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Poemsia
Award-winning author and poet Lang Leav presents a YA novel that is an absolute fan pleaser!
Verity Wolf dreams of being a poet—not that she’d ever admit it to anyone. Her best friend Jess thinks she’s definitely got what it takes, while her cat, Zorro is characteristically indifferent. As for the cute boy she’s just met, he’s about to discover her best kept secret.
When Verity stumbles on an old, mysterious book, Poemsia, she finds herself suddenly thrust into the dizzying world of social media stardom, where poets are the new rock stars and fame is sometimes just a click away.
International bestselling author, Lang Leav takes you into the shadowy world of contemporary poetry in this revealing and emotionally charged story about friendship, first love, betrayal, and the courage to follow your dreams.
Verity Wolf dreams of being a poet—not that she’d ever admit it to anyone. Her best friend Jess thinks she’s definitely got what it takes, while her cat, Zorro is characteristically indifferent. As for the cute boy she’s just met, he’s about to discover her best kept secret.
When Verity stumbles on an old, mysterious book, Poemsia, she finds herself suddenly thrust into the dizzying world of social media stardom, where poets are the new rock stars and fame is sometimes just a click away.
International bestselling author, Lang Leav takes you into the shadowy world of contemporary poetry in this revealing and emotionally charged story about friendship, first love, betrayal, and the courage to follow your dreams.
294 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2019
118 people are currently reading
5107 people want to read
About the author
Lang Leav
19 books11.6k followersNovelist and poet Lang Leav was born in a refugee camp when her family were fleeing the Khmer Rouge Regime. She spent her formative years in Sydney, Australia, in the predominantly migrant town of Cabramatta. Among her many achievements, Lang is the winner of a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award, Churchill Fellowship and Goodreads Reader’s Choice Award.
Lang has been featured on CNN, NPR, SBS Australia, Intelligence Squared UK, Radio New Zealand and in various publications, including Lithub, Vogue, Newsweek, the Straits Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times.
Lang has been featured on CNN, NPR, SBS Australia, Intelligence Squared UK, Radio New Zealand and in various publications, including Lithub, Vogue, Newsweek, the Straits Times, the Guardian, and the New York Times.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
June 23, 2021
CW:
Well, although I didn't love the writing, I think it will be a good addition to the library.
At times the dialogue felt a bit cheesy, and in some places I was almost getting a 'Brady bunch' vibe. However, the story was really engaging so it offset the writing for me. I haven't read a book about a young poet developing the confidence to pursue their writing beyond a private journal, so this was a new storyline for me. It does have some sexual content and is probably more of a 'new adult' book, but most high schools will have writing groups filled with aspiring poets so I think this book definitely has a place in a high school library, but should come with some sort of content warning/advice.
Well, although I didn't love the writing, I think it will be a good addition to the library.
At times the dialogue felt a bit cheesy, and in some places I was almost getting a 'Brady bunch' vibe. However, the story was really engaging so it offset the writing for me. I haven't read a book about a young poet developing the confidence to pursue their writing beyond a private journal, so this was a new storyline for me. It does have some sexual content and is probably more of a 'new adult' book, but most high schools will have writing groups filled with aspiring poets so I think this book definitely has a place in a high school library, but should come with some sort of content warning/advice.
January 26, 2020
I very rarely give out one-star reviews. If I hate a book enough to one-star it, I usually DNF it and don't rate it at all. For some reason, though, I was adamant that I would see this one through to the bitter end, and oh boy did I.
Poemsia is the second novel by bestelling poet Lang Leav. As a disclaimer, I haven't read any of Leav's poetry, as I'm really not a fan of instagram poetry. That being said, I was interested to read this book, which follows a girl named Verity Wolf who catapults to fame after her poetry blows up online. I was hoping this book would be similar to The Poet X, which I read and adored a year or two ago. The Poet X is powerful, evocative and masterfully written. Poemsia is none of those things.
My main issues with this book can be summed up mostly by one key point: it's incredibly juvenile. I don't mean that in the sense that the narrator sounded too young - that would be a silly complaint to make about a character who is obviously a teenager. What I mean is that the writing itself was juvenile. The plot was weak, the writing was underdeveloped, and the book was so melodramatic that I swear I almost strained my eyes by rolling them so hard. Verity is also the most blatant self-insert I've read in forever. To an extent I should have expected this, since the book obviously draws heavily on Leav's own experiences as an instagram poet, but Poemsia basically just feels like an excuse for the author to rant about her experiences with the poetry community and call it a novel. Early on in the book, Verity and her friend both rant passionately about how instagram poetry is valid and deserves as much respect as other forms - which I agree with, despite my personal distaste for it. This statement is later invalidated when Verity is told by a mentor that she's "not like other instagram poets" because her work is SO much more deep and meaningful than theirs. So is instagram poetry valid and awesome, or is it inferior to other forms? It appears that the jury is out on that. There's also a lengthy diatrabe about the evils of Goodreads - or 'Reader' - and the 'fake reviewers' whose hobby is purely to trash talk authors even though they secretly like their books, they just want to bring down authors and ruin their careers. (Sorry to disappoint, but I have NEVER trash talked a book because I was too embarrassed to admit I liked it. I embrace my trashy faves.) The whole book just reeks of insecurity, like the author secretly has an inferiority complex and wanted to stick up the middle finger at everyone who's looked down on instagram poetry. That's fair - who among us hasn't fantasized about getting one over on the people who've criticised them? That being said, most people keep those fantasies inside their heads instead of putting them on the shelves, and I feel like that would have been a good call.
As mentioned, I've never read any of Leav's poetry so I have no idea what her style is like, but I was deeply unimpressed with her prose. When I read a poet's work I expect the writing to be special. The whole point of poetry is to create powerful emotions with very few words, so I was expecting beautiful imagery and hard-hitting one liners. Instead, this reads like a 13 year old's self-insert fanfic, and it doesn't even feel authentic in terms of the author's experiences. Verity self-publishes her book, which becomes an instant best-seller. Within a month, she's been picked up by a publisher and traditionally published (which does NOT happen, I don't care how much hype an author has. Trad pub is not capable of moving that fast.) She's flown across the world to New York, all expenses paid, given spending money, decked out in designer clothes and diamond bracelets and taken to fancy parties. Again, authors are not that famous. J.K Rowling might be given a Gucci dress to wear to a book signing, but no 19 year old insta poet is going to get that kind of treatment, no matter how fast she's blown up.
Then we have the fun, super sexist sub-plot. Verity meets a guy called Sash and they fall in love so fast it's laughable (five pages after their first date they declare undying love.) The guy is okay, your typical boy-next-door type, nothing special but sweet enough - but he has an evil ex called Penelope, who just happens to be the top reviewers on Goodreads - ahem, reader - with the power to ruin any author's life with a one-star review. Unless you're Kathleen Hale, who wrote (to my knowledge) the lowest-rated book on this entire site, I doubt Goodreads is going to tank your chances of success. Penelope spends most of the book trying to ruin Verity's life in increasingly dramatic ways, including planting drugs on her at a party, before breaking down in tears at the end and revealing that she's done all these things because she's soooo jealous of Verity and her talent, and secretly she adores her poetry and thinks she's super cool, blah blah blah. If you're gonna have your side character be evil and petty, at least commit to it.
On a brief side-note, the most cringe-worthy moment of the whole book (and there are so many to choose from) is when Verity kisses Sash for the first time and says that kissing him feels like drinking Frobscottle - the fictional drink from Roald Dahl's 'The BFG.' For those who don't know, Frobscottle makes you fart so uncontrollably that you levitate from the sheer force of your own flatulence. I feel like if kissing your man makes you want to fart so hard you literally fly around the room then you should probably go and see a doctor, because something ain't right.
In case it isn't obvious, I thought this book was terrible. Kudos to Lang Leav, because she's clearly been very successful with her writing and it's entirely possible that her poetry is a lot better than her prose - but I don't intend to ever find out.
Poemsia is the second novel by bestelling poet Lang Leav. As a disclaimer, I haven't read any of Leav's poetry, as I'm really not a fan of instagram poetry. That being said, I was interested to read this book, which follows a girl named Verity Wolf who catapults to fame after her poetry blows up online. I was hoping this book would be similar to The Poet X, which I read and adored a year or two ago. The Poet X is powerful, evocative and masterfully written. Poemsia is none of those things.
