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Size of Your Joy: Poems
For every woman who's ever held joy and sorrow in the same breath—this debut is a tender, powerful reminder that you are not alone.
The Size of Your Joy is an intimate and empowering exploration of the complex and often contradictory experiences of womanhood, offering an unflinching look at how identity, resilience, and self-worth are shaped by the intersections of love, grief, and longing.
Through the birth of her daughter, the vital yet complicated relationships between the women in her life, and the realities of being a woman in the world, Powers reflects on how ideas of beauty, desire, and shame are quietly passed from one generation to the next, and what it takes to break those cycles. She examines the hunger—for belonging, autonomy, and joy—that women are taught to suppress, while imagining a path forward defined by liberation and self-acceptance.
A celebration of reclamation, The Size of Your Joy asks how we might carry both sorrow and joy, loss and love, as dual forces that shape the stories we inherit and the lives we choose to create. This collection invites readers to embrace joy not as the absence of struggle, but as an act of defiance and hope.
The Size of Your Joy is an intimate and empowering exploration of the complex and often contradictory experiences of womanhood, offering an unflinching look at how identity, resilience, and self-worth are shaped by the intersections of love, grief, and longing.
Through the birth of her daughter, the vital yet complicated relationships between the women in her life, and the realities of being a woman in the world, Powers reflects on how ideas of beauty, desire, and shame are quietly passed from one generation to the next, and what it takes to break those cycles. She examines the hunger—for belonging, autonomy, and joy—that women are taught to suppress, while imagining a path forward defined by liberation and self-acceptance.
A celebration of reclamation, The Size of Your Joy asks how we might carry both sorrow and joy, loss and love, as dual forces that shape the stories we inherit and the lives we choose to create. This collection invites readers to embrace joy not as the absence of struggle, but as an act of defiance and hope.
- GenresPoetry
122 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 14, 2025
Elise Powers is wonder and glitter and devastating beauty and shards of pain in stained glass gloss and just about as stunning a poet since the alternate-universe lovechild of a time travelling Dickinson and Plath with some Mary Oliver magic thrown in. Her poems are, quite simply, inspiring and hopeful and delicious.
January 23, 2026
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am personal friends with Elise. I am also an author, currently working on completing my debut novel. Whether these facts disqualifies my credibility as a reviewer of this book, I leave to your discretion, dear reader.
I don’t love star-rating systems either. Every reader has their own subjective criteria for what qualities count toward a higher or lower star-rating, and yet, culturally, socially, we tend to treat the aggregate as a reliable marker for objective quality.
That troubles me. More than a little.
Even just as a reader myself, it makes me wary of star-ratings and reviews. But I believe the discourse is invaluable, and, I assert, discourse is made stronger and richer through transparency.
So let me define how I—subjectively—have chosen to grant this book five stars.
The Size of Your Joy surprised me. In virtually every way, and what it effectively amounts to as a coherent work is both unlike anything I had previously come across and entirely familiar to the quiet and even secret experiences of my life.
It’s really that simple.
I recognized myself in the words, the autobiographical memories, the musings and anecdotes and reflections, in ways that allowed for me to feel capable of recontextualizing some of my own memories. I was able to see my own life as more beautiful than I had before I’d read it.
This is where, I believe, the fact of knowing someone personally can be deceptive in its connotation.
How many of us have had the experience where we witness someone we know very well do something truly remarkable and, whether out of instinct, awe, or bewilderment and disbelief—or some mixture of all of the above—all we can bring ourselves to say is something along the lines of, “I had no idea…”
Now, blend that experience with my surprise with how Elise structures the narrative arc in such a way as to make a quietly radical argument, an argument I had never before considered.
The book is broken into three parts. Never mind their titles for now, I care more about what these parts represent, and what they are doing. Part One covers childhood and early experiences, Part Two covers coming of age, and Part Three covers a kind of elusive “present”.
All three parts are equal parts beautiful, painful, aching, longing, raw, devastating, and transcendent.
