the witch doesn't drown in this one

by Amanda Lovelace

In this one, the witch doesn’t burn or die or drown. In this one, she rages.

In the witch doesn’t drown in this one, celebrated poetess amanda lovelace revisits the titular voice behind her 2018 bestselling collection the witch doesn’t burn in this one. With candor, honesty, and well-earned wisdom, lovelace expounds on the roller coaster of feelings brought on by simply trying to exist as a woman in the sociopolitical climate of 2025’s America. Through poetry that encompasses a myriad of fem-centric themes, including queer love, trans rights, patriarchal oppression, and intersectional feminism, she demands that women of all backgrounds and lived experiences be seen, heard, defended, and loved.
 
the witch doesn’t drown in this one is a deeply felt and hard-won reminder that though some stories that start with bitch-fire end with tear stains, women are powerful, resilient beings who have always contained the strength to rise again, especially when we swim back to the surface together.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Feminism

101 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 3, 2026

About the author

Amanda Lovelace is a bestselling American poet who rose to fame through her poetry posted to Tumblr and Instagram. She is the author of the women are some kind of magic series, including the Goodreads Choice Award-winning the princess saves herself in this one and women are some kind of magic.

Reviews

[Saranya [ia] · Rating 3 out of 5]

╳╳╳ 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐭 ╳╳╳

Reading this felt like standing in the fire and realizing you cannot be consumed. It’s raw, it’s unflinching- reminders of all the women who were meant to vanish but didn’t.

The ⌞witch ⌝ is basically the archetype of all women.
⋮ ⌗ ┆ She is not a victim. She is not a myth. She is every woman who has been told to stay silent, every woman who has been punished for her power, every woman who has been underestimated. And she refuses to drown.

I love Lovelace. She writes with unflinching honesty about almost all the rights of a woman- abortion rights, homophobia and the relentless fight for equality. Her words are incendiary, demanding that we keep fighting even when the world tries to extinguish our flames.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
𝐟𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───
˗ˏˋ "𝘐 𝘈𝘮 𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘉𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘪𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘺 𝘉𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘺
𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒔𝒐-𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏 " ˎˊ˗ The rage is lived, embodied and necessary and it’s not abstract.

𓊈𒆜once, she came together with her coven of sisters,
& they truly believed that they would
magic up equality for all womankind,
but you know how the story goes:
when you arm a woman with a fistful of fire,
the world will do everything
it possibly can to unleash
a downpour over it.

- gasping for air.𒆜𓊉

This.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
The first section, “𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑-𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚗”, is a manifesto of fury. It urges us to rekindle our own fire against patriarchal oppression. But rage cannot burn forever. So the second section, “𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚏𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍”, shifts into sorrow- raw, heartbreaking and suffocating.

𓊈“𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺 𝘈𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘺-𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦; 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘶𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘮 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘸.” 𓊉

Here, Lovelace writes of suicide, self-harm and other disorders with devastating honesty. I think, here, it teaches us that despair is part of the fight that hopelessness itself is political, born of a world that refuses to change.

── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 & 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝
── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──
I love the balance between rage and sorrow & despair and hope. Lovelace dreams of a better world, one built on sisterhood and solidarity, where women uplift each other and refuse to be silenced. That’s what we actually need. Unity through feminism is how we can destroy the oppressive patriarchy system in the world.

Her poetry insists that survival is resistance, and that standing together is the only way forward.

This book is a feminist anthem. Though I did not like the poetry much, because well- it didn't rhyme in major part of the book. However, I loved everything that was spoken about. This was truly an unforgettable read for me.

This is a must-read for everyone- women and men alike. It is a book that demands to be felt, not just read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for providing me with this arc

[minnie. [mental health hiatus] · Rating 5 out of 5]

"she is constantly
fighting two parts of herself:
I. the one who never feels feminine enough.
II. the one who knows she shouldn't give a shit."

𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐞'𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 .ᐟ review # 9

i loved this book, it was an absolute masterpiece. the poetry in this touched my soul, and i really resonated with many of the lines. in the social and political world of america in 2025, amanda lovelace puts her emotions into the verse, and gives us rage in poetic form. she brings up many topics such as abortion, women's rights, and homophobia, and reminds us to always keep fighting for what is right. the poetry covers a large span of emotions from seething rage to hopeless sorrow. the writing is deep, honest, and very relevant in the current world. lovelace tells her story as a lesbian woman just trying to exist in the current sociopolitical climate, and the poetry comes alive from how raw and fierce it is. the entire book really spoke to me, and the words seared into my heart, making me feel a wide range of shifting emotions as the book continued, each poem having a different message and tone. the words somehow compress and take the rage and sorrow and injustice that women face in the world and express it beautifully, in both a heartbreaking and rage filling way.

the first section is aptly named "the bitch-fire rages on", and speaks of fire, rage, and patriarchal oppression.

"i/am/more/important/than/anything/that may/or may not/blossom/in/the pit/of my/belly. fuck your so-called opinion"

the first section is all feminine rage, and urges readers to rekindle that fire in our hearts, and to fight against injustices in the world. lovelace's words are relevant and important, and she speaks out of how society tries to take away women's rights. abortion and a woman's right to her own body is brought up many times, and lovelace writes of fighting for equality, like we all should do. she is not afraid to tell the world her thoughts about how everyone deserves safety and equality,

"if i have to stand by your side alone, i will."

the next section is much sadder, called "the everlasting flood". it is so heartbreakingly raw, and on certain touching poems, i could feel my throat constricting and the tears popping up. i think that it is fitting to follow the previous section because honestly, it's hard to always be angry sometimes. sometimes we fight and we yell and we scream and the world shuts us down, and it feels hopeless. amanda lovelace pours her sorrow and emotions onto the page, while also telling readers to not give up on the fight.

"she is not angry/about the state of/the world any-/more; she is/simply filled/to the/fucking/brim/with sorrow."

the poetry is real and emotional and raw and so amazing. this section also speaks of sensitive topics, but this time, instead of rights to fight for, lovelace writes about self harm, suicide, and eating disorders. i have no words after reading that. it was heartfelt, horribly real, and heartbreakingly relatable.

"she stands/at the sink/as she rubs/her skin raw,/her greatest/enemy's blood/staining her [...] her greatest/enemy of all/has been her/own body."

this section spoke to me, because there is something tender in seeing your sorrows and sadness spilled out on a page, knowing that someone out there has similar struggles as you. the lines spoke true, and i could feel the pain and hopelessness through the page.

"sometimes/i am/so glad/that/i will/not be/bringing/another/girl into/this truly/awful/world. she won't have to suffer the way i have.

i know i have a lot of quotes in this review, and everyone should read the book to experience the poetry for themselves, but i have one more poem that really resonated with me.

"when i say 'i'm just a girl,'
i'm not
trying to say
that i'm
frail & helpless-
what
i'm saying is
this world is too
un b a l an ced
& overwhelming
for me to
bear any longer."

this section also speaks of sexual assault and trauma, and how women are forced into society's expectations of how a woman should act and be. lovelace goes on to dream of a better world, where there is peace and happiness-where people don't hurt each other. she transitions from hopeless, sorrowful lines to poems about women uplifting other women, and building a better world to live in. she writes of sisterhood, of sticking together and standing up for each other, and fighting oppression together.

overall, i absolutely loved this, and will definitely be reading more of lovelace's work in the future. this is a well deserved five stars, and everyone should read this book.
thank you so much to netgalley, and the publisher for the arc of this book!

[lina ⁸¹ (ia) · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭑.ᐟ 4.25 stars
          ⌗ . arc review ! »

    "if you’re going to cry, then cry. once you’re finished, come back to the shore & get back on the battleground."