My main issues with this book can be summed up mostly by one key point: it's incredibly juvenile. I don't mean that in the sense that the narrator sounded too young - that would be a silly complaint to make about a character who is obviously a teenager. What I mean is that the writing itself was juvenile. The plot was weak, the writing was underdeveloped, and the book was so melodramatic that I swear I almost strained my eyes by rolling them so hard. Verity is also the most blatant self-insert I've read in forever. To an extent I should have expected this, since the book obviously draws heavily on Leav's own experiences as an instagram poet, but Poemsia basically just feels like an excuse for the author to rant about her experiences with the poetry community and call it a novel. Early on in the book, Verity and her friend both rant passionately about how instagram poetry is valid and deserves as much respect as other forms - which I agree with, despite my personal distaste for it. This statement is later invalidated when Verity is told by a mentor that she's "not like other instagram poets" because her work is SO much more deep and meaningful than theirs. So is instagram poetry valid and awesome, or is it inferior to other forms? It appears that the jury is out on that. There's also a lengthy diatrabe about the evils of Goodreads - or 'Reader' - and the 'fake reviewers' whose hobby is purely to trash talk authors even though they secretly like their books, they just want to bring down authors and ruin their careers. (Sorry to disappoint, but I have NEVER trash talked a book because I was too embarrassed to admit I liked it. I embrace my trashy faves.) The whole book just reeks of insecurity, like the author secretly has an inferiority complex and wanted to stick up the middle finger at everyone who's looked down on instagram poetry. That's fair - who among us hasn't fantasized about getting one over on the people who've criticised them? That being said, most people keep those fantasies inside their heads instead of putting them on the shelves, and I feel like that would have been a good call.
As mentioned, I've never read any of Leav's poetry so I have no idea what her style is like, but I was deeply unimpressed with her prose. When I read a poet's work I expect the writing to be special. The whole point of poetry is to create powerful emotions with very few words, so I was expecting beautiful imagery and hard-hitting one liners. Instead, this reads like a 13 year old's self-insert fanfic, and it doesn't even feel authentic in terms of the author's experiences. Verity self-publishes her book, which becomes an instant best-seller. Within a month, she's been picked up by a publisher and traditionally published (which does NOT happen, I don't care how much hype an author has. Trad pub is not capable of moving that fast.) She's flown across the world to New York, all expenses paid, given spending money, decked out in designer clothes and diamond bracelets and taken to fancy parties. Again, authors are not that famous. J.K Rowling might be given a Gucci dress to wear to a book signing, but no 19 year old insta poet is going to get that kind of treatment, no matter how fast she's blown up.
Then we have the fun, super sexist sub-plot. Verity meets a guy called Sash and they fall in love so fast it's laughable (five pages after their first date they declare undying love.) The guy is okay, your typical boy-next-door type, nothing special but sweet enough - but he has an evil ex called Penelope, who just happens to be the top reviewers on Goodreads - ahem, reader - with the power to ruin any author's life with a one-star review. Unless you're Kathleen Hale, who wrote (to my knowledge) the lowest-rated book on this entire site, I doubt Goodreads is going to tank your chances of success. Penelope spends most of the book trying to ruin Verity's life in increasingly dramatic ways, including planting drugs on her at a party, before breaking down in tears at the end and revealing that she's done all these things because she's soooo jealous of Verity and her talent, and secretly she adores her poetry and thinks she's super cool, blah blah blah. If you're gonna have your side character be evil and petty, at least commit to it.
On a brief side-note, the most cringe-worthy moment of the whole book (and there are so many to choose from) is when Verity kisses Sash for the first time and says that kissing him feels like drinking Frobscottle - the fictional drink from Roald Dahl's 'The BFG.' For those who don't know, Frobscottle makes you fart so uncontrollably that you levitate from the sheer force of your own flatulence. I feel like if kissing your man makes you want to fart so hard you literally fly around the room then you should probably go and see a doctor, because something ain't right.
In case it isn't obvious, I thought this book was terrible. Kudos to Lang Leav, because she's clearly been very successful with her writing and it's entirely possible that her poetry is a lot better than her prose - but I don't intend to ever find out.
October 23, 2019
I'm so happy I received this book from the publisher. I almost cried at that time. I enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed reading Sad Girls.
Poemsia is such an inspiring book. It's a gift. Well at least to me it is. Poemsia is a book that will make readers fall in love with it. It has a lot of lessons and good tips on how to survive as contemporary poets.
Verity Wolf likes poetry. She writes poetry. Her dream is to be a poet. She started an Instagram account to post all of her work after being convinced by her best friend, Jess. One day, the famous celebrity regrammed one of her posts and all the fame, glamour and hatred started from there. She even got the chance to meet her favorite poet in New York.
I loved all the characters and their roles in this book. I felt like they are so real! All the characters fit perfectly in this book. I loved Jess, Sash, Tom and Teddy. Oh and Pop! He is very important and I love him so much. Jess is Verity's best friend and all I can say is I adore her and how good she is with Verity. Verity is so lucky to have her as a best friend. There is one character that I'm really angry at until now. Her name is Penelope and I hate her attitude. But her appearance is what made this book even more interesting. I can't deny that.
I can only imagine how bad the situation is for Verity and about the plagiarism that has been discussed in this book. I just can't believe there are people who have a group for hate reading. To me readers like this are just too much. So many new things and lessons I gained from this book. I liked the part where Verity's favorite poet, Mena Rhodes explained about the kind of haters that poet will be faced in their career. There are 3 kinds of haters. the Pseudo Intellectuals, the Fake Haters and the Hate Readers. All these 3 kinds of haters was well explained in the book.
The plot is consistent and it's well-written. The book is short and fast paced. Though, I was hoping that some of Verity's poems is written in this book or at least one poem when she's reciting it.
Overall, Poemsia inspires me to follow my dreams. Such a good book and genius! I highly recommend this book to all readers.
Thank you, Times Reads for sending me a copy of Poemsia in return for an honest review. This book is available in all good bookstores.
Poemsia is such an inspiring book. It's a gift. Well at least to me it is. Poemsia is a book that will make readers fall in love with it. It has a lot of lessons and good tips on how to survive as contemporary poets.
Verity Wolf likes poetry. She writes poetry. Her dream is to be a poet. She started an Instagram account to post all of her work after being convinced by her best friend, Jess. One day, the famous celebrity regrammed one of her posts and all the fame, glamour and hatred started from there. She even got the chance to meet her favorite poet in New York.
I loved all the characters and their roles in this book. I felt like they are so real! All the characters fit perfectly in this book. I loved Jess, Sash, Tom and Teddy. Oh and Pop! He is very important and I love him so much. Jess is Verity's best friend and all I can say is I adore her and how good she is with Verity. Verity is so lucky to have her as a best friend. There is one character that I'm really angry at until now. Her name is Penelope and I hate her attitude. But her appearance is what made this book even more interesting. I can't deny that.
I can only imagine how bad the situation is for Verity and about the plagiarism that has been discussed in this book. I just can't believe there are people who have a group for hate reading. To me readers like this are just too much. So many new things and lessons I gained from this book. I liked the part where Verity's favorite poet, Mena Rhodes explained about the kind of haters that poet will be faced in their career. There are 3 kinds of haters. the Pseudo Intellectuals, the Fake Haters and the Hate Readers. All these 3 kinds of haters was well explained in the book.
The plot is consistent and it's well-written. The book is short and fast paced. Though, I was hoping that some of Verity's poems is written in this book or at least one poem when she's reciting it.
Overall, Poemsia inspires me to follow my dreams. Such a good book and genius! I highly recommend this book to all readers.
Thank you, Times Reads for sending me a copy of Poemsia in return for an honest review. This book is available in all good bookstores.
September 25, 2019
Poemsia is the kind of book that you'll start, it'll enchant you fully, but you'll still have to talk yourself into continuing to read because reading it leads to it ending, and you don't want it to end. At least it was that way for me.
