Half Pleasure Half Pain

by Mohamed Ghazi

“Love is nothing but a lie to the prudent and a truth to the fool.”
This book is about the girl who changed my life. This book is about the girls whose lives were ruined by me. I want to write about my story, for it’s the only way to be immortal. I want you to feel the pleasure of falling in love. The lust, the passion, the desire, and the craving that turns into an unhealthy addiction. And I want you also to feel the pain of losing someone, the ache, the agony, the bitterness, and the grief that cripples your soul forever.
This is for everyone. The forgotten souls buried under the melancholy of the past. Yes, I will show you how much you hurt me, I will write.
This is what my heart holds for you;
half pleasure,
half pain.

Genres: Poetry

226 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2016

About the author

Mohamed Ghazi is an author whose writing inhabits the quiet, uncomfortable spaces most people avoid. His work explores raw, unfiltered emotion—love, isolation, regret, and the slow resilience required to endure them. He has been writing since 2006, shaped by a deep admiration for Charles Bukowski’s unapologetic honesty and a lifelong need to tell the truth as it is felt, not softened.
He has published six books—Honest, Half Pleasure Half Pain, Blue, Death and Other Beautiful Things, Winter, and his latest work, I Wanted to Live. Through poetry and prose, Mohamed invites readers into intimate reflections on longing, missed chances, and the quiet ache of wanting more from life while standing in your own way. His writing does not offer easy answers. It offers recognition. A mirror. And sometimes, a moment of shared silence.

Reviews

[Jinan Reads]

OK.

I'm an emotional wreck right now, finished the book in less than a day
and we can all blame Mohamed Ghazi extraordinary writing skills.
This is, as the first book, another piece of art.
It was my pleasure meeting the author.
I can't wait for your future books!

[Loulwa Alali]

MIND BLOWNING!!

Simply amazing with a very unexpected ending!!!!!
You have to read the first book then this one

[Alaa A]

Me after reading this book:

WOW this book blew my mind with a very dark storyline and amazing characters I just coudn't believe the connection to HONEST oh my god.

[Meme Ameer]

I finished this book in less than 12 hours and I haven't slept yet I want to tell you all the I'm so freaking impressed by the way this book played with me!!!!!
THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILER SO GO AWAY IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK

HONEST OLIVER IS H! I can't believe this and if you don't understand you have to read the author first book "Honest" I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S HER AGAIN.
And Helen is such a b*tch what the hell is that I thought she is H and I was so confused and I hated Colton then I loved him then I hated him again and I loved him!!!!! What did you do to me GHAZI?
I'm likeeeeee

this book is everything you want if you want to be wrecked emotionally. I'm gonna recomend this book to everyone as if it was one of my own.
Created a goodreads account just to write this. Ok. Bye

[Danah Alshallal]

The book is amazing!,people can actually relate to the characters at some point.you just can't stop reading it each page makes you more excited to read the next one!. Great book great writer.cant wait for the next book!
Best of luck inshallah.

[Kawthar A]

First of all I would like to mention that I met Mohamed Ghazi in the book launch of "Half Pleasure Half Pain" and he is one of the nicest people ever.
Second, I had my doubts about this book, I mean how can he top his first book "Honest"? I was waiting for this book for a long time and I finally got my copy.
MOHAMED TOPPED HIS FIRST BOOK.
I liked everything in the book, the cover, the story, the characters, the poetry, THE POETRY, the ending, the artwork. Everything in book was going under a dark theme. It's like reading the thoughts of a mad man.
AND THE CONNECTION WITH HIS FIRST BOOK!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I started the book at 10PM and finished it in six hours. I couldn't put it down. I could't sleep afterwards.
This is simply the best book I read in 2016. I hope there will be more books coming from this man because damn.

[Zeina J.]

It is so hard not to spoil, but this book is purely a work of gold. I can officially say that this book is one of my favorite books. As I read, I discovered that there is so much pain in this world that I knew only a little of and that yes, pleasure comes with it and they work hand in hand. Yes, I don't want to spoil, you won't regret reading this book. It is 4 AM and this book got me feeling forever grateful for the life I have and it is making me look forward to the future because it is only filled with so much. The characters in these books are relatable and the twists will leave you shocked! From the set up of the book to the drawings to the poems, you truly won't put the book down until you're done with it! I give it 5 stars and Mohamed Ghazi, you succeeded again!!! Thank you so much for this precious piece.

[Sara Alali]

another masterpiece by Mohamed!
such a page turner.

