A very personal and beautiful poetry collection about love and sexuality that deals with racism, sexism, abuse, and mental illness. I really appreciate that it includes trigger warnings.

This book is a thing of beauty. Something that aches and begs you to realize that as a woman you are powerful, beautiful, and something greater then yourself. This book is about the sorrows of our longing and how we diminish ourselves for the sake of what we long for.

Simple, lyrical, and impactful my favorite parts of this book were the epiphanies. Where you realize that you should keep your insides for your own sake and not worry about what anyone else on this earth thinks. The parts where the Fire of this story builds and you realize you must set fire to the toxicity that is the expectations of other around you and to invent yourself and be who you have always dreamed to be.

A feminist poetry book for this generation, The Chaos of Longing will inspire many to be brighter then their brightest selves.

I ended up not finishing this book because I just didn't click with the poetry. It was well written, don't get me wrong, but there wasn't much in here for me to relate to. This book is written for people who have gone through trauma, racism, sexism, depression and are trying to overcome the scars these experiences have left on them. Considering I have not experienced many of these things, I'm not a part of the target audience. However, I believe that those who ARE a part of the target audience would certainly enjoy this work!

I have always had a soft spot for poetry, especially one that is done in such a careful and personal way that upon reading it, it feels like you’re not stepping into a person’s shows but they entire soul. This book felt a lot like that.
The first couple of poems work wonderfully to set the tone of the rest of the book, which is divided into four parts: <i>Inception, Longing, Chaos and Epiphany.</i> Each of these parts has something in its core that not only ties it to the rest of the poems but allow them to stand on their own against time and scrutiny.
One particular part of a “you will get used to me” stuck with me throughout my entire reading: “your eyes and heart /must adjust to me./ darkness lives here.” And it guided me through all the pain and ache that sometimes dripped from carefully crafted stanzas.
I felt pain with this, I felt longing and hope, and I stepped into a room that was full of thoughts and ideas that, though they did not belong to me, seemed to be inviting me to know them.
I loved the honesty of it. I devoured every line because it felt like this book demanded to be heard, to be known, maybe not understood, but acknowledged, and I felt like I owed it at least that much.
Stylistically, I enjoyed the uncluttered pages and the lack of capitalization since it seemed to enhance the message of it all.
I also appreciated the fact that it had a trigger warning at the beginning, which allowed me to prepare myself for the kind of topics that would be treated.
Overall, I would a hundred percent recommend this book to those who enjoy poetry books that are a journey of discovery.

don’t shrink
your truth
to make it fit
nice and neatly
in others
as if it’s origami.

unfold and
free yourself.

As a note, an e-galley of this novel was sent to me via NetGalley by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not effect my opinions in any way.

K.Y. Robinson knows what makes poetry. This much was apparent in The Chaos of Longing and I'm so incredibly moved by what she portrayed. She dives deeper and deeper into parts of her soul and gives us this intimate look inside. Something that is not always possible. Yet, here it is, that reminder that it's not impossible to feel connected to someone else's words. Much like with Depression & Other Magic Tricks, Milk and Honey and The Princess Saves Herself in this One, Robinson crafts something so obtainable and wonderful, I could not put the collection down.

To say that The Chaos of Longing was beautiful and one of my most beloved collections of poetry this year would be an injustice. It was so much more than that. I hadn't read the previously published edition of this, but when I read the blurb--I just had to. You know that feeling of an instant connection? I had that. I had that before I opened it. I had that the first line I read. I had it long after the final poem had passed my by.

For me, there's nothing more stunning than this collection. It takes a special talent to express themselves and scatter emotion throughout the pages of a book. But for them to do it in poems? That's some sort of otherworldly magic. I'm here for everything that K.Y. Robinson writes. She's got a stan for life. I can't tell you guys how much I loved this powerful little guy without sounding like an incoherent weirdo, but know this: I rarely feel this connected to poetry.

I can't wait for the finished copies so I can highlight the heck out of it.

I am going to be hungover from the prose. Just so we're all clear.

Inception
She felt unappreciated by her parents so she craved love from men. She felt insecure, broken and lost. When she loves a person, she would willingly give it all even if it hurts so much. She needed the affection and affirmation that someone needs her or somehow, she's important.

Longing
The foundation of the relationship/s were built in lust instead of love. Desire, longing and hunger was stronger than friendship. Along the way, she felt alone and question if God gave up on her. She had love the wrong persons, got attached to unavailable men but she realized that the pain was too unbearable.

Chaos
Everything that had happened to her was in constant repeat. She finally saw how messed up love could be. That being able to wake up from the pain of loving someone was not that easy. And how finally moving on was a lot scary than being used to the heartbreaks it caused her.

Epiphany
She got tired of denying that all she needed all along was self-love and that she needs to know her worth more than anyone or anything. Until she build her own walls, so high that no one would break in that easily. But redemption was not too late for her to forgive herself because she isn’t broken beyond repair.

lesson learned
i was willing
to learn our pieces
to make us whole.

i grasped
and strangled
every hope
and endured the
asphyxiation of love.

i’ve learned
to breathe
without you.
exit my wounds
so i can heal.

