I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Author and poet Regina Louise shares a powerful, spiritual collection of poems through a mythopoetic lens in “Unladylike: A Mythopoetic Reclamation of Love.”
The Synopsis
Unladylike: A Mythopoetic Reclamation of Love by Regina Louise is a powerful poetry collection that explores self-love, healing, identity, and emotional truth through a mythopoetic lens. Blending memoir, poetic storytelling, and spiritual insight, this debut collection invites readers into a deeply personal and universal journey of reclaiming the self after trauma, heartbreak, and abandonment.
At its core, Unladylike is a book about love—not the kind conditioned by approval, performance, or survival—but love as reclamation, authorship, and embodied truth. Through lyrical, unflinching poems, Regina Louise examines the ways women and survivors are taught to contort themselves to be chosen, and what it means to return to oneself instead. These poems move through themes of inner child healing, emotional resilience, codependency, desire, grief, and personal sovereignty, offering readers both reflection and recognition.
Structured as a poetic cartography of becoming, this collection traces the evolution from silence to voice, from self-abandonment to self-devotion. Each piece acts as an excavation site where memory, the body, and identity intersect—revealing how lived experience can be transformed into meaning, agency, and self-trust. With recurring imagery of lace, mirrors, altars, and the body as archive, Unladylike creates a symbolic landscape that is both intimate and expansive.
Perfect for readers of contemporary poetry, women’s empowerment, and trauma-informed healing, Unladylike speaks to those navigating personal growth, recovering from toxic relationships, or seeking deeper self-understanding. Fans of authors like Rupi Kaur, Yrsa Daley-Ward, and Ocean Vuong will find resonance here, while discovering a voice that is wholly original and unapologetically its own
THE REVIEW
This compelling, engaging collection features poems, memoir-style storytelling, and more. The rich imagery in these poems connects the reader to the writing, creating an almost lyrical, song-like quality that adds creative depth to the powerful personal experiences the author shares throughout. The author’s writing style felt powerful and epic, capturing a mythic quality that both told a story and hit at the heart of the strong themes the narrative direction of these poems would harness.
What really stood out to this reader was the sheer depth of honesty the author brought to the writing and the way they relayed these events. Exploring themes of trauma and grief and their impact on a person, the author highlights how embracing the scars of the past with fearless determination can not only help overcome those struggles but also highlight the journey one took to get to where they are today. These poems reflect the larger theme of reclaiming identity after losing one’s sense of self.
THE VERDICT
Engaging, creative, and honest, Regina Louise’s “Unladylike: A Mythopoetic Reclamation of Love” is a must-read collection of poems that speak to the heart, engage readers emotionally, and explore the journey of the self. The experience, the insightful depth the reader gains from the author’s work, and the powerful imagery that brings this strong theme to life will resonate with many readers and keep them invested as the poems progress. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Regina Louise is a sought-after speaker, teacher, coach, and author. Recently she was the recipient of the prestigious Christopher Award, given to producers for stories that “affirm the human spirit.” In 2019 she received the Jordan Award for service in transforming foster care through advocacy and the arts; the Community Service Award for Children and Families from the Seneca Foundation; and the NAIMC Vision Award for original programming that “reflects the lives, spirit, and contributions of people of color and represents the ethnic and cultural diversity of the viewing audience.” She is the author of the bestselling memoirs Somebody’s Someone and Someone Has Led This Child to Believe. A Lifetime movie, I Am Somebody’s Child: The Regina Louise Story, is based on her life and was nominated for a 2020 NAACP Award for Best Director.
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