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Falling Toward the Moon
From the authors of The New York Times bestseller Empty Bottles Full of Stories comes a brand-new collection of compelling poetry and prose.
The heart will ache, the soul will feel weary, and the mind will be weighed down by the things you wish to forget. There will be nights when all you have is yourself and the moon. There will be nights when silence will exist in abundance. And even though you may feel lonely at first. You must understand that the solitude is a gift; you must understand that even when alone, you are more than enough.
The heart will ache, the soul will feel weary, and the mind will be weighed down by the things you wish to forget. There will be nights when all you have is yourself and the moon. There will be nights when silence will exist in abundance. And even though you may feel lonely at first. You must understand that the solitude is a gift; you must understand that even when alone, you are more than enough.
240 pages, Paperback
First published October 22, 2019
314 people are currently reading
6451 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
December 14, 2019
I'm not sure if I just no longer need his writing anymore or I'm over it but he just seems so over dramatic and keeps repeating the same things in different ways. The best part of this book was the last story about Samantha's dad. I wish he'd tell more stories about life other than heartache. There are a lot of life altering issues in the world...move on.
September 27, 2021
I liked some of the poems from Drake, but I was ultimately bored by this collection. I continued out of obligation, but I almost quit during Sin’s poetry... most of the poems struck me as a jumble of Pinterest quotes I used to save to my phone when I was in high school. There was a lot of repetition that was not being used as an effective literary device, but rather seemed like the poet had nothing better to write about. In fact, there were multiple occasions I thought I was reading the same poem because there was so much similar phrasing and imagery. Maybe this book would’ve struck me as a teenager, but sadly, it was mostly disappointment this go around. I’ll keep it to revisit at another time. It got 2 stars for the handful of Drake’s poems that made me feel something.
December 3, 2019
Thoroughly underwhelming and unimpressive. I like to think I have a varied enough palette when it comes to prose but when two separate authors write ceaselessly on basically the same topic (it’s nighttime and I’m sad/a lady is sad) you can only spin it so many ways.
Even then, there doesn’t seem to be much of an attempt on either author’s end to add nuance in any way and you end up reading the same damn poem ad nauseam. 2 stars because they had a pleasant turn of phrase occasionally.
Even then, there doesn’t seem to be much of an attempt on either author’s end to add nuance in any way and you end up reading the same damn poem ad nauseam. 2 stars because they had a pleasant turn of phrase occasionally.
July 9, 2020
Literally one of the worst book of poems I’ve ever read. There are a couple lines that are really great but so much of it is like hipster incel bullshit where he’s either telling someone he could love them better than the guys she chose or he’s talking to us the reader like were some poor damsels in distress constantly sad because daddy didn’t love us and we only date shitty dudes. Get outta here.
March 20, 2021
“Your heart the size of the moon, creating its own light, and even though you feel broken, you still continue to fight. No weapons, no shield, just a will to survive. You feel weary beneath the sadness and yet you still try.”
“we rise
like overflowing
rivers
we fight
under attack
overwhelmed
by heartache
refusing to quit
struggling to survive
deciding to live
i hope we get there
to a place of peace
a moment of victory
a lifetime of joy”
“Promise me this. When your heart feels like it can’t go on and your soul begins to struggle beneath the weight of it all. Promise me you’ll reach for anything that will calm the hurricanes beating at your chest. Promise me you’ll reach for the words of someone who can speak to the darkness that plagues your mind. Some Samantha King Holmes when your nights grow so overwhelming that the night skies attempt to swallow you whole or maybe the words of R.M. Drake for the midnights or the hours before sunrise where you struggle to find rest. There is healing in the words of writers who know pain best. There is sanctuary on pages of writers who know exactly what it means to fall like you, to fight like you. To survive like you. Promise me that you won’t let the struggle of what you’re facing keep you from the victory that is meant to be yours. I know that these are just words on a page and I know I’m just some stranger who has your attention, but I need you to believe in the idea that you are capable of finding your way through this dark phase in your life and I want you to know that you are not alone. There will be others who will stumble upon these words, this page, in search of solace. In search for clarity and I just hope that I can be of some assistance. Read these words until you understand that there is a power that lives within you and a will that can never be broken.”
