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OK so it's like if Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, and Adele had a candlelit séance in a velvet-draped room...and decided to conjure up a poet. Rome would appear.
BUT THEN Noah Kahan wanders in from the woods, adds a little sad lonely folk, a little raw ache, and then you have - Girl on the Ceiling. That's my review. Yep. Incredible.
Grace
This book isn’t trying to “save” you—this is art, the haunting kind. It’s a complete cycle: the messiness of love, the beauty it holds, the destruction it can cause, and the healing that comes after. This entire book is haunting. It’s a visceral, honest depiction of girlhood as ART. It sits with you. It makes you sit. It’s romantic. It’s spicy. It’s soft and brutal and everything in between. It makes you feel seen. It makes you feel unapologetic. It makes you feel drunk on something deeper.
It’s probably the best modern poetry book I’ve read in a long, long time."
Deepali
My favourite thing about this collection is how it questions what love truly is and what all of those old cliches, such as "love at first sight" actually mean. Because we have all grown up with them spoon-fed to us everywhere we look...especially as young girls growing into women. How it presents the readers with a picture in their mind of a girl devastated by a boy who simply does not understand why their "love" is ruining her.
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I'd recommend this to anyone who maybe does not view love in all of its stereotypes and cliches, but wants to understand the actual human nature of it and explore the idea that maybe not all love is healing and that love can be war, too."
Himanshi
"This book swallowed me whole."
Nadia
Beautiful. Raw. Deep.
The embodiment of women, on a page. This book of poetry was amazing! Beautifully written and wonderfully reflective. The poems explore complex themes such as love, loss, and identity with nuance and depth. Through careful attention to rhythm and sound, the poet evokes a sense of musicality in the language. A must-read of 2025."
Kirstin
Thank you for crafting a novel that makes me feel seen and truly validates emotions. Rome's writing beautifully captures the essence of being a woman, and I’m grateful for how it resonates so deeply. It’s a powerful and comforting reminder of the strength in our experiences. "
Diya
Gosh, what a banger of a poetry collection...I really wish we had more voices like this. If this book doesn't 'define' our generation's zeitgeist like what grunge music did for 90s kids, I would actually be so surprised. "
Fiona
This book is not gentle—but that’s precisely its power. With haunting lyricism and brutal honesty, Richards explores what it means to grow up feminine in a world that both romanticizes and ravages vulnerability.
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What makes Girl on the Ceiling unforgettable is its visceral honesty. It doesn’t just tell you how it feels to be betrayed or broken—it makes you feel it in your bones. For anyone who has endured the slow unraveling of a toxic relationship or the sharp pangs of a haunted past, this book will feel like a scream you’ve never quite let out.
Dark, feminine, and unforgettable, Girl on the Ceiling isn’t just a book—it’s an emotional exorcism.
Alisha
Rome has a unique way of sharing emotion in such a raw and real way, (Girl on the Ceiling) is heart-rending."
Amy
If any male-identifying person wishes to have a girlfriend in the future then this poetry book should be mandatory reading"
A young adult
literature group
The poetic beauty in this is haunting, so it's like a train headed straight for you, only your feet are glued to the ground. I couldn't put this book down. It's so raw and honest that it's like looking at my life in a mirror watching it all play back. Every woman should read this and if you have a daughter she should too.
The heartbreak, the survival, the healing.
Ruechelle
'Girl on the Ceiling' is certainly not an uplifting read but it is an incredibly raw and powerful exploration of heartbreak and emotional trauma. Rome's writing doesn't shy away from the difficult realities of loss, making it a book that sticks with you long after you've put it down"
Claire
A harrowing, collection of poems that speak to answer the question of what love is, and how it can be manipulated to cause harm. "
Anoji
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