You could think of it like this:
Part One: innocence in an indifferent but beautiful world.
Part Two: the breaking of the heart—the wound—explored to its fullest, most unflinchingly honest extent.
Structured as a three-act autobiographical narrative, then, we are preconditioned to predict how Part Three must go…
Or at least I made the prediction (or projection) that Part Three would stitch the heart back together.
I was wrong.
The argument, so far as I can tell, is something like this:
Maybe it is better to leave your heart opened after it has been broken.
No artificial closure. No hyperbolic or prescriptive language of propagandistic “empowerment”. Elise finds beauty, strength, and power in the honest and vulnerable experience of life.
I find that far more empowering than any artificial closing off of the heart, and the inevitable callousness that would come along with it.
I wanted to make this point before commenting on the verse itself. One’s tastes in poetry is as subjective as one’s taste in music. I wanted to demonstrate why I believe The Size of Your Joy is remarkable and profound as a narrative work.
As for the verse? Elise has a generous selection of her poetry on Instagram. If you are curious as to whether the poetry will resonate with you, I encourage you to go check it out for yourself.
With one caveat.
Know that reading some of these poems individually is not the same as reading the book, in sequence.
The cumulative effect of reading the book left me devastated. This book hurt me. The experience was worse than feeling seen or known, it was more like having my own deepest secrets exposed by someone else, someone who understands not just the pain of being human but my pain, as an individual. The effect can be brutal, and even at times uncanny.
It’s so easy to hide. Technology, social insulation and isolation, masking on social media…we so often move through life like we can’t see one another. Can we even see ourselves? Do we dare look?
If we look, how much will it hurt?
It will hurt. All the way down to our bones, it will hurt. And good.
And good.
I don’t love star-rating systems either. Every reader has their own subjective criteria for what qualities count toward a higher or lower star-rating, and yet, culturally, socially, we tend to treat the aggregate as a reliable marker for objective quality.
That troubles me. More than a little.
Even just as a reader myself, it makes me wary of star-ratings and reviews. But I believe the discourse is invaluable, and, I assert, discourse is made stronger and richer through transparency.
So let me define how I—subjectively—have chosen to grant this book five stars.
The Size of Your Joy surprised me. In virtually every way, and what it effectively amounts to as a coherent work is both unlike anything I had previously come across and entirely familiar to the quiet and even secret experiences of my life.
It’s really that simple.
I recognized myself in the words, the autobiographical memories, the musings and anecdotes and reflections, in ways that allowed for me to feel capable of recontextualizing some of my own memories. I was able to see my own life as more beautiful than I had before I’d read it.
This is where, I believe, the fact of knowing someone personally can be deceptive in its connotation.
How many of us have had the experience where we witness someone we know very well do something truly remarkable and, whether out of instinct, awe, or bewilderment and disbelief—or some mixture of all of the above—all we can bring ourselves to say is something along the lines of, “I had no idea…”
Now, blend that experience with my surprise with how Elise structures the narrative arc in such a way as to make a quietly radical argument, an argument I had never before considered.
The book is broken into three parts. Never mind their titles for now, I care more about what these parts represent, and what they are doing. Part One covers childhood and early experiences, Part Two covers coming of age, and Part Three covers a kind of elusive “present”.
All three parts are equal parts beautiful, painful, aching, longing, raw, devastating, and transcendent.
You could think of it like this:
Part One: innocence in an indifferent but beautiful world.
Part Two: the breaking of the heart—the wound—explored to its fullest, most unflinchingly honest extent.
Structured as a three-act autobiographical narrative, then, we are preconditioned to predict how Part Three must go…
Or at least I made the prediction (or projection) that Part Three would stitch the heart back together.
I was wrong.
The argument, so far as I can tell, is something like this:
Maybe it is better to leave your heart opened after it has been broken.
No artificial closure. No hyperbolic or prescriptive language of propagandistic “empowerment”. Elise finds beauty, strength, and power in the honest and vulnerable experience of life.