I loved the story it had to offer, there was some magic to it - it focused on friendships and family, and with the romance included, it made for a heartfelt one. I loved the characters, they were well-developed and realistic, and the relationships set between them were dynamic and interesting. Verity was such an incredible protagonist, she was so easy to connect to. I also really enjoyed the writing, it felt airy, it flowed really well, and it was all paced to my liking.
Overall Poemsia is a great YA read. I recommend it.
*Copy sent to me by the author
*Rating: 5/5 stars
YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON: MY BLOG | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
I loved the story it had to offer, there was some magic to it - it focused on friendships and family, and with the romance included, it made for a heartfelt one. I loved the characters, they were well-developed and realistic, and the relationships set between them were dynamic and interesting. Verity was such an incredible protagonist, she was so easy to connect to. I also really enjoyed the writing, it felt airy, it flowed really well, and it was all paced to my liking.
Overall Poemsia is a great YA read. I recommend it.
*Copy sent to me by the author
*Rating: 5/5 stars
YOU CAN FOLLOW ME ON: MY BLOG | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER
September 30, 2019
Review to Come!
September 13, 2019
I love this book!
January 28, 2020
Poemsia is a really strange book.
I'll preface this by saying I absolutely hated Sad Girls for being white girl, wish fulfilment trash that rewarded an actual bitch for being selfish with a nonsensical happy-ever-after. Lang Leav isn't even white, why did she choose THIS story to be her debut?
And that's the same problem in Poemsia. A complete lack of self-awareness. I'm not saying people can only write books from the POV of their race but when it comes to a novel about a teenager becoming famous off of writing poems, why is the protagonist not a POC? Like? Just why? Why does Lang Leav want to write from a white Australian pretty girl's perspective so much?
This book is once again, wish fulfilment. The moment Verity puts herself out there she is immediately rewarded. Why? No one in the real world has a story like that. Even Justin Bieber put a year into his YouTube career before he really picked up.
Why is every single character in this book so.. I can't even think of a word. They feel so scripted and cookie cutter. Like plasticine shaped into people. The stereotypes of who they are are so thickly concentrated yet there's this disconnect in the familiarity of what they're saying? If I had to pinpoint one thing I'd say that Verity's narration was always so bluntly stated.
"I'm confused, I'm angry, I'm turned on" the way things are stated so bluntly gives the narrative a very childish feel. I read this and thought it was perhaps written by an 18 year old who still thinks with this very underdeveloped language. But no, the lady is over 30. Even her diary entries shouldn't be sounding like this.
And to be clear, just because the story is about an 18 year old girl, doesn't mean the writing should feel like it's written badly by a teenager. John Green's characters sound 18, but his books definitely feel like they're written by someone who has an ounce of adult thinking.
In this book Lang Leav throws shade at haters, even categorising them into different types of losers. Some just hate out of boredom, some say bullshit to seem smart, but the worst kind of hater is the one who reads a book to hate it.
I didn't read this book to hate it. It was given to me as a gift and I decided to give it a shot despite my hate for Sad Girls. I'll say this, it's much less offensive than Sad Girls. I even enjoyed one part! It was just one paragraph towards the end when the girls are in a cafe, excited that they made the New York Times Bestsellers and instead of squealing they keep the joy contained. That paragraph contained a real emotion. A relatable one narrated in a way that actually connected with me.
Penelope is the worst character. And what I mean is, she is by far, the most clumsiest written character I have come across since the last Lang Leav book I read. I could buy that she'd be jealous, freak out, try and sabotage Verity and then have a redemption arc as she realizes the extent of damage she has caused.
What I CANT buy is her literally framing Verity for LEAVING DRUGS AROUND in her boyfriend's mother's house and the mother just BUYING IT?! In what world? Especially since the mother is not, in fact, portrayed apart from this instance, to be a complete idiot????
She posts her malicious and slanderous hit piece on Verity? And I'll say the Twitter discourse was extremely accurate. But the confrontation about it after? She has a freaking evil group chat where she explicitly discusses taking Verity down? If she's that stupid she couldn't have feasibly done any of the other things in the first place? Those screenshots are going to hold ANY legitimacy? She just.. IMMEDIATELY repents and turns out to be a nice person after all?
Bitches can be redeemed. But if you have the conviction to go through with acts THAT terrible there's no way the conviction is just going to falter like that. Especially with this little human thing called EGO. It made absolutely zero sense that she would just back down. She's both so stupid and so smart in an extremely contradicting manner. What happened to her ego? Where did it go? Why would she kick up this drama in the first place if she was literally just gonna let it go and chill out the second it was convenient to wrap the plot up?
Why is Verity so hot for this guy? He has more chemistry with her freaking grampa! What does she and him ever talk about? They fuck in a backseat. Why is it portrayed as magical? I'm telling you no matter how hormonal those two were, the backseat sex was awkward so why does it sound like they encountered no friction and made love on a cloud?
That's what gets me about this book. There's no grit. There's no resistance. There's nothing. Things just happen. Conflicts are fixed the second they arise. She's anxious while in New York. I can relate. I'm pretty anxious all the time too. The second her boyfriend "gives her permission to be anxious" she's suddenly fine and feeling great. When my boyfriend tells me it's ok that I'm anxious, guess what? I CONTINUE TO BE EXTREMELY ANXIOUS.
Her life is a fairy tale. An absolute fairy tale. I don't care that her tragic backstory is that she's an orphan. I mean, the one other paragraph in this book that I like is when she describes her mom impersonating a butterfly. The author has probably experienced that exact scene. Her mom is instantly more likeable than everyone else in the book. The trauma is surface level though. She cries whenever her parents are mentioned but there's no nuance to it.
Her life is a fairytale and again, SHE'S A PRETTY WHITE GIRL. Disclaimer: *I* myself am a white girl. And I hate the fact that this fairytale is granted to SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY PRIVILEGED AS HELL! Why can't an ugly girl get this fantasy huh? Or a really fat girl? Or a girl with eczema? Or a girl of any other ethnicity?
I don't criticise books very often because generally I like to enjoy books. I even enjoy books that are completely pointless. But if I'm going to read fairytale wish fulfilment trash, I at least want the characters to sound.. human. And the drama to have a little bit of weight to it. And the main character to be believably smart and talented.
Why did Lang Leav self-insert herself into this girl and lecture us for 300 pages about how pop-poetry is real poetry? Why can't she just be empowered by her success and move on? I think this book is trash for many legitimate reasons. Yet, in Lang Leav's world, I'm just an art snob who thinks she's more sophisticated than everyone else. Guess what? I like MCU movies and stan Taylor Swift. I AM NOT AFRAID TO LIKE LIKABLE THINGS. This book just wasn't likeable.
(I sometimes like Lang Leav's poetry though)
I don't understand why this book has done so well. I truly don't. It's boring, preachy and only 3 paragraphs are decent. Why did you give this to me Matthew, why? That's two hours of my life gone.
2/5 for being better than Sad Girls.
I'll preface this by saying I absolutely hated Sad Girls for being white girl, wish fulfilment trash that rewarded an actual bitch for being selfish with a nonsensical happy-ever-after. Lang Leav isn't even white, why did she choose THIS story to be her debut?
And that's the same problem in Poemsia. A complete lack of self-awareness. I'm not saying people can only write books from the POV of their race but when it comes to a novel about a teenager becoming famous off of writing poems, why is the protagonist not a POC? Like? Just why? Why does Lang Leav want to write from a white Australian pretty girl's perspective so much?
This book is once again, wish fulfilment. The moment Verity puts herself out there she is immediately rewarded. Why? No one in the real world has a story like that. Even Justin Bieber put a year into his YouTube career before he really picked up.
Why is every single character in this book so.. I can't even think of a word. They feel so scripted and cookie cutter. Like plasticine shaped into people. The stereotypes of who they are are so thickly concentrated yet there's this disconnect in the familiarity of what they're saying? If I had to pinpoint one thing I'd say that Verity's narration was always so bluntly stated.
"I'm confused, I'm angry, I'm turned on" the way things are stated so bluntly gives the narrative a very childish feel. I read this and thought it was perhaps written by an 18 year old who still thinks with this very underdeveloped language. But no, the lady is over 30. Even her diary entries shouldn't be sounding like this.
And to be clear, just because the story is about an 18 year old girl, doesn't mean the writing should feel like it's written badly by a teenager. John Green's characters sound 18, but his books definitely feel like they're written by someone who has an ounce of adult thinking.
