Coming Home to Her

by Emily Juniper

Coming Home to Her is a celebration of being human. It is a coming out journey, an exploration of sexuality, femininity, loving, and being loved.

Genres: Poetry, LGBT, Queer, Lesbian, Romance, Gay, Nonfiction

127 pages, Paperback

Published March 7, 2021

Reviews

[Kiera · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might change the review or the stars. This book was really hyped up which sometimes is a good thing. But this was a lot of metaphors mostly, it’s not bad, just not the type of poetry I really enjoy.

Favs were for sure Essential Knots for Boys, Chemistry, and Metamorphosis

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I’m a bit confused by the focus (or lack thereof) of this collection. The title and description both hint it to be one about love (and sexuality?), but a good majority of the poems focus on a number of other themes that leave the whole feeling very disjointed. That being said, there are some strong pieces/snippets throughout (my faves listed below 🥲):

-“Dig out the old love letters from your underwear drawer. Burn them. They are only an illusion of warmth, and you deserve the real thing.”

-“Don’t think about it, I tell myself, but if it doesn’t work with the bad thoughts, why on earth would it work with you when you are so damn good.”

-“I would split myself down the seams if it meant that even half of me could be with you.”

-“I need a bag, but they don’t make them big enough to hold all the things I carry.”

-“All of my favorite things are in-betweens, like dawn and dusk or the moments before our lips touched for the first time (a fold in time no one else will ever feel). Like almost breaking the rules—but not quite.”

[lilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

now I'd like to read something from sappho

[virgoreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, beautiful poetry book about love and sexuality. I related on a personal level. 5 stars, easily.

[sofiaaa :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

so beautiful. a lot of these poems will stick with me forever. this makes me want to read more poetry and i'm so excited for that.

[Rachel Haggard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book of poems I have read. Ever.

[Emseli · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is the official ending of my teenage-ish poetry book era, bc why was every poem like pseudo deep😀

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this collection. Gorgeous and interesting stylistic variety.

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

i was going to read a few poems before bed to experience good wlw yearning u know- ended up reading everything in one sitting as the poems are really short but sadly :( expectations not met :(

this did really feel like scrolling on instagram - full experience: every theme, phrasing and layout - which i guess makes sense since Juniper publishes on instagram if i am not mistaken? but isn't reallyyyy what i was looking for

the poems were quite simple which isn't necessarily a bad thing but i'd have preferred if things went a bit deeper, had more layers or if there had been an overall frame (+ i just had expected more sapphic poems than the book included). i was dragged from one random topic to another which i guess really captures the 2020s social media experience, if that counts as an overall theme :)

nevertheless, some cute poems and lines that do make me want to have a girlfriend which is what i came for; soft wlw content <3

*2,5? 3?

[Arabela Baer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and extremely relevant short poetry book. A lot of the poems spoke to me on a personal level. It had fewer love poems than I was anticipating based on the title but I still enjoyed it a lot.

[Alice Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

so so so so so beautiful. i am usually not one for poetry but this had me sobbing with just how beautifully written it all is

[Alex Waggoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ugh I just love poetry so much and this book was so nice to read

[notformebabesbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely 5/5. Took me no time to read at all, but the poetry was absolutely stunning. Emily Juniper seriously has a way with words; I'd say she's one of the few writers who knows how to truly express all the raw emotions that we as humans feel. She captured every angle of her thoughts regarding love, life, humanity, etc. in really exquisite ways. I will definitely reread soon.

[April Bradford · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - TikTok also brought me here.

While there are a few standout poems, this collection lacked the cohesiveness and flow required for a poetry book. I feel as though it was marketed incorrectly and the emphasise should have been about coming into themselves and their identity and less about love as this is a smaller feature of the book.

There are some preachy poems, a few ended naturally long before the page ended and I wasn’t a fan of the thorough pop culture but throw away historical references.

For a self-published suite, it’s still worth reading. With the right publishing house and refinement, this could have been a stronger rating.

[mar · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️ - while there were some ones that stood out to me, overall i was confused why all these poems were put together in 1 book, the title led me to think focus of the poems would be different & somehow they all didn’t feel cohesive or organized? i felt like we went from this to that and then back to this.