“we rise
like overflowing
rivers
we fight
under attack
overwhelmed
by heartache
refusing to quit
struggling to survive
deciding to live
i hope we get there
to a place of peace
a moment of victory
a lifetime of joy”
“Promise me this. When your heart feels like it can’t go on and your soul begins to struggle beneath the weight of it all. Promise me you’ll reach for anything that will calm the hurricanes beating at your chest. Promise me you’ll reach for the words of someone who can speak to the darkness that plagues your mind. Some Samantha King Holmes when your nights grow so overwhelming that the night skies attempt to swallow you whole or maybe the words of R.M. Drake for the midnights or the hours before sunrise where you struggle to find rest. There is healing in the words of writers who know pain best. There is sanctuary on pages of writers who know exactly what it means to fall like you, to fight like you. To survive like you. Promise me that you won’t let the struggle of what you’re facing keep you from the victory that is meant to be yours. I know that these are just words on a page and I know I’m just some stranger who has your attention, but I need you to believe in the idea that you are capable of finding your way through this dark phase in your life and I want you to know that you are not alone. There will be others who will stumble upon these words, this page, in search of solace. In search for clarity and I just hope that I can be of some assistance. Read these words until you understand that there is a power that lives within you and a will that can never be broken.”
June 1, 2022
Some poems are really beautiful and I enjoyed reading it. But after a while it just felt repetitive to me, it could have more themes to it instead of only heartache.
September 17, 2023
4.5 ✩
i'm going through a quite difficult time right now and this book really made me emotional because it really said everything that i desperately needed to hear. it felt like a therapy session. i read this at the right place at the right time and i am so grateful that i did.
.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* .・゜゜・
my favourites:
"i can’t sleep
it’s almost as if
the night needs me more
than i need rest"
"The later it gets, the deeper I dwell in an unforgiving pit of confusion.
Maybe I’m in love with an illusion. Maybe I hold on to the idea of holding
on to you out of fear of losing. Strangely, it’s the loss of something I never
had that keeps me hoping for something you’ll never give me. And each
night I’m right where I left off come morning. Somehow I find myself back
where I began. A start with no actual finish. This never-ending feeling for
something that should have ended a long time ago. It turns out that I’ve
been searching for a silver lining in a bronze space.
I’ve been searching for some sort of light in a sky that is absent"
"sometimes i avoid mirrors
because a reflection never lies
the mirror doesn’t concern itself
with showing you something that isn’t true
it has no concern for how you feel
it knows your insecurities
and it doesn’t mind throwing them back at you"
"a love that feels real
a love that doesn’t hurt
a relationship filled with truth
a relationship filled with effort
this is all she ever wanted
this was all she ever thought about
while tears rolled down her face
painting her skin the color blue"
"I WANT TO .
I want you to feel—
to remember what it was like
when you first laid eyes on
something you loved.
I want you to breathe,
to inhale.
To run your fingers
through the air
and collect the memories
as they pass you by.
I want you to remember
the way we spoke.
The way we looked
into our eyes
as the scent filled
the empty
space in the room.
I want you to feel it.
To remember it.
To be
attracted to it.
I want the company
of me
to remind you
how to live,
how to laugh,
and, above all,
how to love."
"MISS YOU MISS THEM
People will miss you
the moment you stop caring.
The moment you moved on.
Because that’s how it works.
Most people only want
what no longer belongs to them,
what they once had
but failed to appreciate.
And it’s sad,
you know?
Because you can spend
so much time devoted
to someone
while feeling ignored,
but the moment you realize
your worth,
things begin to change.
You begin to do things
for yourself.
You begin to see the light,
feel it, and become it.
You move on to bigger
and better things.
You meet different people
and for a moment
you find yourself being happy.
And it’s just sad
but also very good
because you had to let go
of someone who was once
important to you
to find yourself again.
You had to water your own soul
and find your own smile.
And you spent
and wasted so much time
doing so,
without knowing
how to love yourself before.
And that’s what’s terrible here.
That’s the tragedy.
How you always need someone
to help you discover your worth
and how you always need
to lose someone you once cared about.
Need someone
you once loved
to dig a hole in you,
in order for you to finally
learn to appreciate yourself
for who you are."
"ENTIRE LIFE
You spend your whole life
worrying about being alone,
that you’ve let
so many good people
pass you by.
The same way you’ve spent
so much time
thinking of those who don’t care
rather than the ones
who do.
And this is what your life
has turned into.
Chasing people
who don’t understand you
while overlooking
the ones who relate
to you the most.
You’ve let so much
time slip,
you’ve let too many
people slip,
and now you’re slipping yourself .
by chasing people
who’ve caused you the most harm.
When does it end?
When do you finally realize
who you are?
Whom you deserve?