˚˖𓍢ִ໋ 🪞𓂃 thoughts:

this was my first poetry book but I liked it way more than i expected! 💫 amanda’s writing is very strong, and emotional and you can clearly feel what the author is fighting for, and the message she’s trying to convey. her writing made me feel very seen and acknowledged.

amanda brings up many topics such as abortion, queer love, trans rights, women’s rights and homophobia. the poems really make you think, since they talk about important issues that are especially relevant in this world we’re living in, right now. her poems really touched my soul and made my heart hurt.

i also really liked the way the book is structured. the first part called, “the bitch fire rages on”, is pure female rage while the second part, “the everlasting flood”, is much sadder and more broken. that shift really did it for me. 🙂‍↕️

overall, this was really good, and i think everyone should read this author’s work. 🫶🏼

”when i say
"i'm just a girl,"
i'm not trying to say
that i'm frail & helpless-
what
i'm saying is
this world is too un b a l an ced & overwhelming
for me to bear any longer.”

⌞thanks so much to netgalley and the publisher for the arc! ⌝

➛ publishing date: march 3, 2026

[Aanz ★.ᐟ (Hiatus) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 ⭐️ .ᐟ
✰ ✰

⟢ ⋮ 💌┆ 𐔌 𝙼𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 ౨ৎ

I think I
Should write poetry
Because aparently
If you write about
Your opinions
&
F-E-M-M-I-N-I-S-M
And
You
Write
Like
This
T
  H
    E
      N.    (No uterus No Opinion)


Congratulations,
You
Have
Written
A 2016 TikTok tumblr
P
O
E
T
R
Y

     ( and don’t forget!)
- Men are trash


── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ── ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ── ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ── ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ── ── ⋆⋅𖤓⋅⋆ ──


⟢ ⋮ 💌┆ 𐔌 𝚃𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 ౨ৎ
Before I start I wanna say : I agree with ALL the opinion , I support Abortion , I support feminism , I support a women has right to her body , SA is DISGUSTING, Trans women are women and all the other opinions in this book And that’s what the 2 stars are for!


⟢ But the poetry? Genuinely THAT thing is NOT poetry my love 🙏🏻 I don’t like the writing style and the way it is written. Like girl I absolutely agree with all your opinions but the way you present it and call it a “Poetry” PLEASE😭🙏🏻 My emo phrase poems better than ts🥀 It all felt like a tumblr post poem.


⟢ The second thing, everyone has spoken about this or written about this in some or the other form. I wanted something more bold or presented in a more bold way and the author taking risk to present more fragile topics about. So at the end of the book I was like “Okay clock it queen and??”
Here’s the whole book’s summary so you don’t have to waste your time on ts 🥰


Support Abortion
Trans women are Women
My body my choice
Stop
Sexualising
E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G
Stop normalising SA
Stop the Patriarchy


That’s all that’s written in this book,
But
Like
This

- Honourable mention ( Hating on men)



⤷ thanks NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review!

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing really new from Amanda Lovelace. The first few entries of her insta-poetry style anthologies were great in both concept and execution, but personally I've found the last several to be much too much the same. Yes, Amanda is using a type of poetry format that itself is stylised to be simple and almost stream-of-consciousness, but I wish there was some form of growth in these collections.

They do mention the witch doesn't drown in this one wasn't planned, and came about due to the ongoing political landscape women are finding themselves in. It just all feels so surface-level for the heart-aching and horrific issues that are trying to be addressed here.
Maybe there's a divide between Amanda's early work which was very personal to them, compared to this kind of collection which (while still personal thoughts) is trying to address a wider issue. I don't know, I just didn't find this one hitting very much.

In saying that, these are some super heavy topics being touched on and I do applaud Amanda for putting a voice to them. I just think they needed to go deeper.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

[Cherish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book summed up some of the feelings I have felt for the past year. Lovelace covers a huge range of emotions, from hopelessness to sadness, resignation to seething, murderous rage. It is something only women can understand. The ambivalence of knowing that we have come so far, but have so far to go. This collection helped validate those feelings for me. The author clearly put her soul into this collection. My plan was to read a few poems each day, to savor it and take my time. But once I started, I could not stop reading. And even with all the emotions I felt while reading, I finished the book feeling hopeful. And that is a great gift to bestow on someone with your writing. Check this one out!

[2raccoonsinacoat · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been seeing Lovelace’s work floating around for a while now and I’m glad for the opportunity to read The Witch Doesn’t Drown in this One. This was a punchy, accessible poetry collection that felt like thrumming my feminine rage with a close friend.

While The Witch as a metaphor is nothing new, it serves its purpose here. Split into two parts (the first caustic and angry, the second more sorrowful and aggrieved), Lovelace takes on abortion, sexual assault, victim-blaming, and reproductive pressure – you know, the *things*. Each piece is short, clever, and digestible.

Who should read this? Well, men, first off (no really.) But this would also be a solid introduction for a person who is curious about poetry, looking for a creative outlet for their pissed-offedness, but isn’t ready for Plath or Gibson. It served quick catharsis and I found myself screenshotting quite a few to share with the Council if something starts bringing us down (it will).

Is this a solid bit of highly relatable commentary? Absolutely. Is it a strong poetry collection? To me, no. I subscribe to 100% of the grievances Lovelace filed here, but the problem is that I didn’t see anything new. Many of the ideas have been said before, frequently, probably on social media. I like poetry with teeth that gnaw at wounds I didn’t know were there and this was not that.

Overall, it still gave me a quick rush of feminine esprit de corps, but I wished the themes had been explored more deeply.

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received an ARC of this book from NetGalley

The Witch Doesn’t Drown in This One centers on the pain of being a woman and the relentless undercurrent of misogyny woven into our lives. While that anger is valid and necessary, I found myself feeling that something was missing — or perhaps I wasn’t the intended audience. The collection leans heavily into feminine rage, but rarely leaves space for the beauty of womanhood separate from men. I kept wishing for a deeper exploration of feminine strength — the kind forged by rage but transformed into something expansive and powerful.

There’s a poem that references writing for an angsty teen, and I think the author is right: this collection feels especially suited for a teenage audience trying to make sense of their world. For younger readers, it may offer language and validation for emotions that feel overwhelming and unnamed.

But as a 35-year-old mom — someone who fully recognizes and supports the issues the book highlights and who deeply sees the misogyny and injustice in our world — I struggled to connect. The poems didn’t shift my perspective or make me see something in a new way, which is what I personally look for in poetry. I wanted to be moved or surprised, and ultimately, I wasn’t.

[₊⋆˚⊹ soph °♡⋆.ೃ❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of "the witch doesn't drown in this one" by Amanda Lovelace.
-
This was a very classic Lovelace collection: Some very cringeworty poems interrupted by some absolute bangers. The way they write their poems is just not my cup of tea, although I gotta say I definitely marked down 2-3 from this collection that I will go back to reading every now and again.
Just to clarify, I agree with the content of their poems. 10/10. I like that Lovelace is speaking up about this. However, the way they wrote them tickled me wrongly. I thought we left those kind of poems in 2018.

[Destiny · Rating 1 out of 5]

I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC copy. I enjoyed the second half more than the first but overall this collection was not for me. I have enjoyed the author’s previous works and I’m glad I got to see this one.

[Of Paper & Planes · Rating 2 out of 5]

“will anyone still like her if her words
don’t inspire or empower?”

Positioned as a companion to “the witch doesn’t burn in this one” within the “women are some kind of magic” universe, “the witch doesn’t drown in this one” revisits Lovelace’s signature blend of feminist rage and fairytale symbolism, this time with a sharper, more exhausted edge. Whereas the earlier collection moved from indictment to reclamation, this installment narrows its focus and intensifies its emotional register, shifting from defiant empowerment to simmering disillusionment. In my prior review, I noted the strength of Lovelace’s narrative arc and accessibility, while expressing concern about reductive feminism and impersonal scope. Unfortunately, this companion amplifies those tensions rather than resolving them.

Divided into “the bitch-fire rages on” and “the everlasting flood,” the collection moves from anger to fatigue, charting a progression from activism to emotional depletion. Section 1 considers reproductive rights, gender inclusivity and inequality, and feminist political outrage in language that is sharper and more confrontational than allegorical. Section 2 pivots to exhaustion, grief, and disillusionment, lamenting the fading of activist momentum since the first collection was released and expressing frustration toward women perceived as complacent or traditional. Rather than ending in empowerment, this collection leans into the idea of revenge. The emotional trajectory is clear, moving from rage to despair in a conceptually sound and emotionally legible arc. However, the narrative feels flatter than the four-part structure of the previous collection and lacks the mythic expansiveness that once gave Lovelace’s work its cohesion.

Where the previous collection balanced its fury with moments of reclamation, this companion sits in a more vitriolic register. Markedly angrier and less restrained, the witch motif is present but feels thinner, less imaginative, and more slogan-like. Moments of vulnerability in the second section are among the strongest in the book; they feel newly honest and less performative. However, repeated generalizations about men and explicit disdain for Christians undermine the universality Lovelace often claims. In the prior collection, the feminism occasionally veered toward misandry. Here, that tendency is intensified. And, while the critique of religious institutions may resonate with the author’s personal opinions, the language flattens distinction between systems of power and individual believers. This broad-brush condemnation undermines the collection’s stated ethos of solidarity and risks alienating readers who might otherwise resonate with the underlying societal concerns.

Most compelling in its rare moments of personal fragility, some of the poems provide meaningful insight into the moments when anger gives way to honest uncertainty, when exhaustion sets in after sustained rage. These glimpses hint at a more nuanced direction Lovelace could pursue in future work. Her strongest poems admit that “fixing” society is complex and explore the vulnerability of activist burnout. Yet, these introspective poems were unfortunately few and far between.

Rather than deepening or complicating the ideas introduced in its predecessor, the collection largely reiterates them, with only modest tonal evolution. As a result, the collection feels reactive rather than reflective, a continuation that offers little new aesthetic or philosophical insight. While new themes of weariness and hopelessness are present, they do not feel fully explored. Readers seeking new thematic ground may find the repetition disappointing.

Though born of understandable anger and cultural frustration, “the witch doesn’t drown in this one” ultimately feels less like an evolution and more like an echo. Still accessible and fast to read, this collection keeps with Lovelace’s signature Insta-poetry style. While there are flashes of genuine vulnerability in her earned weariness, the rhetorical escalation into open antagonism diminishes the overall impact. Ultimately, this collection is a passionate but uneven extension of familiar themes that reads as an embittered addendum rather than a revelatory companion.

[Grace -thewritebooks]

Thank you to NetGalley and Andrew McMeel Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

There's a cute full circle moment here because Lovelace's work was some of the first to really get me interested in poetry, so receiving an arc for their new work was so exciting. It was exactly what I would expect from a book in this series, full of fire and love and rage at the world and the way it treats women. It's a fantastic read to refuel when the endless news cycle has made us feel like nothing will ever improve. It's a book of community and empowerment and I hope they never stop writing!
In terms of giving it a rating, I would say only that my personal tastes have changed over the last ten years and that the style is not quite what I would go for these days!

[♡ kitty *:･ﾟ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review!

i’ve only read one of Amanda Lovelace’s books previously and i loved it so i was so keen to read from her again and to see if i still enjoyed her work!
straight away i felt so seen by this poetry collection, it resonated with me so much and put a lot of my feelings into words.
it really encompessed the rage and sorrow of existing as a woman especially in the current world and how hard it is to just try and live life.
it truly made me so emotional and personally that’s what i look for in poetry! definitely recommend

[labibliofille · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a long-time lover of Amanda Lovelace's poetry. I stumbled upon the Women Are Some Kind of Magic collection in my early 20's and was an immediate fan. I love how consistently honest, deep, and timely her work always is. I can see a window into her soul, but also the souls of other women living in this wildland of a society that exists in 2026. I eat up her poems, feel them in my soul, and do my best to live as a strong feminine human as represented in Amanda Lovelace's work in this world I've been planted on. While the words are usually simple, how they're strewn together truly packs a punch. I'd recommend this to literally anyone and everyone and have already preordered a copy for my shelves.

[Emilie Pelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Witch Doesn’t Drown in This One was an okay read for me. I’ve always appreciated Amanda Lovelace’s style and the way she writes about healing, strength, and reclaiming your voice. That said, I’m not sure if I’ve just read too much of her work, but her more recent books haven’t hit me as hard as the first three in this series.

There are still some meaningful lines and moments that resonate, but overall it didn’t feel as impactful or memorable as the earlier collections.

[Paige · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this more than the previous three in the series and I really enjoyed them. I hope the author continues this series, they keep getting better! A must read.

*Provided a DRC (digital review copy) from the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

[Hailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I normally love Amanda’s poetry, but this one fell flat for me. Her older works had so much positivity and empowerment, but this one felt more negative than it was uplifting.

[katie. · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first Amanda Lovelace book was To Make Monsters Out of Girls and I immediately went out and bought To Drink Coffee with a Ghost. The writing felt real and backed by the true emotion that poetry often demands. However, there seems to have been a shift starting with Flower Crowns & Fearsome Things and continuing now to The Witch Doesn’t Drown in This One. The writing no longer feels raw and emotional, but instead performative and designed as social media clickbait. As if the goal is to wind up on someone’s Instagram story or Facebook post - just a brief declaration to viewers that might get reposted with a “this!” but nothing more.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC and opportunity to provide feedback in the form of an honest review. I do apologize the work did not resonate with me, but I hope it still finds those with which it will.

[Juli Rahel]

I've enjoyed a number of amanda lovelace's poetry collections and so I was very happy to see another one appear, especially one which is something of a return, or a reconsideration, of previous themes. These poems will definitely have you feeling some kind of way, most likely anger. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.

I always find it intriguing to figure out when and how authors, poets, artists, etc. choose to go back to certain topics or themes. Even if it feels like the final word has been said on something, life can surprise you and so bring you back to an idea or an image. Sometimes you revisit something with fondness, either fondness at your own younger self, at your naivety or optimism, or at the time and place, but sometimes there is also a sadness or even bitterness to it. In the witch doesn't drown in this one we get an unexpected return, one even lovelace didn't anticipate for themselves. In the seven or eight years since The witch doesn't burn in this one the world has at once become a place that is more aware than ever and yet also one that has become more divided and dangerous. Getting to read lovelace's own thoughts about why they came back to this title in the series, how they made that journey, was really interesting anda good way to start a poetry collection that is at once a return and a departure.

This poetry collection is split into two parts. The first, 'the bitch-fire rages on' is familiar in tone and imagery to lovelace's other poetry collections that I have read. There is the desire to rage, to pick up a sword and conquer your enemies as if they were dragons, or even better, as if they were cruel kings instead of tech CEOs and sundowning presidents. It was in the second part, 'the everlasting flood', however, that I truly felt why lovelace needed to come back to this series, this topic, these ideas. There you can find the sadness of exhaustion, of disappointment, the fear of the fire of your rage that might just burn you before it finds your enemies. I think it is this second part, which so clearly functions as a needed counterpart to the first, that presents something new and probably necessary for readers. While we all desire to rage into the night, we also need to look unflinchingly at ourselves, at our wounds and at our hurt, in order to make it through.

I will say I enjoy amanda lovelace's poetry collections mostly for the imagery that is employed. I like the ideas and how fiercely they are expressed, the clear genuine feeling behind all of it. I will also say, however, that over the years I have become slightly less forgiving towards Instapoetry. I appreciate that this is a divisive term and that not everyone to whom the label is applied feels like it fits. I don't know where lovelace falls on that, but what I intend by the term is poetry without rhyme or meter, usually short lines, and a clear focus on social themes. There is nothing wrong with this as a form of poetry, but I do find myself butting against its simplicity sometimes. That is a more complicated issue for me than it maybe first appears. There are issues touched upon in this collection, for example, which should be talked about simply and straightforwardly, which should not have to be nuanced. However, there is great depth to meter, to alliteration, to rhyming, to all those other poetic techniques which could actually enhance what is being said. I appreciate that this is not that kind of poetry, but I think I will limit myself in engaging with it in the future, except perhaps for lovelace's work, since I am fond of it.

While I am no longer quite as fond of this poetry style as I was in the past, I loved revisiting lovelace's own thinking and poetry with them through the witch doesn't drown in this one. Especially the second half of this collection provides some much-needed space to mourn what is being lost.

URL: https://universeinwords.blogspot.com/...

[Amanda]

Thank you to Amanda Lovelace, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I loved the original "Women Are Magic" collections and was genuinely thrilled to see another entry in this voice and world. Reading this made me very, very happy, even if it did not quite land as a full five-star knockout for me.

In this collection, Lovelace returns to the titular witch from The Witch Doesn't Burn, and writes with the same candor and bite that made the earlier books so resonant. The poems carry a clear rage, clarity, and resilient hope about what it means to exist as a woman in the sociopolitical climate of 2025's America, and the collection's focus on queer love, trans rights, patriarchal oppression, and intersectional feminism gives it real urgency.

At its best, this book feels like a rallying cry and a survival document. It insists on being seen and on community, especially in how it frames resilience as something women do together, again and again, even when the story begins in fire and ends in grief. Overall, I am so glad this exists, and I am always here for this witch voice returning to the page. It just did not quite eclipse the strongest emotional peaks of the earlier books for me.

⭐ 4 stars. A fiercely timely return to a beloved voice, powerful and enraged, just shy of a personal five-star favorite.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've read the witch doesn't burn in this one and enjoyed it...I think you would enjoy this one. This is similar and feels like a more updated take on the earlier book...reacting to many things that have happened in the years since the witch doesn't burn in this one was published.

But even if you haven't read the earlier works in this series...this is still a good read. It stands on its own and is, unfortunately, very relatable. I'm certainly no expert when it comes to poetry...I just know what I enjoy and I really enjoyed this one. If you've never read any before...I think this one or this series would be good to start with as I find it very accessible.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

thank you netgalley for the arc!

I never know how to properly rate poetry books because I feel like it's one of those art forms that can be interepreted so differently by everyone. Amanda Lovelace's writing always invokes a feeling in me that is hard to describe. Such simple words that deliver such a punch. She does a great job of connecting to current events, which her author's note had even said inspired her to write this latest addition to her poetry series.

*disclaimer that I read this over a span of when I received the arc to now because I cannot read a poetry book in a whole day*

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a fan of Amanda Lovelace since her powerful debut but nothing of hers has hit quite the same since. This latest collection feels more like an expression of (mostly political) opinion in verse form rather than heartfelt, emotionally powerful poetry. There were a handful of poems I enjoyed, but most were lacking in depth and 'more of the same' in the insta-poetry space.

is there a spell that
will help her forget
what he did to her?

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for the Netgalley ARC.

[gillian milton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am definitely not a poem connoisseur (I’m too dumb to capture the deeper meaning sometimes), but I will say this is a beautiful book of poems that will sit with me for a long time. The way this perfectly captures the depths of how women think, believe, and exist is very well executed! I will be adding the author’s other poem novels to my reading list!
Thank you to the author and NetGalley for allowing me early access!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If she writes it, I will read it.

I think there is something about Amanda Lovelace and her poetry that just speaks to my soul on a goddess level. This collection is no different and many of what she wrote spoke to how I feel during these uncertain political times; highlighting things that just don't make sense and as a women we see and acknowledge, but others may not see the "big deal"

[Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great collection for anyone feeling some feminine rage at the world for the past several years. It spoke what I feel and it feels good to be seen.

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection of poetry is my favorite that Amanda Lovelace has made. By far the most accurate to how I feel about today's world and topics/viewpoints. This one wasnt melancholy and sadness this was anger and disappointment but also truth and solidarity.

[Seher · Rating 1 out of 5]

Once again, not for me. There are relatable moments, but I don’t consider it to be good poetry.

I do appreciate the aesthetic.

But I also feel like you can write more for women which isn’t this basic. Like women are capable of reading more than this.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this.

[Sophie Elaina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[ava (matching with gems) ⋆˙⟡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

|🦢| post~read |🪩|

This was so good!
rtc

|🪩| pre~read |🦢|

yayyy I got an arc of this! I haven’t read a poetry book before really but this one looks so intriguing and I’ve read so many good reviews so I have a feeling ill love it <3