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Beautifully Chaotic

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Beautifully Chaotic is a poetry collection that shows a progression from isolation to survival - with stories about sexuality, trauma of sexual assault, heartbreak, feminism, and learning how to survive through thriving times. Each poems is crafted with an expression of empowerment, love, and truth.Danielle’s raw and relatable poetry celebrates the beauty in life and mourns the chaos. Her work transports readers to intimate places that reaches private emotions of love and loss. The essence of it all is to show that life goes on through the loving, bad and confusing times. The book is split into four chapters of Destruction, Purpose, Mourning, and Healing.

221 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2019

15 people want to read

About the author

Danielle Holian

4 books9 followers
music publicist | music journalist | author x3

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15 (60%)
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Anna Shtorm.
Author 1 book11 followers
December 4, 2020
Poetry collection “Beautifully Chaotic” by Danielle Holian which was published in 2019 represents the journey almost every human being has gone through.

It comprises four parts: Destruction, Purpose, Mourning and Healing.

These parts correspond with the steps that every emotional transition consists of.

I enjoyed the format of the poems. They are quite short but are concentrated with wisdom and insights. I would compare them with Tardis from Doctor Who. They are definitely bigger on the inside. The poems are well structured and certainly could look good as Instagram poetry of high quality. I also can imagine these poems to be read out loud in the theatre as part of some performance.

The naming of the poems are done brilliantly. The names are short but very precise. During the reading, I could not shake off the feeling that Danielle Holian is telling my story. One of the most touching poems from the collection as per my taste was “Patronising”.

Patronising

They talk down to me

Rather than talking to me

In a hardship relationship

Where I am the cause and effect

Of their pain

Oh, so they tell me.

Danielle Holian` poetry is vulnerable, sincere, and extremely relatable.

My favourite poems are  “The little things”, “Need to Fit In”, “All I’ve Ever Known”.
Profile Image for Kübra Demir.
Author 3 books22 followers
January 26, 2021
Thank you Danielle for providing me your books' e-copies in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is the first time that a poetry collection took so long to finish for me. It consists of 4 parts; Destruction, Purpose, Mourning, and Healing. The First 3 parts were definitely heart-wrenching and it was hard for me to read more than 5 poems in one sitting. But the last part was lighter, more hopeful and I felt sincerely happy for her learning again how to love herself and her life. It was an inspiring poetry collection to show people who had similar traumas that they're not alone or they don't have to be hopeless.
Profile Image for Amy Littleford.
300 reviews13 followers
August 12, 2019
4.5 stars

Firstly, I'd like to thank Danielle Holian for gifting me a copy of her debut anthology! I feel really humbled that people value my opinion when it comes to their work.

I really enjoyed this anthology from the very beginning. The first chapter (Destruction) really resonated with me. Parental abandonment really affects children however old and I could really feel the pain through Danielle's words. The mix of long and short form poetry was a great mixture but both forms were equally as good. Danielle wrote about a lot of trigger warning topics (which is stated in the blurb) and I just felt so much love for her bravery by talking out about what she has experienced. Each chapter led onto something new that it ended up being a journey for the author and the reader. I was really happy to read the last chapter (Healing) because it shows that she has moved forward and not let her past ruin her future. A lot of people will be able to be inspired by Danielle's journey.

Danielle's writing isn't over complicated but simple which I enjoyed as it made it an easy read and easy to understand and relate to. There were some grammatical mistakes but being an Indie Author myself I understand that we don't have editors to edit our mistakes. I was able to look past this because the book was so good.

Amy x
Profile Image for Jawahir the Bookworm.
250 reviews38 followers
September 7, 2020
Description Summary: Kind of like a darker version of Milk and Honey, Danielle Holian presents a spirited character who battles the trauma of abuse and toxic relationships in order to heal and emerge a powerful, beautiful woman because of it.

Score: 5/5

I would like to thank the author for reaching out to me and providing me with the book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts expressed are my personal opinion.