I find that far more empowering than any artificial closing off of the heart, and the inevitable callousness that would come along with it.
I wanted to make this point before commenting on the verse itself. One’s tastes in poetry is as subjective as one’s taste in music. I wanted to demonstrate why I believe The Size of Your Joy is remarkable and profound as a narrative work.
As for the verse? Elise has a generous selection of her poetry on Instagram. If you are curious as to whether the poetry will resonate with you, I encourage you to go check it out for yourself.
With one caveat.
Know that reading some of these poems individually is not the same as reading the book, in sequence.
The cumulative effect of reading the book left me devastated. This book hurt me. The experience was worse than feeling seen or known, it was more like having my own deepest secrets exposed by someone else, someone who understands not just the pain of being human but my pain, as an individual. The effect can be brutal, and even at times uncanny.
It’s so easy to hide. Technology, social insulation and isolation, masking on social media…we so often move through life like we can’t see one another. Can we even see ourselves? Do we dare look?
If we look, how much will it hurt?
It will hurt. All the way down to our bones, it will hurt. And good.
And good.
January 10, 2026
The Size of Your Joy
Elise M. Powers
Thankyou @netgalley and the publishers for the Advanced Readers Copy.
The Size of Your Joy explores the quiet, radical sweetness of living—the joy of eating a simple thing as sugar when one wishes.
Through poems rooted in womanhood, childhood, and motherhood, Elise M. Powers writes about unsaid emotions, silenced exploitations, and the daily negotiations of being human. The speakers are sometimes desperate, sometimes doubtful, often confused—but always honest.
The collection doesn’t preach self-love; it shows why it is necessary. With varied narrative styles and strong visual imagery (especially in poems like Zombie Salmon), the book moves between confession and reflection with ease. Pieces like Might Should, The One Where I Confess That I Can’t Do It All, and the structurally powerful Orogenesis stand out.Though
the emotional heaviness can feel continuous, leaving little room for lightness between poems:readers, especially women can connect with everything said.
Elise M. Powers
Thankyou @netgalley and the publishers for the Advanced Readers Copy.
The Size of Your Joy explores the quiet, radical sweetness of living—the joy of eating a simple thing as sugar when one wishes.
Through poems rooted in womanhood, childhood, and motherhood, Elise M. Powers writes about unsaid emotions, silenced exploitations, and the daily negotiations of being human. The speakers are sometimes desperate, sometimes doubtful, often confused—but always honest.
The collection doesn’t preach self-love; it shows why it is necessary. With varied narrative styles and strong visual imagery (especially in poems like Zombie Salmon), the book moves between confession and reflection with ease. Pieces like Might Should, The One Where I Confess That I Can’t Do It All, and the structurally powerful Orogenesis stand out.Though
the emotional heaviness can feel continuous, leaving little room for lightness between poems:readers, especially women can connect with everything said.
January 17, 2026
I really enjoyed this collection! Size of Your Joy reflects on themes of identity, self empowerment, and femininity. Powers has this beautiful way of eloquently voicing undefinable, fleeting feelings. Her writing will appeal to fans of Kate Baer and Rupi Kaur, as it covers many similar themes. This collection felt like a warm hug and a deep chat with my girl friends. I loved so many of the poems and thought the ones focused on motherhood were especially strong. Some of my favorites:
Nothing but yes
Sky rats
Carry, as a feeling
Tender Flesh
Whispering love
Let me tell you how it feels to be this soft
A broken rule
A mother’s alphabet
Might should
You are a songbird
Orogenesis
Cheeks
Maybe you’re not pretty. So what?
Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC!
Nothing but yes
Sky rats
Carry, as a feeling
Tender Flesh
Whispering love
Let me tell you how it feels to be this soft
A broken rule
A mother’s alphabet
Might should
You are a songbird
Orogenesis
Cheeks
Maybe you’re not pretty. So what?
Thanks to NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC!