In this book Lang Leav throws shade at haters, even categorising them into different types of losers. Some just hate out of boredom, some say bullshit to seem smart, but the worst kind of hater is the one who reads a book to hate it.
I didn't read this book to hate it. It was given to me as a gift and I decided to give it a shot despite my hate for Sad Girls. I'll say this, it's much less offensive than Sad Girls. I even enjoyed one part! It was just one paragraph towards the end when the girls are in a cafe, excited that they made the New York Times Bestsellers and instead of squealing they keep the joy contained. That paragraph contained a real emotion. A relatable one narrated in a way that actually connected with me.
Penelope is the worst character. And what I mean is, she is by far, the most clumsiest written character I have come across since the last Lang Leav book I read. I could buy that she'd be jealous, freak out, try and sabotage Verity and then have a redemption arc as she realizes the extent of damage she has caused.
What I CANT buy is her literally framing Verity for LEAVING DRUGS AROUND in her boyfriend's mother's house and the mother just BUYING IT?! In what world? Especially since the mother is not, in fact, portrayed apart from this instance, to be a complete idiot????
She posts her malicious and slanderous hit piece on Verity? And I'll say the Twitter discourse was extremely accurate. But the confrontation about it after? She has a freaking evil group chat where she explicitly discusses taking Verity down? If she's that stupid she couldn't have feasibly done any of the other things in the first place? Those screenshots are going to hold ANY legitimacy? She just.. IMMEDIATELY repents and turns out to be a nice person after all?
Bitches can be redeemed. But if you have the conviction to go through with acts THAT terrible there's no way the conviction is just going to falter like that. Especially with this little human thing called EGO. It made absolutely zero sense that she would just back down. She's both so stupid and so smart in an extremely contradicting manner. What happened to her ego? Where did it go? Why would she kick up this drama in the first place if she was literally just gonna let it go and chill out the second it was convenient to wrap the plot up?
Why is Verity so hot for this guy? He has more chemistry with her freaking grampa! What does she and him ever talk about? They fuck in a backseat. Why is it portrayed as magical? I'm telling you no matter how hormonal those two were, the backseat sex was awkward so why does it sound like they encountered no friction and made love on a cloud?
That's what gets me about this book. There's no grit. There's no resistance. There's nothing. Things just happen. Conflicts are fixed the second they arise. She's anxious while in New York. I can relate. I'm pretty anxious all the time too. The second her boyfriend "gives her permission to be anxious" she's suddenly fine and feeling great. When my boyfriend tells me it's ok that I'm anxious, guess what? I CONTINUE TO BE EXTREMELY ANXIOUS.
Her life is a fairy tale. An absolute fairy tale. I don't care that her tragic backstory is that she's an orphan. I mean, the one other paragraph in this book that I like is when she describes her mom impersonating a butterfly. The author has probably experienced that exact scene. Her mom is instantly more likeable than everyone else in the book. The trauma is surface level though. She cries whenever her parents are mentioned but there's no nuance to it.
Her life is a fairytale and again, SHE'S A PRETTY WHITE GIRL. Disclaimer: *I* myself am a white girl. And I hate the fact that this fairytale is granted to SOMEONE WHO'S ALREADY PRIVILEGED AS HELL! Why can't an ugly girl get this fantasy huh? Or a really fat girl? Or a girl with eczema? Or a girl of any other ethnicity?
I don't criticise books very often because generally I like to enjoy books. I even enjoy books that are completely pointless. But if I'm going to read fairytale wish fulfilment trash, I at least want the characters to sound.. human. And the drama to have a little bit of weight to it. And the main character to be believably smart and talented.
Why did Lang Leav self-insert herself into this girl and lecture us for 300 pages about how pop-poetry is real poetry? Why can't she just be empowered by her success and move on? I think this book is trash for many legitimate reasons. Yet, in Lang Leav's world, I'm just an art snob who thinks she's more sophisticated than everyone else. Guess what? I like MCU movies and stan Taylor Swift. I AM NOT AFRAID TO LIKE LIKABLE THINGS. This book just wasn't likeable.
(I sometimes like Lang Leav's poetry though)
I don't understand why this book has done so well. I truly don't. It's boring, preachy and only 3 paragraphs are decent. Why did you give this to me Matthew, why? That's two hours of my life gone.
2/5 for being better than Sad Girls.
March 6, 2021
A very sweet and comfortable story to read about a girl who writes Poetry and works in her ancestral book shop. Verity Wolf becomes a published author and her journey from nobody to the new face of modern poetry. Her friend has been the constant support she needs in this story.
September 10, 2019
Poemsia is like a love letter to everyone who has ever loved books or poetry and has ever wanted to know what it would be like to be a published author. Instead of focusing on the glitz and glamour, Poemsia explores what happens when a some-what introverted 19-year-old finds herself suddenly famous. We, the readers, get to live vicariously through Verity Wolf as her newfound fame begins to infiltrate every aspect of her life, and it is such a thrilling ride. The beauty of her story is that Verity is just a girl. She has many of the same things that any average, not famous 19-year-old would have—a best friend, a boyfriend, a frienemy, a cat—but on top of all that, Verity deals with back-to-back interviews, journalists, and jaded, two-faced industry elites. Poemsia is a fast-paced and emotional read, and while the end of this story is satisfying, it definitely leaves room for a sequel. I don’t know if Ms. Leav has this in mind, but I freely admit that I would love to read another book about Verity.
Read
September 10, 2019This book was sent to me by the author, but no review nor post were promised.
(Not rating this one because I do not want to ruin someone’s launching campaign and I can’t come up with a proper rating anyeay.) Nothing was wrong per se with this book, it simply wasn’t for me. I thought everything went too fast and felt too big when it didn’t seem big to me, that the dialogues felt weird and so on. It all felt flat. On that note, tons of my friends love that author so it may just have not been the right book for me! I’ll keep focusing on other books.
(Not rating this one because I do not want to ruin someone’s launching campaign and I can’t come up with a proper rating anyeay.) Nothing was wrong per se with this book, it simply wasn’t for me. I thought everything went too fast and felt too big when it didn’t seem big to me, that the dialogues felt weird and so on. It all felt flat. On that note, tons of my friends love that author so it may just have not been the right book for me! I’ll keep focusing on other books.
December 15, 2019
Rating : 2 stars
Review :
Although I am a fan of Lang Leav, I have to be honest here that the book didn't meet my expectations. I believe it could have been written better than this. I have struggled so hard to the finishing line. I love Sad Girls but I don't enjoy Poemsia. Maybe it's not my cup of tea.
This review is from my point of view. We may have different opinions. Feel free to share if there is any.
Review :
Although I am a fan of Lang Leav, I have to be honest here that the book didn't meet my expectations. I believe it could have been written better than this. I have struggled so hard to the finishing line. I love Sad Girls but I don't enjoy Poemsia. Maybe it's not my cup of tea.
This review is from my point of view. We may have different opinions. Feel free to share if there is any.
February 12, 2020
*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review by Jonathan Ball Publishers. Thank you!*
First of all, I love the artstyle on the cover of this book.
Now that that's been said let's get into the review:
We follow Verity Wolf (love the name) who is an aspiring poet. This is the story about hope, passion and working hard to make your dreams become reality. This is a story for everyone who has a dream but second-guesses themselves. This really was such an emotional and inspiring book. The characters were great but I didn't feel that connected to them as I would have wanted and the plot and pacing was not too slow so that is a plus as well.
I really enjoyed the format of this as well with the text messaged thrown in.
I absolutely recommend everyone to pick this up, I'm not a fan of poetry but I really liked this book.
First of all, I love the artstyle on the cover of this book.
Now that that's been said let's get into the review:
We follow Verity Wolf (love the name) who is an aspiring poet. This is the story about hope, passion and working hard to make your dreams become reality. This is a story for everyone who has a dream but second-guesses themselves. This really was such an emotional and inspiring book. The characters were great but I didn't feel that connected to them as I would have wanted and the plot and pacing was not too slow so that is a plus as well.
I really enjoyed the format of this as well with the text messaged thrown in.
I absolutely recommend everyone to pick this up, I'm not a fan of poetry but I really liked this book.
November 28, 2019
I picked up this book on kind of a whim on the day of it's publication. It was shelved in the general fiction section but when I got home I realized this is in fact a YA novel. That should have been my first clue to stop before I started.
I've read most of Lang Leav's poetry and found it quite good. Not extraordinary but good. Then a few years ago she came out with her debut novel Sad Girls. I hated that book. I didn't mildly dislike it I fully despised it. So why did you read her second book you ask? Well I am asking myself that same question.
Overall this isn't a terrible book............ if you enjoy YA novels. I personally do not like them at all. I have read some of the most acclaimed YA's and found them trite and overrated so I have finally admitted to myself I just do not like YA. I know a lot of adults love YA but it just isn't for me.
Poemsia follows Verity Wolf a 19 year old Australian girl who lives in her grandfathers bookstore and dreams of one day being a poet. She has an outspoken and supportive best friend who pushes her out of her comfort zone and forces her poetry into the limelight. When a major Instagram account reposts one one Verity's poems she is thrust into internet fame. The only problem is that the poem that was credited to her is not her own work but a poem she found in an old book called Poemsia. Luckily the rest of Verity's poems turn out to be just as well loved and before she knows it she finds her self a famous poet.
So to start off- Verity. She is a very very thinly veiled version of Lang herself. A pop poet who quickly rose to success. She spends much of the book defending pop poetry vs old school poetry. The character just seems to me to be a stand in for Leav. It came off as very self congratulatory. The character fits the mold of pretty much any female lead of a YA novel I have ever read. She is sweet and shy, gorgeous but she doesn't know it.
The other major players in the story are as follows: Penelope. Her rival. The girl who also likes the guy Verity wants. She is mean to her for no reason, jealous from the jump and from the minute you meet her you know that this girl will be Verity's downfall. She is a gorgeous rich snob that little meek Verity could just never live up to. It is all very cliche.
Sash- The love interest. Sigh. I would love to read a YA novel that was about a strong independent female that didn't fall instantly in love with the first male she saw. Sash walks into her bookstore one day and right away you know this is going to be the love interest. He is rich, and handsome in the perfectly disheveled kind of way. They go from barley knowing each other to confessing their undying love for each other in a matter of days. I am so over the instalove trope in these books.
And Jess. Her best friend. I don't have much to say about her really. She is supportive and kind and always there to help her friend. Who is she outside of Verity? Who knows.
This book focuses a lot on the rise of the new form of pop poetry (think Amanda Lovelace, Rupi Kaur, Lang Leav, RH Sin ect) It sort of insinuates that people who don't like this new bite sized style of poetry are idiots, snobs and don't understand real poetry which just comes across and "hey look how much smarter than you I am". The story itself was meh. It felt like a cut and paste of any other YA novel in existence. The writing wasn't terrible but it wasn't especially unique or amazing. The twists are seen a mile away and the ending is just expected.
If I had known ahead of time this book was YA I wouldn't have read it. So understand I am not the right audience and that this book was never for me. If you like YA, you like cliche romances, you like small town girl finds fame then you will like this book.
For me I think I will just stick to Leav's poems and leave her books behind.
I've read most of Lang Leav's poetry and found it quite good. Not extraordinary but good. Then a few years ago she came out with her debut novel Sad Girls. I hated that book. I didn't mildly dislike it I fully despised it. So why did you read her second book you ask? Well I am asking myself that same question.
Overall this isn't a terrible book............ if you enjoy YA novels. I personally do not like them at all. I have read some of the most acclaimed YA's and found them trite and overrated so I have finally admitted to myself I just do not like YA. I know a lot of adults love YA but it just isn't for me.
Poemsia follows Verity Wolf a 19 year old Australian girl who lives in her grandfathers bookstore and dreams of one day being a poet. She has an outspoken and supportive best friend who pushes her out of her comfort zone and forces her poetry into the limelight. When a major Instagram account reposts one one Verity's poems she is thrust into internet fame. The only problem is that the poem that was credited to her is not her own work but a poem she found in an old book called Poemsia. Luckily the rest of Verity's poems turn out to be just as well loved and before she knows it she finds her self a famous poet.
So to start off- Verity. She is a very very thinly veiled version of Lang herself. A pop poet who quickly rose to success. She spends much of the book defending pop poetry vs old school poetry. The character just seems to me to be a stand in for Leav. It came off as very self congratulatory. The character fits the mold of pretty much any female lead of a YA novel I have ever read. She is sweet and shy, gorgeous but she doesn't know it.
The other major players in the story are as follows: Penelope. Her rival. The girl who also likes the guy Verity wants. She is mean to her for no reason, jealous from the jump and from the minute you meet her you know that this girl will be Verity's downfall. She is a gorgeous rich snob that little meek Verity could just never live up to. It is all very cliche.
Sash- The love interest. Sigh. I would love to read a YA novel that was about a strong independent female that didn't fall instantly in love with the first male she saw. Sash walks into her bookstore one day and right away you know this is going to be the love interest. He is rich, and handsome in the perfectly disheveled kind of way. They go from barley knowing each other to confessing their undying love for each other in a matter of days. I am so over the instalove trope in these books.
And Jess. Her best friend. I don't have much to say about her really. She is supportive and kind and always there to help her friend. Who is she outside of Verity? Who knows.
This book focuses a lot on the rise of the new form of pop poetry (think Amanda Lovelace, Rupi Kaur, Lang Leav, RH Sin ect) It sort of insinuates that people who don't like this new bite sized style of poetry are idiots, snobs and don't understand real poetry which just comes across and "hey look how much smarter than you I am". The story itself was meh. It felt like a cut and paste of any other YA novel in existence. The writing wasn't terrible but it wasn't especially unique or amazing. The twists are seen a mile away and the ending is just expected.
If I had known ahead of time this book was YA I wouldn't have read it. So understand I am not the right audience and that this book was never for me. If you like YA, you like cliche romances, you like small town girl finds fame then you will like this book.
For me I think I will just stick to Leav's poems and leave her books behind.
September 28, 2019
Due to work and school, it took me four days to finish. However, I’m glad I took my time with it. POEMSIA is a book that will make you curious about the title. What does it mean? For those of us who read the excerpt on her webpage....we needed more.
In a world filled with social media influencers who are more show than substance, Verity Wolf; our lovely narrator and main character, shows us what life is like for an up and coming author.
Many of us dream of being the next JK Rowling or James Patterson, but Lang’s twist on “be careful what you wish for” is a heartwarming tale in 294 pages.
Each chapter takes the reader on a journey. I savored mine to the point that I was a crying mess at the end. It is so beautifully written and is truly magical to say the least. Lang Leav truly delivers a touching story of friendship, fame, and following your heart. All the stars are not enough to rate how wonderful this novel is!
In a world filled with social media influencers who are more show than substance, Verity Wolf; our lovely narrator and main character, shows us what life is like for an up and coming author.
Many of us dream of being the next JK Rowling or James Patterson, but Lang’s twist on “be careful what you wish for” is a heartwarming tale in 294 pages.
Each chapter takes the reader on a journey. I savored mine to the point that I was a crying mess at the end. It is so beautifully written and is truly magical to say the least. Lang Leav truly delivers a touching story of friendship, fame, and following your heart. All the stars are not enough to rate how wonderful this novel is!
November 6, 2019
Lang Leav turns into a novelist in her latest book Poemsia that is all about an aspiring poet’s journey through fame, a steep fall and subsequent rise to one of the most loved poets. It is all fictional of course! But it is also a story, that will sit well with you because aren’t we all struggling to get somewhere? A fight that does not come easy and can almost, never be fought without a loved one by our side?
Verity Wolf lives, breathes and eats poetry. Her poems, read mostly by her best friend, are touching, honest and has every chance to make it to the bestseller list. But Verity is diffident and full of self-doubt. She spends her days thinking about ‘what ifs’ and dreams of being successful and recognized.
One day, while sorting through a few books in her family book store, she comes across a book called Poemsia, a collection of poems whose origin is questionable and contents are breathtakingly, heart-achingly beautiful. But an Instagram post from the same post goes viral after it is regrammed by a famous celebrity.
Verity climbs the ladders of success right after that, moving from one book reading to another (which was published by her best friend as a surprise gift) and gets to meet her favorite poet. But there is this secret that started it all and secrets come up, no matter how deep you bury it.
‘Poemsia’ gives us wholesome characters that are flawed and lovable. Verity’s life is so relatable, her vulnerabilities, the way she feels and sees things and everything she deals with before being ‘the poet everyone loves’, it all comes to life through Leav’s simplistic writing. Being a poet herself, she writes it all from her heart and it shows.
The presence of family and friends, who would stand with you through thick and thin, believe in you and love you unconditionally, taking on life becomes a lot easier. And this is why, our protagonist Verity, sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Jess, Sash, Tom, Teddy, and Pop (her father), all stand together and reading that is so fulfilling, because who doesn’t relate to a little (?) family love?
Poemsia is a page-turner, with a handful of characters who leave behind lessons for us to learn. I did expect a couple of poems (because Lang Leav is an exceptional poet) and was pretty disappointed, but the story is a complete entity in itself and very enjoyable. It is also extremely inspiring if you aspire to be a poet and don’t have the courage to face the music.
Verity Wolf lives, breathes and eats poetry. Her poems, read mostly by her best friend, are touching, honest and has every chance to make it to the bestseller list. But Verity is diffident and full of self-doubt. She spends her days thinking about ‘what ifs’ and dreams of being successful and recognized.
One day, while sorting through a few books in her family book store, she comes across a book called Poemsia, a collection of poems whose origin is questionable and contents are breathtakingly, heart-achingly beautiful. But an Instagram post from the same post goes viral after it is regrammed by a famous celebrity.
Verity climbs the ladders of success right after that, moving from one book reading to another (which was published by her best friend as a surprise gift) and gets to meet her favorite poet. But there is this secret that started it all and secrets come up, no matter how deep you bury it.
‘Poemsia’ gives us wholesome characters that are flawed and lovable. Verity’s life is so relatable, her vulnerabilities, the way she feels and sees things and everything she deals with before being ‘the poet everyone loves’, it all comes to life through Leav’s simplistic writing. Being a poet herself, she writes it all from her heart and it shows.
The presence of family and friends, who would stand with you through thick and thin, believe in you and love you unconditionally, taking on life becomes a lot easier. And this is why, our protagonist Verity, sees the light at the end of the tunnel. Jess, Sash, Tom, Teddy, and Pop (her father), all stand together and reading that is so fulfilling, because who doesn’t relate to a little (?) family love?
Poemsia is a page-turner, with a handful of characters who leave behind lessons for us to learn. I did expect a couple of poems (because Lang Leav is an exceptional poet) and was pretty disappointed, but the story is a complete entity in itself and very enjoyable. It is also extremely inspiring if you aspire to be a poet and don’t have the courage to face the music.
October 11, 2019
Still at page 37 but im loving Jess already... #Vare is so lucky to have her...
October 27, 2019
This is the story about hopes, passion and having all of that into a dream that becomes a reality. This book is so hopeful and wholesome because the main character, Verity Wolf goes through a life of normalcy and dare I say mediocre to being thrown into fame, success and adoring fans. She finally finds herself living a life that she would never have expected to be.
A part of me can really relate to Verity and her dream of seeing her books published next to her favourite authors there are out there. Honestly, in this sense some people might be lucky about it while some people struggle years through it. Her overnight sensation would never have been achieved if it wasn't for her best friend, Jess. Even though they went through an unexpected speed bump along the journey, I'm glad that they didn't let anyone and anything go through them.
For book lovers, this is the kind of story that you will go from one page to another feeling so utterly relatable with the characters and background setting. Verity's entire life and even with the people around her are all revolved around books and it's definitely a life I hope to achieve for. From childhood and then into adulthood of being a constant reader and book lover to a successful published poet and the proud owner of Wolf Books.
I'm surprised to find myself that love and romantic relationship weren't my favourite aspect in this book. Instead, I love more of the love of friendship, family and her absolute love for literature.
This is a really fun and hopeful book of living a surreal life, one that you would never have predicted to be in the first place. It made me look up towards the positive instead of focusing solely on the negative. A story that I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs more doses of hope, love and literature in their everyday lives.
A part of me can really relate to Verity and her dream of seeing her books published next to her favourite authors there are out there. Honestly, in this sense some people might be lucky about it while some people struggle years through it. Her overnight sensation would never have been achieved if it wasn't for her best friend, Jess. Even though they went through an unexpected speed bump along the journey, I'm glad that they didn't let anyone and anything go through them.
For book lovers, this is the kind of story that you will go from one page to another feeling so utterly relatable with the characters and background setting. Verity's entire life and even with the people around her are all revolved around books and it's definitely a life I hope to achieve for. From childhood and then into adulthood of being a constant reader and book lover to a successful published poet and the proud owner of Wolf Books.
I'm surprised to find myself that love and romantic relationship weren't my favourite aspect in this book. Instead, I love more of the love of friendship, family and her absolute love for literature.
This is a really fun and hopeful book of living a surreal life, one that you would never have predicted to be in the first place. It made me look up towards the positive instead of focusing solely on the negative. A story that I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs more doses of hope, love and literature in their everyday lives.
November 2, 2019
5/5 stars!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved every minute of this book! I love Lang Leav’s poetry, and I loved her writing in this as well. The story was so interesting and exciting, you could tell she has personal experience when writing about what Verity goes through in the publishing and internet famous world. This book has SO MUCH HEART! The relationship between Verity and her grandfather was the sweetest thing on earth. I love his character so much. I loved the romance as well. It felt genuine, and unique. Also the best friend relationship was so refreshing as well. I loved this story so much. It was a bit cliche at times, but it was just SO WELL executed that it didn’t hamper the enjoyment of the story AT ALL. I think anyone who is an aspiring poet, author, artist, or just creative person can relate to the wanting of the dream come true opportunity that happens for Verity. We all want it! And dream of something like that happening. And it was such a joy to live vicariously through the main character. I actually laughed out loud reading this, and I teared up multiple times just out of how sweet the moments were between character. Love this book! It is now one of my all time favorite contemporary books! Loveeee it.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I loved every minute of this book! I love Lang Leav’s poetry, and I loved her writing in this as well. The story was so interesting and exciting, you could tell she has personal experience when writing about what Verity goes through in the publishing and internet famous world. This book has SO MUCH HEART! The relationship between Verity and her grandfather was the sweetest thing on earth. I love his character so much. I loved the romance as well. It felt genuine, and unique. Also the best friend relationship was so refreshing as well. I loved this story so much. It was a bit cliche at times, but it was just SO WELL executed that it didn’t hamper the enjoyment of the story AT ALL. I think anyone who is an aspiring poet, author, artist, or just creative person can relate to the wanting of the dream come true opportunity that happens for Verity. We all want it! And dream of something like that happening. And it was such a joy to live vicariously through the main character. I actually laughed out loud reading this, and I teared up multiple times just out of how sweet the moments were between character. Love this book! It is now one of my all time favorite contemporary books! Loveeee it.
Want to read
August 3, 2020[October 28, 2019] I can't wait to get a copy of this book!
[November 18, 2019] I got an advanced copy from Lang and I'm looking forward to reading this new novel because I loved Sad Girls and she signed my copy which made me SO happy! Let's start!
[November 18, 2019] I got an advanced copy from Lang and I'm looking forward to reading this new novel because I loved Sad Girls and she signed my copy which made me SO happy! Let's start!
October 29, 2019
I’d just settle into my window seat for the flight from JFK back to SFO when a long time professional friend coincidentally sat next to me on the aisle. What are the odds!
We exchanged greetings and caught up on our lives and careers and then, after the first rounds of beverages were served, opened up our computers to work.
About halfway into the flight I closed my lap top and pulled Poemsia out of my backpack. I had started it on the flight to New York a day earlier and was about three quarters through.
My Seatmate (SM) said: “What are you reading?”
Me: It’s a new young adult book, Poemsia, just out and the author, Lang Leav sent it to me.
SM: Young adult? What is it about?
Me: It’s a story about an emerging young poet.
SM: I’ve read your reviews on business books, when did you start reading young adult novels about poets?
Me: Well, I enjoyed her poems.
SM: WTF? Poems? When did you start reading poetry?
Me: Actually, I don’t read enough poetry. And she won a Goodreads Choice award for Lullabies
SM : Did you just say Lullabies?
Me: Yep. It’s a book of poems.
SM: And how did you happen to find this book of poems?
Me: I was working on our 10th anniversary event for the Goodreads Choice Awards and randomly picked up her book out of the stack of the 170 or so past winners over the years. Her poetry was really great.
SM: Really? How so?
ME: Well a few poems took me back and reminded me of my younger self. I kinda liked that. But then, with many of them, if you read closely, they transcended the years and applied to life in general.
SM : Interesting. So, how’s her new book?
ME: Not to sound like a McDonalds ad but, I’m loving it. It’s a very warm and believable story. It also gave me more insights on social media and literature that I found particularly interesting. Unless something goes astray, I am giving it a 5 star review.
SM: What constitutes a 5 star review with you?
Me: A book and story that gets me so interested and involved that I prioritize reading and finishing it over most everything else. This one has me captivated; I am eager to see what happens! Plus, I am learning some things.
SM: Well, I’m surprised but, that’s great.
And great it was. I loved Poemsia and I am motivated to read more young adult (and poetry too) . Thank you Lang for sending me my copy. :)
We exchanged greetings and caught up on our lives and careers and then, after the first rounds of beverages were served, opened up our computers to work.
About halfway into the flight I closed my lap top and pulled Poemsia out of my backpack. I had started it on the flight to New York a day earlier and was about three quarters through.
My Seatmate (SM) said: “What are you reading?”
Me: It’s a new young adult book, Poemsia, just out and the author, Lang Leav sent it to me.
SM: Young adult? What is it about?
Me: It’s a story about an emerging young poet.
SM: I’ve read your reviews on business books, when did you start reading young adult novels about poets?
Me: Well, I enjoyed her poems.
SM: WTF? Poems? When did you start reading poetry?
Me: Actually, I don’t read enough poetry. And she won a Goodreads Choice award for Lullabies
SM : Did you just say Lullabies?
Me: Yep. It’s a book of poems.
SM: And how did you happen to find this book of poems?
Me: I was working on our 10th anniversary event for the Goodreads Choice Awards and randomly picked up her book out of the stack of the 170 or so past winners over the years. Her poetry was really great.
SM: Really? How so?
ME: Well a few poems took me back and reminded me of my younger self. I kinda liked that. But then, with many of them, if you read closely, they transcended the years and applied to life in general.
SM : Interesting. So, how’s her new book?
ME: Not to sound like a McDonalds ad but, I’m loving it. It’s a very warm and believable story. It also gave me more insights on social media and literature that I found particularly interesting. Unless something goes astray, I am giving it a 5 star review.
SM: What constitutes a 5 star review with you?
Me: A book and story that gets me so interested and involved that I prioritize reading and finishing it over most everything else. This one has me captivated; I am eager to see what happens! Plus, I am learning some things.
SM: Well, I’m surprised but, that’s great.
And great it was. I loved Poemsia and I am motivated to read more young adult (and poetry too) . Thank you Lang for sending me my copy. :)
October 11, 2019
I desperately want to give this book 5 stars. I adore Leav’s poetry and her first book, Sad Girl. I loved parts of this book but my biggest gripe was that the first part felt drawn out and the second part was so fast paced. Every plot point that was major and integral happened in basically the last 50 pages. It was well written, just a pacing issue for me.
September 23, 2019
I just finished reading Poemsia and I just love how Lang Leav infuses poetry in her prose and how her messages are timeless and universal 🙏🏽💜 Poemsia is a gift to all aspiring poets filled with wise tips and lessons on how to survive as a contemporary poet💖 Poemsia inspires you to put yourself out there and to follow your dreams. Poemsia also brilliantly exposes the dark side of fame and guides you to trust your intuition above everything else.
Thank you Lang Leav for yet another book that I will hold dear to my heart.💖 Thank you for being a "shard of light". ⚡💡⚡ You're a genius for the exact reason you mentioned in Poemsia.
Thank you Lang Leav for yet another book that I will hold dear to my heart.💖 Thank you for being a "shard of light". ⚡💡⚡ You're a genius for the exact reason you mentioned in Poemsia.
December 17, 2019
It was a sweet story, like comfort food.
August 22, 2020
Lang Leav proves her venture out of the realms of poetry can take flight with yet another novel.
There are two distinct areas in which I'd like to take my review of Poemsia from. First, criticism of overnight fame. Leav gave us a bird's eye view of her shot to fame through pop poetry. It is easy to correlate Verity Wolf's story to Leav's, who saw herself being a household name after posting some of her works on social media. Hats off to Leav because not only did her work took flight, but her career as a writer as well. To take it further, the book gave us a critical view of what it takes to achieve such a feat - talent, content, and a pocket full of luck.
Second is the industrial criticism of publishing one's work. In the book, Verity Wolf and her best friend Jess are seen swoon by the works of Mena Rhodes, the latest star on the poetry sky. After Wolf got discovered by a publisher and took her to New York to formally launch her book, she caught up with Rhodes who took her to a tour of New York. During the sojourn trip, Rhodes gave us a look at the industry - its good and bad.
There is something to be said about the thrill of having a publishing deal and how, for a writer, it is a real dream come true. But for those on the outside, there's much to be learned about the things happening inside the circle. Rhodes provided insight on writers always caught in the dilemma of having to leave their old life behind and start a new in a place where the industry is booming and alive. She presented a conflict wherein writers have to question themselves on whether they are ready to embrace a world full of superficiality and deception in the bid to stay relevant. Moreover, Rhodes made me have a re-think of the definitions of integrity, values, and reception to criticisms.
The book is entirely different from Leav's previous title, Sad Girls, where she touched on the subject of mental health. Poemsia is a light read which touches on the classic theme of having a dream come true but set on a contemporary world and presented real-world conflicts and criticisms. On that note, many young readers would find the book entertaining and make them grab their own pens and write poems themselves.
All in all, the book is an okay read for me. I have to say I did not find the book enthralling - it does not have a complicated plot, which makes it an easy read during a boring afternoon. It was a book good for teenagers, really.
There are two distinct areas in which I'd like to take my review of Poemsia from. First, criticism of overnight fame. Leav gave us a bird's eye view of her shot to fame through pop poetry. It is easy to correlate Verity Wolf's story to Leav's, who saw herself being a household name after posting some of her works on social media. Hats off to Leav because not only did her work took flight, but her career as a writer as well. To take it further, the book gave us a critical view of what it takes to achieve such a feat - talent, content, and a pocket full of luck.
Second is the industrial criticism of publishing one's work. In the book, Verity Wolf and her best friend Jess are seen swoon by the works of Mena Rhodes, the latest star on the poetry sky. After Wolf got discovered by a publisher and took her to New York to formally launch her book, she caught up with Rhodes who took her to a tour of New York. During the sojourn trip, Rhodes gave us a look at the industry - its good and bad.
There is something to be said about the thrill of having a publishing deal and how, for a writer, it is a real dream come true. But for those on the outside, there's much to be learned about the things happening inside the circle. Rhodes provided insight on writers always caught in the dilemma of having to leave their old life behind and start a new in a place where the industry is booming and alive. She presented a conflict wherein writers have to question themselves on whether they are ready to embrace a world full of superficiality and deception in the bid to stay relevant. Moreover, Rhodes made me have a re-think of the definitions of integrity, values, and reception to criticisms.
The book is entirely different from Leav's previous title, Sad Girls, where she touched on the subject of mental health. Poemsia is a light read which touches on the classic theme of having a dream come true but set on a contemporary world and presented real-world conflicts and criticisms. On that note, many young readers would find the book entertaining and make them grab their own pens and write poems themselves.
All in all, the book is an okay read for me. I have to say I did not find the book enthralling - it does not have a complicated plot, which makes it an easy read during a boring afternoon. It was a book good for teenagers, really.