I am incredibly glad that Danielle Holian reached out to me. I picked up her poetry and from the start I was gripped by the words within, I finished the whole collection in one setting and my head was bursting with words to say about this.

This is art in it’s unfiltered form; something that demands to be seen and something that pushes the reader to have a reaction or feeling. And I absolutely loved it. There is a sense of empowerment that courses through the pain you see expressed in the poems, and to me that shows a side of courage and vulnerability that too often is mistaken for “weakness”.

Book Summary: Holian presents an anthology of poems that revolves around taking power back whilst documenting the feminist journey of surviving abuse and toxic relationships. Divided into four chapters, the reader begins with Destruction and follows it with:

- Purpose
- Mourning
- Healing

The reader is set out to go into the bleak shades of depression and pain, and the darkness surrounds it before venturing into the light with the last chapter that details uplifting poems set to inspire others into loving oneself and deeming it worthy and strong to choose it’s own path. End of Summary.

The form of writing poetry in a simplistic form such as this, is my favorite type and I believe it would resonate with so many readers from a wider pool. I like how it did not beat around the bush and just gave it straight out.

Do I recommend? Yes. Be warned some readers may find this triggering as it contains abuse, sexual abuse, addiction, alcholol abuse, depression, rape, and toxic relationships.

Full review on blog coming soon

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Profile Image for A. Faten.
19 reviews7 followers
December 26, 2020
Danielle Holianit's been so long since i last time enjoyed reading poetry... the writer was an expert in turning her feelings into simple words, most of poems were highly relatable... i really liked her style of writing ,long poems weren't actually my thing till i read hers.

thank you Danielle Holian for offering me this incredibile collection , i'm looking forward to your next collection
Profile Image for Dona's Books.
1,335 reviews293 followers
October 21, 2021
A beautiful collection of feminist and mental health poems

Beautifully Chaotic would be your average poetry collection about mental health and recovery, except it's not average at all. The voice of this collection, which belongs to Danielle Holian, is fierce, forward-facing, and determined. She tackles difficult subjects in this collection, in poems such as "Fight or Flight" p28 and "Punching Bag" p36. But Holian provides thorough warning to the reader in the book's front matter about the inclusion of these topics. I think this is good practice.  Holian's warning prepared me to engage with her challenging, thought provoking poems. I love a good introduction, and this book is missing one, but the acknowledgements at the end will give you a deeper connection to the book and author.

Holian handles writing about emotion well; this collection intimates more than just the expected reactions to the speakers' experiences and feelings, which makes the poetry interesting. For example, in "Thrilling and Terrifying" on p151, the speaker "cannot feel alive and happy / All at the same time." "Anxious Disruptions" on p22 describes certain aspects of anxiety perfectly, creating a stunning reading experience: "So I stride / Gliding across the floor like a dancer / But... I feel stuck in a moment of uncertainty."

The lyricism of "Parallel Universe" is stunning. I love that it addresses the importance of a person's effort in finding happiness or giving it up, to make what we can in life.

This was a really thick collection, over 200 pages. But still, contemporary IG poets, when writing their collections, need to be careful not to duplicate material. A few times in my reading of Beautifully Chaotic, I thought I had accidentally backtracked because I was reading a poem that sounded so similar to one I had read earlier in the collection.

"Tiptoe" p26 is a perfect example of one of this collection's poems with a great concept -- a man's fingers on the speaker's spine equates to him walking on her, a strong metaphor and image -- but the execution is clumsy. And Holian favored minimalist punctuation but some of the poems, such as "Empty Wishes" p27, would benefit in clarity for a few commas.

I love the feminist twist in this collection,  from theme to style. We find a catcalling theme in "Shell" p38 and empathy toward addiction and its related struggles in "Drowning Out" p41. Body-shaming in "All These Years" p58 and women's unity in "Sisterhood" p67. Gender roles appear in "A Compliment Battle" p147 and "First Home" p126 gets feminist, and biblical about it. Read this book! You will find more examples of feminist poetry than I could ever list.