Does it ever stop?
The pain.
The brokenness.
The emptiness
and the longing of being
understood—of being
held by the right hands.
I get you.
You feel like the ocean—
the rain—
but that doesn’t mean
you’ve got to drown on your own.
With water comes life.
And with pain comes love.
So hang in there,
my sweet friend .
life isn’t meant
to destroy you.
People aren’t meant
to hurt you .
and all the things you feel
aren’t meant to bring you closer
to your doom.
Because everything around you
is a lesson waiting to be learned,
and how you let it
affect you
is completely up to you.
So cry now and laugh later .
it’s okay .
because something better
is on the way.
Just stay humble,
learn from your mistakes,
and keep your heart open
for when the right
opportunities come."
i'm going through a quite difficult time right now and this book really made me emotional because it really said everything that i desperately needed to hear. it felt like a therapy session. i read this at the right place at the right time and i am so grateful that i did.
.・゜゜・✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* .・゜゜・
my favourites:
"i can’t sleep
it’s almost as if
the night needs me more
than i need rest"
"The later it gets, the deeper I dwell in an unforgiving pit of confusion.
Maybe I’m in love with an illusion. Maybe I hold on to the idea of holding
on to you out of fear of losing. Strangely, it’s the loss of something I never
had that keeps me hoping for something you’ll never give me. And each
night I’m right where I left off come morning. Somehow I find myself back
where I began. A start with no actual finish. This never-ending feeling for
something that should have ended a long time ago. It turns out that I’ve
been searching for a silver lining in a bronze space.
I’ve been searching for some sort of light in a sky that is absent"
"sometimes i avoid mirrors
because a reflection never lies
the mirror doesn’t concern itself
with showing you something that isn’t true
it has no concern for how you feel
it knows your insecurities
and it doesn’t mind throwing them back at you"
"a love that feels real
a love that doesn’t hurt
a relationship filled with truth
a relationship filled with effort
this is all she ever wanted
this was all she ever thought about
while tears rolled down her face
painting her skin the color blue"
"I WANT TO .
I want you to feel—
to remember what it was like
when you first laid eyes on
something you loved.
I want you to breathe,
to inhale.
To run your fingers
through the air
and collect the memories
as they pass you by.
I want you to remember
the way we spoke.
The way we looked
into our eyes
as the scent filled
the empty
space in the room.
I want you to feel it.
To remember it.
To be
attracted to it.
I want the company
of me
to remind you
how to live,
how to laugh,
and, above all,
how to love."
"MISS YOU MISS THEM
People will miss you
the moment you stop caring.
The moment you moved on.
Because that’s how it works.
Most people only want
what no longer belongs to them,
what they once had
but failed to appreciate.
And it’s sad,
you know?
Because you can spend
so much time devoted
to someone
while feeling ignored,
but the moment you realize
your worth,
things begin to change.
You begin to do things
for yourself.
You begin to see the light,
feel it, and become it.
You move on to bigger
and better things.
You meet different people
and for a moment
you find yourself being happy.
And it’s just sad
but also very good
because you had to let go
of someone who was once
important to you
to find yourself again.
You had to water your own soul
and find your own smile.
And you spent
and wasted so much time
doing so,
without knowing
how to love yourself before.
And that’s what’s terrible here.
That’s the tragedy.
How you always need someone
to help you discover your worth
and how you always need
to lose someone you once cared about.
Need someone
you once loved
to dig a hole in you,
in order for you to finally
learn to appreciate yourself
for who you are."
"ENTIRE LIFE
You spend your whole life
worrying about being alone,
that you’ve let
so many good people
pass you by.
The same way you’ve spent
so much time
thinking of those who don’t care
rather than the ones
who do.
And this is what your life
has turned into.
Chasing people
who don’t understand you
while overlooking
the ones who relate
to you the most.
You’ve let so much
time slip,
you’ve let too many
people slip,
and now you’re slipping yourself .
by chasing people
who’ve caused you the most harm.
When does it end?
When do you finally realize
who you are?
Whom you deserve?
Does it ever stop?
The pain.
The brokenness.
The emptiness
and the longing of being
understood—of being
held by the right hands.
I get you.
You feel like the ocean—
the rain—
but that doesn’t mean
you’ve got to drown on your own.
With water comes life.
And with pain comes love.
So hang in there,
my sweet friend .
life isn’t meant
to destroy you.
People aren’t meant
to hurt you .
and all the things you feel
aren’t meant to bring you closer
to your doom.
