Illustrated throughout, this boy is a constellation is a brazenly honest and achingly relatable collection that speaks to the struggles of young people today. From depression, anxiety, and body image to sexuality, self-love, and empowerment, these poems are not just about overcoming how others see you, but how you see yourself.
Divided into four chapters, this is a boy’s journey across the stars – from lonely wanderer to discovering stardust within and dancing his own constellation. Perfect for fans of Nikita Gill, Trista Mateer, Amanda Lovelace, Rupi Kaur, Courtney Peppernell, Becky Albertalli, and Adam Silvera.
My Review:
Rating: 3/5 stars
Being pride month I thought it perfect to finally pick up Sam Payne's 2nd poetry collection, 'this boy is a constellation'. I love seeing Indie Author's work that you can tell has had so much effort put into it. The formatting is beautiful and the illustrations that go with almost every poem are beautiful and add to the overall response to each piece. Even more amazing is that Sam does the illustrations himself. I love how Sam experiments with different poetry styles. I love the list poems that are spotted throughout and the blackout poetry is very innovative.
This collection explores life in our early twenties. It's a book of letting go of the past, finding purpose, challenging expectations, and learning to love yourself. I feel like there is such honesty in this collection and it definitely felt very young adult. For me the poetry was maybe a little too simplistic and I didn't feel like there was any deep connection there. I kept wanting more from the words I was reading. Having said this, it was a very quick read and I think Sam's poetry collections are very important for young readers, especially those of the LGBTQ+ community.