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Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back

Alicia Cook (Goodreads Author)

4.03 · Rating details · 287 ratings · 131 reviews

Sorry I haven’t texted you back, (I’ve been so anxious and depressed) I haven’t had time to catch my breath, you know how life gets!

Returning to the form of Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately, Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is a poetic mixtape dedicated to those who struggle or have struggled with their mental health. Divided into two parts, “Side A” holds 92 poems, titled as ...more

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Paperback, 240 pages

Published October 6th 2020 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

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Lists with This Book

Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 (eligible for write-in only)

799 books — 863 voters

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

Goodreads Choice Awards 2020 Semifinal

159 books — 25 voters

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· 287 ratings · 131 reviews

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Sep 29, 2020 Reading_ Tam_ Ishly rated it it was amazing

Wow! I just love this poetry collection!

The relevant song recommendations with each poetry!

I mean that's the tea I love to slow sip and savour.

This collection is for you as much as it's for me if you want to read how it feels like you are not being understood and people keeps misjudging you.

This collection is for you as much as it's for me whose mental state and day-to-day struggling through it all is being questioned and judged as our inability and weaknesses.

This collection is for you as muc ...more

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Oct 18, 2020 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: netgalley, poetry

This poetry collection that tackles mental health, loss, love, friendships etc had my heart soaring and generously leaping through all types of emotions.

Be like water. Fill every space like it was made just for you, like you belong there. Track Eighty-Seven

Each poetry "track" is accompanied by a "currently listening" musical experience which as an insatiable lover of music, I enjoy. Side B, offers the remixes of the 92 poems written on Side A, a style that would transfer very well in my Englis ...more

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Nov 04, 2020 K. Elizabeth rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-stars, poetry, kindle, library-books, fiction, reviewed

Lovely and heartbreaking.

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Oct 01, 2020 Nai rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-digitally, read-in-english, g-poetry, love-the-title, tw-abuse, rep-mental-health, read-in-2020, t-substance-abuse, tw-suicide-selfharm, reviews

"There's stability in the aftermath of instability. There's beauty in hard transitions."

I don’t usually read poetry but whenever I see a really cute cover on Net Galley I can’t resist myself, especially when that same poetry collection talks about mental health.

That’s how I ended up reading Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back. And that’s how I ended up loving it!

Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is a poetry collection in form of a mix tape; there is a Side A and a Side B. In Side A we can find poems titled “tracks” and in Side B we can find the remixes of those tracks which are basically the same poems but in a unique form of blackout poetry.

I was really enjoying Side A, but definitely Side B made me put this book on my wishlist. That Side B made this whole poetry collection way more original that I was expecting, and it was definitely my favorite part.

There were a lot of poem that really touched me. The main subjects of this collection of poems are mental health, toxic and non-toxic relationships, substance abuse, sex, trauma and grief. There’s also a trigger warning in the beginning on the book which is highly appreciated (I think more books should have this) that also lists gun control, suicide, violence, natural disasters and death.

Every poem has its own music, its song, at the end it says “currently listening to…”, and I loved this detail since the whole collection it’s suppose to be a mixtape. Also, I loved that fact that in the remixes, since the blackout poetry changed sometimes the meaning of the original poems (since it was a completely different poem), it also changed the song it was currently playing. These little details it’s what I always love to find in the books I read and enjoy.

Overall, an amazing and warming experience about selfcare and mental health and growth. I haven’t read anything by Alicia Cook before but certainly this poetry collection won’t be the last thing. I highly recommend this poetry collection for… well, anyone! If you love poetry, go ahead. And If you don’t, try it, it’s absolutely worth it.

Thank you so much to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

///////// [ESPAÑOL] \\\\\\\

”No one knows how much she cried last Wednesday because Thursday was better and, by then, she didn’t want to dwell on yesterday.”

No suelo leer poesía pero cuando veo una portada tan bonita como esta en Net Galley no puedo resistirme, sobre todo cuando se trata de un poemario sobre salud mental.
Pero estoy feliz de haberlo pedido y leído ya que lo terminé amando.

Sorry I haven’t texted you back es un poemario en forma de mixtape, tiene un lado A y un lado B. En el lado A podemos encontrar poemas titulados como “tracks”, mientras que el lado B vamos a tener los remixes de esos tracks, es decir, los mismos poemas, pero toqueteados de una forma muy original, con otros poemas sobre esos mismos en forma de blackout poetry.