Because everything around you
is a lesson waiting to be learned,
and how you let it
affect you
is completely up to you.
So cry now and laugh later .
it’s okay .
because something better
is on the way.
Just stay humble,
learn from your mistakes,
and keep your heart open
for when the right
opportunities come."
November 6, 2023
i really would give it a 2.5 because there were a few poems and musings that i liked and resonated with me. also, i liked the cover art LOL but the content truly disappointed me. i just don’t think this type of poetry is for me anymore, even though i’m not sure it ever was. not to be a hater but it kinda felt like cheap words. like the same thing was being said over and over again in slightly different ways (even though one poem was literally in there twice with different titles?!!!). the RM Drake part was better than RH Sin, and bro i totally did not realize RH Sin is a MAN??? that completely changes the context of all the poems “to the woman who had her heart broken…” “to the woman who deserves better…”. it just kinda made me feel weird knowing a man wrote these things trying to relate to the experience of being a woman. but maybe that’s just me! sorry for the long rant hahaha
December 31, 2024
reread 6 (ish) years later. the second half talks a lot about hoping to have found the right reader, and it did. set it all on fire. also really strong connections to ttpd, i had to refrain from writing lyrics down on every poem.
February 16, 2022
im going to come back to this book at 25 because right now it's not for me and the age/place im at
July 16, 2022
wow such a pretentious and creepy guy... he is literally the og "nice guy". he really sounds like someone who would be like "love me, i'm not like the other guy, i'm nice, i would do anything for you iF yOu lOvE mE BaCk." and if you don't, he would turn into joe goldberg so watch out.
October 16, 2023
really enjoyed sin’s part of this book
March 4, 2023
"oh dear girl / you don't need a man / to feel like a woman / you don't need a king / to feel royal"
I love how individualistic this collection is.
Although I do see a lot of people saying that this book just restates the same ideas over and over again, I’m going to have to disagree with that fact.
Yes the themes are similar, and pretty humanistic. But, they are so much more.
Some are about self-love. Others are about overcoming the past. Others are about stopping stress.
And often, the lines between these are blurred. Why? Because we believe that anything that has to do with self-improvement is clumped into this whole genre, when we should be looking at the separate parts, especially in excerpts of poetry packed into an expansive collection.
I made the mistake of thinking poetry should be read like a novel. But it’s something that seeps into your soul, like the stars swirling in the night sky. And it’s okay if you can’t comprehend it, or disagree. It’s many ideas, packed into one book.
I love how individualistic this collection is.
Although I do see a lot of people saying that this book just restates the same ideas over and over again, I’m going to have to disagree with that fact.
Yes the themes are similar, and pretty humanistic. But, they are so much more.
Some are about self-love. Others are about overcoming the past. Others are about stopping stress.
And often, the lines between these are blurred. Why? Because we believe that anything that has to do with self-improvement is clumped into this whole genre, when we should be looking at the separate parts, especially in excerpts of poetry packed into an expansive collection.
I made the mistake of thinking poetry should be read like a novel. But it’s something that seeps into your soul, like the stars swirling in the night sky. And it’s okay if you can’t comprehend it, or disagree. It’s many ideas, packed into one book.
June 9, 2020
I didn't hate this, but I didn't love it.
There was probably 5-ish writings that really resonate with me.
However, some of these really seemed preachy and like "I lost a woman who is dating someone else and I'm really bitter about it so I'll write about how she doesn't know love like mine". I don't know. Obviously poetry is personal, so they just didn't resonate with me (as a woman).
There was probably 5-ish writings that really resonate with me.
However, some of these really seemed preachy and like "I lost a woman who is dating someone else and I'm really bitter about it so I'll write about how she doesn't know love like mine". I don't know. Obviously poetry is personal, so they just didn't resonate with me (as a woman).
October 28, 2019
purchased this book off the strength of RM drake, i admire his work, even though his writing gets a little draggy. He saved the book. as far for sin's work, its still the same. his writing hasnt grown at all.
November 8, 2019
Mediocre read. The poems in the second half I connected to more than the ones in the beginning.
December 24, 2019
Such beauty and realness in his words. My therapist wants me to work on the concept that, "I'm enough" just the way I am. This book is a love letter to that concept.
April 13, 2020
My favorites: Nothing More or Less, ‘Overcome, Again’, pg 150, pg 196
May 2, 2020
sad boi tings
June 5, 2020
This one was a struggle to get through and honestly it lost my attention about a third of the way into it.