May 3, 2026
I absolutely loved this book and found my heart thumping from page to page I had never read a poetry book front to back before and now I have a completely different perspective on the entire craft
May 2, 2026
An incredible read, highly recommend to anyone who loves poetry 🩶✨
May 1, 2026
Absolutely divine. I’ve followed Elise on IG for quite a while and had preordered this book, and it did not disappoint. I can’t wait to pass it along to my younger sister, who’s also a poetry fan.
April 13, 2026
This was such a lovely, uplifting collection. I’ve enjoyed Elise Powers’s poetry on Instagram, but I truly loved being immersed in her reflections for a concentrated period of time. She doesn’t shy away from difficult content, but the overall feeling of the collection is one of optimism, something I for one desperately need.
January 23, 2026
How does someone take ordinary words and put them together in ways that evoke memories, hopes, sorrows, loves and dreams? How am I now to take words to express how these writings make me feel? I took over a week to read this book because I needed to luxuriate in each poem. To feel and digest each one slowly like a gourmet meal. When I read a great book of poetry I feel so blessed and I imagine myself on a stage sharing these words with an audience so that they too can have their hearts burst with emotions.
May 13, 2026
I knew as soon as the title was revealed that this would be a favourite, and I am so glad that I was not mistaken. This is a tender and hopeful collection of poetry. It looks at the world through eyes that are prepared for anything. I cannot wait to read more from Elise Powers.
May 11, 2026
such a stunning book!! I highly recommend this to anyone but especially those who haven't given poetry a shot because I think this book will make you fall in love with poetry.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars.
This is a beautiful and deeply relatable poetry collection.
Elise Powers writes such beatiful descriptions that had me audibly reacting. Her metaphors are clear and direct, visceral and palpable – and they might be my favourite thing about her writing. This collection of poems is not the type to leave you lost and grasping for meaning; instead, it takes your hand and brings you compassionately along for the journey.
It's clear that this collection was thoughtfully and lovingly arranged. Each poem leads on to the next, and they often refer to prior poems. It is split into four parts, which together weave a captivating journey of a woman learning to reclaim her joy. I particularly enjoyed the arrangement of part 1, which tells the story of what a girl shouldn't have had to learn, but did, as well as part 4, in which the author expresses the ways she acively chooses to delight in her life now.
The themes explored in this collection are somewhat broad, but they explore what it's like to be human and grow up as a woman, and as such, I found I had so much more in common with this author's writing than I was expecting when I picked up the book. Themes included puberty, relationship with your body, objectification, making oneself small, grief, motherhood, and of course, finding and owning joy. The only topic I couldn't relate to was motherhood (part 3 conatins many of these poems), but even those poems felt visceral and real, and I felt they gave a glimpse into tender moments and experiences that aren't always openly discussed.
The poems "My Inherited Rage Writes a Poem," "Inventory of Unecessary Apologies," "After the Fire, Wildflowers," and, "The One Where I Confess that I Can't Do it All," were all particularly relatable for me. "Sky Rats," made My heart ache, "Joy is Coming," left me feeling hopeful and a little whimsical, and, "You Are A Songbird," reminded me how wonderful it is to be a multi-faceted person.
In short, I really enjoyed this poetry collection. Elise Powers is a wonderful poet, and I will be keeping an eye out for more of her work in future.
Thanks so much to Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley for a digital review copy of this book. This review is my genuine opinion.
This is a beautiful and deeply relatable poetry collection.
Elise Powers writes such beatiful descriptions that had me audibly reacting. Her metaphors are clear and direct, visceral and palpable – and they might be my favourite thing about her writing. This collection of poems is not the type to leave you lost and grasping for meaning; instead, it takes your hand and brings you compassionately along for the journey.
It's clear that this collection was thoughtfully and lovingly arranged. Each poem leads on to the next, and they often refer to prior poems. It is split into four parts, which together weave a captivating journey of a woman learning to reclaim her joy. I particularly enjoyed the arrangement of part 1, which tells the story of what a girl shouldn't have had to learn, but did, as well as part 4, in which the author expresses the ways she acively chooses to delight in her life now.
