What I wish I had known

by K. Tolnø

In the heartfelt essay collection, “What I Wish I Had Known,” bestselling author K. Tolnoe shares a genuine and introspective journey of self-discovery. Through personal experiences and reflections, she offers valuable insights into love and relations, letting go, achieving success, detaching from the uncontrollable, and finding inner peace. It is a tender exploration of the human experience, leaving readers with a renewed sense of understanding and self-awareness.

278 pages, Hardcover

Published October 30, 2023

About the author

Kamilla Tolnø - better known as K.tolnoe – is a Danish writer and poet. She is known for her way to express complex emotions with simple words and minimalistic drawings. In 2017, she started sharing her art on social media and has since gained a large, loyal following from all over the world. Her characteristic minimalistic style and sharp imagery has also caught attention from world renowned celebrities such as Ariana Grande, Khloe Kardashian and Gigi Hadid.
 
Her debut poetry collection was released in 2020 and “the moon” reached #1 bestseller in her category. The series has since then become complete with “the orchid”, “the ocean” and “the wolf”. The series is written for those struggling with finding their sense of self.
 

Reviews

[Liam Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well known across the globe with many celebrity endorsements to name, K. Tolnoe has built recognition and love for her short form emotive poems. Releasing 4 poetry books in one year, which included small poetry snippets with accompanying prosaic elaborations, it would be a safe thing to do the same for her next release.

What I Wish I Had Known is actually a bit of a detour. Much the same themes and concepts but long-form nonfiction in the realms of self development instead. Thematically, it's not a big jump, but many who do short form can not do long form and vice versa (I, myself, am frankly useless at micropoetry). WIWIHK achieves the transition though and, through the lens of being 'answers to [her] younger self', provides a helping hand, a shoulder to rest upon, and a soft voice of earned wisdom.

The lessons are empathetic and comforting, but, as I wrote in my notes, are 'refreshingly blunt at times'. Even as the author - 3 years younger than i am - writes lessons for her younger self, I still find moments of value that had me nodding my head and highlighting lines. For me, there were moments of conflicting points where some cohesion was lost, which occasionally threw me off, and some areas don't feel like they speak to a broader human experience as much as they should. But, overall, comforting, valuable, and with a sisterly balance of soft and harsh.

[Chanelle Bryanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author must be in a similar headspace as me because this book resonated so hard. So wise, I imagined the age of the author to be so much older writing to their younger self. Then at page 103 “f*uck the clock” I realized they were in their 20s???? Unreal book and everything was worded so eloquently. Wow

I have journaled about this book to remember important pieces of the is book as I found it very very valuable for me ☺️ thank you for writing it Kamilla Tolnoe!!