September 25, 2019
As a huge fan of Leav's poetry, I went into Poemsia with high expectations and I was not disappointed! The book tells the story of Verity Wolf, a young woman whose dreams of being a poet come to fruition after a celebrity re-shares one of her Instagram posts. Verity is immediately thrown into the spotlight and must decide whether to stay true to her humble roots in Australia or pursue a life of stardom in New York. Personally, I love modern poetry, and Poemsia feels like a secret backstage glimpse into what it's like being part of the Instapoet movement. I only have one complaint - we didn't actually get to read any of Verity's poetry! There weren't even any scenes of her composing. Poemsia is really quite a short book, so I definitely feel there was room to include some. Honestly, I would have enjoyed being able to read Verity's entire book! That being said, I really did love Poemsia and I think other YA contemporary fans will too. Thanks to Lang Leav for providing me with a review copy!
October 20, 2019
UTTERLY SPEECHLESS! Hands down to Lang Leav! A light read with a fast paced type storytelling. It kept me in my seat because I wanted to finish the book and know Verity’s life changes. It’s basically a reflection of the modern world that we live in and its positives and imperfections. Truly a wonderful read.
October 25, 2019
Poemsia is a modern fairy tale. A light reading with beautiful word choices here and there. You won't fall into a killing downward, because turnarounds will catch you that fast.
Very enjoyable~
If you have ever wondered how it feels to be a poet or writer or musicians or anything that feels like reaching your dream, being famous and influential, this book will show you each of the flipside.
Very enjoyable~
If you have ever wondered how it feels to be a poet or writer or musicians or anything that feels like reaching your dream, being famous and influential, this book will show you each of the flipside.
October 15, 2019
I’ve been in a book rut for awhile and Poemsia has taken me out of it. I’ve been a Lang leav fan for years and I was so excited to hear that she was coming out with her second novel. I’ve loved every single word I read from this book. The story just felt so genuine and sincere-I simply couldn’t get enough. It’s definitely one of my favorite novels 💕
November 7, 2019
Love it to bits!
December 12, 2019
I would probably say that Lang Leav is my favorite poet. Three of her poetry collections are on my favorite books shelf here on goodreads. I love how honest she is and how unafraid she is to come across stupid or cliché or cringey or even obsessed or problematic. She writes how she feels regardless of how cheesy it might sound and she doesn't feel shame for it. She can write the type of thing you would immediately think as pretentious or shallow if you read it from someone else but you can feel the honesty in her and it makes you feel things and suddenly it's none of those things anymore but something beautiful. I don't know if I am making much sense with this explanation, but especially as someone who struggles with the idea that people will view the entirety of me a certain way because of one thing I say and or one thing I make, I really admire how she doesn't seem to care and just puts it out there.
However, I was not completely sure if her style would work for me in the form a novel and it turns out I was right in doubting. It was unfortunately a lot worse than I feared it might be actually. And I would like to clarify that I feared it might be bad but I wasn't expecting it to be bad. I was actually really excited for this book. It turned out that I ended up considering DNFing multiple times in the first 16% of the book, at which point I really decided to DNF but I just... couldn't? Part of it is just me sucking at DNFing in genereal but also because, I have now read all of Lang Leav's poetry collections, and I wanted to read all of her books. She's one of my favorite authors and I didn't want to not do this book complete justice. I wanted to form an opinion based on the whole of it. Usually this is not a very smart thing to do as hinted above, it's a waste of precious time and motivation when you're not enjoying a book, but this was a special case so I kept going. Now I only have her other novel Sad Girls left out of all her published work, and although I am in no hurry, I think I will pick that one up one day too.
Now onto my actual issues about this book. This book was pretty much Lang Leav sharing all her opinions disguised as a novel. Like I said, I like her frankness in her poetry, I like her unquestionable honesty. But here it just felt like she was inserting herself into the novel. Unlike poetry which is a gray area, novels are fiction and once you start lecturing the reader so much it takes the reader out of the story. An author's opinion can be a part of novels of course but it shouldn't be to the point where it seems like the it's the sole reason for the book's existence and the story is just an afterthought or just something that gives you the excuse to talk about the opinions. Besides the sheer amount, it was also very much not integrated well into the story. Like I said, we would get these whole lectures or info-dumps. The whole story lacked nuance, the content and the delivery. The conflicts and messages were two dimensional. Characters would randomly start telling their backstories to each other.There was no development for anyone. We would be getting told things that we never got the chance to observe or feel for ourselves. We didn't get satisfying resolutions to the conflicts.
I guess the conclusion there is that poetry and fiction are very different. I love Lang Leav but I'm still going to be as critical with her as I am with any other author, and this was not a good book in my opinion.
That is in fact one of the problems with this book, if I am going to talk about the actual content. It presents all people who review books negatively as haters or sadists or insecure jealous people. If someone's critisizing, or hell, even straight up shit talking your book, that does not mean they are insulting you or who you are as a person. People are allowed to not like your work, and they are allowed to be harsh about it and they are even allowed keep reading your stuff despite knowing they won't like it just because they get a kick out of it. As long as they are not unnecessarily coming for you personally or making harmful generalizations about certain genres or groups of people (which is actually kind of what this book does?), it can be done completely respectfully.
Lang Leav seeming to not be bothered about other people's opinions when she didn't need to be and just keeping on doing her thing is one of the main things that drew me to her as I mentioned in the very beginning. I admired that a lot so I am more disappointed in this than the more structural problems. It kind of forces me to reevaluate.
Edit a day later: Perhaps I really did come across too harsh, because the book talking about "hate reading" as this big evil thing was more funny than anything else. I want to make clear I don't feel angry or passionate in any way about this book.
However, I was not completely sure if her style would work for me in the form a novel and it turns out I was right in doubting. It was unfortunately a lot worse than I feared it might be actually. And I would like to clarify that I feared it might be bad but I wasn't expecting it to be bad. I was actually really excited for this book. It turned out that I ended up considering DNFing multiple times in the first 16% of the book, at which point I really decided to DNF but I just... couldn't? Part of it is just me sucking at DNFing in genereal but also because, I have now read all of Lang Leav's poetry collections, and I wanted to read all of her books. She's one of my favorite authors and I didn't want to not do this book complete justice. I wanted to form an opinion based on the whole of it. Usually this is not a very smart thing to do as hinted above, it's a waste of precious time and motivation when you're not enjoying a book, but this was a special case so I kept going. Now I only have her other novel Sad Girls left out of all her published work, and although I am in no hurry, I think I will pick that one up one day too.
Now onto my actual issues about this book. This book was pretty much Lang Leav sharing all her opinions disguised as a novel. Like I said, I like her frankness in her poetry, I like her unquestionable honesty. But here it just felt like she was inserting herself into the novel. Unlike poetry which is a gray area, novels are fiction and once you start lecturing the reader so much it takes the reader out of the story. An author's opinion can be a part of novels of course but it shouldn't be to the point where it seems like the it's the sole reason for the book's existence and the story is just an afterthought or just something that gives you the excuse to talk about the opinions. Besides the sheer amount, it was also very much not integrated well into the story. Like I said, we would get these whole lectures or info-dumps. The whole story lacked nuance, the content and the delivery. The conflicts and messages were two dimensional. Characters would randomly start telling their backstories to each other.There was no development for anyone. We would be getting told things that we never got the chance to observe or feel for ourselves. We didn't get satisfying resolutions to the conflicts.
I guess the conclusion there is that poetry and fiction are very different. I love Lang Leav but I'm still going to be as critical with her as I am with any other author, and this was not a good book in my opinion.
That is in fact one of the problems with this book, if I am going to talk about the actual content. It presents all people who review books negatively as haters or sadists or insecure jealous people. If someone's critisizing, or hell, even straight up shit talking your book, that does not mean they are insulting you or who you are as a person. People are allowed to not like your work, and they are allowed to be harsh about it and they are even allowed keep reading your stuff despite knowing they won't like it just because they get a kick out of it. As long as they are not unnecessarily coming for you personally or making harmful generalizations about certain genres or groups of people (which is actually kind of what this book does?), it can be done completely respectfully.
Lang Leav seeming to not be bothered about other people's opinions when she didn't need to be and just keeping on doing her thing is one of the main things that drew me to her as I mentioned in the very beginning. I admired that a lot so I am more disappointed in this than the more structural problems. It kind of forces me to reevaluate.
Edit a day later: Perhaps I really did come across too harsh, because the book talking about "hate reading" as this big evil thing was more funny than anything else. I want to make clear I don't feel angry or passionate in any way about this book.
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