The poetic language of Nineteen entwines shattering heartbreak, passionate love, the blackness of loss, and the power of healing. Places safeguard memories, and revisiting them can awaken deeply buried emotions. Campbells poetry captures this beautifully. Written as a love letter, it is a love letter to him, to the reader, and to the writer - in language that wraps around you so you loose all awareness of the present moment. Then, in the peace that follows, it steps forward and kisses your heart.

Nineteen by Makenzie Campbell is a poetry collection that focuses around heartbreak and healing. There are six chapters within the collection that all focus on different themes, but all together tell the story of how she overcame this breakup and her journey of self-care and self-love.

The first chapter is called 'Bedroom'. Campbell really captures the heartbreak and loss after a break up. She touches on the memories and photographs she had with the other person really grasping at the pain and loss of all aspects of her life. The parts no one thinks about of a broken relationship until some time passes. There's a battle of losing who she is because she's unsure of who she is anymore outside of the relationship. There's a poem that is about her losing herself piece by piece and these two lines are really striking to me:

There's nothing worse than watching youself
unravel in s l o w m o t i o n .'

There is also this idea, that starts in this chapter but is heavily focused on throughout all of the chapters and the rest of the book, that you feel worthless after a breakup. She describes it at one point where she feels empty and broken and can't find reason or a path to move on. I think it's a really interesting take and an authentic one too.

The next chapter is 'The Car (Passenger)' where the feeling like you're not in control is overwhelming. Campbell describes throughout this chapter the idea of knowing better but falling back to old habits. There's one poem in particular that really shows this:

'I have wasted too many years picking daises, plucking the "He loves me" and "He loves me not" from them
But I know the second he reappears in my life I'll waste too many more.

She knows it is not worth her time, knows that it isn't proactive or helping anyone, but she knows she is going to carry on making those mistakes.

It goes back to the overall theme for the chapter that there's a feeling off not being in control. She's not in control of her feelings or how she handles them. There's also this idea/belief throughout the chapter whereby she feels tricked or fooled into feelings. That the other person in this relationship is void of emotions and is actively trying to hurt you. I think this is a common 'step' in a breakup and Campbell portrays this well.</p>

Chapter three is called 'The Shower' and it feels as if the water has jolted her awake slightly. She speaks about how she feels almost blindsided; she can't believe she confused selfish acts for selfishness acts. Later on she starts talking to herself:

Don't you want a happy ending?
You won't find it like this.

The chapter shows that she's starting to realise she needs to let go - her ex-partner didn't treat her nicely and she is finally admitting this; however she is still not in a position where is is changing. I feel that this is an authentic step: she recognises the issues and knows what to do to fix it but she isn't quite ready to implement the changes yet.

'The Park' is where we get some poems that question societies views on women - one poem points out the differences on how a boy losing his virginity often leads to celebrations whereas girls losing their virginity often leads to disappointment. There are also poems that point to how beauty standards are just widely accepted and pushed by magazines or online platforms and often they don't represent a wide proportion of women. I really liked and enjoyed this section as I feel strongly about these issues, so it was nice to see these issues discussed within the context of feeling worthless. Campbell also discusses how sometimes you lose youself in other people's opinions and stop valuing yourself:

When did others' perception of you become more
important than your own opinion?

The final two chapters are where we explore her new relationship with her. She has worries and fears that she ultimately gained after the failure of the relationship before, but they're affecting this new relationship. Throughout the two chapters, we explore how she navigates these to form a healthier and more loving relationship both with her new partner and with herself too.

Nineteen by Makenzie Campbell is a full cycle poetry collection where we experience a failure of a relationship and the aftermath affects on mental health through growing and changing to be better for the next relationship to keep it healthy. Overall, I did enjoy this collection. I did feel like it was written well and the topics were impactful. However, I felt like there was nothing that I hadn't seen before. I would recommend this poetry collection. 4/5 stars

In terms of my thoughts, I think this collection of poetry was good. I really enjoyed some of the sections, specifically The Shower. The language was flowery, which I usually enjoy, but it didn't evoke the emotions I wanted to be feeling while reading it. There was a lot of telling instead of showing. I wish each concept was delved into with more heartfelt and hard hitting imagery. I did love the sweet memories that were discussed like getting drunk with friends at 2 in the morning. Although my high school experience wasn't as exciting, it's something I hold close to my heart and certain poems made me feel reminiscent of that. Surprisingly, I also enjoyed the poems about hurting and growth from relationships and boys more than the dramatization of love. I think love is a wonderful thing and it makes you feel a certain type of way, but the language that was used to describe it, I just felt like it was overused and didn't do the concept of love justice. On the contrary, I think the descriptions of feeling pain and how it takes time to get over someone (but not completely) is more realistic and relevant. Overall, I did enjoy this work, but I think parts of it could be done better. Also, I appreciate receiving poetry books from publishers, however, when reading it on a Kindle it's difficult to see the techniques in how the author spaced their paragraphs and added pictures or pauses between different pieces. I think that's something only a physical copy can really do. Nonetheless, I appreciate having received the copy and read a well written collection.

3.5 stars.

