for my a{muse}ment

by Lauren McCombe, Avery LaPlante (Illustrator)

once upon a time, a boy was born with thrills in his blood and rode every attraction in existence the summer he turned tall. once he completed his conquest he designed his own rides on torn graph paper and dreamt of one day crediting himself for such heart-dropping and gut-wrenching shrieks from around the world. and when such visions did not commence he set out to twist his wishes in any poetic and symbolic and figurative way possible . . .

then he met me. and it was (we were) the greatest show of all time.

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for my a{muse}ment is a collective of poetic prose that tells the story of a girl entrapped by the magic of the word "maybe." using anecdotes, references, symbolism, and influence of the legendary ray bradbury, mccombe presents her boy-meets-girl version of the iconic "something wicked this way comes" with its own twists and turns and ups and downs. it is laughter. it is wonder. but it is also ominous. it is also dark. after all, the carnival season doesn't wait for anyone. not even love . . .

trigger warnings for depression, health anxiety, and sexual themes.

published on 8/16/22 -- National Rollercoaster Day.

all author profits will go to charity.

Genres: Poetry

163 pages, Paperback

First published August 16, 2022

About the author

Lauren McCombe is a classically trained free-lance musician in the Chicagoland area. She holds a degree from Northern Illinois University and credits writing to be her second passion. She strives to document the sentimental moments of life and hopes to impact others through her words.

find Lauren on Instagram @lockedawaypoetry

Reviews

[Lauren McCombe]

what. a. rollercoaster. i lived through this & survived this, so of course it’s a good read in my book. my best work as of yet. good job, me. your blood, sweat, tears, and healing were worth it after all 👏🏻

[Shannon Funnell]

'our wonder. and the magic of the first time we locked eyes and i felt that i was safely, securely: h o m e.'

Trigger warnings for the book: compulsive lying, depression, health anxiety, self-medicating, sexual themes, sexual trauma.

I got the chance to read this as an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story told through poetic prose of a traumatic event that the author went through. The writing feels like part of her healing and I am rooting for her to heal even more after this incredible book.

This book was a rollercoaster. It is the perfect writing surrounding heartbreak and betrayal. The authors writing really hits home; I felt like I was living through it with her, going through the relationship and feeling the same emotions as she did. If you have ever had your heart broken I am sure you will feel it as well.

It is written in a way that from beginning to end it tells a complete story, however you can go back and read each part individually and you almost get a small story with each poem. I really enjoyed this as it means that any parts I loved I can go back and read time and time again without having to read the whole book for context first.

The author also made the book an immersive experience by including a playlist that goes alongside the book which I absolutely loved the idea of.

The only reason this was not 5 stars is because I personally prefer poetry books where the poems are a bit shorter and choppier compared to big paragraphs. However, this was still a very enjoyable, relatable and emotive read.

The profits from this book are going to the National Vulvodynia Association.

[Tamara]

I received an ARC copy from Lauren in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I could relate to all the emotions and was shocked with the conclusion. It was very close to home for me as I have been in situations like hers. I want to thank the author for opening up to us and putting feelings into words that I have felt for so long! I wanted to cry when I was done because how invested I was in the reality of her story. It was beautifully written and I loved the tickets.

I would recommend this to everyone as it deals with actual human emotion and we all have experienced heartbreak! I hope to read more from Lauren in the future.

[Kelli]

A poetry book that takes you through all the emotions of a new relationship with a heart wrenching twist.

[Mary]

***I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.***

I don't like to get too specific in my reviews, because I don't want to give anything away. What I will say is that I think the writing here is beautiful. It's very vivid and descriptive, with lots of detail. I like how the pages themselves are part of the story. Any of these pieces could stand alone, but together they tell a cohesive story. I would definitely read more work by Lauren McCombe.

[Katie]

This book, written poetic prose, deals with a woman who has gone through a traumatic relationship that included physical abuse. This is her way of working through her trauma and healing.

I'm going to be perfectly honest and frank. This book took me literal months to get through. I have come to the conclusion that this type of prose poetry is just not my thing. I got the overarching story, I got some of the references, but I didn't "get" the font changes, added punctuation, etc. This felt to me more like stream of consciousness writing, with tons of specific personal references for her and her ex, rather than something to be consumed by the wide world.

I certainly feel for the author, and wish her all the best in her healing, both physically and emotionally, from the relationship that lead her to write this. I hope that in writing this, she has gotten what she needs from it. I just don't think it's for me.

I was generously gifted an advance reader copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review and I thank her for her generosity.

[Kendra Goody]

I was given an ARC copy of Lauren’s book in exchange for an honest review. What I’ve read, I was blown away by. This books trigger warnings include, trauma, harassment, depression, and anxiety. Please read throughly before continuing.

Throughout this book, I truly felt like I was on a roller coaster. You start off with a soft coast speed, slowly working your way up, up and up until you reach the peak. Once you finally reach the peak, you can feel your stomach with the millions of emotions that were put into this book/words, then it finally hits you. I could feel her words pouring over me and the amount of emotions that hit while I was reading this.

