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letstalkaboutbooksbaybee's review
4.0
Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy to review! All opinions are my own.
This is a lovely little poetry collection of free verse poems that show the progression the author takes from feeling trapped in an abusive relationship to leaving, processing, and healing from it.
In this collection, the author intends to remove the stigma attached to being the victim of an abusive relationship, and remove some of the romanticization that Hollywood puts on emotionally manipulative relationships.
I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I’ve never been in a situation like the author has but she had a way of bringing me into her hurt and sitting with her in it. My favorite poems were towards the end when she started to know her worth and really come into loving herself, I think those were the most powerful for me.
As always with books like these, I always prefer the longer poems that tell a deeper story rather and the shorter ones, but I think they’re all part of a great overarching story that comes together well.
If you like free verse, emotional poetry then I’d recommend this one for you!
TW for emotional and sexual abuse.
This is a lovely little poetry collection of free verse poems that show the progression the author takes from feeling trapped in an abusive relationship to leaving, processing, and healing from it.
In this collection, the author intends to remove the stigma attached to being the victim of an abusive relationship, and remove some of the romanticization that Hollywood puts on emotionally manipulative relationships.
I really enjoyed this poetry collection. I’ve never been in a situation like the author has but she had a way of bringing me into her hurt and sitting with her in it. My favorite poems were towards the end when she started to know her worth and really come into loving herself, I think those were the most powerful for me.
As always with books like these, I always prefer the longer poems that tell a deeper story rather and the shorter ones, but I think they’re all part of a great overarching story that comes together well.
If you like free verse, emotional poetry then I’d recommend this one for you!
TW for emotional and sexual abuse.
beamasalunga's review
3.0
I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.
It was a good poetry collection that deals with abuse, depression, toxic relationships etc. Reviewing this book is quite difficult because majority of them drained my energy and affected my mood.
The author's courage to write this is a struggle and based on her experiences. Which makes the whole thing authentic. However, it's difficult for me to connect with them as I never experience such deep pain. Also, I would like to see the author play with the poetry structure so as not to appear they're common sentences.
It was a good poetry collection that deals with abuse, depression, toxic relationships etc. Reviewing this book is quite difficult because majority of them drained my energy and affected my mood.
The author's courage to write this is a struggle and based on her experiences. Which makes the whole thing authentic. However, it's difficult for me to connect with them as I never experience such deep pain. Also, I would like to see the author play with the poetry structure so as not to appear they're common sentences.
shanoconnor's review
5.0
This collection was hard for me to get through, because it was so well written. This book encompasses the aftermath of an abusive relationship (something I am too familiar with). The author provided trigger warnings & I read in sections for my own mental health. The poetry is so beautifully written, I could feel every ache and pain she went through after this relationship. Feelings I didn’t know others had, making me feel validated in her words. She is incredibly brave for getting out of a terrible situation and using her healing in such a public way by writing and publishing this collection. She had so many poems I loved and lines that absolutely struck me. Some of my favorites included Certain Doubt, Taking Me, Unmasking and Talking to Myself. I highlighted so many lines like “but handing someone the tool to define me means also handing them the weapons to destroy me” and “because you were still with me in every person I tried to love”. For anyone who has been in an abusive relationship or even if you haven’t, you need this book. Rocio has an incredible voice and I hope her debut collection is the first of many.
***I received a physical arc in exchange for an honest review***
***I received a physical arc in exchange for an honest review***
wanderingwordsmith's review
5.0
*I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I had to sit with my thoughts on this one for a bit before writing up my review, because this is the type of modern poetry I enjoy and I wanted to be able to articulate what I was really feeling and thinking after reading this.
This collection is not for the faint of heart and is going to mean different things depending on what you've experienced in your life, but it's raw and full of imagery that is powerful. The sequence of the poems themselves is definitely a progression from experiencing abuse (among other things) and then getting out of that situation and discovering yourself/rising above it as life goes on.
I definitely recommend reading the foreword from the author as that contains more information and clarification on their experience. There are definite trigger warnings for abuse, gaslighting, rape, depression and more, so if those are triggering for you be aware and exercise self care when approaching this read. As a survivor of an abusive relationship myself there were parts of it that were hard and too real to my own experience, but also it proved to be soothing since it felt like someone else understood some of the things I experienced myself, which in and of itself can be therapeutic and freeing.
I had to sit with my thoughts on this one for a bit before writing up my review, because this is the type of modern poetry I enjoy and I wanted to be able to articulate what I was really feeling and thinking after reading this.
This collection is not for the faint of heart and is going to mean different things depending on what you've experienced in your life, but it's raw and full of imagery that is powerful. The sequence of the poems themselves is definitely a progression from experiencing abuse (among other things) and then getting out of that situation and discovering yourself/rising above it as life goes on.
I definitely recommend reading the foreword from the author as that contains more information and clarification on their experience. There are definite trigger warnings for abuse, gaslighting, rape, depression and more, so if those are triggering for you be aware and exercise self care when approaching this read. As a survivor of an abusive relationship myself there were parts of it that were hard and too real to my own experience, but also it proved to be soothing since it felt like someone else understood some of the things I experienced myself, which in and of itself can be therapeutic and freeing.
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