A review by incredibella
I Must Belong Somewhere: Poetry and Prose by Dawn Lanuza

4.0

In this collection, Lanuza touches on themes of longing, belonging, healing, loneliness, identity, mental health, and more. Modern poetry can often be hit or miss for me, as some of it, unfortunately, feel cliché and surface level. While I did find some of these pieces to be trite, others helped unearthed parts of me that I had pushed down or ignored. The poems within are in turns moving, raw, vulnerable, joyful, and uplifting. Even many of the shorter pieces strike powerful chords that resonate long after you've turned the page. This is the first collection I have read of Lanuza's, but it made me happy to read a fellow Filipino’s poetry and I now fully intend to check out her other collections! I also want to express my thanks to all authors and books that provide trigger/content warnings at the start; this is something that may seem small but is extremely important, and really shows that extra bit of effort and care for the reader.

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

trigger/content warnings: death, suicidal ideation, violence, bullying, injury, self-harm, body image, sexism, mental health.