[Mariam]

I really loved this book soo much that i actually wanna read it again now. It blew my mind. Especially the confessions part!! Page 153 is the reason i loved this book more because i wasn't expecting this at all. I loved Colton personality even though he wasn't a very good person but everything he felt was so true and most of us feel the same way but we hate to admit it. I just wanted to say great job and I can't wait for your next book

[Athraa Ib]

I cannot believe I just read that. It's ace, but if you know me, emotions are too much for me. This book wrecked me and I don't think I will get over it anytime soon. My heart lie broken, you can see the pieces lie with it there. I relate to it on so many levels, you don't understand. *le heartbroken*

[Lora]

This book is just too good to be true. It's dark and depressing. It's like the perfect cup of black coffee that your body needs to make you feel better. I just loved everything about it. I recommend everyone to read Honest first before this one.

[Reem AlWuhaib]

the book is well-written and i enjoyed reading every single page of it!

[FKBurashed]

Amaaaazing🙌🏽 loved the plot twist so much that wasn’t expected, I liked Colin but I didn’t love him, I didn’t like how of a player he was but definitely loved his insanity and I can understand why he did what he did and everything seemed so natural to me.💙

[Jay]

absolutely stunning.

[Rawan Al-Ali]

It's going to sound so cheesy, but I half loved, half hated this book.
My review contains spoilers so becareful you have to read Honest and Half Pleasure Half Pain for the same author to get the whole story.
1- I loved Colton. I don't know why but I felt sorry for him. I loved how the author took us to his past. And it broke my heart the way his end was.
2- I freaking hated HELEN. I'm starting a Helen Payne hate club.
3- I love the reappearance of Honest. Such a smart way to connect the two books.
4- I hated ANDREW. I HATED HIM SO MUCH.
5- I loved Rosemary and I wanted to see more of her.
6- I hated how rushed was the second half of the book. I enjoyed it the most and it was my best apart 'the pain part'
7- I had my doubts, but now I'm so sure that Honest is stupid. Although most of us are stupid when it comes to love.
8- One of the best books I've read. HOORAY to the author.

This book is a solid five stars.

[Zahraá]

I just finished reading this book and I'm honestly speechless. I don't know where to start or how to put my feelings into words.
In this book, you can see how Mohamed Ghazi grew beautifully as a writer and has his own writing style. The plot was marvelous and I loved the dialogues!
I was absolutely stunned when I was how brilliantly the writer linked his first book Honest to Half Pleasure Half Pain. I was overwhelmed with happiness that the character of Honest still lived on in this book and how it was done tastefully.
I cannot wait to read more of Ghazi's upcoming work and I wish him all the best.

[Shurouq Bouresli]

I stayed up all night reading half pleasure half pain and reading it felt like wrapping myself in a warm blanket on a rainy day.

The book sucked me in completely and quickly, becoming a page-turner that I didn't want to put down, it left me feeling indescribably happy, sad, confused, annoyed, and blissful.
And the truth is, I don't cry very often. Not even over things everyone says you're going to cry over. This book, however, hit very close to home and made me cry. I honestly loved every bit of it, stunning artwork and the poetry was eloquent and beautifully written.

You're simply one hell of a writer! I hope to see more of your work in the future.

[Fatima]

I can't bring myself to do a character assassination of the purposefully and miserably flawed personages in this book, knowing the novel is intended to be therapeutic and autobiographical. I'll just be brief.

The bad:
The purple prose
It still needs an editor for all the grammatical mistakes
It's pretty emotionally exploitative, my least favorite kind of narrative
Characterization inconsistencies across the board

The good:
I really liked the poems
It's a realistic process of loss and grief even without the pay off and recovery
Makes a point to address toxic masculinity

The verdict:

I'm still shocked how hyper-popular this book is in local circles, and I worry.

[Jassim Al Enezi]

Honest Review (Pun Intended): I liked the idea, not a big fan of the writing, not a big fan of the plot either. It was nothing special and I definitely expected more. I've read similar books but executed better. One star for the cover, and the other star is for the consistency.

[Anwaar]

I read Half Pleasure, Half Pain by Mohammad Ghazi the day it was released and finished it the very next day. From the first page, I was completely hooked and couldn’t put it down.

This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. It made me feel everything hope, sadness, frustration, and heartbreak. There were moments that genuinely stayed with me long after I finished reading.

What impressed me the most was Mohammad Ghazi’s writing. He has a way of making you connect deeply with him. His storytelling feels effortless, yet every emotion comes across so powerfully.

