Title: Swimming Lessons: Poems

Author: Lili Reinhart

Publication Date: May 5, 2020

Number of Pages: 240

Publisher: Martin’s Griffin

Genre: Poetry, Non-fiction, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

The debut collection of poetry from Lili Reinhart, the actress and outspoken advocate for mental health awareness and body positivity.

Swimming Lessons explores the euphoric beginnings of young love, battling anxiety and depression in the face of fame, and the inevitable heartbreak that stems from passion. Relatable yet deeply intimate, provocative yet comforting, bite-sized yet profound, Lili’s poems reflect her trademark honesty and unique perspective. Accompanied by striking and evocative illustrations, Swimming Lessons reveals the depths of female experience, and is the work of a storyteller who is coming into her own.

Personal Thoughts:

Rating:

“These days I startle so easily
from my sleep.

My body reacts violently
to waking up, as if it was never
intending to do so.

It’s like that falling nightmare

falling

falling

waking up with a sharp breath
before I hit the ground

and realize that I’m safe.

But maybe I’m only safe
In my dreams

and the real fall begins
when I wake.”

I have always admired and thought highly of Lili, aside from loving her character in Riverdale, she’s also one of the actresses that I look up to and feel proud of especially the way she openly talks about her depression. So I have been so pumped to hear that she’s publishing her collection of poems!

I fairly enjoyed this book as each poem is raw, relatable, and very real. It’s as if I’m reading her personal journal and most of the poems honestly spoke to me in so many ways, some of it even felt like it was me who wrote it.

The reason that I’m only giving it a 3 stars is because there were poems that kind of felt flat for me or are too short that it sometimes didn’t even feel like a poem for me. But there are so much room for improvement, especially since this is her first published collection. I’ll be looking forward to more of her works in the future because she honestly has a heart of a poet, she just has to nurture it.

“This is how I know
I love you so much.

Whenever I see something
beautiful, I want you to
see it, too.”