The themes explored in this collection are somewhat broad, but they explore what it's like to be human and grow up as a woman, and as such, I found I had so much more in common with this author's writing than I was expecting when I picked up the book. Themes included puberty, relationship with your body, objectification, making oneself small, grief, motherhood, and of course, finding and owning joy. The only topic I couldn't relate to was motherhood (part 3 conatins many of these poems), but even those poems felt visceral and real, and I felt they gave a glimpse into tender moments and experiences that aren't always openly discussed.
The poems "My Inherited Rage Writes a Poem," "Inventory of Unecessary Apologies," "After the Fire, Wildflowers," and, "The One Where I Confess that I Can't Do it All," were all particularly relatable for me. "Sky Rats," made My heart ache, "Joy is Coming," left me feeling hopeful and a little whimsical, and, "You Are A Songbird," reminded me how wonderful it is to be a multi-faceted person.
In short, I really enjoyed this poetry collection. Elise Powers is a wonderful poet, and I will be keeping an eye out for more of her work in future.
Thanks so much to Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley for a digital review copy of this book. This review is my genuine opinion.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This poetry collection perfectly captures the feelings of growing up as a girl becoming a woman and learning through life situations, how you grow, adapt and change and how you become aware of dangers to your safety especially unfortunately.
Some stand out poems to me were:
California, was a deeply hard hitting poem, especially having gone through a near same situation, panic attack and all.
The poem, Inventory Of Unnecessary Apologies, was a really simple poem playing into it's title about all the silly things we say sorry for in life, like the old joke of saying sorry for always saying sorry!
A Broken Rule, about self judgement by looking in mirrors and how we should all I feel too, be more animal, and love ourselves without seeing our physical selves and putting all our worth into looks alone not character.
Generational Healing, was such a beautiful and aware poem, I wish we all treated daughters, nieces etc to embrace not desire to change their natural physique and accept how we're all meant to be as our unique selves. Part 2, another accompanying poem as well, was a lovely reflectional as time has passed further and showing a lovely progression.
Savage, was such a deeply impressive and well thought out poem on all angles of becoming a mother from the literal, the physical and to the emotional equivalent of holding your heart in your arms and having to protect it forever more not being inside you safe from harm.
Two Sides Of The Same Moon, was a tender and deeply moving poem about both sides of fertility and the truth of how fragile it can truly be.
There was also a great poem about simply appreciating clouds, something simple yet magical like all the colours of the sky, shapes and textures we observe not often enough that nature gives us the simple beauty of to appreciate and enjoy observing yet often overlook
It was a beautiful collection of simple ways to see joy in every day life and situations.
Some stand out poems to me were:
California, was a deeply hard hitting poem, especially having gone through a near same situation, panic attack and all.
The poem, Inventory Of Unnecessary Apologies, was a really simple poem playing into it's title about all the silly things we say sorry for in life, like the old joke of saying sorry for always saying sorry!
A Broken Rule, about self judgement by looking in mirrors and how we should all I feel too, be more animal, and love ourselves without seeing our physical selves and putting all our worth into looks alone not character.
Generational Healing, was such a beautiful and aware poem, I wish we all treated daughters, nieces etc to embrace not desire to change their natural physique and accept how we're all meant to be as our unique selves. Part 2, another accompanying poem as well, was a lovely reflectional as time has passed further and showing a lovely progression.
Savage, was such a deeply impressive and well thought out poem on all angles of becoming a mother from the literal, the physical and to the emotional equivalent of holding your heart in your arms and having to protect it forever more not being inside you safe from harm.
Two Sides Of The Same Moon, was a tender and deeply moving poem about both sides of fertility and the truth of how fragile it can truly be.
There was also a great poem about simply appreciating clouds, something simple yet magical like all the colours of the sky, shapes and textures we observe not often enough that nature gives us the simple beauty of to appreciate and enjoy observing yet often overlook
It was a beautiful collection of simple ways to see joy in every day life and situations.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A gorgeous debut collection, alive with truth, beauty, and the quiet, relentless pursuit of joy.