This was one of those books that completely pulled me in and kept me thinking about it even after I turned the last page. Heartbreaking, emotional, and beautifully written, it’s a book I would highly recommend.

[Jana]

Okay, wow. I just finished reading this book and It's 100% a can’t-put-it-down kind of book that you’ll cry while reading. I couldn't stop sobbing. It's phenomenal. It's a beautifully written book. The ending wasn't expected, before reading the ending, my heart was broken into pieces, but after reading it, hope was given to me. Well done Mohamed 5/5!

[Lamar]

The characters were so well written. Colton was so lovable and real even though he was overflowing with personality flaws. The book had a perfect balance of art, poetry, and literature, so it felt so refreshing to turn each and every page. Massive page turner, never boring. Wish I could read it for the first time again.

[Oden Aljassar]

I though Honest was the saddest book I read, but this book has just made it on the top of my the saddest books ever list. Brilliant plot with amazing ending. I want to read it again <3

[Fatmah Alzahraa]

This is not a review. I'm just disappointed.

[Nawal Al-Mahdi]

After reading Honest by Mohamed Ghazi I needed to read more of him because the book wans't enough for me so I started following him on Twitter, but I wasn't satisfied. I needed more and I was waiting for this book for almost a year.
After I finished reading "Half Pleasure Half Pain" I decided that Mohamed Ghazi is my best author of all time. His two books just ruined me in a very beautiful way.
In this book the author threads sentences together in such a beautiful way that it just makes sense, and the poetry just went so well with the story and the book theme.
What I liked more about this book, that only proves that Mohamed has grown as a writer, is how smart and clever the characters are. I found myself in them. All of them. Even Helen.
Mohamed plays with my emotions too well. I cried reading his first book and I cried more in this book, but this time it hurt so much while I cried. This book was just a painful experience for me.
And let's all talk about how creative are the confessions and how creative is the infamous page 153!
Not to mention the beautiful book cover.

I thank Mohamed Ghazi for writing this book. I hope there will be more.

[Rita Radi]

My rating for Mohamed's first book "Honest" was 4 stars. I thought it was a great start for a promising author. This book for me is a pure 5 stars, I can't even put to words how beautiful this book is. I was moved by every word and every action that Colton Collins did. I had so many feelings while reading, I was sad and happy. I felt the darkness in this book. It was an amazing experience and I'm just really proud that this was written by a local author. My best character was Rosemary and my heart is broken now.
I'd definitely recommend this book to everyone. But you have to read "Honest" first.
Best of luck in your future books.

[Noor Sharqawi]

I don't think anyone would relate to this book the way I can relate to it. The characters felt so real and I went through the same experience.
The writing is just beautiful and Ghazi's poetry is one of the strongest poetry I've read and this book proves it as the first one did.
I'm not sure about the ending, I didn't like it, I wanted more but it ended so soon. It absorbed me. I cried so hard.
And yea page 153 was a complete shock! I have to read it all over again because of page 153.
Great job to my favorite author <3

[Fatma A]

Things I disliked about this book:
1- The ending, I didn't like the ending of "The Pain" chapter at all, I cried and I hated when I cry. Totally loved the last chapter though.
2- This book was just short for me and I needed more.
3- I HATED HELEN SO MUCH. AND ANDREW.

Things I loved:
1- Almost everything.
2- the confessions!!!!!!
3- The dark artworks.
4- The cover is just gorgeous.
5- THE POETRY IS WAY BETTER THAN THE FIRST BOOK.

My rating for this book was 4 stars but then I read your reviews and ok 5 stars all way.
Good luck Mohammad :*

[Shoug]

I'm not sure how to feel about this book as a whole, but I know how to feel about it as parts. There were pages that poured depth, and pages that were just pages. The emotions that was carried throughout the book were a mixture of heavy and not that heavy. I was only the viewer of them living in their shoes, and it the feelings were only struck for like seconds and leave for hours.
There were lines that would blow my mind and wonder about life, and there were lines were it didn't justify the feelings enough.
But as an overall, it was a good read *pun not intended*

[Mona]

The things I disliked about this book: nothing.
The things I liked about this book: nothing.
The things I loved about this book: everything.
BRILLIANT. ADDICTING!!
This book had every type of emotion locked into its pages that I have within me. I actually actively thought of this book throughout the day, and couldn't wait to read it again.
The end to this book is most definitely bitter-sweet, but it couldn’t have been concluded any other way: to end it differently would have made the entire book pointless——and I think Mohamed Ghazi recognized this,