Ya estaba disfrutando mucho del lado A, pero cuando llegué a la parte de los remixes fue cuando este poemario me terminó por encantar e hizo que lo agregara a mi wishlist. Ese Lado B hizo que todo este poemario sea mucho más original de lo que yo estaba esperando y es definitivamente mi parte favorita.

Hubo varios poemas que me llegaron. Los temas principales que toca esta colección de poemas es: salud mental, relaciones, relaciones tóxicas, abuso de sustancias, sexo, trauma, y duelo. Al principio del libro hay una lista de trigger warnings que también incluye control de armas, suicidio, violencia, desastres naturales y muerte. Este detalle de la lista de trigger warnings al inicio me pareció muy bueno, y se agradece; creo que más libros deberían incluir este detalle.

Otro detalle que me re gustó de este poemario es que, al ser todo el libro en formato de mixtape, cada poema tiene su propia música, su propia canción; al final del mismo se puede encontrar que dice “actualmente escuchando…”, y menciona a artistas como NF, Halsey, Florence + The Machine, The Lumineers, Taylor Swift, Mac Miller, entre otros. También me encantó que, en los remixes, como la blackout poetry cambiaba el poema, y por ende cambiaba el significado del poema original, también cambiaba la canción que se escuchaba y recomendaba al final del mismo poema en estos remixes en el lado B. Estos pequeños detalles es lo que más aprecio a la hora de leer.

En resumen, una asombrosa y cálida experiencia acerca del amor propio y la salud mental y el autocrecimiento. No he leído nada de Alicia Cook pero definitivamente este poemario no será lo último que lea de ella. Super recomendados estos poemas para todos aquellos que amen la poesía, como también para aquellos que no la lean tan seguido y no la disfruten tanto; les juro que vale la pena.

¡Muchas gracias a Net Galley y a la editorial por brindarme un eARC a cambio de una reseña honesta!

--- Reseña en mi bookstagram: Libros con(té) ...more

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Sep 26, 2020 its.me.the.bibliophile rated it really liked it

Shelves: net-galley-reviews

**Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for a chance to read & review an E-ARC of this novel!**

For me, this was an impactful & quick read. I love poetry collections & this one had a unique writing style. I really enjoyed it overall. Please find my extended feedback below...along with some spoilers (beware).
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Things I Liked:
-the way the poems were told in side A versus side B
-how the side B section were re-written versions of the side A section (very clever & creat ...more

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Nov 01, 2020 Alicia Cook rated it it was amazing · (Review from the author)

Hi! Alicia Cook here.

(Updated 11/16/2020)

Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back didn't make the finals of the Goodreads Choice Awards. Still, it is so cool to have made it as far as it did! Thank you to everyone who voted! ...more

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Oct 21, 2020 Carrie (brightbeautifulthings) rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, poetry

Tapes were a little before my time. I had some when I was a kid, but they’d mostly been replaced by CDs by the time I was a teenager and iPods by the time I was an adult. I’m still fascinated by the concept of a mix though, of choosing songs and ordering them with intention to send a message, and there are few things more romantic, in my opinion, than giving one to someone you love. My dad made me tapes of my favorite Disney songs when I was little, and I have every mix CD every friend or partne Tapes were a little before my time. I had some when I was a kid, but they’d mostly been replaced by CDs by the time I was a teenager and iPods by the time I was an adult. I’m still fascinated by the concept of a mix though, of choosing songs and ordering them with intention to send a message, and there are few things more romantic, in my opinion, than giving one to someone you love. My dad made me tapes of my favorite Disney songs when I was little, and I have every mix CD every friend or partner ever gave me, long after we stopped seeing each other. Forget jewelry. Mixes are a love letter. (That’s a lie. Jewelry is cool too. Especially if it’s neon, plastic, and came out of a gumball machine.)

All that is to say that I’ve been wanting to read one of Alicia Cook’s collections for a while, but I hesitated because it’s poetry. I can make a list of songs with good transitions to tell you how I feel, but I struggle with poetry when it isn’t backed by music. I never feel like I “get it,” and since I prefer to keep my emotions at a polite distance whenever possible, I never feel like I’m “feeling” poetry as much as I should be either. Anything that comes after my emotions with a hammer doesn’t have a chance. This book, like a lot of contemporary poetry (that I’ve encountered, anyway), is a hammer. It’s not that I don’t care about Cook’s situation or sympathize with her. I’m just not feeling all the emotions she’s obviously feeling.