The Chaos of Longing is raw, unfiltered with sharp emotions that will cut you through the bones.

This collection of poems don't just tell a story but will take you to a journey that was equally intimate and personal to the author. The poems were powerfully written that every word felt like I was invading her own private space. She let her readers know her more, rip her open and be a part of her road trip to self-love.

I love that she included trigger warnings on the first page of her collection before readers dive in and she made sure what they would expect out of them. I love how single words like truth, remedy and renewal gave so much impact like I have never appreciated them before. K.Y. Robinson's poems were unabashed yet empowering.

Wrapping up her book with an ultimate positivity and resolution was like giving a fictional story a happy ending. I really recommend this book who would love to read something out of their comfort zone. This would be your next cup of tea.

***Thank you NetGalley, Andrews McMeel Publishing and K.Y. Robinson for providing me an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review!

This book of poetry left me without words. It was incredible, looking back now, the way the author succeeds in conveying such strong feelings with so few words and sentences. I guess this must be the power and the beauty of poetry, but I'm not an expert.

Questo libro di poesie mi ha lasciato completamente senza parole. Ripensandoci é quasi incredibile come l'autrice riesca in poche parole e frasi a veicolare sentimenti cosí intensi. Immagino sia questo il potere della poesia, ma io non sono un'esperta.

THANKS NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

I’d like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book through NetGalley.

I love this poetry collection! Honestly, it was so raw and captivating. I bookmarked literally half the book. It brings up important issues such as toxic relationships and I enjoyed the fact that the writer showed that you can move past those experiences and learn to love yourself again. The poems felt very personal and I can't say there was anything that bothered me. It goes from trauma to love and from heartbreak to achieving self-love. Also, it is important to note that the writer was thoughtful enough to put a trigger warning just before the beginning of her journey, because it really starts of strong and it may not be suitable for everyone, since some poems are very detailed and knowingly raw to the point that the writer's feelings stay with you. I loved it, hence, the 5 stars!

I am not the biggest fan of modern poetry, but if you are a fan of works similar to "Milk and Honey" or "The Princess Saves Herself in This One" I think you might enjoy this. However, I didn't connect to most of the poems and didn't find much to resonate on.

The Chaos of Longing is a well-written collection of poems that is raw, honest and deeply personal. Part of what makes this collection so beautiful is the simplicity with which each poem is written. The simplicity makes these poems all the more profound.

Some of my favorite poems from the collection were:

women like me
metamorphic
caution
to mothers with scarred daughters
lost and found
sistas in the hooded sky
when you're feeling low
elements ii
truth
the galaxy is yours

Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing for letting me read an ARC of the revised and expanded version.

Though I like some lines from some of the poems. I wasn't impressed by this. I feel all Instagram or social media poets sound the same and this could easily blend in the sea of millennial poetry that's overly angsty and cliche. I yearn for the structured and well-developed poetry of real poets.

2.5/5 stars... and I reserve the right to change my rating in the future because I'm still not quite sure where I've landed with this one (this is one of those times I dislike the 5-star rating system).

I had very high expectations for this book, and maybe that is the crux of the problem of why I didn't end up enjoying it very much. I went into this poetry collection having just read 2 of Meggie Royer's books of poetry, which was also probably another reason why I didn't like this one as much as I "should have" ...because Meggie Royer is now one of my all-time favorite poets.

Basically (and I hate to say this) I didn't see anything special with this book. It didn't make me feel very strongly, the words weren't put together in that oh-so perfect and gut-wrenching way I love in my opinion, and I felt like I had read all of these poems before. I think I'm just tired of the broken and short style of poetry. That style loses it's punch after a while, and just ends up seeming undetailed, lazy, and stoic.

If you're looking for contemporary poetry that will leave you emotional, I would recommend "The No You Never Listened To" or "Milk & Honey." As I find more I will definitely recommend them in a blog post or video. But for now I will just say that unfortunately I was not impressed with this one.

There are several prose or poems in this book that I can quiet relate to. One of them is entitled stigma & shame. The first half of this poem is what I currently feel at the moment and this is an excerpt from that poem:
i carry all my hurt
like satchels.
i can only unpack
them on pages.

despair climbed
out of my throat
when i wasn't looking
and fell on my lap.

i wanted to jump
from my bones
and disperse
in the wind
like dandelion
seed heads.
to be free
and light as air.

Other poems that I like are poetry, dear future lover, beautiful stranger, and metamorphic. If you want to devour a collection of poems, then you must read this book because it presents several exquisite poems that will ease your appetite.

Recently I have been reading a lot of poetry books. Although these books are relatively shorter than fiction books, they usually take a longer time to read. When someone puts their thoughts into a poem, it takes time to decipher the meaning behind.

The Cover
It is very simple, with a few floral outlines and a light pink background. So aesthetic! I fell in love with it immediately.

The Book
This is a beautiful poetry book. The poems in it are mostly about love, and they are full of emotion. My heart was deeply touched.