There were small pictures that captivated the ride perfectly and basically showed you at what point of the ride we were at.

Each page consists of a poem, or a shorter story, that makes the whole story, which I very much enjoyed. It pulls the book together, explaining the complete picture.

Some of the poems went on, BUT it helps pull the emotion into you with intricate details.

For my A[muse]ment will release August 16, 2022 and I am excited to see what others have to say.

[Kelly Lamich]

This was such a beautiful, heartfelt, and emotional rollercoaster (pun intended). It brought me back to old memories of my first real heartbreak with the man I first thought I loved. I felt for her on every page - through the excitement, the giddiness, the nerves, and the pain. If you’re looking for a poetry book, this one is a quick read and one you’re sure to enjoy. Thank you, Lauren for gifting the world this masterpiece. ♥️🫶🏼

[Alene Rodriguez]

**I was given an advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.**

This book was absolutely amazing!! I have never read anything like this book before which is why I wanted to read it. It was different and refreshing. I laughed, I cried and I just did not want it to end!! Thank you so much Lauren for allowing me to be an arc reader, I am looking forward to reading more of your work!!

[Taylor DeJesus]

Nobody deserves to be put in these types of situations, but the ones who go through it and are brave enough to tell their story are amazing. Reading for my a{muse}ment helped validate some of my feelings about a toxic relationship, and being able to relate to another person helped me realize that I was absolutely not crazy to feel those things.

I bought this book because just a sample had me bawling my eyes out, so you can imagine how it went to read the whole thing. But it was exactly what I needed right now. The writing is spectacular, and the format helps to drive home the emotions behind the writing. I will definitely be reading this again when I need to release some more emotions.

[Danielle Denbaugh]

I was given this book before release to give an honest review.

I thought this work was creative, unique, and helpful. I related to some of the poems and appreciated her references and emotional prose.

This was worth the read and an impressive work of poetry tied into one central theme.

[Rhianna Rice]

This book resonated with me and I’m sure it will with others. It shares about guarding your heart to prevent heartbreak, then falling head over heels in love with the potential of what the relationship could be. The prose is excellent and not all of it makes sense, but it’s not meant to all make sense. It takes you on a journey of a relationship that’s clearly doomed from the beginning. It hints at how easily we dismiss red flags that arise, wishing to cherish the moment of blissful new love.
I could probably go on…but I won’t. This was beautifully done and I’m grateful I got the opportunity to read it.
I’m so glad that the author has chosen to use the funds from this book to support research into a health issue that many aren’t aware exists.

[Katie Feltmate]

This book of poetry and prose takes the reader on an intimate journey of ups and downs, hope and love and loss. It creates much needed space for the intensity of those shorter relationships that feel so high and then so low and leave us confused and wondering what happened. It's the ambiguity we have all experienced when trying to solve the puzzle of love and dating. I really resonated with the work and think it is an important contribution to the category. I also really enjoyed the metaphors around theme parks and thought the author did a great job tying together the theme. Very relatable, raw and honest.

[Brittany Bessonett]

A glimpse into the hell of manipulation....

If you haven’t lived this tragedy, consider yourself fortunate. But you will feel is as if you have by the time you finish the book. The author has an uncanny ability to paint an emotion, leaving you heartbroken FOR her by the time you exit this ride. This book is like nothing I’ve ever read before, and it took a bit for me to get in the groove of the writing style, but it wasn’t from lack of interest. As with anything, I think we are programmed on what certain things should be....

A novel should be this... a poem should be that...

Regardless, this author used her gift as an artist to expose a vulnerability that we aren’t all so brave to attempt. And for that, she gets 5 stars of ‘bad-assery’ from me! Like she said, “this book does not have to make sense, it just has to help me heal.”

Turn the page on this chapter, my dear. It will forever be part of your story, but NOT the one that defines you! Bigger and better things are headed your way!

[Kelli Flynn]

 I Received An Advanced Copy In Exchange For An Honest Review:

This was an absolutely beautiful book. The author turned a not-so-pretty event into art. Through beautiful poetic prose, a story of love, loss, and trauma unfold. I have never read anything like this before. When creating this book, Lauren thought outside of the box and in the best way imaginable! I can't wait to see what this author will write in the future and what other magic she has up her sleeve.

[Lauren Antoniolli]

The emotions in this story are so raw and real, I felt like I was on the roller coaster myself. It’s haunting (but not in the supernatural ghost story kind of way). It’s haunting because the story is so deeply relatable, and because you will fall more in love with the protagonist on every page. Your heart will break alongside her. Settle in with a pillow and a Crumbl cookie and experience love and loss through this truly beautiful piece of art. You will not regret it!

[Angie Lee]

I've been meaning to read this book for awhile, but life happened. Once things settled down, this was on the top of my TBR. Here's my review. I hate myself for waiting so long to pick up this poetry book. I was sucked in from page one and have never felt such a range of emotions reading a book, ever, and I'm old.
If you ever pick up one book of poems, please choose this one. Trust me.