My questionable emotional health aside, I did like this collection. I like the way it addresses mental illness directly and tries to give readers an inside look at Cook’s experiences with it. A lot of the poems are love poems, and I enjoyed those too. They remind me of Taylor Swift songs, in a good way. My favorites were tracks three, fifteen, thirty-four, and forty-six, which playfully mixes in a bunch of song titles. I also like the way she pairs each poem with a song, and it’s the kind of book that should come with a link to a playlist (and it turns out it does! You can find it here). The second half is cool in theory, but in reality, I get less out of blackout poetry than the regular kind. Most of the poems are reduced to pithy little slogans, most of which don’t relate to the original material. Some are hard to read given the scribbles, but that might have been a digital side effect. If it sounds good to you, you’ll probably like it, but I’m just going to go on thinking poetry isn’t really for me, even if it’s wearing its mixtape costume.

Notes on the digital copy: I had major difficulty with the format. I use Aldiko Press to read non-Kindle files, and it does not handle images well at all. Sadly, every. single. page. of the B-sides is formatted as an image. It took up to thirty seconds to load each one, which is no way to read a book. I amused myself by looking up some of the songs on YouTube while I waited, but I was very annoyed by the end (through no fault of Cook’s, of course). I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Andrews McMeel Publishing. Trigger warnings: death, mental illness, depression, trauma, grief.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com. ...more

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Sep 30, 2020 Beatrice Masaluñga rated it liked it

Shelves: poetry, arc

ARC kindly provided in exchange for an honest review.

This is better than the first one I've read from Ms. Cook. The poems here are more captivating and I enjoyed the first half of it. However, I felt disconnected on the second half for some reason. I felt like it has the same context but differently written. I just find it redundant. ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Alisa rated it it was amazing

I looooved this poetry collection, it is one of my all-time favorite ones now. There wasn't a poem in here that I didn't enjoy. But I especially loved those about depression and anxiety, whose hit deep. The songs listed at the end of each poem added another layer of enjoyment to my reading experience and i added some of the songs to my playlist. The list of trigger warnings at the beginning of the book was a thoughtful touch and more books should do that.
Huge thank you to Netgalley for a copy o ...more

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Oct 13, 2020 Amy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: for-dramatic-effect-ya-think, girls-with-a-voice, life, netgalley-arc, true-story, pop-goes-the-weasel-its-relevant

Alicia Cook has offered up a unique poetic experience.

The poetry was thought provoking and emotionally charged. Each poem had a corresponding song that Ms. Cook was listening to during its' completion. I found that to be an added bonus for the reader to assist in coming to a better understanding of the author. I was enamored with both Side A and Side B (although I will say Side B is more visceral). Gut wrenching and honest, you will leave this work feeling like you have lived through the journe ...more

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Aug 31, 2020 Natalie rated it really liked it

”No one knows how much she cried last Wednesday because Thursday was better and, by then, she didn’t want to dwell on yesterday.”

I really enjoyed this collection of poems, but the best part of this book is the layout of the pages and the whole “mixtape-design”. After every poem (they are called track one, track two etc.) there is a song recommendation that fits the current vibe. I created a playlist out of these songs, and I enjoyed listening to them while reading the poems. Another very unique ...more

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Oct 19, 2020 Lorena rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-in-english, 5-stars, im-in-love-aka-favorites, poetry-or-in-verse, arcs

"So, when you feel the sadness lingering, remember not every guiding light will glow bright. There is a lesson found in all your days, even hidden in the worst ones of your life. Carry on, carry on."

*Me to this book*: Is this a personal attack??

tw for illness, guns, and other weapons, violence, suicide, drugs and alcohol, natural disasters, death, sex, and trauma.

"It’s easy to feel out of place lately. Like you’re a day behind everyone else or in the wrong decade altogether. Maybe this ...more

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Sep 27, 2020 Cassie-la rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020-reads

Alicia Cook's newest poetry collection, Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back, is a super relevant exploration of mental illness, grief and lost love through verse. While I really enjoyed the first set of 92 poems (Side A), I found the remixes (Side B) even more intriguing. To create this super inventive B-side, Cook takes the first round of her poems and uses them to create new ones, using blackout/erasure poetry techniques to ultimately change their meaning. ...more

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Sep 06, 2020 allieereads rated it really liked it

Shelves: 4-star-books, poetry, arcs, 2020-releases, netgalley, 2020

'Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back' by Alicia Cook is a powerful poetry collection, in which Cook continues to bring a uniqueness to modern poetry with the structure and format of her collection. As a fan of her previous collection, 'Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately', I knew that this poetry collection would be incredibly moving and raw.

