Girl Made of Glass

by Shelby Leigh

If you think often about the past or battle with overthinking and self-esteem, girl made of glass is for you. This collection is about finding yourself, forgiving yourself, and loving yourself. It explores the many ways our past haunts us, but will leave you feeling hopeful about your future.

girl made of glass  is a poetry collection about how our past—past mistakes, relationships, and regrets—can linger into our future. Broken into four parts, this book is about finding, forgiving, and loving ourselves. The Nightmares explores our past and the moments that haunt us. The Mirror delves into insecurity and how we might haunt ourselves. The Shattering investigates relationships and how they can break us. The Enchantment delivers an uplifting conclusion of self-love and growth.

 

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Mental Health, Audiobook, Ebooks

144 pages, Paperback

Published January 24, 2023

About the author

Shelby Leigh is a mental health poet writing about self-love, insecurities, anxiety, relationships and more. Her third poetry book, girl made of glass, released a #1 bestseller in women's poetry in 2023. Her longest collection yet, the book uncovers how our past - past relationships, memories, and ourselves - can haunt us.

Her second poetry book, changing with the tides, is a #1 amazon bestseller, originally released in 2019. The new edition was released by Gallery Books in July 2022.

In addition to writing, Shelby runs an online poetry community with workshops and edits poetry books.

Connect with her on Instagram and TikTok @shelbyleighpoetry, Twitter @shelbyleighpoet, and on her website www.shelbyleigh.co.

Reviews

[buket · Rating 3 out of 5]

girl made of glass,
don’t let the self-doubt
stop you from thriving in this life.

if you’re a teenager, if you recently went through a breakup, if you never moved on from your first love or if you were listening lana and reading depressed quotes on tumblr in 2012-13 you might enjoy this🙏🏼

sometimes it was cringe(badly) but 2012 buket loved tumblr and 2017 buket loved reading poems after her first heartbreak so i read this for my inner child 🥰

i’ve always been told one day
i’ll find myself,
but i know exactly who i am.
i’ve spent years not wanting to be her.

i’m afraid i will
never be loved as
much as i love.
i’m afraid of emptying
my soul into someone’s
hands and watching them
drop it.

💔

[mel ✧˚ · . · Rating 5 out of 5]

"i am the girl made of glass, the girl who spends her days imagining what it would be like to rearrange her pieces as if she were repairing a broken mirror"

[Shelby Leigh]

i am so excited to share my 3rd poetry collection with you. this book is about fears—the moments that haunt us. it's about insecurity—how we haunt ourselves. i hope you find love and strength within these poems. i hope you find love within yourself.

[Caitlin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 ⭐️ One of the most beautiful, deep, and meaningful poetry books I’ve ever read 🥲

[Beatrice · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am starting to love Shelby Leigh's poetry collection. Girl Made of Glass is all about vulnerability. You are allowed to feel every emotion and all of them are valid. It made me realize that you are enough and you deserve to be in a good place.

It is also about forgiveness -- of yourself and those who have hurt you. Learning to let go and moving on with your life. All of us deserve better and you will not go wrong for treating everything with kindness.

This poetry collection is my therapy and I highly recommend it.

[Cherlynn | cherreading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this because of the gorgeous cover and ended up connecting with it on such an intimate level. In this beautiful collection of poetry, Shelby Leigh lays bare themes such as heartbreak, trauma, self-doubt, self-love, healing and being human.

As a 'giver' myself just like the author, I resonated with this book deeply. Having had my fair share of past hurts, regrets and toxic relationships, the experiences and imagery described here are all too familiar and relatable. I also appreciate the self-love exercises that the author has included, which I feel will come in handy.

While unapologetically raw, Girl Made Of Glass also feels remarkably uplifting and very freeing. This is my first foray in Shelby Leigh's work and I can't wait to read both her past and future books!

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and Netgalley for an ARC of this book.

