The CHIEF February 2025

Book Review

Lover Girl By Raegan Fordemwalt

By Emmalee Hammer

Lover Girl is a poetry book about a girl’s encounter with love. The book is a collection of poems used to tell the story of love, heartbreak, and healing, separated into four chapters, each one representing a different phase in “Lover Girl’s” breakup. The book also includes illustrations drawn by Fordemwalt that aid in establishing a mood throughout the story. In the first chapter, “Beginners Guide to Heartbreak,” Lover Girl talks of her love for the boy who broke her heart and her longing for him. However, despite the fact that she seems to be very fond of their memories, it is clear that their relationship was far from perfect, with her even saying that she is romanticizing how things were with him. The second chapter, “Lover Girl,” shows her recalling all of the memories she has with the boy. She thinks of the pleasant times that they had together and wonders: If she had done something different would they still be together? Lover Girl then starts seeing him everywhere. She can’t listen to their favorite songs or wear certain outfits, and she begins despising the person that she is. However, despite this, she still tries to look for a reason every day, to keep going, try new things, and experience life. On very rare occasions she may go an entire day without thinking of the boy who broke her heart. The third chapter, “Someone Else,” is about the devastation that Lover Girl feels when her boy falls for a new girl. Lover Girl portrays very complex feelings about the girl because while she is devastated, she can’t help but think that this new girl is perfect and she begins dressing and acting like her. In her despair, she states that she will never love again. Also referring to herself as “unlovable,” Lover Girl remains shattered. At the end of this chapter, however, Lover Girl realizes that although she may have lost herself, she is no longer in love with that boy. However, this realization does not make her happy. The fourth and final chapter, “The Stars in the Sky,” shows Lover Girl as she finally realizes that the world is bigger than just one person. She starts wearing gray again, watching her favorite movies, and belonging to herself. She says that she is proud to have loved, regardless of the outcome, and that her relationship with the boy was rare, but eventually, she will find someone else. She also realizes that letting go of someone else has given her the space to appreciate the person that she is. Lover Girl ends the book by saying that she enjoys being a lover girl regardless of whether she gets hurt because love is bigger than her or any heartbreak, and it feels good to love.

Overall, I give this book a 10/10.