'Sorry I haven't Texted You Back' explores themes of anxiety, depression, love, heartbreak and family, just to name a few. Alicia Cook writes so powefully concerning ...more

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Sep 30, 2020 Natalie rated it really liked it

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Sorry I haven't Texted you back is a beautiful collection of poetry and presented in a unique and interesting way.

This book is presented as a mix tape with two sides: the first draft then the remix.

Each poem is meaningful and slips under your skin making you feel less alone and more understood. So many poems in this book resonated with me! I thoroughly enjoyed this collection ...more

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Sep 30, 2020 Karen Blackburn rated it it was amazing

You guys won't ever understand how much this book meant to me. First of all, I love this woman so much! "Stuff I've been feeling lately" amazed me so much that I didn't think other book will take that place in my heart! Second of all, I had this amazing opportunity of reading it earlier. And last but not least, this book was just what I needed it. And I'm gonna leave this here so you can understand a little bit.

The past is not something we can simply put down on a coffee table or leave behind at ...more

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Oct 17, 2020 Geoff rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc, net-galley, read-2020, poetry

A mix-tape book of poetry where the poems in the first section were "remixed" (by crossing out many of the original words) into something wholly new. But something about the sheer size of this collection removes the surprise and power from this technique and the uneven original poems weren't enough to hold my interest. Like the themes of self-exploration and dealing with mental illness, but as art this wasn't for me.

**Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for ...more

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Aug 25, 2020 Aida ☾ rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebook, arc

i really, really loved this. i know there's a lot said about this genre of poetry but i don't care, i still like it.
i specially liked the structure of this. of each track, the pacing. but also, the difference between what side a and side b have to tell, the way they make you feel.
i felt like every track on this spoke to a different part of me, and when i reached side b, i was so moved. i teared a bit with some of these, i felt the sadness and emptiness with others. i found it so relatable. ...more

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Sep 07, 2020 Faeeja Humaira Meem rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Thank you to Netgalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing, and of course, Alicia Cook for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved it! I was mostly drawn towards "Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back" because the title is SO ME (I mean, it's a given for a millennial introvert.)
I am not normally a fan of this genre of poetry, but this was an incredible experience. I loved the concept of it, and how it was executed. As someone who visits depression and anxiety frequently, "Sorry ...more

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Nov 11, 2020 Hannah rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc, release-2020, contemporary, 3-and-a-half-star, poetry, read-2020, rep-mental-health

Deeply personal and emotional, Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back is the latest collection by Alicia Cook. If you enjoyed her previous work, then this will be no different. Its' deeply emotive poetry will make you feel like even the darkest parts of your heart are understood. ...more

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Oct 26, 2020 Delirious Disquisitions rated it liked it

Shelves: poetry, arc

You Should Read This If You’re Looking For: easy to digest contemporary poetry dealing with depression, anxiety, mental health, suicide, survivor’s guilt, the aftermath of messy breakups, and trauma, etc.

Designed, as the cover suggests, as a mixtape with Side A and Side B. Favorite poems include: tracks 3,4, 6,7,19,25,26,29,32,73,86.

Format, Side A: contains a collection of 92 poems with titles as track numbers.
Each poem also has a song inspiration at the end, with the song title and name of t You Should Read This If You’re Looking For: easy to digest contemporary poetry dealing with depression, anxiety, mental health, suicide, survivor’s guilt, the aftermath of messy breakups, and trauma, etc.

Designed, as the cover suggests, as a mixtape with Side A and Side B. Favorite poems include: tracks 3,4, 6,7,19,25,26,29,32,73,86.

Format, Side A: contains a collection of 92 poems with titles as track numbers.
Each poem also has a song inspiration at the end, with the song title and name of the artist that makes for a fun extracurricular activity if you want to put together a playlist for these poems.

Alicia Cook’s poetry deals with some really heavy themes such as anxiety, depression, suicide, survivor’s guilt, love, messy breakups, trauma, etc. The poems are written in an easy, digestible format that would appeal to readers of Rupi Kaur’s "Milk and Honey" collection. As I’m not a fan of this type of writing, however, this held little interest.

