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gracesvcr's review
5.0
This book did what its intended purpose was for me. I read it during a time of healing from a breakup with a close friend. It made me feel less alone in the world.
Many others have said that this book has very repetitive themes, but that is the purpose. I think many people misinterpreted the book (or maybe I have) but the message I got from this book was that healing is not linear. It is not something with a beginning nor an end. There is beauty in the nature of loving someone so desperately as the author had. Although many of the poems seem to touch on the same topic of heartbreak, it is with this book that we are shown that it is okay to heal at your own pace. People are caught up in the thought of problem/solution too often and forget to just exist in the feeling for a moment.
I enjoyed this book as well as the art that was featured alongside the poems. It captivated the intimate feelings of sadness, loneliness, loss, and heartbreak. There are so many sides to heartbreak that should be touched on, and I feel as though this collection of poems did a good job at showing these feelings in digestible poems.
It is a very good collection of poems for people who are starting out in poetry and do not quite understand more complicated works yet. This was a great beginner book for my love for poetry journey.
One thing to note: I would not recommend this book to someone who reads poetry often as you might get bored with how simple some of the poems can be or repetitive themes. Also, I would not recommend this book to someone who does not like romantics, love sick works, or romance. There is a lot of heartbreak, loss of intimacy, and loneliness portrayed in this book that would most likely sicken an aromatic. All the themes revolve around missing a person you once loved.
Many others have said that this book has very repetitive themes, but that is the purpose. I think many people misinterpreted the book (or maybe I have) but the message I got from this book was that healing is not linear. It is not something with a beginning nor an end. There is beauty in the nature of loving someone so desperately as the author had. Although many of the poems seem to touch on the same topic of heartbreak, it is with this book that we are shown that it is okay to heal at your own pace. People are caught up in the thought of problem/solution too often and forget to just exist in the feeling for a moment.
I enjoyed this book as well as the art that was featured alongside the poems. It captivated the intimate feelings of sadness, loneliness, loss, and heartbreak. There are so many sides to heartbreak that should be touched on, and I feel as though this collection of poems did a good job at showing these feelings in digestible poems.
It is a very good collection of poems for people who are starting out in poetry and do not quite understand more complicated works yet. This was a great beginner book for my love for poetry journey.
One thing to note: I would not recommend this book to someone who reads poetry often as you might get bored with how simple some of the poems can be or repetitive themes. Also, I would not recommend this book to someone who does not like romantics, love sick works, or romance. There is a lot of heartbreak, loss of intimacy, and loneliness portrayed in this book that would most likely sicken an aromatic. All the themes revolve around missing a person you once loved.
frommito's review
2.0
This is what I call baby "i" poetry. It's the overuse of i instead of I. The poetry was easy to read, can't deny that. I found that I really dislike poetry without titles. I understand what the author was trying to do in the sense of having these poems in no particular order and making a free flowing collection. But this did not work for me. I found it irritating as. Again, I understand that it is meant to be read that way, but it fell flat for me. This is just another poetry collection to add the the non ending Rupi Kaur phenomenon.
amylittleford's review
2.0
Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing for the eARC for an honest review.
Abraham Rodriguez, an actor, decided to write a book of poetry about love, heartbreak and healing. Rodriguez writes openly about a relationship that caused him a lot of pain. I commend him for it. Sadly, I didn't enjoy this collection at all. I could say it was easy to read but it wasn't. There is no punctuation or capitol letters in any of the pieces which made me stumble constantly on how the poems were supposed to be read. Each poem is almost the same just said differently. They are vague with no real way for the reader to connect to them at all. Most pieces are barely a sentence. There are some pieces in Spanish but even translated they are as vapid and generic as the rest.
Before starting the book I noticed the Netgalley and Goodreads reviews where mainly negative and only 10% in I completely agreed. This isn't what I would count as poetry.
