Swim

by Emily Byrnes, Lizzy Duga (Illustrator)

A poetry collection for anyone struggling with mental illness and the hurting and healing of growing up.

Genres: Poetry, Mental Health

153 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 5, 2018

Reviews

[Helena (helenareadsxx)]

This poetry was amazing. Loved the poems on OCD and how representative they were. Emily Byrnes is really talented.

[Alice-Elizabeth (Prolific Reader Alice)]

Swim is definitely one of the better mental health poetry collections out there. It's also available to read on KU (Kindle Unlimited) so don't sleep on it! As an anxiety and depression disorder diagnose person, Emily writes with powerful emotion. A really relatable read and would love to get a physical copy for my shelves at some stage!

[Reading_ Tamishly]

Outspoken, meaningful, empowering for the ones who are struggling with anxiety, OCD/ mental health conditions.

Love the way how the entire collection says something meaningful.

Love it.

[Tilly]

4.5 stars
Wow. I'm a massive fan of modern poetry and so was so intrigued to read this new book by Emily Byrnes. It is split into 4 sections with different themes. The section that got to me the most was the Bad Science (mental illness) section. As someone that had suffered from anxiety and depression and have watched friends and family battle with their own mental health, it is so great to see a modern poet write about the mental struggles that most people go through. A few of the poems made me feel raw and emotional which is what good poetry does.
I must also note that there are some wonderful and clever references in many of the poems to Greek mythology which I believe blended into modern concepts seamlessly.
There were just a few poems that I didn't gel with which is why I knocked off half a star. However I have rounded it up because I loved his collection so much.
If you love posts such as rupi kaur, give this book a read.

Please note: I was sent this book for an honest review.

[syd]

I really enjoyed the Bad Science section of this book (it’s split into four). I think that this was a better example of Byrnes writing and that she’s getting a stronger grasp on her voice, which is really neat to hear. Loved this book.

[Ivy]

Emily Byrnes packs powerful emotion into beautiful words.

I really could connect in some way to every poem. Even though some didn't speak to me as if I was affected, I have seen friends and family struggling with mental health and these words just make a lot of sense.

I highly recommend this little collection to everyone I know.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?]]

i cried oceans
but did not drown

I found this one on KU and loved it instantly.
The author has a beautiful way of writing poems and verses and there are even little sketches inside of it.

Definitely gonna buy myself the physical copy.

Would you still miss the sun
if it burned out one day?
Or would you look
for the same love in a different star.

[Jamie (Books and Ladders)]

Actual Rating: 3.5*

I grew up
with claws and teeth
and never believed I needed saving
from anyone but me.

75%

I read A Strangely Wrapped Gift and wasn't a huge fan but when I saw Swim on Kindle Unlimited, I thought I would give it a chance. And I'm glad I did. This was a much stronger poetry collection than A Strangely Wrapped Gift and I found myself connecting more to every poem not just a few here or there. I think as Emily Byrnes writes more poems, there will be a better grasp on voice, tone, and overall theme so I am excited to read more in the future.

[AJ Perez]

Read this book on my way to a holiday vacation and i couldn’t have chosen a better companion. The pages are addicting and contains so many emotions. I didn’t expect to be so hooked up. I am definitely excited for other books from this author. I hope the author writes more!

[Neil Franz]

Just keep swimming.

[India]

I almost skipped over this one because I'm so sick of being disappointed by bull shit poetry, but I'm glad I didn't. I actually really enjoyed this book and was very moved and touched by some of Byrnes's words.

[Sasha Elise]

Captivating

The text was as beautiful as the cover. so many pieces resonated with me. I can't wait to read more of Emily's work

[Analice Bastos]

I basically highlighted the entire book!

[Kristina]

Отдавна не бях чела модерна поезия поради простата причина, че в много от случаите се разочаровам и дори не завършам колекцията, но тази определено ме грабна!

Хареса ми, че голяма част от стиховете бяха за психическо здраве и борбата със собствените ти разрушителни мисли.

[mar✰]

You have to understand that every day is a victory, and even if you do nothing but get out of bed -even if you don’t get out of bed- you are still worthy of the air in your lungs and the time this life is giving you.

--Today is a victory

[rose ❀]

beautiful

[kamryn ౨ৎ]

i liked the writing and some quotes

[Beverly Maier]

Serious and Light

This book was a wonderful portrayal of the thoughts that we have when dealing with mental illness. The title is fitting! Sometimes I feel like I am just trying to swim through the noise in my head. As if I’m trying not to drown in the depth of my anxiety and depression. Thank you for this book.

