This was an utterly stunning collection of poetry, the fact that this is a debut collection absolutely blows my mind. Every poem made me think about something and more importantly it made me feel something. Absolutely fantastic

Arc review

I liked most of the poems in here.
You can read & feel the emotions of the author.
Some were a bit hard to follow for me personally but I still wanted to read more of them.
As a debut this is amazing!

I'd give it a 4,5 out of 5.

Thank you so much for everyone involved for the arc!

Sadly the poems just didn’t land for me as I had hoped, I didn’t feel each poem flowed in an easy manner. I much preferred the shorter poems, they felt more impactful for me, such as “who we wish we were”, but poetry is all down to personal taste so I wouldn’t want my review to put others off picking this up!

Thank you to Netgalley & Central Avenue Publishing for the review copy.

This collection is powerful and difficult to read in places. I felt like some of the prose resonated incredibly well, while other blocks felt hard to read and misplaced. It was a great collection, but it is definitely not for everyone.

Sometimes the passion can burn, at other times it leaves you with second-degree burns.

Love letters and pocket knives is J.J Celli's debut book of poems. A razor-sharp insight into this writer's heart and past. Hard truth, love, obsession, pain and longing find their place in words and fragments in this book.

Judging someone's poems is always a tricky step, after all, can you equate someone's pain with a number of stars? And doesn't everyone read these poems in their own way?

Not every poem touched me equally or came in as hard. I also noticed that I did not understand everything immediately, but can you understand what cannot be explained? The words are pure, some raw others poetic. Each part and each knife explores another part of the truth and the closing of a chapter.

Important! There are potentially triggering elements in this book! It can be a comfort to those looking for that but also be especially warned. But above all, remember, you are never alone.

The collection of poems seems very personal and intimate, like a late-night conversation. Some deal with quite heavy themes. Others feel kind of lonely like someone trying to find a connection.

Soft and gentle then hard and sharp.

This collection of poems will have you feeling all the feels. From sweet love to sharp love and everything in-between. I could really feel J.J. Celli's raw emotional heart throughout this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

"A longing so deep I dare it not to end"

These were so painfully honest that reading them almost felt like an intrusion. Each word was thoughtfully put after the one before it every step of the way. I really enjoyed this - poetry is a fairly new thing for me to read so I never quite know what to expect. But so much of this felt like it had stolen some thoughts from my mind and put them to paper. Really, really enjoyed this.

Rating poetry is so out of pocket wild to me, because how can you rate someone’s art? Love Letters and Pocket Knives was a beautiful compilation of heartfelt poems by J.J. Celli. While these poems didn’t necessarily resonate deep within me, that doesn’t mean that they won’t be exactly what someone else needs to read. BlackBerry Brandy was my favorite- as that was the poem that hit home most for me. I rated this 3 stars not because it was deserving of 1 or undeserving of 5 but because while they weren’t my favorite, they will absolutely be the favorite of so many others. I hope you pick it up and read it.

This was a powerful poetry collection knowing it is autobiographical. I read it in one sitting and one day later I still and think about how possible to move on from that. I would love to read more about the author's past, perhaps a full on memoir next time or a novel based on all those experiences?

Honestly not sure how to review poetry. But I loved this. I felt everythingggg. I can't imagine what I would do or feel if this happened to me, but I appreciate reading about this journey and I'll probably buy a physical copy.

I adored this collection!! It was raw, it was visceral and just had me hooked from the first poem.
I could not believe the journey it took me on!
The prose was wonderful and gripping.

4/5⭐️

This poetry collection is raw, emotional and vulnerable in a way that forces you to really digest and ponder every poem you read. A look into the queer experience with love but also with the self.

Quite possibly one of the best modern poetry collections I've ever read.

It was so fucking raw and vulnerable and beautiful and heartbreaking. Some of it was downright Shakespearean.

Swiss army knife was my favourite section. It just encapsulated everything to me.

J. J. Celli is hugely talented and, frankly, brave for being so open with her pain and experiences.

100% recommend to everyone and will be buying upon release!

I got this as an arc on Netgalley and it will come out in May. A lot of stunning poetry of which most dive deep into domestic abuse, which isn't talked about a lot as it comes to same sex partnerships. I loved a lot, the emotions heavy. A few of the other themed poems were less to my liking and felt less fitting and a bit judgmental. But it's a good first poetry book.

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this and it was a beautiful collection, although I found some of the poems hard to follow at times. I still very much enjoyed reading them and would happily read some of them again but there were some in the collection of poems that I feel didn't fit as well and would have been better in a separate collection.

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