June 10, 2020
4/5
Bookstagram
Out of all of R.H Sin's work of poetry this had to be one of my favorites. For once, I wasn't reading the same damn thing that I had read in all the other free-flow poetry books. Yes we are still given the abuse of women but it was more than that. It was about a sole individual finding themselves, finding self-love, and finding someone that will won't hold them down.
What I really loved about this book of poetry was that there was a lot more rhyming, a lot more flow, than just random words thrown together. Don't get me wrong I LOVE free-flow poetry and find it just as powerful. However, I started to feel like it was the exact same words between all these poets. Not only that but R.H. Sin does a lot better job of sticking to a more cohesive story line. Or more so, doesn't skip around to random subjects that are not part of the books point.
I also found, once again, that I connected to A LOT of the poems within Falling Toward the Moon. It was scary how much I saw myself in the place of the individual, and it did take me back to some scary moments but I also learned so much as well. Not only about myself, but about relationships and what it means to be in one. As well as how important self-love and self-care truly is when it comes to going into a relationship.
Bookstagram
Out of all of R.H Sin's work of poetry this had to be one of my favorites. For once, I wasn't reading the same damn thing that I had read in all the other free-flow poetry books. Yes we are still given the abuse of women but it was more than that. It was about a sole individual finding themselves, finding self-love, and finding someone that will won't hold them down.
What I really loved about this book of poetry was that there was a lot more rhyming, a lot more flow, than just random words thrown together. Don't get me wrong I LOVE free-flow poetry and find it just as powerful. However, I started to feel like it was the exact same words between all these poets. Not only that but R.H. Sin does a lot better job of sticking to a more cohesive story line. Or more so, doesn't skip around to random subjects that are not part of the books point.
I also found, once again, that I connected to A LOT of the poems within Falling Toward the Moon. It was scary how much I saw myself in the place of the individual, and it did take me back to some scary moments but I also learned so much as well. Not only about myself, but about relationships and what it means to be in one. As well as how important self-love and self-care truly is when it comes to going into a relationship.
June 2, 2023
"This is about love... the way two people find one another and the way they lose themselves in a garden full of roses."
In dem Buch sind echt gute Gedichte dabei, welche sich leicht lesen lassen. Leider bezieht sich das Thema der Gedichte fast durchgängig auf Liebeskummer und das Verlieben in den falschen Mann, was mit der Zeit sehr monoton zu lesen ist. Außerdem habe ich das Gefühl gehabt, manche Texte doppelt gelesen zu haben, weil sie sich doch sehr ähneln.
In dem Buch sind echt gute Gedichte dabei, welche sich leicht lesen lassen. Leider bezieht sich das Thema der Gedichte fast durchgängig auf Liebeskummer und das Verlieben in den falschen Mann, was mit der Zeit sehr monoton zu lesen ist. Außerdem habe ich das Gefühl gehabt, manche Texte doppelt gelesen zu haben, weil sie sich doch sehr ähneln.
February 14, 2020
this book took you through a journey of the falling and the rising of one’s soul. the poetry within this book spoke to me better than i could ever speak to myself. i truly recommend this for anyone who needs to hear that they’re not alone in what they’re going through. the author does a fantastic job at portraying mental health and the thoughts that go through one’s head.
April 16, 2022
I actually liked this book. The poems felt like they had a heart and the sections that weren't exactly poetry were so beautiful. You can tell the author loves the girl he writes about. The pages were filled with love, stories, and lessons. The criticism I have is that some of it was a bit repetitive. 3.5 stars :)
March 14, 2022
if you are in a bad spot in life this book will likely move you. I tried to finish. I really did. I then came upon a poem titled "Time Wasted." I decided I should not waste any more time on this book.
September 8, 2024
The r.h. Sin portion of this book is fantastic. While repetitive in content at times, she always finds a new way to insert the idea in the minds eye. She captures depression in a way that is uncomfortably relatable which makes me love her all the more.
November 11, 2019
I know a lot of people didn't like the parts of RH Sin. I am a RM Drake fan also, but I loved it all. Everything was thoughtful and touching. Def worth a read.
February 5, 2020
Not bad, I have fave poems in here and it is a quick read.
August 7, 2022
Very much about heartbreak, which is something I cannot relate to at the moment. Because of that, I can tell that I was not the demographic for this book. Nonetheless, some of it still did resonate with me. Over all it is well written and would do beautifully in the right hands.
December 20, 2022
#74 of 2022
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews