Poetry

You Better Be Lightning

You Better Be Lightning

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  • Create Date：2021-11-10 05:19:30
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Andrea Gibson
  • ISBN：1943735999
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Summary

You Better Be Lightning by Andrea Gibson is a queer， political， and feminist collection guided by self-reflection。 The poems range from close examination of the deeply personal to the vastness of the world， exploring the expansiveness of the human experience from love to illness， from space to climate change， and so much more in between。 One of the most celebrated poets and performers of the last two decades， Andrea Gibson's trademark honesty and vulnerability are on full display in You Better Be Lightning， welcoming and inviting readers to be just as they are。

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Reviews

Carlos Andrés Gómez ，

Andrea is a prolific and essential voice， and this collection is perhaps the defining book of their career。A must-read， must-have， must-sit down somewhere quietly and plan on not moving until you've finished reading the last page。 I remain awed by Andrea's vulnerability and virtuosity as a creator。 What a spectacular gift "You Better Be Lightning" is for us all。 Andrea is a prolific and essential voice， and this collection is perhaps the defining book of their career。A must-read， must-have， must-sit down somewhere quietly and plan on not moving until you've finished reading the last page。 I remain awed by Andrea's vulnerability and virtuosity as a creator。 What a spectacular gift "You Better Be Lightning" is for us all。 。。。more

Savannah ，

Beautiful， incredible， and captivating as always。

Caitlin ，

I think this is my favourite poetry book I've read！ I honestly wasn't expecting the writing style to be as good as it was！ I didn't love all the poems in here but the ones I loved hit me different！！！！Honestly， I can't tell you how good this poetry book was。 I can safely say that some of my favourite poems are in this book now！ Anyone looking for an amazing poetry read - I would 100% recommend this！ These poems also dealt with subjects you don't hear much about - especially in poetry， and I loved I think this is my favourite poetry book I've read！ I honestly wasn't expecting the writing style to be as good as it was！ I didn't love all the poems in here but the ones I loved hit me different！！！！Honestly， I can't tell you how good this poetry book was。 I can safely say that some of my favourite poems are in this book now！ Anyone looking for an amazing poetry read - I would 100% recommend this！ These poems also dealt with subjects you don't hear much about - especially in poetry， and I loved how it took simple ideas and normal things in our life and just wrote them down in a completely different way to what we would normally see them as 🥰I'll definitely be reading from this poet again 🥰 。。。more

Chriss ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Love the whole art

Yamini ，

Poetries are not for everyone & even in that small targeted audience， not all poetries click with every reader。& How beautifully have I chanced upon this one。Read this book & it was heart capturing。 Like this was meant to be read by me！！！My top fav。 ones: The year of no GrudgesFav。 lines: "So sometimes you look like a human scribble， like a 2-year-old has coloured you in， like you have too many feelings to stay inside the lines of your own skin。 But that my friend is a masterpiece"Recommend to r Poetries are not for everyone & even in that small targeted audience， not all poetries click with every reader。& How beautifully have I chanced upon this one。Read this book & it was heart capturing。 Like this was meant to be read by me！！！My top fav。 ones: The year of no GrudgesFav。 lines: "So sometimes you look like a human scribble， like a 2-year-old has coloured you in， like you have too many feelings to stay inside the lines of your own skin。 But that my friend is a masterpiece"Recommend to read for people who prefer rhyme over abstract poetry。Loved the variety this book had， no monotony at all！ 。。。more

Bannany ，

Andrea’s poetry is a kick to the stomach in every aspect。 It’s not hard to relate when it’s everything you’ve been searching for。 As a young queer， it felt like brand new oxygen。 It talked about things I didn’t expect it to。 The wording of the ideas was done so well。 I didn’t know words could sound so beautiful。 Entering the personal life of Andrea felt comfortable and familiar， it gave the poems a sense of uniqueness。 Even when the experience wasn’t enjoyable， it made you realize why Andrea wro Andrea’s poetry is a kick to the stomach in every aspect。 It’s not hard to relate when it’s everything you’ve been searching for。 As a young queer， it felt like brand new oxygen。 It talked about things I didn’t expect it to。 The wording of the ideas was done so well。 I didn’t know words could sound so beautiful。 Entering the personal life of Andrea felt comfortable and familiar， it gave the poems a sense of uniqueness。 Even when the experience wasn’t enjoyable， it made you realize why Andrea wrote this。 Each topic the book touched was necessary; grief， love， time， identity， et cetera。 It gave me another point of view for poetry， not just rhymes and love stories but a reality。 A harsh one for sure。If you’re looking for poetry， read Andrea’s。 Please consider a content warning before choosing this as your next read。 。。。more