[Zimsbabyy ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

My second five star read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I bawled my eyes out finishing this. It was so comforting, healing, and incredibly relatable. Definitely something I’ll reread whenever I feel like I need it.

[Jessi ❤️ H. Vojsk [if villain, why hot?] · Rating 5 out of 5]

these walls are not a home,
just a shelter to keep me warm.

and his arms were not a home,
just parts of a boy
who fooled me into feeling safe.

this body is my home.
and i don't always know how to treat it that way,
but i'm trying.

I know this author/poet from another book of hers.
I really liked her way of writing and her poems overall.
So, I’m not surprised that I also loved this book.

[Mimi Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly beautiful

[Eram Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Please promise me you'll never let the sadness win."

I loved this collection of poetry. Girl Made of Glass is a beautifully written look into mental health when dealing with issues centering around anxiety, self-esteem, and self-image.
Despite touching on insecurities and feeling the need to “fix” yourself, Leigh does end the collection with learning how to accept your faults and show yourself the love you deserve.

"I don’t know who I am without these knots tightening inside me."

[amirahlynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

These poems kinda made me cringe. I get the message, but they just didn’t hit the mark for me. It felt like Pinterest poems.

[T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fair to middling collection. Overall, connected with very few poems included. And of the ones I did connect with, none really rocked me to my core.

[gladness · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

”i’m afraid i will never be loved as much as i love. i’m afraid of emptying my soul into someone’s hands and watching them drop it. i’m afraid i’ll never get it back. i’m afraid i’ll never be the same person i was before they emptied me.”

i devoured this book.

yeah, it's repetitive af, kinda cringey sometimes, and totally gives off 2014 tumblr poetry vibes, but i still loved every bit of it. this poetry collection felt like it spoke directly to my soul. as a young teen, this book is super important to me. you can never have too many ways to read about self-love and the journey to finding it.

this collection perfectly captures the feelings that come with mental health struggles like anxiety and depression. unfortunately (but also fortunately), these topics are a big part of my life as a teenager still figuring out the big “who am i?” question. this book made me think deeply about my existence and what it means to be. it took me back to some of my darkest moments and showed me how brave and strong i really am. it taught me to appreciate myself through simple, yet powerful, words and pages.

i'm just a girl, y'all.

[Taura Wildes · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The truth is, I don’t know who I am without these knots tightening inside me”

I loved this collection of poetry. It was so humane and we really need a lot more things like these poems in the world.

A few of the themes that are creatively explored in this collection are anxiety, insecurities and learning how to love yourself. It gave me the impression of an ordinary girls learning the ways of the world, the people in it and how to navigate her way through criticism and ideology's.

I love how Leigh portrays the way that fear and anxiety feel. As these are invisible ailments it can be hard for people to understand how they really feel but the imagery used perfectly represents how challenging these feelings can be in a way that’s so clear and understandable.

Despite touching on insecurities and feeling the need to “fix” yourself, Leigh does end the collection with learning how to accept your faults and show yourself the love you deserve.

It was such an inspiring journey and it reminded me of my own experiences from being an insecure teenager to learning how to look out for myself as an adult. I feel a lot of people would be able to relate to these poems as it speaks of such common inner-conflicts that we may be too afraid to share with others.

Thank you for the advanced copy

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you netgalley for this ARC.
First of all this cover is so cute i love the color of it with the picture. I dont read many poetry novels but sometimes they catch my eye like this one did. I loved so many of the poems in this book and usually im picky with poetry.. This was such a vulnerable piece of work and as someone who has anxiety alot of the poems really were accurate and i feel that this book has a poem for someone going through something or can relate to something they went through. Relationships, love, heartbreak, mental health, finding yourself etc this poetry novel had a poem for everything. Overall great read and i think poetry lovers will love this one.

[Krissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a quote before that said “the book chooses the reader.” Well excuse me, this book of poetry chose me, then attacked me from the inside out. (in a good way) I really can’t remember how long it’s been since I picked up a poetry collection. They always seemed like the same thing over and over. This one felt like I could’ve written it myself. The only thing I didn’t like so much was the all lower case writing style. I know it’s a personal preference for the author most likely, but it messes with my brain. The overall message was relatable and beautiful. Thank you for sharing your soul. 💖

[ـدَ · Rating 5 out of 5]

"أجمع كل نَدمي
وفرصي التي أفلتت،
أغرفها بكفّي وأواريها تحت أرضية الخشب.
أتحاشى السير فوق تلك البقعة في مطبخي
حيث ترتفع الألواح ويحاول الماضي أن ينبض من جديد.
أحيانًا، في خلوتي،
أتمنى لو يفرّ،
ليعود ويطاردني،
علّه يوقظ فيّ شيئًا… أي شيء.
لكن حتى يحين ذلك،
أتخطّى الألواح،
أتسلل حول صريرها،
وأجالس هذا الصمت،
متظاهرةً بأن الماضي
لن يمدّ ظلاله إلى مستقبلي"
"تنتهي الليالي غالبًا بسربٍ من الأفكار
يغشى عقلي،
عن الغد… وعن البارحة،
وعن أيامٍ تركتُها خلفي.
أخشى النوم،
لأني لا أريد أن أفقد هذه اللحظات
التي تمسّكتُ بها كالهياكل العظمية في الخزانة،
حتى تلك التي كسرتني.
لأني بدونها…
لا أعلم من أكون" عندما يكون الكتاب بسيطًا وسلسًا، لكنه يحمل عمقًا يمس أحزانك وأتراحك، فتطفو من جديد إلى السطح.

[KateJoanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first modern Poetry book I’ve read in a while that was actually enjoyable, sweet and meaningful. This isn’t the most complicated or structured poetry, but some of them are really nice.
The cover and most of the presentation is lovely, with themes of hope and overcoming fear and heartbreak.
Not the most amazing collection in terms of experience or skill but more of an effort made than a lot of modern ‘poetry’

[Seher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the chance to read and review this book.

I was pretty excited when I saw girl made of glass on netaglley! I love central avenue and so many of the books they publish, and the cover and title on this one are super cute. However, the book just wasn't it for me. After the first poem things just went down and I couldn't get into it. It feels like so many people are writing like this and nothing really stood out.

[emily! · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5! I wish I read this a few years ago but I am still appreciative of it now. Some of the poems I wasn’t a fan of but majority hit home for me. I thought it would be more about body image since the cover has a broken mirror on it but it’s more about general self worth. Lots of stuff about how overthinking can haunt you too. Still good, just not what I expected.

[Sol Calvo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hace mucho tiempo que no leo un poemario, lo que significa, que hace mucho menos que no me siento tan identificada con ciertas citas literarias.
Está recomendación llegó en el mejor momento. Logro que me sienta mejor sobre ciertas cosas y que reflexione sobre otras.
A todo aquel que no lee poemarios, le recomendaría que intentara, porque es una forma muy hermosa de pensar las situaciones y enfrentar los problemas de uno mismo.

[Noor · Rating 2 out of 5]

"ask me to stay and i'll stay. tell me to go and i'll go. love me and i will love you deeply. break me and i will pick up the pieces, but i will not stay.

i will put myself back together, but i will not stay."

[mathilde⸆⸉ ⋆ . ⭒౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

a hug in book form ❤️‍🩹

[Emily Watt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first 50% was wonderful and a 5 star. The Rest was… a 2???? I hate the preachy bullshit at the end I’m sorry. ( not at all )

[Doha · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5*

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

« my mind is not the smooth surface
of a carefully carved shell,
it is the rough edges of a cliff,
a step away from the fall. »

[Karla B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved it, can't wait to read another one of her books.

[⋆˚✿˖° · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹 just ❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹

[victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

some cringey but honestly needed to read this lowkey healed a part of me

[Puck · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 some nice sentences but not really for me I think. Didn’t leave me thinking about the poems..