Amy x
Abraham Rodriguez, an actor, decided to write a book of poetry about love, heartbreak and healing. Rodriguez writes openly about a relationship that caused him a lot of pain. I commend him for it. Sadly, I didn't enjoy this collection at all. I could say it was easy to read but it wasn't. There is no punctuation or capitol letters in any of the pieces which made me stumble constantly on how the poems were supposed to be read. Each poem is almost the same just said differently. They are vague with no real way for the reader to connect to them at all. Most pieces are barely a sentence. There are some pieces in Spanish but even translated they are as vapid and generic as the rest.
Before starting the book I noticed the Netgalley and Goodreads reviews where mainly negative and only 10% in I completely agreed. This isn't what I would count as poetry.
Amy x
frombethanysbookshelf's review
3.0
An interesting and emotive collection of modern poetry - illustrated with photography and dual-language prose between Spanish and English to create something very unique.
Rodriguez uses 'Mixed Feelings' to explore the natural journey of love, loss and healing and reflect inwards on his own confusing feelings. There is an obvious fragility and vulnerability to the prose that is easy to connect with and very compelling. However, I too, have mixed feelings about this as it contains the kinds of poems that are a simple statement of a few words and in that popular very post-modern classic but just aren't my style of poetry - however it will definitely attract many poetry lovers.
Rodriguez uses 'Mixed Feelings' to explore the natural journey of love, loss and healing and reflect inwards on his own confusing feelings. There is an obvious fragility and vulnerability to the prose that is easy to connect with and very compelling. However, I too, have mixed feelings about this as it contains the kinds of poems that are a simple statement of a few words and in that popular very post-modern classic but just aren't my style of poetry - however it will definitely attract many poetry lovers.
tanishajade's review
3.0
i thoroughly enjoyed reading this poetry book, i found the writing to be beautiful and brutally honest. i could feel the emotions coming from each poem, it was written in a way that made it feel so emotional and raw, yet also had me sympathising for the poet. i enjoyed how certain poems were written in spanish first, with the english translation following, i felt that this added to the originality of the book whilst also paying tribute to spanish poetry! this poetry collection definitely has the power to make you feel certain emotions, and i’m very grateful to netgally, Abraham Rodriguez and publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this before the release date!
traumadoll's review
2.0
Poetry is difficult to review. Poetry is emotion put to the page. How do you judge how someone expresses emotion? In the end, you don’t. Well, I don’t. I am not a poet, nor am I fully versed on the intricacies of poetry, so I don’t rate on a technical level. Poetry is as good as the emotion it elicits.
Unfortunately...
⭐️⭐️. It’s okay. There is an audience for this, but I’m not it.
Full review available here.
Unfortunately...
⭐️⭐️. It’s okay. There is an audience for this, but I’m not it.
Full review available here.
freezeme's review
2.0
Like the title , i too have mixed feelings about this book , which is about love and heartbreak.
I admit it, i'm not an expert for poetry books but compared to the few i've read, this one seems disjointed and unorganized , first he says how he loves her then he says how she was bad for him but then again he's saying how good it felt the two of them being together . The pictures were unnecessary and the spanish verses with upside-down translations pasted next to them weren't creative (if that was the goal) but rather confusing . This was definitely not it for me but maybe people who went through similar stuff would resonate and love this book more than me ...
Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book for an honest review.
I admit it, i'm not an expert for poetry books but compared to the few i've read, this one seems disjointed and unorganized , first he says how he loves her then he says how she was bad for him but then again he's saying how good it felt the two of them being together . The pictures were unnecessary and the spanish verses with upside-down translations pasted next to them weren't creative (if that was the goal) but rather confusing . This was definitely not it for me but maybe people who went through similar stuff would resonate and love this book more than me ...
Thank you NetGalley for sending me this book for an honest review.
happily_undignified's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Mixed Feelings by Abraham Rodriguez was a tense, emotional collection of poems that were punctuated with stirring photos. This book expressed the difficulties of an on-again off-again relationship and the baby steps it takes to recover from a breakup. As the author found himself his voice became more confident and his emotions more clear. I enjoyed the progression of the poems and I'm sure they will be therapeutic for anyone experiencing heartbreak.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.