A beautiful queer book of poetry that gave me chills! I can see why this poet is so popular in the spoken word circles. I'll be looking for more of this author's poetry and rereading this book.

I received an advance copy of this book through netgalley and I was more than honored to leave a review for this beautiful collection.

This is the author's first poetry collection and I was completely blown away. This collection is raw and intimate. With the poems in this book you are reading lines of trauma, intimacy, love, resilience, and self-discovery while balancing between delicateness and toughness. J.J. Celi has let us into her soul while being vulnerable and staying unfiltered (which is the best part of this collection). The openness and reflection within the writing is painfully beautiful. A lot like love, gentle embraces but sharp sometimes. I appreciate the honesty that is found within this collection. Even though this collection is told from a queer perspective, I feel many readers can take something from this book and find their own voice if they have found themselves in similar experiences, and be brave to speak their own truth, when they are ready. This is one of the few books that I have read recently and find myself able to feel the emotions.

A few of my favorites from this collection are: Gone Mad, Angel, Closed Fist, Have Been, and Through My Walls, Whisper.

For readers: Love Letters and Pocket Knives contains content warning for assault, IPV (intimate partner violence), alcohol and drug abuse.

Tbh tuve que pasar varios poemas porque, o eran repetitivos o simplemente eran pesados. Ahora, si hubo algunos qeu se destacaron, pero eran demasiado pocos y no eran memorables.

This is the author's first poetry collection. All I can really say about this in one word: WOW!!! This is the first time I have read poetry and actually feel what the author was feeling.. This book is AMAZING!! What else can I say about the book? You all need to really read this beautiful collection.

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

What I loved about this collection of poetry is the openness & reflection within the writing. Even though I haven’t personally experienced all of the events that Celli went through, I am appreciative of the sincerity with which the experiences are shared in order to give a voice to those that have gone through this kind of intimate partner violence and the lingering effects it has. I believe this collection gives insight to a viewpoint that is important for people to hear about and understand, even if they haven’t experienced it themselves. I feel many readers can learn from this book because it gives way to a voice that may be different from their own, which benefits building an insight into others’ experiences. I also think many readers can find healing and connection from this book too. It was beautifully written in a raw, real way, that takes a lot of courage to share with the world.