The Day Is Ready for You

by Alison Malee

The Day Is Ready for You is a prose and poetry collection weaving together the fractured, gritty pieces of the past, and the light that can break through an open window if you let it.

This is the first book of a two-book series about grace, heartbreak, and breathing freely.

I will tell you
again and
in some small way,
everything matters.

Genres: Poetry, Feminism, Nonfiction, Adult

144 pages, Paperback

Published May 15, 2018

Reviews

[Alicia Cook]

I finished this book over the weekend. The cover is one of the best I've seen, so the overall aesthetic pushed the collection to a 5-star review.

Malee is at the top of her game when it comes to this subset of poetry. She has a way with language that makes you feel gutted, but somehow, still warm and hopeful.

[Chanel]

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley.

While there were some parts of this I enjoyed, there wasn’t anything that especially stood out about this collection for me. I was just glad to see that the pieces felt thought through and meaningfully constructed.

[Shirley]

Original review

This book was provided by the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Andrews McMeel Publishing and Netgalley!

The Day Is Ready for You is a prose and poetry collection about life, heartbreak and breathing freely.

I liked The Day Is Ready for You because some of the poems and prose were really beautiful. It’s not my favourite poetry and prose collection because I couldn’t connect to all the poems. I really liked that there were romantic poems and feminist poems, those were definitely the best poems in this collection.

learn

the garden is all stars tonight
and each one is named
after a woman who walked away.

i hope i learn from them.

My favourite poems:
never
obvious
unwanted
nerves
insistent
learn
pressure
morning
above all
told you
keeping
but it is worth it

[Ariana]

Originally posted on: The Quirky Book Nerd

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

This is the first collection of poetry by Malee that I have read and I really enjoyed it a lot. It was such an inspiring and enlightening work, and I found myself completely captivated by her words. There tends to be a lot of repetition in modern poetry in terms of subject matter, and I believe it takes a special writer to truly distinguish their writing from the rest. Malee does this with such ease—she has a remarkable talent for expressing her thoughts and feelings both on her own experience and on society as whole. Her poems tackle very important subjects, such as feminism, that are especially topical right now.

Malee’s writing and imagery is beautiful and vivid, and the messages she wishes to convey shine through clearly. Her depiction of raw human emotion—happiness, love, grief, pain, strength—is incredibly relatable and will pull the reader into her words. Personally, I felt a deep connection with every theme within this collection. She puts into words that which feels so complex and challenging to grasp. She spells these feelings out in a creative way that makes every thought even more powerful.

[Jamie]

The Day is Ready for You starts off really strong with the first quarter of the book comprising of some of Malee’s better poems. As the collection carried on though it started venturing into the type of one line inspirational poetry that feels like greeting card sentiments, something common it seems with many instapoets. Short, simple, easily digestible, not all that heavy hitting or memorable. The book dragged to me during the middle of the book, I think many of these poems could’ve used better editing or been excluded altogether.

Malee covers several themes: love, heartbreak, motherhood, depression, and self-acceptance among others. Name You is a particularly sweet poem about motherhood that touched my heart. The handful of stand-out poems in the collection was relatable and honest, so I did have to give Malee some credit.

I think that the author definitely has the potential to be a wonderful poet, though at the moment her work is very similar to many other instapoets – too simple with flowery language that doesn’t mean anything. There are times that a poem will read nicely, a story told through metaphor, but then the final line will repeat the previous statements in a blunt way that to me felt unnecessary. A good poem can stand on its own without needing to explain itself to the reader.

Her work could use a little more development and that’s fine for a new author finding her footing. This book was really a middle-of-the-road read for me. I didn’t dislike it, but I didn’t love it either. I think it could be great for folks that enjoy poets such as Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace.

Disclaimer: Received a copy for review from the publisher via NetGalley

[stefiereads]

4.5 stars

I enjoy modern poetry. However I did not like Milk and Honey,. This book is thousand times better!!!
Like other poetry book I have read, there are some poems in this book that didn't connect with me. And I guess it's normal in Poetry :) Thankfully, there are more poetry that I really really love in this book. I loveeeee her writing style. How she knit everything everybody word together perfectly.
I feel encourage, calm, and also hopeful after reading this book!

