Wow, what an amazing collection of poetry! The author takes us on a journey of self love (and -loathing), of self discovery and of healing. She paints beautifully with her words, and the poems are thought provocing, sad and hopeful.

I'm recommending Starlight She Becomes with my whole chest.

This is a totally different style of book than I’m used to reading, but the synopsis sounded good so I wanted to support the author.
This is a deeply personal book for Lee, and read more like a series of diary entries to me rather than actual poems. Albeit it’s very poetic with beautiful word choices. As it read more like diary entries, it can seem a little flawed as diary entries are, and also very emotional. Another persons review says that they felt it was too depressing and seemed like at the end where it should be full of self love it read as barely self acceptance. I agree it doesn’t read as self love at the end, but I believe Lee has only really started coming in to herself as a woman, and is really only at the self acceptance stage, she’s been sober only a year by the end of this book, which means there is still scope for self acceptance to become self love. And I hope she finds that.

I am speechless. I tried so hard to read the poems slowly so I could savour each one, but the writing style and the way the poems hit were too appealing for me not to read a bunch in one go. Parker Lee has stolen my heart. I feel like her eyes have seen the depths of my soul, and the poems she's written in this collect has helped fill crevices I didn't know where still there. I made a major life decision after reading this collection, and I think I got the confidence because I was so inspired by the journey Lee has painstakingly shared with us.

The writing style itself is beautiful, and I kept stopping and spending moments to think about how each line was relevant to my own life. I think that's the most powerful thing a poet can do: to make us think about ourselves through their own experiences; through their carefully crafted words.

I will be buying myself and my friends copies of this collection. I wish I had more to say, but I genuinely think that I would do it a disservice with how inarticulate I am. 100% recommend to everyone. It might change your life too.

Arc review.

I think this was beautifully written!
The poems were about being transgender, the pandemic, learning about yourself.
I loved how the poems were being categorized.
I think there are a lot of poems people can relate to.
The style is easy to read.

4.5/5

Thank you so much to everyone involved.

a very emotional and picturesque view into the life of a trans woman discovering who she is and how to exist in the world today. even though im not trans i found a lot to relate to in this collection of poems, and i could feel the power of feeling in every word. i really think this is a very personal series of poetry, and i feel honoured to have read it.

I think this is a very gorgeous book of poems about not just the trans experience, and figuring out things that keep you alive, but also capturing a moment of history in the pandemic (while not being an overwhelming pandemic book) through connection, lack of connection, and the toll it had on everyone to be left to deal with only themselves.

A touching and heartfelt poetry collection.
This was my first poetry collection of Parker Lee's and it was beautiful! This collection really gave a deep insight into Parker, and the journeys of trans people. I loved the separation into different subsections, and the way these all offered different emotions yet still felt like a cohesive work made the pieces all that more personal as a reader.

A beautiful book of poetry, sometimes brutal, emotional, and poignant. It's about becoming, living, and thriving as your authentic self. Parker Lee is an amazing person and poet to just bleed all over the page like this and allow us to peer into her soul.

"...there is at least one person out there who needs my version of it, even if that person is just myself," Writer's Block.

Parker Lee's words are so fantastic. I'm in awe of her. Such beautiful words Parker Lee spins. I am in awe of her power. In the words of Margaret Atwood, "Don't let the bastards grind you down". Be you, Parker Lee.

thank you to netgalley, central avenue publishing and the author for providing me access to this e-arc! all opinions are my own.

the starlight she becomes is an intimate poetry collection, exploring (self-) love, belonging, gender, dysphoria, queerness, addiction, isolation, and so much more. in my opinion, reading this collection in one sitting is absolutely the way to go - the raw emotions and vulnerability that shine through every poem feel special, and as a queer person i could relate to a lot of it.

i have lots of favourites in this collection, but i especially appreciate "pocket-sized rebellion", "see me", "like mother" and "a letter to my past selves" as well as "a letter to my future self".

overall, stunning collection!

through reading this, I kept thinking the writing was like a softer Amanda Lovelace and to find out this is her wife made so much sense and made me smile so big because that is such a loving marriage, good for them. This is definitely a poetry book needed, especially in current times, and it was lovely seeing the slow explosion into the person Parker was always meant to be and how they embrace it now

Verses, stanzas, things with feelings, things which ring emotionally a bell in me and others I still found beautiful because they convey the story of someone who feels a lot.
It's beautiful.