Ash Hall ，

It was everything I’d hoped for and more。 I’ve been looking forward to this book for months and it filled my heart right up。 Every subject from queerness to survival to climate change to gratitude is treated with tenderness and love。 Andrea has offered us another bold look at ourselves that’s centered in acceptance and affection when we need it most。

Corrin ，

This may well be Gibson's best collection yet。While reading it， I laughed。 I cried。 I thought。 Most of all， I felt。Every word is a goosebump， every poem a door opening in the heart。 And that's everything poetry should be。 This may well be Gibson's best collection yet。While reading it， I laughed。 I cried。 I thought。 Most of all， I felt。Every word is a goosebump， every poem a door opening in the heart。 And that's everything poetry should be。 。。。more

Her Digital Coffee ，

You Better Be Lightning is a collection of personal and descriptive poems by Andrea Gibson。 Some topics of these poems include love， identity， climate change， the universe， and more。 Most pieces in this book are several pages long。 I’m used to shorter poems， but I really enjoyed this formatting。 I appreciated the depth， the imagery， the emotion， and the honesty in each poem。 You can tell Gibson pours their heart and soul into their work。 There are poems that you can directly relate to， and for t You Better Be Lightning is a collection of personal and descriptive poems by Andrea Gibson。 Some topics of these poems include love， identity， climate change， the universe， and more。 Most pieces in this book are several pages long。 I’m used to shorter poems， but I really enjoyed this formatting。 I appreciated the depth， the imagery， the emotion， and the honesty in each poem。 You can tell Gibson pours their heart and soul into their work。 There are poems that you can directly relate to， and for those that you can’t， it gives you insight into Gibson’s life and it definitely makes you feel things。 Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Sydney M ，

Andy never fails to inspire me with their work。 They have a way of writing that is unmatched - it is so honest and raw， and I feel lucky and honoured to be allowed to read Andy’s work。 It feels like they are letting us into the deepest， most private parts of their life

Seher ，

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC！I resisted requesting this book initially， I’ve been burned with too many mediocre poetry collections on NetGalley。 I didn’t realise that this would be such an amazing collection and that I’m a little obsessed with pieces such as Timepiece， The Year Of No Grudges， The Museum of Broken Relationships， and To Whom it definitely concerns！ I feel like a lot of poets can’t carry off longer poems， but Andrea Gibson has mastered those！ They Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read and review this ARC！I resisted requesting this book initially， I’ve been burned with too many mediocre poetry collections on NetGalley。 I didn’t realise that this would be such an amazing collection and that I’m a little obsessed with pieces such as Timepiece， The Year Of No Grudges， The Museum of Broken Relationships， and To Whom it definitely concerns！ I feel like a lot of poets can’t carry off longer poems， but Andrea Gibson has mastered those！ They also maintained a certain level throughout the collection and it felt intentional。 。。。more

Lindsay ，

Another heart wrenching， emotionally devastating， yet incredibly healing book by Andrea / andrew Gibson。Their writing never stops giving me a new perspective， somehow both leaving me upset and seen at the same time， and is something I’ll reread with out doubt。The last couple books by them had similar themes and topics of their poems， this book was a lot of new topics never covered in precious writing， or only briefly touched on。 It was a refreshing read。 More longer form poetry in this one， with Another heart wrenching， emotionally devastating， yet incredibly healing book by Andrea / andrew Gibson。Their writing never stops giving me a new perspective， somehow both leaving me upset and seen at the same time， and is something I’ll reread with out doubt。The last couple books by them had similar themes and topics of their poems， this book was a lot of new topics never covered in precious writing， or only briefly touched on。 It was a refreshing read。 More longer form poetry in this one， with some short poems mixed in。This work is very good and they continue to be my favourite poet for their writing style and topics。 。。。more

