts her life. I truly commend Halsey for being willing to bare it all in this incredibly intimate & honest way. They truly put so much of themselves into their work - even the parts that aren’t so perfect, the parts that one necessarily may not want the whole world to see. I think it also makes for some interesting reflection, and there were a lot of poems that truly stuck with me because of that. It was also cool to see those bits and pieces from these poems Halsey eventually used in her songs for Manic & even IICHLIHP!
I will say, however, that some poems were definitely stronger than others in this collection - and I personally thought there were fewer strong ones than there were weak ones, which is disappointing to see in a poetry collection. Although I had some poems that I really loved, I feel like there weren’t enough of them for this book to get a 4+ star rating from me - as harsh as it may sound. I think this poetry collection is great in its own way and I genuinely hope that Halsey writes one again in the future, but I feel like there are ways it falls short. It’s missing that oomph that we see in her songwriting.
I would definitely give this poetry collection a read once some time has passed! I’m still trying to understand how to read poetry so I think maybe there were things I could have missed during my first read-through that I’ll understand better next time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Minor: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
So I actually got a digital Arc of this back in August from Edelweiss and I read it within a day. I can not tell you how good and emotional and raw this book is.
I know when celebrities and pop stars and influencers come out with books I don't enjoy them so I was hesitant to read this when I found out Halsey was writing a book. I didn't want my favorite artist to end up like all the others, but I should've known better.
Halsey's music is so beautiful and her latest album Manic was so personal that I cried. When I opened the introduction I knew this book would be worth it and it was. She cut herself open and poured into the pages and never have I loved a poetry book more than this one. This book made me love Halsey more than I already did. I have so many highlights in the Arc I really want to find a way to upload them to share on here, because it touched me. It even validated some of my own thoughts and feelings that I've had and it is really something special to find a book that not only touches you but in some ways you can relate to.
Here are the titles of my favorites so far (and these may even change because each time I re-read it, I find a new favorite) :
I want to be a writer
Summer Fruit
Lullabye
The Mirror
Is there Somewhere Else
American Woman
Mind the Gap
Devil In Me
I wish That I was Manic all the Time
And yes a few of these poems you can tell were the birthplace for some of her songs. I want her to keep writing and if she puts out another collection of poetry I'm going to buy it.
If you didn't like this book then that's your opinion but you have to admit, Halsey/Ashley has a unique way with words and it's beautiful! Messy and beautiful!
I know when celebrities and pop stars and influencers come out with books I don't enjoy them so I was hesitant to read this when I found out Halsey was writing a book. I didn't want my favorite artist to end up like all the others, but I should've known better.
Halsey's music is so beautiful and her latest album Manic was so personal that I cried. When I opened the introduction I knew this book would be worth it and it was. She cut herself open and poured into the pages and never have I loved a poetry book more than this one. This book made me love Halsey more than I already did. I have so many highlights in the Arc I really want to find a way to upload them to share on here, because it touched me. It even validated some of my own thoughts and feelings that I've had and it is really something special to find a book that not only touches you but in some ways you can relate to.
Here are the titles of my favorites so far (and these may even change because each time I re-read it, I find a new favorite) :
I want to be a writer
Summer Fruit
Lullabye
The Mirror
Is there Somewhere Else
American Woman
Mind the Gap
Devil In Me
I wish That I was Manic all the Time
And yes a few of these poems you can tell were the birthplace for some of her songs. I want her to keep writing and if she puts out another collection of poetry I'm going to buy it.
If you didn't like this book then that's your opinion but you have to admit, Halsey/Ashley has a unique way with words and it's beautiful! Messy and beautiful!
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
For the most part, the poems in here were fine. However, I didn't enjoy a lot of them when it came to the subjects. The content was a little bit too hypersexual, and this kind of threw me off. I will say that her ability to write her poems with a song like style captured my interest, and I enjoyed that.
Picked this book up because of the cover, my interest in poetry and my current desire to read about musicians. Halsey provided an array of revealing confessions with each poem. It was creative, intimate and entertaining. That being said, I do think this book could have been better written as a collection of essays instead. Some poems were great, but I often felt disappointed with many. Most of the poems ran too long, others read like a pre-teen diary entry. Her writing style is interesting and her description of events is something I would read again, just not as a poetry collection.