Read for Popsugar's 2018 Reading Challenge #35: A past Goodreads Choice winner

Just as beautifully written as her first book. It's brutally honest yet really empowering as a woman. Each word felt like it was picked on purpose and strategically placed in each spot. You can tell a lot of work went into this collection and I'm really impressed with how it turned out. I loved how the collection was sectioned off and how it got stronger and more powerful by the end. ( )

I can see the appeal, but I guess that I'm not the _target audience. The messages are too specific and direct to be universal, imo. And I don't like the art, too childish despite the graphic nudity.

October 2022

I'm not going to read any books by Rupi Kaur in the future. I didn't enjoy her previous book and I found this one even weaker. Definitely not for me. ( )

no he leído un libro peor en mi vida
de verdad ( )

One of the great things about reading is that it opens doors to other cultures and ways of life. This by Rupi Kaur is one of these books in it she deals with grief, love and empowering herself. A unique writing style that took a little getting use to but a good book. ( )

A beautiful collection of relatable and empowering poetry. I can't wait to read more of her work!! ( )

Outstanding poetry. ( )

   DNFd @ 34% and I really should have much earlier. 

Euck, vom, wow I hated this. It felt like reading the diary of an angsty 14 year old with doodles to match. I'll pass, thank you, I have my own old diary that I can go read if that's what I'm looking for.

Since this is poetry and the topics are so clearly personal, it feels really hard to review it fully without just feeling cruel to the author. Suffice it to say that it's nothing new, nothing original, and a bit tedious in it's sensation of "I am the only one / first one who has ever felt this way" vibes. Rolled my eyes a lot for a few different reasons. I'm pretty sure I DNFd one of her other sets in the distant past and clearly put it out of my head. Won't be returning again, for sure. 
A friend described this as "appealing to insta-poetry" and damn if that doesn't feel completely accurate. Pithy, short things that are supposed to seem profound. Generally, are not.

This book feels like the kind of poetry that is meant for people who have been through the experiences described and need to work their way toward healing. Since I have fortunately not been through the worst of the experiences Kaur writes about, most of these poems don't feel like they are for me. There are a few images that resonate with me, but not many. I think the people who had similar experiences and need healing will enjoy this more. ( )

Can't finish. meh. ( )

“it is a trillion-dollar industry that would collapse / if we believed we were beautiful enough already / their concept of beauty / is manufactured / i am not” -human

“i am of the earth
and to the earth i shall return once more
life and death are old friends
and i am the conversation between them
i am their late-night chatter
their laughter and tears
what is there to be afraid of
if i am the gift they give to each other
this place never belonged to me anyway
i have always been theirs”

( )

I approach every poet new to me with the expectation I will find something new, enlightening, expanding or enjoyable in their work. I think poetry has every right to be individual, so it doesn't need to appeal to everyone, or even a lot of people.

But all the same, poetry needs to work as poetry. For me, poems need to be their own tiny worlds that demand to exist and insist on being read . And quite consistently I found the poems in this collection fail to convince me of that. Kaur engages in provocative topics a plenty, from interpersonal abuse to immigrant identities, but that isn't enough to give a poem the artfulness it needs, nor is a relatively good, catching line or phrase here and there enough to make a poem possess its own life.

To often in this collection, the poems themselves simply lay flat on the page with their form on the page a bit ugly to go with their lack of life. They too often read clumsily and without much energy or desire to be more than to convey the dictionary definitions of the words in them. The emotions and moods expressed feel dull, perfunctory and lacking depth. I cannot find any of the wonder in them that makes me love poetry so much and reading this collection made me feel sad, not in the way of being moved by her poems, but in the way one does when you gave someone a chance and they didn't even try. ( )

A lot sadder than the previous book, a lot morel intimate and equally beautiful ( )

Just like with [b:Milk and Honey|23513349|Milk and Honey|Rupi Kaur|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1491595510s/23513349.jpg|43116473], some poems here were breathtaking, moving, and culturally relevant; but others were cliche-riddled disappointments. I think my rating came down to how many of the poems lacked punctuation. That's a major pet peeve of mine. Still, if that doesn't irk you to distraction, this is worth a read. ( )

I read Milk and Honey. I disliked it. So I gave Kaur’s work one more chance with The Sun And Her Flowers, mostly because I already owned the book and didn’t want it to go unread. I disliked this one even more.

I am not an expert of poetry, but I could not find any flow in the words. The purpose for most of these poems falls short, and sometimes I even felt like the poems were actually doing the opposite of bringing proper awareness to certain topics and/or voices. When I read the poems about toxic love and being hurt by past lovers, I felt like the words were instead glorifying toxicity somehow, when I was sure Kaur was attempting the opposite. To tie everything in, a lot of her poems read like something out of a teenage girl’s secret diary - and not in a good way.

I’m sure this book brings positivity and inspiration to many, but it just was not for me. As a friend suggested, I may just repurpose this book into an art journal. ( )

Oh, no, definitely not intended for me. ( )

I felt instantly connected with these poems, much as I was with "Milk & Honey". I found myself sending pictures of the poems to my mother. Knowing, just knowing she would feel what I was feeling. So many beautiful little gatherings of words.


Oh, the range of emotion in this collection. I felt instantly connected with these poems, much as I was with "Milk & Honey". I found myself sending pictures of poems as I read them to my mother. Knowing, just knowing she would feel what I was feeling. So many beautiful little gatherings of words. ( )

Is easy then difficult to read. Make sure you read up about it before diving in. Beautiful written, trigger warning, re sexual assaults. ( )

I started reading and the next thing I knew I was at the end. I don’t read. I don’t even sit still watching a tv show. She really knows how to keep you locked in and keep you going. ( )

I feel that this author is overhyped and having lived through some of these experiences the poetry doesn't seem to speak to my pain. ( )

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

So I am not much one for poetry, but after the second book by Rupi Kaur, I'm really coming to like them. I haven't experienced heartbreak over the loss of love in years, so most of this I know but don't feel. However, the strong poems about being a woman and about current love all speak strongly to me. I ended this book feeling uplifted. If or when I ever feel like trying some more poetry, Rupi Kaur's books will be my first stop. ( )

I didn't feel challenged by this collection. ( )

Fantastic!!! ( )

DNF.

Didn't bother to get too far into this one so I won't leave a rating. I wanted to give Rupi Kaur a second chance after the awful time I had reading Milk and Honey. It seemed strange for me to hate something so much when it had been received by the public with quite a bit of praise. Unfortunately, I caught on pretty quickly that this collection would be very similar.

A few of the poems had a slight impact on me- not because I found them to be successful poetry, but because the ideas shared made me think. However, most of the collection is still what I would consider tumblr quotes and scribbled drawings.

If you enjoy her work, great, but I think I've confirmed for now that Kaur just doesn't suit my taste.

DNF.

Didn't bother to get too far into this one so I won't leave a rating. I wanted to give Rupi Kaur a second chance after the awful time I had reading Milk and Honey. It seemed strange for me to hate something so much when it had been received by the public with quite a bit of praise. Unfortunately, I caught on pretty quickly that this collection would be very similar.

A few of the poems had a slight impact on me- not because I found them to be successful poetry, but because the ideas shared made me think. However, most of the collection is still what I would consider tumblr quotes and scribbled drawings.

If you enjoy her work, great, but I think I've confirmed for now that Kaur just doesn't suit my taste.