[Vasileia D.S · Rating 1 out of 5]

With respect to the authour and her work I was expecting more depht in the ideas that where poorly executed. In the majority of the poems I was left unsatisfied with the idea development even though many of them if given a bit more love and time could have been excellent. The author surprised me with her metaphors in some of her poems (spanish moss and cathedrals) but overall not enough to engage with my feelings. The collection left me with the same feeling every instapoet has done in the past and I am not genuily happy for that, especially because I saw potential in every of her poems.
Finishing the review writting, I would like to thank the author for her poem 'Nihilism', that one I enjoyed in its simplicity.

[Sian]

my partner bought this for me as a gift years ago and i never actually got around to reading it. i finally picked this off my shelf because i need some quick wins to get my reading goal back on track. i haven’t read much poetry so i don’t know how to rate it overall. thematically this was a bit all over the place and not what i was expecting based on the title and dedication. if you’re looking for a book of sapphic love poems to give to your lady i would probably skip this one (sorry leah).

i did really like:
bend time…
essential knots for boys
vulnerable
cathedrals
metamorphosis

[Britt Buckenroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily has a magical way of writing directly to your soul. While this is a beautiful collection of poems written about her journey to coming out and finding her wife, there are so many poems every reader can relate to. And not just relate, but feel seen. There are poems about the environment and living through a pandemic. It's beautiful and accessibly to any reader.

Love, love, love this.

[Annie Tallis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surprised that I liked this as much as I did, some of these poems really spoke to me and caused quite a visceral reaction within me. Particularly those with religious elements such as Halleluja. I wasn't a huge fan of some of the more 'Instagram poems' just because those have never really been my cup of tea however this is the only reason why it scored 3* instead of 4*

[Dr. Madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I need to sleep
but my mind won’t shut up

I need a bag but they don’t make ‘em big enough to
hold all the thins I carry
and I need someone to listen but
I never learned to speak”

Modern poetry can be polarizing, but I found this collection to be fairly impactful. A few poems felt like filler, but the better ones made up for them.

[Laura van Bruggen · Rating 4 out of 5]

For sure one of the best poetry books I have ever read. Never have I related this much to words on pages. So good!

"Don't tell me I am everything,
that you love me just the way I am
(always have, always will)
that I am living proof there is a God and then leave.
Don't give me pretty words
just to take them all away.
don't"

p. 34

[laney · Rating 3 out of 5]

the narrative is kind of jarring as a whole - each poem being so completely different from the other, with no flow to the book at all. was debating rating this two and a half, but there are some really wonderful poems and beautiful words in here, it’s just a shame that it doesn’t all fit together very well

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was given to me as a gift from my girlfriend when I was having a week of prolonged frustration and mental overstimulation. Coming Home to Her has poems of love and poems of loss and poems of awareness and patience. It has given me words to give away and words to keep for myself. It took a while to make time to finish it, but it definitely wasn't for lack of wanting to.

[Riss &#x1faf6;&#x1f3fb;☕️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emily Juniper has outdone herself with this latest publication of poetry. Seriously, each poem is beautiful and individually crafted. Not to mention, the small artwork inside!! Go give this a read everyone.

[Allie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection is filled with many beautifully crafted poems. I read it cover to cover and enjoyed almost every poem. A few felt a little repetitive to one another but I enjoyed the different formats in here as well. I would recommend this to other poetry readers!

[Karina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it! I was in a bit of a rush to read this bc I was borrowing it for only a few hours, I'm sure that impacted a bit how I read and resonated with the poems. I'll give a 4.5 and save my 5 for something that makes me really emotional (pos or neg)

[Mallory Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book of poetry I've read since high school English, some 16 years ago. It was really beautiful, interesting and easy to digest. I related to a lot of the poems, some just made me think and some just made me smile. I really enjoyed it!!

[Bailey Woodard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best selection of poetry I’ve read in a long time. Very sapphic-oriented but generally applicable to a lot of relationship types. I found myself highlighting passages from almost every page. Could not recommend more

[&#x1f5a4; livingdeadgill &#x1f5a4; · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better than the last poem collection I read by this author, but there was a definite lack of unity with the title theme. Some poems (like those to do with politics, vegetarianism, and the environment) feel out of place in what I was hoping would be a sapphic collection.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Decadent without being saccharine. Something that I will read again and again.