Don't Be a Stranger: Poems and Prose

by Audrey Emmett

Chronicling the tumultuous story of two people who can’t seem to stay together — or apart — Don’t Be a Stranger is a candid collection of poetry and prose exploring what it means to love someone and still say goodbye. This collection captures the heartbreak of witnessing someone you know by heart suddenly become a stranger, as well as the ache of becoming a stranger to yourself.

Each poem is a poignant vignette of love and longing, with specificity that feels sharply personal yet universal. Don’t Be a Stranger will resonate with anyone that has felt a disconnect between the person they once were, and who they are now. These poems take your hand and turn you towards a mirror, reintroducing you to your reflection. They will not only validate your heartache, but reunite you with yourself.

Genres: Poetry

241 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

Audrey Emmett is an author, visual artist, and student from the San Francisco Bay Area, currently based in Chicago, Illinois. She is the author of the poetry collection, Everything at Once. Emmett has cultivated an engaged and loyal following of over 100k across social media platforms. Although she is known for her poems about love and heartbreak, she explores topics such as mental health, identity, and coming-of-age in her work as well. Emmett also works as a freelance graphic designer.

Reviews

[Caitlin Conlon]

If you've known heartache's dull pain, how it lingers in your bones and burrows into your body, “Don't Be A Stranger” will feel like validation, a hug, and a punch in the gut all at once. Audrey Emmett's sophomore collection is deeply confessional, brutally honest. It's easy to fall into these pages and lose yourself in the narrative, which reminds us that trying to forget about those that have left us is not the same as actually forgetting them. Interspersed with artwork and handwritten pages that fans of Emmett's instagram will adore, “Don't Be A Stranger” asks us to look in the mirror and forgive the person we became when we were hurting. It asks us to let it go.

[sofia · Rating 3 out of 5]

girl got back with him one too many times

[Shelby Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't Be a Stranger is a hauntingly beautiful collection about heartbreak and surviving in the aftermath of loss. With poems and prose intermixed with Emmett's art that we know and love, this book will resonate with anyone who has experienced love and loss.

[KillerK8 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just as good as I knew it would be. I cried / my stomach dropped out / I stared at the ceiling / I highlighted / I wondered if I should send him photos of the ones that hurt the most / I giggled / I signed in relief.

[Carlotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

fellow chicagoan!

I think this would’ve resonated with me more if I read it a year / year and a half ago. This isn’t the fault of the book itself! This is perfect for anyone going through a relationship in which you lost yourself but didn’t realize it at the tim; or better, didn’t care because you wanted to love the other by any means necessary.

[Sophie Edina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The concept of exiting a relationship is still abstract to me, so reading this collection was a way to accompany the writer on their way through loss, pain, regret, anger, nostalgia, longing, ups and downs. I was absolutely captivated by the imagery and rhyme schemes of the earlier poems in this and regularly found lines that were smart and witty and heartfelt at the same time, that were inspiring me as a writer.
The more prosaic pieces felt a little confusing and then repetetive from time to time, I couldn't really follow the narrative throughout the book, which took away a bit of the emotional impact the pieces themselves had.
The writer has immense talent, I would have wanted this book to be a bit more condensed though.

[Zach Rupprecht · Rating 5 out of 5]

It turns out my experiences aren't as unique as I thought they were. How comforting, to know you're not alone in your thoughts, and reactions, and responses to heartbreak, and impulse, and moving on. Emmett's poems were both harsh confrontations and gentle assurances to myself. So much to say, this collection is a beautiful depiction of human experience, and following the arc of the story helped me on mine indefinitely.

[Phiona Olet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could live in her words

I myself have just recently experienced heartbreak, so reading some of these poems was like entering my own brain. It’s so strange to be able to so dearly relate to words someone else wrote up. It’s strange to feel so seen and understood. It is also painful to be reminded of how much I loved, but it’s nice to know that love is in other places, like in this book. I could live in these words. Thank you Audrey Emmett for sharing ❤️‍🩹

[Claire Shelton · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book, and there were moments when I did. Some of the individual pieces were lovely and poignant and innovative. But many of the other pieces (probably the majority) felt unfinished and unedited. Like ideas that weren't quite fleshed out. She's a young writer, though, so I'm looking forward to her future work!

[Dana Pavick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never tabbed so many pages in a book before. Audrey captures what it feels like to be devastated in a relationship in so many different beautiful ways. If you want a good cry and numerous new pictures of quotes, this one's for you.

[Jessica Collazo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audrey has a beautiful way with words. I loved this collection.

[sabrina malika · Rating 5 out of 5]

heartbreakingly beautiful collection of poems and prose. Audrey has a way of describing the previously-thought indescribable that will shred your heart in the best way. read it read it read it ❤️

[Nicole Ting · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every piece touched something within me. One of my favorite collections I've read this year.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful set of poems. I felt my heart breaking on each page. The way she writes of longing and regret is so honest and real. I can’t recommend this enough!

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely and insightful

[Norie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book obliterated me.

i loved it.

i don’t even have the words, but i’m so grateful. my new favorite poetry book 🫶🏼

[Flávia Nóbrega · Rating 4 out of 5]

os poemas são bem bons, mas eu sentir uma dor física vendo ela voltar pra ele 8 mil vezes

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Don't Be A Stranger" was a comforting read in that it makes you feel not as alone. The emotion is there, and it's real, and I did really enjoy reading this collection.

[Samantha S · Rating 4 out of 5]

such beautiful poetry and so i could relate to so many of them

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obligatory 5 stars ;) I’ve also read this approximately 72 times (& lived through it), & I don’t think it’s too shabby.

[Julia Marrinan · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.0/5. I’m not one to read poetry books usually but this was so wonderful I finished it in one sitting entirely in like four hours. So beautiful and heart wrenching.

[Abbey Beranek · Rating 3 out of 5]

I HOPE YOU GET EVERYTHING YOU’VE EVER WANTED AND I HOPE I NEVER HEAR A THING ABOUT IT