Very interesting reflection of being at odds with yourself, written by a trans woman, which really gives you an insight into her journey. I really loved how it's separated into moonrise, sunrise, and stardust to represent the different stages of her life.

I related to moonrise, but stardust is full of hope and I really appreciate ending on that note.

"There is an emptiness inside I cannot explain - a longing for something I cannot give a name"

Parker's words are so impactful and poignant, even in the slightly less weighty pieces. The words are picked and placed perfectly to have the desired emotional effect on the reader, even when discussing choosing a character in Pokémon. Of course the depth of that decision ran so much deeper than just what pixels on a screen represented her over time. I loved how she took us through a journey from being closeted and dysphoric to openly trans and euphoric and loved, with a section dedicated to self discovery in the middle. Prose is woven throughout the book between pieces of poetry as well. As a non-binary human myself who has been through similar struggles and moments, I found her stories haunting, comforting, and familiar all at once. Also, bonus points for the breakdown of some of the poems titles at the end of the book. If you're a lover of (mostly) modern free-form poetry, I'd absolutely give "The Starlight She Becomes" a read. I'll leave you with my favorite stanza from the entire book.

"and even when my sunset comes and i drift to sleep
for the very last time, there will be no casket to close,
no grave to bury me in, because who i am cannot be
contained by anything less than the universe herself."

4.75 stars

Thank you to Central Avenue Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this poetry collection!

This is a beautifully written collection of poems from a trans woman who is still early in her transition. It talks about her life pre-transition, and how she struggled deeply with body image and alcoholism before realizing these issues stemmed from her gender identity. It also discusses the struggles and self doubts that come with transitioning, both the internal and external ones.

I really loved the poems that focused on the signs of transness that exist before you discover your true identity- because the signs are always there, and feel glaringly obvious in retrospect. I also love the connections with music made throughout the collection, as it helps ground it in the reality we all live in. My only issue was that some portions were more explicit then poetic in terms of their messaging. But, this is a super minor problem, and I highly recommend giving this poetry collection a read.

The best way, I can describe this poetry collection, is emotional. Not only from the way the poems talk about emotions, but also in the way it made me feel.
I cried multiple times throughout the book, sometimes from happiness or because the poems were just that beautiful, but just as often because it made me ache. For the author, for myself, for all of us trans and queer people, for the whole world.
There are many lines and entire poems that I would love to quote, but one that really stuck with me was this part from “hrt is alchemy”:
“i am the poem.
i am the masterpiece.
i am my greatest work.”
So, I highly recommend this poetry collection and am looking forward to reading more from the author.

A deeply personal and emotional collection of poems and prose, showcasing the author's deepest emotions, whether they're brighter or darker ones, just like life.

A powerful queer book with strong and inspiring message. Definitely worth reading.

"You are so much more than they could ever comprehend."

Absolutely beautiful poetry collection. Heartfelt, raw, inspiring. It was so hard incredibly lovely.

5/5⭐️

I’m a huge Amanda Lovelace fan so when I saw her wife was publishing a queer/trans centered poetry collection, I knew I had to read it! And I’m so glad I did! Queer to its core, this poetry collection is both tragic and hopeful at the same time, with the author agonizing over her darker past while looking forward to a brighter future. While not the most complicated or wordy poems, they were lovely and the messages were deep and meaningful. Looking forward to Parker’s next work!

Starlight She Becomes is a poetry collection detailing the author's journey through discovering herself and realizing her transness. This resonated deeply with me as someone trying to figure out my own identity. The emotions are raw and I could feel them through every line. 4.5/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

Really heartfelt, insightful and inspiring. Made me feel all kinds of things.

My favourite poems were: “hate”, “do as i say not as i do”, “i dream about a version of me that still has friends”, “dysphoria iii”, “always becoming, never being”, “Lake Michigan”, “see me”, “conservative <s>views</s> hypocrisy”, “eradicate”, “pride 2023”, “regular”, “don’t wanna live, don’t wanna die” and “a letter to my past selves”