This collection moves through the intricate relationships between mothers and daughters, tracing lines of maternal and cultural inheritance, while gently yet powerfully reckoning with the agency we each hold to examine the stories we are given, and to choose where we might begin again. Across the collection, we witness the ways joy, beauty and pleasure have been withheld, and watch the speaker claim them anyway, and invite us to do the same.
Elise writes with attention to the smallest sensory details. Each poem feels like a living thing, pulsing with intimacy and care. Many favourites will stay with me, including The Dogwood, I Am Softer Now, The Final Act, and My Daughter Won’t Remember.
I received an ARC (thank you to the publisher and NetGalley), but I’ve already ordered my own hard copy so I can dog-ear, underline, and circle my way back through these poems again. A truly stunning debut.
This collection moves through the intricate relationships between mothers and daughters, tracing lines of maternal and cultural inheritance, while gently yet powerfully reckoning with the agency we each hold to examine the stories we are given, and to choose where we might begin again. Across the collection, we witness the ways joy, beauty and pleasure have been withheld, and watch the speaker claim them anyway, and invite us to do the same.
Elise writes with attention to the smallest sensory details. Each poem feels like a living thing, pulsing with intimacy and care. Many favourites will stay with me, including The Dogwood, I Am Softer Now, The Final Act, and My Daughter Won’t Remember.
I received an ARC (thank you to the publisher and NetGalley), but I’ve already ordered my own hard copy so I can dog-ear, underline, and circle my way back through these poems again. A truly stunning debut.
Review of advance copy received from Author
In four carefully executed sections, Powers takes us on a wild ride towards accessing joy by owning our attention. From smothering under the weight of expectations and grief, through digging a tap root into the strength of anger, and, along with her rise into motherhood, using that witches brew of anger and nurturing to give wings to her joy. It becomes our joy.
I will be buying this book for college graduation gifts for years, I’m sure. I also think - and this may sound a bit like hyperbole- there’s an element of Hemingway in this book. We see what Zellenials lost by being having a double dirty done to them- first the biting stress of the financial meltdowns of the late aughts and the hustle culture jive of the 20teens. Powers’ collection is, of course, about motherhood and joy, but it is also the voice of her generation.
I have SO much I want to discuss about this brave collection, but for now, just, thank god they have her speaking up now, setting the twin distractions of expectations and body shame ablaze, making space for joy.
I will be buying this book for college graduation gifts for years, I’m sure. I also think - and this may sound a bit like hyperbole- there’s an element of Hemingway in this book. We see what Zellenials lost by being having a double dirty done to them- first the biting stress of the financial meltdowns of the late aughts and the hustle culture jive of the 20teens. Powers’ collection is, of course, about motherhood and joy, but it is also the voice of her generation.
I have SO much I want to discuss about this brave collection, but for now, just, thank god they have her speaking up now, setting the twin distractions of expectations and body shame ablaze, making space for joy.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Do you ever read a poem and just FEEL it deep in your bones? Like the author is giving words to a long held feeling that you’ve never been able to articulate?
That’s how I felt after reading this gorgeous collection. Elise’s work resonates with me deeply, and several of these poems have stuck in my mind many months after reading.
This work is organized thematically, so readers are likely to find a section that they resonate with the most. For me, this was the second half of the collection. However, the beautiful thing about this book is the expansive array of topics and emotions covered.
As someone newer to enjoying poetry, I found this collection to be gorgeous and moving. I felt it rather than simply read it. I was moved by it. I immediately pre ordered a copy to revisit it. I cannot recommend it enough!
That’s how I felt after reading this gorgeous collection. Elise’s work resonates with me deeply, and several of these poems have stuck in my mind many months after reading.
This work is organized thematically, so readers are likely to find a section that they resonate with the most. For me, this was the second half of the collection. However, the beautiful thing about this book is the expansive array of topics and emotions covered.
