The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me

by Elodie Parthenay

Never stop seeking joy. Cultivate your own magic. At the end of the day, you'll always be blooming.

An uplifting debut collection of poetry, The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me is a story of growth through the lens of relationships of all kinds: from love to loss, from lust to longing, and from sisterhood to self-love. The ones who drain our soil, and the ones who nourish us.

Both intimate and relatable, Elodie Parthenay's poems weave an overarching story of growth that encourages the reader to cultivate their own particular magic.

Genres: Poetry

164 pages, Paperback

Published October 19, 2021

About the author

Known for her raw and emotional poems, Elodie Parthenay is a storyteller based in Tiohtiá:ke (Montreal), Canada

Harvest , her second poetry book, is a call to celebrate joy and abundance after a season of effort and planting seeds.

The first, The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me (2021), a story of heartbreak and comeback to oneself, was praised for its depth and ability to mirror readers’ feelings. Her work also appeared in Woven with Brown Thread (2021), a collection of poetry curated by Upile Chisala featuring 25 Black poets from all around the world.

Elodie studied poetry and creative writing at UCLA, where she was nominated for the Allegra Johnson Prize for Fiction for her work on an upcoming fantasy novel. A hopeless romantic and die-hard optimist, Elodie’s poetry revolves about love, loss, sisterhood and self-love, as seen and experienced by a queer woman of color.

She lives with her daughter and their fluffy rescue cat, Flerken. When she’s not creating poetry, she practices mindfulness meditation and writes about lifestyle, health, relationships and astrology for Women’s magazines.

Find her on instagram at @elodiewrites, and online at www.elodieparthenay.com.

Reviews

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry is very personal and even though I didn’t like all the poems in this collection, I still think this is a hidden gem. I found the part regarding self-love so encouraging and I adored them.

Thanks to NetGalley for this free copy!

[sintiareads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook.

It just didn't work for me. I enjoyed a few poems, but I didn't like most of them. This doesn't mean they are bad, but I don't have a feeling I'll remember them as I do some I've read before.

[louderthanbooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

English and Spanish

This collection of poems tells us about toxic relationships, loss, grief,
self-love and growth.

I liked it because it has themes that almost everyone can relate to, and I feel that
these kinds of emotions are difficult to express.
I also liked that it is a short read, and I was able to read it in less than an hour.

One point against it is that I felt it lacked a bit of power in some of the poems.

In conclusion, poetry is not my favorite genre, but I still read it because it gives you
a perspective on the reaction other people have to feelings that everyone has had.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC of this book.


_________


Esta colección de poemas nos habla de las relaciones tóxicas, la pérdida, el duelo, el amor propio y el crecimiento.
Me gustó porque tiene temas con los que casi todas las personas se pueden relacionar, y siento que esta clase de emociones son difíciles de expresar.
También me gustó que es una lectura corta, y lo pude leer en menos de una hora.
Un punto en contra es que sentí que le faltó un poco de poder a algunos poemas.
En conclusión, la poesía no es mi género predilecto, pero la sigo leyendo porque te da una perspectiva de la reacción que tienen otras personas hacia sentimientos que todo el mundo ha tenido.

Muchas gracias a NetGalley y a la editorial por la copia avanzada en digital de este libro.

[Jessica | JSxReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

3 "i'll choose me every single time" stars

As always, reviewing poetry can be difficult due to the nature of how subjective it is.
There's no denying Elodie Parthenay has a beautiful way with words that are simplistic in nature, yet effective. There were some poems in here that were absolutely standouts, poems that I've highlighted and annotated to death at this point that I know I will return to time and time again. However, I found these standout poems seemed to get lost in a sea of ones I personally could not connect with and were not particularly memorable.

Overall, a beautiful and authentic collection of poetry that has a little something for everyone to enjoy.

Perfect for readers who are:
- just beginning their journey with poetry
- a fan of the tumblr/ig style of poems

One of my favourite stanzas:
"did you know it took
years to build the defences you
disarmed in a smile or two"

[Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Thanks to NetGalley and IBPA for providing me with a digital ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.*

A brilliant debut poetry collection from Elodie Parthenay!

Main themes range from: loving others and self-love, lust, loss, and longing.

Elodie's raw, beautiful, and simplistic writing style made her poems easy to connect with and understand. With some pieces resonating more than others.

I truly believe that many people will be able to relate to her poetry.

I look forward to reading more of her works!

[des · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for providing me with an e-arc.

I always feel like poetry is hit or miss. Either you connect with it or you don't. In this case I just didn't, probably because the format of the arc as well it was all just one big blurb of text.

For me though it felt like sentences strung together and it didn't touch me.