Tara ，

This was such a beautiful read。 I've never really read poetry （on purpose） before but this book caught my eye and I'm so glad I gave it a go。 This book made me realise I don't hate poetry; I've been reading the Wrong Poetry。Each page was so personal and full of emotion and personality， it felt like having a long oversharing type conversation with a friend。 The kind you have on the kitchen floor while you're a little tipsy but are always at the end of the best nights。 I really， truly enjoyed the This was such a beautiful read。 I've never really read poetry （on purpose） before but this book caught my eye and I'm so glad I gave it a go。 This book made me realise I don't hate poetry; I've been reading the Wrong Poetry。Each page was so personal and full of emotion and personality， it felt like having a long oversharing type conversation with a friend。 The kind you have on the kitchen floor while you're a little tipsy but are always at the end of the best nights。 I really， truly enjoyed the experience of reading it。 The absolute feeling of community in these pages was unlike anything I've experienced before in literature - the way it touched on so many relatable moments， validated them and framed them in such an impactful way。 I loved how some of the longer poems were punctuated by the next， short and only a few sentences pages。I need to find more from this author。Thank you Button Poetry and Netgalley for the ARC！ 。。。more

BMaier ，

Book Review， “You Better Be Lightning？” by Andrea GibsonCW: suicide， mental illness， homophobia， self-harm， sexual assault/CSA， chronic illness， domestic violence I think any person who cares about justice， and time， and love， and heartbreak， and chronic illness would love this book。 There's a lot of great pieces in it。 So many of the poems start as a story and end up bleeding out raw emotional wounds laced with so much hope。 The content in itself is good， and I enjoy the fact that it’s not the Book Review， “You Better Be Lightning？” by Andrea GibsonCW: suicide， mental illness， homophobia， self-harm， sexual assault/CSA， chronic illness， domestic violence I think any person who cares about justice， and time， and love， and heartbreak， and chronic illness would love this book。 There's a lot of great pieces in it。 So many of the poems start as a story and end up bleeding out raw emotional wounds laced with so much hope。 The content in itself is good， and I enjoy the fact that it’s not the same thing as every other poet repackaged in fancy words or just rearranged。 The meaning can sometimes get lost with how long each piece is， but the sentiment is there。 I prefer poetry where every word is carefully chosen。 （Most of） these poems are very different from that。 They are pages long。 They aren’t tightly focused on one central topic。 The book reminds me more of journal entries。 I would have enjoyed this collection more if it were spoken rather than me reading it because it seemed like one of those personal collections that only the author could genuinely express the emotion and intent behind it。 Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC。 。。。more

Meg ，

*ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an honest review*I read Andrea Gibson's 'Lord of the Butterflies' earlier on this year， and whilst I thought the writing was beautiful， I didn't feel they came across as strongly on paper as they did speaking。When I saw this new collection I had to give it a go， this time trying to hear Gibson's voice， and it was so worth it。Even though I am not usually a fan of longer， wordier poetry， this collection was beautiful。 My favourites *ARC provided by both NetGalley and The Publisher in exchange for an honest review*I read Andrea Gibson's 'Lord of the Butterflies' earlier on this year， and whilst I thought the writing was beautiful， I didn't feel they came across as strongly on paper as they did speaking。When I saw this new collection I had to give it a go， this time trying to hear Gibson's voice， and it was so worth it。Even though I am not usually a fan of longer， wordier poetry， this collection was beautiful。 My favourites include 'The Day Prince Died'， 'See This Through'， and 'Queer Youth are Five Times More Likely to Die by Suicide'。Gibson's writing is incredible， and 100% worth the read。 I look forward to reading their next collection。 。。。more

James ，

Andrea Gibson mines her own traumas and challenges as a queer woman in a heteronormative and misogynistic culture to find deep heartfelt beauty。 This new collection further solidifies her growing reputation as a poet and performer who brings authenticity and enlightenment to the world。 [I received an advanced e-galley of this book through Netgalley。 The book will be released November 9。]

