Short Review: 'September Love' by Lang Leav

I'll just come out and say it. I'm a bit of a poetry snob, but in a weird way. Some poetry, like Emily Bronte and Sylvia Plath's, is simply beautiful. And then I try to read Wordsworth and it just doesn't click. Coleridge is otherworldly, but I can't connect to Keats. I'm usually hesitant to try out new poetry, but I'm happy to have explored a little with Lang Leav. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest 

Pub. Date: 11/3/2020
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

A book that will change the way you think about love, relationships, heartbreak, and self-empowerment. Breaking the rules, challenging perceptions, and exploring the secret desires we keep hidden from the world. 

Beautifully composed and written by international bestselling author Lang Leav, this new collection of poetry and prose will positively influence your life.
 
September Love captures the magic of each passing season, a pearl of wisdom waiting to be discovered with every page turned. A book that will inspire you to reach for the stars. 

Various topics are at play in September Love. Love, of course, permeates the pages. Whether it is love found, lost, regained, you will find it in these pages. Similarly Leav addresses her writing process, the passage and cruelties of time, and all the small tragedies and triumphs that make up a life. This wide net means that almost all readers will find something to connect with. Leav aims for a hopeful message, arguing that no matter how often life knocks you down, there is that glimmer of hope. This is a great message, especially considering the year we have all gone through and the year we're facing. There is beauty in the small things and every victory should be celebrated. 

What I like about September Love is how accessible it is. Leav's style is minimalist and direct, which means that her poetry feels like something you could imagine yourself saying or thinking. I also found the combination between poetry and prose refreshing. It meant that for readers like myself there was no way to glaze over, or skip from one poem to the next without really taking any in. And yet, September Love didn't entirely resonate with me. Although this is possibly trite, Leav reminds me very much of Rupi Kaur, who I absolutely adored when milk and honey first came out in 2014. I was 19 going on 20 and the deeply personal nature of this type of poetry went some way to soothe that hurt and insecurity unique to new adults. Now that, alas, I am a bit older I find it doesn't quite hit the spot in the same way. This could be down to my own, acknowledged, poetry snobbishness, or perhaps this poetry mainly works when you really are in the midst of working these things out. However, for anyone looking for that reminder to look up and look in, September Love can be valuable.

I give this collection...

3 Universes!

Although Leav's writing didn't entirely work for me, I can see the great good a collection like September Love can be capable of. Anything that nudges you towards hope, understanding and, who knows, happiness, is a good thing in my book.