In mental health collections like Beautifully Chaotic, I think optimism is important. I love the self-love messages Holian wrote in many of her mental health pieces, including "Empathy" p60, "Artist" p64, "Expressful Creativity" p65, "No Choice" p88, and others, like forgiveness in "Growth" p93, and relying on others in " Happy Accidents" p93.

All said, this is a great collection about mental health and what women need to pick themselves up. The poems are strong and also touching, a winning combination. Any criticism I may have I think is outweighed by the pleasure I took in this book, and the inspiration I drew from it. Grab a copy of this very solid collection; you won't regret it!
Profile Image for Tyneisha Ternent.
Author 1 book8 followers
January 17, 2021

From the first few pages of this book, I became attached. I could feel Danielle’s emotions bursting through the pages and found myself drawn to her story. Her honestly and vulnerability in this book is commendable. She bravely talks about anxiety, domestic violence, not feeling worthy of love, and so much more. She talks about her childhood, the traumas she faced in a way that makes you feel connected to her instead of sorry for her. She talks about unreciprocated love and sexual abuse, but I still felt light as she shared such dark stories. Maybe because I knew it was coming from the chapter headings or because no matter how tragic her poem was, she never sounds entirely defeated.

As I continued to read Beautifully Chaotic, I understood just how strong and beautiful Danielle truly is. Her poems titled Somebody on page 108 and Survivors on page 142 both display this. Despite the abuse, Danielle is still able to find love, “even if it is inside.” I really connected with the poem titled Empathic in this book. As an empath myself, I could relate to every line in this poem. As I finished reading the last chapter called Healing, I felt I had personally done some healing just by reading this book.

Danielle’s story is unique, yet I can only imagine how many other women have been in similar situations to those mentioned in this book. I know I have myself, so I applaud Danielle for being brave enough to share her story. I highly recommend this book and believe teens and young adults, more specifically females of that age group, need to read it. Beautifully Chaotic can give hope to those who are ready to receive it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Chloe Louise.
6 reviews
May 19, 2021
Thank you to Danielle for sending me her gorgeous debut poetry book! ‘Beautifully Chaotic’ takes you through a 4 step journey of re-learning self worth and processing trauma, with poems such as ‘porcelain’, ‘unnatural’ and ‘trace of you’.
I definitely suggest you read up on some of the trigger warnings as it touches upon sensitive topics! Personally I enjoyed the depth these poems went into about emotions, the words are very accessible for you to relate them to your own situation. The poems were written very tastefully whilst talking about delicate subjects, unfortunately there were a few spelling mistakes but I put that down to how lengthy the book is at 213 pages and it being self published. If you are looking for a selection of poems to help you feel less alone about your problems this definitely the book for you. This selection would be great for someone just getting into poetry as the wording is very easy to understand with a fluid writing style that will work for everyone. I would love to read her latest book ‘ The Dilemma’ and see how her writing has matured and progressed. Thank you so much again to Danielle for gifting me this gorgeous collection that I am proud to display on my shelf!
Profile Image for Joana  Almeida.
293 reviews11 followers
November 2, 2019
Such a beautiful and rich poetry.
I could relate to some of the authors experiences, and reading them brought all sort of memories and feelings!
She’s an inspiration that we can all turn the bad things that happen to us in experiences that shape and mold us into the people we are now. We are not defined by our traumas, we don’t have to surrender to them, but it’s also ok to have our weaker moments, to feel vulnerable and lonely, but we also have to be strong and try to move on!
Truly felt a lot of emotions while reading this book, almost like it was a mirror of my own story, and it’s great that there’s people out there, like Danielle Hollian, that writes and shares this experiences with the world, themes that can help bring a so much needed conversation between people that are going through the same things!
Hope you go check this book cause is something that truly deserves to be read and shared!
Profile Image for Tabitha (Tabi Thoughts).
83 reviews16 followers
December 12, 2019
Beautifully Chaotic is the debut poetry book by writer Danielle Holian. The collection is divided into four segments: Destruction, Purpose, Mourning, and Healing. Each section moves the reader through the painful yet important process of healing from heartache and trauma. These poems are full of raw emotion and powerfully discuss sensitive topics such as r*pe, and physical and emotional abuse, so read at your own discretion.