Jess Witkins ，

Opening with two stunners "Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps" and "The Year of No Grudges， Or Instead of Writing a Furious Text， I Try a Poem，" Andrea Gibson's "You Better Be Lightning" is an exquisite collection of poetry on love， relationships， mental and physical health， and scenes from pandemic living。 Some of the poems capture pivotal moments in the country such as "The Day Prince Died" and "Neighbors" about 9/11。 Their work is full of creative views and eloquen Opening with two stunners "Acceptance Speech After Setting the World Record in Goosebumps" and "The Year of No Grudges， Or Instead of Writing a Furious Text， I Try a Poem，" Andrea Gibson's "You Better Be Lightning" is an exquisite collection of poetry on love， relationships， mental and physical health， and scenes from pandemic living。 Some of the poems capture pivotal moments in the country such as "The Day Prince Died" and "Neighbors" about 9/11。 Their work is full of creative views and eloquent turns of phrase， which we'd expect， but it's also so tender and comforting， even in the loud bits。 Gibson puts words to a collective of feelings。 Poems of particular note for me included "To Whom It Definitely Concerns，" which begins: please accept this letter of formal notification that I am resigning from the position of My Own Worst Enemy。 From "What Love is":Resting the flyer from the protest at my feet so I could announce it near the end， I told myself， 'If you're going to be anything in the world tonight， you better belightning。 You better find something in you honest enough to strike them。'For seventy-five minutes I spoke about nothing but love。 "Wellness Check": In any moment， on any given day， I can measuremy wellnessby this question: Is my attention on loving， or is my attention on who isn't loving me？ From "My Girlfriend's Karaoke Song": 。。。 so I'm not surprisedto find myself sitting aloneat the karaoke bar eating French frieswhile she practices her songin the restroom stall， the same songshe's been singing all weekin the shower， in the ice cream aisleat the grocery store， on our long drive homefrom puppy training class， or climbing the stairsto couples therapy where I tell our therapistthat I believe she starts arguments just so I'll storm out of the houseand leave her alone with the living roomacoustics。 From "What You Wish You'd Said to the High School Guidance Counselor": I don't aim to be a person of note。 I aim to be a person of whole journalsfilled with stories about hitchhiking the Atlantic coast。***Honestly， I'd include every poem for example， but that would spoil it for you， the reader。 You should probably just buy yourself a copy。 It's that good。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Tash Holmes ，

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I’m really glad that I read this collection because it felt really personal and I always love when I can get a true sense of a person through their poetry。 I enjoyed the topics discussed and found each poems flowed really well into the next。 I could also really tell that Andrea is a seasoned poet with lots of experience and this collection really stood out to me in a market oversaturated with nov Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 I’m really glad that I read this collection because it felt really personal and I always love when I can get a true sense of a person through their poetry。 I enjoyed the topics discussed and found each poems flowed really well into the next。 I could also really tell that Andrea is a seasoned poet with lots of experience and this collection really stood out to me in a market oversaturated with novice poets， so in that sense， this was a breath of fresh air。 Personally， I am more inclined towards shorter poems but that’s very much a me thing and despite that， I still enjoyed many of the poems in this collection。 The use of language felt professional and I could tell a lot of time went into perfecting the flow and feeling of each poem。 I suppose my biggest gripe is that I wish I could have listened to these poems rather than read them。 Andrea is also well versed （if you’ll pardon the pun） in spoken word and I felt like many of the poems in this collection would have been far more impactful and gripping spoken， and I did find my attention slipping every now and then。 While I probably wouldn’t read again mostly due to the length of the poems， I believe this is a beautiful poetry collection with a unique voice behind it that I think everyone could benefit from。 。。。more

Colleen Elizabeth ，

Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with an advanced copy of in exchange for an honest review。I’ve long been a fan of Andrea Gibson， I remember sitting in my child bedroom waiting for my mind boggling slow dial-up internet to load their videos on Youtube- even before I knew I was gay。 I remember the first time I listened to Gibson’s “Orlando” in 2016， not even aware that I was crying until my hands reached up and touched my face。This collection is precisely what one expects Thank you to NetGalley and Button Poetry for providing me with an advanced copy of in exchange for an honest review。I’ve long been a fan of Andrea Gibson， I remember sitting in my child bedroom waiting for my mind boggling slow dial-up internet to load their videos on Youtube- even before I knew I was gay。 I remember the first time I listened to Gibson’s “Orlando” in 2016， not even aware that I was crying until my hands reached up and touched my face。This collection is precisely what one expects from Gibson: heartfelt， raw， and profound。 Their voice is clear and distinct you can hear them speaking each line of each and every poem。 Gibson tackles climate change， mental illness， queerness， love， and everything in between honestly and lyrically。 Whether poetry is your thing， or it is not， give this a try。 At the very least， you can brag you’re reading poetry at your next office happy hour。 At the very most， Gibson will put words to the feelings and thoughts you can’t even describe yourself。 Tw: suicide， mental illness， homophobia， self-harm， sexual assault/CSA， chronic illness， domestic violence 。。。more

Bee ，

I'm not a huge reader of poetry， but this book gripped me。 It's a slow read that takes time to digest in between ， but I'm so very grateful for being able to read this ARC and the thoughts it provoked。 I WILL be ordering the book for our home library and I'm also thinking of gifting it to family and friends。 THANK YOU， THANK YOU THANK YOU to Button Poetry for making this available for preview and the author Andrea Gibson for sharing their heart & mind with us。 I'm not a huge reader of poetry， but this book gripped me。 It's a slow read that takes time to digest in between ， but I'm so very grateful for being able to read this ARC and the thoughts it provoked。 I WILL be ordering the book for our home library and I'm also thinking of gifting it to family and friends。 THANK YOU， THANK YOU THANK YOU to Button Poetry for making this available for preview and the author Andrea Gibson for sharing their heart & mind with us。 。。。more

Gabriel ，

ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review"You Better Be Lightning" is powerful， comforting， and intensely imaginative。 This collection of poems touches on themes of queer relationships， family， mental health， sexual assault， and healing。 While I was reading， I could feel Gibson's internal growth as each page turned。 There is a specific line from the poem "Time Piece" that says "Regret is a time machine to the past。" This really encompasses the entire collection as a tribute to finding our way thr ARC given by NetGalley for Honest Review"You Better Be Lightning" is powerful， comforting， and intensely imaginative。 This collection of poems touches on themes of queer relationships， family， mental health， sexual assault， and healing。 While I was reading， I could feel Gibson's internal growth as each page turned。 There is a specific line from the poem "Time Piece" that says "Regret is a time machine to the past。" This really encompasses the entire collection as a tribute to finding our way through the present。 Fans of Neil Hilborn or Elaine Kahn will enjoy the long form and metaphor rich style。My favorite poems are: "Every Time I Ever Said I Want To Die"， "The Night Shift"， and "Note To The Stranger Six Feet Away。" 。。。more

KC ，

I don't read a lot of poetry but this collection intrigued me and I was not disappointed。 It was absolutely gorgeous。 I haven't previously read any of Andrea Gibson's poems but will 100% have to check them out because this book hit me hard。 This collection of poems is beautifully written， lyrical， hard-hitting， and most of all emotional。 Every single poem （and letter） is dripping in emotion， it's visceral。 A lot of these poems cover difficult and traumatic topics but in the most empathetic and w I don't read a lot of poetry but this collection intrigued me and I was not disappointed。 It was absolutely gorgeous。 I haven't previously read any of Andrea Gibson's poems but will 100% have to check them out because this book hit me hard。 This collection of poems is beautifully written， lyrical， hard-hitting， and most of all emotional。 Every single poem （and letter） is dripping in emotion， it's visceral。 A lot of these poems cover difficult and traumatic topics but in the most empathetic and whimsical way。 A lot of the writing and subject matter is relatively simple but it just works。 It makes the pieces all the more impactful。 I didn't love all the poems， some of them I didn't connect with at all but the ones that I loved more than made up for the ones I didn't favor， some of them just weren't for me。 I absolutely adored this collection of poems。 It is very queer and very feminist， very loud and incredibly unapologetic and I loved it。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Emily ，

I was so excited to read this book and I was not disappointed。 This was a beautiful collection of poetry by Andrea。 The cover is amazing and caught my attention。 I enjoyed reading the poems。 Some of the poems were a bit long and went on for pages。 However， I kind of think it helped the book。 You can really tell that these poems are incredibly personal。 Some of the poems broke my heart while some left me thinking about what I read for a while。 If you decide to read this book， please note that the I was so excited to read this book and I was not disappointed。 This was a beautiful collection of poetry by Andrea。 The cover is amazing and caught my attention。 I enjoyed reading the poems。 Some of the poems were a bit long and went on for pages。 However， I kind of think it helped the book。 You can really tell that these poems are incredibly personal。 Some of the poems broke my heart while some left me thinking about what I read for a while。 If you decide to read this book， please note that there are some content that can be difficult to read such as sexual assault， self-harm， domestic violence， suicide， and homophobia。 *Thank you Netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more