[Erika Sarutobi · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
RTC

[Winnie | Her Digital Coffee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me is a collection of poems by Elodie Parthenay. These poems discuss relationships, loss, and love.

There were very few poems that I felt connected to. Some pieces were very vague and I couldn’t relate on an emotional level. That being said, it doesn’t mean that others will feel the same. Poetry is very personal and there will be certain works that don’t speak to you. Thank you to NetGalley and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[bookventures_of_a_wildflower · Rating 3 out of 5]

First of all thank you for Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to say that poetry is very subjective, liking one and not the other is akin to taste in music, you can’t please everyone.

This was a miss for me. The writer created a beautiful collection of her work and the way the book was structured was super clear.
My issues lay with the poems not resonating with me and the fact that the blurb of the book indicated something different from what I’ve read.

I don’t want to say anything negative or rate this book negatively because, again, this is a very subjective opinion.

[AJ Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the range of topics this collection covered. While there were some that I didn't quite love as much, I did enjoy almost all of the poems. I definitely recommend this for people looking for poetry that tackles self love!

Thank you NetGalley for the gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Freya · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙂𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙚-𝘼𝙍𝘾!

Overall, I enjoyed reading this poetry book. The poems are written in a beautiful and raw way, which sometimes are quite hard to read. I didn’t understand the formatting at times, but nevertheless, I think the author did a good job and took me along in her journey.
.
The book consists of 5 parts:
Wild - about tonic relationships;
Peaches - learning to trust again;
Ghost - about loss and mourning;
Forest – finding strength in positive relationships;
Bloom – about self-growth and self-love.
.
Wow… that is the word that comes to mind. Beautiful, but painfully vivid written poems that made me want to hug the author and say ‘I’m sorry this happened’. That’s what I felt for most of the first part of the book. Slowly it went into more positive feelings. I really connected with ‘Ghost’. Even though it’s been ages since my heart got shattered to pieces, these poems hit me like a rock. They reminded me of how I felt back then. She writes in a beautiful, yet easy to understand way. I thought it was very unique how she thought of the formatting with spaces between words and using different font styles. However, for me personally it made it all just too much. By that I mean, I felt some of the most beautiful poems got lost a little. If the poems were more spaced out from each other, or on a single page they would’ve had more strength. Nevertheless, I did love this book and will definitely get a physical copy!
.
If you’re into more modern poetry (which I am) you’ll love this book! Plus the cover is so pretty!

Favorite poem:
‘’loving yourself
shouldn’t be a whisper

love yourself so loud
that the universe has no other choice
but to listen

love yourself so loud
that it becomes a blueprint
for how to treat you

love yourself so loud
that even in your darkest moments
self-infatuation still makes
your ears ring’’

♪ Soundtrack:
Maria Mena - Growing Pains

[Kaleigh Basso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I started writing this review before I had even finished the book. This collection of poetry is broken up into five parts: wild, peaches, ghost, forest, bloom, and together they weave a story of abuse, love, trust, healing, loss, and finally a love of self. I have never read a poetry collection that resonated so deeply. It felt like Elodie Parthenay took the words out of my brain and turned them into something devastating and beautiful.

There's a thread of anger that runs throughout this whole book, not the explosive kind but rather the soft kind that keeps people moving while occasionally stopping to say "what the fuck, why can't I just be done with this already?" It's barely detectable in some poems and in your face in others. This thread is what kept me connected to the poet.

I will be buying the physical copy of this, it's too beautiful to leave on my kindle. These are the poems that I wanted from all those other poetry books, you know the ones. These felt real; like I was reading her personal journal filled with the mess of her thoughts. I want my partner to read this book so that he can understand the ways in which I've processed my path and how messy it was to get to where I am now, I don't think I can articulate those sentiments as well as she has.

Good god, I can't stop writing the way I feel about this collection. Anyway, The Sun Always Knows Where To Find Me is beautiful, it's everything I want out of poetry. I feel honored to have had early access to this through Netgalley, so thank you.

"What a confusing blessing to realize you are the person you dreamed about"

[BAM · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me” is a beautiful collection of poetry that I found myself relating too more often than not. The first chapter (or section) “wild” was about being in a toxic relationship and all of the feelings you have during, and after. It covers the lasting affects of an emotionally/verbally/mentally abusive relationship and how they seep into the relationships that follow it. I found myself loving this chapter because of the emotion and descriptions written throughout.


The next chapter “Peaches” really touches on new love and the feeling of pure ecstasy with someone who truly appreciates and values you for who you are, but also being scared to let them in.

“Ghost” touches on losing a good love. How their memory is always there in everything you do after the relationship is over. The love we all have that we sit around waiting for it to come back.

