Bargain Bin Rom-Com

by Leena Norms

Bargain Bin Rom-Com is the first collection of poems by Leena Norms. From the politics of ice-cream to the permission slip you didn't know you needed, this is a tongue-in-cheek look at living on a planet that is filled with both doom and glitter.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Romance

80 pages, Paperback

Published July 7, 2022

About the author

I no longer use Goodreads! Please come follow me on Storygraph, which is tons better and not owned by Amazon. https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile...

Reviews

[Lien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This line did it for me: ‘Ask me if at some point I’ll get a husband just because I’ve lost all my friends to theirs.’

[Claire Fuller]

Funny, smart, sad, and wise. And book-ended by the two most perfect poems (that's in no way to say the ones in the middle aren't brilliant too), but I love how I can hear Leena's voice in them both, saying it's ok, you don't need to read this, and then by the end, it's ok, you can go now. Actually I would have been happy to stay much longer.

[Mona · Rating 4 out of 5]

When in need, a little poetry to warm the heart.

[Cristina Leitón · Rating 5 out of 5]

El poema "New Mantras For Future Fridge Magnets" es PERFECTO. Adoro a Leena desde hace años y adoro su poesía. Recomendadísimo.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few poems here I really enjoyed, but overall didn't speak to me as much as I would have liked. It's a nice collection, just not entirely my style. "Meet Commute", "In the Event of Zombies", and "Some Days" were my favorite poems.

[Jordan B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I genuinely love Leena’s voice. I tore through these poems, frequently thinking “I can’t wait to read that one again” before I’d turn the page.

[Nadja]

DNF at page 30.

I'm a fan of Leena's content and love her personality but unfortunately her poetry wasn't for me.

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fully intended to space out my reading of these poems but instead devoured them in one sitting. My only regret is that I don't get to experience the excitement of reading one of these poems for the first time again. I found myself grinning, laughing out loud and nodding my head while reading. These poems are so infectiously funny, uplifting and smart, with an emphasis on smart because Leena is an absolute master at wordplay and infusing nostalgia and the feelings behind everyday experiences into artfully crafted refrains. I put down this book feeling inspired and excited to create and write, which is what I'm always hoping for after consuming poetry. Would highly recommend checking this collection out; I really regret missing the drop of Doom Rolled in Glitter having enjoyed these poems so immensely.

[Emilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

potentially the first poetry i have touched since my degree, leena is my comfort youtuber and this was equally cosy

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oddly enough, this was the perfect read for my hospital visit. It cheered me up at times but made me melancholy too. Since the new was good, I'll take it to other such events. It was a helpful talisman.

[Georgia Hodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really lovely collection of poems. I don’t really read a lot of poetry so it surprised me how much I enjoyed this. There were a few poems in here that I keep going back and rereading because I love them so much. My favourite poems were - In the Event of Zombies, Verificaton Application, Small Talk and As it Turns Out.

[Abbey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising absolutely no one, I loved this. I found Leena on YouTube early in the pandemic (specifically her rereading of The Hunger Games video!) and instantly became a huge fan. I love her humor, wit, intelligence, and confidence, and all of that resonates in this collection. I can’t wait to revisit this again and again.

Did y’all know she also drew the cover?! It’s so stunning!

[Cecily Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Leena’s YT channel, and I was so excited to get this as a gift! This is a very sweet collection of poetry, full of Leena’s wonderful sense of humor and hopeful perspective for a burning world. Some favorite poems: In the Event of Zombies, Meet Commute, Small Talk, As it Turns Out, Sundae, Lesser-Known Love Languages.

[Marina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leena's got such a way with words, she's funny, articulated and smart. she can make anything sound interesting (i love her channel). these poems are playful, creative, tongue-in-cheek. and that is kind of "the issue." i admire the artistry but i must admit that i'm more drawn to simple poetry that appeals to the emotions (not my fault, i'm a cancer baby) rather than the brain (lol)

[Julia]

I loved this collection! Not all of the poems spoke to me, but the ones that did, really hit home.

[Deea MC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every bit of Leena was put into this little book. I found her wit, her sarcasm, and her hope. I absolutely loved it.

[Suzy Beaverstock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerhouse of feminine energy and strength
Hard to put into words how funny, intelligent and relatable this collection is!

[Ames Laity · Rating 4 out of 5]

What delightfully unserious poems

[Jade Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the way her brain works.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

For some reason I was surprised at how good these poems were when I started reading them, and then when I thought for a moment I realised I shouldn’t have been surprised. Leena is an excellent writer with a gift for poetry and this book is a great anthology of modern poems expressing modern life

[Jess Penhallow]

I'm not really sure how to rate poetry but I love Leena and her voice comes through so strongly in her poems. My favourite was Rear-View Romance

[Ashton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely <3 day read, especially with a friend's hand-me-down notes and underlines she left for herself.

