This collection of poetry was great. I had to read the book again to completely understand the poems. While reading the poems, some gave me an "aha moment". Some will make you really think. Some even made me giggle a little. Fun book to read. I loved it and hopefully.everyone who reads this will agree with me.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily writing a review

I was intrigued by the cover and title, but ultimately found that it did not deliver a satisfying read. I assume I would be in the target audience as an avid reader of poetry, but I get the feeling that the speaker of the poems is more interested in creating a rather private lexicon of self-referencing abstractions than communicating with the wider world.

I expected a collection of poetry, which brings an expectation of poetic treatment: metaphor, image, and language effects. Other than a conspicuously singsong overuse of alliteration ("i fail by fleeing fucked up, foolish fears"), these basic elements of poetry are largely absent. I did like the "sputtering exhaust pipe [that] always makes a spectacle." That seems a glimmer of awareness of what the book aspires to champion, along with knowing it's "not to everyone's taste." Even so, the book as a whole attempts to trade a shoulder shrug of if-you-don't-like-it-oh-well for meaningful engagement. It's satisfied with a facile progression of one-off lines, while the best poetry pushes those thoughts much further and connects them to something beyond the speaker.

Ultimately, this book strikes me as more of a nightstand notebook (almost certainly self-published and unvetted). As a vehicle to express oneself and to record random thoughts during a pandemic, sure. But as a book, not yet.

Review not shared outside of NetGalley.

41+ poems of 41 words to celebrate writer's 40th birthday.
Dark, desperate, erotic, ironic, you ll find all sorts of liberation through sadness.
The start was weak, the wording was weird, then it got better.
I partially enjoyed it and partially not.
2.5/5

I did not enjoy this book. The author is angry and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. The “F” word should no be predominate in any poem.