The last two chapters, “forest” and “bloom” are filled with positive affirmations and self-love poems. Greta reminders of realizing your worth and never settling for less than what you truly deserve. It was almost like following the author on a journey through love just to learn that she finally found the kind of love most don’t - self-love. Overall, a wonderful book.

*ARC copy provided by the author via NetGalley *

[Saraoragami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever started a book, movie, or show, having a certain expectation, but coming out pleasantly surprised. That's how I felt with The Sun Always Knows Where To Find Me. It was brutally honest with its stance on love, loss, self-discovery, and personal empowerment. This poetry book is split into multiple parts, part one deals with topics of grief and loss of a significant other. The details that were drawn in my mind were so vivid I felt like I was there when the narrator was grieving like I was seeing it with my own eyes. Part two talks about falling in love, it made me yearn to feel the way the narrator did. I won't explain all the parts but I will say that my heart hurt so much at some points. The authenticity and absolute love and dedication that went into this book made me feel all gut-wrenching emotions of heartbreak but also the beauty and joy of love and acceptance of ourselves.

[Kristine (bookstackcity) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this collection of poetry pulled me in and took me on a journey of healing with the goal of self love.

It begins in a place of pain and loss of hope, flowing through the emotions and uncertainty that come with losing touch with yourself. Next, it exemplifies how sometimes it takes outside forces of love to help us learn how to love ourselves. Ultimately, it leads to the refocusing of ones energy on oneself and the power that comes from self love.

I thought this poetry was beautifully executed and thoughtfully arranged. The poems flowed smoothly with direction and purpose. I felt like it was taking me by the hand and leading me somewhere better than where I started.

I would recommend this collection to anyone who has ever doubted themselves, doubted love, or is looking for signs of hope.

[Tash Holmes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This collection really resonated with me and I loved that it formed a kind of story of abuse, trust, love, acceptance, and self-love. It flowed really well not only from one poem to another but from one section to the next. It get very personal yet I found a lot of myself in these poems. I think it gives a voice to so many people that have experienced unhealthy relationships and struggle to love themselves afterwards. While it was personal, I get it was also broad enough to speak to a wide variety of people.

I loved the overall message of taking up space and recognising that you are incredible and worthy of your own love and I can see myself going back to this collection whenever I find myself questioning my worth. I will be buying a physical copy of this as soon as I can!

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There is nothing objectively wrong with this poetry collection that focuses on toxic romantic relationships and the ways in which women can feel abused without physical harm being involved. This is just not my type of poetry.
I am someone who wants to be moved by the language and rhythm of poetry just as much as I want to connect to the content. I honestly feel like if you aren't going to do interesting language things, if you aren't going to play with how words feel and sound, then why are you doing poetry? Why not an essay? I found myself asking myself this often as I read through these poems. This should really be an essay collection, because I do think that there was something worth saying in these lines, I just didn't FEEL the impact of the poetry, and so it left me pretty cold.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this book!
I enjoyed these poems and some of them I loved but some I just wasn't feeling. That's not to say this book isn't amazing because it is. It's structured amazingly - it goes from heartbreak to love and heartbreak to self love. It goes through all different versions of love and the consequences of this love and with lots of these poems I felt really connected to what the poet was saying.
Bit random but I would love to read this book after finishing It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover - i feel like i would feel more connected to the story that way! I just felt this poem book really resembled Lily's story through loving and losing and figuring out how to love herself despite everything going against her.
I think the more i read these poems the more i'm going to fall in love with the book as well as the poet!

[Andreea · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disclaimer: I received this book for free in exchange of my honest opinion.

I know poetry is very subjective and personal, but also... I am tired of this tumblr Rupi Kaur style of poetry. I get it. It's easy, it's shareable, but honestly, some of the lines in this book worked better as tweets. And not even great tweets. (Sorry, I am a bit too mean...)

The poems are very... superficial. They did not make me think deeper about things or feel anything, some of the themes are important, of course (bullying, abuse, self-love), but a strong theme does not a strong poem make. Sorry, not sorry. These poems just don't stand out, they are weak and forgettable. And I really wish we would get over this style already, or at least make it make sense, make it mean something more than what the words actually mean, use words more creatively, and maybe be more than tweets.

[Bianca Dolcee · Rating 3 out of 5]

instead of scarcity we choose to live in abundance.

although I couldn't connect with and love all of the poems in this collection, the ones that resonated with me.. really resonated with me

just a beautiful work of art.

I feel like this would be a little hidden gem for a lot of people, I will share some of my favorite parts below.


constantly finding the light in the shadows, not to hoard it but to light others' way.

my mind is a wonder, see how it turned the pain of having lost into gratefulness for having known.

the sun always knows where to find me.