Danica ，

I’m delighted to be discovering Andrea Gibson’s poetry for the first time （whilst simultaneously annoyed that I didn’t know about it sooner）。 Love， love， love— I’m in love！This collection is overwhelming， it’s gorgeous， it’s heartbreaking， it’s joyful， and， most of all， it’s human。 Oh， it reeks of humanity， of perfect imperfections， of lightness and darkness。 It’s rare for me to find a collection that hooks me in so thoroughly。 I felt so much excitement reading “。。。Goosebumps”。 I thought， oh wow I’m delighted to be discovering Andrea Gibson’s poetry for the first time （whilst simultaneously annoyed that I didn’t know about it sooner）。 Love， love， love— I’m in love！This collection is overwhelming， it’s gorgeous， it’s heartbreaking， it’s joyful， and， most of all， it’s human。 Oh， it reeks of humanity， of perfect imperfections， of lightness and darkness。 It’s rare for me to find a collection that hooks me in so thoroughly。 I felt so much excitement reading “。。。Goosebumps”。 I thought， oh wow， this is for me。 That sentiment remained throughout。 I’ve marked so many different sections to revisit。 Pages and pages of lines I thought were so gorgeous or so impactful， I couldn’t bear to think I wouldn’t look at them again。 I won’t quote any here， as I feel the pleasure of discovering them fresh is too precious to play with。 Finally， can I just say， queer representation and identity exploration means a hell of a lot to me。 It’s steeped so deeply in these pages， it’s like a （pleasant） slap to the face。 A love tap？ A big rainbow shooting directly into your eyeballs。 Lightning in your veins。 Again， I loved it。 There’s no doubt I’ll read it again。 。。。more

Carolyn ，

Wow！ Wow！ Wow！ Andrea Gibson is a brilliant poet because they are a human on fire with life and love and beauty。 There’s a poem in this collection titled “ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AFTER SETTING THE WORLD RECORD IN GOOSEBUMPS”。 In it they share how their heart has opened to the beauty and awe in everything making them the goosebump record holder。 And now they have made it their task to give it all to us。 Be prepared to be aflame with goosebumps。 Everyone who reads these poems will pass the record holder Wow！ Wow！ Wow！ Andrea Gibson is a brilliant poet because they are a human on fire with life and love and beauty。 There’s a poem in this collection titled “ACCEPTANCE SPEECH AFTER SETTING THE WORLD RECORD IN GOOSEBUMPS”。 In it they share how their heart has opened to the beauty and awe in everything making them the goosebump record holder。 And now they have made it their task to give it all to us。 Be prepared to be aflame with goosebumps。 Everyone who reads these poems will pass the record holder finish line by miles。 Thank you Andrea for your best collection of antidotes yet。 You and your poems are a blessing！ 。。。more

Bethwyn Badger ，

A friend of mine read an early copy of this one and their review just made me want to immediately get it， except it wasn't out yet。 So， my thanks go to Button Books and NetGalley early in this review because I am so so SO grateful to have been able to get my hands on an ecopy to read。This collection is an arrow straight to my heart - it hurt， and I saw myself in it， and I felt things that I hadn't experienced first-hand， and sometimes I just damn revelled in the writing。 Andrea is an incredibly A friend of mine read an early copy of this one and their review just made me want to immediately get it， except it wasn't out yet。 So， my thanks go to Button Books and NetGalley early in this review because I am so so SO grateful to have been able to get my hands on an ecopy to read。This collection is an arrow straight to my heart - it hurt， and I saw myself in it， and I felt things that I hadn't experienced first-hand， and sometimes I just damn revelled in the writing。 Andrea is an incredibly talented poet， and I found myself reading quite a few of the poems in this collection out loud to my wife， just so I could love them all over again （I may have to preorder a physical copy， too， so I can do this all the time）。 Favourites of mine included: Instead of Depression， My Gender is the Undoing of Gender， Love Letter to the Tick that Got Me Sick， and See This Through。 Though， honestly， this collection is just so fantastic that I don't know that I even need to mention specific poems。I find that I can't really describe how this collection made me feel - within the space of one poem， I could be in awe at their writing， close to （or actually in） tears， laughing， and then thinking about my past and my future。 I know I sound a little gushy， but I honestly loved this collection so much that I think I NEED to be a bit gushy - a few of these poems need to be dog-eared， and scribbled on， and then tucked close away in my heart so I can get them out and look at them sometimes， and just remember myself a bit more。{I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 All thoughts and feelings are my own。} 。。。more