Small Talk, The Three Apparitions of Luxury & Make Art for Your Friends were my faves.

[Joanne Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, witty poems. Love Leena's creative take on day-to-day topics.

[Blanca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Leena Norms' 'Bargain Bin rom-com' poetry collection. Having stayed away from poetry for a while, I was worried that it would be too intellectual or obscure and that I wouldn't be able to get into its rhythm. However, I not only found Leena's poems relatable and easy to follow but snappy, witty and quite fun to read! The poems are littered with interesting metaphors and onomatopoeias. Despite their light-heartedness, her poems are very profound, and I discovered feelings I had harboured in the past that were perfectly put into words in poems such as 'Horned Somewhere' or 'Small Talk'. I recommend this to anyone wanting to read some light-hearted yet deeply touching and thought-provoking poetry.

[Marco]

I am now convinced that, when people say that they don't "understand poetry", they refer to an ideal of poetry that exists only in the mind; in old memories of ancient textbooks, or in the stereotype of the incomprehensible (but pretty sounding) verse.
To these people, I would fully recommend a book like Bargain Bin Rom-Com, because it is accessible and fun to read without ever losing its edge.
Although I've been following Leena Norms for years, I didn't know what the book was about; I expected a collection of fun poems about love, and what I got was a exciting collection of poems about love, the end of the world, capitalism, surviving the pandemic and more love.
It is a beautiful, touching collection that I would definitely recommend especially to those who are always on the fence when it comes to poetry.

Favourite poems: "Verification Application", "Test Me!", "Bargaining With The Photocopier", "Meet Commute", "The Reward For Excellence Can No Longer Be Money", "Small Talk", "Two-Point-Oh", "As It Turns Out", "Lesser-Known Love Languages", "When They Switch The Sky Back On", "Make Art For Your Friends", "Silent Night", "[the sound of ripping paper]". BASICALLY THE WHOLE COLLECTION, OKAY

[Fiona Murphy McCormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a long time follower of Leena's there is no mistaking that this is her poetry. Sticking with the apocalyptic dread which is in her first zine collection Doom Rolled in Glitter and most of her video essays, if you like her stuff, and if you feel the environmental and existential dread, read on!
Some poems felt a tad tedious or superfluous which is not great when you're under 100 pages. There were some excellent poems and I just think the potential was there for more. You shouldn't really be able to feel as if you are trying to dig for gold within 80 pages. Maybe my expectations were too lofty. Regardless I still enjoyed the book. Highlights were 'Unclean Magdalene', 'Two Point Oh', 'Off the Edge' and the two I'd already heard 'Meet Commute' and 'Small Talk'

[Allison]

I don't know how to review poetry. There were many lines that I underlined and thought "yes, that's a good one." In general, the vibes are "there are so many good things to love in this world, including other humans and myself, but it's all a bit weird and frustrating as well."
My favorites were "What a Wonderful Way to Go", "Small Talk" and I have very mixed feelings about "As it Turns Out"

[Clothilde · Rating 1 out of 5]

A few nice poems but it didn't really do it for me tbh

[Princess Jasmine Flies Away · Rating 2 out of 5]

Beautifully written in a style I don't get on with, with symbolism that remains blurry to me and unique subjects that you don't read much about.

[Luke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I spaced out this poetry collection a much as I could but I couldn't help finishing it too quickly ;) And yet, and yet... I loved it! For entirely different reasons than the other poetry book I finished yesterday by another writer which makes me realize how versatile and rich poetry can be. This on it's own is something to be grateful for after reading this collection, but there is more. For instance, the tone and writing style of the author. Leena Norms is the only online artist I have been following for years on end exactly because of this; to me she has a very sincere and psrticular style of writing, talking and making art that I recognize in her work. I love how authenthic she is in this way, which for me makes it hard to describe as well because, how can you describe a human being, right? But, if I focus on this poetry collection, elements of it that I also recognize in this collection are it's humble intelligence, humour, quirkiness, engagement and tollerance. I love how the poems have different shapes and topics, some more clearly topical others amore lyrical. Some of them spoke more to me than others, some of them were a bit too long for the moment I was reading them. So I am intending to go back and read the collection again, I marked which ones I enjoyed most, which ones made me think and which ones I need to read again. In short, this collection does not dissapoint and has something in it for everyone, I think. I can't wait what other work the author will put out in future times, but for now; let's (re)read Bargain Bin Rom-com!