I would include more but you'd just have to pick up this collection for yourself :)


ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

[Dessie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A big thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an arc in exchange of an honest review. "The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me" is Elodie Parthenay's debut poetry collection, which mesmerised me with its' bittersweet approach to discuss topics such as love, loss, embracing yourself and relationships. Parthenay's writing style is very raw and simplistic, which made it easy for me to connect with the poems. I believe that everyone will be able to relate to this book, at least partially. The only thing that I disliked is that some of the poems feel a little rushed, but overall I like the stricture, I just think that some of the poems needed a little more work. The trigger warnings include grief, loss, heartbreak, etc. An awesome read for everyone who loves deep yet simplistic poetry!

[Phan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with the digital ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As poetry is very personal, I didn't expect myself to like all of the poems in this collection. I don't normally enjoy books that focus on toxic relationships but it doesn't mean this one is bad. Actually I did enjoy some of the poems, particularly those in the "forest" section.

Some of my favorites are:
“loving yourself
shouldn't be a whisper

love yourself so loud
that the universe has no other choice
but to listen”

“my mind
is a wonder see
how it turned the pain of having lost
into gratefulness for having known”

I recommend this book to anybody who enjoys works of Rupi Kaur or Michaela Angemeer.

[Bea (beansbookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley.

"i promised myself that i
would be less reckless with my heart yet
here i am again
holding my faith tight
and bracing for a blow that
i hope never comes"

This is a beautiful piece. I didn't enjoy all the poems, but some of them we're very beautiful, sincere and pure. This is a very personal book and I could related to many poems written in it. This is the author's debut book and I think she's talented and has a lot of potential. Thank you so much for sharing this magical poetry collection with us. Rating: 4/5 stars.

[huna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5

I'd like to thank NetGalley and the publisher of this book for providing the e-ARC for an honest review. This collection of poems by Elodie Parthenay is easy to connect because it focused on love, loss and pain. They are beautifully written that it feels like reading a story, an experience of someone. Sadly it is a miss for me since I did not enjoy it as much as some people do, and I might not remember the words in it. I think this is perfect for beginners in poetry since the poems are easy to comprehend.

One stanza that I really like:

you're focusing
so much on how
you feel about them that
you're forgetting how
they're making you feel

[Aurora Canada · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say that I did not end up this book in tears would be a lie - but they were nice tears, useful tears, healthy tears. I relate a lot to some of Elodie Parthenay’s poems, and that shook me to see my feelings laying there in small beautiful words. The quest for self love is universal but Elodie has that little something that can touch us all even more. Describing love and fear and rebirth as she does is unique and beautiful. Definitely a book to have next to your bed, to re-read often just to feel better.

[Frida · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an eARC copy from the author and IBPA via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Reviewing poetry is always a task, a complicated one at that. Poetry is very personal; it comes from deep within and colours each experience and expression differently, depending on who is reading it, when, how it is interpreted.

This poetry collection is no different, with one tiny but important detail; it just didn't make the cut. Very few poems stood out, and even fewer I would write down in my notebook for safekeeping and possible quoting if/when needed. The rest of them are like a sea of words without any order, any meaning to them, unmemorable.

The poems are a collection of thoughts about love, a quest for self-love, loss, grief, heartbreak, all the delicate emotions that shake us from top to bottom. But the overall impression is too much of Instagram style of poetry, too shallow, and too simple; no complexity and no coherence to touch the true depths of these feelings.

[Daire Paddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a word: stunning.

Usually, when I read a great poetry book, there'll be a poem or two that really hits home. With this one, every single verse spoke to something inside me.

I don't know if I can even find the words to describe how much I enjoyed this collection... but I'll try.

Have you ever listened to a love song that has transported you back in time to a bittersweet Sunday morning, or soul shattering breakup? That's what this book did for me. It wasn't a performative painting of pretty words, it was emotional evangelism at its best.

Not only will I be recommending this to any poetry readers I know, but I'll be coming back to it and reading it again and again.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually read poetry, but this caught my eye. I really liked some of the poems, others not so much. I feel like I could go with 3 stars on this one, but then again, it's raw and honest and some really resonated with me, so it's 4 stars. One, in particular, gave me a chuckle because it's so true, but it's also really sad at the same time:
i am so over
thinking about you
someone please tell my mind
i think it’s forgotten again

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This book was absolutely beautiful. The poetry was touching and used lovely language. I also really appreciated how the poetry takes the reader on a progression - it’s as if we are sitting beside the author as they process through everything and go on an emotional journey. Absolutely beautiful book of poetry that felt very grounded.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a lovely collection of poetry. The poems focused on love, relationships, self-love and self-care. It is separated into sections and my favorite section was titled “forests”. I liked the structure of the poems. There were a few poems that I didn’t relate to or really liked, but overall the majority of the poems were great.

*Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.*