the lavender haze: sapphic poetry on love

by June Bates

Following up her bestselling collection She Is The Poem, June Bates is back with her second book. The Lavender Haze is a collection of poetry on sapphic love.

Genres: Poetry, Lesbian, Queer, LGBT, Nonfiction, Gay, Romance

119 pages, Paperback

Published October 18, 2022

Reviews

[not my high · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHO ARE WE? lesbians
WHAT DO WE NEED? gay poems
(I'm gonna write some)

[Charlotte Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After much debate I have decided Taylor didn’t write this but I loved all the references to her work. Really beautiful poems from a fellow swiftie, perfect if you just wanna stay, in that lavender haze 💜

[Kayleigh Cowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

my beautiful girlfriend annotated this for me and wow im in love!!!

[Danielle]

iykyk

[mary (betty’s version)]

honestly let me be so real rn
the only reason why i NEED to read this is bc it's the title of a taylor song😭
but it's okay
bc taylor swift >>>>>>>>>>>> you <3

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

forevermore
until there's nothing left
until the stars have breathed their last breaths
until the universe weeps
and sweeps us all under the rug
like cosmic dust-

there will be an
us

[H.L.H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inoffensive, generic, and reads like AI-generated tweets from an angsty 17-year-old. Many of the poems are just a sentence with line breaks-- no layers, no room for interpretation, no playing with language at all. Lots of white space in these 113 pages.

Yes, confessional poetry like this is popular. I pine as much as the next gal. I know this will resonate with someone, but for me, the content is too surface level and the voice too bland to generate anything beyond a "yeah, and?"

Advice to makers of any kind: Something isn't interesting just because it happened to you. Everyone has pain. These experiences are only a jumping-off point. You need to do something with it, transform it in some way, for anyone to care. If you're making something that's cathartic and just for you, great. There's so much healing in that. But if you are asking people to pay for it, then the sincerity of your intent or the impact of your experiences on you won't matter if the work doesn't stand on its own.

Here is an exerpt from "Heaven Be a Xanax" by Morgan Parker, as a good example:

"When I get to heaven I'm going
to wear my good bra
so no one can stay mad at me
I won't have any feelings to hurt just
cheeseburgers on cheeseburgers on
deep colored slumber
Just men offering their golden bodies
And I will take the offering on my tongue
And it will not be a vault
And someone will not invade me
And I will kneel to pray
And I will address the prayer to myself
And I will be allowed"



FWIW I don't think June Bates is Taylor Swift.

[chloe nevaeh · Rating 1 out of 5]

I saw all of the Taylor Swift comparisons, but the book itself didn't stand out to me, so I wasn't going to read it... until I stumbled across it in a liquidation store and took it as a sign. I picked it up for a few dollars, and found I was right about it not standing out.

There's no sustenance, no life. These are just my gay ass thoughts on a random Tuesday afternoon, or notes I'd leave on the kitchen counter for a partner.

Not to say there's anything wrong with enjoying the book; there is something affirming about the simplicity of it. The only thing about simplicity is that it doesn't provoke much thought, and I need nuance.

Plus, there's so much blank space on these pages, I'll probably use it as a journal.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

if i were to rate this looking at it the way i usually look at poetry, this would be a 2⭐️ read. some of the writing is trite in a way i associate with a very young author, but even then, the sentiment behind it comes through clearly. some read as poems, some read as tweets. HOWEVER. the genius of this collection is in the way the poems flow from one to the next. it actually feels more like an epic, a story told in vignettes of poetry rather than prose.

[Jessica Lowes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Again, only got this to see if I thought it was TS. It most definitely isn’t. I also just think this type of poetry isn’t for me? I understand it’s appeal for some but it falls insanely flat for me. There was two poems I liked so x

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I’ve never read poetry before but always wanted. This book was recommended to me by the amazing Nadine O’Keeffe (Author and friend). Was such a good choice to start with. I loved them all! Beautiful poems about sapphic love. Definitely recommend giving it a go! I’ve just purchased another of June Bates poetry books 😍

[Woman_with_a_book · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5/5 Sterne

[Karolina | midnights.reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

very relatable, sadly

[Wika:) · Rating 4 out of 5]

“some nights
i want to open the window and scream,
do you still think about me like i still think about you?”

[Kyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

it’s insane how good this is. 5⭐️ isn’t enough

And of course this is a gift for the most amazing beautiful girl in the world. Karina I love you so much.

[leo ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

don't wanna talk abt it :'l

[Aliza L · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Stop trying so hard to define what you are feeling.

Just feel it”

From she is the poem by June Bates

There was much speculation these may have been penned by Miss TSwift. After reading through both I would disagree, but still would highly recommend these.

These two short collections of poetry by June Bates reignited a love for poetry I had forgotten about from my teens. When I would consume Dickinson, Poe and Angelou while penning my own that I still have never shared with anyone.

I don’t know why I ever stopped reading or writing poetry, but have decided this is the year I will be bringing both back into my life.

My rating for these both is 4 out of 5 stars.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

fucking beautiful

[rosegardenmadisonsquare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad to say my expectations were far too high. I really, truly wanted to love this seeing as I am a gay Taylor Swift fan, but I am also an English Literature major who takes poetry very seriously. This is written entirely in edgy Tumblr posts and that is not my cup of tea at ALL when it comes to published poetry collections. Luckily, it is only about 100 pages and I was able to finish in like half an hour. I would give it 1 star, but it’s sapphic and i gotta show my support.

[Alice’s Bookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a superior book written by and for swifties 🙌🏼😭

[schike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m convinced that a Swiftie wrote this.
Obviously it was great.

OCTOBER 2023:
Reread this at 3am. Don’t recommend because now I’m crying.

4/5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ariella Louna · Rating 3 out of 5]

a sweet, quick collection of sapphic poems. not very complex poems, but do they all have to be? still enjoyable and stirred up feeling

[Alex Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the debate about whether Taylor Swift wrote this or not, but why isnt anyone considering that maybe it was HRH Prince Henry?? 😂 A lot of the poems in this book felt very Red, White, & Royal blue coded. Some of these poems had my jaw on the floor, and I loved how some were written almost like a scene from a book.

[Mel Newmark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read a solely sapphic poetry book because I find them difficult to find but this one was everything I needed it to be while sitting on the beach watching the sunset. So many of them were like damn FELT.

[Natalie Consolvo · Rating 3 out of 5]

i actually really needed this

[Gabi Boyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t think Taylor wrote this and I don’t think it’s for me! However I really loved all the references to Miss Swift <3

[kimi :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

screaming, crying, obsessed

[lana · · Rating 4 out of 5]

you're responsible for miracles
but you've never been an angel.

heaven couldn't choke you down
and hell couldn't contain you.

⭐️ 4,5

[tehetheatehe · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I grew up with stars in my eyes and books in my hands. I spent my entire childhood making sure I was living in the real world as little as possible”

[Mirte · Rating 5 out of 5]

My cutest girlfriend annotated this one for me, so absolutely loved every second of it <3