Honestly, this book is pretty wonderful. Once I read the very first page I could see so many good things about this book. Yet, unfortunately I couldn't get into the book that much, I don't really know what's wrong though. I just don't get the story so much.

At last, if you're into a poetry book of if you're one of those Rapi Kaur's fan, you might as well need to check this one asap. :)

The feeling that the author poured into this poetry is crystal clear. It is full of love, heartache, sadness, forgiveness, longing, anger, and a plethora of other emotions. It really spoke to me and I am sure there are many others out there who these words will resonate with. Powerful!

I found this work to be bittersweet and quite relatable. I cried more than I wanted to but that's usually the case when it comes to good poetry. 10/10 would recommend

I’m just starting to appreciate the beauty that is poetry so I don’t have a lot to go on when reading books of poetry. I want to first say I thought the trigger warning right in the beginning for suicidal ideation, descriptions of sexual trauma, racism, and sexism was definitely a must for this book. I think all books with such triggering content should have warnings in the beginning just like this.The way it was broken up into 4 sections, inception, longing, chaos, and epiphany added so much to the story in my opinion.

I have always enjoyed the prose Ellen Hopkins writes in, which made me want to pick up poetry books in the first place, and this book did not disappoint. I was written so beautifully, and everything flowed seamlessly. I had no trouble keeping up with the story, and it was intoxicating. I read the who book in one sitting.

Overall I feel like if these triggers will not bother you, you should definitely read this book. Even if you are not the biggest fan of poetry, or like me are just getting into it, there is something in this book for everyone to appreciate.

A young poet comes of age, and reaches a level of self-awareness and maturity in exploring themes of love, longing and at times the yearning of unrequited romance, in “the chaos of longing”. This is an intense beautifully written volume of poetry by K.Y. Robinson. Ms. Robinson holds a B.A. in journalism and a M.A. in history from Texas Southern University and is based in Houston, Texas.

In her introductory poem: “1.7.93”- Ms. Robinson describes a “cocoa brown” hunchback teen, who “swallowed poetry” in those days, without considering heaven or hell. A tragic event happened to her around this time, which she detailed in this poem. This event undoubtedly colored and affected her life in unexpected ways. This was the only concrete biographical poem in the book-- in addition to “deferred” where her mother and father’s attitudes were mentioned, her father turning to drink, also “faada” and “mother’s nature” were briefly added. The theme of mental illness which influenced Ms. Robinson’s life are explored in: “magic” - “faithless” – “manic depression” - “stigma and shame”.
The next part is “longing”: the titles of the poems are quite revelatory and erotic. Opening with the poem “melanin” love at first sight and the dreams that follow, easing into “naked thoughts” of desire to be a one and only. The explanatory nature of “fellatio” – “electric bodies” – “beautiful stranger” – the poem “uncensored” unfolds on the page: “thrust in your eyes/against my pages/repent with me/ in unison/until you surrender/to loves doctrine”. The writer emerges with “the grace of a pen” and the splendor of (unrecognized) words in “muse”-- also the composition of love in “poetry” and “poetry ii”.

The poems are more reflective with the thrill and satisfaction of a romantic connection. There remains the slight of uncertainty regarding the progression of a serious commitment-- in “smitten” – “path” – “entrails” –“the good guy” – “one wish” – “tone deaf” – “nocturnal melody”. With “chaos” the poems related to unavailable men, “resentment” – “shameless” – “when you met Laura” – “tunnel vision” - “in another life” – in “alchemy” it become known that only the dark side of his leaded heart was felt, as it was with someone else. With the final theme of “epiphany” there was a simple poetic wisdom in learning from mistakes, with the journey of “self -love ii” also “the galaxy is yours” that celebrated the wonder of life.
* With thanks and appreciation to Andrews McMeel Publishing via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.

I am not the biggest fan of poetry. The poems have to be something special for me to considering putting the effort towards getting the book either buying it or finding it at the library. There are very few poets I would put that effort towards. The only effort I had to put forward was downloading this book, but from what I read I will gladly put effort into this author. I will look for her books. I will push people to read it. I will become a cheerleader for her success. She has won me over. 

The poems ranged from identity to self-love. The poems are so deep and necessary. This is the type of poetry that I needed in high school and college when I started doing activist work. This is the type of poetry I needed when I moved across the country for a fresh start. This is the type of poetry I need now as I am trying to navigate the world. This book applies to so many people and experiences. There were poems that discussed being black that I could not relate to on a perfect match, but the feelings she had towards her skin brought up the feelings I have towards mine for being trans. The wording was so perfect and I couldn't help but be impressed that she used "gentrified" in a poem that was about her own body.

There are many heavy topics covered. There is a lot of sexual themes, which I saw a bad review complaining about. I loved how frank the author was and how beautifully graphic she was. These were poems about having sex, these were poems about connections. These were poems about how bodies and love don't always match. These are poems about only feeling loved when someone is there with you. These are poems about feeling like no one will love you unless you have sex with them. They aren't about sex, they are about the complicated feelings that sex brings.