⭐Longlisted for the National Book Award!
What I thought was a story about two troubled kids in a poetry group turned into so much more. I cried too many times to count and instead of feeling empty, I feel full.
Emotionally? This book is a rollercoaster disguised as a slow-burn...Bring tissues. And maybe a spare heart. You’ll need it.
MY!!!! HEART!!!! IS!!!! SO!!!! FULL!!!!
What an incredibly powerful, emotional, REDEMPTIVE story!
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I'd recommend The Free Verse Society to folks who enjoy depth to their YA drama, fans of the found family trope, and stories about how healing love in all it's forms can be!
genuinely, this book was slightly life-altering. i might reread this in a few months to feel something.
WOOOOOOOOOOW. This is one of my favorite books of all time!! I can’t remember the last time I was giggling and kicking my feet while reading...This story moved my SOUL
Jae’s story *moved* me. I cried several times. The friendships built, the love and care she receives from her chosen family, and the ending of this book for her absolutely are wrecked me...
the end of this book had me wiping away tears in public because it was so stunningly beautiful.
This book explores love, loss, grief, class differences, teen pregnancy, family pressure, and the power of words in such a gentle yet devastating way. It’s emotional and incredibly powerful...I found myself rereading lines just letting it sink in. One of the most beautiful stories I’ve read in a long time. Don’t sleep on this one.
It’s been a while since I’ve read a YA novel that wormed its way into my heart like this one did. As a high school teacher this hit hard- we truly don’t know what these babies are dealing with. The way that Adjoa writes about Jae and Derek’s respective traumas is done with care and the last 25% of the book had me with tears just rolling down my face. This book deserves all the hype.
This book was so much more emotional than I expected it to be it was so raw and realistic
The WRITING is so captivating — the entire book felt like I was reading a poem! Even though this story involves a lot of really heavy and difficult topics (domestic violence, abusive parental relationships, teen pregnancy, adoption, grief and loss) and these teenage characters navigate SO much in these pages, it was beautifully done...This book, while not very long in length, is one I know that will stick with me for years to come, maybe even a lifetime.
Also…surprise near the end?!? Omg 😭💗❤️🩹 what a truly beautiful portrayal of love: romantic, platonic and familial. I was a bawling mess and I loved every minute of it 💖
It’s been a while since I read anything YA and wow, just wow. I can’t wait to recommend this one at the library.
This book is gorgeous, like beautifully plated dessert gorgeous, like sunset over water beautiful, I will love this book forever. I finished reading this book feeling complete. The pacing is perfect. The characters, oh I would have dreamt to be this seen and loved at such a young age.
Tears!!! I have never cried so much while reading a book. There was so much emotion in this story, on both characters sides. Definitely the fmc had more torture and turmoil, and moving in with her uncle was supposed to give her a new start to her life, but unfortunately, the past comes back to follow her. I don’t want to give away spoilers, just know to have the tissues ready.
Adjoa’s writing is incredible, and it’s easy to get lost in her words. I’m not a big poetry fan, but each of the characters’ love for the genre made me much more invested in their stories...The Free Verse Society was a very heavy book, and one that I know will stick with me for a long time.
It's been a while since I've read such a beautiful, moving, meaningful story, and I'm enjoying soaking in all the beauty and emotion...
this was a STUNNING book omg. so so beautifully written.
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THE FREE VERSE SOCIETY
A tender hate-to-love YA romance about two teens who connect through their high school poetry club, where the power of the written word tears down the walls they’ve built around their hearts.
No one in Delray knows Jae Aƒenyo’s story—that she’s a teen mom who placed her baby for adoption—and she intends to keep it that way. After moving in with her uncle, Jae is looking for a fresh start. But an accidental run-in with the school’s delinquent, Derek Patel, is not exactly what she had in mind. She soon finds a haven in the poetry club—at least, until Derek joins.
Derek Patel is desperately clinging to his old life—where his dad was alive, his mom was healthy, and they lived in an oceanfront estate instead of a run-down pink bungalow. He’ll do anything to hide his problems from his friends, including breaking into his old house to keep up the charade that he still lives there. But the house now belongs to the school’s lit teacher, who offers him the chance to join the poetry club as a penance.
As the newest members of the club, Jae and Derek are tasked with planning the end-of-semester poetry reading. While Derek is hell-bent on keeping his broken family a secret, Jae is desperate to prove to her uncle that she’s more than a walking statistic—which means guarding her heart against Derek, who her uncle thinks is no good.
