Rating: 4 stars

Amanda Lovelace weaves a journey through devastation, heartache, self hate, love, becoming the hero of her own story and so much more. Page 177 "write the story. push your hands into the dirtiest parts of yourself. take the rot & decay & turn it into nourishment & life. water it & sing to it & show it sunlight grow a beautiful garden from your aching & teach yourself how to thrive from it. write your story." Lovelace collects words in the most natural way by living in them, like a wardrobe of clothing that continuously becomes to small before giving you new clothing that fit again only to repeat the process. Living in words can be comfortable, it can hurt like a too tight pair of shoes, or it can feel painted on like skinny jeans constricting your ability to breathe; this is growth, such a prevalent part of life. That said, Lovelace shows that pain does not have to define us but can in the end help us decide who we want to be. What I love about this collection is that it does not apologize for the darkness, it embraces it. This was a stellar read! Oh, and it took all of 25 minutes to read 204 pages so it is quick read.

#Poetry #AmandaLovelace #theprincesssavesherselfinthison #review