The poems in this collection are mostly literal, with a few scattered easy-to-pick metaphors that have little depth beyond surface level. There is no profound meaning to unearth, unravel, or divine at.

Yet, Cook’s poetry is relatable to the struggles we face in a 21st century social landscape. Especially in light of the pandemic, feelings of isolation, alienation, uncertainty, inability to commit to relationships, and social pressures are all reflected back with comfortable familiarity. I was especially drawn to the hint of depth in poems that deal with grief, depression and suicide; there’s a rawness to these poems that I wish was explored more in depth.

Side B: “Remixes” contained blacked out versions of some of the poems from Side A that I found utterly pointless and pretty banal.

My favorite part of this collection might be the mixtape concept this book is presented as, particularly the cover art and title that feel hopeful, funky, relatable, and original: the potential is there, peaking through in certain poems. I just wish it was more. 3 stars.

The ARC of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ...more

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Nov 04, 2020 vrenzy goel rated it it was amazing

I have read other books by Alicia Cook and her unique writing style is enjoyable.

the music in this book along with the poems is a different kind of vibe. her musical choices are so magical, they make a mood. i love the vibe i get when reading an alicia cook book. this book, the poems hit me so hard. its like my thoughts, my interactions are reflected in cook’s words. every poem is so true for me and for i guess everyone who has mentally struggled. every poem is worthy of praise. it hit me so har ...more

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Sep 14, 2020 cossette rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction-poetry, other-arc

Something that I really loved about Sorry I Haven’t Texted You Back is the way the poems were titled as tracks, and each track came with a “currently listening to” — I hope there’ll be an attached playlist upon publication, since I’ve been making my own as I go along. I really appreciated the content warnings in the beginning of the book, and from the songs I do know from the “currently listening to” section, I could see how each poem was influenced by it. A lot of the poems were incredibly rela ...more

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Oct 07, 2020 Joseph Spuckler rated it it was amazing

Shelves: poetry

Cook stands out among the younger poets in her writing. Her poetry is traditional in form and much more developed than the Instagram poetry that seems to be all the rage today; her poetry also packs much more of a punch. Deep and well-thought lines adds power to the words. It is refreshing to see traditional poetry for all readers that is actually poetry and not a collection of clichés masquerading as a poem. With that being said, the second half of Cook's collection, "Side B The Remixes," takes ...more

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Sep 10, 2020 Caro rated it liked it

Shelves: arc

My favourite part of this book was its format: the poems are divided between Side A ("regular" poems) and Side B (blackout poetry versions of said poems). Every poem is also accompanied by a song which the author was listening to as she wrote.

In regards to the content itself, I enjoyed it but didn't find it outstanding in comparison to a lot of other "modern" poetry I've read. The writing style seemed to fluctuate a lot between pieces and I found myself losing interest several times along the wa ...more

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Aug 27, 2020 Ghoul Von Horror rated it it was amazing

Shelves: ebooks, 2020-books-read, netgalley, books-i-loved, poetry

Omg, I read this book and was swept away into such a cocoon of real love. I wish my words could describe how beautiful and moving each poem made me feel. This author is someone seriously special. I was moved by each poem. Sometimes I cried, sometimes I laughed, and sometimes I got goosebumps at how it made me feel. I will read ANYTHING she writes until I take my last breath in this world.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for this advance copy of this book.

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Aug 20, 2020 Joy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-faves, arc

I had never read a poetry book by Alicia Cook before, and now I wonder why.
I absolutely love the concept of this book, and love the execution of it.
The poems are all very wonderful, I bookmarked so much of them. I think my favorite part of the book was side B of the 'tapes', but I actually just loved the whole book.
I'm also a big fan of the 'Currently listening to ....' notes on the end of each page, I made a playlist with these songs which I listened to while reading the book.
Last but not least ...more

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Aug 20, 2020 Brianna rated it really liked it

I really resonated with this book. As a fellow person who has depression and anxiety, "Sorry I havent texted you back" hit some spots in my heart. My absolute favorite thing was the remixes. Taking all of the main tracks (or poems) and finding smaller, more intricate poems within. LOVED THAT SO MUCH. Such a unique and beautiful way to write. ...more

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Nov 26, 2020 Jess rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-reads

I'm so happy I learned about Alicia Cook and her poetry collection a few years ago. Some of her pieces truly stick with me and for that I'm so grateful. Thank you, Alicia. ...more

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