Danielle speaks to the broken and brokenhearted with her deeply honest poems. With perfectly crafted sentences as well as the use of metaphors, she accurately describes the physical and emotional pain endured within a toxic relationship.

Read full review on my blog: https://tabithoughts.com/2019/11/08/b...
Profile Image for ☽。⋆ Shells (jlreads_).
1,167 reviews83 followers
January 29, 2021
𝐓𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: Abuse, rape and sexual content

Beautifully Chaotic is the 1st poetry collection book of Danielle Holian which talks about the journey of someone who has struggle from abuses and finding purpose.

I genuinely enjoy the majority of the collections. Most of them left an impact to me. Aside from the collections' contents- deep subjects, I find them most insightful.

The flow and the atmosphere of this book is totally on spot, you can really feel the emotions of the collection most of the times.

The only thing that I can point out which I didn't like is the inconsistency of the writing and the flow which sometimes can be a little bit awkward for me.

Overall this is really good read. 3.7⭐
Profile Image for Rachael Shaw.
113 reviews
May 19, 2021
Beautifully Chaotic by Danielle Holian 🌺✨

Synopsis: Beautifully Chaotic is a poetry collection that shows a progression from isolation to survival - with stories about sexuality, trauma of sexual assault, heartbreak, feminism, and learning how to survive through thriving times. Each poems is crafted with an expression of empowerment, love, and truth. Danielle’s raw and relatable poetry celebrates the beauty in life and mourns the chaos. Her work transports readers to intimate places that reaches private emotions of love and loss. The essence of it all is to show that life goes on through the loving, bad and confusing times. The book is split into four chapters of destruction, purpose, mourning, and healing.’

Review: Beautifully Chaotic is the first poetry book by Danielle Holian. I received both copies in exchange for an honest review. I did enjoy venturing into Danielle’s life through poems. It was so raw and heartbreaking. But also beautiful to see the strength and growth as the mourning and healing chapters came to surface.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - 4/5
Profile Image for Róisin (somethingarosie).
387 reviews11 followers
May 22, 2021
•Minimalistic, simplistic, concise, cathartic.

This collection of poetry is divided into four sections; Destruction, Purpose, Mourning & Healing. It tackles a lot of difficult topics such as grief and sexual assault, which is detailed in the blurb. Trigger warnings are very important & appreciated that it was integrated seamlessly into the blurb of this book.

As seen by the countless tabs on my book, many of the poems resonated with me. A lot of the earlier poems are quite dark in subject matter but as one continues to read, there is a gradual sense of hope begins to dawn. This growth of hope is uplifting and makes difficult topics that bit easier to read about.

In the interest of honesty, I must admit that I found that some of the poems bordered on self pity, which is why I ultimately couldn’t give the book a full 5 stars.... ‘they never appreciated my love, existence or anything I had to offer’.....Some people enjoy sentiments such as this but it isn’t to my personal taste.

I may not have connected with every single poem in the collection but there are many I enjoyed & many that carried very important messages.
A huge thank you to the author for my gifted copy.
4⭐️
Profile Image for Jennifer Leigh.
Author 7 books33 followers
October 26, 2019
Beautifully Chaotic is a poetry collection about hardships and learning to cope with the aftermath and live a happy life. It’s a wonderful free-verse collection that tackles many hard-hitting topics that the author has been through in her own life. It’s raw and emotional. Though there are times that the emotion is at a distance to the reader. I think it’s a wonderfully written poetry collection.
Read the full review on Bound to Writing: https://www.boundtowriting.com/beauti...
Profile Image for Britty Rehrer.
3 reviews
May 27, 2021
This collection is a beautiful journey and a testament to the strength of a brave woman who healed after hurt.

I will definitely be recommending this to ..... everyone I know.
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