If you want to try reading modern poetry, you can never go wrong with this one ❤️

*Thank you NetGalley for the e-copy

[Leigh Witzling]

I sped through this book quickly so I could finish before gifting it to a friend, and it's just that--a giftable book. This is not poetry that will make you swoon or weep, and it doesn't punch you in the gut. It's sweet and warm, totally the type of thing to give to a friend to make her feel loved and empowered, but it didn't bring me to my knees or make me want to slow down to savor it.

I have to agree with the Rupi Kaur comparisons in the other reviews. We've all just decided to write everything in lower-case letters and add some line breaks and there you have it--poetry! It's not that I dislike this stuff, I actually find it sweet and enjoyable when my brain isn't ready for anything too heavy, but for me to consider poetry really juicy, it has to make me ask, "How the hell does this poet's brain work and how did those words end up together on the same page?" while still moving me emotionally.

[Hana Pauls]

the only reason I’m giving this three stars instead of four is because it didn’t really intrigue me until part three of the book. Part three on its own deserves five stars and I wish the entire book was like it (part three is just dripping with thoughts on self love and self suffocation, which hits home so I mean).

[Katia]

" It is not enough
It when love comes
I am able to keep it
Only for a moment "

" sometimes love ends. I suppose it did not have to stay"

The cover is beautiful, but I struggled to find poems that hit home I typically love poem books but I had way higher expectations based on the cover.
Still 'included two snippets of my favorite poems.

[Lia]

I found the book very boring. I was very disappointed and couldn’t wait to be done with it. I thought the words were very shallow and rarely did I find a poem that resonated with me.

[Henriette Elise]

“i stretched myself thin, and i worked in the shadows.

always with my head down, always with my spine curved in.

and i didn’t always know quiet. sometimes i had to gather
the courage to remain so, to not let anger or frustration
pull me from myself.

often, i approached myself like a stranger,

i tried to hold my own hand, whisper in my own ear.

tell myself that this is only temporary;
this overwhelming sorrow that seemed so paralyzing.

but even the inhale exhale of breath became poisonous
after too much time alone.

so i started spending afternoons in a garden.
found myself a little safe space.

started digging my hands in the ground.
let my fingers feel what it is like to become one with something.

at first, my belief was that if i spent enough time
bringing life into the world, i would also grow full.

i would feel the buds of new flowers bursting in my chest.
the opening of petals, the vibrancy if newly discovered beauty.
the crisscross of vines in my veins.

my hope was that the smell of the earth would lull me
into believing that i, too, was beginning.”

[nik]

Wow. I literally just got out of bed and opened my laptop to write this review. I can't explain just how much Alison's words speak to me. I read this over many months, but the end was well worth it! Her writing is beautiful and is the type of stuff you just can't begin to recreate. I encourage anyone who is interested in contemporary poetry to read her publications. She truly is incredible at making the reader feel every single emotion she is feeling, it's something I've only experienced a handful of times with writers. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would!!! I can't wait to read it again!!! Definitely one of those pieces I know will give me these same feelings when I reread.

[Lillian]

A beautiful collection of mostly peaceful and hopeful texts. The author knows a lot about interpersonal struggle but also the warmth and love that can turn the world into an amazing and extraordinary place.
At times I was reminded of scenes from my favorite movies and shows when I read her words.
My favorite texts are probably: Is it the growing up (page: 96f.) and will be (page: 3)
Marked a lot of other pages too for rereads and more importantly to remind myself of courage and hope in times when I need it.

[vic ˚₊۶ৎ˙⋆]

(3.5) impulsively bought this at a thrift bookstore a few months back and it did not disappoint. the imagery was absolutely stunning !! i felt like i was inside of the poem myself at times. overall a really good collection ❤️‍🩹

[lilli clark]

favourite poetry book I own.
so grateful I found it for 2 bucks in a random second hand store.

I write poetry inspired by this.

[Jordyn Damato]

a gift from cordero <3

[Nathaniel]

One of my favourite collections. I read this at exactly the perfect time, and I connected with it so deeply.

[Caitlin Michelle]

Great read, I really enjoyed it and would definitely read more by this author!

[Caitlin]

I received an eARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Review originally posted on my blog, Turning Pages.

I love poetry, I really do. But I’ve been struggling with the contemporary enjambed poetry that seems to be the style of choice for most poets these days.

What struck me right away about this collection is that the stanzas aren’t arranged in any particular way, at least not that was meaningful to me. I also had difficulty with enjoying the imagery used. I didn’t like the first poems I read, so I struggled to continue with the collection. And not even the subjects of the poems really spoke to me.

However, I did really like a couple of the poems in the collection, like “Forging” and “Told You”. “Forging” is a feminist poem, and I quite enjoyed it. “Told You” was a hopeful take on finding love, and it being with someone who knows you wholly and accepts you as you are. Both are longer poems, actually, which is good. Often short enjambed poetry read like a single short sentence. But the two poems I just mentioned are uplifting.

The Day Is Ready For You is, unfortunately, not my cup of tea. I really only enjoyed two poems out of the collection.

[Yekaterina Shishkovskaya]

you can write the words.
but this
unfolding
(this becoming)
does not
always
mean
there will be
poetry.

A note I wrote beside this poem is "Exactly my point"...
I do not like modern poetry. It's all the same all the time. It's only about love and heartbreak. A couple of poems in this book were exactly like poems from another book I own, just structured differently. And, the main reason I do no like modern poetry: it doesn't RHYME! Therefore, this book should be referred to as a collection of prose, not poems.
Another thing I didn't like was sometimes I felt like it was metaphor after metaphor after metaphor in one "poem". By the end of that "poem" I wasn't even sure what the author was trying to say anymore.

However, I did give this book 3 stars and not 2 for two reasons. First reason, I loved the cover. Second reason, I liked about 12 "poems" and that was more than I liked from one of the R.H. Sin's books.

Conclusion: poems don't have to be about love and poems should rhyme.

[Elke]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a contemporary poetry collection in three parts: "unmovable things," "a restless pause" and "prayers like exhales."

I really enjoyed the last part and would probably give it four stars. For some reason, however, in the first two parts hardly anything connected with me. Because poetry is so incredibly personal, that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it, of course! I guess the only objective thing I can say is that other than most collections i read, this one doesn't deal with a lot of issues. It had some feminist themes and did talk about self-love and acceptance, but wasn't focused on that. There were a lot of longer poems and sentences and a lot of beautiful words.

just look at how vibrantly
we have breathed today,
in this one afternoon.

imagine a lifetime.

[Shelby Eileen]

*arc provided by netgalley*

it took me a while to get through this but i think i just wanted to savour it as much as possible. coming back to it a few times rather than devouring it in one sitting was great for me because every time i got around to reading a portion of it, it brightened my day. these poems were so precise and lively. i loved reading about this poet's experiences with relationships. there is something special about how the author uses "we" in her work, like there is truly a collaborative force between the storyteller and the reader- it made for a really intimate reading experience. the writing is so inspirational to me as a poet and i know that this collection will stay in my head for a while and it even gave me fuel to work on my own writing.

[amanda]

worth
what witchcraft it is
that the sun
rises every morning
and does not ask
if it is time,
or if the sky is ready,
or if she has permission
to burn and
burn wildly.

what a treacherous thing,
this knowing
your power.
this recognizing
your worth.

This was pretty good! While I had a hard time connecting with many of them, I ended up really liking the third part of this book, which was called "prayers like exhales." There were a few pieces that I really loved from that section.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to get a copy of this!