[Britt Buckenroth]

Emily Byrnes' second book of poems has again spoken directly to me. Just like A Strangely Wrapped Gift, Brynes' poems capture the essence of our soul in these beautiful little waves that literally 'swim' across each page. In Swim, there is a little more attention paid to mental health issues, however, the poems speak so universally to human emotion, that even as a person who has not suffered from mental illness the book resonates to the core. The book is hard to put down and is a wonder to read. I know the author personally and wonder how it is that she is at least a decade younger than me...her writing is REAL - teens and young adults will feel found with this book in their hands. It's a magical thing.

[Kayla Anne Covert]

Emily Byrnes is one of my favorite humans for the way she takes the veil off mental health and then takes it one step further by submersing you into the world so many of us encounter on a daily basis. She is real, transparent, and voracious in her efforts to destigmatize OCD and other avenues of mental health. Her writings are filled with understanding and sensitivity which conveys a uniquely emotional tone throughout the book that draws you in until the very last page. Such an excellent book.

[Abigail Malischostak]

Poignant

This poetry brings mental health to the forefront and feels so relatable. I enjoyed reading it- and found it a very quick read.

[Courtney Harris]

This is my favorite of Emily's published works. She is fiercely authentic, and that's what made this book so relatable.

[Alexandria]

The poetry Emily writes is so beautiful I’m so happy to own both of her books she is definitely one of my favorite poets

[Claire]

Loved the first part that included poems about OCD, but the rest of the collection turned to fairly generic instapoetry.

[Ara]

Accidentally read it for the 2nd time, don't ask how that happened.

[Ritaban Biswas]

This is actually a good one. Far better than the ones people unbelievably call "poetry". I'm a sucker for heartbreaking, yet realistic, poems and this collection just made my heart heavier than ever.

I used to envy people who could pick up a knife
and not think to themselves what if I stabbed someone?

I watched them cut their steaks
so mindlessly,
so unafraid.

Fork in meat,
cut, cut, cut.
fork in mouth,
repeat.
Sometimes I got soup
just because I didn’t need a little weapon to eat it.

Eating shouldn’t be this hard,
life shouldn’t be this hard,
and don’t even get me started with scissors.
All of these people cutting their steaks and
doing their construction paper projects;
I must be crazy, because nobody else has these
thoughts
these bloody thoughts
these what if I killed my sister thoughts.

I once stayed awake for thirty-six hours
crying and avoiding sharp things
because what if I did it in my sleep?

--OCD VIII

Painfully superb.

Yet another played down poetry collection.

[Benita]

A significant improvement from the first book

The ideas and topics explored in this book are considerably more cohesive than in A Strangely Wrapped Gift Emily explores mental health and nostalgia, facets of the human mind, in a vulnerable fashion that is accessible and emotive. Emily shares her experiences with mental health and offers advice for people in similar situations. In addition to helping people who relate to said experiences, "Swim" educates readers about what it is to struggle with a mental illness.

[xander ツ]

Would you still miss the sun if it burned out one day?
Or would you look for the same love in a different star.

Poetry is extremely subjective so I find giving it a hard rating is difficult for me. I didn’t connect with the poems on an extremely deep or intimate level, although I did relate to some of them, and I see that Byrnes has talent and potential. I didn’t like the titles of the poems, I prefer the titles to punch me in the gut (though that’s simply a matter of opinion).

All in all this was good, not great.

3.5 stars

[Eve L-A Witherington]

I really related hard to this collection of poetry. Written with such honesty and as someone who has lived through anorexia, copes with anxiety, depression and panic attacks, where family don't understand the struggle it's really hard.

This collection made me feel like there's people out there who not only will relate to the issues and topics discussed but will educate too on how it can feel to deal with the effects of these illnesses and how they can consume your life at times feeling at the title says, you're trying to swim to keep yourself steady and afloat.

[Farah]

Devoured in one go!

I love the authors writing style! I’m finding it increasingly harder to find people with writing styles that I genuinely enjoy reading. But I was so enamoured with the poetry in this book, I read it all in one sitting. I wish I didn’t understand and relate with as many of the poems that I do, because of the implications of such. But then again it speaks for the rawness and honesty of the authors writing.