Firstly, I'd like to thank NetGalley, Central Avenue Publishing and Makenzie Campbell for gifting me an eARC for an honest review.

I feel like each chapter in this book got better and better. I wasn't really getting much from the first chapter but as I continued reading I felt that I could relate more to each piece. The title Nineteen is a reference to how old Campbell was when she wrote this book. Being 19 only a few years ago I could really see where Campbell was and how her poetry was important for people of that age group. When I was 19 I finally decided to take my writing seriously and accepted and embraced the road of becoming an author, however successful. I really saw this message nearer the end of the book which I think is a very positive message to put out into the world.

This poetry collection covers a wide range of topics, for example: heartbreak, love, loss, war, peace, and healing. I think that it's a great poetry anthology but maybe the writing needs some work. It felt very simple at times when I just wanted a little more. It was a very emotional and abstract book which made it hard to picture a lot of what the poetry was about. Maybe if Campbell focused on some concrete images in her poetry it would work a little better for her readership. I did enjoy the cute art work that was scattered throughout the book by Hannah Juth.

A collection of poems on all the different aspects of love -- heartbreak, hope, and healing. I think Makenzie's poetry is worthy of reading because it touches on the things we feel in any relationship not just one of a partner. I would reread this again and would recommend it.

Nineteen by Makenzie Campbell

3.25 stars

“I’ve been damaged and I use men as a bandage. But they always fall away the next morning leaving my wound exposed.”

This is a poetry collection that is reminiscent of a lot of the big poets the Andrews McMeel publishes. If you like amanda lovelace, Courtney Peppernell, or any 2020 poetry collection this year, then this will be right up your alley. I’ve read a lot of poetry this year. A lot of it was hit or miss, but I actually liked this collection. This collection is based off the poems that Campbell wrote when she was nineteen. This is a weird number for most people, especially Americans. You are an adult, allowed to vote and die for a country, but you can’t drink or buy cigarettes. Most people feel very stuck and confined by the age of nineteen. It is an uncomfortable number. I didn’t hate that year of my life, but it wasn’t a great or fantastic one. It was a year for me that brought a lot of change, so it’s nice to read a poetry collection that is dedicated to a year in someone’s life (even if that was a couple years ago). I liked this collection. It’s not a favorite, but it has some sweet poems and nice moments. I think it will appeal to a wide demographic- both young adults nearing this age and older young adults who are not yet thirty. Or poetry fans. Really this collection has mass market appeal for a lot of people. It’s not the best collection I’ve ever read, but I’ll recommend it.


Whimsical Writing Scale: 3.5

Plotastic Scale: 3.25

Cover Thoughts: I love this cover. Total sucker for it.

Thank you, Netgalley and Central Avenue Publishing, for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t particularly enjoy this collection. It felt like I was reading raw pieces from a diary, which I can appreciate. However, I wanted it to be more polished.

Poems were good and there was a good flow. I personally liked it, but it is not something I would suggest for the library.

This is my first time reading the poet. I really enjoyed this and will track down 2am Thoughts. I enjoyed the concept of this collection, poems focused around areas that hold specific memories of a lost love such as the coffee shop where the lovers met. The poems felt very real to me as if the poet was sharing her own memories and experiences with me. The poems aren’t necessary very deep but they felt very real and powerful at times. I connected with these.

I fell in love with this. I haven't read the first collection from Makenzie Campbell, but I definitely plan to after reading this one.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable collection of poetry, filled with relatable experiences and positive affirmations to help those dealing with relationship issues. Makenzie's writing makes it feel like she's a longtime friend that wants to share her joys and hardships and hear yours, as well.

I’m somebody who reads a lot of poetry and so I have quite a particular expectation when I read new books of poetry/prose. I enjoyed reading through the prose in this book, but unfortunately, I couldn’t completely connect with the words and phrasing. Personally I would have liked to see more formatting to the works to set each piece apart and draw all the focus into the subject of each, instead they all melt into one and I’m not always sure where one begins and another ends. This could just be down to the formatting of the digital download I was sent by NetGalley...

I think the poetry in itself does incorporate a lot of the sensations and feelings that come with heartbreak and may be a balm to a heartbroken soul seeking validation and understanding. The prose is of a long hand format with each piece usually being several paragraphs long and each tells a slightly different story. With a new poem comes a depiction of simplified etchings which I found to be quite nice and a good starting point for what follows.

All in all I didn’t find the authors writing style to be of what I prefer and led to the 3 star review. That’s not to say that others may not enjoy it more or find more solace in it than I could.

I received an eARC of this book from Central Avenue Publishing on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I have yet to read any of this author's other work, like ‘2am Thoughts’, but I know how highly recommended it is. Therefore when I saw this book on NetGalley I was very inclined to give it a go. I've read other reviews after reading this book and found lots of negative comments about the structure and organisation of the poems.
I enjoy modern poetry and this book is an enjoyable collection of very personal prose and spoken word poetry. This book is different to other modern poetry books, like Rupi Kaur’s work, it is meant to be performed or read aloud. When reading it in that tone, it evokes emotion.
It portrays the heartbreaking scenarios Campbell has experienced but also situations that a lot of the young adult readers have gone or will be going through. Campbell also shares her healing and growth process and becoming at peace with the heartbreak, herself and her life. Some readers may even be able to relate and connect with her words and this book may become helpful for readers trying to heal their own heartbreak.
I found it inspirational and somewhat uplifting. Since reading this I am drawn towards reading more of her work and will definitely be ordering 2am Thoughts.