As someone newer to enjoying poetry, I found this collection to be gorgeous and moving. I felt it rather than simply read it. I was moved by it. I immediately pre ordered a copy to revisit it. I cannot recommend it enough!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Size of Your Joy is a tender, grounding collection that invites the reader to slow down, soften, and live more fully inside ordinary moments. While the first half lays important groundwork around womanhood, consent, and grief, the second half resonated more deeply with me, especially its focus on slowness, embodied joy, and releasing the pressure to earn rest or worth. These poems feel lived in rather than performed, offering permission to use the good things now, to choose ease, and to notice what is already holy in daily life. This is a book to return to quietly, especially in seasons when becoming truer matters more than becoming more.
Thank you Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC!
Thank you Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the ARC!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
The Size of Your Joy is the kind of poetry book you don’t binge. You take a few poems, let them sit, and then come back the next day for more.
The poems feel very “woman” in the best sense: soft but not weak, honest but not dramatic, strong without trying too hard. A lot of it hits on stuff many women will recognize: the mix of joy and grief, wanting love and autonomy at the same time, the inherited shame around beauty and desire, and that quiet hunger for more life than you’re “supposed” to want.
If you like poems that are emotional, clean, and stay with you, this is a good pick.
#SizeofYourJoy #NetGalley #poem #women #life #nostalgic #real #FiveStarReview! #beautiful #elisepowers
The poems feel very “woman” in the best sense: soft but not weak, honest but not dramatic, strong without trying too hard. A lot of it hits on stuff many women will recognize: the mix of joy and grief, wanting love and autonomy at the same time, the inherited shame around beauty and desire, and that quiet hunger for more life than you’re “supposed” to want.
If you like poems that are emotional, clean, and stay with you, this is a good pick.
#SizeofYourJoy #NetGalley #poem #women #life #nostalgic #real #FiveStarReview! #beautiful #elisepowers
April 25, 2026
So this was a really anticipated poetry collection to read and it did not disappoint. I originally found the author on Instagram, starting following her poems and then I ended up hanging her year in poems prints in my office cube as my monthly calendar/inspiration. So suffice to say I love this author and her poetry style.
The collection is so well put together that I didn’t want to finish it. But somehow the final few poems were probably my favorites. Big fan of “On Leaving Flowers Too Long in the Vase” and “The First Sign of Civilization.”
The collection is so beautiful that it holds the everyday extremes against one another and shows the reader the beauty in the grief. Showing how we can’t have the highs without the lows.
The collection is so well put together that I didn’t want to finish it. But somehow the final few poems were probably my favorites. Big fan of “On Leaving Flowers Too Long in the Vase” and “The First Sign of Civilization.”
The collection is so beautiful that it holds the everyday extremes against one another and shows the reader the beauty in the grief. Showing how we can’t have the highs without the lows.
April 28, 2026
The Size of Your Joy reads like a whisper you almost miss if you’re not listening closely. It moves gently—line to line, breath to breath—carrying truth in one hand and something softer in the other.
The poems don’t reach; they rest. They unfold in quiet spaces, where meaning gathers slowly, like light at the edge of morning. Joy here is not a burst, but a flicker—small, steady, and stubborn enough to stay.
There’s a tenderness woven through every page, an understanding that life is not a straight path, but a series of returns—to memory, to self, to hope.
It’s less a book you finish and more one you carry with you, like a feeling you can’t quite name, but don’t want to lose
The poems don’t reach; they rest. They unfold in quiet spaces, where meaning gathers slowly, like light at the edge of morning. Joy here is not a burst, but a flicker—small, steady, and stubborn enough to stay.
There’s a tenderness woven through every page, an understanding that life is not a straight path, but a series of returns—to memory, to self, to hope.