[Juliana]

Some of the poems had really interesting subjects, but the execution was so poor that I can’t give this book more than 2 stars. We spent the first half wading through Malee‘s feelings in a clearly unhealthy relationship, and instead of following it up with a chapter on healing, we get another weird mix of unrelated poems and concepts. The similes and metaphors were lacking, the grammar was awful, the rhythm was completely off, and the entire book was superficial.

[Brittney S.]

Alison Malee is a heartfelt poet. This collection of poetry was refreshing yet deep and contemplative. These poems are profound enough to propel reader's into their own self discovery journey.

[chloerodriguez]

4.5

[Brave]

Received a copy of this for free at my request from NetGalley.

Reading more poetry at the suggestion of a writing mentor. I did enjoy this, and I do think it's a decent collection, but there are a few things that just didn't click with me (though they might with you!) and some things I enjoyed a lot (that you might not!):

- There was repetition of some weird things/ideas in different poems. This in itself doesn't have to be bad, but it wasn't themes so much as specific objects/ideas places in poems back to back. It got a little tiring by the end.
- There were some lines in here I read over and over and over again and only barely understood, or didn't understand at all, what Alison Malee was trying to say.
- There were some lines in here I read over and over and over again and wanted to tattoo on my skin because I loved them that much.
- I do not think I get poetry in most cases, but I am trying to learn. I do think I understood the majority of this collection, and I think many people will enjoy this collection. I did enjoy it just fine. I think the more poetry I read, the more this will get a solid rating from me.
- This cover is amazing.
- I really found some of these poems so relatable they felt like a punch in the gut, which I am to understand is a good thing.

So there are all of my thoughts, some good and some not so much. Read it if it interests you.

[Eline]

"The Day Is Ready For You" is a poetry and prose collection about life, love and heartbreak. It's short poems, easy to get into for everyone who isn't very into breaking down the meaning of every line. The writing flows very good. I especially liked the connections to nature, like landscape and ocean. The subject was mainy heartbreak and it became a bit repetitive at times, I think it would've been better to include a couple poems about completely other things to break it up, but on the other side that has to be done carefully to not break the flow.

It's very inspired by "milk and honey" by rupi kaur, especially in design choices, and while the cover is lovely with the flowers, it's difficult to make your poems stand out when that now is the style of many other collections. That's another reason I think the poems could've been more varied in subject. Still, "The Day Is Ready For You" understood that even for poems to be simple doesn't mean they can be easy or not require effort to get the words and rythm right, which I appreciate.

I received a free copy from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review

[Kathy]

I enjoy reading poetry; slowing down and letting the words and images tumble over me, catching a few, slipping them in my pocket to admire again later, letting others slide by; new thoughts brought to light or old ones revisited in different ways; always an experience.

Alison Malee is good at painting pictures with her words; pictures that are expressive and emotional, as well as her quiet observations on life. I enjoyed this book, marking favorite poems (we are and we are not; understanding; exhales; fits; only; so very; but it was worth it;) and highlighting favorite passages:
"but sometimes the only thing you can do is hold on with your little, stubborn heart and have faith"
"i want to be the one to keep you."
"i will tell you again and again: in some small way, everything matters."
"always, as the day ends, i am wearing some
kind of love from someone. someone who has loved
or still loves or may one day love me.

even as i sleep i am trying on new moments. it all fits."

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this book.

[Saimi Korhonen]

"that is to say, i know it's late.
and my phone calls are more spilled blood
and crooked teeth than reason, but i miss you.
i wrote you a letter but everything was spelled
wrong."

The Day is Ready For You is a poetry collection about love, heartbreak, grief, womanhood and healing.

I had never heard of this poet or this book, but I found this book super cheap at a charity shop and since I do like poetry every now and then, I decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, this collection felt like so many other collections I have read. Malee's writing felt quite generic and while the poems were not bad, they just weren't anything spectacular. I have read many collections that deal with similar themes but do it in a more memorable way.

This review is not gonna be long, cause I have nothing to say, really. It was alright. It wasn't great. There were some really good lines that I underlined. But overall, it was a bit of a meh experience and a collection I won't think too much about in the future.