Thanks to NetGalley for a chance to read this book!
"Nineteen" by Makenzie Campbell is a collection of poetry covering topics such as love, self-growth, going into adulthood, heartbreak and everything that comes in between.
While I mostly don't really read poetry that much, I have spent some time as a teenager reading quotes on Tumblr and other places on the internet. So this book reminded me much of that.
This book perfectly fits those times of one's life when being heartbroken or feeling like being in pieces and having an urge to dive into melancholic texts.

Overall score - 3-3,5

Nineteen is a beautifully written collection that honestly made me cry and reflect. I read this at 3 am after not being able to go back to sleep and it honestly made me think and feel so much reguarding the relationships i have in life and mase me excited to find my self again. So many people can take so many life lessons from this, especially our young or young at heart who are still growing up. Though, whose to say that we ever stop. It was refreshing to have a collection that wasnt short one or two line prose like so many modern poets (which isnt a bad thing) and maybe its just cause its now 4am but im feeling inspired.

4.5 Stars

This poetry book is a work of art. The writing was lyrical and each poem was expertly written. I found myself emotionally connecting so much to each poem. I also loved the themes discussed. I definitely recommend to anyone who wants a short, poetry book that is both heartfelt and touching.

Nineteen

I received an advance readers copy of Nineteen by Makenzie Campbell from Central Avenue Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:

By the author of the wildly successful 2am Thoughts, comes Nineteen - titled after the poets age when she wrote this new book.
Nineteen is a collection of poetry that broaches heartache, love, loss, war, peace and healing. For every place we go, there is a feeling or a memory that’s been painted on the walls. You can paint over it, but it will always be there. Even if you can’t see it, you know. You can feel the heartbreak inside the bedroom where you lost a love. You can feel the hope at the coffee shop where a beginning happened. You can feel the healing as you sit in the drivers seat, in charge of your own life.

‘Suddenly, the world picked up and ran away without me. I was not ready.
Time has left me broken.’

‘I know you are insecure and you have this wavering confidence that takes hours to build and only seconds to destroy.’

‘Let’s run through the woods with the wind on our face and the soil on our skin as we escape this sad place.’

‘I see things.
Then I feel things. And then I write them.’

‘Then October passed us quietly and he left me on his doorstep to rot.’

‘You do not have the authority to hurt me anymore.’
Read that again.
You do NOT have the AUTHORITY to hurt me again. That line is so powerful, you have no idea.

‘Hiding everything you ever feel behind a smile is protecting everyone else but weighing your own soul down.’

‘Letting your scars show is not a weakness. Talking about the things that have caused you to ache is not a shortcoming.
It is strength.
It is courage.
Is it self care.’

‘Don’t blame the scars of those who left on the ones trying to stay and heal.’
A lot of the time we try to blame the wrong doings of someone who hurt you before, to the ones who are here for you now and are trying to help you heal. We have to stop and take the time to learn that they are not the ones before them.

‘There is this double standard where a boy’s loss of virginity calls a celebration but a girl’s calls for derision and exclusion. The same act leads to congratulations and disappointment.’

Firstly, Full kudos to the author for publishing her SECOND collection at such a young age! If you love Rupi Kaur's poetry, I think you'll enjoy this take on modern poetry. In this collection Campbell talks about heart break and getting stronger because of it, as well as finding true love after hardships.

Set out in the current fashion, each poem is on its on page with lots of white space between. Some poems change things up and s t a g g e r the words across the page in a semblance of originality and some have little minimalist sketches. Which is unfortunately where my interest starts to wane. It's not that I'm against modern poetry (some of my fave is done my insta poet Yung Pueblo and his collection Inward) but it's hard for me to feel anything when the same metaphors, symbolism, and imagery is used on repeat. The blank page to me is not beautiful, I would rather see more words than a short 'poem' of "you can feel whole and empty at the same time". Or even better, the words that are on the page evoke enough emotion and oomph that my eyes don't drift around the page looking for more.

HOWEVER, I do recognise that part of why I disliked this collection is the content themes i.e. heartbreak. As someone who has not experienced heart break (yes I recognise how great that is and I am grateful) I could not connect to this collection. Perhaps someone who is going through a bad break up would find more comfort in the words written in 'Nineteen'. I hope someone is able to find solace within these blank pages and empty words.

I thought the writing was pretty simplistic and nothing special and I didn't particularly relate to any of the poems. As a result, they didn't evoke any emotion (which is weird because I'm only 21, so I would have thought I would have related to the poetry more).

This is definitely my kind of poetry collection. I love poetry that is both inspirational and thought provoking and these poems are both. You will be swept away by the beauty of these poems and there wasn’t one that I didn’t enjoy.

Overall, I gave this a 4 out of 5 stars and have every intention of picking up her other collection