It’s less a book you finish and more one you carry with you, like a feeling you can’t quite name, but don’t want to lose
May 6, 2026
It’s hard to put into words how Elise’s collection impacted me. Each poem is its own story—highly specific but universally relatable in the way Elise masterfully reveals the underbelly of a feeling. We are there with her and her grandmother, through childhood, through motherhood, womanhood, selfhood. Each poem offers a unique treasure to hold and examine—bringing to consciousness something we’ve always held but haven’t always seen. Through her words, I felt it all: the ache, the discomfort, the lift, the freedom. This is art that reaches us in all the ways that matter. A beautiful reminder of our connectedness and humanity.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I have finally found my soul Poet! This Debut collection from Elise M. Powers explores grief, womanhood, motherhood, body image, and the currents of joy that run through each of these. Her verses are poignant, vivid, and capture emotions and thoughts that I have a hard time putting into words. Once you read this collection- you will want to put it into the hands of every woman in your life!
Perfect for fans of Lyndsay Rush and Kate Baer.
Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC.
Perfect for fans of Lyndsay Rush and Kate Baer.
Thank you Central Avenue Publishing and Net Galley for the ARC.
April 24, 2026
This is a delectable collection of poems—tender, sharp, and deeply relatable. Each piece feels intimate without trying too hard. It was also a welcome reprieve from the monotony of moving from one book to the next; the format invited me to slow down and sit with a feeling. I know I’ll return to this collection repeatedly, curious and excited to see which new favorites emerge as life brings new seasons.
May 7, 2026
Oh my goodness, what a tender collection of smart and modern poetry. Focusing on the breadth of life: absorbing the goodness found in the minutiae, acknowledging the setbacks that inevitably deepen the joy, the embodiment of feminine wounds and working this all out through release, surrender, and self-compassion.
I asked the author to write a quote that uplifts her in my signed copy, which was a lovely beginning to the work. “It doesn’t have to be “good”, it just has to be true.”
I asked the author to write a quote that uplifts her in my signed copy, which was a lovely beginning to the work. “It doesn’t have to be “good”, it just has to be true.”
May 22, 2026
a glittering collection of one of the greatest paradoxes in the female experience— living in joy inside of the bodies that we struggle to feel at home in. spoiler alert: we can according to Elise. you will find endless joy, but also full bodied truth in this poetry book. highly recommend. i know i will be reading this one over and over again.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC.
I thought this was a solid collection of modern poetry. I honestly would read more by the author.
My favourite poem was easily 'Small Inconveniences'.
I thought this was a solid collection of modern poetry. I honestly would read more by the author.
My favourite poem was easily 'Small Inconveniences'.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars rounded up. This was a solid poetry collection. I really loved the pacing of this collection. It starts sad and heavy, but you can see how each section starts to feel lighter as the collection goes on. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc.
Review of advance copy received from Author
These poems ache with tenderness and intention, waking us to the purpose and pleasure of one’s own life. What a joy to read this honest, luxurious, and sometimes raw portrait of motherhood—of the strength, solitude, and guidance it takes to build a life.
May 10, 2026
I finished this book in one sitting and immediately regretted reading it so fast, wishing I had lingered longer inside it. Beautiful and gently devastating, it captures girlhood and motherhood with such startling precision that I felt deeply seen by its pages.
Elise and I were part of the same writing group, Sustenance, for a year or two, and I have admired her work for quite some time now. There is something so tender and exacting in the way she writes — the kind of writing that leaves a mark on you long after you’ve closed the book.
Congratulations, Elise. You are immensely talented. I’ll be pressing this book into the hands of friends and gifting it to many women I love.
Elise and I were part of the same writing group, Sustenance, for a year or two, and I have admired her work for quite some time now. There is something so tender and exacting in the way she writes — the kind of writing that leaves a mark on you long after you’ve closed the book.
Congratulations, Elise. You are immensely talented. I’ll be pressing this book into the hands of friends and gifting it to many women I love.
May 8, 2026
I loved these poems, especially parts 2-4. Beautiful raw evocative poetry about womanhood and motherhood, and the journey to becoming a sovereign individual.
And the cover is absolutely gorgeous, unapologetically feminine.
And the cover is absolutely gorgeous, unapologetically feminine.
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