Meghan ，

Andrea Gibson has been the greatest inspiration in my life。 Their poems are the fruit of the deepest work a human can do， the transformation of shadows and scars into gifts for all of us。 Not only are these poems brilliantly written， often hilarious， intimately honest， and deeply evocative of all the feelings being alive includes， they articulate the transcendence that is possible through the practice of being tenderly present and fiercely real。 Best of all， these poems have some kind of magical Andrea Gibson has been the greatest inspiration in my life。 Their poems are the fruit of the deepest work a human can do， the transformation of shadows and scars into gifts for all of us。 Not only are these poems brilliantly written， often hilarious， intimately honest， and deeply evocative of all the feelings being alive includes， they articulate the transcendence that is possible through the practice of being tenderly present and fiercely real。 Best of all， these poems have some kind of magical power。 After I read them， I know without a doubt: Whatever storms shake our little world， we're going to be all right。 We're not alone， and everything that hurts will heal。 。。。more

Serene ，

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review。 I will refuse to call it heavenif the people I love（who put me through hell）aren't there。 I can't tell you honestly what made me decide to pick up this book。 I don't know of the author or even really read poetry。 But I am really glad I did。Bitterness is the easiest way to leave this world having had onlya near-life experience。 There is profound beautiful elegant truth in Gibson's words。 There Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review。 I will refuse to call it heavenif the people I love（who put me through hell）aren't there。 I can't tell you honestly what made me decide to pick up this book。 I don't know of the author or even really read poetry。 But I am really glad I did。Bitterness is the easiest way to leave this world having had onlya near-life experience。 There is profound beautiful elegant truth in Gibson's words。 There are words and lines and full poems that just spoke to my osul。 To the parts of me that have felt grief and loss and love。 I practically highlighted half of the book in an effort to remind myself of the parts of the book that spoke the most to me。 Gibson's poetry was powerful。 It punched me in the gut with its truth。 Especially "Queer Youth are Five Times More Likely to Die By Suicide"。 It hurt。 And yet， it stayed with me， long after I turned the page。 I found myself looking out the window， pondering， feeling。。。just absorbing after every poem。 I didn't want to digest it too quickly， and forget something， gloss over something she wrote。 I wanted to feel it all。 I wanted to understand it all。 I wanted to just exist in this book， at that time， in that moment foreverINSTEAD OF DEPRESSIONtry calling it hibernation。Imagine the darkness is a cavein which you will be nurturedby doing absolutely nothing。 I identify with Gibson as a person， an an inhabitant of this blue marble， as a girl in search of love。 There is distance between Gibson and I， in age and in time and in experiences， but her words fill every gap between us。 See full review here。 。。。more

Demi ，

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this collection in exchange for an honest review。Wow。 I cried at the very first poem—very unexpected emotional response to… relatively simple things？—and after that I was just gone。 I’m still a little in shock to be honest， at how they’ve managed to illicit such an emotional response out of me multiple times throughout this collection—tears and laughter。 More often than not in the same bloody poem。Queer and political and feminist， Profound as fuck， and beauti Thank you to NetGalley for providing this collection in exchange for an honest review。Wow。 I cried at the very first poem—very unexpected emotional response to… relatively simple things？—and after that I was just gone。 I’m still a little in shock to be honest， at how they’ve managed to illicit such an emotional response out of me multiple times throughout this collection—tears and laughter。 More often than not in the same bloody poem。Queer and political and feminist， Profound as fuck， and beautiful and visceral and real in a way that hurts but also heals。 I’m definitely going to search out their spoken word albums。Would recommend this collection wholeheartedly—a champion of the unkillable YES 。。。more

tee ，

magical？！ blindingly profound “queer， political， and feminist” poetry i am so happy i decided to read even though the cover put me off because i loved loved this！ i am certain that this could even be life-saving for someone out there and i hope so much that they come across this。 almost feel bad for rating this （but i will for my personal record） because of just how sincere this book is， and how wonderful that i want to re-read this already。 even if it got too cheesy （eeeek） for me sometimes， it magical？！ blindingly profound “queer， political， and feminist” poetry i am so happy i decided to read even though the cover put me off because i loved loved this！ i am certain that this could even be life-saving for someone out there and i hope so much that they come across this。 almost feel bad for rating this （but i will for my personal record） because of just how sincere this book is， and how wonderful that i want to re-read this already。 even if it got too cheesy （eeeek） for me sometimes， it retained its authenticity which is what matters。 subscribed to their newsletter， followed them on instagram and cannot wait to read more of their work！ i love to love。“i know there is medicine in knowing / how much we don’t know。 i know / there are answers in being awestruck。” 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=You Better Be Lightning

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=You Better Be Lightning&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,You Better Be Lightning&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0